Chapter 26 Part 1

Zhou Yexuan left Zhuangyuan Town early the next morning, but from what Shen Qingqing observed, he had left several bodyguards among the program staff to “keep an eye on her.”

Shen Qingqing didn’t care. She planned to live as she pleased, whether or not anyone was watching. If Zhou Yexuan wanted to observe her, then fine—let him see how she “bullied” his son.

At the same time, the second day of recording for Almighty Mom officially began.

After breakfast, the mothers and their children gathered in the yard.

Director Xu Xiang announced the day’s task: “As we all know, Zhuangyuan Town is well-known for its agriculture, especially its fruits and vegetables. However, selling these products is just as important as growing them. Today, your mission is to help local farmers sell their produce. We will draw lots to decide which agricultural product each of you will be responsible for selling.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqing groaned inwardly. Selling fruits and vegetables in this scorching heat? Not only will the produce get damaged by the sun, but I might also pass out.

Her smile faded instantly. Xu Xiang sure knew how to make things difficult for her. He always seemed to pick the worst tasks!

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Jiayan thought she was worried about completing the task. He held her hand and reassured her, “As long as we work hard, there’s no task we can’t complete.”

Looking at her stepchild, who was solely focused on the mission, Shen Qingqing sighed. My silly boy, you’ve been with me for so long, but you still haven’t learned how to take it easy.

Then Xu Xiang continued, “The money you earn from selling fruits and vegetables will be used for tonight’s dinner auction. So, everyone, do your best—your dinner depends on it!”

At first, the guests weren’t too worried about the challenge. But as soon as Xu Xiang mentioned dinner, everyone got nervous. Is the production team really making us fight for food?

The guests who had lost the painting competition yesterday still hadn’t recovered from the experience. They knew the crew wouldn’t let them starve, but they could definitely see them forcing them to eat something miserable—like plain steamed buns.

Especially Xie Bing, who had placed last yesterday and was only given two steamed buns for dinner. The production team hadn’t shown any mercy.

Even though it was a new day, she still remembered the cold expression of the staff as they handed her those two already cold steamed buns.

She complained, “You guys don’t understand how ruthless the production team was last night. They only gave Junjun and me two buns. I was fine—I can go without eating. But Ao Liangjun was crying all night, saying he was hungry and wanted meat. As his mother, I couldn’t bear it, so I begged the production team to give him something. But they were so heartless, they just ignored me.”

“In the end, I could only comfort Ao Liangjun by telling him that since he has some baby fat, it was a good opportunity for him to lose weight.”

She then turned to Ao Liangjun, who was still happily playing, unaware of the situation. “Did you hear what the director just said? How well you complete today’s task will decide what you eat tonight. If you want to eat meat, you better work hard!”

Ao Liangjun finally understood what “eating meat” meant. His eyes lit up, and he immediately thought of the steamed buns he had eaten the night before. He patted Xie Bing’s chest and assured her, “Don’t worry, Mom. I will definitely work with you to complete the task this time, and we’ll have meat for dinner tonight.”

After hearing Xie Bing’s story, everyone felt even more sympathetic.

However, since they had joined the show, they had already prepared themselves for the challenges set by the production crew. Refusing the task wouldn’t just mean losing money, but also facing criticism from netizens, who would see them as arrogant or spoiled.

At this moment, Shen Qingqing complained in her heart about the terrible system. If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t be suffering like this!

Then it was time for everyone to draw lots. This time, Shen Qingqing didn’t rush to pick one. She figured it didn’t matter what they had to sell, so she let the hardworking little kid do it instead.

Of course, it would be even better if Zhou Jiayan could take on more responsibility in the future.

At this point, Zhou Jiayan had no idea he had been targeted by Shen Qingqing, who was trying to trick him into working harder. His mind was only filled with determination to complete the task with his stepmother and win a big dinner.

This time, not just Shen Qingqing, but the other four mothers also let their children draw lots, showing their respect for the kids’ choices.

However, what Shen Qingqing didn’t expect was how unlucky Zhou Jiayan’s hand would be.

