A live stream that dramatically transformed a depressed schoolgirl shocked netizens across the count

The winding mountain road snakes around the mountainside, and rice paddies cover the foot of the mountain.

The rain from last night lingered in the paddy field ridges and ditches, the muddy path glistening with water. A small courtyard with white walls and blue tiles stood at the end of the rice paddies, its indigo gate wide open, with two strings of corn hanging below the lintel.

The wind blew through the doorway, and the copper bell rang twice.

Chen Lang slowed down.

Just as the 52-ton truck peeked out from behind the tree, a figure rushed out of the yard.

Su Niannian, wearing a floral apron and a shoulder-length wolf tail draped over the back of her neck, stood next to a basket of mint, holding a spatula in her right hand.

"This way, another twenty meters forward!"

She swung the spatula to the left.

"Damn it! You dare to press down on one of my mint leaves? Tonight's menu will include a dish of stewed Chen Lang in an iron pot."

Chen Lang lowered the car window and rested his elbow on the window sill.

"Chef Su, my car has automatic obstacle avoidance."

"Can you distinguish between stones and vegetable patches?"

"If you can't tell the difference, I'll compensate you with the car."

Su Niannian looked up at the two-story-high car body, then looked at the mint next to the tires.

"This is too ambitious a promise; I can't handle it. If you give me the car, who pays for the gas?"

"Fuel costs are your own responsibility."

"Drive away, don't block my signal."

Chen Lang chuckled and turned the steering wheel half a turn. The heavy truck sped along the muddy road, leaving a half-meter gap between the wheels and the mint basket.

The live stream screen was covered by the barrage of comments.

[A spatula stopped a heavy truck; the security at this yard is pretty high.]

[The car can be given away, but the gas card must be part of the dowry.]

Wait a minute, why are these two talking so familiarly? Did they coordinate their routes before?

[Teacher Shen is still in the passenger seat, Chen, keep your cool.]

[Brother Lang's survival mission today: Protect Mint and get some sour fish soup.]

Chen Lang parked the car outside the courtyard wall, turned off the engine, and raised his chin.

"Shen, we've arrived at the new venue."

Shen Qingci unbuckled her seatbelt and gripped the car door handle with her hand.

Several voices came from inside the courtyard, passing over the courtyard wall.

"Don't put all the flower filling in; save a bowl to make a sweet soup tonight."

"Place the bamboo sieve on the stone table."

"Who stole one of the freshly baked pancakes?"

The rim of the bowl tapped against the table, footsteps ran from the doorway to the kitchen, laughter mingling with the sound.

Shen Qingci did not push the door open.

Throughout her three years of high school, while the girls in her class would go shopping, drink bubble tea, and take photo booth pictures, she would sit in the last row of the classroom doing practice tests. When an invitation was offered to her desk, her mother would usually speak for her first.

"Qingci doesn't have time."

"She doesn't like these things."

After that, no one asked her anymore.

Su Niannian tucked the spatula into her apron pocket, went to the passenger side, looked up, and called out, "Xiao Qingci, get down quickly!"

"The fish will be cooked tonight; we'll make flower cakes this afternoon. Anyone who's hungry can eat corn by the door; if you have bad teeth, you're on your own."

Shen Qingci's hand pressed down on the handle, her palms sweating.

There was no one urging him on.

Chen Lang leaned back in the driver's seat, stray hairs falling across his brow. He glanced at the gate, picked up his phone from the center console, and waited patiently.

Shen Qingci turned her head to the side.

Aren't you going to ask me why I'm not going down?

"I'm figuring out how to wash two fewer dishes later."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"If you sit for another five minutes, I will have a legitimate reason to say that the guest is carsick and needs a caregiver."

Shen Qingci pursed her lips.

"You just want to slack off."

"Teacher Shen has a keen eye."

She pushed open the car door, her Doc Martens boots stepping onto the cobblestone path.

Chen Lang then got out of the car, walked around to the storage compartment, and took out two boxes of fruit, a bag of nuts, and a cardboard box. He stuffed the lightest box of fruit into Shen Qingci's arms, and hung the rest on his own hands.

"Take it, it increases the sense of participation."

They said we didn't need to bring anything.

"Trying to get a meal empty-handed doesn't give you enough confidence."

"You also lack confidence?"

"Sometimes a spatula is more powerful than reason."

Su Niannian, who was walking in front, took out a spatula and turned around to gesture at him.

"That statement is finally correct."

Chen Lang followed.

Shen Qingci took a few steps carrying the fruit box, then slowed down.

Three girls were standing inside the courtyard gate.

Ye Xingyu was wearing a beige sweater, her long hair tied back, and she held a bamboo tray in her hands. On the tray were six fresh flower cakes, the crusts still steaming.

As Chen Lang stepped over the threshold, her wrist twitched. The flower cake slid along the parchment paper, and the one on the very edge bumped against the rim of the plate.

Ye Xingyu quickly steadied the plate.

