Chapter 31 Part 1

The five groups of guests got into their cars and headed to their assigned locations.

Shen Qingqing’s destination, the vegetable farm, wasn’t far. After a bumpy half-hour ride, they arrived.

The farm was massive, filled with greenhouses stretching as far as the eye could see. There was even a lotus pond where lotus roots were grown.

The production team gave them a task: collect at least six different types of vegetables. Shen Qingqing took a quick look at what was available and decided on cabbage, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and lotus roots—common and delicious choices.

Liang Tianyi was an obedient child. As soon as they arrived, he immediately grabbed a small bamboo basket. Seeing this, Shen Qingqing sighed inwardly. What a responsible kid. Shen Linyan was truly lucky to have such a well-behaved stepson.

Of course, one basket wasn’t enough. So, Shen Qingqing picked up a larger one, and the two of them entered the farm to gather fresh vegetables.

At first, everything went smoothly. Liang Tianyi, eager to help, ran around on his short legs, carefully selecting the freshest vegetables.

Sometimes, Shen Qingqing barely had to do anything because Liang Tianyi had already picked and placed them in their baskets.

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing gave him a thumbs-up. “Xiaoyi, you’re amazing! You’re the hardest-working little helper ever. Auntie really admires you.”

Hearing her praise, Liang Tianyi’s little face turned red. He rarely received direct compliments. Shen Linyan was strict with him, and the Liang family had high expectations, so they seldom praised him.

Feeling a little shy, he scratched his head and said, “It’s nothing special. This is just what I should do.”

Shen Qingqing shook her head. “Xiaoyi, don’t think that way. Today’s task is for me, an adult, to bring you here to help. I’m older, so I should be doing more. But you’ve already done most of the work picking vegetables. I was only allowed to get the ones you couldn’t reach because of your height. That’s really impressive.”

Liang Tianyi’s eyes sparkled at her words, and he became even more motivated.

The live audience couldn’t stop laughing.

[Shen Qingqing may be praising Xiaoyi, but I strongly suspect this is her strategy!]

[I feel like Xiaoyi got tricked! He was so happy to work after being flattered.]

[Still, there’s nothing wrong with Shen Qingqing praising him. What, should she criticize him instead?]

[Actually, if you pay attention, you’ll see Shen Qingqing also praises Yanyan a lot. Even though they call each other ‘little fool,’ it’s clearly just playful teasing.]

[Haha, she has a long history of doing this! She fooled Zhou Jiayan the same way when he was packing his luggage earlier.]

At that moment, Shen Qingqing truly wasn’t trying to trick anyone. After all, Liang Tianyi wasn’t her own child, so she couldn’t just order him around. But since he was so eager, she happily accepted his help.

However, things only went smoothly until they reached the lotus pond. When Liang Tianyi, who had been leading the way, saw the water, his face turned pale.

Even though Shen Qingqing wasn’t the most observant person, she immediately noticed something was wrong. “Xiaoyi, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Liang Tianyi shrank his neck and whispered, “It’s nothing, Auntie. Let’s go dig the lotus roots.”

Then, he glanced at the water, which was covered with yellowing lotus leaves. He figured the pond wasn’t too deep—probably not enough to drown him.

Yes, Liang Tianyi was afraid of water. Ever since he almost drowned as a child due to a servant’s carelessness, he had feared it. Shen Linyan had taken him for swimming lessons several times, but he always failed.

Shen Linyan, feeling helpless, told him never to reveal his fear of water in front of others. Otherwise, people might see him as a coward. Liang Tianyi always kept those words in mind.

Looking at the lotus pond, he convinced himself that it wasn’t too deep and that he could handle it.

But seeing his pale face, Shen Qingqing couldn’t let him continue. She crouched down and looked at him. “Xiaoyi, tell Auntie the truth—are you afraid of water?”

Liang Tianyi didn’t expect Shen Qingqing to see through his fear of water so quickly. Her clear eyes were filled with concern, making him feel safe enough to open up.

He nodded. “I fell into the water before, so I’m a little scared.”

Shen Qingqing suddenly understood—so that’s why.

She gently patted his head and suggested, “How about this? I’ll go dig the lotus roots myself, and you can wait for me on the shore. Okay?”

Unexpectedly, Liang Tianyi shook his head. “It’s okay, Auntie. I think I can overcome it.”

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing sighed helplessly. Since he insisted, what else could she do?

She nodded. “Alright, but hold on to me and don’t go too deep.”

Online viewers reacted:

[Oh my god, Xiaoyi is so brave.]

[I don’t think most adults can do this.]

[Even though I’m not afraid of water, I’m terrified of insects. I’m in my twenties, and I still scream when I see a cockroach.]

[Xiaoyi is so young but already trying to overcome his fear. That’s amazing.]

[But he looks really scared. Will he be okay if he forces himself?]

For a moment, the live audience watched Liang Tianyi nervously.

Wearing rain boots, everything seemed fine at first. But when it was time to enter the water, he hesitated again. His face turned pale, and he trembled.

