Chapter 144

After uploading the post, Zhou Shizhe didn’t pay much attention to the aftermath. Instead, he turned his thoughts to what story he should tell An An tonight to coax the little tyrant to sleep.

If it weren’t for those interesting little stories, An An would definitely still be wide awake after the story ended, staring at him with those big, innocent eyes.

And if Big Brother didn’t respond in time, An An would give him a gentle kick with his foot to remind him that he hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

The hardship of it all couldn’t even be put into words. If Grandpa Zhou found out, he’d probably complain that Zhou Shizhe couldn’t even manage to put a child to sleep properly.

But right now, the whole Zhou family was under intense public scrutiny. That previous incident had drawn a lot of attention to Zhou Shizhe.

Many netizens began projecting themselves into Zhou Shi’s situation—abducted by human traffickers from a young age and suffering greatly.

Yet his biological older brother not only didn’t show any sympathy, but instead treated another child in the family like a precious treasure.

It was inevitable that people would compare children of the same age. An An was showered with love in the Zhou Family, while Zhou Shi was skin and bones.

When Zhou Shizhe first posted a photo of them together, some people even left comments cursing him, saying he didn’t deserve to be a big brother.

But gradually, people began to notice that the seemingly ordinary old men in those photos didn’t look quite as ordinary as they had thought.

【I’ve always been into financial news, and these faces look kind of familiar to me?】

【I thought I was the only one who felt that way.】

【Holy crap, isn’t that the real estate tycoon from before? And the former chairman of Star Entertainment? The one on the far right should be the former CEO of Yanhuang Tech!】

【I just dug up some old photos from their younger days to compare. It’s definitely them. No mistake.】

【These big shots had all previously said they wouldn’t appear in public anymore. They wanted people to focus their attention on the children in their family.】

【And that’s the current chairman of Star Entertainment in the photo, feeding An An a pastry??】

In one of the photos, the chairman of Star Entertainment, dressed in a casual coat, was indeed squatting in front of An An. One hand held a pastry up to An An’s mouth, while the other supported his chin to prevent crumbs from falling on his clothes.

【Is the current CEO of Yanhuang Tech holding what I think he’s holding? Is that An An’s baby bottle? It is, right?】

【Yes, during the show, An An always used that same bottle. He never switched it.】

【My whole family is shocked beyond belief. So what kind of background does the Zhou Family really have? Why are so many big shots so good to An An?】

It was still somewhat believable that Zhou Shizhe cared because he had watched that fake younger brother grow up. But it was impossible to believe that so many people with such powerful identities were all just playing along with him.

Even if it really was an act, how many people could afford to hire actors of that caliber?

The only plausible explanation was that the Zhou Family truly had an extraordinary background. These people were peers of the Zhou Family elders, and out of respect for their relationship, they were willing to look after a child like An An so attentively.

【I used to think the Zhou Family was just an ordinary wealthy household, but now it seems they’re far richer and more powerful than we imagined.】

【I did a little digging into some records. Let’s just say… some things are better left unsaid.】

【Am I the only one who feels like this whole thing is Grandpa Zhou standing up for An An?】

【Yeah, I feel it too. One moment people are mocking that once Grandpa’s gone, An An will be left with nothing and can’t compare to Zhou Shi’s life. The next moment, they post photos with all these big shots.】

【Even just for the sake of their relationship with Grandpa Zhou, they’d definitely take good care of An An.】

Compared to these former titans of the business world, the people surrounding Father Zhou and Mother Zhou really didn’t measure up.

【Why does everyone assume that An An will still need to be looked after when he grows up? Let’s be a bit bolder here—I think a child raised in such an environment will grow up to be very capable.】

Many of An An’s “mom fans” who had come to love him through that show fell silent for a few seconds after seeing this comment.

They all knew the comment wasn’t meant maliciously. It was just that the hope it carried felt a bit heavy for their little Zai Zai.

【Ahem, so far we haven’t discovered any particular talent in the little guy who loves collecting bottle caps.】

【Isn’t knowing how to find Grandpa a talent in itself?】

【You know what, you’re right.】

At first, Zhou Shizhe just wanted to let the matter die down. He didn’t want his family’s affairs to become gossip and jokes for others.

