The first task board stood beneath the old locust tree in the centre of the courtyard. Five small wooden plaques hung from it, each painted with a different house.

House No. 1 was the best at a glance — a two-storey village house with white walls, grey tiles, a small courtyard, and a vegetable patch beside the door. The painted window even had tiny flowers beneath it, as if the production team feared the guests would not understand how desirable it was. House No. 2 was slightly smaller but still neat, House No. 3 looked ordinary, and House No. 4 had a slanted roof. House No. 5 was a tiny single-storey house at the far end of the village path, and the painting showed one window, one narrow door, and what looked suspiciously like a chicken coop beside it.

Zhao Kai stared at House No. 5 with deep sorrow.

"Director Zhou."

Director Zhou smiled. "Teacher Zhao?"

"Did House No. 5 offend your ancestors?"

The courtyard burst into laughter, but Director Zhou remained unmoved. "Every house has its own charm."

Zhao Kai pointed at the painted chicken coop. "Its charm lays eggs?"

Zhao Xiaoshi, standing beside him, immediately became excited. "Dad! I want the egg house!"

"No, son," Zhao Kai said, his expression changing. "You are still young. You do not understand housing quality."

Xiao Heng looked at the house board and said calmly, "House No. 5 may have hidden advantages."

Zhao Kai turned to him as if seeing hope. "Really?"

"For example, if the chicken coop is real, breakfast protein may be accessible."

Zhao Kai: "…"

Xiao Nian added sweetly, "And if Uncle Zhao burns breakfast, the chickens may still survive."

Zhao Kai clutched his chest. "Why are you two attacking me before the task even starts?"

Xiao Nian blinked innocently. "We are not attacking. We are making risk assessments."

Zhao Xiaoshi immediately nodded. "Risk assessment!"

Zhao Kai looked at his son in betrayal. "You learned that too quickly."

The atmosphere in the courtyard lightened again, and even viewers who had entered the livestream to watch Shen Qingyu collapse found themselves distracted by the conversation. In the livestream room, bullet comments rolled densely across the screen.

【House No. 5 hahaha. The production team is evil.】 【Zhao Kai and the Lu twins are already a comedy trio.】 【Xiao Heng is so serious. Breakfast protein may be accessible. I'm dying.】 【Xiao Nian is definitely the dangerous one. He smiles while stabbing.】 【Don't forget, Shen Qingyu's family is still suspicious.】 【Suspicious of what? Housing analysis?】 【I still think these kids are too sharp.】 【Sharp is better than spoiled and screaming.】 【Wait, Shen Qingyu hasn't spoken much. Is he letting the kids perform?】 【Or maybe his parenting style is not interrupting unless necessary.】 【Too early to tell.】

Director Zhou waited for the laughter to settle before raising the loudspeaker again. "Everyone, please listen carefully. The first task has three parts."

The staff turned over the large instruction card.

Task One: Carry Water — Each family must carry two small buckets of water from the village well to the measuring jar. Adults may carry one bucket at a time. Children may assist according to ability, but safety comes first.

Task Two: Sort Vegetables — Each family must sort a mixed basket of vegetables into correct categories: leafy vegetables, root vegetables, fruits, and seasonings.

Task Three: Family Understanding Questions — Parents and children answer five questions about each other. Correct answers earn time deductions.

Director Zhou smiled. "The total time after deductions will determine the room selection order."

Zhao Kai immediately raised his hand. "Director, if my son knows I can't cook, does that count as understanding?"

"If the question asks," Director Zhou said.

Zhao Xiaoshi looked up. "Dad, I know many things."

"You do not need to know too many things on camera," Zhao Kai said, suddenly alert.

Jiang Meng laughed until she bent over, and Tangtang pulled her sleeve. "Mom, I know you hide snacks in the blue bag."

Jiang Meng's smile froze.

The bullet comments exploded.

