Chapter 24

Song Anan's face was flushed red as she hurried back into her room.

As soon as she closed the door, a burst of unrestrained laughter rang out from the courtyard.

She had always been a bit uncoordinated in her limbs. When she was little, her family had sent her to learn dancing, but she had been politely advised to withdraw by the teacher.

Usually if she was attentive, doing radio calisthenics shouldn't be a problem, but if her mind was in a muddle, things could easily go wrong.

Thinking back to the scene just now, Song Anan couldn't help burying her face in the quilt.

How embarrassing!

She wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

Before breakfast, Song Anan had been hiding in her room all morning due to her early morning social death incident.

When Song Linchuan got up and didn't see Song Anan, he was a bit surprised.

"Has my auntie not gotten up yet?" He pointed to Song Anan's room and asked Pei Kuang.

Pei Kuang was holding a bowl and chopsticks and came out from the kitchen, "She's up."

"Breakfast is ready, go call her out to eat," he said.

Song Linchuan replied "Oh" and turned to walk towards Song Anan's room.

【Omg, this scene of the three of them feels so much like a family, with the mom cooking, and the dad going to call the child to get up and eat!】

【Hehe, the sister above knows how to ship CPs】

【Ahhhh, I didn't want to ship them but they're shoving sugar in my mouth!】

【Ahhhhhhhhhhhh it's too shippable!!!】

【Shhh keep it down, you're hurting my eyes!】

【XXX go away, I'm hugging my Pei Kuang】

【I'm hugging my brother, Song Linchuan is mine!】

【What is this, they're just two brothers with a good relationship, it's brotherly love you know?】

【I get it, I get it, socialist brotherly love】

When he arrived at the door, Song Linchuan knocked twice and gently asked, "Auntie, are you up?"

There was silence from inside the room for a few seconds before Song Anan's muffled voice came through the door, "...I'm up."

Song Linchuan's brows furrowed slightly. Her tone made it seem like his aunt was a bit unhappy for some reason.

"Pei Kuang made breakfast, come out quickly before it gets cold," he said.

Song Anan lightly responded "Mm," and said, "You guys eat first, I'll come in a bit."

Song Linchuan looked again at Song Anan's tightly shut door, feeling a bit puzzled as he left.

When he arrived at the living room, he saw Pei Kuang and asked in confusion, "Did something happen this morning?"

Based on his aunt's habits the past few days, she would usually be sitting in the yard reading a book after getting up in the morning.

Why would she shut herself in her room like this? It was abnormal.

Pei Kuang chuckled softly and glanced towards the direction of Song Anan's room.

He suddenly remembered the time she had ganged up with Song Linchuan to tease him.

Nevermind, his auntie sure could hold a grudge. He'd better not air her embarrassing moment in public.

"You should just look it up online yourself," he said.

Song Linchuan's brows furrowed again. What's with the secrecy?

After doing quite a bit of mental preparation, Song Anan finally emerged from her room.

As Li Sirui said, as long as she herself wasn't embarrassed, the embarrassment would be on the others instead.

She would just pretend that nothing had happened.

But what Song Anan was completely unprepared for was that as soon as she entered the living room, she froze up in embarrassment again.

"Seven two three four, five six seven eight..."

It was her voice!

But it was coming from Song Linchuan's phone.

Song Anan puffed up her cheeks. She didn't need to guess to know what he was watching.

Song Linchuan had been engrossed in watching it when Pei Kuang nudged him, making him notice Song Anan's presence.

"Hurry up and eat, the noodles are going to clump up soon," Pei Kuang said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

Song Linchuan had made too much hand-pulled noodles last night, so he had used the leftovers to make breakfast this morning to avoid waste.

Song Anan nodded lightly, her face red as she sat down at the table.

At this moment she wished she could bury her entire face in the noodle bowl.

But Song Linchuan just had to poke the bear and say, "Auntie, it's been so many years but you still remember your middle school radio calisthenics routine."

Song Anan glared at him angrily. That was quite fierce.

After being glared at, Song Linchuan's sudden urge to run away from home also finally came back.

He scratched his nose guiltily and smiled ingratiatingly at Song Anan.

【Hahahaha I'm dying, Song Anan glaring at Song Linchuan makes their family hierarchy obvious!】

【This is the crushing pressure of seniority!】

The three at the table fell silent for a time, quietly eating their noodles.

After some unknown amount of time passed, Song Anan suddenly said, "These noodles are pretty tasty."

Thinking that Song Anan was trying to change the subject, Song Linchuan hurriedly nodded in agreement, "You're right, they are quite tasty."

Having said that, he gave Pei Kuang a big thumbs up.

Pei Kuang smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, he subconsciously glanced at Song Anan.

【To be honest, Pei Kuang has really exceeded my expectations. I'm not that surprised he can cook, but he can even make dumplings and hand pull noodles!】 【I know, it gives such a homey feeling, makes people feel at ease for some reason】

【Wahhh a handsome guy who can cook is just too charming!】

【Ahhhhh I was just thinking the same thing, Pei Kuang looks so hot in an apron!】

After a few seconds, Song Anan glanced at Song Linchuan again and quietly slipped in the dagger, "The noodles would be even better if they were made from overnight dough."

