I put you in charge of the child, and you raised a monster!

Next, the production team assigned each family a small task.

Make a small wooden stool.

The structure is very simple.

The four legs, one seat, and several tenons are pre-processed by the workshop; guests only need to sand, assemble, and apply wood wax oil.

Zhao Lei looked at the parts in his hand with great confidence.

"I think I can do this."

Shen Ling'er looked up.

"Every time you say that, I get a little worried."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Bai Sisi suppressed a laugh.

"Read the instructions first."

Zhao Lei picked up the instruction sheet, glanced at it, and immediately frowned.

"Does this tenon and this groove just need to align?"

Master Lu nodded.

"Yes, don't force it. Try adjusting the tightness first."

Zhao Lei nodded.

"clear."

After he finished speaking, he picked up a stool leg and stuck it into the slot.

It got stuck as soon as it was inserted a little bit.

Zhao Lei was unconvinced.

"Why aren't you going in yet?"

He raised his hand as if to knock.

Shen Ling'er immediately said, "Don't knock."

Zhao Lei's hand stopped in mid-air.

Why?

Shen Ling'er looked at the stool leg and said seriously, "You're holding it upside down."

"This tenon is thicker on one side and thinner on the other, so that it can be held in place and won't wobble."

"If you put the thicker side in first, of course it will get stuck. You need to turn it half a turn so that the thinner side goes in first, and then slowly press it down."

Zhao Lei was stunned.

He took out the stool leg and spun it halfway around as Shen Ling'er had instructed.

really.

This time the tenon went in smoothly.

It's still a bit tight, but it's no longer stuck.

Master Lu's eyes flickered as he watched from the side.

"Little friend, can you tell that the tenon has different thicknesses?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"It's not a perfect square. The two sides are slightly off; you can feel it even if you don't look closely."

Master Lu picked up the stool leg and looked at it, his smile slowly turning serious.

"This was indeed a deliberate, slightly wedged mark."

"Once it's in, it gets tighter and tighter the more you sit on it, and it's not easy for it to loosen up."

Zhao Lei looked at the camera with a shocked expression.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I almost broke a chair leg just now."

"It was Teacher Ling'er who saved it."

Shen Ling'er corrected her seriously: "It also saved you. If you had broken it, the director would have made you pay for it."

The director nodded silently from behind.

"meeting."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The comments section erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha, both the stool leg and Zhao Lei have been saved."

"She really noticed! She could even tell the difference in the thickness of the tenon."

"Master Lu's expression changed; the old master started to get serious."

"Zhao Lei's first step in woodworking experience: being stopped by a five-year-old child from damaging public property."

Master Lu became interested.

He then picked up two more wooden planks that looked similar and placed them in front of Shen Ling'er.

"Little friend, look at these two pieces. Which one is more suitable to be a stool seat?"

Zhao Lei immediately whispered, "Here it comes, the master has given us a question."

Yang Mi looked down at his daughter.

"Ling'er, it's okay if you don't know how."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"I know."

She didn't rush to answer, but instead reached out and touched the surface of the two wooden boards.

Then he turned the wooden board to its side and looked at the end face.

Finally, she pointed to the piece on the left.

"This one."

Master Lu asked, "Why?"

Shen Ling'er explained clearly: "The pattern on the right looks prettier, but there's a line running outwards in the middle, like it was stressed when it was growing."

"It's fine for making small ornaments, but if you use it for a stool seat, it might crack along that line after sitting on it for a long time. The one on the left isn't as pretty, but the grain is smooth, the force can be applied straight, and it's more stable for people to sit on."

Master Lu's smile slowly faded.

He picked up the wooden board on the right and pointed to a very faint dark line in the middle.

"This is called a hidden crack."

"It's hard for a layman to tell."

"You're right, this area can't be used as a load-bearing bench seat; at most, it can be used as a decorative panel."

The scene fell silent for a second.

Zhao Lei's mouth was open.

Bai Sisi also opened her eyes wide.

Zhou Chen said in a low voice, "She really figured it out."

Chen Hao looked at the wooden board, then at Shen Ling'er.

"This is not a guess."

Master Lu looked at Yang Mi.

"Has your child ever learned carpentry?"

Yang Mi smiled.

"She didn't have any formal training; she just watched her father fix things."

Master Lu couldn't help but sigh.

"It's not easy to see this level of understanding after watching it."

The live chat exploded.

"I knew it! Ling'er spotted the problem with the wood in less than five minutes!"

"Hidden cracks? That's a really technical question, isn't it?"

