"Huh? This really is wild honey?" Chen Shu picked up the glass and looked at it. Authentic wild honey will have some sediment, and the honey water is a bit cloudy. Smelling it, it really does smell like the wild honey he ate when he was a child. After thinking for a moment, Chen Shu screwed the lid on and secretly hid it in the cupboard, planning to take it home for his wife to eat that night.
Children shouldn't eat too much genuine wild honey, as it can easily cause precocious puberty. Eating just a little bit is fine.
"Young People Singing for the Motherland" is a nationwide talent competition. The contestants in the preliminary rounds are mostly students with musical talents from various regions or students selected by major music training institutions. There are also contestants selected by the program team from the general public. The preliminary rounds are very lively, with more than 400 contestants competing for the top 100 spots. Because there are many young contestants, in order to avoid risks, the program team arranges for young contestants like Jiang Cancan to live with their parents.
Fortunately, Jiang Cancan is still young and is his aunt; otherwise, Jiang Xiaoman would have been embarrassed to share a room with a young girl.
However, to avoid any appearance of impropriety, he still approached the female staff members on the show and asked them to teach Jiang Cancan how to use the shower. Actually, at Jiang Cancan's age, she could already bathe and dress herself in the city, but where in the mountains could she find a shower? They all just sat in a bathtub to shower. Fortunately, Jiang Cancan is a quick learner; after the staff member taught her once, she was able to shower independently.
After bringing them back, Wei Sheng left with Xiao Bai—as a guest on the show, he also had the right to vote, so he couldn't get too close to the contestants.
Fortunately, the production team was well-prepared and provided each contestant's family with a living package containing meal vouchers for the hotel, face masks, and competition instructions. That evening, Jiang Xiaoman took Jiang Cancan to eat at the hotel's buffet.
This was Jiang Cancan's first time eating at a buffet. Looking at the delicacies, desserts, and fruits that she had never seen before, she froze and clung tightly to her "nephew".
"This is a buffet, which means all the food and drinks here are free. Take whatever you want. But you have a competition tomorrow, so it's best not to eat anything spicy. Come on, let's pick out something edible." Jiang Xiaoman had eaten at buffets with her classmates before. Although it wasn't as luxurious as this one, she still knew the general idea of how to eat.
He gave Jiang Cancan a large plate to carry, and he took one for himself. The two of them walked around the food counter, and whenever they saw something edible, or anything that Jiang Cancan was curious about, they would pick a little bit and put it on her plate. Before long, their plates were piled high.
"Brother Xiaoman, this shrimp is huge! It's bigger than my hand!"
"This crab's legs are so long! If its legs are this long, how big must the crab be?"
"So this is potato starch noodles, made from the potatoes we have back home? It tastes much better than potatoes!"
...
Because Jiang Cancan has a competition tomorrow, Jiang Xiaoman didn't dare to give her anything spicy. She only gave her a little bit of each thing to try. Even so, this seafood buffet was the best meal Jiang Cancan had ever eaten since she was born.
"When I get back, I'm going to write a diary entry to tell the whole class, no, the whole school, that I had a seafood feast!" After finishing her meal, Jiang Cancan's face flushed with excitement as she sipped the orange juice that Jiang Xiaoman poured for her.
"What's this? Just sing well tomorrow! If you can make it into the top 100, all the teachers and students in the school will be able to see you on TV!" Jiang Xiaoman encouraged her.
The aunt and niece were full of hope for the future until they walked out of the restaurant and saw a mother and daughter surrounded by reporters in the lobby on the first floor.
"Sister Nan, why did you suddenly decide to send Ni Ni to participate in the competition this time? Are you preparing her for her debut?"
"Ni Ni, I heard you started studying under an international music master when you were seven years old. Are you confident of winning this time?"
Jiang Xiaoman held Jiang Cancan's hand and silently watched the flashing lights in the distance. At this moment, he suddenly regretted bringing Jiang Cancan to this unfamiliar and cruel arena.
They were just two ordinary children from the mountains, with no background or connections. Their only asset was Jiang Cancan's naturally beautiful voice.
But out of so many children across the country who can sing, how many actually make it to the top and become singers? Those professionally trained singers who have been meticulously nurtured since childhood have participated in countless competitions like this. In terms of skill and camera presence, Jiang Cancan simply can't compare...