But he couldn’t stop his parents from trying to use public opinion to pressure An An. Rather than letting them twist the narrative with vague and misleading words, it was better to explain everything clearly from the start, leaving no room for speculation or malicious rumors.

He picked a day with good weather, contacted the production team, and with their help, released a teaser and started a livestream.

During the stream, the camera focused on An An, who was counting bottle caps on the carpet. Zhou Shizhe held his phone and explained the situation, answering questions along the way.

There was nothing to hide about the incident itself, and nothing shameful about An An’s background.

As for the part where a master had read An An’s fortune and said he was destined to have Grandpa in his life, Zhou Shizhe chose to keep that to himself.

He simply said that An An was the only surviving bloodline of a comrade whose life Grandpa Zhou had saved years ago. The adoption had been finalized long ago, and all the paperwork was complete.

From beginning to end, the whole “switched at birth” theory was nothing more than an unrealistic rumor.

“Would you really send An An away just to spare your biological brother’s feelings?”

When Zhou Shizhe read that question aloud, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the corners of his lips still curled into a slightly mocking smile.

“An An has always lived with Grandpa. It’s unlikely they’d even meet, let alone that we’d send him away.”

“Is An An counting bottle caps?”

“Yeah, I can move the camera closer so you can hear.”

Once the matter was cleared up, Zhou Shizhe began thinking about when to end the livestream. He simply moved closer to An An.

Whenever An An was fully absorbed in his own little world, he usually didn’t notice anything happening around him.

There were quite a few bottle caps spread out on the carpet. His chubby little hands were carefully counting them one by one.

“One, two, three, four, five, four, eight, two…”

To help himself keep track, he even counted out loud in his soft baby voice.

His round cheeks quivered slightly with every word or movement, and he never once realized he had messed up the numbers.

Zhou Shizhe picked a random moment to end the livestream, then stayed with An An to help him pack all his precious bottle caps into a box.

They had discovered An An’s love for collecting bottle caps when Grandpa Zhou caught him sneaking around, secretly digging through trash bins behind everyone’s backs.

After realizing this quirky little hobby, Grandpa Zhou started paying special attention to collecting the prettier caps for him.

From just two or three in the beginning, An An now had an entire box full.

After this whole incident, both Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou agreed they should end the filming.

Even though they had already signed the contract in advance, for a family like theirs, the penalty for breaching it wasn’t a big deal.

At least for them, paying it wouldn’t be any trouble at all.

But when they took An An for a check-up, the doctor said his health had improved quite a bit.

That was when Grandpa Zhou remembered someone had once told him that children needed to spend more time in nature, to touch the soil in the fields, and only then would their bodies grow stronger.

There wasn’t much scientific evidence behind this idea, but it was true that in their circle, there were some children with weak constitutions. At first, they were raised with extreme care in hospitals, kept away from the outside world for fear of exposure to bacteria worsening their conditions.

But after a trip back to the countryside, running around in the fields, their health actually improved. They were no longer as frail and sickly as before.

It was just one season of a show, only five episodes in total. Filming wouldn’t take too long.

Since they had decided to continue filming the show, of course they hoped An An would be happy during the process, not misunderstood as someone who stole from others.

That was why Zhou Shizhe made a public clarification today.

Zhou Shizhe looked at An An hugging his bottle cap treasure box, eyes squinting as he leaned on it, his face full of contentment. He reached out and ruffled his hair.

He didn’t understand why his parents always thought An An wanted to steal things from his younger brother.

Given An An’s current situation, there was absolutely no need.

Anything An An wanted—what could possibly be better than what Grandpa gave him?

Just last night, he overheard Grandpa discussing with Grandma whether they should take out a piece of jade from the safe—one that had cost tens of millions at an auction—and carve a bottle cap toy with better luster for An An.

Grandma Zhou was in the courtyard sorting yarn. Normally, Grandpa Zhou would be far too impatient to help with such trivial matters. His eyesight wasn’t great, and he found it all too troublesome.

But the moment he heard it was for knitting a little sweater for Xiao An An, he came over to help, even analyzing with Grandma Zhou which color combinations would look best.

Zhou Shizhe picked An An up and reminded him it was time to drink water.

…

Almost everyone thought that after Zhou Shi found his biological parents, he wouldn’t continue participating in the filming of X-Change.

After all, the place he went to during the transformation phase was now his actual home.

