CH 58

Ch 58: Two Branches

For the second episode, the production team did not do another surprise shoot at their homes. Instead, they had each group of guests fly to the central city mentioned by Huang Han with their agents. Then they all took a bus to the filming location.

Familiar with each other from the last shoot, the guests spontaneously formed cliques. Xue Ziwen insisted on sitting with Shao Junling, leaving his uncle behind. You Luming and Qin Xifeng, the two little girls, played together. Huang Han found Yin Chang and Wang Chen found Qin Jing Shan. Except for the twins, the other eight people were reorganized.

During the ride, the staff interviewed them: "Looking forward to this shoot?"

Everyone spoke at once, conveying their lack of excitement. Afterwards, they burst into laughter, as if mocking the production team had become a shared pleasure.

The staff asked again, "What did you do after the last shoot ended?"

Wang Chen replied, "What else can we do? Of course, eat and sleep..."

Lang Chizhi chimed in, "Me too! I ate three bowls of rice in one go when I got home! Then slept for a day and night!"

The staff asked, "Did you feel fortunate to have a meal that filled you up?"

"YES!" Xue Ziwen and Shao Junling confidently shouted from the front row

The staff couldn't help but look at Shao Junling who was silent next to him, "What about Junling? Did anything change for you after going back?"

Shao Junling replied, "No."

The staff asked again, "Nothing?"

Shao Junling confirmed, "No."

Except for sleeping better and eating more on the first day, he spent the rest of the days doing homework and going to the martial arts gym. There really wasn't anything different.

Seeing Shao Junling's expression didn't change, the staff was speechless.

The filming location for the second episode was in a mud-brick village in Shanxi. This time, the crew didn't blindfold them. It took about three hours by car from the airport to the destination, and everyone watched as they drove from a modern city all the way to a barren mountain.

"Wow, what kind of place are we heading... all we can see is yellow soil!"

"Could it be that we're going to the Loess Plateau?"

"My family lives on the Loess Plateau! Fierce winds blow down the slopes there..!”

"Whether it was a northwest wind or a southeast wind, it was my song, my song…[1]”

"Hahaha..."

After arriving at their destination and getting off the bus, they saw the original host they haven’t seen in a while, Lao Luo, who once again demanded that they surrender their phones and food. However, having had the experience before, no one struggled needlessly this time. They were arranged to stay in iconic local earth cave dwellings. Except for their varying location, the indoor layout and conditions of each cave were more or less the same.

After settling down and having lunch, the host summoned everyone to begin the formal activities.

The afternoon's theme was called "Treasure Hunt." Unlike previous guests who were grouped by family, this time the program team required older and younger siblings to separate and complete tasks. With the guidance of the staff, all the young children in the families could go alone or in groups to search for "valuable things" throughout the village, and then hand them over to their respective older siblings to sell at the town's market the next morning. The money earned could be used to purchase food or gifts as they pleased.

Upon hearing that they had to be separated from their older siblings, the reactions of the children wildly varied. The youngest, You Luming, "took the lead" and directly hugged Huang Han's leg, crying loudly in protest. The outgoing Xue Ziwen was eager to leave his uncle alone and go into the wilderness by himself. Guo Yiheng was the oldest of all the children, and had no problem going out alone for the task. The gentle Qin Xifeng was initially timid, but with the encouragement of Qin Jing Shan, was able to bravely go forth.

What surprised the staff the most was Shao Junling. They thought this independent-minded little guy would be the least afraid to separate from Yin Chang, but after hearing the rules, he instinctively grabbed Yin Chang's clothes - a clear sign that he did not want to be separated from him.

But Yin Chang didn't notice. He was focused on Huang Han’s sister next to him. Seeing You Luming heartbreakingly cry, Yin Chang felt sympathetic. He asked Shao Junling, "When you go out later to search for treasure, can you take special care of her?" Huang Han also pleaded, "Junling, can you please look after You Luming?"