The lottery included five types of fruits and vegetables: peaches, watermelons, grapes, cucumbers, and cabbages.

Although local fruits and vegetables weren’t very expensive, cabbage was the cheapest, often costing just a few cents per pound.

Everyone understood this, so they all silently hoped to get grapes and avoid cabbage.

Unfortunately, little Zhou Jiayan was so unlucky that he picked cabbage.

Seeing the result, the live broadcast chat exploded with laughter.

[Hahaha, Yanyan is still as unlucky as ever.]

[Yanyan is definitely going to get scolded by Shen Qingqing again.]

[Shen Qingqing’s group is doomed. They’ll probably earn the least money. Cabbages are cheap, heavy, and hard to sell.]

[Why do I feel like Shen Qingqing will turn this around? Just wait and see.]

[+1! My favorite part of this show is seeing what crazy thing Shen Qingqing will do next!]

The once-confident little boy suddenly felt crushed. He couldn’t understand why he was so unlucky. The task had just become much harder.

With his head down, he returned to Shen Qingqing, feeling dejected. But his stepmother’s next words made him feel even worse.

“Yanyan, remember when we first arrived in Zhuangyuan Town, and you drew the worst option for the sugar painting task? Then you picked the worst boat? Luckily, with my help, you ended up walking instead, and finally, thanks to me, you got to ride a tricycle.”

“So, Yanyan, you should be grateful to me!”

Zhou Jiayan’s face turned to one of shock. How did his stepmother have such a good memory? How could she still dig up something from more than a day ago and put the blame on him?

He opened his mouth to argue, but then he remembered that he had indeed drawn the lots both times. Maybe there was some truth to it after all.

Zhou Jiayan’s mood sank even further. He didn’t want to be the unlucky one—especially not when he was with his stepmother.

Seeing his disappointed expression, Shen Qingqing laughed to herself. Did this little guy really think he could outsmart her? She still hadn’t forgotten about him making her peel shrimp last night!

But seeing the kid so down, she decided to be generous and patted his shoulder. “Alright, Yanyan, just follow my lead later. I’ll make sure we turn this around.”

Zhou Jiayan’s eyes lit up. After spending time with his stepmother, he had learned that she was pretty smart.

“Really? Can we really make a comeback?”

Shen Qingqing ruffled his hair and smiled. “Yanyan, you have to trust my abilities. And in return, you have to work harder and listen to your mother.”

Zhou Jiayan hesitated. Something seemed suspicious about her words, but at the same time, it made sense that if his stepmother was using her brain, he should be the one putting in the physical effort.

After a moment, he nodded reluctantly. “Okay, I’ll listen and work hard.”

[Why do I feel like Zhou Jiayan just fell into a trap?]

[I have a bad feeling. Is Shen Qingqing planning to make the kid do all the work?]

[She totally would!]

[Poor Yanyan, a moment of silence for the little guy!]

Meanwhile, the other groups revealed their results. Xie Bing was lucky enough to draw grapes this time. Ao Liangjun jumped up excitedly and shouted, “Mom! I told you we wouldn’t be eating steamed buns tonight!”

Shen Linyan and her son drew peaches. Although not as valuable as grapes, peaches were the second most expensive. Holding Liang Tianyi’s hand, Shen Linyan felt confident she could finally beat Shen Qingqing this time.

Mo Man and her daughter drew watermelons. Since watermelons were large but not very expensive, Mo Man wasn’t too optimistic. However, when she saw that Shen Qingqing’s team had drawn cabbage, she felt relieved that they weren’t the most unlucky.

Cui Xia and her daughter got cucumbers. While cucumbers were common, they were much more valuable than cabbage. Plus, they were a popular choice for their refreshing taste. Cui Xia was quite satisfied with the result.

Just when everyone thought they would simply go to the program’s fruit and vegetable stall to sell their produce, Xu Xiang spoke again.