But unexpectedly, Father Zhou’s assistant took the initiative to contact the production team and requested the filming to continue.

The filming location and cast remained the same. The only change was that instead of focusing on how a rural child adapted to city life, it would now follow Zhou Shi’s adjustment to his new home.

This topic had already gained a lot of attention online, so the production team had no reason to refuse.

When the new episode’s livestream began, Song Feiran helped carry An An’s suitcase, while Zhou Shizhe let An An ride on his shoulders, reminding him to hold tightly onto his head so he wouldn’t fall.

Walking along the rugged mountain path, everyone looked quite disheveled.

They had already planned to build a road, but the route planning, along with the farmland and mountains that might be occupied, would take time to sort out due to procedural issues.

Once again, the Village Chief led the way. The same Village Chief who had looked so bleak and lifeless in the first episode now had something indescribable in his eyes.

When they arrived, the villagers had already prepared a lavish dinner for them.

The chicken that used to be An An’s favorite had now been served on the table. He sniffled, mourning the little chicken’s passing, yet couldn’t help but admit how delicious it smelled.

【So this mountain village really is heading in a better direction?】

【It must be. Otherwise, why would the villagers be so warm and welcoming?】

【The change in their spirit is so obvious. I still remember in the first episode, many of the elders looked like walking corpses, just waiting to die. Now, they actually have hope for the future!】

【The transformation is incredible. The kids too.】

As for the other guests, they didn’t become the obedient children their parents had hoped for after experiencing hardship.

Instead, after tasting the joy of freedom, they became even more eager to break free from their parents’ control.

To achieve their goals sooner, they chose to temporarily hide their true thoughts. In a way, that still fulfilled their parents’ expectations—just not in the way they imagined.

After dinner, they walked along the village path. The elderly host they were staying with held a flashlight to light the way.

Zhou Shizhe carried An An in his arms. There were no streetlights in the village, and the endless darkness made An An a little scared. He clung tightly to his big brother.

Meanwhile, back at the Zhou Family, they were hosting yet another banquet that night, inviting families from their social circle who had children of similar age, hoping their youngest son could make more friends.

In the grand, glittering banquet hall, everything looked glamorous and polished.

Soon, the weather began to turn cold. Afraid of the chill, little An An started wearing the sweater Grandma had knitted for him by hand. When he put it on, he happily wiggled in front of the camera for a long time.

“See this? My grandma made it herself~”

“Nice, right? Only An An has one.”

Even when he was clearly showing off, the little boy wasn’t the least bit annoying. He looked like he was just one step away from tilting his head and looking down at people with smug pride.

Grandma Zhou was indeed skilled with her hands, and even more so when making something for her precious grandson. She had put extra care into knitting the sweater.

Although she often complained that her old man always stuck his nose into things he didn’t understand, she had to admit—his taste wasn’t bad.

The colors he picked matched beautifully, and the final pattern was stunning.

Wearing the sweater Grandma made, An An strutted around proudly all day.

First, he showed off to the viewers in front of the camera. Then he ran downstairs to brag to Song Feiran, who was helping Grandma feed the chickens. Even the little dogs in the village weren’t spared—An An grabbed their ears and asked if they knew his grandma had knitted him a new sweater.

The village was located neither too far north nor south, but winters in the mountains were bitterly cold.

Aside from burning firewood, they had no other means of heating. Even if there were options, they couldn’t afford the high costs.

While An An was already bundled up in a thick cotton coat, most of the elderly in the village still wore stiff, worn-out jackets that had been passed down for years.

In winter, when washing vegetables or doing laundry, their hands would break out in chilblains, swelling up like steamed buns.

The first time An An touched the Village Chief Grandpa’s cotton coat, he gave it a curious punch with his tiny fist—only to end up in tears from the pain.

Seeing him cry, the Village Chief instinctively reached out to wipe his tears.

But before his hand even touched An An’s face, the boy spotted the chilblains covering his hand. His eyes were already brimming with tears, but now they widened even more.

“Wow? Does it hurt? An An will blow on it.”

Some of the chilblains on the back of his hand had already cracked open, exposing raw red flesh. Just looking at it made An An feel an unbearable sting.

The Village Chief’s weathered face broke into a kind smile. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a candy he had bought during his last trip to the county town, handing it to An An with a grin.

