Chapter 351: This Year’s Netizens Have No Love
Those who performed the best would naturally get the highest salary. Those who sold the persimmons at the latest would get the least money.
The village leader first gave Chen Ke 30 yuan. He was the last one to complete the mission, so he accepted that without any objections.
Then, it was Li Kaiwen and Xiao Wei’s turn. Both sides sold out at about the same time. The village chief gave them 50 yuan each.
Then, Han Xiao and his son received 70 yuan.
Although this amount of money was nothing to these fathers, the children were overjoyed when they received the money.
This was the first time they had gone out to sell persimmons. Although they did not know anything, they still helped their fathers. They had earned money for the first time in their lives, and it made them feel that they were great!
Seeing his son put the money into his pocket as if it were a treasure, Han Xiao’s mood brightened. He rubbed his son’s hair. “How is it? Do you understand how hard it is to earn money now?”
Han Siye’s good mood vanished when he felt his father’s hand on his hair. He pushed the hand away and gritted his teeth. “Don’t mess up my hair!”
Han Xiao burst out laughing and messed up his son’s hair again. “So what if I mess it up? You’re not a girl. Why are you so concerned about it?”
Han Siye glared at him like an angry little lion. “You’re shameless! Anyway, don’t mess up my hair!”
“Fine, fine, fine! I won’t do it. I know you don’t want Little Jiu to see your messy hair, right?”
When his inner thoughts were seen through, Han Siye was a little embarrassed. He looked away and ignored his father. “Hmph!”
Han Xiao laughed again.
Although his son wasn’t very close to him, compared to when they filmed the first episode, he was much better.
In the end, the village chief walked up to Su Shengjing and looked at the little girl in his arms. He handed her a hundred yuan bill. “Little kid, you and your father performed the best today, so you guys won the most money. You can buy a lot of delicious food tomorrow.”
Su Jiu took the money and grinned at him. “Thank you, Uncle!”
“You’re welcome! You’re welcome!” The village chief smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled.
Han Xiao said, “Looks like we have to suck up to Little Jiu more in the future. If we follow Little Jiu, we’ll definitely be able to live a good life!”
Xiao Yang chimed in. “That’s true! Little Jiu, uncle will follow you from now on!”
The village chief was speechless.
Are these two alright? They are so young, yet they don’t work hard. Instead, they want to rely on a little kid?
He immediately lowered his voice and kindly reminded Su Shengjing, “These two fathers seem to be a little lazy. Don’t let your daughter interact with them too much. If she makes friends with their sons, it won’t end well.
Su Shengjing held back his laughter and said, “I think so too. Alright, I will take good care of my daughter and won’t let them lead her astray.”
Han Xiao was at a loss for words.
Xiao Yang was speechless as well.
Sh*t! We are both positive and motivated youths, okay? How will we lead the little girl astray? How did the village chief get his position with such poor eyesight?
When the audience members saw their aggrieved expressions, they burst into laughter. They sent comments saying that these two really had no self-awareness. The duo had to stay away from Little Jiu and not be a bad influence on her!
When Han Xiao and Xiao Yang saw the comments, they expressed that the netizens had lost their love for them.
***
The next morning, after having breakfast with the children, each of the fathers received a mission card from the program team.
Initially, they thought that it would be the same easy task as before. However, after seeing the contents of the mission cards, their expressions turned serious.
Chapter 352: Heartache for the Daughter
Han Xiao mumbled, “I didn’t expect this… Did the production team come up with it?”
Among the few fathers, Su Shengjing’s expression was the most serious. He pursed his lips and directly stuffed the mission card back into the staff member’s hands. “I won’t do this mission.”
The staff member was stunned. Is he giving up?
The guest contestant had actually given up on the mission. What should we do? Could we still film this episode properly?
Su Jiu stood beside Su Shengjing and did not see what was written on the mission card. Seeing that his reaction was off, she curiously asked, “Daddy, what mission is it today? Why are you giving up?”
