On the fourth day, Fu Yunruo finally succumbed to Wenwen's persistent urge, so she packed her things and took the child back to the flower garden. When Uncle Guo saw they were back, he looked happy for a moment, but his happy face soon changed by a displeased frown: "Why are you back so soon? You don't need to hurry. I can take care of this place alone."
"Wenwen has just been seriously ill. You should take care of him."
Fu Yunruo replied helplessly: "Wenwen is clamoring to go back, so I have no choice…" She quickly added: "But I have taken him to the follow-up examination. His illness is almost healed, only he still occasionally coughs. It's enough for him to drink some pear stewed with rock sugar to moisture his throat."
Too much medicine was not good for a young child. After confirming that Wenwen no longer needed to take prescribed medicines, Auntie Mei especially stewed some pears with rock sugar to stop his cough.
Wenwen, who was strapped on Fu Yunruo's back, tried to stick out his head toward Uncle Guo. With a pair of big black eyes, he yelled at the old man: "'Pa! Miss!"
Uncle Guo finally couldn't maintain a stern face anymore. His smile bloomed like a flower: "Good boy!"
Facing Wenwen's cute attack, Uncle Guo stopped saying anything else for the time being. He waved his hand, motioning to Fu Yunruo to put Wenwen down before walking out of the flower shed.
Fu Yunruo unstrapped her son and placed him on his playground inside the flower shed. She then lovingly pinched his tender and chubby cheek: "Little smartass!"
Wenwen broke into a pure and innocent smile: "Mom!"
"Mommy's here!" Fu Yunruo answered.
Uncle Guo quickly came back, bringing a bunch of new toys for Wenwen. Saying that he could take care of the child alone, he drove Fu Yunruo off to do her own tasks.
Fu Yunruo didn't feel relieved to let Wenwen out of her sight. She trusted Uncle Guo, but the child's sudden illness had left her a lingering fear.
When Fu Yunruo was still entangled, Wenwen waved his chubby little hand and yelled, "Go!"
He then picked a toy car and began to play by himself, ignoring his mother.
Fu Yunruo: "…" Was this really her sticky little baby? In just a few days, he no longer needed his mother.
Having no other choice, Fu Yunruo went to her small flower room. She quickly posted an update, informing her followers that her livestream broadcast would start in fifteen minutes. Fu Yunruo used the fifteen minutes to check on the flower room and prepared her usual livestream equipment. During her absence, Uncle Guo had meticulously taken care of the orchids in the flower room. Each of them was in the best condition: fresh and vibrant.
After fifteen minutes, Fu Yunruo finally started her livestream broadcast.
[Finally here!]
[Yunyun is back!]
[I can't believe it, Yunyun finally resumes broadcasting…]
The moment the livestream started, the number of viewers quickly jumped up, and the pace didn't slow down until it broke the 100,000 marks.
During this time, her rich 'number one fan' also logged in.
Fu Yunruo was very surprised. She had prepared herself to see her viewer count be cut by more than half. However, looking at the current trend, it seemed that the situation was not as bad as she had imagined.
The endless barrage of comments swarmed the screen; some of them overlapped. Fu Yunruo was still dumbfounded when the long digit rich fan also sent his greeting. Due to his status, his comments were circled by a golden light, which made them very conspicuous among other comments.
After skimmed over the comments, Fu Yunruo began to reply: "Hello everyone, Yunyun here. It's been a long time. Sorry for keeping you waiting…Thank you for your concern. The baby is fine. These four days, his fever hasn't come back. He is almost recovered now, save for a bit cough…"
Fu Yunruo carefully informed her fans about Wenwen's recovery and then once again thanked them for their concern. After that, Fu Yunruo couldn't help herself and added: "Actually, I plan to wait until baby to fully recover before resuming this channel. As a result, the baby has been clamoring to go back since yesterday and even urged me to resume livestreaming. I have no choice but to follow his demand."
[Our youngest child understands us!]
[Wooohooo, my baby is so caring. Mama loves you!]
[Baby is very sensible, but Yunyun cannot neglect him!]
There were too many questions. Fu Yunruo chose the most frequently asked questions and answered: "It's alright. Uncle Guo is taking care of him…I will pay attention and will definitely take good care of our youngest child…"
Oh, no. Fu Yunruo quickly reacted. She couldn't just focus on Wenwen, but also had to give enough attention to other 'children.' She immediately changed her words: "I will take good care of our family's children…"
When she mentioned this, the fans' attention began to shift.
[Yunyun, let me take a look at my sixth child! I haven't seen the sixth child for days. This big sister really missed it!]
[Yunyun, quickly show us our family's children. It has been several days. They must have grown a lot, maybe even growing a leaf!]
[My seventh child…]
The screen was immediately filled with a barrage of requests from the fans who asked Fu Yunruo to show their son/daughter/little brother/little sister quickly.
The long digit username also sent a reminder: [Eleventh.]
Fu Yunruo answered one by one: "The children are well. Our eldest child has gotten taller…"
Fu Yunruo pointed the each of the orchids and explained patiently. From the tiny seeds to the current little seedlings, Fu Yunruo had witnessed their growth with her own eyes and was very familiar with their every change. It was her first time to be absent for days. Looking at the growing seeds again, she had the same feeling as the fans.
Although the orchids' status in her heart was below her son's, they were still very important to her.
This was Fu Yunruo's first day resuming her livestream after days of absence. She originally intended to just make a quick announcement and chatted a bit with the remaining fans. However, as more and more viewers came in, Fu Yunruo unknowingly began to talk more. The fans listened with gusto and enthusiastically sent more requests, almost fighting on screen in order to ask for more screen time for their favorite orchid.
Today's livestream broadcast seemed to make up for six days' absence at once.
After the broadcast ended, Fu Yunruo took a look at the statistic. Today's viewers were around 250,000, quite a reduction from her usual daily 300,000 viewers. But this was already much better than her previous assumption. Initially, Fu Yunruo had accepted the possibility that her number of viewers would reduce to the lower four digits. In the worst-case scenario, she would return to the position before she signed the contract.
Unexpectedly, today's result was much better than she anticipated, and many familiar usernames were still here. It showed that her livestream was not bad, which earned her fans' loyalty. In order to repay the fans' favor, Fu Yunruo was determined to deliver even better content.
When Fu Yunruo walked out of the flower room, she saw Wenwen and Uncle Guo playing together. Fu Yunruo quickly walked to the playpen. When Wenwen saw his mother, he quickly threw away the building block in his hand and stood up, wanting to walk toward her. But the child's legs were still not strong enough. Before he could take a step, his body lost balance. He swayed and immediately fell on his butt. Fortunately, Uncle Guo caught him in time. Otherwise, he would fall on the building blocks scattered around.
Fu Yunruo hurriedly went over and picked up her son. She sat on the playing mat, put the child on her legs, and rubbed his fat soft butt: "Is Baobao alright? It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt…"
Seeing her son's dumbfounded face, Fu Yunruo almost couldn't hold her laughter, but she put on a solemn face and gently comforted him: "Mommy's will blow the pain. Pain, pain, go away~"
The playpen was covered with a thick and soft blanket. Chi Wen didn't feel any pain when he fell, but his self-esteem was hit hard. Not only he couldn't walk, but he also couldn't even stand steadily. Even though he had practiced so much!
How embarrassing!
"Baobao, don't be sad. Drink more milk and eat more meals, and you will be able to walk soon!" Fu Yunruo gave hearty encouragement. Her Baobao had just learned to stand up by holding on to things, and he still couldn't stand alone for long. Once he could stand steadily, he would soon be able to walk.
"Baobao is the best!"
Listening to Fu Yunruo's cheers, Chi Wen felt better. Anyway, he was still a little baby. It was normal that he couldn't walk yet.
"Mom!"
"Mommy's here!"
Baby Wenwen lay in his mother's arms. His two little feet were dangling in the air, swaying happily.
Uncle Guo saw that Fu Yunruo had finished her livestream. Since Wenwen had his mother to look after him, the old man stood up and went back to work, leaving the mother and son alone.
Chi Wen looked up at Fu Yunruo with his bright round eyes. He wondered how much her channel's popularity had dropped after such a long, sudden absence.
Was she heartbroken to lose so many fans all of a sudden?
Thinking of this, Chi Wen put his little hand on her cheek, "Live?" How about the livestream? Even if your popularity is dropped, it's alright. You can gain more later.
Hearing her son's inquiry, Fu Yunruo smiled happily: "Baobao, our fans haven't dropped much. Many fans care about us; they all are concerned about Baobao…"
Hearing this, Chi Wen finally was relieved. The next moment, he felt very proud. As expected of his mother!
