Chapter 73

Nian Nian really liked the mysterious prize she won, which was a deluxe children’s remote control car. The car’s color and appearance were very cool, and two children could sit inside if they squeezed together. After Nian Nian got the car, she drove it around, sometimes taking Zi Ai and sometimes Jiang Xu and others. The children had a lot of fun.

The few days of recording the show passed quickly, and it was almost time to wrap up the last day of filming.

At the end, the program team prepared to interview the children. There were cameras in the interview room, and the parents sat in the monitoring room, watching their children’s interviews on the screen.

This segment is meant for the program team to let parents understand their children’s true thoughts and to end “Super Mom” with the children’s innocent words.

The first person to be interviewed was Zhao Yiyang.

The director’s first question was: Who does the child like more, dad or mom?

Adults often use this question to tease children, as if they need to force a choice to satisfy their curiosity.

Zhao Yiyang sat on the stool, hesitating. He really couldn’t choose, so he said, “Mom and Dad equally.”

The director asked, “What if you had to choose one?”

Zhao Yiyang, usually mild-tempered, was a bit upset. He crossed his arms, pouted, and stared at the director, showing that he was very angry and refused to answer.

The director, feeling guilty, decided not to press further.

The director then moved on to the next question: “What do you think of your parents? You can say if you think of them positively or negatively. If you have any wishes, you can also share them.”

When asked this, Zhao Yiyang fell silent for a while, looking at the director as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“Yiyang, it’s okay. You can treat the director as a friend and tell us what’s on your mind. Of course, if you really don’t want to, that’s fine. We can end the interview now.”

Zhao Yiyang didn’t respond about ending the interview. He sat silently before speaking: “…My father always says I’m pampered and can’t endure hardship.”

Fearing misunderstanding, Zhao Yiyang quickly added: “I like my father a lot. He’s a champion and has won many gold medals. Everyone admires him, and I do too.”

“But I don’t want to be an athlete like him. I don’t like running and training all day… I don’t like competing for first place. Rather than being an athlete, I want to be a scientist, like Grandma Nian Nian.” Zhao Yiyang said, “I prefer going to museums and botanical gardens over training halls. I have many plant specimens at home that I collected myself…”

“But when I don’t want to train, my dad says I’m lazy, delicate, and not like a boy,” Zhao Yiyang said quietly, “Am I really not a strong and good child? If I can’t be a champion like my dad, will everyone dislike me?”

[Zhao Yiyang is already in elementary school. He is the oldest among several children and has always behaved well and taken care of his younger siblings. But sometimes, is it because he is too well-behaved that adults overlook his feelings?]

[Hug Zhao Yiyang, you have always been excellent and everyone likes you very much.]

[Last time on the show, Zhao Heng took Zhao Yiyang to high-intensity training. Although Zhao Yiyang wasn’t very active, he didn’t refuse his father’s request. He doesn’t like sports but kept trying for his father. How could such a child not be good?]

[I’ve seen several interviews with Zhao Heng. He always wanted Zhao Yiyang to be an athlete like him. But after watching so many episodes, Zhao Yiyang seems to be someone who doesn’t compete. I wonder if a child who isn’t very competitive is really suited for competitive sports?]

The couple Zhao Heng and Zhong Yao in the monitoring room were silent, intently watching Zhao Yiyang on the screen.

Zhao Yiyang had never expressed these feelings to his parents before. This was the first time they heard their son’s true thoughts.

Zhao Heng, an athlete himself, always felt his son should follow the same path. When other children were playing, Zhao Yiyang started training with his father at age three. As he got older, the training became more intense. Although Zhao Yiyang sometimes resisted, he eventually complied with his father and coach’s demands. Zhao Heng believed hard work was more important than talent, so when his son didn’t meet his expectations, he thought Yiyang was lazy, spoiled, and unable to endure hardship.

It seems he never considered whether Zhao Yiyang truly enjoyed it.

Maybe I’ve thought about it, but I still stubbornly believe that children are always changing their interests. So, I tend to ignore their true feelings.

After Zhao Yiyang left, the next person interviewed was Jiang Xu.

When Jiang Xu came in and was asked by the director, “Do you like your father or your mother?” he proudly said, “I like neither.”

“This kid.” Jiang Xu’s answer made Fang Tang and Jiang Yuan in the monitoring room both angry and amused.

The director asked, “Why?”

Jiang Xu replied, “Because my parents always stop me from doing things. It’s so annoying.”

“Can you be more specific about what your parents don’t let you do?”

Jiang Xu listed things his parents didn’t allow: “They won’t let me climb on the roof, tease cats and dogs, or do anything. Basically, they just want me to sit still like a rock.”

“Have you ever done that?”

“No, I don’t know why, but I always want to do what my parents don’t allow. It’s a dilemma, but I just can’t help it.”

[Jiang Xu is a mischievous kid, but his naughtiness is endearing and brings joy to everyone. Parenting one child is probably more exhausting than raising two. Fang Tang and her husband are working hard.]

[Haha, just like Jiang Xu said, what can I do? I can’t lose my child.]

…

When it was Nian Nian’s turn, she was asked the same question: “Who do you like most, dad or mom?”

Nian Nian, swinging her short legs on the stool, said without hesitation, “I love my mother the most.”

Jiang Chen in the monitoring room thought, “…” Although he expected this answer, he would have felt better if Nian Nian had hesitated a bit before answering.

The director then asked, “Does Nian Nian dislike daddy?”

Nian Nian puffed up her cheeks and said, “I like him too.”

“Did you hear that? Nian Nian said she likes daddy too!” Jiang Chen, the old father in the monitoring room, smiled at Shen Mingyou.

“I heard,” Shen Mingyou replied with a smile.

The interview continued. The director asked, “Does Nian Nian have anything to say to mom and dad?”

Nian Nian thought about it and shook her head. If she wanted to say something to her parents, she would tell them directly, not the director.

Director: “Nothing to say?”

Nian Nian shook her head: “No.”

Director: “So what does Nian Nian think of her parents? It can be good or bad.”

Nian Nian shook her head again: “No.”

Director: “…”

The director changed the question: “What is Nian Nian’s greatest wish?”

Nian Nian tilted her head and thought hard, realizing she had no wishes left. All her wishes had come true.

So Nian Nian shook her head: “No.”

The director persisted: “Does Nian Nian really have no wishes? Other children have wishes.”

Nian Nian continued to shake her head: “Really not.”

Director: “…” This kid is so hard to interview. She only shakes her head.

But the director didn’t give up. He said, “A wish can be big or small. For example, if you want a toy, to eat something, or play something, it can be your wish.”

The director added, “Nian Nian, it’s said that all wishes made on our show come true. This is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, you’ll never get it again.”

Seeing the director’s persuasion, Nian Nian felt she shouldn’t miss this chance. She thought carefully and then said with a smile, “Nian Nian hopes that mom will always be happy.”

In the video, Shen Mingyou looked at little Nian Nian with clear and bright eyes. Her wish was simple and beautiful, which comforted Shen Mingyou as a mother.

Her Nian Nian has always been an angel. Shen Mingyou feels lucky to be her mother.

[After thinking for so long, Nian Nian’s wish is for her mom’s happiness!]

[Nian Nian is truly an angel. Shen Mingyou must have had great luck to have such a good family in this life.]

[I think Mr. Jiang must have also been very lucky. Shen Mingyou is rich and beautiful, and Mr. Jiang is the happiest man because he married her and has such a lovely daughter!]

[That’s right, Mr. Jiang is the most enviable man! I wish to be reborn as him in my next life!]