Shao Junling looked at Yin Chang, then at Huang Han, and slowly let go of Yin Chang's clothes, nodding his head. Huang Han coaxed You Luming, "Be a good girl and follow Brother Junling to find some treasures. That way, Brother can use the treasures to buy you delicious food tomorrow!"

While the youngest, You Luming, resisted, the other three had already set off. Shao Junling anxiously circled around You Luming twice and urged her, "Let's go."

Surprisingly, these two words were more effective than Huang Han's begging and coaxing. You Luming abruptly stopped crying. Huang Han took the opportunity to turn her towards Shao Junling and gently pushed her.

After the kids left, host Lao Luo interviewed the remaining people, "How are you feeling?”

Wang Chen seemed relieved and content as he exclaimed, "Finally, we're free!"

Lang Chizhi pumped a fist towards the camera, "Big Brother Heng, it’s all up to you!"

"Big Brother Heng" was Lang Chizhi's nickname for his younger brother. The twins didn't care much about who was older or younger and often swapped seniority.

Qin Jing Shan's answer also held the calm demeanor of an elder sister, "I hope my sister can stay strong and perform well."

Huang Han sighed and looked worriedly towards where he’d last seen You Luming and Shao Junling. "I'm a bit worried..."

Lao Luo asked, "Are you worried that Shao Junling won't take good care of your sister?"

Huang Han shook his head, "No, no, Shao Junling is reliable. I'm just worried that Luming will be too troublesome and slow down Yin Chang and the others."

Lao Luo turned to Yin Chang. "Are you worried?"

Yin Chang smiled and replied, "I'm the opposite of Huang Han. I'm more worried that Junling will get impatient and leave Luming behind."

Huang Han was speechless. Indeed, everyone knew Shao Junling's personality. 

Although he was intelligent, he was also a ruthless character who even refused to help the sister goddesses.

When Yin Chang asked him to take care of You Luming earlier, the staff had all gasped. The coldest boy paired with the most crybaby and clingy little girl? This combination spelled trouble!

Yin Chang patted Huang Han on the back and reassured him, "There should be staff members following them. Don't worry..."

Lao Luo said to everyone, "You don't have to worry. We will now be going to watch your siblings' performance together!"

The group didn't know what the show team was up to until Lao Luo led them to a makeshift shed with a large TV inside. It dawned on them that the show team wanted them to watch their siblings' actions together.

Lao Luo pointed to the camera on the TV, "This segment will allow you to observe your siblings' performance when they are acting alone. Of course, we'll also film your real-time reactions to the live broadcast... so enjoy yourselves."

Wang Chen laughed, "Haha, they're running outside while we're sitting here watching. So comfortable."

Everyone gathered around the TV and sat down. Lang Chizhi raised his hand, "What kind of treasures are there? Did you guys plant them in advance?"

Lao Luo explained, "Some of them were planted in advance by the program team, but the 'treasure hunt' activity is not limited to these things. We don't know what they will find."

At first, Wang Chen looked relaxed, but after hearing this, he became a bit uneasy, "I hope Xue Ziwen doesn't pick up garbage..."

Everyone laughed a couple of times and eagerly watched the live broadcast.

The program team took turns broadcasting the situation of the five children. The first to appear was Guo Yiheng.

Guo Yiheng was the first to set off after receiving the task, possibly because he was the oldest. He had broad cognitive scope and high task efficiency compared to the other children. By now, he had picked up two "treasures," a string of antique bronze wind chimes and a folding fan, both of which looked like they could sell for a good price.

He tied the wind chimes to his waist, making tinkling sounds as he walked. He looked very suave with the folding fan in one hand.

"Big Brother Heng is amazing!" exclaimed Lang Chizhi proudly.

Next up were Xue Ziwen and Qin Xifeng, who walked closely. Xue Ziwen seemed to want to tag along with Qin Xifeng, chattering excessively as they searched for treasure. "What kind of treasure could there be in this dump?... How come I haven't found anything?... Qin Xifeng, have you found anything?... Could it be that everything has been picked up by that Guo guy?... We need to hurry up! Otherwise, he'll grab all the treasure!"

