Chapter 31 Part 2

The program crew had already arranged for a fishing boat, and since Cui Xia and Zhou Jiayan were not picky, they got on board without hesitation. They followed the captain as he cast the nets and started fishing.

The captain was an experienced fisherman who had been fishing for many years, so casting the nets went smoothly.

Just when Cui Xia and Zhou Jiayan thought everything was going well, Cui Xia’s phone rang.

She looked at the screen and saw the word “Husband” in large letters. Cui Xia didn’t want to answer, but after she ignored it, the call kept coming in.

Worried that it might be something urgent, she smiled apologetically at Zhou Jiayan. “Yanyan, follow the captain for a bit. Auntie needs to take this call and will be back soon. Don’t wander off, okay?”

Zhou Jiayan, who prided himself on being mature and well-behaved, nodded. “Okay, Auntie Cui, you go ahead.”

Cui Xia stepped away from the cameras to a quiet corner of the fishing boat and answered the call.

She thought something serious must have happened at home for her husband to call so persistently. However, she was surprised to find that it was just about the washing machine breaking down. Her husband wanted her to contact a repairman to fix it.

Cui Xia couldn’t understand why her once considerate husband had changed so much. Now, he simply ordered her around impatiently and dumped all household responsibilities on her. He knew she was recording a show, yet he still called without any consideration for her time.

Frustrated, she snapped, “Don’t you know I’m recording right now? Can’t this wait until the evening?”

However, her husband’s tone was even more impatient. “I told you not to join this variety show. Do you think you can become a celebrity just by appearing alongside famous people? You’re too busy to take care of anything at home, and now everything’s a mess.”

Cui Xia’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected him to say something so hurtful.

She remembered how considerate he had been before they got married, telling her that he would always support whatever she wanted to do.

When had his attitude started to change?

Perhaps it was when his job position and salary kept increasing while her career stalled because of marriage and raising children. Eventually, she quit her job to take care of their family, and that was when he started pushing all household matters onto her.

For a moment, she felt completely drained. Without another word, she pulled the phone away from her ear, hung up, and turned it off.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her appearance in the boat’s window reflection, and walked back to the deck, trying to look as normal as possible.

However, she was not an actress and didn’t know how to hide her emotions well. It wasn’t long before netizens watching the live broadcast noticed something was wrong.

[Look at Cui Xia’s expression. It’s probably her husband or mother-in-law again.]

[Cui Xia’s husband is unbelievable. Doesn’t he know she’s working too? Every time something happens, he calls her first.]

[First time watching Cui Xia’s live stream. Is she really this miserable? Isn’t her husband an executive with a million-dollar salary?]

Zhou Jiayan was a sharp-eyed and thoughtful child. He quickly noticed Cui Xia’s slightly red eyes and looked at her with concern. “Auntie Cui, are you okay? Did something happen? If you need advice, you can talk to me. Yanyan can help.”

Cui Xia looked at the young child in front of her, someone she had only met recently, yet who genuinely cared about her. Then, she thought about her husband, the man she had shared a bed with for years. At that moment, she felt incredibly sad.

She knew that her troubles were too complex for a five-year-old to understand. But having someone care about her, even a child, made her feel a little better. For some reason, she wanted to talk about her troubles.

Maybe it was because a child wouldn’t judge her like adults would. Maybe it was because, for once, she needed to let it all out.

At that moment, the fishing net had already been cast into the water, and the captain and crew members were taking a break, playing cards and chatting while waiting to pull the net back in.

So, Cui Xia sat down with Zhou Jiayan in a quiet spot and began to talk.

“Yanyan, would you support your mom if she wanted to work?”

Zhou Jiayan thought about Shen Qingqing. He felt that his stepmother was too lazy. If there were no variety shows, he believed her daily routine would only consist of eating and sleeping.

As a child who had worked hard from a young age, he believed that everyone should have a job—at the very least, they shouldn’t just laze around like his stepmother.