“However, as you all know, this is an ancient town, and large vehicles can’t drive in. That means the fruits and vegetables have to be stored at the town gate. This time, you’ll have to carry them yourselves. How much you take is up to you. You can sell them anywhere in the town, but keep in mind that the busiest area is the central vegetable market.”

Hearing this, everyone was even more shocked. The production team was getting more and more extreme. It was the mothers who were supposed to take care of the children, not the fathers. All the contestants were young women taking care of small children. Was this really the setup of the show?

The audience watching the live broadcast was also speechless.

[Has Xu Gou ^[1]a derogatory nickname for Xu Xiang. reached menopause recently? Why is he acting so strangely?]

[Xu Gou, please act like a decent human being. We don’t want to see adorable babies being turned into workers.]

[Seriously, is Xu Gou unable to have children? Otherwise, I don’t understand why he insists on involving kids.]

Xie Bing, the most famous celebrity among them and a top actress, spoke up, “Director Xu, the program’s setup is unreasonable. Do you really think we can carry that much weight?”

Xu Xiang knew he would be criticized, but he wasn’t afraid. After all, he had faced backlash many times before.

In reality, Xu Xiang didn’t expect them to sell much. This was more of a stress test.

He smiled and replied, “Thank you for your concern, Miss Xie. That’s why I said to carry only as much as you can handle.”

However, everyone understood that if they carried too little, they would still lose, even if they managed to sell everything.

Xie Bing wanted to argue more, but Xu Xiang waved his hand and said, “All of you are in similar conditions, and your physical strength is about the same. This competition is fair for everyone.”

Xu Xiang’s words calmed the group. Since it was an internal competition, the physical strength of the contestants wouldn’t differ too much.

However, this also meant that those who got low-priced fruits and vegetables were at a disadvantage right from the start. Everyone immediately turned to look at Shen Qingqing.

People knew Shen Qingqing wasn’t someone who would just accept things passively. After hearing the task rules, no one could predict how she would react to the production team.

[It looks like Shen Qingqing and her group will definitely lose. This system is so unfair.]

[Shen Qingqing seems to have a fiery temper. Will she argue with the production team?]

[If Shen Qingqing dares to stand up to the production team, I will respectfully call her Sister Shen.]

[Can I call her Sister Shen now? I support her. I’ve been fed up with Xu Gou for a long time. Sister Shen, please tear him apart!]

[Sister Shen, get rid of this evil man. The people will thank you!]

Shen Linyan hid her amusement and looked at Shen Qingqing. She was hoping for a scene, so she could stir up trouble again.

After hearing Xu Xiang’s rules, Shen Qingqing realized they were at a major disadvantage and were almost certain to lose. The others looked at her with a mix of sympathy and worry, while Shen Linyan barely concealed her gloating expression.

Shen Linyan probably not only wanted her to come in last place but also hoped she would make a fuss. If she did, online public opinion would turn even worse against her.

But Shen Qingqing wasn’t stupid—she wasn’t going to choose the worst possible option.

Xu Xiang was also watching Shen Qingqing nervously. He hadn’t intended to target her specifically, but who could have guessed that she and her son would have such bad luck? He was genuinely afraid that this powerful young lady might cause a scene and shut down the entire show.

However, the rules were already set, and he couldn’t change them now. He started considering how to comfort Shen Qingqing if she got upset. Should he offer her some special treatment in secret?

Zhou Jiayan also realized the problem. He seemed to have terrible luck. His stepmother never suffered losses, and if she got angry here, things wouldn’t end well. He instinctively grabbed the hem of Shen Qingqing’s clothes tightly.

Seeing the little guy’s nervousness, Shen Qingqing patted his head reassuringly, then forced a smile and said to Xu Xiang, “It’s just bad luck, but there’s nothing we can do. Let’s get started.”

Everyone was shocked. Shen Qingqing was actually being so reasonable!

Xu Xiang was beyond relieved. He had misjudged her. He didn’t expect her to accept the task so easily. If she lost, he would secretly compensate her in some way!

Seeing that Shen Qingqing, the most disadvantaged one, had no objections, the other guests had no reason to protest either. They nodded and prepared to complete the task.