After enjoying Fu Yunruo's gentle comfort and coaxing, Chi Wen turned over and crawled to a half-finished elaborate castle made from building blocks. His chubby hand waved in triumph as he said proudly: "Build!"
Fu Yunruo exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, is this Baobao's castle? It's beautiful! Baobao is so amazing! So awesome! Baobao is the smartest baby Mommy has ever seen…"
Chi Wen's face bloomed in a full smile, fully exposing his four little baby teeth. "Pa!" He thoroughly enjoyed his mother's rainbow fart, but in the end, he also brought out Granpa Guo's name. Grandpa Guo helped him built the castle, and he wouldn't take all the credit alone.
Fu Yunruo continued showering her son with barrages of rainbow farts. The small castle was made of building blocks, almost as high as Wenwen's small body. It was a new toy bought by Uncle Guo for the child. The castle was more than half completed, and its structure could already be seen.
Fully satisfied, Chi Wen began to pick up the scattered building blocks and continued building the castle. Since his mother liked it so much, of course he had to show her the finished one. How could she only see the half-finished product?
Fu Yunruo watched her son with a smile, giving necessary helping hands from time to time. Suddenly, an idea struck her mind, and she quickly took out her mobile phone. After picking up an angle that would hide the child's face, she began to record Wenwen's video.
To thank the fans for their concern about Wenwen, Fu Yunruo decided to share a short video. Of course, she would make sure that the child's face remained hidden from the public.
After recording, Fu Yunruo transferred the file to the computer, made a quick edit, and then uploaded it to her channel. In the video, Wenwen sat with his back to the camera, building a castle seriously. After a while, it seemed that one block's position was too high for his short body. He tilted his head slightly, as if thinking hard for a solution. Then he crawled away, pushing a small plastic stool nearby. With the help of the plastic stool, he stood up unsteadily while trying to raise up his short chubby hand. From behind, his dangling fat butt looked particularly conspicuous, very cute.
After putting the last building block, the child happily pointed: "Look!"
The video moved to the beautiful small castle he had just built, then it ended.
After the short 1 minute, 38 seconds video was uploaded, the comment area instantly became lively again.
[Ah, ah, ah, aaaah!]
[Lovely little cutie, why are you becoming even cuter?]
[Our! Little! Baby! Is! The! Cutest!]
[My youngest child is so cute! Did baby make the castle for Mama?]
[Our youngest child is so cute and cool, smart and talented!]
[My baby, mmuah! Cheers for our youngest child!]
[Mmuah!]
Requests began to flood the comment area, asking Fu Yunruo to post more videos of the youngest child and also telling her to give an equal share of favors between the twelve 'children.' So far, Fu Yunruo had diligently posted various pictures and videos of the eldest to the eleventh child, but rarely shared anything about the youngest. If she left the youngest in the cold, they were going to be angry!
Fu Yunruo was happy and proud. Her Baobao was the world's cutest baby, and no one could resist his cuteness!
Fu Yunruo's days returned to the previous routine. She would broadcast livestreams for three hours a day, and spend an additional hour dealing with backend tasks. The rest of her time was used to take care of Wenwen and the orchids.
Fu Yunruo often received questions via private messages or comments. Some fans wanted to grow orchids on their own, but didn't know how to choose a suitable species. Some had problems with the orchids they were already growing and consulted her for solutions. There were also fellow orchids lovers who simply wanted to exchange experience in growing orchids.
Panda Live promoted her channel once again, which enabled her to slowly recover the lost popularity and gained even more. Due to her channel's popularity, many businesses in related industries began to knock on her door, offering endorsement contracts in exchange for advertisements in her channel.
When her popularity first exploded, many businesses also came to her door, such as online flower shops, soil-selling businesses, and gardening stores. But they were all minor brands with untested quality. At least, Uncle Guo didn't like any of them.
Uncle Guo's knowledge of the orchid world ran very deep. He was very clear about the in and out of the industry for the past few decades. Therefore, Fu Yunruo didn't dare to take partnership with the brands he didn't approve of.
Fu Yunruo declined all the offers, stating that she didn't do advertisements on her channel. Anyway, she was not short of money, and the most important thing for her was to be responsible to her audience.
Today, another brand came with an endorsement offer. Unlike before, this brand contacted her via the platform, and was also a highly reputable brand. When Fu Yunruo heard the name, she recognized it as the products they often used in this flower garden. She pondered for a moment, and then finally went to ask for Uncle Guo's opinion.
"Uncle Guo, the person in charge of Gardening Home contacted me with an endorsement offer for their culture medium."
The soil used in the flower garden was from the Gardening Home brand. Uncle Guo used it for his precious orchids, which indicated that their quality was the best. Fu Yunruo knew that she didn't have to worry about this issue, but she still wanted to confirm with Uncle Guo.
When Uncle Guo heard Fu Yunruo's words, he nodded without thinking. "Who is contacting you? Who is in charge of the contract? Tan family's boy is a seasoned fox. Be careful, or you may get fooled by him." Uncle Guo thought for a moment. "Forget it. I will have a few words with him first."
"Eh?" Fu Yunruo was stunned. If she remembered correctly, the owner of the Gardening House was surnamed Tan. Was this Tan family's boy Uncle Guo mentioned the young owner of the company?
Was this person still the Uncle Guo she knew?
Uncle Guo wore old clothes all day long and busied himself among the flowers and dirty soil every day. If Fu Yunruo didn't forcefully buy him a few sets of new clothes, he would be content with the same clothes throughout the year.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Guo knew people who seemed to be out of this world.
"What?" Uncle Guo's expression turned dark as he saw Fu Yunruo's stunned face. Did she think that he was talking big?
"Nothing." Fu Yunruo shut her shocked jaw and began to flatter: "Uncle Guo, you are very amazing! I can rest assured if you take care of the matter!"
Uncle Guo coldly snorted, "Wait here."
Fu Yunruo nodded like a pecking chicken.
Uncle Guo took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, and immediately spoke in a very aggressive tone: "Old man Tan, I heard your company seeks our Yunruo to endorse your product? Let me say, I won't spare you if you dare to let Yunruo suffer a loss!"
Fu Yunruo: "…" Was it really okay to say that?
It turned out that it was really okay.
It didn't take long for Uncle Guo to hand her the phone number of the person in charge of negotiating the contract. Fu Yunruo sent the number to her Panda Live assistant, Tiantian. Two hours later, she received a phone call from the excited Tiantian. The contract she received from Gardening Home was actually on the same level as the first-line celebrities. Moreover, the terms were also very loose, which was almost unheard of.
Fu Yunruo hung up the phone and looked at Uncle Guo with admiration.
Uncle Guo was proud, but he tried to put on a nonchalant face: "I was also part of the industry before."
Fu Yunruo was amazed. What luck did she get to meet such a big hidden boss and become his student!
Had the god finally chose to reward her after a full bout of suffering?
After her excitement calmed down, Fu Yunruo thought again. In fact, various signs showed that Uncle Guo's identity was not ordinary!
There were so many precious orchids inside the flower shed, each worth millions. And one of his students was a well-known figure in the entertainment industry, so what about his other students? Were they perhaps also elites in the orchid world?
Uncle Guo had been raising orchids for decades, and his professional skills had reached the pinnacle. He was probably a legend in the domestic orchid world, so there was nothing strange for him to know a few bigwigs in related industries.
It was just that Uncle Guo's usual behavior was too ordinary. He raised orchids by himself in a remote mountainous village, which made Fu Yunruo often thought that he was just an ordinary flower farmer…
What kind of luck was this, to actually learn under such a powerful figure?
Fu Yunruo made up her mind. She must work harder! Although Uncle Guo had never admitted her as his student, everything she knew about orchids was learned from Uncle Guo. She definitely couldn't shame his name!
The village in the remote mountain area was quiet and peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. Sometimes, this place seemed to resemble paradise, as even the pace of time seemed to flow slower. Mornings in that village were beautiful, with birds singing sweetly on the tree branches served as the background.
A group of young children ran on the village street, breaking the morning serenity with their lively noises. They all ran in the same direction. Before they even reached their destination, the children already shouted a name loudly: "Wenwen, Wenwen!"
In an instant, more than a dozen children arrived in front of the courtyard gate of a farmhouse. They stretched their necks and shouted in unison: "Wenwen! Come out!"
"Wenwen!"
Not long after, a little dumpling strode out from the opened gate. At this moment, all the children's eyes were on him, as if attracted by a spotlight. The little dumpling's black eyes were round and big. Under the shade of beautifully curled eyelashes, those eyes shone line stars in the night sky. His skin was white and tender, with cute baby fat and chubby limbs that made people feel itchy to take a pinch.
