The drive from town to Nanmu Village took less than an hour, and by the time they arrived, it was already past three in the afternoon.

The production team had rented a house in the village to serve as accommodations for the guests.

Unlike other variety shows where rooms were assigned through games or a first-come, first-served basis, ‘A Taste of Everyday Life’ had pre-assigned rooms, with each guest’s name displayed on their respective doors.

Yan An, along with two other female guests, was assigned to the third floor, while the three male guests stayed on the second.

The rooms were all quite decent, though there were clear distinctions based on the guests’ status. For instance, Qi Yan had the largest room, complete with a private bathroom.

The rest, however, had to share the communal bathrooms on each floor.

The third-floor bathroom was fully equipped, but compared to city standards, it was noticeably smaller and less comfortable.

Yan An could clearly sense the subtle shift in Wen Yang and Ji Lan’s expressions when they saw the facilities.

She, on the other hand, remained unbothered. After all, as a pennywort plant, she didn’t even need to use the toilet.

Still, to avoid suspicion, she figured she should make an occasional visit.

Returning to her room, she slung on her oversized school bag and took a quick look around. On the bedside table, she noticed two elegantly packaged bottles of mineral water.

Though it was just water, it was undoubtedly expensive. After all, it was one of the program’s major sponsors.

The cameraman, who was tasked only with filming, made no attempt to interfere with the guests’ actions.

As an amateur participant, Yan An quickly adapted to the ever-present cameras. Without hesitation, she unzipped her school bag, stuffed the two bottles of mineral water inside, and then casually walked into the bathroom, shutting the door with a loud bang. Effectively locking out both the cameraman and the curious netizens watching the live broadcast.

The Live Chat Explodes.

[Wait, amateur lady! Don’t go in yet! Tell us why are you bringing two bottles of water into the bathroom?!]

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA~ I’m dying! Why would someone need to take mineral water to the toilet?!]

[Isn’t that water just for decoration? It’s not even meant to be drunk! Does she not know?!]

[I’m on edge right now! Why? Why bring water into the bathroom?]

[What’s happening there? Why does she need her own water supply?!]

[Photographer! Break in there now!!!]

The cameraman: …He wanted to, but he couldn’t.

Inside the bathroom, Yan An remained blissfully unaware that the live chat had descended into utter chaos, with netizens practically clawing at their screens in frustration.

The bathroom was small but clean.

She plopped down on the toilet, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a lemon and a bitter gourd. Tossing them to the floor, she watched as two small children instantly appeared.

The two little ones had been napping the entire trip, and now, suddenly woken up, they yawned sleepily, looking utterly drained.

Yan Mengmeng was still in relatively good shape, but Yan Kuku was another story.

Whenever he got tired, his already-bitter face only deepened, making him look as though Yan An had been mistreating him.

Sigh, she thought. I knew these two were getting dehydrated.

Yan An pulled out the bottles of mineral water and handed one to each of them. Though the door was locked, she instinctively lowered her voice. “Here, drink some water.”

The moment they saw the bottles, the little ones’ eyes lit up. Without hesitation, they unscrewed the caps and began gulping down the water.

Since their own bodies were naturally either sour or bitter, they were extremely sensitive to sweet tastes.

In under a minute, both bottles were empty.

Yan Mengmeng smacked his lips and gazed at Yan An with bright eyes. “Mom, this water tastes a little sweet!”

Yan An frowned in confusion. “Really?”

Back when she and Qi Yan were married, their fridge had been stocked with this brand of water. She had drunk it plenty of times, and as far as she remembered, it wasn’t sweet at all.

Could it be that these two silly kids were so dehydrated they were hallucinating?

“Mom, is there more? I want another one.”

Yan Mengmeng screwed the cap back onto his empty bottle and handed it to her, the lemon leaves on his head swaying slightly.

Yan Kuku followed suit, tilting his head up and flashing a pitiful look, his bitter expression carrying a hint of charm. “Me too.”

Yan An looked at the two little ones in front of her, their expectant faces practically begging to be fed. She pinched their soft, chubby cheeks and said, “Alright, Mommy will bring you more tomorrow. The show is still being recorded, so I have to head out now.”

Hearing this, Yan Mengmeng and Yan Kuku obediently transformed back into a little lemon and a little bitter gourd, nestling into Yan An’s pocket once again.

Just before she opened the door, Yan Mengmeng asked, “Mom, have we arrived at our destination? Are we staying here for the next few days?”

Yan An replied, “That’s right.”

The tiny lemon peeked its bright yellow head out of her pocket, bouncing excitedly. “Then, Mommy, can my little brother and I go out and play?”

Hearing the word play, the little bitter gourd also poked his head out. Though he had no facial features, it was clear he was just as eager.