“Don’t cry. It doesn’t hurt. After all these years, I’m used to it.”

The more he said that, the more An An’s heart ached.

He took the candy and stuffed it into his pocket, then ran off on his short little legs to find his big brother.

Song Feiran and the other four guests had noticed these things even earlier than An An. But among them, only Zong Lili could rally her fans online to send in old clothes their families no longer wore. The others couldn’t help in any meaningful way.

At that moment, Zhou Shizhe was still preoccupied with the saplings on the mountain. Previously, he and his mentor had only considered choosing trees that would bear fruit quickly, but they had overlooked the fact that the winter temperatures here were even lower than they had anticipated.

These saplings could survive naturally in environments as cold as minus five degrees Celsius.

However, since winter had set in, the temperature had dropped below minus eight degrees on multiple occasions.

If the saplings were damaged by the cold, it could easily affect their growth and yield the following year.

There wasn’t any particularly good solution, so he could only rally the villagers to wrap straw around the trunks, giving the saplings a “coat” to get through the winter.

After a long day of work, he returned home and ran into An An, who came dashing toward him.

“What’s going on?”

As soon as An An saw his big brother, he told him about what he had witnessed earlier that day.

After finishing his account, he seemed dissatisfied with how slow his brother was at handling things. So, he simply reached into his brother’s coat pocket, pulled out his phone, and made a call to Grandpa.

At that hour, Grandpa Zhou hadn’t gone to bed yet. The moment he saw the number, he instinctively knew it was his little grandson calling.

Under normal circumstances, An An was very articulate, but when he got anxious, he tended to stumble over his words.

Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou strained to listen carefully, and it took them quite a while to finally understand what he was trying to say.

An An had noticed that many elderly people in the village, like the Village Chief Grandpa, were wearing stiff, uncomfortable clothes, and their hands were so red and frozen that it scared him.

He didn’t ask Grandpa for help directly. Instead, he asked if he could use his own New Year’s money and allowance.

He wanted to buy warm clothes and hand cream for the elderly grandpas and grandmas.

“Of course you can. If An An is willing to trust Grandpa and Grandma, then let us take care of this, alright?”

“Okay! Thank you, Grandpa!”

Grandpa Zhou could hear the energy and spirit in An An’s voice.

When the weather had just started to turn cold, he had worried that An An might suffer in that place. He and his wife had even discussed whether they should bring him back home.

But after watching the livestream for a few days, they saw that, aside from wearing thicker clothes and not being able to run around as freely as before, An An hadn’t changed much.

So they put that idea on hold for the time being.

Grandpa Zhou immediately contacted some people to arrange for warm clothing, and then reached out to others to handle the hand cream.

They estimated the number of elderly people in the village, and in the end, the supplies filled an entire large truck.

From thermal underwear to sweaters, insulated clothing, cotton-padded jackets, and down coats—nothing was left out, not even socks.

Grandpa Zhou didn’t disapprove of An An’s actions. In fact, he didn’t even touch the boy’s allowance.

Although they had always been generous with An An, he was still very young. Even combined, his New Year’s money and allowance didn’t amount to much.

Luckily, An An hadn’t started kindergarten yet, and he often got confused counting numbers under ten.

Whether he used it or not, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway.

Before the New Year, all the elderly in the village had received new clothes. On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the production team informed them that it was time to wrap up and leave.

Originally, they had planned to film until around the tenth or so, but the weather was simply too cold. At the rate the temperature was dropping, the roads might freeze over by then, and they could end up spending the New Year stuck there.

The ones happiest about going home early were Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou. They had already prepared New Year’s gifts for An An and were eagerly waiting for him to come home and try them on.

Grandpa Zhou even had some gold bottle caps made and stuffed them all into a bright red silk pouch, planning to give them to An An as New Year’s money.

During this season of family reunions, the issues they had long tried to ignore resurfaced once again.

Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou didn’t dwell on it. At their age, they had learned to let go.

What did it matter whether the family was reunited or not? Forcing people who didn’t get along to sit together for the sake of appearances would only make the holiday miserable.

Zhou Shizhe had grown up with his grandparents. After the show ended, he didn’t even return to that house.

His father had slapped him just to protect that younger son, and his mother hadn’t said a single word of concern. That alone was enough for him to remember for a long time.