As soon as the child came out, he was surrounded by children of various ages: "Wenwen, let's play!"
"Wenwen will play with us!"
"Wenwen, let's play hide-and-seek today!"
"Wenwen…"
More than two years had passed peacefully. For adults, one year might be a short enough time that seemed to pass with nothing changed except for the increase in age. However, the passage of time was very obvious in children. The time it took for a baby to grow from a soft little creature that could only lie on their back to a four-legged crawling toddler was less than one year. Then, it took them only another year to evolute further into a miniature two-legged human that could run, speak, and play on their own.
This cute and soft little dumpling was precisely Fu Wen. Chi Wen accepted the name Fu Yunruo took, but only half of it. He was willing to call himself Fu Wen, not Fu Wenwen. A cute name with a repeated phrase was clearly out of sync with his future handsome self. If haters from previous life ever knew about this name, they would laugh so hard that their teeth fell out!
Therefore, little Chi Wen resolutely declared his name was Fu Wen.
However, his little friends kept calling him Wenwen, Wenwen, without showing any effort to change. Correcting one by one every time was too big of a hassle, so in the end, he just let them call as they liked.
Wenwen watched the group of children who were quarreling to play with him and sighed in melancholy. Being too popular was hard.
Suddenly, a squishy little hand quietly reached out and grabbed his hand.
Wenwen turned around and saw a little girl who was a head taller than him giving him a cute smile.
The five-year-old Diandian said softly: "Wenwen, let's play house. I will be the mother, and you are the baby."
A fat boy rushed out and said loudly: "Wenwen won't play house with you girls! Wenwen likes to play with us!"
Diandian was startled by the loud shout. She timidly looked at the fat boy before turned back at Wenwen with teary eyes.
The six-year-old Yiyi yelled back: "Wenwen doesn't play your game! Boys' game is not fun at all!"
"Playing house is not fun!"
"None of your games are fun. Wenwen, let's go fishing, okay? We will give all the fish and shrimp we catch to big sister Ruoruo so she can cook us delicious porridge!"
Fu Wen was moved by the last proposal. The creeks and rivers in the countryside had yet been polluted by industries. The fish and shrimps caught locally could be eaten as is. After they were cleaned, they were cooked with rice in a clay pot. Then put in some ginger and oil, and the end result was a pot of delicious fish and shrimp porridge.
The more adventurous children often climbed up the tree to hunt for birds and eggs and went into the river to catch fish, shrimp, and snails. Whenever they found something fresh, they would bring it to Fu family's house, ask Fu Yunruo to cook, and then eat together.
However, it was now the end of the winter. The temperature was still a bit cold, and adults wouldn't let the children enter the river yet, so the idea had to be shelved.
Wenwen also didn't want to make his mother worry, so he regretfully rejected the idea.
After a long time, the children were still arguing loudly with no conclusion.
"Don't be too noisy." The cute babyish voice was not too loud, but the quarreling children instantly quieted down as soon as he spoke. All of them eagerly looked at the chubby little dumpling, waiting for him to make a decision.
Wenwen puffed out his chubby cheek and spoke like an adult: "Let's not play those childish games."
All of these children were older than Wenwen, with the youngest was four-year-old and the oldest was twelve-year-old, but they always followed his words. Little Shitou blinked confusedly and asked: "Are we going to play world of chivalry again?"
"No." Wenwen said solemnly, "Today, we are going to play the emperor's palace. I want to be the emperor!"
"I want to be the empress dowager!" Diandian responded immediately. She liked Wenwen so much and really wanted to be his mother!
Yiyi hesitated for a moment. She remembered the most beautiful person in the TV drama and quickly said: "Then I want to be the empress!"
The village children originally liked to watch cartoons, but Wenwen liked TV dramas that adults usually watched, so they were also influenced by Wenwen and ditched the cartoons to watch TV dramas. A few days ago, they watched a palace drama with the emperor, ministers, and concubines, so they also wanted to play impressive roles.
The village children originally liked to watch cartoons, but Wenwen liked TV dramas that adults usually watched, so they were also influenced by Wenwen and ditched the cartoons to watch TV dramas. A few days ago, they watched a palace drama with emperor, ministers, and concubines, so they also wanted to play impressive roles.
"I am the prime minister!"
"I am a master!"
"Master is not an official!"
"Then I am a traitorous minister!"
"…"
Seeing that his friends had chosen the roles they wanted to play, little Shitou said: "Then, then I will be the favored concubine!"
Yiyi refused, "You are a boy and can't be a concubine!"
Little Shitou was sad: "Why not?"
Yiyi tilted her head. She also didn't know why. However, the concubines on the TV were all girls, so she said, "Anyway, you cannot."
Little Shitou instantly burst into tears. Choked with sobs, he looked at Wenwen pleadingly: "I want to be Wenwen's closest person…"
However, the girls refused to let him join their rank of concubines, and little Shitou bawled even louder. Seeing this, Wenwen said solemnly: "Then I will make you my general manager of palace affairs. He is the person closest to and most trusted by the emperor."
When little Shitou heard it, he burst into a wide grin: "Okay. I am going to be the general manager of palace affairs!"
Having chosen their roles, the children happily left Wenwen's house. After arriving in their usual playing ground, Wenwen assigned other children lines according to their roles. Regardless of age, all children seriously tried to remember their lines and order of appearance.
Not long after, under Wenwen's guidance, a stormy court drama began to ensue. However, with the children's enthusiastic interpretation, none of the tension of political intrigue or harem battle could be felt.
Adults who passed by saw the children playing and walked away in a laugh. It was really amusing to see a group of small children reciting the lines from serious court drama with their tender voices.
But the children thought that they were super great. Not only could they memorized lines, but they could also act together! Well, although everyone only had one or two short lines.
And they also added more scenes on their own! For example, the empress dowager was currently fighting for the emperor's favor with the general manager of palace affairs.
For example, in order to win the emperor's favor, all the loyal ministers had infighting that almost ended in a fist brawl.
Wenwen, who was sitting in a majestic th-…sitting on a small plastic bench that served as his dragon chair, sighed in melancholy as he watched the children's chaotic performance.
He really didn't have it easy, ah.
In the end, Wenwen had to seriously re-teach his little friends about how to acting, again and again.
…
The children played happily until noon, when they had to go home to eat lunch. One of the boys, a skinny monkey-like child named Zhuangzhuang, pulled Wenwen to the side and said: "Wenwen, let's go to my house. My family slaughtered a chicken this morning. I will give you a big chicken leg to eat!"
Zhuangzhuang's family didn't mistreat the boy. There was always enough food and care for him. However, Zhuangzhuang was a premature baby. When Zhuangzhuang was born, he was very thin and small. His family carefully raised him and even named him Zhuangzhuang, hoping that he would grow up strong and healthy. However, no matter how much nutrition was given, Zhuangzhuang was still thin and small, like a malnourished child.
Little Shitou also wanted to take Wenwen home, but his family didn't slaughter any chicken today. Unwilling to lose, he yelled: "Wenwen, go to my house. I will ask my grandma to kill a big rooster for you to eat!"
At this moment, a female's gentle voice intervened: "Thank you for the invitation, but Wenwen is going home to eat with me!"
The children looked up and saw a slender figure approached. Her black and silky long hair was tied into a simple braid that hung on her left shoulder, making her looked young and fresh.
"Big sister Ruoruo!" The children shouted joyfully.
Fu Yunruo smiled gently: "I cooked delicious food at home. Do you want to come and eat with us?"
The children looked back at Fu Yunruo before running away gleefully like a swarm of bees: "No need, big sister Ruoruo!"
After the children were gone, Fu Yunruo looked at Wenwen, who had played hard until his face flushed red. She probed his chubby cheek. Although the child wasn't sweating, his skin temperature was high.
"Did Wenwen have fun playing?" Fu Yunruo asked softly. She then took the child's hand and walked home.
Wenwen grasped Fu Yunruo's hand and began to hop around. But soon, he realized that his behavior was too childish, so he stopped hopping and walked like a little adult. Hearing his mother's question, he curled his lips and said disdainfully: "Just so-so!"
Children nowadays were hard to teach. Although they listened to him most of the time, they would occasionally be disobedient and gave him a headache. As the king of the children who ruled over the whole village's younger population ranging from one-year-old little toddler to thirteen-year-old big child, Fu Wen really didn't have it easy.
"Those children are really difficult to look after!"
Hearing a little dumpling who was less than four years old said such an adult-like sentence, Fu Yunruo almost burst in laugh. Today was the weekend, and there was no school. Children who already attended kindergartens and elementary schools also came to play together. Although Wenwen complained grumpily, he was obviously happy to play with more friends.