"Brother Xiaoman? Aren't we going back to our room?" Suddenly, a slightly cold hand was taken by a rough little hand again.
It turned out that, without anyone noticing, he had already let go of Jiang Cancan's hand.
"Let's go! Back to the room!" Composing herself, Jiang Xiaoman squeezed her aunt's hand again.
He had to come up with a plan, a last-minute effort, to at least ensure Jiang Cancan didn't fall too far behind in the typhoon. Wei Sheng had said that as long as Cancan could break into the top ten, regardless of her ranking, she would definitely have no worries about schooling in the future. His goal was to work hard to help Jiang Cancan reach the top ten!
As for who wins? You can fight over it yourselves! We just need to get the free admission; there's no need to get involved with these cronies...
Chapter 53
At this hour, there's no time to find a place to practice typhoon drills. Back in her room, Jiang Xiaoman's eyes lit up when she caught sight of the tripod in the corner. She had an idea!
"Can Can, I heard that other contestants practice in front of the camera. Tomorrow's competition will be different from our village's; there will definitely be many cameras filming you. Are you nervous?"
"Hmm!" Jiang Cancan nodded helplessly. The biggest stage she had ever been on was a singing competition held in her hometown. How could she not be nervous about being on such a big stage as a TV station for the first time?
"Don't worry, don't worry, I've got an idea. How about we do a live stream? You can sing in front of the camera for a while to get used to how it feels to be in front of the camera and the audience. What do you think?"
Finding a physical stage is difficult, but finding one online is much easier! Whether it's the Langshan Elementary School account or his own account, they both have a considerable number of followers. However, it's not appropriate to just start a live stream on an official account like Langshan Elementary School's. After thinking about it, Jiang Xiaoman simply used his own account to start a live stream for Jiang Cancan.
To cheer on Jiang Cancan, Jiang Xiaoman secretly posted a message in her newly created fan group, saying that a student from her school would be participating in the preliminary round of the "Young People Singing for the Motherland" program the next day. However, because there was no place to practice, a live stream was added at the last minute. She hoped that fans who had time would come and cheer for the little girl.
"Holy crap! Xiaoman and Cancan are going to do a live stream? Quick! Share the link!" Fang Xingchen happened to see Jiang Xiaoman's WeChat Moments and quickly shared the link to his family group, all his classmates' groups from university to elementary school, and even the basketball team with only a dozen or so members. He was determined not to miss any potential fans!
Chu Mengluan quickly opened her phone and checked the live stream. She was shocked to find that there were only a few hundred people online. She forwarded the message to every group she could find, including the neighborhood residents' group. To encourage more viewers, she even sent out several large red envelopes.
Jiang Xiaoman guessed correctly. Jiang Cancan, who dared to sing loudly even when standing on the podium at school, was stiff all over and very nervous when facing the phone camera. What's worse, even her voice started to tremble.
Some people in the comments are already questioning this.
"I don't mean to discourage you, little sister, having dreams is a good thing, but singing really isn't for you."
"So young and already wants to become a star through talent shows? Don't the parents care?"
"I have no problem with rural children, but to be honest, hobbies like music and art, which cost a lot of money, are really not suitable for rural children."
Passersby expressed their incomprehension, but some long-time fans who had followed them before stepped forward to express their support.
"Wait a minute! I've heard this little girl sing before, she really sings! I guess she's a little nervous because she's not used to being in front of the camera?"
"Keep it up, little sister! You sing so beautifully!"
"If you don't understand, you can watch the previous video first. This little girl really has a talent for singing!"
"Could you please take a look at the competition rules for this show first? The preliminary selection is all based on recommendations! Do you know what a recommendation system is? It means that the best talents are selected from the local area first. Even if someone sings badly, they are definitely better than the average person!"
Seeing that Jiang Cancan was still nervous, Jiang Xiaoman looked around, then suddenly picked up a pot of artificial flowers from the hotel table, plucked a bunch of artificial flowers from the pot, and attached them to the phone holder. Standing behind the phone, she gestured to Jiang Cancan: "Grandma, don't look at the camera, look at the flowers! Look at me!"
Jiang Cancan's big, round eyes widened for a moment, then curved into a shy and adorable smile.
"Ahhh! That little expression is so cute, I'm smitten!"
"OMG! This is way too cute! I'm reporting it!"