At her wit’s end, Qin Xifeng said, "Xue Ziwen, let's...split up."

"What? Why? Can't we look for things together?" Xue Ziwen was confused.

Qin Xifeng lowered her head, "If we look for things together and find something, it won't be easy to divide it..."

To adults, it was obviously just an excuse, but Xue Ziwen didn't doubt her at all. "Oh, you're right! Then you should do your best alone!" He turned around and parted ways at the intersection.

The camera caught Qin Xifeng visibly relieved after Xue Ziwen left.

Wang Chen commented, "Xue Ziwen is such a chatterbox. How could Qin Xifeng not be annoyed by him?"

Qin Jingshan couldn't help but smile, "Don't say that, they're still just kids."

Next up were the last to depart, Shao Junling and You Luming.

Huang Han exclaimed, "They're still together!"

Luckily, Yin Chang's worries didn't come true. Not only did Shao Junling not leave You Luming behind, but he also stopped every few steps to wait for her.

Huang Han and Yin Chang both revealed relieved expressions like that were old fathers.

Although Shao Junling was forced to slow down because he brought a "dragging oil bottle" with him, his eyes vigilantly scanned everything around him.

This road had just been walked by Xue Ziwen and Qin Xifeng. Everyone originally thought he wouldn't find anything, but Shao Junling picked up a broken basket on the side of the road.

Seeing this scene, Wang Chen burst out laughing: "Does Shao Junling think that has value?"

Not far from the broken basket was an old hemp rope, which Shao Junling also picked up. He threaded the rope through the basket to make a strap to tie onto his back. Then, he found a short tree. He climbed up, broke off a branch, removed its leaves, and used it as a cane.

When he returned and Shao Junling looked at You Luming with an expression that said, "?"

You Luming replied with an expression of her own, "!"

Shao Junling turned around and prepared a slightly thinner branch for her.

After receiving the branch, You Luming's eyes widened.

Equipped with these "tools," Shao Junling's demeanor changed. He seemed like a skilled "junk king," searching every inch of the ground. You Luming also waved her thin branch around and followed Shao Junling, learning from him.

The two kids didn't talk, and they rarely even made eye contact, but they were like a pair of perfectly coordinated partners.

The people watching the TV were all stunned.

Qin Jingshan: "They look so... professional."

Lang Chizhi joked, "Professional trash pickers?"

But indeed, that tool of Shao Junling's... was a bit...

Wang Chen rubbed his chin and, unusually level-headed, observed, "Come to think of it, don't they need some sort of bag or backpack to carry things?"

Lang Chizhi was taken aback. Maybe Shao Junling had found that broken basket so easily because no one else wanted it, so hadn’t paid it much attention.

Huang Han didn’t care about the basket. He looked at Yin Chang with admiration, "I didn't expect your brother to conquer my sister with just a tree branch! He's amazing!"

Yin Chang: "..."

Guo Yiheng appeared on the screen again. After a while, he found two more things: an inkstone and a landscape painting with a frame. The painting was a bit big, so he stuck the folding fan in his pocket, carried the frame above his head, and rested the inkstone on top of it, shading himself from the sun.

Xue Ziwen and Qin Xifeng, who had gone their separate ways, found a wooden jewelry box and an embroidered handkerchief respectively.

Next were Shao Junling and You Luming. The cameraman fast-forwarded through their journey and showed everyone their findings: a few mushrooms, a bag of red dates, and eight sweet potatoes.

The red dates were scavenged, the sweet potatoes were dug up by Shao Junling, and the mushrooms were picked by You Luming by the side of the road.

Lang Chizhi laughed, "Hahaha, they only picked up useless things!"

Wang Chen said, "Looks like they're finished, hahaha!"

Qin Jingshan smiled, "Those things can't be worth much, can they?"

Yin Chang said anxiously, "If worse comes to worst, I can perform something tomorrow."