"Mom, how about your job negotiation?" Fu Wen asked. He really didn't have it easy. Not only did he have to take care of his little friends, he also had to worry about his mother's career.
"It's finished, my little manager." Fu Yunruo replied with a smile.
These two years, Fu Yunruo didn't seem to have changed much…no, she actually had changed. The peaceful and fulfilling life had polished her character for the better. After two years, Fu Yunruo's popularity had undergone earth-shattering changes, and she was now one of the top-rank livestreamers.
Among the orchids she worked hard to cultivate, the seventh and the tenth child finally bloomed a month ago. The photos of aspidistra and phalaenopsis in full bloom had attracted widespread attention in the orchid circle.
In the past two years, Fu Yunruo had diligently taken daily photos of her orchids every morning and night. As a result, she realized that she had collected more than 5000 photos of each 'child.' An idea suddenly popped into Fu Yunruo's mind. She quickly imported the photos into a video editor and spent more than half a month carefully editing them into 3 minutes, 38 seconds stunning blockbuster video.
The video started with seed as it broke through the soil, sprouted, and grew into a seedling. The photos were taken over time from various angles, and the viewers could see the small seedling grow taller and taller into an orchid plant. A bud gradually grew on the plant and finally bloomed into a beautiful flower.
It was very stunning and breathtaking.
Watching the short video, people seemed to witness the miracle of life, presented by a visual feast. As for the fans who were participating in the orchid's growth, whether from the beginning or halfway through, they were even more touched. Their feeling was no less than seeing a child they had worked hard to raise grow up to be the most beautiful thing in the world. The fans were proud and satisfied and even felt an urge to cry.
The video became viral in an instant. It was being shared and redistributed again and again, even outside the Panda Live forum. And the video's popularity exploded again after the official account of Orchid Art Association, which had a high authority in the domestic orchid industry, forwarded it and left a comment.
'A touching record of a blossoming life—'
In no time, other organizations also began to repost and like the video, which pushed it to another level of popularity.
In the Panda Live forum alone, the video had been played billions of times.
Under Fu Yunruo's lens, the orchids were full of vitality, and a video made from thousands of such stunning photos attracted and mesmerized countless viewers. They could see it clear that the creator of this video definitely loved orchids and also loved life itself. She poured her love into her care and creation, and in turn, her creation touched people's hearts.
After watching this video, many people commented that they who were originally feeling irritated, sad, or disappointed in life slowly felt eased, as if they were being healed, and began to rekindle a new hope.
A person commented that he had been tormented for a long time by tinnitus caused by anxiety, which seriously affected his life. After watching the video, all his anxiety disappeared like magic. There were no longer irritating noises ringing in his ears, as it was exchanged by the sound of a flower blooming.
Regardless of whether these comments were true or not, Fu Yunruo's video was really popular. Even people who were not interested in growing flowers also liked to watch the video, appreciating the beauty of life. That was such a magical charm possessed by the artwork of passion.
Thanks to this video, the popularity of Fu Yunruo's channel also skyrocketed. The number of her followers broke the ten million mark in an instant and was still rising rapidly. Many passersby were converted into a fan after watching the video.
Two days after that, the team of a popular singer contacted her. The singer was about to release a fantasy-themed album, and it happened that the female lead of the MV was an orchid demon. The team was surprised upon seeing Fu Yunruo's video, so they came to buy a commercial right to use the video for their MV. The terms offered by the team were excellent. After a round of negotiation with Fu Yunruo's agent, the contract was quickly finalized.
Good things came in pairs. At the same time, the Orchid Art Association also contacted Fu Yunruo, wanting to buy the full copyright of the video for their association's promotion material.
The contract with the singer was represented by Fu Yunruo's agent, while Fu Yunruo herself took care of the negotiation with the Orchid Art Association. Fu Yunruo supported the association's cause and agreed to let them use her video for promotion, but she didn't want to sell the full copyright. On top of that, she had sold the commercial right to another party, which would result in a conflict of interest.
Therefore, Fu Yunruo showed another video to the association's representative. This video was also created by her right after she finished the first video. With experience under her belt, she finished the second video faster than the first one. However, the momentum of the first video hadn't passed yet, so Fu Yunruo's agent told her to wait for the best timing before uploading the second video.
When people from Orchid Art Association saw that Fu Yunruo still had another orchid video, they were ecstatic. This video was visually more stunning than the first one and also hadn't appeared in public yet, so the association immediately decided to use this video for their promotion.
The two sides went into negotiation and decided on a partnership plan. Fu Yunruo was appointed as the ambassador of the Orchid Art Association and would use the video to promote the association. The video's copyright still belonged to her, but she would tag Orchid Art Association under the uploaded video and granted them the right to use the video for the association's own promotional materials.
After finalizing the two big contracts, Fu Yunruo's fame rose to another level. From now on, as long as she didn't commit a big mistake that would kill her career, her status in the livestreaming industry was unshakable.
Hearing that the contract had been finalized successfully, Wenwen was very happy. He couldn't help grinning, revealing two rows of neat and white baby teeth.
"Mom is amazing! Mom is amazing!" Wenwen puffed his small chest proudly. Deserved to be Fu Wen's mother; she was so amazing! He was so proud of her!
Fu Yunruo was excited. No matter how much fame and money she made, none could be compared with Wenwen's hearty praises, which filled her with warm happiness.
Fu Yunruo complimented: "Wenwen is more amazing!"
"Mom is more, more amazing!"
"Wenwen is more, more, more amazing!"
"Haha…"
After she and her son came home with a smile, Fu Yunruo went in to bring out the lunch she had just cooked. Wenwen followed behind and went helping to serve the dishes. Fu Yunruo didn't refuse and gave him two pairs of chopsticks. Because Wenwen was still young, she didn't dare to hand him anything too heavy or hot.
The mother and son put their lunch on the dining table. Wenwen climbed onto the high stool for toddlers. His eyes squinted with joy upon seeing a plate full of meat on the table. However, he was not in a hurry to eat alone. He first gave Fu Yunruo one of the two chopsticks before he began to eat.
The child ate deliciously. His eyes curved into beautiful crescents. Seeing Wenwen only ate meat and didn't touch the vegetables, Fu Yunruo picked up a vegetable with her chopstick and placed it in his small cute bowl.
Wenwen raised his head and glanced at his mother. He then said cutely with his tender voice: "Mom, I love you!"
Fu Yunruo pressed down the corners of her lips that were about to curl up and said with a stern face: "Mom loves you too, but you still have to eat the veggies."
Wenwen's black eyes blinked innocently as he acted like a baby: "I love Mom the most!" He put down his chopsticks and used his chubby hands to make a heart shape.
Fu Yunruo almost couldn't maintain her stern face. She looked at the child's chubby body, and her swaying stance instantly firmed again: "If you love Mom, you will eat your veggies."
"…" This was too difficult. He was still a four-year-old kid. Why? Why should he face such a dilemmatic choice?
Wenwen glanced at his mother and resorted to a more coquettish tactic: "Mom, I don't like veggies~"
Wenwen in his previous life grew up in an orphanage where food, let alone meat, was scarce. Growing up, he only ate meat once a year, during the Chinese New Year. Wenwen had been hungry for a long time, and as a result, he became greedy for meat. Later, after entering the entertainment circle and his economic condition improved, he ate meat for almost every meal.
If it weren't for his body not easy to get fat, his agent probably would have been angered to death by his eating habit.
That's why Wenwen never liked eating vegetables. In fact, eating meat was also very good.
Wenwen looked up at Fu Yunruo with his big cute eyes shining brightly.
Fu Yunruo: "…" She, she almost couldn't stand it!
"No!" Fu Yunruo was greatly swayed, but she held her stance with great difficulty. She was worried about Wenwen's height. Compared with children of the same age, Wenwen was actually half a head shorter and did not reach the height standard of his age bucket.
Fu Yunruo couldn't be at ease. She was drugged when conceiving Wenwen, and was afraid that the remaining drug might have affected the child's genes. Fu Yunruo used Uncle Guo's connection and took Wenwen to a private hospital owned by the family of one of Uncle Guo's students. After a thorough examination, the child turned out to be in good health, and there was no problem with his body. The reason for the delay in his growth was probably due to his natural genetics. Some children did develop slowly in the early stage. Parents didn't need to worry so much. It was enough to just give him normal nutrition.
Fu Yunruo resorted to the scare tactic: "Wenwen, picky eaters don't grow up. If you are a picky eater, you won't become an adult!" Wenwen always said that he was an adult. Fu Yunruo knew that the child really wanted to grow up as soon as possible, so she scared him with these words.
