The night in the ancient village was peaceful and quiet.
This was the first time Huo Guining and Huo Xiaozheng lay on the same bed.
Moonlight filtered through the not-quite-opaque curtains, falling on the bed, faintly illuminating their faces.
Huo Guining lay with her legs crossed, hands behind her head, looking content.
"Dad, can you hear that?" she asked.
The sound of frogs croaking filled the air, occasionally interrupted by the wind rustling through the treetops or crickets chirping in the corner.
Huo Xiaozheng lay straight, with his hands on his waist. Hearing Guining's question, he opened his eyes and replied, "Mm, it sounds nice."
"It's so quiet here," Huo Guining mused. "It's like a night covered in thick snow. But even more wonderful!"
Her relaxed tone infected Huo Xiaozheng, who allowed himself to relax and immerse in the natural nighttime atmosphere.
"Do you like it here?" he asked.
Huo Guining nodded, then realizing Huo Xiaozheng couldn't see clearly, she added, "Yes, I do."
"Then we'll come back again someday."
Huo Guining wiggled her feet, unconsciously humming along with the insects' songs.
The nameless tune, carrying its owner's good mood, floated away on the breeze.
In the darkness, Huo Xiaozheng's lips slowly curved into a smile.
It seems this trip wasn't a mistake after all.
The next morning.
"Achoo!" Huo Guining sat up in bed, sneezing repeatedly.
Huo Xiaozheng brought over a cup of cold medicine, speaking softly, "Drink this, you'll feel better."
Huo Guining took it and downed it in one gulp.
The bitter medicine was barely masked by a thin layer of sweetness, leaving an odd aftertaste.
Huo Guining made a sour face and bargained, "Can I have a candy, Dad?"
Huo Guining had developed a fever in the second half of the night.
When Huo Xiaozheng discovered it, her back was drenched in sweat, her face flushed, and she was curled up next to his arm, whimpering.
Huo Xiaozheng expertly retrieved a thermometer and fever medication from the suitcase, took her temperature - it was a low-grade fever.
Considering Guining's weak constitution, Huo Xiaozheng gave her half a dose of fever reducer.
He then used a dry towel to wipe the sweat from her back and changed her into dry pajamas.
Half an hour later, Guining's fever broke, and she stopped whimpering.
She slept until late morning.
But Huo Xiaozheng didn't dare let his guard down. After breakfast, he still coaxed her into drinking a cup of cold medicine.
Huo Xiaozheng had the production team bring over Guining's snack bag, from which he selected a preserved plum ginger candy and handed it to her.
"You were very good about taking your medicine today, so you deserve a candy."
Huo Guining lifted her chin proudly: "Of course."
Due to Guining's illness, the Huo father and daughter didn't participate in the morning's tasks.
The production team came to inquire if they could join the upcoming activities. Huo Xiaozheng's instinct was to refuse.
But Huo Guining didn't want to give netizens any reason to criticize, so she said she could participate in the upcoming activities.
Fortunately, the task before lunch was for the children to draw scenes from the ancient village, which would then be judged by local elders.
The fathers could help, but weren't allowed to draw for their children.
Whichever child received the highest score would win the most generous reward for their family.
Huo Guining suspected this was entirely Huo Xiaozheng's behind-the-scenes manipulation, but she had no proof.
Once the task began, the children sat down at tables near the village entrance and started drawing.
Although it was children's art, the show provided quite a variety of tools.
The ancient village wasn't particularly colorful, so after some thought, Huo Guining decided to do a sketch.
Little Yinuo sat down next to Huo Guining, scribbling with her crayons.
Liang Wenzhuo, Zhang Ling, and Haohao started playing tic-tac-toe as they drew.
The adults were running around frantically, grabbing one child here, calling out to another there.
The scene was chaotic yet harmonious.
On the Huo family's side, the atmosphere was noticeably different.
Once Huo Guining entered her drawing zone, she became almost completely absorbed.
To avoid spreading her cold, she wore a face mask.
Apart from occasional coughing and wiping her nose, she was almost entirely cut off from the world around her.
Huo Xiaozheng sat beside her, his long legs crossed, staring at her pencil, lost in thought.
After what seemed like an eternity, the host called time.
Huo Guining snapped out of her trance.
With her artistic background, Huo Guining was in a completely different league from the other children.
Except for Liang Wenzhuo, who had apparently also studied art at home.
So his drawing was quite good too.
When the results were announced, Huo Guining unsurprisingly won first place.
"The first prize is a sumptuous lunch provided by the show!" the host announced.
Huo Guining clapped her hands without much excitement and volunteered to share with everyone.
The fathers and children naturally didn't refuse.
"Guining, is your cold still bothering you?" Zhang Ling's father asked, surprised that his son's early morning prediction had come true, as he'd heard Guining coughing non-stop since dawn.
Huo Guining replied in a stuffy voice, "I've taken medicine, it's much better now."
The variety show lasted two days and one night. After lunch, it was time for everyone to part ways.
Worried about Guining's health, Huo Xiaozheng quickly packed their things, ready to leave.
Yinuo, with red-rimmed eyes, clung to Huo Guining's clothes, reluctant to let go. "Guining big sister, are you leaving?"
Huo Guining, still wearing her mask, bent down to hug her. "Yes, I have to go now."
"Will you come back again?"
Production team: Good question!
Huo Guining avoided answering directly: "Yinuo, are you going to miss me?"
The little girl nodded, looking pitiful.
Huo Guining couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her chubby cheeks. "If you miss me, you can come play at my house when you're back in South City."
Yinuo's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Huo Guining nodded.
Zhang Ling rushed over, butting in: "I want to come too!"
Before Huo Xiaozheng could refuse, Huo Guining's cheerful voice rang out: "Sure!"
Not only did she agree, but she extended the invitation to everyone.
"You can all come!"
Huo Xiaozheng: ...
Huo Guining was scooped up by Huo Xiaozheng, who walked away without looking back.
Not far off, their driver was waiting. He took the luggage from Huo Xiaozheng's hand and, seeing Huo Xiaozheng's gloomy expression, stepped hard on the gas pedal, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.
The Huo father and daughter had come in a rush and left in a rush.
Once in the car, Huo Guining's forced energy collapsed.
She curled up weakly in her safety seat, drowsy.
"If you're tired, go to sleep," Huo Xiaozheng said, closing the car window and covering her with a thin blanket.
Huo Guining obediently closed her eyes.
Huo Xiaozheng opened his laptop and began to work.
"Dad, let's not come next time, okay?" Huo Guining murmured, half-asleep. "I don't want you to be so tired."
Huo Xiaozheng's hands paused.
Huo Guining, clearly unable to distinguish between sleep and wakefulness, muttered these words, probably truly concerned about how busy Huo Xiaozheng was, yet still making time to play with her.
Huo Xiaozheng stroked her head. "Dad's not tired."
Huo Guining seemed reassured and fell asleep, her head lolling to one side.
It wasn't until after the show aired that Huo Guining realized.
Huo Xiaozheng had an ulterior motive for bringing her to participate in this variety show.