"Even the experienced craftsmen are taking it seriously!"

"She's not good at carpentry, she's good at understanding structures."

"When watching football, look at the space; when watching airplanes, look at the center of gravity; when watching wood, look at the grain. The underlying logic is really sound."

"Just what level of skill does Mr. Shen have in repairing chairs? A child can't even do that after just one look?"

Shen Ling'er didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

She simply touched the wooden board on the left.

"This piece is good for making a stool seat, but the edges and corners need to be sanded down a bit more."

Master Lu asked, "Why?"

Shen Ling'er said seriously, "When children sit, their legs will wobble. The edges are too hard, and they will get hurt if they bump into them."

"Stools aren't just made to look nice; they're meant to be comfortable for people to sit on."

Master Lu looked at her and suddenly smiled.

This time, his smile was no longer the kind he used to tease children.

Rather, it was with a touch of genuine appreciation.

"That's well said."

"When a carpenter makes something, he first thinks about how people will use it, and then he thinks about how the thing will look good."

Zhao Lei immediately clapped.

"In Teacher Ling'er's first woodworking class, the stool should be comfortable for people to sit on."

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"Don't make it sound like a school opening ceremony."

Zhao Lei immediately put his hand down.

"Okay, I'll keep it simple."

.......

When it came time to actually start, the production team put little aprons and goggles on all the children.

Zhao Mengmeng took the sandpaper and carefully sanded the edge of the stool.

Zhou Xiaoyu was very meticulous. After polishing for a while, she would touch it with her hand to check for any remaining burrs.

Chen Doudou ground the food for two minutes and then asked, "Can we eat this after we're done grinding?"

Lin Jia: "We can sit down and eat."

Chen Doudou was satisfied.

"Then I'll continue."

Zhao Lei looked at the small stool with two legs already attached to it, and his confidence gradually swelled.

"I feel pretty good today."

Shen Ling'er looked up.

"Your two legs are not the same height."

Zhao Lei's expression froze.

"No way?"

He placed the small stool on the table.

really.

The stool wobbled slightly when touched lightly.

Zhao Lei fell silent.

Bai Sisi glanced at him.

"Your condition is indeed quite obvious."

Zhao Lei was unwilling to accept this.

"I made sure I pressed it in the same depth."

Shen Ling'er walked over, squatted down, and took a look.

"It's not a matter of depth; it's that you sanded one leg at an angle during the process."

Zhao Lei looked down.

He couldn't tell at all.

Shen Ling'er picked up the stool leg and pointed to the bottom, saying, "It's a little short here. When you were sanding it just now, your hand was pointing outwards, and you were sanding the same corner every time, so this side is low."

Zhao Lei looked shocked.

"You can even tell how I polished it?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"The marks are all there. Wood won't lie for you."

Master Lu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but slap his thigh.

"That sounds just like something a seasoned craftsman would say!"

"Wood doesn't lie; no matter how much force you apply, it will leave its mark on the object."

Zhao Lei looked at his stool leg with a complicated expression.

"I suddenly realized that I have no secrets from the wood."

Shen Ling'er said calmly, "You're pretty much the same in front of others."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The audience burst into laughter again.

The barrage of comments was dense.

"A piece of wood won't lie for you, that's brilliant!"

Zhao Lei: I was betrayed by Mu Tou.

"Master Lu has now begun to regard Ling'er as a fellow professional."

"She can finally speak in complete sentences; that sounds even more impressive."

"It's not mysterious; every step is explained clearly."

Master Lu simply moved a small stool over and sat down next to Shen Ling'er.

"Little friend, let me show you something else."

He took out an old, small wooden box.

The wooden box has an ordinary appearance, with a thin layer of old paint on it, and the edges are worn shiny.

"This is a puzzle box I made when I was young."

"There's no lock, no key, but it can't be opened unless you follow the correct order."

Zhao Lei immediately perked up when he heard "mechanism box".

"This is great! This will make for a good show!"

Shen Ling'er also raised her head.

Master Lu handed her the wooden box.

"Little friend, why don't you give it a try?"

Yang Mi was a little worried.

"Won't it break?"

Master Lu smiled and waved his hand.

"It's alright, this box is sturdy. Many adults can't open it, but it's fine for the kids to play with."

Zhao Lei leaned closer to the camera and whispered, "Dear viewers, Teacher Ling'er has encountered a traditional puzzle box."

"It is known that she can pick locks."

"Now the question is, can she open the unlocked box?"

