Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 79 - Parenting Variety Show (Part 2)
Chapter 79: Parenting Variety Show (Part 2)
When people learned that Wen Zhijing had already grown to three and a half years old, they were surprised to find that his personality was nothing like Wen Liang’s. He was very articulate and full of energy. The father and son had already quarreled several times due to his mischievousness.
Meanwhile, Wen Zhiling’s delicate and tearful nature had remained unchanged over the years. She continued to cry at the drop of a hat, and this had become a strategic way to tame Wen Liang. He didn’t even dare to raise his voice at this little drama queen, because once she started crying, she wouldn’t stop.
This was their first appearance on the show, and Chen Die had dressed up both her son and daughter nicely.
She had prepared two brimmed hats for them, with chin straps to fasten under their chins.
However, Wen Zhijing had his own sense of fashion and didn’t want to wear his. As soon as it was put on, he took it off and placed it on his sister’s head.
So, when the audience first saw the two kids on screen, the little sister was wearing two hats, looking adorably silly, while the brother stood off to the side looking cool.
Instantly, everyone was smitten.
But soon, the cuteness of the kids wasn't the main focus—everyone was more shocked by the question: When the hell did Chen Die and Wen Liang even have kids?!
Even though many of Chen Die’s fans were shippers of the couple, and some solo fans had a favorable view of Wen Liang, she also had a significant number of male fans.
These male fans rarely showed up normally, but once the news broke that she had given birth to twins, even the most laid-back among them wailed in heartbreak. Not only had their goddess married off quietly, but she had also become a mother over three years ago—completely under the radar.
Luckily, unlike other stars who rely on fan-driven popularity, Chen Die wasn’t part of the typical idol economy. Though some found it hard to accept, they were quickly won over by the adorable Wen Zhijing and Wen Zhiling in <Lovely Baby>.
Once the family of four got out of the car, they headed to the official filming location.
For the first episode, to maintain some mystery around their family, the production team chose to film in a picturesque but primitive mountain village with very basic facilities.
They had to walk up a mossy stone stairway to get to the destination, which could be slippery and dangerous.
The path was narrow. Wen Liang and Wen Zhijing led the way, while Chen Die followed with Wen Zhiling.
The little girl had never been to such a place. It had just rained the day before, making the ground extra slippery and muddy. She stood at the base of the steps, frowning in her brand-new boots, and refused to move.
She opened her arms to Chen Die and said in a soft, spoiled voice, “Mommy, carry me.”
Chen Die picked her up and told Wen Liang to carry Wen Zhijing as well, worried he might fall.
Wen Liang looked down at Wen Zhijing and asked, “Can you walk by yourself?”
Chen Die: “…”
Wen Zhijing nodded. The steps were steep, and he had to lift his legs very high to manage each step. Chen Die couldn’t help but think of that video of a corgi climbing stairs.
Wen Liang turned and took the daughter from Chen Die.
Now with both hands free, Chen Die followed closely behind Wen Zhijing, watching him nervously in case he slipped and fell.
But Wen Zhijing was mischievous. After climbing a few steps and reaching a flat section, he started exploring—looking here and stepping there.
Unfortunately, the ground was slippery. He ran a few steps too quickly and fell right on his butt, getting his pants dirty.
Chen Die gasped and was about to rush over to help him when Wen Liang casually grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him right off the ground.
Wen Zhijing let out a confused “Mmm,” his little hands muddy. He didn’t dare touch his clothes and just held them up in the air, staring blankly while being hauled up by his dad, feet dangling.
That’s how he got carried up—by the collar.
Wen Liang had his daughter cradled in one arm and his son hanging from the other.
The scene looked hilariously absurd.
When the episode aired, the bullet comments exploded.
[HAHAHAHAHA I’m dying, what did the older brother even do wrong?! Why treat him like that?!]
[LMAO the daughter gets cuddled while the son gets carried like luggage!]
[Hahaha look at Sister Die’s face—she looks stunned too!]
[My WenDie ship!!! Brother Wen holding both kids so Sister Die doesn’t have to lift a finger is actually really sweet, sob sob. BUT still, can you please put my future husband down? He’ll get embarrassed when he grows up!]
