Chapter 18

Director Wang Mingdong quickly edited the footage Ruan Xizhi had filmed. As he worked, he was completely blown away.

If Ruan Xizhi weren’t a guest, he would have hired her as a videographer!

No, actually, even sitting in his director’s chair would be beneath her talent.

She had an incredible eye for angles, maximizing both the scenery and the people in the shots.

As soon as the official Weibo account posted the video, the comments exploded, surpassing ten thousand within minutes, and the views skyrocketed.

It instantly climbed to the top of the trending page.

#MostBeautifulDesertedVillage#【HOT】

【”Mommy’s Back”: Take a Journey Through the Beauty of a Deserted Village [MV] | Filmed by @Ruan Xizhi】

Clicking on the video, viewers were first greeted with Xing Xiaochi flashing a cheerful peace sign. Then, the mango in his arms slipped and fell to the ground.

A weathered, scarred hand picked it up.

The camera slowly panned upward, revealing an elderly man with a kind, wrinkled face. When he smiled, his toothless gums were fully visible, but instead of being off-putting, it made him look even warmer.

He handed the mango back to Xing Xiaochi. Then, another hand landed gently on the old man’s shoulder—it was another elderly villager.

This second old man handed Xing Xiaochi a large cantaloupe, which was so big that the little boy could barely lift it. The surrounding adults laughed heartily.

But instead of feeling embarrassed, Xing Xiaochi joined in the laughter.

The camera shifted to the depths of the orchard, where villagers were busy picking fruit. Each type of fruit had its own close-up—still on the trees, gathered in baskets, lying on the ground, even some being nibbled on by ants…

The scene gradually faded out as Ruan Xizhi’s voice called out, “Grandma.”

An elderly woman appeared on screen, standing beneath a towering lychee tree, its branches heavy with fruit. She smiled at the camera—her expression a little stiff and unnatural, but undeniably beautiful.

The final shot pointed toward the horizon, where the ocean and sky blended into one.

A tiny glowing dot emerged, gradually staining half the sky red, layer by layer. The dot grew larger and larger—until the rising sun illuminated the entire deserted village.

【I don’t even know why, but my tears just started falling.】

【If you haven’t seen this video, you’re missing out!】

【Xizhi, you must take wedding photos for Grandma! I’m waiting for it!】

【I never knew Ruan Xizhi could film like this. The visuals are absolutely breathtaking!】

【Am I the only one who noticed how insanely good those fruits look?! I need a purchase link ASAP!】

【What’s the name of the livestream? I need to tune in!】

More and more people started requesting a livestream. Organic fruit had become a rarity, after all.

However, not everyone was pleased—especially the fans of the other three guest groups.

They started complaining in the livestream chat.

【Seriously? Is the camera only on Ruan Xizhi? And you guys claim this show isn’t biased? It’s so obvious!】

【Can’t she just focus on parenting? Always trying to show off. Ugh.】

【What, is our goddess Ruier not pretty enough? Is Tongtong not cute enough? Why aren’t they getting any screen time?!】

【Maybe they’re just not worthy. Whatever, let’s leave—this is basically Ruan Xizhi’s personal show now. Goodbye!】

Perhaps the heated arguments in the comments got too intense, because the director decided to shift the livestream to the other guests.

The screen went completely dark.

【Happy now? No bias here—enjoy staring at a black screen!】

【Only Ruan Xizhi and Xing Xiaochi are awake. Who else is the camera supposed to film? You guys are hilarious.】

【If you want screen time, tell your idols to wake up! This is ridiculous.】

Ruan Xizhi was completely unaware of the livestream chaos.

After taking note of the underground storage locations, she grabbed Xing Xiaochi’s hand and headed back.

By the time they returned, the three other mothers were finally awake and tending to their children at breakfast.

The moment Su Tongtong spotted Xing Xiaochi, she ran over excitedly. “Guoguo! Where did you go?”

Xing Xiaochi proudly pointed to his little woven basket. “We went to pick fruit! Look, I picked all of these—they’re super sweet!”

“Really?!” Su Tongtong’s eyes sparkled. “Tongtong wants sweet fruit!”

Xing Xiaochi lifted his chin proudly. “They’re all for you guys!”

When they reached the table, he set down his basket and generously distributed the fruit he had collected.

Thankfully, Xing Xiaochi wasn’t a selfish child—something Ruan Xizhi was quite relieved about.

After everyone finished eating, the director gathered the guests to discuss Ruan Xizhi’s idea for a livestream.

At the mention of it, the other guests frowned slightly.

Everyone knew that many influencers had faced major scandals when trying to sell products online. Even some A-list celebrities had been publicly shamed after failing at livestream sales.

