The camera did not capture their conversation, but it captured Xiao Chen — the baby sitting under the shade, eyes fixed on Shen Qingyu, small mouth pursed and rabbit toy held tightly. Every time Shen Qingyu returned, Xiao Chen's expression brightened. Every time Shen Qingyu left, Xiao Chen waited. The audience saw it, even if some refused to admit what it meant.

Shen Jianing's group progressed differently. He carried most of the water himself and let Shen Zhaozhao hold the empty bucket handle beside him for appearance. It looked gentle at first, and many viewers praised him for not pressuring the child — but after several trips, Shen Zhaozhao became restless.

"Uncle, I can carry water too."

Shen Jianing smiled. "It's okay. Zhaozhao is still small. Uncle can do it."

"But I want to."

"Be good."

The words were soft, but they closed the door. Shen Zhaozhao lowered his head, and the camera lingered for a second.

【Jianing is gentle, but why do I feel Zhaozhao wants to participate?】 【He's protecting the child.】 【But the task is parent-child cooperation. If the child only watches, is that cooperation?】 

【Don't nitpick. Shen Zhaozhao looks shy.】

 【Shy doesn't mean incapable.】

On the third trip, Shen Jianing passed by Shen Qingyu's family and said gently, "Qingyu, you let them carry water? Won't they be tired?"

His voice was full of concern, and the camera immediately moved closer.

Shen Qingyu did not stop walking. "They know their limits."

Shen Jianing smiled. "Children sometimes force themselves because they want to make adults happy." A very gentle sentence, a very familiar one — it implied nothing directly, but it placed a shadow over Shen Qingyu's parenting.

The old Shen Qingyu might have looked at him coldly and said, Do you think everyone raises children the way you perform? The current Shen Qingyu only placed his bucket down beside the measuring jar and looked at the twins.

"Are you forcing yourselves?"

Xiao Heng answered first. "No."

Xiao Nian answered second. "No."

"Why are you carrying water?" Shen Qingyu asked.

"Because it is a family task," Xiao Heng said.

Xiao Nian said, "Because if Dad carries everything alone, Father will blame us with his eyes."

Shen Qingyu paused, and Xiao Heng added calmly, "Father's silent pressure is effective."

The staff laughed.

Shen Qingyu looked at Xiao Nian. "And?"

Xiao Nian's smile became sweeter. "And because we want the good room."

"Honest," Shen Qingyu said, then turned to Shen Jianing. "They answered."

No defence, no anger, no long explanation — just the children's own answers.

Shen Jianing's smile stiffened slightly. "That's good. I was only worried."

"Uncle Shen," Xiao Nian said.

Shen Jianing lowered his eyes. "Mn?"

Xiao Nian tilted his head. "Why did you not ask us first?"

The courtyard quieted. Shen Jianing paused, and Xiao Nian continued innocently, "If you were worried about whether we were tired, asking us would be more accurate than asking Dad."

Xiao Heng nodded. "Primary-source information."

"Dad says accuracy is important," Xiao Nian smiled.

Shen Jianing's fingers tightened around his bucket handle. For a moment, the gentle concern he had placed so carefully in the air suddenly looked less like concern and more like a performance aimed at Shen Qingyu. He quickly recovered.

"You're right. Uncle didn't think carefully."

Xiao Nian smiled even more sweetly. "It's okay. Adults also make mistakes."

Zhao Kai, standing nearby with a half-spilled bucket, whispered to Jiang Meng, "Why do I feel like I just watched a lawsuit?"

"Because you did," she whispered back.

The livestream comments began to split again.

【Xiao Nian is so sharp.】 

【He's rude. Shen Jianing was just concerned.】 

【But he has a point. If you worry about the kids, ask the kids.】 

【Shen Jianing's question did sound like he was implying Shen Qingyu pushed them.】 

【You people are overinterpreting.】 

【Maybe, but why does Shen Qingyu keep not snapping?】

 【Because he knows cameras are there.】 

【Or because maybe he was never as aggressive as rumours said?】

 【Careful, you'll be called a fan.】

After twenty minutes, the water-carrying task ended. Zhao Kai and Zhao Xiaoshi had moved quickly, though they spilled enough water to make their route look like a small stream. Jiang Meng and Tangtang finished smoothly, He Yunting and An'an were steady, and Shen Jianing carried most of the work and finished in decent time.

Shen Qingyu's family ranked third by raw time, but no one had spilled less water than them. When the production team measured the jars and applied the spill penalties, Shen Qingyu's family moved up to second place.

Xiao Heng looked at the score board and nodded. "Stability compensates for speed."

"Also, Uncle Zhao created a water feature," Xiao Nian said.