He nodded. “Of course! If I had no job, staying at home all day would be so boring. Plus, I wouldn’t be able to make new friends.”

Hearing his response, Cui Xia couldn’t help but feel that Shen Qingqing had raised a very sensible and independent child.

“But my husband and his family don’t support me working. They say as long as I take care of the household, it’s enough. They tell me that my husband’s salary is more than enough for me to spend, and since I’ve been out of the workforce for so long, I wouldn’t find a good job anyway. The salary I’d earn wouldn’t even be enough to cover a nanny’s wage.”

Cui Xia’s voice was filled with loneliness, and Zhou Jiayan frowned when he heard it.

He couldn’t understand why peace had to be measured by money.

For example, his stepmother worked in the entertainment industry. Not only did she earn money, but his father also gave her a lot of financial support. However, his father never asked her to stay home and take care of the children.

He expressed his doubts, “But why do we have to measure everything with money? My teacher told me that work is more about realizing a person’s value. My father often says that no matter how much money I make in the future, I must continue working hard and improving myself.”

“Also, I heard from the maid that my mother has worked for so long, but not only has she not made much money, my father has spent a lot on her. Yet, she still chooses to work.”

As he spoke, Zhou Jiayan started missing his stepmother again. He wondered if she could handle Xiaoyi.

But since she was so good at finding loopholes, the program team wouldn’t be able to make things too difficult for her.

Even though Zhou Jiayan’s words of comfort were not perfect, they still made sense. However, someone nearby was deeply affected by his words.

“Although Yanyan is young, what he said makes sense.”

“That’s right. Mr. Zhou earns so much money, but he never asked Shen Qingqing to stay home to take care of the children. So, is Cui Xia’s husband really justified in making so little?”

“Shen Qingqing: Your words of comfort hurt me. Next time, please don’t use me as an example.”

“Haha, our CEO Zhou’s wife not only doesn’t earn much but also needs financial support from her husband.”

“I know you all want to criticize Cui Xia’s husband, but it seems like someone else is getting dragged down.”

“I support Cui Xia working. If her husband isn’t suitable, she can always change him!”

Cui Xia was stunned by Zhou Jiayan’s words. Even a child understood that work was about personal value, yet she was trapped in the expectations set by her family.

She always worried about whether she could find a good job or whether her earnings could justify hiring a nanny. But she had never considered her own worth beyond money.

As for the second half of Zhou Jiayan’s words, Cui Xia smiled to herself. How could a child so bluntly expose his mother’s struggles?

Shen Qingqing had never had a great public reputation. Before coming here, Cui Xia had assumed she would be difficult to get along with. However, after joining the show, she realized that while Shen Qingqing wasn’t particularly warm, she wasn’t hard to get along with either. In fact, she seemed to enjoy playing with the children more than any of the other mothers. In Cui Xia’s eyes, anyone who liked spending time with children couldn’t be a bad person.

At the same time, she felt envious of Shen Qingqing. Even though her professional skills were often questioned, at least she had the support of her family, right? (Shen Qingqing, who was still digging lotus roots, sneezed. If only she knew she supposedly had such strong family support!)

After speaking, Zhou Jiayan looked at Cui Xia with his innocent eyes.

Seeing this, Cui Xia’s heart melted. She reached out and patted his curly hair. “Yanyan, you’re right. Auntie was overthinking things. Thank you.”

Although he wasn’t sure how he had comforted her, Zhou Jiayan felt happy seeing Cui Xia’s mood improve. He smiled brightly. “You’re welcome, Aunt Cui. I hope you’ll always be happy.”

Just as Zhou Jiayan finished speaking, they heard excited cheers from the fishermen behind them. When they turned around, they saw the fishermen working together to pull in the nets. From their cheers, it was clear that the day’s catch was abundant.

Cui Xia held Zhou Jiayan’s hand and walked toward them, joining in to help close the net.

With everyone’s combined effort, the fishing net was slowly pulled onto the boat. Seeing the large fish inside, Zhou Jiayan gasped in amazement. “Aunt Cui, look at all these big fish!”

