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The two little kids stared wide-eyed at the coconuts on the ground.
The idea of quenching their thirst just by looking at the coconuts clearly wasn’t working. Xing Xiaochi and Su Tongtong felt thirstier by the second as they gazed at the round, plump coconuts, licking their lips so much that they were almost chapped.
The viewers online were completely charmed by the two clueless children.
[Oh my, babies, don’t tell me you’ve never eaten a coconut before?]
[Drinking it doesn’t mean you’ve seen one before. And these things are so hard— I wouldn’t be able to open one either.]
[Ruan Xizhi, oh Ruan Xizhi, you’ve really put these two kids in a tough spot. They can see it but can’t drink it— isn’t that just cruel?]
[Look at those little lips all licked dry. Even I feel parched now. Mom, get me an ice cream.]
[Same, I’m parched too. Gonna chug a bottle of Coke right now.]
[Hahaha, you guys in this comment section are way too playful.]
Just then, Xing Xiaochi burped, catching the laughing audience off guard. The entire livestream went silent for three seconds before bursting into laughter.
[HAHAHAHAHAHA]
[No way, did he just burp from staring at food?]
[Xiaochi, be a good boy, stay cool—don’t go down the goofy route, hahaha.]
[I’ve never laughed this hard watching a comedy show before. Oh my stomach, I’m dying of laughter! :-D]
While everyone was laughing uncontrollably, Xing Xiaochi had a sudden realization—his burp tasted like eggs from breakfast.
Eggs?
He suddenly remembered how Grandpa Chen cracked eggs before peeling them. They had to be broken first!
Looking at the round, egg-shaped fruit on the ground, he figured the same logic should apply.
He glanced around, found a rock near the tree, and smashed it hard against the coconut.
With his considerable strength, he managed to crack a small opening in the coconut. Sweet, milky-white juice seeped through the gap, dampening the soil beneath.
Su Tongtong gasped in amazement, clapping her hands excitedly. “Guoguo, water! The water is coming out!”
Xing Xiaochi quickly steadied the coconut, while Su Tongtong leaned in closer and whispered, “Guoguo, I want to drink the water. Tongtong is really thirsty.”
Holding the coconut firmly, Xing Xiaochi glanced at Su Tongtong’s dry, bright-red lips. There were no straws or bowls around.
His eyes darted around before he suddenly stood up, holding the coconut. “Don’t move! I’ll pour it for you, okay?”
Su Tongtong didn’t fully understand what he meant but nodded anyway. “Okay!”
And then, the livestream audience witnessed the most heartwarming scene.
Xing Xiaochi carefully tilted the coconut, pouring the coconut water into Su Tongtong’s mouth in small, measured amounts, ensuring she wouldn’t choke. When he finished, he asked her, “Does it taste good?”
Su Tongtong licked her lips. “Delicious!”
Xing Xiaochi smiled. “A little more?”
Su Tongtong nodded. “Okay.”
After she had her fill, Su Tongtong stood up obediently. “Guoguo, I’ll help you drink too.”
Xing Xiaochi shook his head. “This is too heavy. I’ll drink it myself.”
Then, like chugging down a drink, he lifted the coconut high and gulped the water down in big swigs. Sweet coconut water trickled down the corners of his mouth, soaking into his clothes and dampening his chest.
He was clearly beyond thirsty.
The viewers were in tears.
[I just saw him swallowing his own saliva while pouring for Tongtong. He was so thirsty himself, but he made sure his little sister drank first. This is the most precious big brother ever. 😭😭😭]
[Xing Xiaochi is strong, responsible, and caring. This is why kids need real-life experiences to grow.]
[Xing Xiaochi, I owe you an apology. I called you a troublemaker earlier, but I totally misjudged you.]
As people’s impressions of Xing Xiaochi changed, they also became curious about Ruan Xizhi and clicked into her smaller livestream.
Since the show featured big-name guests, the director opted for a split-screen format, displaying three different perspectives:
With nothing much happening in her frame, her viewer count was low. But as the new audience joined, they were completely baffled by what they saw.
[??? What is she doing?]
[Holy crap, is that a monkey stealing peaches?!]
[Wait, are there monkeys on this island?]
The long-time viewers quickly explained:
[Hahaha, what monkey? That’s Ruan Xizhi!]
[What?! Since when was she this agile?]
[She moves up and down trees so smoothly… Are we sure she’s not actually a monkey?]
At that moment, Ruan Xizhi was leaping between fruit trees, stocking up for the coming days. She wanted to prepare well in advance so she could relax later.
Thinking about the peaceful, carefree vacation ahead, she picked fruit even faster. The drone cameras struggled to keep up with her movements.
The audience: [???]
Before long, she had gathered a pile of large, round fruits on the ground.
But that wasn’t the real shocker. That was just the tip of the iceberg.
Ruan Xizhi carried her haul back to a cave she had found earlier. Inside, there was a neatly stacked pile of coconuts, several exotic fruits the viewers had never even seen before, and—
A tree bed.
Yes, a fully constructed tree bed.
It looked incredibly cozy—cool, soft, and inviting.
This was nothing like the harsh, survivalist island experiences the audience had imagined.
Shouldn’t they be exhausted, starving, and barely scraping by?
Why did Ruan Xizhi’s camp look like a resort in Qingdao?!
Sensing the cool evening breeze as the sun set, Ruan Xizhi squinted her eyes. Something felt off. She grabbed the stone axe she had crafted earlier and stepped out of the cave.
[Where did she get that tool?! Show producers, are you cheating?]
[Look closely—that’s a handmade stone axe.]