Wenwen thought to himself. This woman was getting more and more childish. He was not a three-year-old kid; how could he be fooled?
How could he not grow tall! When he was a child, he rarely saw meat on his plate. Although he was shorter than his peers as a child, his height spurted once he reached puberty.
Wenwen was not worried at all. He was a future 1.83 meter tall man. He ate a lot of meat now and would definitely grow taller in the future!
"You won't grow tall if you don't eat green veggies. Look at the second grandpa. When he was a child, he was a picky eater who only ate meat and didn't eat vegetables. Don't you see that he is not as tall as me!"
What Fu Yunruo said was not wrong. She was 1.68 meters tall, which was just average in the north. However, girls in the south were generally petite. Her height could be regarded as tall in this region. What's more, her body was well proportioned with a pair of long legs, which made her looked even taller.
"Really?" Wenwen showed a hesitant look. He remembered the village's second grandpa. Second grandpa was indeed not tall, only 1.5 meters or so…
"Of course!" Fu Yunruo said solemnly. "Do you think Mom will lie to you?"
"…"
Wenwen pondered seriously. Could it be that he grew faster afterward because he ate too many vegetables when he was a child?
Wenwen was not sure. If he ate fewer vegetables now and grew less than he was in the previous life, it would be bad. He couldn't imagine himself growing to be less than 1.8 meters, so he nodded quickly: "I eat!"
The corners of Fu Yunruo's lips slightly curled up in triumphant. Little boy, you were still far from winning against your old mother.
…
After lunch, the mother and son strolled in the yard. Wenwen walked with his short legs, following Fu Yunruo. Suddenly, his dark eyes shone, and he ran up to hug his mother's thigh. The boy raised his chubby face and said with a cute, tender voice: "Mom, I have been very good. Can I have a reward?"
Fu Yunruo lowered her head and pinched his soft cheek. "Wenwen wants what reward?"
"Mom, I want to eat braised pork~"
Seeing that the child had eaten a lot of vegetables today, Fu Yunruo readily agreed: "Okay!"
Wenwen bounced in joy, "Thank you, Mom! I love you the most, mmuah~" He touched his lips with his chubby hand and blew a kiss.
Fu Yunruo almost exploded in laughter. This clever little ghost!
"Okay, it's time to take a nap."
"Okay~"
The mother and son entered the house happily and had a nice nap together. After he woke up, Wenwen was called out by his friends to play.
The mother and son entered the house happily and had a nice nap together. After he woke up, Wenwen was called out by his friends to play.
Fu Yunruo cleaned up the house and went out. Since she had promised to make braised pork, she needed to buy the ingredients, such as pig trotters and pig head meat. Fu Yunruo went to the stall at the village entrance and told the owner in advance to leave her some pig trotters and head meat. Afterward, she went to Auntie Mei's house, informing that she would cook a chicken and a duck tomorrow, and asked Uncle Mei to help her slaughter the animals.
Fu Yunruo didn't have time to raise poultry, so the Mei couple helped her raise a few alongside their own poultry. Farmhouses were large, and every household raised a lot of poultry, so raising a few extra wouldn't be a problem. In exchange, Fu Yunruo gave some money as a thank-you.
Uncle Mei and Auntie Mei relied on their lands and fields as their source of income. Fu Yunruo used this chance to give them money, because they refused to accept unless it was exchanged by something.
And she didn't know how to slaughter chicken or duck, so she could only rely on Uncle Mei.
After Auntie Mei knew that Fu Yunruo was going to braise pork, she readily agreed.
The pork, chicken, and duck meat were delivered to the house early the next morning, and Fu Yunruo began to make the marinade sauce. This marinade was adjusted based on a special recipe from a village's aunt, which had a mellower taste and good preservation.
Wenwen ate a braised pork made by the aunt last year and liked it very much. For this reason, Fu Yunruo specially came to learn the recipe from the aunt, and sent a chicken as a thank-you. It was not good for young children to eat too much heavy-tasting food, so after Fu Yunruo learned the recipe, she tweaked it to make the taste lighter. Unexpectedly, the result was equally delicious.
However, Fu Yunruo still didn't make braised pork often and only occasionally cooked it to satiate Wenwen's craving. It had been almost a month since the last time she cooked it, so she readily agreed to the child's request this time.
Uncle Mei also liked the taste, so when Auntie Mei came to deliver the poultry, Fu Yunruo shared some marinade sauce to be cooked with chicken meat.
After Fu Yunruo started braising the meat, the whole compound was full of an appetizing smell, attracting the children so much that they stopped moving. They no longer went out to play. The group of village children stayed in Fu family's yard, drooling so much under the delicious aroma.
Dunzi sucked his saliva and said enviously: "Wenwen, your mom is really amazing. She can make tasty food. It's smell so nice, ah!"
Little Shitou and the others also nodded in agreement. They sucked their fingers and looked at Wenwen with envy.
Wenwen puffed his small chest proudly, "My mom is the best!"
He also secretly swallowed his saliva. It really smells good!
After the first plate of braised pork was ready, Fu Yunruo took it out and told Wenwen to share it with his friends. She knew that Wenwen would definitely not eat alone, so she was not worried that the child would overeat the meat.
Sure enough, even though Wenwen coveted the fragrant braised pork on the plate so much, he didn't immediately eat it. Instead, he did his best to put on a straight expression on his chubby face and said to the children: "Wash your hands first. Wash them clean, and then line up from shortest to tallest. One person, one meat!"
The children were very obedient and quickly went to wash their hands. After Wenwen checked one by one, they lined up from the shortest to the tallest and wait for Wenwen to distribute the meat evenly. The children who had gotten their share happily ran to the side and ate with relish.
In the end, there was one piece of meat left. Wenwen looked at the tallest boy Dali, who was already half a teenager, then looked back at the last meat on the plate.
Seeing this, Dali stammered: "I, I don't eat it. Wenwen, you can eat." The boy looked at the meat a few more times before resolutely turning his gaze away.
Wenwen finally said: "For you! There are more in the kitchen!"
Dali knew that it was true, so he took the meat, "Then I will eat…"
"Eat!"
Dali took the last piece of braised pork.
Wenwen held the empty plate, turned around, and ran into the kitchen with his short legs: "Mom, we're done!"
Fu Yunruo looked at the empty plate and praised the child: "Wenwen is awesome!"
Wenwen said aggrievedly: "I didn't eat."
Huh? Fu Yunruo was surprised. She had counted the portion carefully: one piece per child. Maybe she had missed the count, or another kid came after she counted them.
"It's alright. Mom still has the braised pork here."
As for why Fu Yunruo didn't suspect Wenwen was lying to eat more meat, it was because she was blinded by a motherly filter. Her Wenwen was so good and wouldn't lie. Even if he wanted to eat more meat, he would just act like a baby to coax her.
Fu Yunruo picked up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks. Wenwen opened his mouth. He stood on his tiptoes and leaned forward: "Ah…."
The fragrant braised meat entered his mouth. Wenwen's mouth was full of savory taste and fragrant smell. His lips squirmed, and his eyes squinted with happiness.
"Okay, you have gotten your share. Now go back and play with your friends."
Wenwen raised his eyes at the stove and saw…a lot of braised pork. Although he still wanted to eat more, she was not in a hurry. Those were all his!
Wenwen hopped out of the house with satisfaction.
The children who had eaten the meat went out to play happily.
With Auntie Mei's help, Fu Yunruo finally finished braising all the meat. She looked at the bunch of delicious braised meat, feeling a sense of accomplishment in her heart. At first, Fu Yunruo felt that she wasn't good at cooking and thus was not suitable to become a food livestreamer. But now, she found that she was actually quite talented.
After discovering that her son was a little foodie glutton, Fu Yunruo worked hard to make good food for him. She learned various recipes from the internet and also asked for guidance from the village aunties who were good cooks. As s result, her cooking skills had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Whether it was fish, meat, or desserts, she could cook deliciously.
She felt that if one day she retired as an orchid livestreamer, she could change career into a food livestreamer!
…
Fu Yunruo left a small portion of braised pork for Uncle Guo and herself and gave the rest to neighbors, especially Auntie Mei couple and the auntie who had taught her the marinade recipe.
After Wenwen had enough fun with his friends, he went home and ran into the kitchen, only to find an empty table and empty stove with no signs of braised pork.
He was stunned.
Where was his braised pork?
"Wenwen, we are leaving now!" Fu Yunruo's voice came from outside. Wenwen turned around and ran out of the kitchen. He stopped in front of the electric scooter and looked around. He didn't see any large object, only a small square-shaped thing wrapped in a bag in the front basket.
