Leaving aside the viewers in the live stream, it's been a long time since they've been swooning over Qiguan Yuan and making some rather unreserved comments.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Qiguan Yuan, Pei Yubai, and the dark-skinned little boy as they arrived at the boy's house.
The little boy's home is a standard rural house, a self-built house.
When Qiguan Yuan arrived, an old man with a worried expression was staring at the door.
The old man stood hunched over in the doorway, his hands resting on the doorframe, his knuckles thick and his skin wrinkled like dried date skin.
He squinted as he looked into the distance, his lips pursed, and his neck craning forward slightly.
The camel's shadow first appeared from the sand dunes, then the child sitting on its hump.
The old man recognized the blue short-sleeved shirt, his shoulders relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
" Heizai's back, he found the camel." He turned and shouted into the house, his voice hoarse but filled with laughter. " Xiao Xiu, call Heizai's dad and tell him to stop looking and come home right away."
A woman inside responded, her voice rising in volume. "Yes, I'll call the child's father right away."
Qiguan Yuan led the camel to the courtyard gate, the camel following behind, its hooves making a dull thud on the hard earth.
Wang Shoumo sat in the middle of the camel's hump, pointing to the courtyard gate. "Brother, we've arrived home."
He nimbly flipped off the camel, his knees bending slightly as he landed. Once he was steady, he ran towards the house, shouting, "Grandpa! I found the camel!"
The old man walked to the door, his gaze first falling on the camel, then looking at the red cloth tied around its neck to make sure it wasn't lost.
Then he looked at Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai, his gaze lingering on them for a moment.
Wang Shoumo stopped, pointed at Qiguan Yuan, and said, "Grandpa, these brothers are the kind people who helped me find the camel."
After saying that, he scratched the back of his head. It seemed he hadn't told his brother his name yet, so he turned to Qiguan Yuan and said, "Brother, my name is Wang Shoumo, and this is my grandfather."
Qiguan Yuan raised his hand and placed it on the top of his head, his palm touching the sun-warmed hair. "A very nice name."
Wang Shoumo's ears turned red, and he looked down at the tips of his shoes, feeling a little embarrassed.
After a while, she remembered something and tugged at the old man's sleeve, saying, "Grandpa, let's let my brothers go in."
The old man quickly stepped aside, making way for Qiguan Yuan and the others to come inside.
The courtyard wasn't large, and the ground was made of rammed earth, which was swept very clean.
There was a pile of hay in the corner, next to which was the camel pen, the wooden door half open, with a rope hanging from the latch.
A wire was strung across the middle of the yard, and several pieces of clothing were hanging on it.
Upon entering the room, the light suddenly dimmed.
Qiguan Yuan saw a woman sitting in a wheelchair. The wheelchair was parked by the window, which was open, and the wind was blowing in from outside, ruffling the hair at her temples.
Wang Shoumo ran over, grabbed the armrests of the wheelchair with both hands, and pushed his mother to the table.
He pushed very slowly, pressing down hard on the handlebars to lift the front wheel when he encountered uneven ground, muttering under his breath, "Mom, we have guests."
Then he turned around and gestured for Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai to sit down, before running into the kitchen.
Qiguan Yuan sat down and looked around the room.
A certificate was posted on the wall; it belonged to Wang Shoumo and read "Excellent Student."
Next to the certificate hung a framed photo of the whole family. Wang Shoumo was being held by his father, and the woman stood beside him smiling. At that time, she could still stand on her own two feet.
I just don't know what caused her to be in a wheelchair now.
Wang Shoumo brought out two cups of tea; the cups were glass, and a small piece was chipped off the rim.
He walked carefully, his eyes fixed on the water in the cup, afraid of spilling it.
The tea was light brown, and the tea leaves had settled at the bottom of the cup.
Qiguan Yuan took it and drank a sip.
The tea was slightly bitter, had been steeped for a while, and wasn't very good.
But this was probably one of the few teas that Wang Shoumo's family could offer to entertain guests.
Qiguan Yuan is usually quite picky about food, didn't say anything and sipped his tea.
Wang Shoumo stood beside him, watching him with his hands clasped together, waiting for him to finish drinking.
"Your tea-making skills are quite good, Xiao Shoumo." Qiguan Yuan put down his cup.
Wang Shoumo laughed, his eyes crinkling into slits, then turned and ran back to the kitchen.
The photographer stood in the courtyard, his lens pointed at Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai.
They've learned their lesson now; they won't take pictures of other people in the house without the host's permission.
After the first episode drew criticism from netizens for filming others without their permission, Meng Xu later apologized to Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan didn't say anything about it, nor did he take it to heart.
However, Meng Xu later publicly apologized on Weibo, and the production team remembered this rule: they could not film other people's houses without the homeowner's permission.
Footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate, hurried and thumping on the ground.
A man rushed in; he was quite tall, tanned and thin, with sweat streaming down his forehead and down his neck into his collar.
He shouted as he entered, " Heizai! Where's the camel?! Did you really find it?"
Then he saw the people sitting inside and paused for a moment.