Song Linchuan: "..."

Pei Kuang lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips quirked up in a faint smile.

Heh, looks like he was right not to underestimate her.

His auntie looked soft and gentle on the outside, but she really did hold grudges.

【Damn, I'm about to be laughed to death by Song Anan, she was just waiting here for Song Linchuan huh】

【Our auntie's got quite the temper too, how is she getting cuter and cuter】

【Hahaha auntie sure knows how to stab hearts】

【Auntie: I usually take my revenge on the spot!】

When it came to pacifying his aunt, Song Linchuan had been very skilled at it since he was young.

As long as he acted a little apologetic and pretended to be an obedient junior, Song Anan would automatically slip into the role of a senior and very graciously indicate she had forgiven him.

This had proven effective over the years.

And so, this little interlude was quickly smoothed over.

The aunt and nephew quickly resumed their 'affectionate aunt and filial nephew' act.

Pei Kuang watched the two interacting warmly, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

But in his gentle gaze, there seemed to be a hint of...longing.

【I really love this kind of warm family atmosphere. Every time I see the interactions between auntie and Song Linchuan, it just feels so heartwarming】

【Speaking of which, isn't Pei Kuang playing the role of me? His smile hasn't left his face all morning】

【Hmm...I don't know why, but even though Pei Kuang is smiling, I somehow feel a tinge of melancholy coming from him】

*

The guests had worked hard doing farm labor yesterday, and they were completely exhausted.

The production team still had some conscience and gave everyone a day off to arrange their time freely.

After breakfast, Song Anan and Song Linchuan took Pei Kuang next door to visit the Qi family.

By coincidence, the guests from the other two teams were also there, chatting in the yard.

"Auntie, you're here!" Qi MuShi came scampering over. "I wanted to go find you at your place but my mom wouldn't let me, she said you had a guest."

Having said that, he turned to look at Pei Kuang.

Pei Kuang smiled and greeted Qi MuShi, "Hello, I'm Linchuan's friend, Pei Kuang."

Qi MuShi mimicked him, "Hello, I'm Qi MuShi, I'm auntie's friend."

Originally there was no special meaning behind this introduction, but there just so happened to be a comedian present whose grasp of punchlines was lightning quick.

"Oh MuShi, you sure know how to make friends!" Guo Xiu said with a smile.

The others hadn't reacted yet and couldn't help but turn to look at him.

What did he mean by that?

Guo Xiu explained, "Auntie's friend is of the same generation as auntie. Big nephew's friend would be the same generation as big nephew, isn't who you make friends with very important?"

After a brief stunned moment, everyone burst out laughing.

Then, everyone present stated that they were Song Anan's friends.

After saying so, they teasingly looked towards Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang.

The livestream viewers also joked around, you guys are the real opportunists here.

After this bout of joking around and banter, the atmosphere naturally became more lively.

Everyone sat chatting in the yard, talking about anything and everything.

Song Anan had originally been a little worried that Pei Kuang might feel uncomfortable here.

She planned to take the chance later to advise Song Linchuan to take care of Pei Kuang a bit.

If she tried putting herself in his shoes, being suddenly thrown into a strange new environment would definitely make her feel awkward too.

But from the looks of it now, some people just naturally had this ability - as long as they wanted, they could easily handle all kinds of social situations.

Ever since entering this yard, he didn't seem to be trying hard to integrate into any circle, yet had blended in smoothly and naturally.

He even appeared more at ease than Song Linchuan.

No matter what topic was being discussed, he seemed able to chime in with a sentence or two, grasping the balance perfectly - neither killing the mood nor overshadowing others, making everyone feel very comfortable.

Song Anan couldn't do it herself, but deeply admired this kind of person.

She didn't know how the conversation had arrived here.

Li Yu looked at Pei Kuang, then Song Linchuan, and suddenly asked, "I'm a bit curious, with your completely different personalities, how did you two become friends?"

Hearing this, everyone else also turned to look over curiously.

They were all quite curious about this too.

It was often said there were no true friends in showbiz, mainly referring to those whose resources and interests didn't conflict.

For example, Li Yu and Shi Qing - the two developed down different paths and had different levels of popularity. Frankly speaking, there was basically no clash of interests between them, so it made sense for them to become friends.

But Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang were an exception in their circle.

Both were top stars who had quite similar career trajectories, naturally leading to more overlapping resources. Yet they could become good friends in private - this was pretty incredible.

Pei Kuang smiled and replied, "Actually, we didn't get along at first and found each other unpleasant."

During the survival show, they had lived in the same room. Pei Kuang could clearly feel Song Linchuan really looked down on him.

Of course, at that time he didn't think too highly of Song Linchuan either, with his hot temper and rich young master airs.

Fortunately neither of them were the quarrelsome type. Even if they disliked each other, they still got along peacefully enough, though their relationship was only a little better than that of strangers.

It wasn't until later when they both ended up debuting in the same group. At that time, he and Song Linchuan were the most popular members of the group, followed by Jiang Kai.