Su Shengjing reached out and picked her up. He smiled as if nothing had happened. “It’s nothing. The mission was just exchanging father and child again. I’ve already done it last time, so I don’t want to do it again.”
Is that so?
Su Jiu did not believe it. The production team had already used the same trick, so how could it happen again? Usually, it would not be like this. Is Daddy lying to me?
She got even more curious about the mission. Stretching her hand toward the staff member, she said, “Big Brother, can you show me the mission card?”
Before she could finish her sentence, Su Shengjing carried her into the house. “Baby, didn’t you win us money yesterday? Daddy will bring you to town to buy good food, okay?”
The little girl suspiciously looked at Su Shengjing. Then, she puffed up her cheeks and said, “Daddy’s lying. That’s not the mission. Why didn’t you want to do the mission?”
Su Shengjing was speechless.
At this moment, his heart felt incredibly heavy, and he truly did not want to tell her the truth. However, he knew that he should not hide the truth from the little girl. After pausing for a few seconds, he finally said, “Actually, today’s task is…”
Su Jiu’s ears pricked up.
“To visit children at a nearby orphanage.”
An orphanage?
Su Jiu immediately understood why her father had abandoned the mission. He felt that she would not want to go there.
Su Jiu had grown up in an orphanage ever since she was born. Is Daddy worried that I would be sad?
After all, a place like an orphanage was probably a place that abandoned children who had left it would never want to return. Staying there would remind them every day that they were abandoned children without parents.
The audience members in front of the screen naturally saw the mission card. The fans immediately scolded the production team for being inhumane. Don’t they know that Little Jiu came from the orphanage?
It wasn’t easy for Su Jiu to reunite with her father and live a life where she was loved and cared for. Why would they want her to return to that place and bring back bad memories?
The audacity of the program team!
Even if they want to do something good, they have to consider the feelings of the guests, okay? Could it be that just because Little Jiu is obedient, they can ignore her feelings?
The fans were furious. They even felt sorry for their daughter.
However, the original intention of the production team was to make the last episode more unusual and meaningful. That was why they had come up with such a mission. They did not expect that it would affect Su Jiu.
The main reason was that the little girl was lively and cute. She had such a good relationship with her father that they really couldn’t tell that she came from the orphanage! However, the production team had already called the orphanage about it, so it wasn’t easy to change the mission. They could only brace themselves and continue filming.
If Su Shengjing and Little Jiu insisted on giving up on this mission, they would not force them. As a father who doted on his daughter, it was understandable for Su Shengjing to take care of Su Jiu.
Su Jiu had mixed feelings. After thinking for a few seconds, she said, “Daddy, I want to go there.”
Chapter 353: Little Jiu Is Right
Su Shengjing was stunned. “What?”
With a serious expression, Su Jiu repeated, “Daddy, let’s go and do the mission. The children in the orphanage are pitiful. They don’t have parents, so they need people to care for them. Why don’t we take the money and buy them snacks and toys?”
As she spoke, she clenched her fists.
Su Shengjing pursed his lips and asked, “Does Baby really want to go?”
“Yes! Daddy, let’s go.”
“Alright then.” Su Shengjing took over the mission card once more. As the little girl wanted, he would first go to town to buy some things, then head to the orphanage.
The orphanage was located in a small city near the village. It was about an hour’s journey away. The father and daughter sat in the production team’s van with the other fathers and children.
On the way, Han Xiao looked at the little girl, who was obediently nestled in Su Shengjing’s arms. He cursed the production team in his heart for doing such a stupid mission. Would Little Jiu be unhappy? He could not help but say, “Little Jiu, you’ll see many children later. Are you happy?”
Su Jiu could tell that he was trying to comfort him and sweetly smiled. “Yes! Little Jiu is very happy. In the past, when we were in the orphanage, many children played together. However, they were abandoned by their parents. So we have to visit them and give them happiness!”
Han Xiao was already used to the girl’s ability to organize her words.