Cui Xia, seeing the successful harvest, nodded with a smile.

The captain of the boat laughed, “We haven’t had such a good haul in a long time. It looks like you two brought us good luck.”

Zhou Jiayan, always happy to hear praise, grinned. “Uncle Captain, you’ll definitely have great harvests in the future!”

Cui Xia added humbly, “Captain, this is all thanks to your hard work. We wouldn’t dare take credit for it.”

The captain, pleased with their attitudes, smiled and said, “Then how about this? You two can pick a few big fish to take home. Take as many as you like.”

Zhou Jiayan’s eyes widened in surprise, and he clapped his hands in excitement. “Really? Thank you, Uncle!”

Seeing how polite and adorable the child was, the captain couldn’t resist patting his curly head. “Of course. I’ll help you pick the biggest and freshest ones.”

Seeing this heartwarming moment, Cui Xia finally gave her first genuine smile of the day.

It was as if fate was telling her that good things were coming her way.

At the same time, other groups were working hard on their tasks.

Mo Man took Song Yiyi to an old flour mill in the west of town to experience traditional stone grinding ^[1]a method of manually grinding wheat into flour using large stone wheels..

Since Song Yiyi was small and weak, Mo Man helped her push the stone mill. When Song Yiyi saw the white flour coming out, she beamed with joy.

After finishing, the two carried their freshly ground flour home.

Meanwhile, Xie Bing took Ying Shishuang to a chicken farm to catch chickens.

Xie Bing initially thought that Ying Shishuang, a pampered little princess, would be afraid of the smelly farm animals. However, to her surprise, Ying Shishuang’s eyes lit up at the sight of the chickens with their colorful feathers.

She seemed especially fascinated by the roosters because of their bright red combs and vibrant plumage. She turned to Xie Bing with wide, curious eyes. “The big rooster is so pretty! Aunt Xie, can I take one home?”

Xie Bing glanced at the rooster, which stood proudly crowing, and imagined Ying Shishuang keeping it in her luxurious home. It was an amusing thought.

Not to mention dealing with chicken droppings and the like, Ying Shishuang’s family probably never needs an alarm clock.

But since it was Mo Man and Ying Kan raising the child, Xie Bing figured she didn’t have to do any of the hard work. Feeling mischievous, she thought she might as well give them a surprise.

So she nodded and said, “Aunt Xie promises you. You can tie a rope around the rooster and take it home later.”

Ying Shishuang was so happy she almost jumped for joy. If her mother were here, she would never agree to this. She smiled contentedly and said, “Aunt Xie, you’re so nice. Shuangshuang likes you so much.”

Xie Bing laughed, feeling amused by the little girl’s affection and also delighted at the thought of teasing Ying Kan. “If you like me that much, make sure to visit me when you return to City A.”

Then, Xie Bing took Ying Shishuang’s hand and went to choose a hen for dinner.

Although Ying Shishuang thought roosters looked better than hens, she still felt a little sorry for them. Hugging Xie Bing’s leg, she asked, “Aunt Xie, isn’t it sad for them? Do we really have to eat them?”

Xie Bing understood the girl’s hesitation, but they needed to eat. So she gently explained, “But if we don’t catch a chicken, you won’t have chicken legs, chicken wings, or fried chicken tonight. Are you okay with that?”

At this moment, Ying Shishuang didn’t realize that the fried chicken and drumsticks she loved weren’t actually made from the chickens at the farm. After thinking it over, her love for food won over her sympathy.

“Alright, then I’ll turn around, and you pick one, Aunt Xie.”

Watching Ying Shishuang turn away, Xie Bing couldn’t help but laugh. She wondered how there could be such an adorable little princess.

To ensure they had a good meal, she picked the biggest hen.

Meanwhile, Shen Linyan and Ao Liangjun were the last ones to complete their task. Ao Liangjun even came back to Zhuangyuan Mansion crying.