Huang Han was also worried. "You can sing songs, but I can't do anything. We're done for..."

Yin Chang said, "You can ask Wang Chen for help; he's good at singing."

Wang Chen said, "???"

An hour passed, and Guo Yiheng had collected so much that he could no longer hold it all. He piled all the small odds and ends he had picked up on top of the painting, and walked shakily, about to tip over at any moment. Everyone watched nervously.

Then, he noticed a basket of eggs on a nearby stone bench. Guo Yiheng walked around the basket of eggs and asked the cameraman for help, "Can you help me grab that?"

The cameraman refused mercilessly, "You have to figure it out yourself."

Just then, Shao Junling arrived with You Luming and Guo Yiheng.

Guo Yiheng saw the basket behind Shao Junling and his eyes lit up, "Where did you get that basket?"

The cameraman replied, "He probably picked it up."

Guo Yiheng looked around and asked, "Where did you pick it up? Are there any more?"

The cameraman shook his head, "Not sure."

Watching the program in the studio, Wang Chen asked the staff next to him, "Are there any other bags we can use?"

The staff revealed, "The program only prepared one basket."

Lang Chizhi realized too late, "Ah? You guys put that broken basket there?"

The staff laughed, "Don't underestimate that basket, it's actually quite sturdy."

Everyone: "..." Who could have thought of this!

From five meters away, Shao Junling and Guo Yiheng faced each other. Guo Yiheng held the painting frame on top of his head with one hand and the basket of eggs with the other, afraid that Shao Junling would snatch them away.

But Shao Junling didn't approach him. He looked at Guo Yiheng for two seconds and then turned his gaze away, carrying the only basket in the entire group, and walking past him with You Luming.

In theory, Shao Junling should be more anxious than Guo Yiheng because he saw that the other had found so many things, while he only had a few sweet potatoes and mushrooms in his basket. But he seemed confident, as if he knew that he was carrying the only basket provided by the production team.

After taking a while, Shao Junling and You Luming ran into Qin Xifeng. Qin Xifeng faced the same problem as Guo Yiheng. She didn't have as many things as Guo Yiheng, but as an eight-year-old girl, she had little strength and couldn't carry both the bolt of silk she found and the empty water tank.

When the three of them passed, You Luming called out "Sister!”. The two girls knew each other and had whispered all the way to the village. Qin Xifeng didn't resist Shao Junling like Guo Yiheng did. When she saw the basket on Shao Junling's back, she had a burst of inspiration. "Shao Junling, I found a bolt of cloth here that I can't carry. Can you help me carry it? When my sister sells it tomorrow, I'll give half to your brother."

The audience watching the live broadcast were all amazed.

"Qin Jing Shan, your sister is quite clever!" Wang Chen exclaimed.

Lang Chizhi said, "Shao Junling is really lucky!"

"She was able to come up with this solution...," Qin Jing Shan said with a smile. She then glanced secretly at Yin Chang, since her sister's negotiation with Shao Junling also concerned Yin Chang and herself. She wanted to see Yin Chang's reaction.

But Yin Chang was frowning, seemingly worried about something.

Shao Junling walked to the water tank, glanced inside and at all the things Qin Xifeng was carrying and spit out one sentence, "I want all of it."

Qin Xifeng: "Huh?"

Shao Junling pointed to the handkerchief, wooden comb, and the bag of rice in her hand, "Split everything in half."

Everyone was stunned... Just a moment ago, everyone thought that Shao Junling would not refuse Qin Xifeng's proposal, but they never expected that Shao Junling would dare raise the conditions!

Lang Chizhi was furious, "Damn! Shao Junling is taking advantage of the situation, this is too much!"

"Tsk tsk tsk," Wang Chen gloated with an adult tone, "Not even sparing the beauty, I think Shao Junling is going to be in trouble with little beauty Qin!"

"Hehe..." Qin Jing Shan's face also looked unpleasant. She recalled her own brush with Shao Junling during the previous round.