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"Don't talk like you're taking an exam."

Zhao Lei immediately shut up.

Shen Ling'er picked up the wooden box but didn't rush to use force.

She first touched the edge, then gently shook it.

There was no obvious noise inside.

She turned the wooden box over, looked at the four corners, and then slowly ran her fingertip between the lid and the body of the box.

Master Lu was initially watching with a smile.

But as he watched, the smile on his face changed.

Because the places Shen Ling'er touched were all the places in this mechanism box where the real secrets lay.

Zhao Lei couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Ling'er, do you have any ideas?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"have."

Zhao Lei's eyes lit up.

"How do I open it?"

Shen Ling'er didn't act immediately, but explained very seriously: "This box looks like it opens from top to bottom, but the lid can't actually be lifted directly."

"The seams are very even, which means the outside isn't stuck. The real jamming point must be inside."

She pointed to the side of the box.

"There's a slight break in the wood grain here, but it's not a crack; it's just the edge of a pieced-together section. This means that this area can move."

Master Lu's eyes lit up immediately.

Shen Ling'er continued, "But it can't move first."

"Because if it could be pushed open directly from here, the box would have been pushed open by someone else long ago. So the first step shouldn't be on the side."

She turned the box over to the bottom.

"The wooden board underneath is a darker color than the surrounding area. It's not dirty; it's just that it's been touched a lot. This means that whoever opened this box in the past would touch this area first."

Zhao Lei was stunned.

"So, press the bottom first?"

Shen Ling'er shook her head.

"Don't press it randomly. If it's a mechanism, you're afraid of accidentally triggering it, so you need to find a place where it can be released first."

She gently pressed down on one corner of the bottom plate with her little finger, then pushed the side of the box to the right.

Click.

A soft sound.

A small section of the wooden box slid out from the side.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Zhao Lei's eyes widened.

"Is it open?"

Master Lu stood up.

"The first one has been opened."

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"There's a second one."

She gently pulled open the section that had slid out from the side, revealing a small wooden tenon inside.

Instead of pulling it out forcefully, she gently turned the box upside down.

Then he tapped the edge of the box lid twice with his fingers.

Click.

The wooden tenon will fall down a little by itself.

Shen Ling'er gently pushed the lid of the box again.

The box is open.

Inside was a small wooden safety buckle.

Zhao Mengmeng exclaimed in surprise, "It really opened!"

Zhou Xiaoyu also clapped.

"That's amazing!"

Chen Doudou came closer and looked at the safety buckle.

"This can't be eaten either, can it?"

Lin Jia: "..."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"No, but you can hang it up."

Master Lu picked up the mechanism box and examined it several times.

The way he looked at Shen Ling'er completely changed.

"You've really never played with a mechanical wooden box before?"

Shen Ling'er shook her head.

"no."

Master Lu asked incredulously, "Then how did you know to press down first?"

Shen Ling'er made it very clear: "Because this box is for human use."

"No matter how complex the mechanism, someone needs to be able to open it easily. When you were young, you couldn't possibly pry it open with tools every time, so there has to be a point that a finger can reach."

"The piece of wood at the bottom is the shiniest from being touched the most, which means that it's been touched a lot."

"The side seams are the most suspicious, but you can't push them first, so you have to loosen the bottom while pushing the sides."

She paused for a moment, then added, "If you pull that small wooden tenon out by force, it will break."

"It fell downwards, so I turned the box upside down and tapped it twice, and it fell down by itself. This way, the box won't get damaged."

After listening, Master Lu remained silent for several seconds.

Finally, he gave a thumbs up.

"sharp."

"It's not about blindly touching it; it's about understanding why it does what it does."

Zhao Lei immediately looked at the camera.

"Dear viewers, did you hear that?"

"Master Lu confirms that Teacher Ling'er didn't open the box, she read the box!"

Shen Ling'er frowned.

"Reading 'box' sounds weird."

Zhao Lei immediately changed his tune.

"Understand the box."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"That's fine."

The barrage of comments exploded.

"Holy crap! The puzzle box actually opened!"

"I knew she was good at picking locks, but I never expected she could open a puzzle box like that."

"The point is that she explained the logic, and I understood it, but I still can't do it."

"Master Lu's expression changed from teasing a child to that of someone formally becoming an apprentice."

"Wood doesn't lie, boxes don't lie, and Zhao Lei certainly doesn't."

"This episode was really easy, but Ling'er still shocked everyone."

"This is real behind-the-scenes bravado. Mr. Shen didn't even show up; he just used the kids to shock everyone."