With a few loud bangs, several fireworks suddenly burst onto the screen.
"Can Can, someone gave you a tip! Say thank you to the brother or sister who gave you the tip." Jiang Xiaoman instructed her from behind, and then gestured for her to sing "You Look So Beautiful When You Smile," a song she often hummed at school.
Jiang Cancan's eyes lit up; she knew this song all too well! Her home was quite far from school. Her father, the principal, would take her home in the evenings, but in the mornings, she had to walk for over an hour along a mountain path to school by herself. Sometimes, walking alone was too scary, so she would sing loudly. She sang this song often; the lyrics and melody were practically etched into her mind. Plus, Jiang Xiaoman had pinned a bunch of artificial flowers next to the camera lens. Looking at the small bouquet, Jiang Cancan smiled, and the bright, sweet melody instantly filled the live stream.
The moment the song began, the live stream chat seemed to freeze, until Jiang Cancan finished singing, at which point the chat exploded with a dense barrage of comments.
Holy crap! What an amazing singing voice!
"Damn it~ I actually cried while listening to a song o(╥﹏╥)o"
"Does anyone know the voting link? I want to vote for the little girl!"
"Vote! What's the little girl's name?"
Good heavens! After watching the live stream for so long, they didn't even ask the streamer's name. Jiang Xiaoman could feel the suffocation of the netizens through the chat.
"I'm Jiang Cancan, a third-grade student at Langshan Elementary School. I'm nine years old. Thank you everyone for listening to my singing, and oh, and for the tips. But Brother Xiaoman said that I'm not singing well enough yet, so you don't need to tip me, just listen to my singing." Jiang Cancan earnestly advised everyone to tip rationally in front of the camera.
"I won't listen, you're just spouting nonsense!"
"What rational tipping? I don't want to hear it, I want wild tipping!"
"Don't listen to your brother, listen to us! The song is great, I've already tipped you."
Seeing that Jiang Cancan couldn't even practice her singing because she was so grateful for the donations, Jiang Xiaoman quickly rushed over and stood in front of the camera: "Family members! Be rational! Please be rational! Cancan is going to participate in the preliminary competition tomorrow morning. Tonight's live stream is mainly to help her build up her confidence. Please help her out and treat it as a free concert, okay?"
"Also, don't listen to this little girl's nonsense. I'm not her brother. According to seniority, I should call this little aunt~" As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman handed the camera back to Jiang Cancan, "Little aunt, hurry up and keep practicing. Whether we fight our way into the finals or just have a three-day trip to J Province, we'll see tomorrow!"
The chat was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Who would have thought that the man off-camera who sounded like a bloodsucking agent was actually the streamer's nephew? Pfft~ This combination is too funny!
The netizens, who were laughing hysterically, kept the live stream running while frantically sending links to invite their friends to watch the fun.
After overcoming the initial discomfort, with her nephew's "brilliant idea," and looking at the small bouquet of flowers beside the camera, Jiang Cancan sang more and more smoothly. As the more than one-hour live stream neared its end, there were over 40,000 viewers in the live stream room. Later, Jiang Xiaoman secretly removed the bouquet of flowers, but Jiang Cancan didn't notice at all. Instead, encouraged by the comments, she sang even more enthusiastically, even hitting a few small high notes.
"Knock knock knock!" The door was pounded on from the outside.
Jiang Cancan was so frightened that she immediately shut her mouth.
Jiang Xiaoman ran over and opened the door, only to see a short-haired woman in a bathrobe glaring at him angrily: "Don't you have any manners? It's almost ten o'clock, and you're still howling like a banshee. Can't a person get some sleep?"
"Sorry, sorry! I forgot to check the time. We're sorry, we're not singing anymore." Jiang Xiaoman only had one phone, which was set up on a tripod for a live stream. She didn't have time to check the time at all, so it's no wonder that someone knocked on the door and started yelling at her. It's really not good to disturb other people's sleep so late at night.
Seeing that he seemed to be admitting his mistake fairly well, the woman's expression softened: "You're here to participate in the competition too, right? It's normal for kids to be nervous, just relax. I heard that a lot of people with connections came in the second season. People like us are just here to make up the numbers. No matter how much we practice, we can't compete with those with connections. Go wash up and go to bed early!"
