Chapter Forty-Three: Undermined on the Spot

Even Mingming, who had always been the fondest of meat, came over to Su Wanqing, her curious eyes fixed on the bowl of cold jelly on the table.

“Auntie Su, what is this? It feels so cool!”

“This is cold jelly. Here, let me fix a bowl for you.”

There was no special scraper here, so Su Wanqing picked up a dinner knife and deftly cut the jelly into even strips in just a few swift motions.

Next, she added some of the sauce she had prepared in advance and sprinkled a handful of crisp green cucumber shreds on top, making the dish look refreshing and instantly whetting everyone’s appetite.

Mingming couldn’t wait to take a big bite as soon as she received her bowl. Her eyes widened in delight, and she nodded vigorously.

“This is delicious! It’s so smooth and cool. I want another bowl!”

With the weather so stiflingly hot, Mingming’s enthusiastic reaction made the other children restless with anticipation as well. Even Feng Rui couldn’t help glancing over. Only Yin Shanshan sat quietly at the edge of the table, picking up her chopsticks to sample a dish that Yu Xin had made.

“These sweet and sour pork ribs are just right—tangy and sweet. They’re delicious. Yangyang, isn’t this your favorite? Come and try some.”

The enemy of my enemy is my friend; though Yin Shanshan and Yu Xin hadn’t had much interaction before, now they shared a common adversary—Su Wanqing.

Yangyang glanced at Su Wanqing, who was busy preparing cold jelly for the others, and reluctantly sat down beside Yin Shanshan.

By the end of lunch, there was still plenty of Yu Xin’s food left, while nearly all of Su Wanqing’s dishes had been devoured.

After their midday nap, the director didn’t schedule any further activities due to the heat. It wasn’t until evening, when the temperature finally dropped, that everyone was gathered by the pond in the village.

“Today’s contest is quite simple. This pond is where the villagers raise fish. In a moment, you’ll all go in, and whichever family catches the most fish will win a mysterious prize prepared by the village chief!”

Just hearing that they’d get to go into the water was enough to excite the kids.

However, after checking the water level, the director announced that Suisui and Niannian wouldn’t be able to participate.

Niannian looked crestfallen. Seeing this, Su Wanqing went back to the house, brought out two large wooden basins used for washing dishes, and set them in the water.

“Suisui, Niannian, come on—you two can sit in the basins, and then you can join us in the water.”

Niannian’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Mom, you’re so clever!”

Even Suisui couldn’t help but smile.

[Is it just me, or does it seem like the production team is targeting Su Wanqing today? Every other family has two people to catch fish together, but she’s on her own. Can she win?]

[Su Wanqing is so thoughtful, letting the kids get in the water and have fun.]

[She’s really too relaxed. Isn’t she worried the basins might tip over and hurt the kids?]

Soon the contest began. Everyone changed into special rubber suits and waded carefully through the pond’s muddy bottom.

“Ah!” Feng Rui shrieked, nearly falling.

The mud was thick, and each step sank deeply; if you weren’t careful pulling your foot out, you’d lose your balance and tumble. Everyone moved with caution, teetering and unsteady, and progress was slow. Only Su Wanqing, holding a child’s basin in each hand, moved steadily and surely.

[To be fair, even if Suisui and Niannian can’t catch fish, they can still help Su Wanqing.]

[When it comes to clever tricks, Su Wanqing has always been unbeatable.]

In this kind of game, all the fish in the pond had been placed there by the production team. At first, no one could find any fish, but once the effect was right, the crew quietly released fish from a trench dug at one end of the pond.

“Got one! There’s a fish here!” Yu Xin’s excited shout drew everyone’s attention.

She and Daxi stood on the east side of the pond, having just caught a fish together.

Su Wanqing was not far from them, and the others immediately lowered their heads, searching in earnest.

“There’s one here too—got it!” Yin Shanshan and Yangyang, working in perfect sync, quickly had good news as well. Even Feng Rui and Mingming were enthusiastically focused on their own hunt.

The fish were slippery, requiring two people to corner and catch them in tandem.

Su Wanqing struggled for a long time before finally managing to drive a fish toward the edge of the field and barely caught one.

[Update: Yin Shanshan’s team has caught four fish so far—the most!]

[Daxi is so cute, refusing to let go of the fish even though it’s so slippery.]

[Poor Su Wanqing, fighting all alone.]

Soon, everyone had caught something, but there was still only one fish in Su Wanqing’s basket.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she looked toward the place where fish had first been found.

“Suisui, Niannian, let’s go over there and take a look.”

Su Wanqing pushed the basins with the two children closer. The water had grown murky from everyone’s movements, the once-clear pond now clouded with stirred-up mud.

Su Wanqing couldn’t see anything with her eyes, so she came up with an idea and put both children in the same basin.

“You’ll have to squeeze together for a minute. Let me borrow the other basin.”

The children didn’t know what she was up to. They watched as she submerged the empty basin in the water and began feeling around beneath the surface.

Before long, Su Wanqing hefted the basin back up, though it held nothing.

Undeterred, she submerged it again, repeating the process until, on the third try, she finally found the right spot—the basin came up holding several lively fish.

[Su Wanqing must be cheating!]

[It’s almost like the crew is putting fish in for her! How did she get so many at once—four or five, at least?]

The other contestants stared in disbelief as Su Wanqing calmly transferred the fish to her basket and set the basin in the water once more.

Wang Zan, watching from the shore, frowned deeply.

That was exactly where the crew had released the fish; with Su Wanqing using the basin, it was no wonder she could scoop them up so easily.

But if this kept up, the audience would start to suspect something!

“Three minutes left!” the director hurriedly announced.

Su Wanqing, guarding her prime spot, was in no rush. At that moment, Yin Shanshan drew near.

“You’re amazing—catching so many fish on your own. And last time, you sold more grapes than I sold fruit today. Oh, and by the way, I heard some unpleasant rumors online during the break. Are you okay?”

With just a few words, Yin Shanshan steered the conversation to the ugly trending topics.

Su Wanqing just smiled. “Of course I’m fine. I’m not the one playing dirty tricks behind the scenes.”

Yin Shanshan’s smile faltered for a moment.

Just then, Su Wanqing noticed Daxi standing alone, while Yu Xin chatted animatedly with Feng Rui, and the two boys were roughhousing together, lost in their own world.

Daxi’s solitary figure looked a little forlorn.

“Daxi!” Su Wanqing called, and Daxi came over.

“Auntie’s busy catching fish, and there’s no one to look after your little brother and sister. Could you help me keep an eye on them?”