Wenwen tried to sniff the air. But unfortunately, the fragrant smell of braised meat that had permeated the yard for a day had yet to dissipate. Unable to obtain any clue from the smell, Wenwen raised his head and asked his mother: "Mom, did you forget something?"
Fu Yunruo looked at Wenwen strangely: "No, I have got everything here."
"…" Wenwen anxiously reminded, "My braised pork!"
Fu Yunruo pointed to the tightly wrapped bag, "Isn't it here?"
Hearing the answer, Wenwen's eyes widened in disbelief. There were so many braised pork; how could the box be so small?
Fu Yunruo knew what her son was thinking at a glance. She said: "Mom shared it with our neighbors. Your Grandpa Mei likes to eat braised head pork meat with wine. Do you feel reluctant to share some? Grandma Mei taught Mom how to braise pork. Don't you think we shouldn't send some? And…"
Listening to Fu Yunruo's explanation one by one, little Wenwen was convinced that the meat needed to be shared away. After calculating, only a little bit was left. Wenwen head drooped sadly. Thinking that he could eat braised pork to his heart's content, he flew over as fast as possible, but the reality was different from what he had imagined…
Fu Yunruo and Wenwen went back to the flower garden. Seeing the boy's listless expression, Uncle Guo asked in concern: "Wenwen, what happens? Did you get bullied?"
Fu Yunruo laughed: "Who will bully him, ah? Everyone protects Wenwen! He is unhappy because he doesn't have enough braised pork."
Uncle Guo was distressed: "Wenwen don't be sad, Grandpa Guo will buy you braised pork!"
Fu Yunruo gestured at the lunch box: "I've made some today. Uncle Guo, no need to buy more. Wenwen shouldn't eat too much."
When it came to Wenwen's health, Uncle Guo couldn't say anything. He took the child's hand and coaxed: "Come on, Wenwen. Let's take a look at your orchid. How much has it grown?"
Hearing this, Wenwen immediately cheered up, "Orchid!" The orchid he raised by himself!
So Wenwen and Uncle Guo went to the flower shed while Fu Yunruo went to the kitchen and started cooking.
Wenwen subconsciously speeded up and rushed to his little pot of orchid. He squatted down to take a look. Seeing the little green sprout, he grinned happily: "It looks so good!"
Uncle Guo stood on the side and praised: "Yes, Wenwen is amazing!"
Wenwen became even happier, and he proudly watched the orchid that finally survived his care.
Of course. His mother could grow orchids so well; how could he not be able to raise them!
Since Wenwen could run and jump, he was very sensible and wanted to help his mother and Grandpa Guo. The shovel and other tools used by adults were too heavy and big for his small body, so Fu Yunruo bought him a set of children's gardening tools. Wenwen couldn't do much, but he still could dig and plant small flowers.
But what Wenwen didn't expect was that all the flowers he planted would be dead. Both his mother and Grandpa Guo didn't take it to heart. They probably felt that it was already good enough for a two or three-year-old child that he didn't destroy anything. How could they still expect him to grow the flowers?
But Wenwen was totally distressed. He didn't know what went wrong, so he decided to start by focusing on a single flower. However, that single flower died within a few days of his care. No flower had ever lived for more than ten days in his hands.
Uncle Guo didn't get angry even after seeing Wenwen killed so many orchids. As a child, it was normal for him to be very curious about new things and was keen to explore.
Wenwen was happy for a moment when he was stunned suddenly. His eyes looked at the little leaf strangely. He remembered that two days ago, he had accidentally pulled a leaf from the seedlings. However, these leaves had no missing corners.
Wenwen observed carefully. He was so happy just now that he didn't notice. But at this moment, the more he looked, the more he felt that this was not the plant he had raised before.
Wenwen raised his face, "This is not my orchid…"
"Uh…" Uncle Guo was dumbfounded, but he still tried to reassure the child: "Why not? This is your little orchid."
"My orchid has a leaf with a mark, but this one doesn't!" Wenwen retorted.
Uncle Guo was stunned. What mark? The seedling had turned yellow when he saw it, so he didn't notice.
"My orchid died." Wenwen said certainly. He observed Grandpa Guo's expression and got the answer.
Uncle Guo couldn't find a rebuttal, so he cautiously said: "It was Grandpa Guo's fault. You asked Grandpa to take care of the orchid, but Grandpa let it die…" Uncle Guo took the responsibility on himself.
In fact, two days ago, when Wenwen solemnly entrusted the orchid he raised, Uncle Guo knew at a glance that the plant couldn't survive. He tried to save it for two days, but it still withered and died in the end.
Uncle Guo was in a panic. Knowing that Wenwen was about to come back, he quickly found a seedling with a very similar appearance to replace Wenwen's dead orchid. Unexpectedly, the boy still saw it through.
Uncle Guo coaxed: "Wenwen, it's okay. Let's try raising different species. Look at this one. This orchid is very strong. You will definitely be able to grow it!"
Wenwen was hit hard one after another and fell into melancholy. He couldn't help but think pessimistically. Was there something wrong with him? Otherwise, how could all the flowers he raised die? He was obviously his mother's child. Mom could grow so many beautiful orchids, but he could only kill them. There was also a super pro person like Uncle Guo to assist him. With so many advantages, why did he still fail so much?
Wenwen replied dejectedly: "No need. The flowers will die again…" The flowers were so cute; it hurt him to see them died by his hands.
Uncle Guo suddenly felt distressed, "Nonsense. Wenwen takes care of the flowers so seriously; how can you kill them? This is just an accident. You will definitely be able to grow beautiful flowers next time!"
No matter how much Uncle Guo comforted him, Wenwen was still sad. It wasn't until the dinner that his eyes lit up upon seeing a plate full of delicious braised pork on the table.
At the dining table, Wenwen ate the three pieces of meat and said to his mother: "Mom, the flower I raised died, and my tender young heart is seriously hurt. Can I eat three more pieces of meat to soothe my heart wounds?"
Fu Yunruo paid special attention to her son's diet. What Wenwen could and couldn't eat was strictly controlled. Food that was too heavy and greasy, such as braised pork, was carefully portioned, and she watched over how much he could eat at a time. Although Wenwen was a glutton, he enjoyed his mother's care and was keen on fighting with wits and cuteness just to coax his mother to feed him more meat.
Fu Yunruo looked at his son's solemn face. This little guy was willing to do anything just to take another bite of meat. Fu Yunruo said calmly: "You can eat one more piece. But if you finished these veggies, you can eat another piece."
Fu Yunruo was now facing the same trouble that plagued most mothers in the world. Children were picky eaters. They wanted to eat meat but disliked vegetables. They didn't want to go to kindergarten and wanted to play like monkeys rolling on mud every day. However, when the child looked at them with bright, innocent eyes and took the initiative to kiss and rub their face while saying: "I love Mom the most!"…they no longer could get angry.
Fu Yunruo really couldn't figure it out. How cute, well-behaved, and quiet was Wenwen when he was just a few months old? She was even secretly worried that the child would be bullied after he grew up.
Looking back now, she was really naive at that time. People said that children changed eighteen times from birth to adulthood. Her son was yet to grow up, but he had changed so much.
Fortunately, she knew how to control this stinky boy.
Wenwen smiled widely upon hearing Fu Yunruo's words: "Deal!"
On the other side, Uncle Guo was thoroughly enjoying his dinner. He savored the delicious braised head meat bite by bite. Seeing Wenwen, who was restricted from eating too much, Uncle Guo felt the meat even tastier.
Fu Yunruo noticed Uncle Guo's eating speed and reminded: "Uncle Guo, meat is greasy and hard to digest at night. You shouldn't eat too much."
Now the weather was getting hot. Even with a refrigerator, the meat couldn't be kept for too long. There were not many left of the braised pork Fu Yunruo brought over. At most, it was enough for two meals. Fu Yunruo only cooked it every other time, so both the old man and the young boy always tried to stuff as much meat as possible into their stomachs, prompting Fu Yunruo to watch them closely.
Uncle Guo: "…"
Seeing this, Wenwen sneered.
…
Having eaten two extra pieces of meat, Wenwen went to bed happy that night. However, when he saw pots of vibrant orchids the next day, the child was reminded of his poor orchid, who died tragically. Yesterday's gloomy mood returned, and Wenwen squatted at the ground, holding his chubby cheeks with both hands as he sighed sadly.
He was too tragic!
Would Mom let him eat two more pieces of meat to comfort his wounded heart?
Wenwen sucked her saliva subconsciously. But remembering that there was not much meat left, he was even sadder. There was once so much meat, but only a little bit was left…
At this time, Fu Yunruo was doing her daily livestream, and many fans were bombarding her about Wenwen in the comment area.
