Shen Qiaosheng was an extremely helpful little boy—whatever needed doing, he dove in first. Other children, arriving in an unfamiliar environment with so many strangers, tended to be shy and reserved at first. Little Peanut, on the other hand, was like a runaway colt—no one could rein him in. He greeted everyone, made friends instantly, and within no time had become part of the group.
His mouth barely stopped moving except for meal times:
“Daddy, wow, look at that beautiful flower! What kind is it? Can I take it home for you?”
“Daddy, there’s a puppy! Can I pet it?”
“Daddy, I’m thirsty. My water bottle’s empty. Can I drink some of your water?”
“Sis, that’s dangerous. Don’t touch it. I’ll handle it!”
“Brother, you’re so tall! Why are you so tall? When I grow one more year, will I be as tall as you?”
“Little brother, there are some stones here. Let me hold your hand so you don’t fall.”
He spent the entire day running around the village. Finally, it was time to eat and rest. First thing he did was sniff himself and complain to Qiao Hailou, “Daddy, I smell sour.”
Qiao Hailou picked him up. “After we eat, Daddy will give you a bath.”
Little Peanut sniffed him and scrunched up his nose. “You smell sour too, so stinky.”
Qiao Hailou, trying to be serious, said: “The sages say, a child should never mind if their father smells.”
Little Peanut protested: “I’m not minding you, I just don’t want you to hug me.”
That evening, the dads cooked together. Surprisingly, only Qiao Hailou actually knew how to cook. Chatting with the other dads, he mentioned, “…Back when my partner was pregnant with Little Peanut, I stayed home for three years to care for him. I had nothing to do, so I started thinking about how to cook.”
Meanwhile, Little Peanut was showing off to the other children. As they asked each other what their parents did, he rolled up his sleeve to show the golden bracelet on his wrist, with little bunny charms and bells, and also displayed the longevity lock around his neck. Proudly, he said, “Look, my dad made these! Aren’t they beautiful? My dad is a jewelry designer.”
The other kids were confused. “But you just said your dad didn’t sell baby things. Now he’s a jewelry designer?”
Little Peanut, matter-of-fact, explained: “I have two dads. The dad who cooks is at the filming location. The jewelry designer is my dad at home. He didn’t come this time, but I’ll introduce him to you next time.”
The kids were impressed. “Wait… you have two dads? How many moms do you have?”
Little Peanut proudly said, “I don’t have a mom. I only have two dads.”
The children were puzzled. “But… doesn’t every kid have a mom and dad? Why do you have two dads and no mom?”
Little Peanut looked at them with a “you kids haven’t seen the world” expression and said confidently, “There are all kinds of kids in the world. At my kindergarten, some kids had two moms, some had one mom and one dad, some had two dads, and some had only one parent. Now you get it, right?”
The group of children were stunned, then nodded. “Ah… okay, we get it.”
After dinner, night fell.
Little Peanut followed Qiao Hailou back to the mud-brick house for bed. Qiao Hailou drew water from the well, covered the camera, washed him simply, dusted him with powder, and put on clean pajamas.
Little Peanut pulled out his storybook, nestled in his dad’s arms, and read. It was a children’s picture book, with cute illustrations and large text, each Chinese character annotated with pinyin. He pointed at each word as he read, asking his dad for help only when he couldn’t figure out a pronunciation. When he finished the story, he said with lingering excitement, “Daddy, I finished! Let’s sleep now.”
Qiao Hailou: “Alright.”
They turned off the light. Little Peanut rested his head on his dad’s arm. The wooden bed was firm, smelling faintly of grass. He closed his eyes but couldn’t sleep immediately, whispering: “Daddy, I miss my sister. I also miss you a lot.”
Qiao Hailou held him close. “I miss them too. Sleep early; in a couple of days we’ll be home.”
The next day, just as dawn broke, the crew woke them.
The dads had to compete in games. After exercising, Qiao Hailou’s clothes were soaked with sweat. Though it was still cool in the morning, by noon the sun blazed overhead, the temperature nearing forty Celsius.