[Saying 'future husband'—are you asking to get smacked by Brother Wen?]
……
They finally reached the mountain path where the other families were already waiting. Among the three celebrity couples, Chen Die had worked with a few of them before on film projects, and the others she had seen at award shows and variety events.
One of them was Li Cong, with whom she had filmed <Three Meals a Day> early in her career. They were fairly acquainted.
Li Cong’s wife was also an actress, and they had a son.
Chen Die greeted everyone, and of course, the others all recognized Wen Liang—after all, in their world of actors and singers, people like him represented the ‘evil capitalist elite.’
Wen Zhijing’s hands were still dirty. Chen Die patted his head and pointed to a water tap by the roadside. “Go wash your hands and come back, big brother.”
At first, Wen Liang wasn’t thrilled that Chen Die kept calling Wen Zhijing ‘big brother,’ but after a few times with no change, he gave up. Chen Die simply thought it sounded more affectionate.
After washing his hands, Wen Zhijing returned. Chen Die and Wen Liang each stood with a child in front of them, listening to the production team announce the first challenge.
That night, the program had prepared four rooms for the four families, but of course, as per variety show tradition, some were better than others.
The task was to sell a basket of locally grown grapes in the nearby town. The family that sold the most would get the first pick of rooms.
As soon as the rules were announced, Wen Zhijing—who had shown strong verbal and logical skills since birth—immediately understood what to do. His little sister, however, didn’t listen at all. She squatted down and popped a grape into her mouth without a word.
The town was fairly busy with villagers, and each family was followed by two camera operators. The locals watched them curiously.
The siblings carried the basket of grapes together, trudging forward, while Chen Die and Wen Liang strolled behind them, chatting.
“You’re really going to let them sell it themselves?” Chen Die asked.
Even with two cameras trailing them, Wen Liang acted like they weren’t there. One arm was draped around Chen Die’s shoulder, his manner laid-back and carefree, watching the two little ones struggle with the grape basket. He was clearly embracing his role as the ultimate hands-off parent.
“Then what?” Wen Liang said matter-of-factly. “The rules clearly say the kids are supposed to sell.”
Chen Die replied, “It means the parents teach the kids how to sell, to help develop their social skills.”
“Let them figure it out themselves,” Wen Liang said as he squeezed Chen Die's shoulder. “Why tire ourselves out?”
“......”
The four of them reached the entrance of the local market. At this time of day, many people were off work and riding motorbikes to buy groceries. The siblings placed their basket of grapes at the market entrance.
It wasn’t just the kids’ first time at a marketplace — even Wen Liang had never been to one before.
Wen Liang made himself quite comfortable, found two chairs, and sat down with Chen Die, waiting for the little ones to earn money for them.
[WTF WTF WTF WTF, is this really our Wen Liang??]
[Other dads are total daughter-lovers, and our Wen Liang is this harsh with his baby girl??]
[I’m reporting this! Someone’s using child labor! And they don’t even feel guilty!]
[Aaaaah but these two are just too cute! Who wouldn’t buy grapes from such adorable kids? Everyone buy them!!]
[Look at the other dads helping their kids sell grapes — and here’s this guy sitting like a chill old man at the village entrance. Give him sunflower seeds and he’ll start chatting with the neighbors.]
Their whole family was undeniably good-looking, and the local market was full of middle-aged and older folks. They mostly stared out of curiosity.
They knew a show was being filmed since the village chief had told them beforehand, so before long, someone came up and asked, “Kids, are you selling grapes?”
Wen Zhiling had just picked a grape to eat. She froze mid-movement, blinked, then stretched out her hand with the grape: “Auntie, here.”
The middle-aged woman immediately laughed, tasted one, squatted down to meet their eyes and asked, “How much are your grapes?”
Wen Zhijing looked back at Wen Liang. Wen Liang patted his head, signaling full autonomy: “You decide.”
He thought for a moment, then said, “One yuan for two grapes.”
Chen Die had assumed the two kids wouldn’t be able to sell much on their own — but to her surprise, a crowd soon gathered, all eager to buy.
Before it even got dark, their whole basket of grapes was sold out.
