Chapter Six: The Lottery (With Gratitude for the Recommendation Votes)

“Goodbye, sister!”
“Muah! Hee hee… Goodbye, sweetheart.”
Wang Ke’er caught little Dong’er, who was as cute as a dumpling, and planted a big kiss on her cheek, then cheerfully waved goodbye to Qiu’er.
Yang Qing looked at little Dong’er, who was pitifully wiping her chubby cheeks with tiny hands, and could only shake his head with a wry smile. He mounted the three-wheeled pancake cart and set off towards Red Star Primary School with the two little ones in tow.

“Brother, why didn’t Sister Ke’er take our money? She bought us so many eggs and flour.”
Qiu’er, sitting in the front basket, swung her legs happily and continued, “And… what’s livestreaming? Sister Ke’er said she made a lot of money from her livestream today. Brother, can I do livestreams and make money too?”
“Uh… livestreaming is…” Yang Qing carefully chose his words, “It’s when you show your best self for others to see. But you’re still too young for that.”
Qiu’er scrunched up her face, clearly displeased. “I’m not little! I’ve grown up! I even take care of Dong’er now, don’t I, Dongdong?”
Little Dong’er: (ó﹏ò｡)
“Haha… Yes, our Qiu’er has really grown up.”
Yang Qing laughed, reaching out to pat her little head. “Since Qiu’er is all grown up, soon I’ll send you to kindergarten, all right?”
“Kindergarten…”
Qiu’er was stunned, her face alight with disbelief and joy. Tears shimmered in her big, dark eyes.
Did you know how much she envied those children with their little backpacks, happily heading to kindergarten? Every time her best friend Xiao Bai told her stories about kindergarten, she longed for it.
Each time she picked up her sisters from school and passed by Little Red Pony Kindergarten, she gazed at it with reluctant yearning.
She longed for it, but had never voiced her wish.
Now, she was so overwhelmed with happiness that she wanted to cry.

“Brother…”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Is it… the Little Red Pony Kindergarten where Xiao Bai goes?”
“Yes, you and Xiao Bai are best friends, right?”
“Then… will I get a backpack too?”
“Haha… Of course! I’ll buy you the newest one!”
“And… Brother, will you pick me up after school?”
“Of course, you’re my precious ones.”
“Mmm… Brother, I love you, I’ll love you forever…”
“Haha, I love you all too. Come on, let’s go pick up your sisters and head home.”
A heart like the morning glow, unafraid of storms.

……

“Hey, silly! Qiu’er, silly girl, are you there?”
After lunch, Yang Qing was outside in the yard washing clothes for the little ones, when a sweet voice rang out.
“Xiao Bai!”
Qiu’er, who had been playing with Dong’er, heard the call and immediately dashed out on her short legs. In no time, two little girls came back hand in hand.

“Hmph! You rascal!”
Xiao Bai, upon entering, shot Yang Qing a disdainful look, then happily scooped Dong’er into a hug.
“Xiao Bai!”
Qiu’er’s best friend, the fiery little Sichuan girl, had arrived. She couldn’t wait to share her joy: “Brother’s sending me to Little Red Pony Kindergarten! And he’s going to buy me a new backpack, hehe…”
“Really!” Xiao Bai was a bit surprised.
“Mhm, it’s true!”
“Heh heh… Silly, that’s great! I’ll protect you from now on.”
“Mhm, thank you, Xiao Bai.”
“Heh heh, don’t mention it, you’re my little sister.”
“Hee hee…”
Having shared her happiness, Qiu’er was even more cheerful. The feisty Xiao Bai ran up to Yang Qing, slapped his shoulder with a tiny hand, and declared proudly,
“If you’re sending Qiu’er to kindergarten, I won’t call you a rascal anymore, hmph!”
Yang Qing could only laugh and shake his head. “Well, thank you then.”
“Hmph, don’t mention it.”
Yang Qing: ……

After he finished washing the little ones’ clothes, Yang Qing reminded the three playing with the rubber ball not to disturb their older sisters, who were doing homework, and headed back inside.
He’d been busy all day, made nearly sixteen hundred yuan, and still had to set up his stall that evening. He needed to rest his back a bit.

“I’ve got one achievement point. I can draw a lottery!”
Lying on the bed, Yang Qing rubbed his face excitedly. He hadn’t expected to reach a small milestone so soon.
Thank heavens for the tall, long-legged lady!
“System, draw a prize!”
He whispered excitedly, and instantly, a shimmering roulette appeared before his eyes.
The wheel had a pointer and twelve glowing sections.
“Ding! One achievement point deducted, lucky wheel spinning!”
Yang Qing was instantly on edge, heart pounding.
The lucky wheel! What a name—what would he get?
So exciting!
A hundred percent chance of winning—fantastic!
I hope I win a million… no, even a thousand would be great…
“Ding!”
Just as Yang Qing stared at the spinning wheel, full of anticipation, the crisp voice of the system sounded:
“Congratulations, you’ve won a complete collection of the gourmet documentary 'A Bite of China.'”
“A… gourmet show!”

Yang Qing was stunned.
From the memories he’d absorbed, he knew this was a wildly popular food program in another world. He’d never watched it, but what could he possibly do with it now?
Was this a reward for working too hard—a little entertainment, perhaps?
“Ah!”
He sighed deeply, resigned. Since he had nothing better to do, he might as well not waste the prize. He clicked to claim it.

“Buzz!”
Instantly, he fell into a deep sleep on the bed, yet in his mind, he found himself experiencing the documentary firsthand.

Inside the show, Yang Qing drifted like a ghostly presence amid a planning team, witnessing how the food documentary was conceived and planned, listening as they discussed each detail.
In the next moment, he inhabited the body of a cameraman, taking in his thoughts and techniques as he traveled across the land, recording dish after dish through his lens.
When all the footage was shot, Yang Qing merged into an editor, painstakingly sifting through thousands of clips to create the perfect sequence as the director envisioned.
Then came the voiceover, the music, and more.
Finally, as he watched each episode as a viewer, he understood what the system meant by “complete collection.”
But what use was this to him? He couldn’t even afford a phone, let alone filming equipment!
So…

“Ah, I’d better just watch the show. I wonder if I can fast-forward—hope this doesn’t make me late setting up my stall tonight.”
In his mind, Yang Qing sighed helplessly. He understood that until he had finished experiencing the entire program, he couldn’t leave—he wouldn’t wake up, and that meant missing his work tonight.

What a headache…

……

“Sister! What’s wrong with brother?”
Inside the house, Qiu’er looked anxiously at Yang Qing, who lay unmoving on the bed.
Yang Chun withdrew her little finger from under Yang Qing’s nose, let out a sigh of relief, and whispered,
“Brother’s just exhausted, he’s fallen asleep. Let’s be quiet and not disturb him.”
Qiu’er nodded quickly, then gently pulled Second Sister Xia’er, who was lying on Yang Qing’s chest listening to his heartbeat, and whispered,
“Second Sister, cover brother with the blanket.”
“Okay.”
Yang Chun and Yang Xia carefully tucked him in. Looking at his tired face, Yang Chun said,
“I’ll keep watch over brother tonight. Xia’er, you take Qiu’er and Dong’er to bed.”
Yang Xia protested, “No!”
Qiu’er said anxiously, “I want to stay with brother!”
“Uh… Dong’er… stay… with brother…”