Well, it seems this show is really popular, with so many people with connections showing up. I guess they're really going to have a three-day trip to J province now.
Back in the room, Jiang Xiaoman turned off the live stream and exclaimed, "Good heavens! It's almost 10:30! I knew I was disturbing the neighbors!" She quickly told Jiang Cancan to brush her teeth, go to the bathroom, and get ready for bed. Jiang Xiaoman plugged in her phone to charge and then remembered that her college classmate, Zhou Yinuo, was from the provincial capital of J province. She opened WeChat and left him a message, asking if there were any fun places near the broadcasting building.
He considered it for a moment. If he really got eliminated in the first round, he couldn't let his aunt come all this way for nothing. He would take her to the provincial capital for a day as compensation for not being selected.
"Holy crap! Bro, are you here for that 'Singing for the Motherland' competition? Can you get me a ticket?" Zhou Yinuo replied quickly, probably because he wasn't satisfied with typing, he also sent a long voice message.
"I've been a die-hard fan of Xu Ying for ten years! She's the dream ambassador for this season!"
"Your aunt is participating in the competition, she should be able to get a family ticket, right? Get one for me, I'll pay for it!"
As expected of Jiang Xiaoman's classmate for four years, it seems they are familiar with her money-making nature and are planning to directly spend money to buy tickets.
"Wait here, let me ask if they have it first." Jiang Xiaoman originally wanted to scold him a bit for not caring about his brother's idol, but when she saw that it was possible to pay, she immediately turned her anger into joy and happily opened her assistant Xiaobai's WeChat.
"Final tickets are probably hard to come by, but tickets from the preliminary rounds to the semi-finals are easier to get. Since only one parent from your family is here, I can apply for another ticket for you, but you'll have to sit in the family area and register with your real name."
"Sure, sure!" As long as there's a ticket, Jiang Xiaoman won't actually try to make money off her classmate.
However, extorting a hotpot meal from Zhou is still an option.
"Xiaoman, you're so awesome, haha~ The family area is super close to the VIP seats! Maybe we can even take a photo with Xu Ying from afar, hehe~" Zhou Yinuo happily reserved these precious family tickets and then took the initiative to invite him and "Little Aunt" to dinner.
"By the way, does our aunt have a boyfriend? My uncle is still single, how about we set them up on a blind date?"
"Get lost! My aunt is only nine years old!" Jiang Xiaoman angrily retorted, and then upgraded his treat from a hot pot buffet to a roasted lamb leg plus a fast food meal. His aunt had never eaten fast food before.
At this moment, Jiang Xiaoman had no idea that what he thought was a three-day trip to J Province had been "automatically upgraded" to a three-month trip—the director and producer even argued that very night about which group Jiang Cancan, this potential star, should be assigned to.
Chapter 54
“Of course I know the show needs sensational moments and impact, but you also know how strict things are these days. If we really use two little girls to create hype, believe me, if the higher-ups get upset, they could just take our show off,” producer Jiang Chuan earnestly advised Chen Shu.
"Fine! I won't use them for publicity, but they have to be in separate groups!" Chen Shu hadn't planned to do anything in the first place; she just wanted to use the popularity of the Best Actress's daughter to mentor Jiang Cancan, a newcomer.
What is a rival? A rival is someone you are evenly matched with, someone you are constantly vying for. If we can use this relationship to tie Jiang Cancan to the biggest favorite to win the competition, even if she doesn't win in the end, she will definitely have a place in the top ten.
Jiang Cancan is different from Jian Ni. Jian Ni needs to win the championship to defend her pride as the "Nation's Daughter". But Jiang Cancan only needs to make it into the top ten and successfully sign a contract with the entertainment company under the TV station to leave the mountains and get the precious opportunity to receive education in a professional music school!
"Splitting them into two groups? Wouldn't that mean they'd be fighting each other? No way! I think they could totally be in one group and portray a heartwarming sisterly bond~" The producer finally voiced his opinion.
"No way, Chuanzi, what kind of favor do you owe that TV Queen? Why are you praising her daughter like this?" Chen Shu couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Think about it yourself, isn't your idea outrageous? One of them is the pampered daughter of a TV Queen, I heard she gets over 100,000 yuan a month just for living expenses, and the other is a poor girl who grew up in the mountains and has never even eaten at a buffet! You want them to be sisters on the show? Bro, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'sister'?"