Finally, it was time for lunch and a break.
Qiao Hailou removed his jacket, leaving only a black athletic vest, soaked on the front and back. Sweat ran down his jaw and neck. Though he was forty, he had maintained an excellent physique—broad shoulders, long legs, a fit torso, and tanned, strong muscles. Only when he took off his jacket did everyone see how well-built he truly was. His right arm bore the fierce “Ya Zi” tattoo—a symbol of masculinity.
Those nearby couldn’t help staring. “Mr. Qiao, your tattoo is awesome!”
The other kids were envious. “Your dad is so cool! What’s that on his arm? A dragon?”
Little Peanut beamed with pride, taking the compliment without a hint of modesty. “Daddy is super cool! That’s not a dragon, it’s the dragon’s son, Ya Zi. He has other tattoos too. Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”
He led the group of kids to Qiao Hailou, who sat reluctantly on a small stool, tugging down his collar to reveal his bare left chest.
Unlike the fierce Ya Zi tattoo on his arm, here was a single character: “Yuan.”
Little Peanut patted his dad’s chest, proudly declaring: “You guys didn’t know, did you? That’s my dad’s name at home.”
One child raised a hand. “I know! That character is pronounced ‘heng’!”
Little Peanut corrected him: “It’s pronounced ‘yuan’!”
Satisfied, the children ran off together, taking leftover lunch to feed the village’s little black dogs.
The other dads exchanged looks. They had heard about Qiao Hailou and Shen Yuan online—a pair of completely extraordinary husbands—but seeing him tattoo Shen Yuan’s name on his chest in person made it undeniable: their relationship was genuine.
Qiao Hailou, unfazed, continued eating and drinking.
By the end of the day, the first episode of the show was complete.
Little Peanut had made friends with the other kids, exchanged numbers on child-friendly phones, and tearfully said goodbye. Though he was reluctant to leave his friends, he missed his sister even more.
During the bumpy ride home, he fell asleep again, held by Qiao Hailou. Nearing home, he woke up, as if suddenly inspired, stretching and yawning: “Daddy, are we home?”
Qiao Hailou patted his head: “Almost there.”
As soon as they arrived, Little Peanut dashed to find his sister and Shen Yuan. Little Rice Cake was watching a cartoon. He worried she might have forgotten him after three days away.
Softly, he called from behind: “Sister?”
Little Rice Cake looked up, holding a large red apple, and her eyes lit up. “Brother!”
Little Peanut was overjoyed—she hadn’t forgotten him.
She lifted the apple: “Share with brother.”
Little Peanut took a bite without hesitation and sat beside her.
No sooner had he sat down than Shen Yuan scooped him up and ushered him to the bathroom with Qiao Hailou. “First, shower. After that, you can play with your sister. You’ve gotten sunburned. What do you want to eat?”
Little Peanut: “Sweet and sour pork!”
Shen Yuan immediately agreed. “Alright, I can’t cook it myself, so I’ll call the restaurant to deliver it.”
…
Meanwhile, an online forum discussing the show went wild:
Title: Dad Show Season N Episode 1 Discussion Thread
1st Post, OP: Discussion for five dads and five adorable kids. No spam or nonsense, protect the thread.
2nd Post, “Mr. Qiao’s Chest Muscles”: Damn, didn’t expect Qiao took his shirt off—this body! I died and came back! He’s perfect! [pics][pics]
3rd Post, “Mr. Qiao’s Second Aunt”: Calm down, girls! Qiao is married, father to two kids! This is a parenting show!
4th Post, Anonymous: Qiao Hailou in a black T-back vest, so handsome and manly. Little Peanut!
[Price] 99 yuan
[After coupon] 38 yuan
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5th Post, Anonymous: How did this thread go off-topic so fast? Little Peanut’s fandom is way too strong, acting like this is their personal thread.
6th Post, Anonymous: Not off-topic, it’s just that Little Peanut and Qiao Hailou have so many fans. If the fans are this many, do we just mute? Nope, let them talk!