Chapter 951: Extra 24: Parenting Variety Show 2

Xixi stared: “What doll? My doll is the best looking!”

Zi’an didn’t know how this turned into a competition about whose doll looked better. He cluelessly leaned toward Zhan Lin and whispered, “This Xixi is so fierce.”

Not only fierce but direct.

Guan Yu, who pretty much listened to the whole thing, internally complained, how is this kid so straightforward at such a young age? Not at all like her mom.

They walked into a row of beautiful garden brick houses. Cheng Zhirang placed the luggage into the right wing room, taking out things one by one that might be needed and putting them in place.

Then he called Xixi, who was outside looking at the flowers.

“Xixi, come in for a moment.”

Xixi immediately left her little friends and entered the room, running towards Cheng Zhirang with her little legs, and threw herself onto his legs.

“Daddy~”

“We’ll stay here tonight. Do you want to help Dad set up?”

Xixi hesitated a bit, then Cheng Zhirang said, “What did Mom tell you before we came?”

“Mom said if I want to sleep on my sheets, I have to ask Dad to help make the bed.”

It was to ask Dad for help, not to help Dad.

Cheng Zhirang: “Right, you brought your sheets, how could it be done without your help?”

Xixi nodded like a pecking chick and stood by obediently, holding onto the corner of the small floral sheet Cheng Zhirang handed her, ready to make the bed.

Today she wore refreshing green corduroy overalls, a white little t-shirt with a cartoon avocado print on it, and there was a pocket in the middle of the overalls, like a descendant of Doraemon, embroidered with a kitten.

Mu Qiu bought this for Xixi on her birthday, and she always cherished it, wearing it only when she felt especially happy or was going out to meet people.

Before making the bed, she carefully patted the pocket embroidered with the kitten on her belly and asked Cheng Zhirang, “Daddy, will making the bed dirty my clothes?”

“No, it won’t. Neither will your watch.”

Only then did she let out a grown-up-like sigh of relief, obediently holding the corner of the sheet at the bedside, waiting for Cheng Zhirang to more or less spread it out, then imitating his actions to smooth out the wrinkles bit by bit.

“Daddy, it’s done. Can I go out and play now?”

“You can. But don’t go out that big gate.”

“Okay, Daddy!”

Her little legs ran out quickly, just in time to bump into three kids coming in, and all four fell down on their butts, unable to stand steady.

Sitting on the ground, Xixi paused for a second and, thinking about her cherished beautiful overalls now covered in dust, she scrunched her mouth and immediately contributed the first crying sound half an hour into the show.

When she cried, the other three thought they were in trouble and would be scolded, so they cried too.

Kids cry often not because they know they’ve done wrong but because they worry their parents will blame them. In their eyes, maybe crying will save them from being scolded.

So, all four started howling loudly, drawing everyone to rush over, fearing something happened to the children.

“What happened?!”

…

The four little mushrooms sat on the gaudy little stools, still wiping their tears.

A few of the others taking care of the children were feeling a bit speechless.

Cheng Zhirang, being the most prominent and experienced in managing children here, also pulled up a gaudy little stool, sitting opposite them. His long legs spread out, his knees reaching almost chest height.

“Xixi, crying for too long will make you uncomfortable. How will you explain to Mom during the evening video call if your eyes are swollen?”

Xixi sniffled and wiped her tear-filled eyes, those big, bright eyes looking like a clear spring after crying, clean and pretty. Her dense, curled eyelashes were wet with tears, clinging together.

“I-I’ll stop crying right away.”

She said this with a trembling little voice, pulling at heartstrings. Even Li Yang couldn’t help but speak up: “Xixi wasn’t really…”

Cheng Zhirang glanced at him.

He shut his mouth immediately.

Cheng Zhirang looked mild, spoke steadily without urgency, showing no sign of going off on them, yet the other three kids dared not cry anymore, stealthily wiping their tears.

The little girl daringly tried to explain, “Uncle, we bumped into each other. Xixi might have been a bit hurt, so she cried.”

Cheng Zhirang gently patted her on the head: “Thank you, Tiantian, for explaining, but we also need to hear Xixi’s side, don’t we? Xixi?”

“I bumped into them… Boohoohoo, Daddy, my pants got dirty!”

Saying this, tears welled up and flowed down her cheeks again.

Cheng Zhirang held her on his lap to sit, letting her pat herself: “How could sitting on the ground for a moment make them dirty? Even if they’re dirty, they can be washed, they’re not ruined, so why cry?”

“But, these are the pants Mom bought for me…”

She was still feeling aggrieved, lying in Cheng Zhirang’s arms with red eyes, speaking softly, unwilling to face the camera.

Cheng Zhirang patted her back: “It’s okay, Mom won’t blame you. But if you keep crying like this, Mom will get upset.”

“Then Xixi will stop crying.”

“And what else? Shouldn’t Xixi apologize to the brothers, sisters, and little brother? You’re the one who bumped into them.”

Xixi looked up at the other three children and softly said, “Sorry.”

Cheng Zhirang: “Louder. If you made a mistake, you should apologize. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

Xixi obediently apologized again.

Cheng Zhirang didn’t hold her anymore, setting her on a small stool: “That’s good. Tiantian, Zi’an, Zhan Lin, what would you like for lunch? Uncle will cook for you as Xixi’s apology gift, okay?”

The three shyly nodded but said nothing about what they wanted to eat.

Li Yang and the others were more familiar with these three, and seeing the parenting session finished, quickly squatted in front of the kids to cheer them up.

Li Yang gave Cheng Zhirang a thumbs up: “No wonder you’re Brother Cheng, really know how to handle kids.”

In his previous couple of episodes, spending a day with the three kids exhausted him, leaving him with chest pain, almost more tiring than staying up all night practicing dance.

Guan Yu was about the same, tired and frustrated, angrily sending emojis in a small group late at night.

Which led Shi Yuhuai to threaten to mute the group chats.

After flattering, he said, “But Brother Cheng, lunch requires the kids to complete tasks to get the ingredients. The cooking primarily falls to us…”

Cheng Zhirang raised an eyebrow: “You’re cooking?”

Apart from dipping flatbread in sauce and cooking instant noodles, what else can he do?

Guan Yu openly laughed: “That question is so humiliating. The first meal he made in the first episode, even he couldn’t eat it.”

Li Yang: “… I’ve improved!”

“Yes, you can eat your own cooking now, but the kids still find it unappealing.”

“… I refuse to continue this conversation.”

Cheng Zhirang chuckled softly: “Still no progress at all? Don’t tell me you still carry instant noodles and flatbread to the show?”

Li Yang helplessly explained: “No flatbread. This year’s flatbreads were snatched away by Mu Qiu and Brother Huai!”