Chapter 12: I Have Never Slept in the Cattle Pen

Yu Zhicheng shuddered, his face filled with despair. “It’s over. That call from Dad is definitely going to be a scolding because I didn’t take good care of Little Aunt.”

With that, he gently placed Yu Danxue on the ground and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

Sure enough, the screen showed the caller ID: “Father.”

The camera zoomed in for a close-up of the phone.

“Xiao Sheng, answer it quickly,” Yu Danxue eagerly urged. She loved phones—they could talk even from far away and show so many things. If only their hometown had such a device, everything would be so much easier.

Yu Zhicheng, overwhelmed with despair, answered the call.

“Yu Zhicheng, how are you taking care of Little Aunt?” Yu Zheng’s angry voice thundered from the other end of the line, loud enough for the live viewers to hear clearly.

[Confirmed: this is the Little Aunt. Even her own father calls her that—there’s no way she’s Yu Zhicheng’s daughter.]

[Does this mean that once there’s a Little Aunt, the biological son no longer matters?]

[I’m dying laughing. Yu Zhicheng gets criticized by the entire internet, and his dad never gets angry. But the moment Little Aunt falls in the cattle pen, his dad calls to scold him.]

“Xiao Sheng, give me the phone.” Yu Danxue stretched out her tiny hand. “I’ll talk to Xiao Zheng.”

Yu Zhicheng was only too happy to comply, hurriedly handing the phone over.

He knew well that, in his father’s heart, Little Aunt was the most important; he, the younger son, was not.

“Xiao Zheng,” Yu Danxue pressed the speaker button and called out with a serious expression.

Yu Zheng’s anger instantly caught in his throat, and he had to speak respectfully, “Little Aunt, are you enjoying the show?”

The chat exploded with laughter.

“I’m having a great time! I’ve seen so many things I’ve never seen before and made new friends,” Yu Danxue said brightly. “I really like this program.”

No matter how angry Yu Zheng was, he couldn’t lash out at his young elder. “Little Aunt, as long as you’re happy.”

“Also, you shouldn’t lie down in the cattle pen—it’s dirty and bad for your health.”

Yu Danxue glanced at the clean and tidy cattle pen, blinking innocently. “Xiao Zheng, the cattle pen is very clean.”

“Grandpa the village chief keeps it spotless; you don’t have to worry.”

“And Xiao Sheng has been well-behaved. I’ve taken good care of him. You can’t shout at him like that, okay?”

Yu Zheng was speechless.

Little Aunt, aren’t you mixing things up?

It should be Zhicheng taking care of you, not the other way around.

He cleared his throat and managed to say, “Little Aunt, you’re wonderful.”

Yu Danxue puffed up proudly. “I am pretty great.”

“Xiao Zheng, if there’s a chance, I’ll bring you on the show too. Then you can make a lot of friends as well.”

“Pfft!”

Yu Zhicheng, watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help but cover his mouth to stifle his laughter.

[Hahaha, I’m going to die laughing on this show sooner or later. Just thinking about Xiao Zheng’s expression cracks me up.]

[Xiao Zheng? That’s for Little Aunt only! You guys better… pfft, Xiao Zheng, hahahaha!]

[Xiao Zheng, Xiao Sheng, Xiao Qi, Xiao Duan… pfft, Little Aunt is so good at naming—no wonder she’s the little elder in the family.]

[Xiao Sheng: Pikachu, go!]

[I knew someone would bring up that joke. From now on, I can’t look at Xiao Zhi and Pikachu the same way.]

“…Little Aunt, I’m really busy with work and don’t have time to join the show,” Yu Zheng said, twitching his mouth as he scrambled for an excuse.

Yu Danxue looked a bit disappointed but didn’t press the matter. “Alright, then I’ll bring Xiao Sheng instead.”

After hanging up, she handed the phone back to Yu Zhicheng and asked seriously, “Xiao Sheng, can we sleep in the cattle pen tonight?”

“I’ve never slept in a cattle pen.”

Yu Zhicheng flatly refused. “No way!”

He didn’t want to go back and face a double scolding from his father and older brother.

“Why not?”

“Don’t you want to see the house arranged by the show? It must be very interesting.”

Yu Danxue’s big eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Is the house arranged by the show really special?”

Yu Zhicheng gave a subtle signal to the director and then coaxed her in a playful tone, “If Little Aunt wants to know, she has to win the competition first.”

“But from what I know about the show, the house they arrange is definitely very special and fun.”

Yu Danxue immediately abandoned the idea of the cattle pen and declared, “Xiao Sheng, let’s go cook. I’m going to win this competition.”

Yu Zhicheng breathed a quiet sigh of relief and took her hand as they headed to the kitchen.

“Xiao Qi, Luo Jian, come over quickly!” Yu Danxue called out cheerfully to Luo Jian and Qi Kang, then waved to Feng Doudou and Xiao Yun.

“Doudou, Xiao Yun, come join us to cook… huh? Doudou, why are you crying again?”

Only then did she notice that Doudou was indeed crying.

“Doudou is crying because she didn’t complete the task,” Duan Lele said helplessly, shrugging. “I told her it’s okay, but she just won’t stop crying.”

Feng Doudou shrank back, keeping her head low and silent.

Yu Danxue looked at her in puzzlement, then glanced at Duan Lele. “Is that so?”

“Doudou, don’t cry. It’s okay if you didn’t finish the task. I’ll help you.”

Feng Doudou gave a quiet “Mm.”

Yu Danxue comforted her a little more, then went into the kitchen with Yu Zhicheng and the others.

Then, they all looked at each other.

“I can’t cook,” Yu Danxue admitted honestly. “I know the names of some dishes, but I don’t know how to make them.”

Back home, she never had to cook—there were servants and cooks for that.

Yu Zhicheng awkwardly touched his nose, rarely embarrassed. “I can’t cook either. At home, there’s a team of chefs, and outside, I have professional chefs with me.”

Qi Kang timidly added, “I only know how to make instant noodles and order takeout. Nothing else.”

“What are instant noodles and takeout?” Yu Danxue asked curiously.

“They’re nothing!” Yu Zhicheng quickly covered her ears with both hands and kept signaling Qi Kang. If Little Aunt found out about instant noodles and takeout, Dad would kill him when they got home.

“I just make a mess of food myself,” Qi Kang said very seriously. “It’s not tasty at all. I only eat it because I have no choice.”

Yu Danxue frowned, feeling something was off. “Xiao Sheng, why are you covering my ears?”

Yu Zhicheng let go and made an excuse, “I saw a mosquito and didn’t want it to bite your ear.”

“Anning, I can make scrambled eggs with tomatoes,” Luo Jian stepped forward to smooth things over. “But it never turns out very good.”

Yu Danxue’s attention shifted immediately. “Luo Jian, you’re amazing! Way better than Xiao Sheng and Xiao Qi.”

Xiao Sheng and Xiao Qi felt as if their hearts had been stabbed.

“Anning, why don’t we cook together with Doudou and Xiao Yun?” Luo Jian suggested.

Mentioning the other two, Yu Danxue pulled Yu Zhicheng’s hand to a corner. “Xiao Sheng, I want to tell you something…”