Even though he knew that the incident wasn’t entirely that younger brother’s fault, it was still hard not to harbor resentment—especially with such a well-behaved little shadow always clinging to his side.

On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Father Zhou called Grandpa Zhou to ask about their plans for the New Year.

“I know you’re happy that your younger son has been found this year, so don’t worry about us. Let’s just celebrate separately in our own homes.”

After saying that, Grandpa Zhou hung up.

Zhou Shizhe had grown up by their side, and they felt deeply for their eldest grandson. There was no way Grandpa Zhou hadn’t noticed that glaring handprint on his face back then.

All he could say was that ever since that child had been found, his son had become more and more clueless.

Even on such an important occasion as the New Year, he didn’t plan to bring the family together. Father Zhou suddenly had a very bad feeling. Just as he was about to call again, Mother Zhou snatched the phone from his hand.

“If your parents think that wild child is more important, then bring Shizhe back too. Let’s spend the New Year together as a family.”

Mother Zhou had pretty much forgotten about what happened back then. Plus, Zhou Shizhe had always been a filial son, so she didn’t think it was unreasonable for him to come home for a family reunion during the New Year.

She said it with complete confidence.

“I think he’d rather spend it with his grandparents. The three of us might as well go abroad for a vacation. How about that?”

Father Zhou didn’t want to stir up more trouble, so he changed the subject.

Soon, it was New Year’s Eve. The night before, An An had already asked his big brother to lay out the clothes he planned to wear the next day and placed them beside his little bed.

His favorite outfit had been saved just for this occasion.

Before falling asleep, every time An An caught a glimpse of that outfit out of the corner of his eye, his heart would beat a little faster. A smile curled at the corners of his lips, and he happily changed sleeping positions and drifted off into a sweet dream.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family sat on the couch in the living room watching TV.

In their household, this was usually the time when New Year’s money was handed out. Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou had each prepared two red envelopes—one thicker one for Zhou Shizhe, and another in a red silk pouch for An An.

Zhou Shizhe’s envelope was filled with money. An An’s pouch contained a bag of gold bottle caps.

Even though Zhou Shizhe was already an adult, he never missed out on his New Year’s money.

This year, Zhou Shizhe had also prepared a very thick red envelope for An An, so big that An An could barely hold it in his arms.

When he saw Grandpa and Grandma giving his big brother New Year’s money, he opened his own silk pouch, picked out one of the gold bottle caps—though it clearly pained him—and handed it to his brother.

“New Year’s money~”

Hearing those three soft, childish words made Zhou Shizhe’s eyes crinkle with laughter.

“Thank you, An An.”

An An quickly waved his little hand, signaling his brother to keep some distance.

Even though he had given the gold bottle cap as New Year’s money, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to part with it.

If his big brother didn’t disappear from his sight soon, he was genuinely worried he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back and would end up clinging to his brother’s leg, begging him to give it back.

That night, Zhou Shizhe saw the photos his parents posted on their social media. The three of them were celebrating the New Year in a foreign city, gathered around for New Year’s Eve dinner, even showing off the red envelopes they had prepared for their youngest son.

Perhaps in their eyes, he was already an adult, long past the age of receiving New Year’s money.

But compared to his grandparents, who remembered him every single year, it was hard for Zhou Shizhe not to feel a chill in his heart.

That night, An An fell asleep clutching his red envelope and the golden bottle cap.

Before going to bed, Grandpa Zhou went to check if he was properly covered. Seeing that sleeping like that might be uncomfortable, he tried to gently take the items out of his arms to place them by the pillow.

Unexpectedly, An An was holding them tightly. At the slightest tug, he shifted away forcefully.

His facial expression was already starting to change, and it looked like if Grandpa Zhou tried one more time, the little guy would burst into tears. So Grandpa Zhou could only regretfully withdraw his hand and gently poked his chubby cheek.

With his hands behind his back, he left An An’s room and stood at the doorway watching for a long time.

His little An An had grown another year older.

Maybe it was the festive atmosphere of the New Year that made people more prone to reminiscing.

That night, Grandpa Zhou suddenly remembered a time back when he was still in the army. They had gathered for a New Year’s Eve dinner, and one of his comrades found two dumplings with money inside and stuffed one into his bowl.

They had made a pact that after retiring, they would transition into civilian life together and remain lifelong brothers.