Seeing nothing wrong with her mood, he felt relieved as usual. He smiled and said, “Yes, Little Jiu is right. We should be more concerned about those children.”
Han Siye vigorously nodded.
That’s right! Little Jiu is right!
***
An hour later, they arrived at the orphanage.
The director was an old grandma in her sixties. The previous day, she had received a call from the production team. When she had heard that the guests were coming to the orphanage to visit the children, she was overjoyed. Before the car arrived, she led the children to wash their faces and hands, changed them into the best clothes, and waited in the courtyard with them.
Hence, when the production team’s car arrived at the orphanage, they saw an old grandma with white hair standing in the middle, surrounded by twenty children.
The children were wearing old clothes. As they were thin and weak, most of the clothes were loose and did not fit them. The kids were of different ages. The oldest looked to be eight or nine years old, while the youngest was only two or three months old; the younger one was lying in the cradle and could not come out to welcome the guests.
Su Jiu saw that these children were sallow and skinny, but their eyes were so clean and clear. When the group alighted from the car, the children politely greeted them as “Uncle, Auntie, hello”. Su Jiu could not help but think of her past.
When she was young, she was one of these children. She did not have enough to eat, she did not have enough to wear, and everything she ate and wore was donated by kind-hearted people. However, there were so many children and not enough to share.
Every time someone came over to donate something, the director auntie would lead her and her little friends out to greet them. The kids would politely greet them and thank them.
Thanks to those kind people, her life with those little kids could continue. Although it was somewhat rough, she did not starve to death.
So now that she saw these children, Su Jiu suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Some parents really did not deserve to be parents. Since they did not want children, why did they have to give birth to them?
Chapter 354: I Only Like Seeing Her Smile
Abandoned right after birth. What is the point of having them then?
Some of these children either suffered from congenital illnesses or were abandoned due to their parents’ backward thinking of favoring boys over girls. Hence, there were more girls than boys in the orphanage.
When the production team, the fathers, and the children saw them, they felt bad. The fathers decided to accompany these children and let them understand that there were people in this world who cared about them. There were still beautiful things in this world.
Yang Fangping had already collaborated with the sponsors to buy a lot of things for the orphanage. The production team had bought food, toys, and a few hundred books suitable for children.
The items were transported from the truck. When the children saw the items, they were so happy that they almost jumped in joy.
When the children who could only lie in bed because of illness or disability saw this, their little faces also flashed with happiness. They stared at the delicious food and fun toys, as well as the books.
Su Shengjing and the other fathers distributed the sweets to the children. As they finished distributing them, they discovered that Su Jiu had disappeared.
Su Shengjing immediately tensed up. The two times that his little girl had disappeared right under his nose had left him in a state of shock. He immediately looked around for her, asking, “Baby? Baby, where are you?”
When he reached the corner, he heard a small voice. “Daddy, I’m here…”
It was only then that Su Shengjing discovered Su Jiu was hiding in a corner by herself. There was a cabinet beside her, and it blocked his view of her. No wonder he had not seen her earlier.
“Baby, what are you doing here?”
Surprised, Su Shengjing squatted down in front of the little girl. When he saw that her eyes were red and glistening with tears, he knew that she had cried earlier. His heart immediately ached, and he hurriedly asked, “Baby, what’s wrong?”
I knew that she would be upset if she came to this place. I should have insisted on not coming here!
Why did I relent?
The cameraman had already seen the little girl hiding in a corner. When Su Jiu had seen the children, especially those sickly children, happily and shyly smiling after receiving the candy, her eyes had suddenly turned red. Then, she had bitten her lips and silently wiped her tears with her small hands.
Even though the cameraman was a man in his thirties or forties, his heart still ached when he saw the little girl like this.
The little girl was really too nice. She knew that it was not good to cry in front of them, so she hid and secretly cried.
When the audience members saw the little girl nestled in Su Shengjing’s arms, their eyes and noses reddened. They then saw two clear streaks of tears on her face. Their hearts ached for her.
