Chapter Fifty-Eight: Green Tea

The others were already far ahead, leaving Su Wan Ning alone, still standing in place. No matter how hard she tried, the stubborn ox before her remained unmoved, as if determined not to budge.

The field was somewhat dangerous, so the other children waited on the ridges. Seeing Su Wan Ning’s predicament, Sui Sui rose and pulled Nian Nian to the side. Soon, the two children came stumbling into the field, holding freshly picked tender grass.

“Why are you here?” Su Wan Ning was a little surprised, but when she saw the grass in their hands, she smiled knowingly.

Sui Sui and Nian Nian stood ahead, enticing the ox with the grass. Sure enough, the ox let out a low moo and began to walk forward, albeit slowly.

After a while, Su Wan Ning looked down at the two children whose feet were caked with dirt. Warmth blossomed in her heart. “Let’s stop for a moment,” she said, then went aside to gather some branches and vines, fashioning a simple headpiece. She tied a bundle of grass to the front of the branches and attached it to the ox’s head.

With this, a basic lure was made, and the two children no longer needed to do the work themselves.

But the delay meant that by the time the others had finished plowing their respective plots, Su Wan Ning was only halfway through hers.

It was near noon now, and the heat in the field was rising. Since Su Wan Ning hadn’t completed her task, the others couldn’t leave either, so they waited, chatting idly.

[Because of her alone, so many people’s progress is held up—Su Wan Ning really has the nerve.]

[I see Yin Shan Shan’s face is all red from the sun. Why should the others, who finished quickly, stay here just to suffer with her?]

The comments began to fill with dissatisfaction. Su Wan Ning, already simmering with anger, was finally provoked; she tossed her tool aside.

“I’m done with this field! Director, if you’re so concerned for Granny Wang, why don’t you come do it yourself?”

Among the four families, only Sui Sui and Nian Nian’s borrowed ox was so thin and uncooperative. Su Wan Ning knew exactly who was behind this.

“Ning, don’t be upset. None of us have ever done this kind of work; it’s understandable if you can’t adapt right away,” Yin Shan Shan said, sounding sympathetic but laced with veiled sarcasm. Su Wan Ning rolled her eyes: “I see I’m not the only one who can’t adapt—even the ox can’t!”

Off-camera, Wang Zan’s face grew darker, and just then, Yu Xin came back into the field to stand beside Su Wan Ning.

“Here, have some water. The weather’s too hot. Take your time, we can all wait for you,” Yu Xin said with her usual “kindness,” casting a glance behind her. The camera in Su Wan Ning’s livestream swept across the group waiting on the ridge, further fueling the viewers’ resentment.

Su Wan Ning calmly took the water bottle, drank a few sips, then suddenly said, “You’re right, making everyone wait for me is rather embarrassing.”

Yu Xin’s smile deepened. “It’s okay, we—”

“In that case, why don’t you help me with the plowing? We’ll finish faster together, and everyone can go home sooner, right?” Su Wan Ning changed her tone abruptly.

Yu Xin was caught off guard, stunned for a moment. “Ah?”

Su Wan Ning blinked, imitating Yu Xin’s earlier gentle tone, “Is that not possible? Yes, it’s quite tiring work. Well, you can go wait over there; it might take a bit longer though.”

Yu Xin glanced at the camera trained only on her, nearly gnashing her teeth in frustration, but forced a smile.

“What are you saying? Of course I’d love to help you finish sooner, but I don’t know if the production rules allow it…” She looked outside the frame for help, not daring to drag Yin Shan Shan into it, since the goddess’s position was unassailable.

But this time, Yu Xin hadn’t expected even the director wouldn’t side with her.

“You can help,” Wang Zan said, wishing only to end the activity quickly, fearing what Su Wan Ning might say next on camera.

[Her shamelessness is truly astonishing. If it were me, I’d be embarrassed to ask for help.]

[Didn’t anyone notice how Su Wan Ning sounded so sweet just now? It’s the first time I’ve seen her so gentle—why did it make my skin crawl?]

And so, Yu Xin was forced to swallow her resentment and help Su Wan Ning finish the task, sweating together in the field.

On the ridge, the director’s team had set up a temporary shade. As soon as Su Wan Ning climbed up, several children rushed forward.

“Mama, wipe your hands!” Nian Nian handed her a towel, while Sui Sui offered a bottle of chilled mineral water. Su Wan Ning took it and thanked them earnestly, “Thank you for coming up with such a clever solution earlier. You’re both so smart—it’s clear you’ve inherited my brilliance!”

Even while praising others, Su Wan Ning didn’t forget to highlight herself.

Ming Ming also handed her a yogurt, stretching his chubby arms up to her face.

“Auntie Su, try this! It’s really tasty!” Behind him, Feng Rui watched, her eyes red with envy, nearly biting through her lip.

Ming Ming had never been so attentive to her, yet he was so eager around Su Wan Ning!

Da Xi and Yang Yang also came up to greet her, and soon all the children surrounded Su Wan Ning. Such a warm welcome was something the other three had never received.

“Yang Yang, come here, don’t cling to Auntie Su. She’s tired—we should hurry home and rest,” Yin Shan Shan called Yang Yang over.

“Da Xi, your face is so red. Are you getting heatstroke?” Yu Xin reached to pull Da Xi over.

“No, Auntie Yu Xin, I’m just a little hot. I’m not uncomfortable,” Da Xi shook his head seriously, broke free from Yu Xin’s hand, and returned to Su Wan Ning’s side.

“Auntie Su, I heard from Sui Sui and Nian Nian that you made fruit tea for them yesterday. I want some too.”

After some time filming the show, Da Xi’s lively nature was coming out. Now, clinging to Su Wan Ning’s arm and pouting, his round face was hard for her to refuse.

“What, there’s fruit tea? I want some too!” Ming Ming chimed in.

“All right, all right. I’ll make it for you this afternoon—no need to rush.”

After finally coaxing the group of little rascals away, Su Wan Ning had just arrived home with the children when the director’s team assigned her a new task.

“Starting this afternoon, the sales from each family’s livestream will be counted toward the total. You have one week to reach two hundred thousand, or the task will be deemed a failure.”

Su Wan Ning absorbed this, her expression unchanged, though inwardly she was complaining.

Clearly, the director’s team had negotiated for Yu Xin’s orchard sales, but the results were poor. Seeing the fruit about to rot in the fields, they’d resorted to this desperate measure.