Who could have imagined that his comrade’s life would end that very year, buried forever in the Martyrs’ Cemetery. The place was so remote that even visiting was difficult for Grandpa Zhou.

Especially now that he was older, he could no longer endure long journeys.

Taking good care of his little grandson was, in a way, his way of honoring that bond they once shared.

When Grandma Zhou saw the look on his face, she immediately knew he was thinking about the past again and chatted with him for a while.

She knew that deep down, the old man had never stopped thinking about his comrade’s wife and biological son. After being diagnosed with that illness, they chose to end their lives just to avoid becoming a burden to An An.

If they had been found a little earlier, it might never have happened.

The cost of treatment for both of them combined was only five hundred thousand.

“I told An An not to eat too many glutinous rice balls. He agreed so sweetly, but behind our backs, he snuck several more.”

Talking about An An finally brought a bit of color back to Grandpa Zhou’s face. He frowned and nodded in agreement.

“That little rascal is so greedy. No matter how you warn him, he won’t listen! Tomorrow, we’ll have Shizhe give him a proper scolding.”

Glutinous rice balls are hard to digest, but An An loved them. After overeating, he’d clutch his belly and whimper about the pain.

“You always push the dirty work onto Shizhe.”

Grandma Zhou didn’t feel the least bit guilty about blaming their eldest grandson.

“What else can I do? That brat holds grudges. I wouldn’t dare scold him myself.”

Last time, when Grandpa Zhou was sunbathing in the courtyard with An An on his lap, the little guy had counted on his fingers all the times Grandpa threw away his bottle caps or didn’t cut his apple into a bunny shape.

As they talked, the elderly couple began to feel drowsy.

On the first day of the New Year, they had prepared gifts. For Zhou Shizhe, it was a golden Pixiu, symbolizing a prosperous career.

For An An, it was a Longevity Lock, wishing him peace and health.

The Zhou Family only began to rise in wealth during Grandpa Zhou’s generation, so their tastes still leaned toward the traditional. Compared to expensive-looking antiques, calligraphy, jade, and emeralds, they preferred the opulence of gold.

The city they lived in was warm, with only two light snowfalls all winter.

Zhou Shizhe had to make New Year visits, but someone of Grandpa Zhou’s age and status usually stayed home and waited for others to visit.

Families close enough to visit Grandpa Zhou during the New Year were all quite well-off. Some of the younger generation had seen X-Change and really liked An An.

Grandpa Zhou was happy to see An An making more friends.

A few of the younger guests gathered to take photos with An An and posted them on their social media.

Most of these young people were still quite young and didn’t really understand discretion. Many people knew their identities from their public profiles.

When they all posted photos with An An, saying they were visiting his grandpa for the New Year, it made many curious onlookers realize just how wealthy An An’s family really was.

An An was very cooperative during the photos. He wore clothes Grandma had made for him and struck whatever pose they asked for.

Those who already liked him couldn’t stop praising him.

At this level of family, blood ties mattered far less than whether someone was truly favored by those in power.

Children raised in such families were rarely foolish, especially the ones brought along to personally deliver New Year’s greetings to Grandpa Zhou.

If blood alone determined everything, then how come the illegitimate children in their family still couldn’t even step through the door?

Some people who didn’t understand might think An An’s clothes weren’t expensive enough and assume he wasn’t truly valued, that the rumors were just rumors.

But those with a keen eye could tell that the outfit An An wore now was the same one he had proudly shown off on the show, saying Grandma knitted it.

To them, money was easy to come by, so anything bought with money wasn’t considered valuable.

In contrast, the coat An An wore now, clearly handmade by the Zhou matriarch, was priceless because of the love and care stitched into it.

Around his neck was the Longevity Lock, on his wrist a gold bracelet, and the entire living room was filled with items related to him. Everything silently declared just how much Grandpa Zhou and his wife doted on this little one.

After entertaining so many guests, An An grew tired and crawled over to Grandpa, leaning against his knee to sleep.

He slept so soundly that suspicious drool marks appeared at the corner of his mouth.

One guest, who knew how hot-tempered Old Master Zhou used to be in his youth, saw this and his smile faded slightly, worried that he might get angry.