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing stopped immediately. “Xiaoyi, are you really okay? Be honest with me. You don’t have to force yourself.”

After hesitating, Liang Tianyi nodded. “I’ll try.”

Shen Qingqing had no choice but to lead him closer to the water.

The water at the edge of the pond wasn’t deep. When Shen Qingqing stepped in, it only reached her calves. She stretched out her hand to help Liang Tianyi, who was still on the shore. But just as his feet were about to touch the water, he turned pale again, trembling before quickly stepping back. “I won’t go… I won’t go…”

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing immediately stepped out of the water, hugged him, and reassured him, “Okay, okay, if you don’t want to go, then don’t. No one is forcing you.”

She comforted him for about five minutes before he finally calmed down. With red, teary eyes, he whispered, “Auntie, I was wrong. I’m a coward.”

Shen Qingqing was surprised to hear this and quickly reassured him. “How could you be a coward? I’ve never seen many children braver than you.”

“But I’m afraid of water, and other kids aren’t.”

He lowered his head, looking ashamed.

Shen Qingqing sighed. How had Shen Linyan raised him to be so self-critical?

She patted his back gently. “No, Xiaoyi. Everyone has fears, whether they’re kids or adults. For example, I’m terrified of mice. If I even see signs of them in my house, I’d move overnight!”

“And your friend Zhou Jiayan—let me tell you a secret—he actually doesn’t like playing the piano. The other day, he even told me he wanted to quit.”

“Or Director Xu Xiang. I read online that he’s afraid of cold-blooded animals. Once, a guest played a prank by catching a small snake to scare him. He was so frightened he even lost his wig!”

Shen Qingqing shared these little secrets, and Liang Tianyi, who had been blaming himself, went from feeling sad to being completely shocked. His mouth formed an “O” shape.

So even adults have fears?

Finally, Shen Qingqing concluded, “Everyone is afraid of something, and that’s completely normal. No one is perfect. Xiaoyi, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself, okay? It’s okay to be afraid, and it’s okay to dislike certain things. As long as it doesn’t harm your well-being, there’s no need to force yourself. Being happy is the most important thing.”

Liang Tianyi thought deeply about her words. They were different from what his mother told him, but they made sense.

Seeing that he had calmed down, Shen Qingqing felt relieved. It was getting late, and she needed to dig lotus roots quickly.

She patted his head. “Xiaoyi, wait here, okay? I’ll go dig the lotus roots now.”

This time, Liang Tianyi didn’t insist on following. He nodded. “Auntie, go ahead. I’ll wait for you here.”

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing finally relaxed and entered the lotus pond under the guidance of the staff.

Now that the situation was resolved, the live audience let out a sigh of relief.

[Luckily, Xiaoyi didn’t push himself too hard. If he had gone in and then panicked, it could have been dangerous.]

[Xiaoyi is so sensible, but it makes me sad. He seems like he’s always forcing himself.]

[Today, Shen Qingqing really showed a different side of herself. She’s actually quite gentle, and I think her words make sense.]

[She actually enlightened me. I’ve been exhausted from dealing with social expectations lately. After listening to her, I’ve decided to quit trying so hard to please people.]

[Are you guys serious? You’re actually buying into Shen Qingqing’s “motivational speeches”?]

[Who cares if it’s “motivational speeches”? As long as it helps, that’s all that matters.]

At the same time, some viewers discussed Liang Tianyi’s upbringing.

[I think Xiaoyi has been raised to be too obedient. He’s always reflecting on himself too much.]

[I’ve always felt Shen Linyan’s parenting is problematic. Xiaoyi is smart and well-behaved, but he doesn’t seem truly happy.]

[Xiaoyi is only five years old. He doesn’t need to force himself to do things that scare him.]

Fortunately, Shen Qingqing finally returned from digging lotus roots at that moment. She was wearing gloves, holding the freshly dug lotus roots still covered in mud, and happily waved at Liang Tianyi. “Xiaoyi, I’m back! Look at the lotus root I found!”

Shen Qingqing had always been a bit of a clean freak, but at that moment, her excitement over the harvest completely overshadowed her usual concerns. She didn’t care about the mud at all.

Seeing her like this, Liang Tianyi’s usually calm face finally showed a smile. “Auntie, Xiaoyi has been very good and waited for you here.”

Shen Qingqing nodded and gave a thumbs-up with her muddy hand. “Xiaoyi is amazing! Let me take these off and wash up, then we can go back.”

Liang Tianyi nodded excitedly. Today had gone smoother and happier than he had expected.

_

Meanwhile, Zhou Jiayan and Cui Xia arrived at the river. This river was considered the mother river of Zhuangyuan Town. Its tributaries ^[1]refers to smaller rivers or streams that flow into a larger river. also ran across Zhuangyuan Town. This was the same river where Mo Man and others had rowed their boats earlier.

As the main river, it was much larger than the small tributaries running through the town, and several fishing boats were already floating on the water.