Thus, Jiang Kai banded together with the other two members to isolate them. Compared to the others, this made the two of them seem closer.

This was also why Pei Kuang really had no other choice but to ask Song Linchuan for help at that time.

He just hadn't expected that Song Linchuan would really lend him the money.

Everyone's curiosity was piqued upon hearing there was a backstory. They all wore gossip-hungry expressions.

"What happened after that? How did you become friends?" Li Yu asked.

Pei Kuang didn't hide anything. "After that, some things happened and he helped me out. Slowly over the years, our relationship has gotten better and better."

【Wahhh they seem so shippable!】

【Damnnn, Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang have such a cliche plot - first disliking each other and then changing views to become best buds?】

Li Yu looked at Song Linchuan curiously, "Then according to what you said, you disliked Pei Kuang at first, so why did you help him?"

These things had happened so many years ago that Song Linchuan's memory was a little fuzzy.

He tried hard to think back. He did indeed dislike Pei Kuang a lot at that time. During the survival show he often called his aunt to complain about him. What had Song Anan told him back then?

"At that time, it was my aunt who told me that I needed to allow myself to be myself, and to allow others to be themselves too."

So it was after that incident that he gradually discovered Pei Kuang wasn't that bad after all, at least he wasn't a bad person.

Everyone was taken aback, looking at Song Anan in surprise.

Allow yourself to be yourself, allow others to be themselves.

At that time, Song Anan was so young, only eleven or twelve years old? At such a young age, she already had such high awareness?

Song Anan quickly waved her hand and explained, "It wasn't me who said that. It was my eldest brother who often said that at home back then."

So it was Song Linchuan's dad.

Song Linchuan let out an "Oh," "Anyway, it was my aunt who told me later."

Who had said it before was unimportant, he didn't remember anyway.

【I'm about to die laughing, does Song Linchuan only have eyes for his aunt? He doesn't even take his own dad's words to heart】

【Hahaha, although he's slow on the uptake, Song Linchuan is very filial. Who cares who said it, as long as my aunt thinks it's right】

【Song's Father: So you don't even remember what I say, huh. Ungrateful child.】

...

Everyone chatted very happily, and the morning passed quickly.

After Song Anan and the others returned to the small courtyard, they busied themselves preparing lunch in the kitchen.

Yesterday, the director announced that for the next part of the shoot, they would provide the ingredients but meals would need to be handled by the cast themselves.

Song Anan and Song Linchuan couldn't help but feel relieved that Pei Kuang had come.

Otherwise how would they survive?

At the same time, there was another problem - Pei Kuang was only a guest performer after all. When he left, how would they cope?

But that was a concern for later. For now, they just wanted to enjoy each day as it came.

Song Anan had a habit of taking a nap after lunch.

But when she awoke, she was surprised to find that it was raining outside.

The pitter-patter of raindrops hit the green tiles of the roof. This kind of weather made her even sleepier.

But afraid that sleeping too much during the day would lead to insomnia at night, Song Anan forced herself to get out of bed.

When Song Anan came out of the room, she saw Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang sitting under the eaves, a table between them, drinking tea and watching the rain.

"Auntie, come have some tea," Song Linchuan waved to her.

Song Anan walked over, puzzled. "Where did the tea leaves come from?"

Neither she nor Song Linchuan were in the habit of drinking tea, so of course they hadn't brought any tea leaves.

And she seemed to remember there shouldn't be any tea sets here either.

Pei Kuang poured her a cup of tea and handed it over. "I brought it. The flavor's not bad, try it."

Song Anan accepted the tea, but couldn't help wondering to herself.

How come she hadn't heard Li SiRui mention before that he had such an old cadre hobby of drinking tea?

The three sat side by side under the eaves, gazing at the rain-shrouded mountains in the distance.

Enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

A little after 4pm, the rain finally stopped.

Song Anan went next door for a bit. She had agreed with Qi MuShi earlier to go over in the afternoon to go through some test questions with him.

When she returned, Pei Kuang was standing under the grape trellis in the yard, looking at something.

Seeing Song Anan, he smiled and said, "Finished with the questions?"

Song Anan nodded. "Finished."

As she walked into the yard, she asked, "What should we have for dinner tonight?"

Pei Kuang was taken aback.

Wasn't her question a little too...familiar?

【I'm dying of laughter, this scene is so familiar. The first thing I ask my mom when I get home everyday is this too】

【Pei Kuang: I somehow feel that something is a little off】

Song Anan also felt somewhat awkward.

Asking him like that was a bit inappropriate.

It was as if she was rushing him to make dinner.

Just then, Song Linchuan yawned as he walked out of the room.

Seeing the two people in the yard, his first words were, "Pei Kuang, what are we eating tonight?"

Pei Kuang: "......"

【I'm going to die laughing at these aunt-nephew pair, what kind of tacit understanding is this】

【Um...somehow I'm getting the feeling that Pei Kuang is taking two kids to participate in a children's variety show】

【Pei Kuang: So in your eyes, I'm just an old aunty who cooks, huh】

【Hahahaha, laughing to death. This family wouldn't know what to do without Pei Kuang, he's truly the pillar of the household!】

...