Chapter 190: Must Change Houses

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Must Change Houses

Nan Yi was sleeping soundly.

He didn’t even know when his mother had woken up.

He only remembered that in his groggy state, he had subconsciously tried to turn over and snuggle into his mom’s arms.

But when his little hand reached out, the space beside him was empty and cold.

He almost thought he was having another nightmare. All sleepiness vanished in an instant as he scrambled up, his startlingly bright, dark eyes filled with wariness toward the unfamiliar surroundings and panic that his mom was gone.

Just then, Nan Zhi came in from the outer room, holding a pile of clothes.

Her eyes met Nan Yi’s, and she suddenly smiled.

"You’re awake? Get up and have some breakfast."

Nan Yi blinked.

"Mommy?"

Seeing how drowsy he looked, Nan Zhi walked over with a smile and ruffled his hair.

"Who else would it be?"

Nan Yi habitually tried to nuzzle against Nan Zhi’s palm.

But he was a bit too slow.

Before he could, Nan Zhi had already turned away to put the clothes in the wardrobe.

The clothes in her arms had just been taken out of their suitcase.

They had gone to bed in a hurry last night, only grabbing their pajamas and toiletries from the suitcase. Most of their things were still unpacked.

They would be staying in this old house for half a month, so they naturally had to get things organized.

So, Nan Zhi had woken up early to wipe the suitcase clean and put everything away in its proper place.

She also tidied up the messy kitchen and gave the outer room a quick sweep.

She had only been up half an hour before Nan Yi, but her efficiency was remarkably high.

The viewers who had been waiting in the livestream channel since early morning were deeply impressed:

[You can tell Nan Zhi has actually done this kind of work before. She’s not just putting on a show. Look at how quick and skilled her movements are!]

[I thought you all figured that out ages ago!]

[Nan Zhi’s life skills are max level! I just came from the stream next door, and a certain pampered princess is really...]

[Don’t say that. Everyone has their good points. Stop pitting them against each other! In the end, it’s always our Sister Zhi who gets blamed!]

[Oh, little Yiyi is up! His little rosy cheeks are so cute!]

[Did Yiyi just try to nuzzle his mom’s hand? But she didn’t notice, he looks so disappointed!]

[My precious is so cute first thing in the morning! Come here and let Auntie give you a kiss!]

...

Nan Yi was indeed a tiny bit disappointed.

However, once he saw Nan Zhi busy at work, he perked up and nimbly climbed to the edge of the bed to slide off.

"I’ll help you!"

Nan Zhi didn’t refuse his kind offer.

She deliberately slowed down, waiting for Nan Yi to come and organize the wardrobe with her.

Nan Yi was completely unaware that his mother was accommodating him.

He only knew that he had helped his mom. He was a useful Yiyi. He puffed out his chest with pride.

Nan Zhi found this amusing and took his hand.

"Alright, since you’ve worked so hard, let’s go eat breakfast."

Nan Yi nodded cheerfully and skipped out of the bedroom.

"The rain has stopped!"

His little slippers went PATTER PATTER PATTER to the open doorway.

—Since the outer room had no windows, Nan Zhi had simply left the door open to let some light into the house.

It seemed to be working quite well.

Nan Zhi pointed it out to Nan Yi.

"Look, doesn’t that doorframe look like a picture frame?"

Nan Yi looked for a moment, not quite understanding.

Then, he let out a delighted cheer.

"It really does! It’s so pretty!"

If the doorframe was a picture frame, then the world outside was a natural scroll painting. ℴℴ𝘮

The vibrant sunlight and greenery of the post-rain morning scrambled to squeeze into the frame.

Even the old, decaying doorframe was tinged with poetry, transformed into a thing of ancient elegance.

Looking out, one would realize that although the house was dilapidated, old, and had many shortcomings, its location was truly excellent. It was perfectly situated on high ground, offering an exceptionally good view.

The verdant green mountains after the rain spread out before them like a painted scroll, stretching on and on without end, all the way to the distant, boundless horizon.

There was also a jujube tree planted in front of the door. It must have been quite old, with lush branches and leaves that formed a large canopy, casting a deep patch of shade below. It was the perfect spot to place a rocking chair, leisurely wave a fan, and pass the time.

[Wow, so this place is actually this beautiful? Looking at it last night, I almost thought it was some deserted mountain village. My mind was filled with horror movies!]

[Sometimes I’m truly amazed by Nan Zhi’s eye for beauty! When she described it as a picture frame, my own eyes lit up!]

[It’s more than that. She’s always so emotionally stable and optimistic, and she teaches Nan Yi by example! As a child of irritable parents, I’m so jealous of Nan Yi!]

[It’s so picturesque! Does anyone know the specific location? I want to go visit!]

[Visit? Or are you just trying to go get a meal from Nan Zhi, haha!]

[The production team only said it’s in Guisheng Province. Judging from the behind-the-scenes footage, they had to drive through a lot of winding mountain roads. It must be really deep in the mountains.]

[Wouldn’t this be a perfect place for a resort? I’m curious why such a beautiful place is so poor.]

[A beautiful, undeveloped natural environment also means inconvenient transportation. You think they want to be this poor?]

[Exactly. I came from a small mountain village myself. If it weren’t for needing to make a living, I’d want to go back home too.]

...

The audience was still in a heated discussion.

Nan Zhi had already led Nan Yi to the dining table, ready to eat breakfast.

Because of the limited conditions, Nan Zhi could only make a simple meal of millet porridge and a few pan-fried egg crepes.

But anything made by her hands, no matter how simple, was never truly simple.

The millet porridge was simmered until it was thick, golden, and fragrant.

The egg crepes were thin and crispy, a timeless combination of scallions and egg that one could never tire of.

It wasn’t a lavish breakfast, but it was comforting to the stomach, and it washed away all the exhaustion from the previous night.

Just as they were halfway through their meal, Qi Pei’er’s clear and enthusiastic voice could be heard from a distance.

"Zhizhi! We’re here!"

Nan Zhi and Nan Yi exchanged surprised glances.

The two of them quickly got up to see.

At the end of the small path in front of the house, the figures of Qi Pei’er and Qi Zhang appeared.

And it wasn’t just them.

Following behind them were Xie Yu and Xie An’an.

When they saw Nan Zhi and Nan Yi, they all broke into brilliant smiles.

But those smiles quickly vanished, their brows knitting together so tightly they almost tied into knots.

Qi Pei’er stood in front of the house, hands on her hips in anger.

"This is the house the production team arranged? Are they trying to kill you?! Is this place even habitable?"

The other three houses were all relatively close to each other; only Nan Zhi’s house was farther away.

Previously, Qi Pei’er had seen her own house, as well as the houses of Xie Yu and Fu Chao. She thought they were all quite nice—green tiles on grey brick walls, spacious and bright. They weren’t luxurious, but they had character.

So she had naturally assumed that Nan Zhi’s house would be the same.

But seeing it now with her own eyes—this short, dilapidated old house that looked like it had been abandoned and then hastily cleaned up—Qi Pei’er was so furious that she was ready to roll up her sleeves and go settle the score with the production team right then and there!

"How can anyone live here? Change houses! You have to change!"

Xie Yu’s brow was also tightly furrowed.

But he was much more reserved. He first glanced inside the house.

"It’s safe."

Then he saw the two basins on the floor collecting rainwater, which they hadn’t had time to empty yet, and his expression darkened.