Fu Yunruo shared the child's funny anecdote from yesterday, which aroused a bout of laughter.
[My baby is really, really, really…cute!]
[I feel sorry for baby, but I can't help laughing, hahaha]
[Our youngest child is such a big baby!]
The fans loved to listen about Wenwen, and Fu Yunruo also loved to share with them. Her son was so clever, cute, well-behaved, and sensible…such a smart child, of course she wished the whole world to know about him!
The long digit username, who had been occupying the title of number one fans uncontested for so long, threw a bunch of sea of flowers again. Fu Yunruo had long been used to it and thanked him in response.
Over the past few years, she had come to understand that this mysterious local rich boss was indeed a real rich boss. Every time he appeared, he would gift a sea of flowers. After Fu Yunruo's repeated requests, he finally restrained himself a little and only sent up to ten flowers at a time. Probably in the eyes of this rich boss, one million was just like one hundred yuan, and he felt no difference in spending them.
Fu Yunruo thought of the unscientific nature of this world of a novel book. On the internet, there was various news about so-and-so second or third-generation rich people who spent tens of millions to chase stars. Fu Yunruo was not the first livestreamer who received gifts worth millions of yuan from her fans, and it was not uncommon.
In a simple yet luxurious living room of a villa, a tall man lay lazily on the sofa. His pair of slender and long legs were crossed, his ankles protruded on the edge of the sofa, and his toes tilted from time to time.
Si Yue leaned on the soft throw pillows and looked at the mobile phone screen in his hand. The livestreamer's voice was very pleasant to the ears, like the tingling of jade beads. Si Yue wasn't a voice fetish, but this voice was genuine and beautiful, which made him feel very comfortable.
When the livestreamer said that the flower raised by the youngest child was dead again, Si Yue felt great sympathy. The little fat boy who appeared on the channel from time to time was the only human baby among the group of orchid siblings. He loved the house and couldn't help but also loved the crow.1Love the house and also love the crow: Love by association. The idiom means that if you love someone, you'll love people and things related to them as well.2
He cannot raise flowers too! This kid is just like him!
So Si Yue sent many gifts.
After the livestream was over, he clicked on the channel's homepage and turned on the latest video.
On the screen, an orchid slowly grew from a small seed into a blooming flower. Among the orchids, this species had particularly thin leaves. The color of the petals was pure white, with light yellow-green stamen that gave it an elegant and pure appearance.
Si Yue watched the video over and over again.
Suddenly, a fat middle-aged man entered the room in a rush, sweat covered his forehead.
Yuan Xin wiped his sweat and called, "Si Yue!"
"Huh?" Si Yue replied lazily. He joked: "Brother Yuan, are you so free? You have time to visit me?"
Seeing that Si Yue still had the mood to joke, Yuan Xin sighed in relief. He observed Si Yue's expression closely, for fear there was something wrong with the man.
"I picked up a variety show for you."
Hearing this, Si Yue raised his eyebrows, "Mr. Great Agent Yuan, are you going to overwork this poor little actor?"
Yuan Xin rolled his eyes, "How dare I overwork Mr. Great Movie Emperor Si? It's you who work me to death!"
Last year, Si Yue took a job in a movie nominated for this year's triennial international awards. It was a heavy movie that explored many aspects of human nature. The filming took almost one year from start to finish, and every single scene strived to achieve the most realistic effect.
Si Yue played one of the two male leads, a very gloomy and negative person who eventually lost his life because of a little kindness. The other main lead was played by a veteran actor, who was at the pinnacle of his acting career. Two movie emperors played on the same stage, and even Yuan Xin was stunned by Si Yue's full-on acting. Even after the filming ended, Yuan Xin saw that Si Yue was still trapped in his role and had yet to recover.
That deep darkness and gloominess in Si Yue's eyes were very painful and heart-wrenching to see.
It had been ten days since the filming was finished. During this period, Si Yue had been staying at home to adjust his mental state.
Yuan Xin had been running back and forth, fearing the possibility of Si Yue went too deep into his role and couldn't get out, turning himself into a real madman. This time, he came with a purpose. For the first time, he accepted an invitation to a variety show without Si Yue's approval.
"This show is very relaxing. You can take it as a vacation." Yuan Xin recounted the variety show's content.
Si Yue squinted at his eyes and stopped talking.
Yuan Xin extorted his effort to appeal for the show's good things, but Si Yue still didn't say a word. Finally, Yuan Xin had to open his trump card: "The recording location for the show is the hometown of Chi Weicheng's teacher. You can drop by his flower garden to say hello."
Hearing this, Si Yue's eyes drooped a bit, but he still held back: "I am a man with flower now."
Having not seen for a while, his little eleventh had grown bud. It wouldn't be long before little eleventh finally bloomed, and it definitely would be prettier than the fifth child!
Yuan Xin: "…" To be honest, he couldn't understand the mentality of these fans of online flower growing. They didn't raise the flower themselves, so what was to be proud of?
But Yuan Xin wisely didn't voice his thought.
"You don't have to go then. Originally, Chi Weicheng wanted to ask you to visit his teacher. Alright, I will refuse him." Yuan Xin lifted his foot and left.
Si Yue said, "Since Mr. Great Agent has agreed, how can I not go?"
Hearing this, Yuan Xin sneered. As if he was capable of ordering this dog man around!
Had it not been that this dog man was also the big boss above the big bosses, who would like to serve him!
Wenwen was shoveling dirt with his small shovel. The child was so focused that she didn't even realize that his chubby white face was stained with some dirt. Encouraged by his mother and Grandpa Guo, Wenwen regained his confidence and decided to continue growing orchids.
He thought that the problem might lay in the environment in which he planted the orchids. He shouldn't plant them in a flowerpot, but used a flowerbed instead. Maybe the orchids he raised didn't want to be a canary in the cage and yearned for the free and broad sky outside?
After many huffs and puffs, the little guy finally finished planting the seedling and applied fertilizer and water according to his mother and Grandpa Guo's guidance. After that, he watched the seedling from morning till night.
The first day, the seedling looked freshly green and very energetic. How happy!
The second day, it looked a bit listless. Um…maybe it hadn't yet adjusted to the new environment?
The third day, the leaves began to turn yellow. Wenwen was anxious. Was his orchid withering again?
On the fourth day, the orchid died.
…
Wenwen squatted in the corner, sinking into a deep entanglement. His chubby little face was dark with a heavy expression. He contemplated hard. Why hadn't he realized that he had such a peculiar trait in his previous life? Was it because he was busy trying to survive and never had time to raise flowers, so he had never found it?
But this was so strange. His mother had become a professionally acknowledged and outstanding orchid artist in just two or three years. Even Grandpa Guo was very satisfied with his mother. Grandpa Guo once boasted to him that Mom was the most talented student he had ever seen.
Could it be that he inherited her genetic talent in the opposite way?
Fu Yunruo looked at the child who had been hit hard. Even she felt speechless for a while and couldn't figure out any comforting words. In order to successfully let Wenwen raised his orchid without dying, she and Uncle Guo watched from the side and carefully guided him. Logically speaking, as long as the child didn't treat the plant too roughly, it would grow safely.
But the flower actually withered?
Could it be true that some people are just naturally incompatible with plants?
Among the fans who followed her livestream channel, a small group of people seemed to have such a peculiarity. They said that no matter what they did, they had never been able to grow any plant safely. Fu Yunruo thought it was an exaggeration before, but now she began to have a doubt. Maybe, some people were really born with a disposition of plant killer?
Finally, Fu Yunruo said: "Baobao, we are going back to the village this afternoon."
Hearing this, Wenwen stood up and rushed over to his mother with his short legs: "Going back today? Not tomorrow?"
Fu Yunruo patted his little head, "Let's go back today. Don't you also miss your little friends so much?"
"No!" Wenwen shook his head and said solemnly: "Just miss a bit."
"Go and say goodbye to Grandpa. We won't see him for two days. Go and spend time with him."
"Okay!" Wenwen hopped to the flower shed.
Fu Yunruo watched as Wenwen's lively and cheerful figure departed. Now that his thoughts were distracted, the child instantly forgot about his ill-fated little orchids.
Fu Yunruo fell into contemplation. Wenwen loved to play with other children, and he had friends of various ages. Should she let him go to kindergarten? Before, she felt that three years old was still too young and considered enrolling him next year. Now thinking about it, she could send Wenwen to kindergarten in September this year. She wondered what documents would be needed to enroll a child in kindergarten. Did it require a household register? Her Wenwen hadn't registered one yet.