【Hahahahaha this task is dangerous.】 

【Parent-child understanding or public execution?】 

【The children are about to betray everyone.】 

【I am suddenly excited.】 

【What will Shen Qingyu's children say?】

 【Probably rehearsed.】 

【They're four. How much can they rehearse?】

 【With Shen Qingyu? Anything is possible.】

Shen Qingyu stood quietly at the side with Xiao Chen sitting in his arms and the twins standing close to him. He had listened to the rules without interrupting, and when Director Zhou finished, he lowered his head and asked, "Did you understand?"

Xiao Heng nodded. "Yes."

Xiao Nian also nodded. "Yes."

Xiao Chen looked at them with wide eyes, then clapped once. "Ba!"

Xiao Nian immediately translated, "Xiao Chen also understands emotionally."

"He does not," Xiao Heng corrected.

"Emotionally."

"His current emotion is excitement without comprehension," Xiao Heng said, looking at the baby.

Xiao Chen laughed, completely unaware that his cognitive ability had just been evaluated.

Shen Qingyu touched Xiao Chen's soft hair. "Xiao Chen's task is to stay safe and not eat anything strange."

Xiao Chen blinked.

"His task difficulty is high," Xiao Nian said softly.

Xiao Heng nodded. "Failure probability above sixty percent."

Shen Qingyu looked at them, and the twins immediately stood straighter. His voice was mild. "Your task is also to stay safe. Winning is not more important than safety. If you cannot carry something, say so. If you feel uncomfortable, say so. If you disagree with the rules, ask first and do not create loopholes before confirming with the director."

Xiao Nian's eyes shifted, and Shen Qingyu looked at him specifically. "Especially you."

Xiao Nian placed a hand on his small chest. "Dad, I am a rule-abiding child."

"You are a rule-testing child," Xiao Heng said.

Xiao Nian turned to him. "Testing helps improve rules."

"Lu Yinian," Shen Qingyu said.

Xiao Nian immediately lowered his head. "I will ask first."

Only then did Shen Qingyu nod. "Good."

The exchange was ordinary — a parent giving instructions, children listening — with no indulgent chaos, no shouting, and no child being pushed to perform. But the camera captured it clearly, and the comments began to shift.

【Wait, Shen Qingyu actually parents very calmly.】 

【He didn't let the kids do whatever they wanted.】 

【He knows Xiao Nian is the loophole child hahaha.】

 【Rule-testing child. Brother knows him too well.】

 【Is this rehearsed?】 

【How do you rehearse a baby not eating strange things?】 

【The baby's failure probability above sixty percent hahaha.】 

【The way the twins listened to Shen Qingyu… they're not afraid of him, but they obey him.】 

【That's actually hard to achieve.】

 【Don't wash too early. It's just one conversation.】

One conversation was not enough, but it was the first stone dropped into stagnant water. The ripples were small — yet they existed.

The production team divided the families into starting positions for the first part: carrying water.

A village well had been prepared about thirty metres from the courtyard, and the buckets were small, child-safe props, though once filled they were still heavy enough for children to struggle with. Each family received two buckets and a measuring jar, with the goal of filling the jar to a marked line. Water spilled along the way would require extra trips.

Zhao Kai rolled up his sleeves dramatically. "Son, watch Dad show you Alpha strength."

Zhao Xiaoshi looked unconvinced. "Dad, don't spill."

"Trust me."

Ten seconds later, Zhao Kai stepped on a wet patch, tilted the bucket, and spilled one-third of the water.

"Dad!" Zhao Xiaoshi shouted.

The courtyard burst into laughter. Jiang Meng and Tangtang worked with much better coordination, though Tangtang became distracted halfway because she saw a butterfly. He Yunting and An'an were steady but slow, and Li Mu and Xiaoyu moved carefully, with Xiaoyu shy but obedient.

Shen Jianing crouched beside Shen Zhaozhao and said gently, "Zhaozhao, don't be nervous. Uncle will carry the heavy part. You only need to help me cheer, okay?"

Shen Zhaozhao nodded. It was a warm-looking scene, and the camera moved closer.