These two had spent the past three years cooped up inside the barrier, rarely going outside. It was no wonder they were feeling stifled.

Now that they were in the countryside, surrounded by mountains, it was only natural for them to want to explore.

Back when Yan An had first cultivated her human form, she had also thrown herself into the mountains, running wild without a care in the world.

As a good mother who always put herself in her seeds’ shoes, Yan An only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. 

“Alright. Later, I’ll sneak you two into the bushes, and you can go play. But remember~ don’t transform into human form. Just roll around in the mountains quietly and make sure no one sees you.”

Rolling around in the mountains wouldn’t attract any attention, so it was fine.

Yan Mengmeng & Yan Kuku: “Okay!”

As soon as Yan An stepped out of her room, the cameraman was already waiting outside.

He gave her a once-over before finally blurting out the question he had been holding back. “Why did you take mineral water into the bathroom?”

The moment he asked, the live chat went dead silent. The viewers were all holding their breath, eager to know the answer.

Yan An froze for a second before responding matter-of-factly, “To drink, of course.”

[Pfft~ drinking water in the bathroom? What kind of logic is that?]

[Miss, you are truly something else. Awesome!]

[Wait… did she actually finish both bottles?!]

That question was soon answered.

As Yan An passed by a trash bin, she pulled two empty mineral water bottles from her bag, flattened them under her foot, and tossed them into the recycling bin.

The production team had given the guests time to rest and unpack, with instructions to gather in the living room at 4 p.m.

At around 3:50, Yan An got up to head downstairs. As she passed the second floor, her footsteps hesitated slightly, and she instinctively glanced toward Liang Baiyu’s room.

Should I drag him down with me?

If left alone, he’d probably spend the entire day holed up in there.

But then she remembered his strict instructions before joining the show. 

‘Pretend we don’t know each other.’

With that in mind, Yan An quickly shook her head and hurried downstairs.

Forget it. It’s best if I just focus on protecting myself like a wise little copper coin grass.

A friend’s fate? Not my problem.

Sure enough, when the clock struck four and everyone else had arrived, Liang Baiyu was still nowhere to be seen.

The director cleared his throat and adopted a serious expression. “You’re all part of the same team now. Everyone must be present before we can assign your tasks. If you don’t complete them, you’ll go hungry tonight and you won’t be able to go to bed either.”

Yan An: “…”

Wait a second…this show has collective punishment?!

Going without dinner was fine. She wouldn’t get hungry anyway. But no sleep?

If eating was already unnecessary, and now sleeping wasn’t an option either… What was even the point of life?!

Just as Yan An was debating whether to go upstairs and educate that pigeon of a man, someone else beat her to it.

Jiang Tian, the youngest of the group, stood up hesitantly and said, “I-I’ll go call Teacher Liang.”¹

After saying that, he instinctively glanced at Qi Yan.

Qi Yan sat off to the side, sipping his tea with an indifferent expression. When he noticed Jiang Tian’s gaze, he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

Though he was holding nothing more than a disposable paper cup, he exuded the presence of someone drinking from a finely crafted Yixing teapot².

“You need something?” he asked casually, blowing on his tea. His tone wasn’t exactly unfriendly, but there was an undeniable sense of distance.

Jiang Tian let out a soft ah before hurriedly waving his hands. “N-no, nothing! I’ll go call Teacher Liang now.”

Blushing, he quickly rushed upstairs.

Watching his retreating figure, Yan An felt a twinge of sympathy.

It reminded her of that night. The night she and Qi Yan had registered their marriage.

At the time, she had thought: We’re officially married now. Doesn’t that mean this is basically the equivalent of the wedding night in a cultivation world? Shouldn’t something happen?

Back then, fresh out of her transmigration, Yan An had been quite eager to have children.

After all, if not for the sake of having kids, why else would she have married him?

But of course, she couldn’t just blurt out, Let’s cultivate together! Hurry up and make a baby with me!

So she had resorted to subtle hints.

She had put on a sexy little dress she bought online, walked over to him, knelt beside him, and gazed up at him with wide, expectant eyes.

At the time, Qi Yan had been reading a script. He casually flipped a page, glanced down at her, and lazily asked, “You need something?”

The scene overlapped with what had just happened.

Back then, she had still been a little afraid of him. Seeing his reaction, she didn’t dare to say anything else and had slunk back to the bedroom.

…Of course, later that night, he had followed her in.

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1. The term “teacher” (老师, lǎoshī) is commonly used among colleagues in the entertainment industry to address actors and actresses as a sign of respect. It acknowledges their experience, skill, and role as mentors both on and off set. ↩︎
2. Yixing Teapot, a chinese tea pot made out of Yixing clay. It is also known as Zisha teapot. ↩︎