After taking a nap, Fu Yunruo and Wenwen went back to the village in the afternoon. When village children saw Wenwen was back, they jumped with excitement. Little Wenwen was obviously very happy too. His eyes were bright, and he happily went to play with the group of children.
Fu Yunruo went to see Uncle Mei and Auntie Mei, and when she saw that Auntie Mei was the only one at home, she asked: "Where is Uncle Mei?"
The time was still early, it was just a bit after 03.00 pm.
"He went to town for a meeting." Auntie Mei said casually. Uncle Mei was the village head, which could be regarded as a grassroots cadre position. If there was any instruction from above, he and other village heads would be called to a meeting.
Fu Yunruo nodded in understanding.
"Why are you looking for your uncle?"
"I want to ask for Uncle Mei's advice. Wenwen doesn't have a household register. If I want to send him to kindergarten, what documents do I need to prepare?"
"Ah, this? I know. You can ask me." Auntie Mei immediately said. "The rules aren't strict here. A child can go to kindergarten without a household register."
Fu Yun was relieved, "That's good."
Auntie Mei couldn't help but said again, "Ruoruo, the child's household registration issue should be resolved sooner or later. Even if it doesn't affect him enrolling kindergarten, he will need it to go to the elementary school."
"I know." However, Fu Yunruo herself didn't know what to do. Her household registration was still in the Fu family, so she couldn't enter her son into her register.
"Are you going to be like this?" Auntie Mei said in concern. "Young people nowadays are yearning for big cities and don't want to spend their whole life trapped in small towns and villages. You are still young. One day, you will also fly to the outside world."
"I…"
"I know you are a good girl. You are now a phoenix in distress, and we cannot keep you forever in this small mountain nest." Auntie Mei looked directly into Fu Yunruo's eyes. "We all hope that you can face life bravely and don't get defeated by wind and rain. If you feel tired…this place will always be your last harbor."
Fu Yunruo almost broke into tears. Although Auntie Mei didn't ask anything, everything was clear in her eyes.
She was so lucky to meet Auntie Mei family and Uncle Guo.
"Educational resources in big cities are much better than remote villages like ours." Auntie Mei said earnestly. "So you should make plans early, both for yourself and also for Wenwen's future."
Fu Yunruo nodded solemnly and said, "I will think carefully." She had considered this issue before. She knew that at least for her son's sake, she would eventually have to leave this place and returned to the big city.
Two years ago, after she passed her death time, Fu Yunruo had contemplated the possibility of leaving. But at that time, her livestream career had just started getting on track. On the one hand, she didn't want to let go of her career, and on the other hand, she was reluctant to leave this place.
She had a sense of belonging here, and there were people she cherished. Her son was still very young, and she had plenty of time to make a choice, so she postponed the decision indefinitely.
For her, Uncle Guo was undoubtedly the person who gave her a second life. The knowledge he taught her completely changed her life trajectory. He had no children, and thus Fu Yunruo was most worried about him. Even if Uncle Guo still had nephews, nieces, and other relatives here, if possible, Fu Yunruo would like to take care of him. Even if she moved back to the city, she also wanted Uncle Guo to move with them. However, she wasn't sure whether Uncle Guo would be willing or not.
Fu Yunruo was also reluctant to part with Auntie Mei and her husband. The couple had their own son to take care of them, and Fu Yunruo knew they would never leave their hometown.
Auntie Mei said: "Okay, then. Don't think that Auntie is too nagging to you."
Fu Yunruo said coquettishly: "I know Auntie Mei cares about me."
This topic was too heavy, so they quickly moved the conversation.
"Have you heard about the reason our village leaders are called to the meeting? It seems that a TV station wants to come to our small place to record a show."
"Ah, I haven't heard of it." Fu Yunruo never heard such news being talked about in the village.
"It's because they originally wanted to go to the neighboring county, not ours. Moreover, it seems that there is a confidentiality contract, so people cannot talk about it with others."
"Then what about now?" Why did Uncle Mei get called to the meeting? Fu Yunruo keenly grasped the point.
"Who knows? These past few days, the old man has gone to several meetings because of this." Auntie Mei was still not clear about the situation. She had asked her husband, but the old man acted mysteriously and gave only vague answers.
Fu Yunruo was also very curious. But since Uncle Mei hadn't come back yet, there was nothing she could do. She sat with Auntie Mei for a while before going back to cook dinner.
In the evening, Fu Yunruo took her son to Mei family's house. It was almost May. The temperature had begun to get hot, as if spring was waking up and transforming into summer. However, it was still pretty cold at night, so children were wearing long sleeves as they ran around the village,
Because Wenwen was going to accompany Grandpa and Grandma Mei, he didn't run with his friends. However, Fu Yunruo didn't feel assured and held his hand as they walked. If the child accidentally bumped and fall because it was too dark, she would feel distressed.
The children ran around Fu Yunruo and Wenwen, laughing and frolicking. Once they arrived at Mei family's house, the children smiled and waved goodbye.
Uncle Mei and Auntie Mei greeted Fu Yunruo and Wenwen happily. They quickly gave the mother and son seats and prepared some snacks. Uncle Mei and his wife happily chatted with Wenwen for a long time before the conversation finally moved to the topic they talked about during the day.
"The quota has been given to our county." Uncle Mei said happily.
Auntie Mei felt strange: "Eh? Can the quota be moved to others?"
Uncle Mei took a sip of tea. After building momentum with a long pause, he said leisurely: "I heard that the reason why this quota was given to that county before is that their leader used a connection. But when the TV crew came for the site survey, the leader's brother-in-law was also there. It seemed that he drank too much during the meal, which offended the TV station." Uncle Mei's tone was vague. He never expected that this kind of luck would fall on their laps.
When Fu Yunruo heard this, she couldn't help thinking which TV station it was? She tried to flip through the plot in her memory. If the name of her hometown ever appeared in the book, she must have some impression.
But then she remembered, the time now was the end of the first book's story. In the first part of the original story, not long after the death of 'Fu Yunruo,' Father Fu was hit hard by the news and fell gravely ill. This was one of the reasons why the female lead refused the male lead's marriage proposal time and time again.
Later, Fu's father was ill for more than two years and eventually passed away. Fang Xueruo mother and daughter struggled to protect the Fu family's industry. Six months later, Fang Xueruo had no choice but to 'marry by accident.'
After that, the story was closed by the wedding of the century.
The sequel was written after the main couple's daughter was eighteen years old, and the intervening years were out of the scope of the plot in the book. Fu Yunruo had found out that the trajectories of other characters had also changed following the change of her ending. Father Fu showed no signs of serious illness, and from time to time, still appeared in the public eye with full spirit.
At this point in time, there was no mention of Fang Xueruo's variety show in the novel. Therefore, this should be an unpopular show.
Fu Yunruo was no longer worry.
Wenwen sat on Fu Yunruo's lap, swaying his feet from time to time. When he heard that a TV station was coming here to record a show, he immediately pricked his ears to listen carefully.
"What TV station is it?" Wenwen asked, tilting his head up.
Uncle Mei answered: "Star TV."
Wenwen thought about it. Star TV had already declined when he entered the entertainment industry. But at this time, it still could be considered a bit famous?
Like Fu Yunruo, Wenwen also didn't worry much. He was just a bit curious about the stars. Anyway, even if he wanted to join the entertainment industry in the future, it would be many years later. Now he was still a child and wanted to enjoy the world of children.
Auntie Mei listened to Uncle Mei talking and slapped her thighs in joy: "Then we can meet big stars! Can we meet Fang'er?"
Fang'er was the name of the female lead from a very famous TV series from decades ago. The actress was still active on the screen today, but generally played the role of mother or grandmother. People of Auntie Mei's era still liked to call the actress Li Fang'er, as the name of the character she once played.
"Maybe?" Uncle Mei was also not sure.
"Oh! It seems I am still young enough to learn new trends. This is called star chasing, right?" Auntie Mei's face bloomed into a full smile.
"Don't be happy too early." Uncle Mei said, "There are many towns in this county. They won't necessarily choose ours."
"Even if they chose another town, it won't be far away." She and her girlfriends could rent a car, and it wouldn't take long to visit the set.
"Old woman, ah." Uncle Mei didn't oppose. In fact, he was also looking forward to seeing big stars.
Fang'er was not only the idol among aunties, but also the idol of uncles of their generation. But Uncle Mei couldn't say it. Otherwise, his old wife would mock him for being ridiculous, daring to idolize the goddess even though he was so old and ugly.
Fu Yunruo watched Auntie Mei and Uncle Mei's interaction with a smile. Seeing the way they got along, she somehow became envious, wondering whether she could also meet someone who would stay with her for a lifetime.