[If she weren’t Ruan Xizhi, I’d think she was a wild child raised in the jungle.]
[Is this island actually Ruan Xizhi’s home?]
[Wait, does she even remember she has two kids to look after?]
[Forget the kids—where is she going with that axe?!]
In the midst of the discussions and criticisms from the live stream viewers, Ruan Xizhi quickly chopped down two trees, dragging them toward the cave with a combination of dragging and pulling.
Ruan Xizhi had received professional training and understood that a cool breeze after a heatwave was not a good sign. Moreover, she had observed the environment of the deserted island. As expected, it was going to rain tonight.
The viewers in the live stream were watching her move around, but no one knew exactly what she was doing.
[Stop chopping trees, it’s almost dark, go get the kids!] [This stepmother, the kids must be suffering with her.] [Let’s form a group and steal the kids, who needs a stepmother like that!] [Add me to the group for stealing the kids.]
After a while, a few viewers started to notice something.
[Wait… is she… making a door for the cave?] [What? Are you sure? Wait, she really is making a door?!] [Ruan Xizhi can do this too?] [She doesn’t have nails, how is she going to connect the wood?] [Looks like she’s just messing around.]
Ten minutes later, those doubting viewers were slapped in the face and didn’t dare to speak.
Ruan Xizhi had inherited her family’s legacy, overcoming five brothers and passing a family test that included learning her grandfather’s woodworking skills.
Using a stone axe, Ruan Xizhi carved grooves into each piece of wood and then joined them together. Her movements were swift, as though she were an experienced carpenter.
Soon, a sturdy wooden door appeared in the live stream.
The viewers were stunned.
[This can actually be done???] [Forgive me, I’ve never seen such a technique before.] [This is the famous mortise and tenon joint from our country!] [If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d have suspected Ruan Xizhi had someone else do it.] [Ruan Xizhi is impressive, really eye-opening.]
The door was solid, and Ruan Xizhi was satisfied with her work. After finishing the “vacation cave,” she patted her hands, picked a few fruits off the ground, and went to fetch the children.
Meanwhile, Ruan Miaorui was still struggling to set up the tent.
Song Sangyue, who had experience camping from her youth, set it up quickly. The fourth group of guests hadn’t arrived yet, so the production crew helped her out.
Only Ruan Miaorui was sweating and exhausted, parched, and frustrated.
She had thought the show would be about playing with kids, but now she realized it was much harsher than expected. Had she known, she wouldn’t have come.
Her skin was already feeling the sunburn, and she worried about how long it would take to recover.
Plus, they were all women, and setting up a tent was harder than she thought. It took her a long time to set up just one corner.
Looking at the beautiful weather, she thought it might be better to sleep outdoors.
Ruan Miaorui decided it made sense, so she threw the tools aside and pretended to worry about looking for Su Tongtong.
She had just asked the staff and found out that Su Tongtong and Xing Xiaochi were on the island.
This was a family variety show, and people wanted to see the cute kids. Since Su Tongtong’s popularity had soared since appearing on Weibo, Ruan Miaorui intended to use the current attention to get closer to the spotlight.
Under the guidance of the staff, Ruan Miaorui found Su Tongtong and Xing Xiaochi under a big tree.
The two kids were enjoying themselves, having finished a large bag of biscuits and two coconuts.
Seeing that only the two kids were there, Ruan Miaorui feigned anger. “Ruan Xizhi left you two here? Do you realize how dangerous this is?”
The viewers in the live stream echoed her, turning the criticism toward Ruan Xizhi.
Ruan Miaorui looked at the two kids. “Are you hungry and thirsty?”
The two kids shook their heads; they were full.
Ruan Miaorui tried to make it seem like they were starving. “Look at how hungry the kids are, they can’t even speak properly.”
The viewers laughed out loud, knowing full well that the kids were full.
[We saw it with our own eyes. Before you arrived, Xing Xiaochi and Su Tongtong both burped.] [You should worry about yourself, the kids ate and drank well, they’re neither hungry nor thirsty, hahahaha.] [Seems like Ruan Xizhi made the right choice. No sunburn, they’re well-fed, and they’re having a great afternoon.]
Ruan Miaorui didn’t realize any of this; today, she was determined to attract all the attention and leave a good impression on the viewers.
She then suggested taking the kids with her.
But Xing Xiaochi stood up. “I’m not going.”
Xing Xiaochi wasn’t her responsibility, and with the negative comments online about him, he was free to choose.
Ruan Miaorui ignored him and reached for Su Tongtong, only for Xing Xiaochi to pull her behind him. “She’s not going either.”
Su Tongtong nodded. “Mm, I’m not going.”
She swatted Ruan Miaorui’s hand away.
Ruan Miaorui: “I’m your mother now.”
Su Tongtong shook her head. “You’re pretending to be my mommy.”
Ruan Miaorui: “…”
Though Su Tongtong was young and couldn’t differentiate between good and bad, she knew that when she visited this aunt’s house the day before, she hadn’t been given her milk and had taken away her little blanket, calling it dirty.
Her blanket smelled so nice, how could it be dirty? Su Tongtong was upset all night and decided then not to like this aunt anymore.
Plus, this morning, she had to wait in her room for so long. Her parents always said that punctuality was important for good children, but Ruan Miaorui didn’t keep her promises, which made her dislike her even more.
Ruan Miaorui couldn’t do anything. She tried to grab her again, but Xing Xiaochi shielded Su Tongtong and kept her away.
Ruan Miaorui became a bit anxious. “Tongtong, come back with me.”
She stretched out her hand again, and just as she was about to grab her, a strong hand pushed her aside.
“Try touching her again.”