Wen Zhijing held the bills — tens and twenties — carefully sorted them, and put them in the little purse around Wen Zhiling’s waist. They returned with a full harvest.
“We probably made quite a bit, right?” Chen Die said to Wen Liang. “Maybe we can choose a decent room to stay in. Otherwise, our girl’s going to cry again.”
Wen Liang smiled, reached down to ruffle Wen Zhiling’s hair, and said nothing.
They had only taken a few steps past the market when they arrived at the local pet and flower market.
Wen Zhiling’s eyes lit up instantly. She stopped in her tracks, staring unblinkingly at a little yellow puppy. She grabbed Wen Liang’s hand and softly said, “Daddy.”
Wen Liang followed her gaze, and his temple twitched: “…”
He already knew her pattern. Whenever she wanted a toy or anything, she’d always start with a soft “Daddy…”
Wen Zhiling looked up at him with clear, bright eyes. “I want the dog.”
“......”
To keep the task fair, the production team had taken away the parents’ wallets and phones at the beginning.
Wen Liang scratched her chin and said, “Daddy doesn’t have money right now.”
Chen Die: “…”
Why did that sound so weird?
It was the first time the girl had heard that from her father. She clearly didn’t believe it, grabbing Wen Liang’s pant leg and refusing to let go. Her eyes reddened, her lips drooped —
A telltale sign that she was about to burst into tears.
Wen Liang, already conditioned to get headaches at the sight, squatted down and tried to reason with her: “If you want the dog, we’ll have to use the money your big brother just earned. That means we might get a worse room to sleep in tonight.”
Wen Zhiling started sobbing.
Chen Die chimed in, “Little Sister, if you want to buy the puppy, you need to get your big brother’s permission. He sold a lot of grapes earlier, remember?”
Just as she finished speaking, Wen Zhijing generously said, “It’s okay, let’s buy the puppy.”
Chen Die reminded her multiple times: once the sleeping arrangements were decided, she wasn’t allowed to cry. Wen Zhiling nodded eagerly and beamed, took out money from her little purse, and bought the puppy.
The shopkeeper had already vaccinated the dog and gave them a leash so she could walk it.
So when they returned, while all the other families had exchanged their grapes for money, they had exchanged theirs… for a scruffy yellow mutt.
Wen Zhiling was in great spirits, though her eyes were still a bit red. She hugged the dog tightly and slowly walked forward, eventually arriving — as expected — at the worst accommodation.
A flat-roofed wooden hut, hard wooden bedboards, and very old, worn-out facilities.
The episode ended there.
That night, the hashtag #DoubleStandardWenLiang shot to the top of the trending list.
[We Baby Jing fans protest! We demand Wen Liang treat Baby Jing fairly! Equal affection for all!! Or we won’t back down!!!]
[Baby Jing fans demand equal treatment!]
[LOL Wen Liang literally carried his son like a sack, but his daughter wants a dog and he’s like ‘okay.’ Just because our Baby Jing is chill doesn’t mean you can ignore him!!]
Fans were extremely dramatic and quickly split into camps. After the ‘statement’ from Wen Zhijing's fans, Wen Zhiling's fans fired back:
[Please stop dragging Baby Ling! She got the dog with her own skills!]
[Our Baby Ling is a master of soft talk, acting cute, yielding, and crying — she’s got top-tier skills! Baby Jing, level up your game! Don’t overlook Baby Ling’s talent and effort!!]
[Baby Ling deserves it!!!]
……
Just as the two sides were at each other’s throats, some Wen Liang fans came to ‘redeem’ him.
They zoomed in on Wen Liang’s expression when Baby Ling wanted the dog and played it in slow motion as ‘evidence’:
[Clarification: Our Chairman Wen is not biased!]
[LOL Wen Liang looks like he hates animals. When Baby Ling hugged the puppy, his disgust was so obvious!]
[Everyone look! Wen Liang had the exact same expression when Baby Jing fell and when Baby Ling wanted the dog! Both pure disdain! Stop accusing him of bias!]
[For real — Chairman Wen’s disdain is equal-opportunity. No double standard. Very fair!]
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