Only Huang Han laughed so hard his shoulders shook. He said to Yin Chang, "Your little brother is a really good businessman."

Yin Chang sighed, "I knew that little guy wouldn't be so generous."

On the screen, Qin Xifeng seemed to hesitate, while Qin Jingshan clenched his fist and prayed silently that her sister wouldn't agree.

But obviously, Qin Xifeng didn't hear her sister's prayer. She gazed at innocent You Luming and then at the extremely serious Shao Junling, and compromised, "Okay."

Qin Jingshan nearly coughed up blood.

Then, everyone watched in amazement as Qin Xifeng presented several precious items she had worked hard to find to Shao Junling. Shao Junling grabbed the silk from the water tank and put it in his basket, carrying it effortlessly on his back.

Qin Xifeng followed along with a worried expression.

Huang Han: "Little Beauty Qin doesn't seem to be very happy."

Wang Chen: "Can she be happy when she was lowballed by Shao Junling like that?"

Indeed, Qin Xifeng looked a bit troubled.

But then, everyone proceeded to see Shao Junling find a tree and break off a branch for Qin Xifeng.

You Lu ming, who was next to them, waved her small branch and shouted in a childish voice, "Sister Xifeng, let's go!"

Qin Xifeng held the branch and her knitted forehead relaxed. She waved the branch happily and caught up with the other two.

Huang Han laughed heartily and gave a thumbs-up to Yin Chang. "Your little brother is really talented!" Then he turned to Qin Jingshan and said, "He not only conquered my sister with one branch, but also conquered your sister with one!"

Qin Jingshan: "..."

Yin Chang: "..."

The scene shifted back to Xue Ziwen. Xue Ziwen circled around an object, muttering to himself, "Wow, this thing is definitely a treasure! What do you guys think? But I can't carry any more… what should I do? No, I have to figure out a way to bring it back! This thing can sell for a lot of money!"

"What's he doing?" Wang Chen stared at the screen and wondered, "What is this thing?"

"Looks like a tree root?" Yin Chang said.

"I know it's a tree root. I'm just curious why he's circling around it," Wang Chen furrowed his brow deeper and deeper.

"Maybe he thinks the tree root is valuable?" Huang Han suggested.

"He's not going to bring this thing back, is he?" Wang Chen said.

Ten seconds later, Xue Ziwen made Wang Chen scream in despair with his actions. He not only picked up the tree root, he also abandoned all the other treasures he’d found earlier just to carry this tree root.

Perhaps the scene was too cruel, the director switched to following Guo Yiheng.

In the end, Guo Yiheng abandoned the basket of eggs. For a city kid like him, he probably thought eggs were too cheap.

Throughout the treasure hunt, Guo Yiheng kept replacing his "treasures" because he couldn't carry them all. He had to leave behind items he deemed less valuable and only keep the ones he thought were the most valuable. All these items were collected one by one by the trio of Shao Junling and his lackeys.

As the ending time drew near, the kids returned one by one under the guidance of the staff. Guo Yiheng was still the first to arrive, and he had the most individual gains among everyone.

Next came the trio. Shao Junling carried a basket full of wild fruits, sweet potatoes, red dates, fabric, and eggs. He came back loaded with treasures.

You Luming and Qin Xifeng picked some wildflowers on their way back. They saw their older siblings and rushed over, expressing their affection with hugs and cheers.

Perhaps influenced by the two pairs of siblings around them, Yin Chang also stretched out his arms towards Shao Junling from a distance.

Shao Junling hesitated for a moment, then his pace quickened slightly, and then faster and faster... until he was almost running towards Yin Chang. However, when he was only one meter away from Yin Chang, he suddenly stopped. His hands tightly grasped the hemp strap of the basket, and his whole body was stiff.

Yin Chang stood there, not knowing what was wrong with him.

Shao Junling put down the basket, turned his head, and looked nervous. "The eggs broke," he said.

Yin Chang: "..."

Shao Junling: There is nothing that can't be solved with a tree branch, little sister. If there is, get another one.