Zhao Kai, soaked at the hem of his pants, pointed at him. "Xiao Nian, Uncle heard that."

"Then Uncle's hearing survived the task," Xiao Nian smiled.

Zhao Kai: "…"

The audience laughed again, and the second task was sorting vegetables.

Each family received a large basket filled with cabbage, spinach, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, ginger, spring onions, eggplants, peppers, and a few intentionally confusing items. Director Zhou explained that they were to sort everything into leafy vegetables, root vegetables, fruits, and seasonings, with children participating and parents guiding but not completing everything alone.

Zhao Kai stared at the basket. "Director, is tomato a fruit here or a vegetable?"

Director Zhou smiled mysteriously. "That depends on your knowledge."

Zhao Kai looked at his son, and Zhao Xiaoshi looked back. Both looked equally doomed.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingyu crouched beside the basket and asked the twins, "How do you want to divide the work?"

Xiao Heng immediately said, "I will identify categories."

"I will verify ambiguous items," Xiao Nian said.

"Good. I'll handle Xiao Chen," Shen Qingyu said.

Xiao Chen had been returned to Shen Qingyu's arms after the water task and was now fully awake and intensely interested in the vegetable basket. His round eyes locked onto a tomato.

Shen Qingyu noticed. "No."

Xiao Chen reached. "Da."

"No."

Xiao Chen looked at him with disbelief. Shen Qingyu held the tomato away, and Xiao Chen's lips trembled.

Xiao Nian sighed. "Emotional attack incoming again."

"Dad's defence probability is higher than Father's," Xiao Heng said.

Shen Qingyu looked at Xiao Chen calmly. "You can touch after we wash it."

Xiao Chen stared. Shen Qingyu repeated, "After washing." The baby clearly did not understand the full meaning, but he understood Shen Qingyu's tone and slowly withdrew his hand — then grabbed Shen Qingyu's sleeve instead.

Xiao Heng nodded. "Negotiation accepted."

"Xiao Chen has transferred desire to Dad's sleeve," Xiao Nian said.

Shen Qingyu placed the tomato into the correct pile, and the sorting began.

Xiao Heng was unexpectedly efficient. "Spinach. Leafy. Carrot. Root. Potato. Root. Garlic. Seasoning. Ginger. Seasoning. Tomato…" He paused.

Zhao Kai immediately leaned over from the next basket. "Xiao Heng, help Uncle. Is it fruit or vegetable?"

Xiao Heng looked at him. "In botany, tomato is a fruit. In culinary use, it is treated as a vegetable. The director did not specify classification standard."

Director Zhou's smile froze.

Xiao Nian slowly turned to look at the director. "Director Uncle."

Director Zhou suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Should we classify by botany or cooking?" Xiao Nian asked sweetly.

The courtyard fell silent.

"Yes! Director, answer!" Zhao Kai shouted.

Jiang Meng laughed. "This question is fair."

He Yunting nodded seriously. "Rules should be clear."

Director Zhou looked at the group of guests, then at Xiao Nian, then at Xiao Heng. For the second time that day, he felt attacked by preschool education. He coughed. "For this task, we classify according to cooking usage."

Xiao Heng nodded and placed the tomato in the vegetable pile. Xiao Nian immediately raised his hand again.

"Director Uncle."

Director Zhou: "…Yes?"

"Cucumber?" "Vegetable." "Pepper?" "Vegetable." "Eggplant?" "Vegetable."

Xiao Nian nodded. "Thank you. Rule clarification complete."

"Now efficiency improves," Xiao Heng said.

The bullet comments were almost unreadable from laughter.

【The director is being audited by four-year-olds.】 

【Rule clarification complete hahahaha.】 

【Xiao Heng asked the right question. Tomato nearly destroyed everyone.】

 【Xiao Nian is the kind of child who reads terms and conditions.】 

【No, he weaponises them.】 

【Shen Qingyu is just calmly letting them ask.】 

【This is actually good parenting? He lets children think and ask rules instead of doing everything himself.】 【Don't praise too early.】

 【I am praising the tomato debate only.】

Shen Qingyu's family sorted accurately and quickly. Xiao Nian found one small trick: because the rules said parents could guide but not directly complete everything alone, he asked whether Xiao Chen could "select" items by touching them if Shen Qingyu named them.

Director Zhou, exhausted, asked, "Is Xiao Chen able to understand?"

Xiao Chen happened to slap a cabbage leaf at that moment.

Xiao Nian looked solemn. "He selected leafy vegetable."

"Random success is not comprehension," Xiao Heng said.

"But success still occurred," Xiao Nian said.

Shen Qingyu finally intervened. "Xiao Chen's participation ends at emotional support."

Xiao Nian looked regretful. "Understood."