After learning why they had come, Grandpa Bai sat down nimbly and began weaving a grasshopper. The little one was settled on a small stool by Shen Yan. He propped his head on his hands and watched Grandpa Bai weave, his gaze unwavering. The green strips of grass, all different lengths, became incredibly obedient in Grandpa Bai’s hands. His aged hands moved quickly. Soon, a lifelike little grasshopper appeared before the little one’s eyes.
Su Youli held out both hands to receive it, staring at the little grasshopper. Seeing how much he liked it, Grandpa Bai also wove him a little pinwheel to play with. The two brothers spent over an hour at Grandpa Bai’s before leaving. The little one was exhausted from the day’s activities. On the way back, clutching his little grasshopper, he fell asleep leaning against Shen Yan’s back. Shen Yan parked the scooter and carried Su Youli back for his afternoon nap.
Time in the village seemed to move very slowly. After just one day, Shen Yan felt as if he and Youyou had been living there for ten days or half a month. The children had performed excellently in the morning’s adventure. The afternoon task would involve the parents. The three children were especially excited when they gathered together. Su Youli took two straw-woven little dragonflies from his backpack and gave them to Niu Niu and Mi Le.
The two children loved them. Mi Le was so excited that he hugged Youyou. “Thank you, Youyou! I will definitely take good care of this dragonfly.”
The little one glanced at where Cen Yuankai and his father should have been standing and saw that they hadn’t come for the group meeting. The production team explained that Cen Yuankai had a bit of a skin allergy and also a slight cold, so he wouldn’t be participating in the afternoon activities.
The little one’s eyes widened for a moment. He tilted his head and called out, “Big Brother.”
Shen Yan picked him up and patted his back. “Youyou, don’t be scared. I’ll have Brother Xiao Tang go check what’s going on.”
Tang Dou, who was mingling among the staff, happened to look up and met Shen Yan’s eyes from across the way. Having spent time together recently, they had developed a bit of an unspoken understanding. Tang Dou nodded, telling him not to worry. The group arrived at a paddy field on the edge of the village. The crops had already been harvested, and the production team had cleaned up the field. Apart from the murky water, there was no danger.
Shen Yan led the little one by the hand and stood on the field ridge, raising an eyebrow. Given how variety shows usually operated, they would definitely have them go down into the paddy field for a task. Sure enough, the director started shouting through his loudspeaker.
“Good afternoon, everyone! Next is a very fun game. Do you children want to play?”
The three little tykes didn’t hesitate for a second and answered enthusiastically, “Yeah—”
“This game is called ‘Rescue in the Paddy Field.‘ Daddy and Big Brother have been tied up by the black-cloaked people on the chairs across the field. The children must cross the paddy field to rescue your brothers and fathers.”
As he spoke, Shen Yan let go of the little one’s hand. The adults were “captured” by “villains” wearing black masks and black cloaks.
Su Youli was quick. He grabbed Shen Yan’s finger. “Brother!”
Shen Yan crouched down to comfort him. “Youyou, don’t be scared. Brother is right over there. If you’re too scared to do it, that’s okay, alright?”
But Su Youli didn’t want to give up. He shook his head. “Youyou isn’t scared.”
The little one’s eyes just got a little red when he saw his brother being taken away by the black-cloaked people. He clenched his little fists. The three adults across the way were all tied up, each sitting in a chair. Mi Le, seeing his brother tied up with a rope, immediately rushed down into the field.
“Brother, I’m coming to rescue you! Wait for me!” The sturdy Mi Le, not even having changed into boots properly, rolled up his pant legs and jumped into the water with a splash.
Then, a powerful suction force hit. Mi Le’s body tilted, and his head almost went face-first into the mud.
“Ouch!”
Mi Huan closed his eyes for a second, unsure whether he was more touched or exasperated.
“Lele, walk slowly! The more you rush, the easier it is to get stuck!” Mi Huan shouted with all his might.
Mi Le propped his hands on his knees, a blazing fire of determination in his eyes. The mud covered him, making him completely dirty. His clean little hands were also covered in mud. Although children liked playing with mud, this was different from walking through a paddy field. They had to overcome physical and psychological fears.
The paddy field had a strong smell of earth. The mud was slippery and hard to stand in. As they moved forward, there was a squelching sound. Mi Le was pulled out by staff members who grabbed him under the armpits. They took off his mud-filled shoes and socks and gave him a pair of easy-to-walk-in boots. The paddy field wasn’t large. There were support points at intervals to help the children move forward. On the ridge, the little one put on his little boots, still looking a bit dazed.
“Youyou, your brother is over there. You need to walk across and rescue him.”
A staff member explained patiently to the three-year-old. Su Youli tilted his head, his mouth also twisting to the side. He was a clean child. Back on Yunshui Street, he and his fathers would sometimes play by the edge of the Yang family’s rice paddies with Yang Yang gege. But he never went down into the field because the mud was dirty, and once it dried on you, it was even harder to wash off.
Su Youli raised his little hand, pointed to the other side of the ridge, and his doll-like, long lashes fluttered. “Youyou will walk over there to find Big Brother~”
The field was full of mud. Lele gege had gotten so dirty when he went down. Grandpa Tian’s house didn’t have a bathroom for a bath. If he got dirty, he would have to wait until tomorrow to bathe at home.
The little one’s understanding was still very basic. Big Brother had said yesterday that they would bathe when they got home, so that’s when he would bathe. He couldn’t get himself dirty. If he walked along the ridge, he could rescue his brother without getting dirty. The little one thought his idea was great. He lifted his leg to set off. The staff was a bit taken aback.
Youyou wasn’t following the script.
The highlight of this segment was to see how the children would react to the dirty mud. What would be the point if he didn’t go into the field? Several people told him, one after another, that this was a game and he had to respect the game rules. Su Youli wasn’t keen. He was an illiterate little tyke who hadn’t been to kindergarten. When he played games on Yunshui Street, Yang Yang gege always took the lead, so he didn’t need to worry about the game rules.
Just then, Mi Le, who had changed into his little boots, ran over holding up his pants. He grabbed Su Youli, who was standing there dumbfounded, with his muddy hands. The slimy feeling, along with a bit of a strange smell, made Su Youli look down at his now-dirty little hands and arms. His mouth fell open.
“Youyou, let’s go together! If we hold hands, we won’t fall!”
Mi Le was all smiles. Su Youli pouted, the slightly curly hair on his head trembling. He wasn’t mentally prepared for this yet. A group of staff watched Su Youli’s expression, unable to help covering their mouths and laughing. They cheered them on. The three children went down into the paddy field together, slowly shuffling forward.
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