His gaze swept over the tea on the table, over the faces of Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai, and finally landed on the photographer carrying equipment in the courtyard, where he stopped in his tracks.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his face, rubbed the back of his hand on his pants, and asked Wang Shoumo, " Heizai, who are these people?"
Wang Shoumo ran out of the kitchen, looked up, and recounted how he had searched for the camel. He said the camel had run away, so he went out to look for it and met these two older brothers. The brothers helped him find it and brought him and the camel back together.
He spoke somewhat incoherently, and his voice trailed off towards the end, as he realized he had worried his entire family.
But he really just wanted to help his dad.
After hearing this, the man thanked him profusely.
Then he glanced at his sweat-soaked clothes, said "Excuse me," and turned to go into the inner room.
When she came out again, she had changed into a clean white short-sleeved shirt, washed her face, and combed her wet hair back.
He walked to the wheelchair, bent down to look at his wife's face, and reached out to touch the back of her hand.
Then he said to Wang Shoumo, "Go boil some water; it's time for your mother to take her medicine."
Wang Shoumo responded and ran into the kitchen.
The stove was higher than his waist, so he stood on tiptoe to put the kettle on the stove and turned on the gas.
The flames jumped up, so he turned the fire down a little.
The man sat down opposite Qiguan Yuan and said a few more words of thanks.
Qiguan Yuan said it was a trivial matter.
The man hesitated for a moment, glanced at the photographer carrying equipment in the yard, and asked, "What... are you doing?"
Pei Yubai said, "Let's record a variety show."
The man nodded, as if he understood something, but also as if he didn't quite understand.
But he didn't press further, simply smiling and saying, "If you like our place, come again next time."
People always hope their hometown will become better, so when celebrities visit, they naturally hope the celebrities will help promote it.
Pei Yubai said he definitely would.
Qiguan Yuan's gaze fell on the wheelchair.
The woman sat there, her hands on her knees, her fingers slightly curled.
She looked out the window, the window frame framing the sky in a rectangle. A few birds flew by, and her eyes followed them for a moment.
Aside from mobility issues, he seems to be fine.
"May I ask if your wife has difficulty walking?" Pei Yubai followed Qiguan Yuan's gaze.
The man shook his head and said, "ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)."
He spoke those three words calmly, as if he had said them many times before.
"For the first two years, I could still walk a few steps on my own, but not anymore." He glanced at his wife, lowering his voice, "The doctor said to be prepared, it will get worse."
He paused for a moment, then began to talk about his family.
There are four people in the family. Grandpa is too old to do heavy work.
Wang Shoumo still young; he's only in first grade.
He is the only breadwinner in his family. He works at a tourist attraction, but his monthly income is not enough to cover his medical expenses.
Fortunately, the camels on that peak are rented out to the scenic area for tourists to ride, generating some income each year.
With the government reimbursing a portion, it just barely covers the current expenses.
"We brought the camel back yesterday, but the gate to the enclosure probably wasn't closed properly, and it escaped in the middle of the night," he said. "When we found it this morning, the whole family was frantic. We really don't know what we would have done if the camel had been lost."
As he was saying this, Wang Shoumo came out of the kitchen with a water glass and walked to his mother's side.
He put the cup on the table, then reached for the medicine bottle, unscrewed the cap, and poured out two pills, placing them in his mother's hand.
Then he picked up the water glass, waited for his mother to finish taking her medicine, and then took the glass and placed it on the table.
The movements are practiced skillfully, indicating that they have been doing this for a long time.
No one sent any comments in the live stream.
Those who usually flood Qiguan Yuan fell silent at this moment.
Suffering always makes people feel especially sad.
Although only Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai could be seen, their voices could still be heard.
Thinking of the sensible Xiao Shoumo, some viewers asked in the live chat if there were any channels for donating money.
Everyone wanted to help this family.
After watching his mother finish taking her medicine, Wang Shoumo checked to make sure the blanket covering her legs was properly secured. The blanket was checkered, and the edges were frayed. He straightened the four corners to make sure his mother's knees were covered completely.
The man was still speaking, Wang Shoumo his head down.
His chin was almost touching his chest, and his neck was bent into an arc, revealing the sun-tanned skin on the back of his neck.
The man then invited them to stay for dinner and went into the kitchen.
The sounds of chopping vegetables, spatulas hitting iron pans, and oil sizzling filled the kitchen.
Wang Shoumo's grandfather took a chess box down from the wall. The box was made of paper, and all four corners were rounded.
He opened the lid, laid the chessboard on the table, and the chess pieces spilled out with a clatter.
The old man looked up at Pei Yubai, smiled, and asked him if he knew how to play.
Pei Yubai sat down opposite him and helped him arrange the chess pieces.
Qiguan Yuan then got up and walked to Wang Shoumo's side.
The child sat on the threshold, his hand supporting his chin, gazing at the camel in the yard.
The camel lay down beside the enclosure, chewing on something.
Qiguan Yuan squatted down beside him. "Are you sad, Xiao Shoumo?"
Wang Shoumo turned to look at him, shook his head, and forced a smile, "Brother, no."
His eyes were still red, with bloodshot veins on the whites of his eyes, and his lower eyelids were wet.