Yang Mi looked at her daughter with a smile in her eyes.

She had become accustomed to Shen Ling'er's repeated shocks.

But every time she sees others go from disbelief to astonishment, and then to admiration, she can't help but feel a pang of tenderness in her heart.

This is her and Shen Fei's daughter.

They are truly arrogant.

It's true that she's stubborn.

But being smart, calm, and meticulous is also true.

Master Lu closed the mechanism box again, thought for a moment, and then suddenly handed the wooden safety buckle inside to Shen Ling'er.

"Little friend, this is for you."

Yang Mi quickly said, "Master Lu, isn't this inappropriate?"

Master Lu waved his hand.

"It's nothing valuable, just some little things I made when I was young to practice."

"The fact that she was able to open this box means it was fate."

Shen Ling'er took the safety buckle and looked at it.

"Thank you, Grandpa Lu."

Master Lu smiled so much that his eyes narrowed.

"As long as you like it."

Shen Ling'er said earnestly, "It's made quite round, and the edges are smoothed out nicely."

Master Lu was taken aback for a moment, then laughed even more heartily.

"Your compliment makes me even happier than if anyone else said it was beautiful."

Zhao Lei whispered to Bai Sisi, "Teacher Ling'er always praises people based on their technical skills."

Bai Sisi nodded.

"That's true understanding."

Chen Doudou looked at the safety buckle with a hint of envy.

"Ling'er, can we exchange this for a chicken leg?"

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"cannot."

Chen Doudou sighed.

Shen Ling'er thought for a moment and then said, "But when we eat later, I can help you see which plate of chicken legs is bigger."

Chen Doudou was instantly revived.

"good!"

Zhao Lei laughed so hard he had to hold onto the table.

"The traditional woodworking experience ultimately comes down to chicken legs."

Shen Ling'er said calmly, "Good cooking skills are meant to make people's lives more comfortable. Eating is inherently very important."

Master Lu nodded seriously upon hearing this.

That's right.

"Tables, chairs, cabinets, bowls, and chopsticks—in the end, they're all things people use to live their lives."

"A craft becomes empty without the passage of time."

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Zhao Lei glanced at Master Lu, then at Shen Ling'er, and surprisingly didn't immediately crack a joke.

After a few seconds, he murmured with emotion, "Today's episode was really good."

Shen Ling'er looked at him.

"Because your pants weren't wet."

Zhao Lei: "..."

The initial spark of emotion was instantly shattered and brought back to earth.

Bai Sisi laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

The director, sitting behind the camera, let out a long sigh of relief.

There is no danger today.

There were no unforeseen events.

No international organization issued a warning.

There was only wood, a puzzle box, a small stool, a child, and lunch.

But the live stream's popularity continued to rise.

Because all the viewers saw it.

Shen Ling'er doesn't need grand occasions.

She just needs to sit there and look at one thing intently.

That thing will slowly reveal its secrets.

Then, she spoke in the tone of a five-year-old child, leaving everyone speechless.

At lunchtime, the production crew set up several tables in the workshop courtyard.

Farmhouse dishes are served.

Braised chicken legs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, tomato and egg soup, steamed pumpkin, and a big bowl of hand-pulled noodles.

Chen Doudou immediately looked at Shen Ling'er.

"Ling'er, which plate has the biggest chicken leg?"

Shen Ling'er glanced at it and pointed to the plate on the left.

"That plate. The third one from the left is the biggest."

Chen Doudou immediately took it away.

Lin Jia said helplessly, "You actually let Ling'er watch over the chicken legs for you."

Chen Doudou said earnestly, "She's very accurate."

Zhao Lei also looked at Shen Ling'er.

"What about me? Which one should I pick up?"

Shen Ling'er glanced at him.

"You drink the soup first."

Zhao Lei was taken aback.

Why?

"You've been talking too much, your voice is a little hoarse. Drink your soup first, and then don't fight over the chicken legs later."

Zhao Lei: "..."

Bai Sisi smiled and served him a bowl of soup.

"Listen to the teacher."

Zhao Lei took the soup, his expression complex.

"Now even the order in which we eat is arranged."

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Make reasonable arrangements to reduce chaos."

The director, watching from behind, couldn't help but laugh.

The assistant director lowered his head and wrote a line in his memo.

[Woodworking section: Easy, safe, and provides meals; the results are excellent.]

After thinking for a moment, he added another sentence.

[Shen Ling'er opens Master Lu's secret box; trending topic guaranteed.]

really.