It was as if they had a strong bond with her; they all felt uncomfortable with her.
“D*mn it, how many times have I cried watching this show? I’m so angry, this lousy show! I’m not watching it anymore!”
“Little Jiu, don’t cry. Mommy is here to save you! Don’t cry! I can’t take it!”
“I can’t stand the female goose crying too. When she cries, my heart breaks!”
“Ah, why did sand get into my eyes?”
Rong Si, who was in front of the television, pursed his lips when he saw this scene. One of his hands subconsciously clenched by his side.
Little Jiu cried.
What should I do to prevent her from crying??He didn’t like seeing her cry. He only liked to see her smile.
***
Su Shengjing rubbed the back of Su Jiu’s head as he softly asked, “Are you sad because you’re thinking about the past now? Don’t worry! Daddy promises you once again that I won’t let you return to the orphanage. Don’t be sad anymore, alright?”
Chapter 355: Little Jiu Pierced My Heart
“I’m sad because of these children.” Su Jiu sniffed. She lowered her head to take out the 100 yuan that the village chief had given her the day before. Passing it to Su Shengjing, she said, “Daddy, I don’t want good food anymore. Give this money to the children and let them buy good food.”
When they heard what she said, not only Su Shengjing’s, even the cameraman’s heart softened.
Why is this little girl so sensible? When she was in the orphanage, she did not seek any help. Now, she was helping other children.
The cameraman was quite touched and could not help but film her kindness.
Su Shengjing patted his daughter’s head and dotingly smiled. “This is Baby’s money, and Baby can use it however she wants. Daddy will listen to you.”
“Then, shall we give the money to the orphanage director?” the little girl excitedly said as she held Su Shengjing’s hand. They went to look for the orphanage director.
Su Shengjing let his daughter pull him along as they walked to the old director. The little girl handed the money to the director and said, seriously and childishly, “Grandma, when I earn money, I will donate a lot to you and the children!”
The old director had liked this little girl from the first moment she saw her. The fair and tender little girl was like a doll. She was prettier than any of the children here and was so loving. The director liked her even more now.
She lovingly smiled at Su Jiu. “It’s not easy for you and your daddy to earn money. It’s good enough for Grandma to know that you have such a kind heart. Little girl, you have a good heart. You’re a great kid.”
The little girl pouted. “It’s even harder for Grandma to take care of so many children!”
Su Shengjing carried the little girl up and smiled at the old director. “Little Jiu is right. Old Mistress, it’s really hard for you to take care of these children here. When I go back, I’ll donate money to this orphanage. I hope you can accept it and my daughter’s kind intention. She really hopes to do her best to help you.”
The old director took another look at Su Jiu and saw the little girl vigorously nodding. She smiled and said, “Okay! Little Jiu, right? Grandma will thank you and your father first.”
As she spoke, she called the children around her and said to them, “Come, let’s thank Uncle and Little Sister together.”
The children immediately said, “Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, Sister!”
“You’re welcome!” The little girl grinned and let her father put her down. Once she was down, she started playing with the children.
Most of the audience members quietly watched this scene. They felt that even though the children from the orphanage were not well off, they were optimistic and bright when they smiled.
Little Jiu got along with them, giggled, and played. The beautiful scene made many of the audience members tear up.
“I can’t take it anymore. I’m crying again! Little Jiu is too precious!”
“I’m not a fan, and I used to think that those fans were crazy about Little Jiu and were a little overenthusiastic. But now, I finally understand why they like Little Jiu so much. It’s because she’s worth it!”
“I was also not a fan, but I’ll announce from now on that I’m going to be a fan of Little Jiu! And Little Jiu’s father!”
“Why is my daughter so nice? When she was in the orphanage, did someone donate money to her? I don’t know what kind of life she led. Just thinking about it makes me sad.”
“Do you even need to ask what kind of life she had? The orphanage tried to find Little Jiu an adoptive family and posted her photos online. Little Jiu was so skinny back then. She must have had a tough life!”