"You've arrived."

She looked at Chen Lang, her lips parted, her throat bobbed, and then she closed her mouth again. Her gaze shifted to Shen Qingci's face, and she took two steps forward.

"Xiao Qingci, did you sleep well last night?"

"fine."

After Shen Qingci finished speaking, she hugged the fruit box tightly.

Ye Xingyu didn't ask any further questions and stepped aside to let her through the doorway.

"Come in. We'll have fish for dinner and flower cakes this afternoon. If you don't want to help, just sit and watch."

Shen Qingci looked up at her.

"I can help."

Ye Xingyu loosened her grip on the tray a little.

"Okay. Kneading the dough isn't difficult, and the rose filling is ready too."

The girl next to her had her hair in Bai ethnic braids, wore an indigo tie-dyed long skirt, and had an embroidered apron tied around her waist. She was holding a bamboo sieve filled with washed rose petals.

"My name is Bai Weiwei, you can just call me Wei."

She pointed into the yard with her elbow.

"The yard belongs to my family. My parents went to a wedding and left the task of entertaining the guests to me. Once you step through this door, it's all under my jurisdiction today."

Su Niannian warned from behind, "Don't believe her, she can't even find where the salt is in the kitchen."

Bai Weiwei turned around and retorted: "If I can't find the salt, you can't find the fish you bought yesterday."

Su Niannian patted the pocket of her apron.

"Can the fish in the tank fit in my pocket?"

"So you searched for ten minutes just now?"

"I'm checking the quality of the water tank."

The two started arguing across the courtyard gate, and Ye Xingyu lowered her head to suppress her laughter. Shen Qingci stood outside the threshold, slowly loosening her grip on the box.

Bai Weiwei ended the argument, handed the bamboo sieve to Ye Xingyu, and picked up the lacquer tray from the wooden table.

Six small porcelain cups are arranged on a plate, with roasted rice and milk fan floating on the tea. Next to them are carved plums, rice noodles, and small pieces of walnut cake.

She went straight to Shen Qingci.

"When we welcome guests to our home, we first offer them sweet tea."

"It contains brown sugar, walnuts, roasted rice, and milk fan (a type of cheese). Grandma said that after drinking this cup, guests will be able to enjoy more sweetness in the days to come."

Shen Qingci stared at the porcelain cup, not moving her hand.

Bai Weiwei held up the lacquer tray and stood there waiting for her.

Everyone in the courtyard was busy with their own things. No one was watching her, and no one took her cup away.

A few seconds later, Shen Qingci placed the fruit box on the wooden stool by the door and took the porcelain cup with both hands.

"Thanks."

The cup rested against her palm. She lowered her head and took a sip. The sweetness of the brown sugar first landed on her tongue, the roasted rice was crunchy, and the milk fan (a type of cheese) stuck to the rim of the cup after absorbing the tea. The walnuts, with their outer skin removed, had no astringent taste.

Bai Weiwei asked, "Is it to your liking?"

Shen Qingci looked at the tea noodles.

In the vegetable market, Chen Lang's words echoed in my ears again.

First look, then praise, and finally express your own opinion.

She held the bottom of the cup steady.

"The roasted rice was freshly fried, and the walnuts were shelled. Did you spend a long time preparing this morning?"

Bai Weiwei leaned forward, holding the lacquer tray closer.

"You could taste it?"

"The walnuts were soaked in hot water and peeled before cooking. The roasted rice was also fried this morning; we ruined two batches before it finally turned out right. Niannian thought it was too much trouble and even wanted to buy instant milk tea to treat you all."

Su Niannian turned her head away.

"Bai Weiwei, you can introduce tea if you want, but why are you putting me down?"

"I am describing the production process."

"You've included me in the list of failures!"

Bai Weiwei hugged the lacquer tray and hid behind Shen Qingci, revealing only half of her face.

"Xiao Qingci, she's mean to the guests."

Shen Qingci held the tea and looked at Su Niannian.

"I can testify that Avi only stated the facts."

There was a two-second silence at the entrance of the courtyard.

Su Niannian used a spatula to brace herself against the stone table and took a step back.

"Chen Lang, what kind of teaching materials did you send her? She's already defected to the enemy as soon as she walked in the door."

Chen Lang took a cup of tea from the lacquer tray.

"Student Shen has the right to choose his own school, and I have no right to interfere."

Bai Weiwei peeked out from behind Shen Qingci's shoulder.

"Then I have a good eye for student recruitment."

Shen Qingci lowered her eyes, her thumb tracing the warm rim of the cup. Her shoulders relaxed, and she stepped over the threshold to stand beside Bai Weiwei.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments again.

She went in! This time, no one held her hand or pushed her; she stepped in by herself.

[Teacher Shen joined the tea party as soon as she entered the room, demonstrating her exceptional learning ability.]

[The social skills lesson at the farmers' market wasn't wasted; this was a great example of putting what I learned into practice.]

Su Niannian has lost her status in the family.