That evening.

The topic is trending again.

#Shen Ling'er opens the old carpenter's secret box#

#Wood Won't Lie For You#

#Even a five-year-old can understand mortise and tenon joints#

#Shen Ling'er said that a stool should be comfortable for people to sit on#

#Zhao Lei's Fixed Risk Points#

The comment section was filled with shock.

"I thought today would finally be a relaxing craft day, but Ling'er opened the master craftsman's puzzle box."

"Master Lu's expression was hilarious. It only took him three minutes to go from kind to shocked."

"She really explained every step clearly, from polishing the base plate to the side seams and the direction of the tenons—it was all about the details."

"I'll remember that: wood won't lie for you."

"There weren't any major events in this episode, but I found it very enjoyable to watch."

"Ling'er isn't just powerful in dangerous situations; she's ridiculously powerful in ordinary life too."

"How exactly did Mr. Shen teach his child? Could fixing a chair really help the child understand mortise and tenon joints?"

"Don't over-glorify it, but I really can't help being curious."

in the hotel.

Shen Ling'er sat next to Yang Mi, holding the wooden safety buckle in her hand.

She looked at it over and over for a while, then suddenly said, "Mom, we can take this home."

Yang Mi asked with a smile, "For Dad to see?"

Shen Ling'er nodded.

"Yes. He should be able to tell where Grandpa Lu made the changes."

Yang Mi chuckled.

"Your dad will probably make room for a small cabinet for you when he sees you bring back a bunch of stuff again."

Shen Ling'er thought about it seriously.

"The little dragon balloon, the safety amulet, and the account book should all be put in."

Yang Mi patted her little head.

"Okay, let Dad make it for you when we get home."

Shen Ling'er nodded in satisfaction.

"He should be able to make cabinets faster than he can repair chairs."

Yang Mi: "..."

She suddenly wondered what Shen Fei's expression would be upon hearing those words.

On the other side...

Zhao Lei was sitting in his room scrolling through trending topics.

As he was scrolling, he suddenly saw a new emoji.

It's a screenshot of him sitting upright on the plane.

Added text:

Fixed risk points.

Zhao Lei remained silent for a full ten seconds.

Then show it to Bai Sisi.

"Tell me, haven't I evolved from having wet pants into a fixed risk point now?"

Bai Sisi glanced at it, then laughed so hard she collapsed onto the sofa.

Zhao Lei said bitterly, "Do I still have a normal image left on this show?"

The next room.

Shen Ling'er yawned, as if she could tell what he was thinking even through the wall.

Holding the safety amulet, she said slowly, "It's fine without it, saves me the trouble of maintaining it."

Yang Mi laughed so hard she almost dropped her water glass.

The first day of the woodworking project ended just like that, easily and effortlessly.

There were no thrills.

But it still caused a sensation.

Because Shen Ling'er proved something.

She doesn't need the world to have problems.

All you need is a piece of wood, a box, and a meal.

She can also make the entire internet understand once again.

What does it mean that a five-year-old can see things clearly?

Early the next morning.

The courtyard of the woodworking workshop was even more lively than yesterday.

The production team originally thought that the first day was already interesting enough.

Shen Ling'er noticed the hidden crack, corrected the direction of the tenon, and opened the mechanism box that Master Lu had made when he was young. These scenes went viral online all night last night.

The phrase "Wood won't lie for you" in particular was turned into various memes by netizens.

Someone posted a picture of Zhao Lei wearing down a stool leg.

[Wood: I saw it all.]

Someone could match Master Lu's shocked face.

[The old craftsman said: I was just trying to amuse the child; she started looking at my old mechanical designs from when I was younger.]

Some people even extracted a screenshot of Shen Ling'er holding the mechanism box.

Even a five-year-old can understand things.

The comments section was buzzing.

"This episode was really comfortable, no major mishaps, but there were still plenty of shocking moments."

"Teacher Ling'er is looking at Mu Tou so seriously. She's not just guessing; she's explaining every step clearly."

"Master Lu's expression went from kind to serious, I laughed so hard."

"Now I understand. Shen Ling'er doesn't need dangerous scenes. She only needs to look at things, and the things will start to reveal themselves."

"Zhao Lei has evolved from wet pants to a fixed risk point, and then to a man betrayed by a piece of wood."

"The woodworking theme suits her perfectly; it's quiet, but not bland."

The director had very mixed feelings as he read these comments.

He was happy about the high level of attention, but at the same time, he was afraid that some unexpected memorable scene would occur again today.