Qiguan Yuan reached out and pinched his cheek. His face wasn't very fleshy; it felt like a thin layer. "As a little human, you can express your sadness."
His voice was very soft, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "Tell your brother, what's making you sad?"
Wang Shoumo pursed his lips into a thin line, pressing them so hard that they turned white.
Then the thread came loose and jerked.
Tears welled up in his eyes and fell in large drops, landing on his knees and leaving dark spots on his trousers.
"I don't want Mom to leave me, brother." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, again and again, until the sleeve was soaked, then switched to the other sleeve. "The thought of Mom not being able to find me one day... I want to cry."
He sniffled and continued, "Dad said Mom needs both big men and little men to protect her. I'm a little man, I can't cry, I'm so useless."
Qiguan Yuan reached out and gently pinched his nose. His nose was red and a little peeling from being exposed to the sun.
He stood up, took Wang Shoumo's hand, and walked into the courtyard.
The shadow of the courtyard wall fell on the ground, creating a cool shade. The camel saw them coming and snorted.
Qiguan Yuan took out a fortune stick and a red ink pen from his sleeve.
The sticks are made of bamboo, polished smooth, and gleam faintly in the sunlight.
The tip of the red brush was dipped in cinnabar.
He handed two items to Wang Shoumo: "Perhaps you can write down your wish. If a very idle deity notices your well-behaved little darling, he might just bless you."
Wang Shoumo looked at the pen and reached out to take it.
He's only in first grade and can only use pencils; he's never used this kind of pen before.
"Shall we give it a try?"
Wang Shoumo nodded.
He squatted down, placed the slip of paper on his knees, and began to write.
He's just started first grade, doesn't know many words, and writes very slowly, stroke by stroke.
He wrote: My parents are in good health.
Pinyin sandwiched between Chinese characters looks ugly, crooked, like the tracks left by earthworms.
Qiguan Yuan looked at the line of words. Pei Yubai had taught him pinyin, so he knew what he had written.
He placed his hand on Wang Shoumo's head. "Very well written."
Wang Shoumo looked up at him, his eyes still red.
Qiguan Yuan looked up at the roof. Sunlight poured down from the eaves and shone on the courtyard wall, making the wall scorching hot.
"The higher it's hung, the greater the chance the gods will see it." He turned his gaze to Wang Shoumo, "Let's hang it higher."
Wang Shoumo nodded, clutching the slip of paper and the red ink pen tightly in his hand.
Qiguan Yuan bent down, put one arm around Wang Shoumo's waist, and pulled him up, holding the child securely around his waist.
Wang Shoumo lighter than he appeared; you could feel his ribs through his clothes.
Qiguan Yuan walked to the edge of the courtyard wall and looked up to check its height.
The courtyard wall was made of bricks, but the top of the wall was not plastered with cement, and a few withered grasses grew in the cracks between the bricks.
He stepped onto the wall, used the momentum to propel himself upwards.
He tapped his foot on the wall, and then carried Wang Shoumo onto the roof.
Standing on the rooftop, you can see half of the village. Sand dunes stretch out in the distance, and closer by are the rooftops of each household, with chimneys emitting wisps of smoke.
The photographer, carrying his equipment, stood below the courtyard wall, craning his neck to look up, mouth agape, completely dumbfounded.
How did you get up there?
He paused for two seconds, then quickly panned the camera upwards.
The live stream camera shook for a moment, then froze on the rooftop.
Qiguan Yuan stood on it, holding Wang Shoumo in his arms, his clothes billowing in the wind.
The viewers in the live chat were also stunned.
[???]
[Am I still asleep? How did I get up there?]
[I told you Yuanyuan was a fairy, but you didn't believe me. Now she can fly, doesn't she?]
[Hey, believe in science, believe in science, shh!]
Qiguan Yuan squatted down and placed Wang Shoumo on the roof to help him stand up.
Wang Shoumo was also shocked when Qiguan Yuan took him to the rooftop.
My brother can fly!
She was a little nervous, clutching Qiguan Yuan's sleeve.
Qiguan Yuan stick and led him to a spot on the highest point of the roof, facing south, directly towards the courtyard.
Qiguan Yuan inserted the fortune stick into the crack in the tile. The fortune stick was blown by the wind, swayed twice, and then settled.
Wang Shoumo stared intently at the fortune stick, watching the characters on it curl slightly in the wind, his eyes unblinking.
"That way, that idle god will be able to see it," Qiguan Yuan said.
Wang Shoumo turned to look at him and nodded vigorously.
Qiguan Yuan picked him up again, wrapped one arm around him, and jumped down from the roof. He landed lightly, making almost no sound as his feet touched the ground, and his knees didn't even bend.
He placed Wang Shoumo on the ground.
After the child regained his balance, he looked back at the rooftop, where the fortune stick gleamed faintly in the sunlight.
Wang Shoumo reached out and tugged at Qiguan Yuan's sleeve. "Brother, will the gods really see this?"
Yes, it will.
Wang Shoumo smiled, and this time his eyes crinkled into a smile.
Children are always exceptionally prone to believing what they want to believe.