But Grandpa Zhou simply frowned, pulled out a tissue to wipe An An’s drool, then gathered him into his arms and told the nanny to carry him to bed.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou had chosen to spend the New Year abroad to show their youngest son how much they loved and valued him, hoping he would understand that in their hearts, he was the most important.

Even Father Zhou had overlooked what a great opportunity the New Year was for networking.

After the New Year, X-Change still hadn’t finished filming. An An stayed until February before heading out with his big brother.

Along the way, many trees were already blooming, but when they arrived at their destination, the fruit trees halfway up the mountain had only just begun to sprout tender buds.

It was colder in the mountains, and spring seemed to arrive later than usual.

Zhou Shizhe carefully observed the fruit saplings and confirmed they were growing well. Then he began discussing road construction with the Village Chief.

Not all the villagers in this village relied solely on fruit. Just a few days after they arrived, they had already started picking Tea Leaves.

Perhaps due to its unique geographical location, the Tea Leaves from this area had a surprisingly good flavor. Every year, there were still people willing to come and collect them.

However, the inconvenience of transportation remained a disadvantage. After harvesting, the Tea Leaves usually had to be carried all the way to the roadside where vehicles could reach.

By the time they returned from selling the Tea Leaves, the sky would already be completely dark.

Back when the elderly here still had the strength, the tea trees on the mountain were carefully pruned every year. But as they grew older and weaker, they could no longer keep up with the trimming, and the tea trees began growing taller and taller.

Even if An An stood on tiptoe, he still couldn’t reach them. All he could do was stand nearby and help keep an eye on the Tea Leaves.

The other five guests had already fully immersed themselves in the local lifestyle. Even Zong Lili, who loved beauty the most, simply put on a hat and headed up the mountain, picking Tea Leaves from morning till night.

【This really brings back memories of my childhood. I used to sit just like An An, watching the Tea Leaves, though I always ended up sneaking off to play in the mountains.】

【When I was little, I’d drag a stool over to pick Tea Leaves, haha. Then I’d fall into a tea tree and just lie there pretending I couldn’t get up, so I could get out of doing chores.】

【You can really tell—not just An An, but everyone else has grown so much too.】

【I used to constantly criticize this show, but watching today, it’s honestly not as bad as I thought.】

Many people found themselves lost in memories of their own childhoods. For the younger viewers, hearing others talk about the past was also a wonderful experience.

That was, until a certain comment appeared and shattered the warm, harmonious atmosphere in the livestream.

【Seriously? There are actually people who think watching folks suffer while picking Tea Leaves is entertaining? You should go check out Zhou Shi’s place and see how well his parents treat him!】

【No comparison, no harm, huh? What a bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well!】

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou had been doing everything they could to make up for the guilt they felt toward Zhou Shi. No matter what it was, they always wanted to give him the very best. A pampered storyline like his was something many people enjoyed watching too.

Although their wealth couldn’t compare to Grandpa Zhou’s, they could still be considered rich.

The things they used to spoil their son were items most ordinary people had never even seen. In a spacious and well-lit room, they had attendants measuring him for custom-made clothes.

Designers that most people had only seen in magazines or on the news were personally serving them.

The entire process was indeed pleasing to the eye—provided you didn’t compare it to An An.

In this part of the show, even Zhou Shizhe wasn’t wearing anything fancy. For the sake of convenience while working, he had chosen something more dirt-resistant. As for the other villagers, their clothes had clearly been worn for many years, like diligent ants going about their tasks.

Everyone had their own work to do and could only rest very late at night.

Their lives were undeniably hard, but there was a distinct spark of vitality in each of their eyes.

Like trees deeply rooted in the mountains, still growing strong and tall, they exuded a unique kind of charm.

Sure, there were plenty of people who enjoyed watching displays of wealth. But the majority of viewers were still ordinary people.

They were happy to glimpse worlds they could never reach through the internet, but that didn’t mean they could calmly accept being mocked for their own lives.

What’s more, they didn’t believe there was anything in an ordinary person’s life that deserved ridicule.

The viewer who barged into the livestream to stir up trouble was eventually scolded by the audience and driven out. By the next day, their account had been deleted.

At that moment, An An was lying on the picnic blanket prepared by the production team, one leg crossed over the other, his little foot swinging leisurely.

He was humming a tuneless little song in his soft baby voice, blending perfectly with the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy above, falling in flickering patches across his body, lively and full of life.