Moreover, broadcasting this village to the public could drastically change it in ways they couldn’t predict.

At this moment, it wasn’t just the villagers—there were also millions of online viewers, and none of them dared to take the risk.

None of them would.

Everyone collectively chose silence. The director understood; in fact, he felt the same way.

This wasn’t part of the show’s original plan, so the tasks had to continue as scheduled.

He began announcing the day’s challenge:
“We will be living in this abandoned village for five days. To improve your living experience, today we will assign housing. The person who collects the most cards will have the first pick of a house.”

“The way to earn cards is based on the number of tasks you complete.”

Ruan Miaorui asked, “What kind of tasks?”

The director listed them off: “Feeding chickens, feeding ducks, feeding pigs… and carrying manure.”

Ruan Miaorui: “…” Is it too late to quit the show now?

But the thought of choosing a house… No matter how hard or exhausting the tasks were, it was worth the effort.

They had suffered enough in that tiny hut last night—it was so cramped they almost hit their heads when getting up.

As everyone prepared to set off, Ruan Xizhi suddenly stepped forward and said, “I’m sitting out of today’s task.”

“Oh, and I can take care of your kids,” she added. After all, she liked kids.

Before the mothers could respond, Gu Chengcheng and Su Tongtong had already run over to Xing Xiaochi, grabbing his hands in a well-behaved manner that seemed to say, You guys go ahead, don’t worry about us.

Only Lu Fei’er hesitated. She took a step forward, then stepped back again. Finally, she crossed her arms and said stubbornly, “I don’t want her to take care of me. Mom, I’m staying with you.”

Zhong Qianwen felt bad for her daughter. These tasks were tiring and dirty. She tried to persuade her, “Go play with your little brothers and sisters. I’ll be back soon.”

“I don’t want to,” Lu Fei’er pouted, arms still crossed. “They’re just a bunch of little kids.”

In the end, Zhong Qianwen gave in and took Lu Fei’er along for the tasks.

Before setting off, Song Sangyue pulled Ruan Xizhi aside and, in a rare moment, tried to persuade her.

“Live-streaming is a tiring and thankless job. Why don’t you come do the tasks with us and just focus on finishing the show properly?”

Ruan Xizhi smiled. “It’s fine, I already agreed to this.”

Song Sangyue wasn’t one to meddle, so since Ruan Xizhi was determined, she didn’t press the matter further. “Alright then, if I find a good house, you can stay with me.”

“Sounds good,” Ruan Xizhi said with a smile. “Thanks, Sister Sangyue.”

And so, the two groups split up again.

The moms went off to complete their tasks, while Ruan Xizhi stayed behind with the kids to set up the live stream.

As both teams departed, the show’s official account announced the live stream’s details:

《Mom’s Back》: @Abandoned Village Live Stream.

【LMAO, this parenting show turned into a shopping livestream, this is insane.】

【When it comes to making a spectacle, Ruan Xizhi is a master.】

【HAHAHA Ruan Xizhi is really turning into the queen of babysitting.】

【I strongly suspect she just wanted to avoid doing any tasks, so she came up with this nonsense.】

【I don’t care, I just want organic fruit. Where’s the shopping link?!】

Some mocked, some sneered, some shouted—yet in the end, they all clicked into the live stream.

At first, they thought it would be a typical product-selling show.

But instead, they walked into… a baby cuteness overload special!

The camera focused solely on three adorable little kids.

Su Tongtong held a tiny mango in her hands, blinking at the camera. “This fruit was grown by the hardworking farmers. It’s super, super delicious. There’s a lot of it here! Do you guys want to buy some?”

Viewers: “!!!” Too cute!

【BUYING!】

【BUY BUY BUY!】

Gu Chengcheng held a bunch of lychees, his chubby little face flushed pink. When he smiled, two adorable dimples appeared.

His soft, milky voice was almost a whisper: “Lychees are very sweet. Do you want to buy some, big brothers and sisters?”

Viewers: “!!!” I can’t take this!

【BUYING!】

【SOMEONE GET ME A CART FULL!】

Then it was Xing Xiaochi’s turn—his style was completely different from the first two.

His eyes practically sparkled as he stared at the plate of durian.

He stepped up to the camera, grabbed a piece of durian, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Then, with his mouth still full, he mumbled something incomprehensible:

“@#＊~×-%#、＊+！”

And finally, he gave a big thumbs-up.

【HAHAHAHA okay, we’ll give you a like for that.】

【LOL NOT EVEN HIS MOM COULD UNDERSTAND HIM.】

【Even if his real mom showed up, she probably wouldn’t get it either.】

The next second, Ruan Xizhi translated for him:

“He said, ‘It smells like poop, but it tastes delicious.’”