Switched Life:I Went Viral on a Family Variety Show
Chapter 173: Heaven is Spoon-Feeding

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Heaven is Spoon-Feeding

When it came to this topic, Sang Youming seemed to open up all at once, not even waiting for Sang Ning to ask him anything.

He raised his head to look at the sky, an expression filled with nostalgia for the past, then slowly turned to look at Sang Ning and said:

"My dear daughter, not to brag, but your dad here has some real talent in woodworking. When I was a kid, I made wooden windmills and hung them on trees. With just one gust of wind, the entire village’s children came running.

Those windmills spun so beautifully, much better than the colorful ones you have nowadays! Besides the windmills, I made wooden guns, big ships, single-wheel skateboards—every trendy toy in the village, all made by me.

Honestly, the elder artisans in the village even wanted to take me on as their last disciple. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up as their apprentice; the master craftsman passed away."

After Sang Youming finished speaking, Sang Ning replied bluntly, "If you’re so talented, how did you end up like this?"

Not even able to guarantee the family’s basic living needs—being a craftsman is hard work, sure, but it can still be profitable.

Anyone who’s truly skilled in their craft can not only ensure basic needs but also lead their family to greater prosperity.

Sang Youming rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, looking somewhat embarrassed, hesitating before he continued:

"Ugh, it’s like I was cursed or something. I was originally so passionate about woodworking. But the day your mom gave birth to you, it’s like my brain got taken over—I didn’t want to do anything other than drink.

No matter how good your skills are, leave them untouched for too long, and you’ll lose them. Bit by bit, my abilities eroded away. Thankfully, your old man here is still pretty sharp; though my craft might be rusty, I can still scrape by to make ends meet."

As he spoke, Sang Youming couldn’t help but shudder, fear creeping onto his face. Lowering his voice, he added:

"Your mom too—she was such an amazing cook originally. We already had plans that once you turned one year old, she’d open a small restaurant. With her culinary skills, she’d probably have opened a chain of restaurants.

But the first thing she said to me after being wheeled out of the delivery room was that she couldn’t stop thinking about playing mahjong—almost as if she’d gone mad. And once she started, she hasn’t stopped since."

As Sang Youming spoke, he got goosebumps all over, and his words began carrying a slightly superstitious tone:

"My dear daughter, thinking about all this... doesn’t it seem like our family is a bit cursed? It’s one thing for your mom and me to act weird, but you and Xiao Xi even got swapped at birth for twenty years.

For the life of me, I still can’t figure out how Li Sulan, that peacock of a woman, ended up giving birth in the same hospital as your mom. A wealthy socialite like her should’ve gone to some high-end hospital with one-on-one care, right?"

Finally, Sang Youming got to his point. "Xiao Ning, what do you think? Should we hire a Taoist priest for a ritual or something? Feels like our whole family’s got some eerie vibe stuck to us."

Sang Ning: "..."

Sang Ning was speechless. How on earth was she supposed to explain to Sang Youming that this was all the result of "character presets"?

Why is it that on the day she was born, both he and Hu Zhi suddenly started acting like entirely different people? Because on that very same day, the novel’s original protagonist, Chu Xi, was also born!

From that day forward, everyone in the story had to live strictly in line with the predetermined character settings. As fictional characters in a written narrative, they couldn’t defy their assigned roles.

Suddenly, Sang Ning understood why it was so difficult to turn the Sang Family around—it turned out they were all bound by these presets.

Truly, being a supporting character is so tragic!

Thinking about it, Sang Ning began to sympathize with Sang Youming. Forcing him to quit drinking must be really painful.

No wonder he was quick to admit his mistakes but adamant about not changing.

With that in mind, Sang Ning adjusted her tone when she spoke again—it became much softer, no longer as forceful as before. For once, her words carried a touch of a daughter’s concern for her father:

"Dad, come on, it’s the modern age—let’s believe in science. Even if there’s some kind of eerie vibe around, it’s nothing that good can’t overcome. Your daughter is here to counter any bad energy.

Don’t worry. With me here, our family’s future will only get brighter and happier.

You’ve got real talent in woodworking; it’d be such a waste to let it go. Starting today, you should pick it back up. As your daughter, I’ll absolutely support you all the way!"

Sang Youming almost burst into tears; having a day where Sang Ning finally recognized him was rare indeed.

And for once, he didn’t feel the oppressive force that usually emanated from Sang Ning—instead, he genuinely felt the warmth of his "little padded jacket" daughter’s care.

Feeling his nose start to sting, Sang Youming quickly broke into his usual boisterous grin, forcing his tears back:

"Your old dad is a man, full of yang energy, so if anyone’s going to counter a bad vibe, it should be me!"

But then he paused, feeling that was unwise, and corrected himself: "No, wait—Dad’s old now. Let’s send Sang Chuan to deal with it. That hot-headed kid loves to fight; even bad energy would steer clear of him."

Thinking about Sang Chuan being carried away like a hog by the villagers, Sang Ning shook her head: "That kid? Forget it~"

**

After the competition, Grandpa Chen had to pick two works he was most satisfied with out of thirty-six submissions. The creators of these two pieces would naturally become his apprentices.

But to everyone’s surprise, after looking at all the works, Grandpa Chen changed his mind and decided to take on only one apprentice—and that apprentice turned out to be Sang Youming.

The other contestants who didn’t make it were naturally upset. They thought Grandpa Chen was playing games with them and wanted an explanation.

But Grandpa Chen didn’t offer much justification—he simply showed them Sang Youming’s work.

After seeing it, everyone fell silent. Not because Sang Youming’s work was flawlessly perfect, but because the spiritual essence it carried was strikingly similar to Grandpa Chen’s style.

If they were in Grandpa Chen’s shoes, they’d choose someone like Sang Youming as a disciple too, without hesitation.

After all, innate talent isn’t something everyone has—and Sang Youming was clearly one of those rare, naturally gifted artisans.

Once the contest results were announced, there wasn’t even a moment’s delay—Sang Youming was immediately taken away by Grandpa Chen.

Until the Dragon Pillar’s carving was complete, Sang Youming had to live and work with Grandpa Chen, sharing meals and lodging together.

During the following days, the livestream showed rich and varied footage of the other contestants—except for Sang Youming.

Whenever he appeared on camera, no matter the time, he was always chiseling, chiseling, chiseling.

Even during mealtime, he didn’t stop for a single moment. With a white bun clenched between his teeth, he’d take a bite only during brief pauses to switch hands.

Grandpa Chen was rigorous, the timeline was tight, and there wasn’t much time left for Sang Youming—so Grandpa Chen used him like a workhorse in a production brigade.

The absurd thing was, Grandpa Chen’s demands had gotten so extreme that even family visits to see Sang Youming weren’t allowed.

The even more absurd thing was: not just Sang Youming—even Sang Ning hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Li Juezhou or Shen Fang.

Since Sang Youming started his apprenticeship, the two had vanished completely. Her rare sense of gratitude for the Great Doctor’s medicinal wine felt wasted.

She had planned to deliver some to Li Juezhou and Shen Fang as a gesture of thanks—they had stood up and risked it all for the contestants.

After visiting the small residence twice without finding them, Sang Ning gave up. Clearly, they were already gone.

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