"You little brat, let go of Xiao Yu quickly! Xiao Yu isn't well, be careful!" His aunt rushed over, pulling Gu Qianqian away.
She then carefully checked Su Yu and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he was fine.
"Mom, I was just too excited and couldn't help myself," Gu Qianqian said with an awkward laugh, then looked at Su Yu, her beautiful eyes full of admiration.
"What are you excited about?" Aunt Su Yunfang said grumpily.
"Mom, you don't know how amazing Su Yu is!" Gu Qianqian's breathing was a little rapid from excitement.
"Silly girl, we know. Su Yu makes a lot of money writing songs, I told you that," Su Yunfang said, giving Gu Qianqian a sideways glance.
"That's right. Xiao Yu was the top scorer in the college entrance examination, so it's natural for him to make money writing songs."
"Qianqian, you're not young anymore, why are you still so jumpy?"
"Xiao Yu isn't in good health, you need to be mindful."
"Go help your dad in the kitchen if you have nothing else to do."
"Being jumpy like this is fine at home among relatives, but if you were outside, people might think you're ignorant."
"Exactly, no matter how amazing Xiao Yu is, you don't need to be this excited, do you?"
"You're studying directing. If you get this excited seeing Su Yu, how will you film when you meet big stars?"
"Stay calm. Don't panic. Calmness is the most important thing."
A group of relatives lectured Gu Qianqian.
Gu Qianqian's face turned red with anxiety. She gestured wildly, unsure how to explain.
"Sister, you hugged Xiao Yu brother just now, so you're not pure anymore. You won't find a boyfriend," Su Xiaoling, holding Su Yu's arm, added with a childish tone, which made the relatives burst into laughter.
"You... you hugged him too!" Gu Qianqian was so angry she was panting.
"I'm still little, so it doesn't count." Su Xiaoling ran into Su Yu's arms, tilted her head to look at Gu Qianqian, and said seriously.
"Su Yu, what are you standing around for? Tell everyone quickly how amazing you are!" Gu Qianqian smacked her forehead, feeling like she was going crazy. She deeply regretted not preparing herself mentally before seeing him. Su Yu was truly something, being so accomplished yet acting so low-key. If she were this amazing, the whole village would know! No, she'd even go to the next village to show off! She'd put up banners at the village entrance!
"It... it would be awkward if I said it myself," Su Yu said with a light laugh, stunned for a moment. He found his elder sister carefree and a little cute.
"Xiao Yu, tell your second uncle how amazing you are to make Gu Qianqian this excited."
"That's right, tell your fourth aunt too."
"I refuse to believe it. I've lived half my life, I've seen all sorts of situations!"
"Gu Qianqian is just too young. How much money can one make from writing songs? Even one or two million would excite her this much. She's a university student, so ignorant."
"Back in the day, when I was moving bricks on a construction site, the wages piled up on a table."
"Second brother, you earned that much on the construction site?"
"Cough cough... that was all the workers' wages."
"Uh..."
The relatives urged Su Yu on. They had only heard that Su Yu made money writing songs and were curious about how much he earned.
"Actually, it's not much, only about twenty million." Su Yu said helplessly. His contract was essentially the company working for him, as he received ninety percent from singing and songwriting. So, even without releasing new songs, with the copyright royalties from previous ones, his monthly income was around fifty million. If there were custom fees, his current price for a song was at least thirty million. However, as the popularity of previous songs waned, copyright revenue would decrease. But, as long as he was diligent, earning over a hundred million a month was entirely possible. He only mentioned twenty million in income not to intentionally hide it, but because this income far exceeded common sense. He feared they wouldn't believe him if he told them the full amount and was too lazy to explain.
"So, only twenty... million!"
"What? Twenty million???"
"Woah... My God!"
Upon hearing the number, everyone froze. It was truly shocking. If it had been one or two million, it would have been understandable, as they had a concept of it, even if they didn't possess it. Twenty million was a number that bordered on a knowledge gap. The sheer size of the sum left them without a frame of reference. Not only the relatives, but Su Yu's parents were also stunned, their faces filled with shock. Su Yu gave them three hundred thousand yuan every month. They thought his monthly salary was around a million. Hearing this income now, they couldn't process it for a moment.
"Heh heh, I knew it. You called me ignorant just now, but now you're all stunned, aren't you?" Gu Qianqian said proudly, with her arms crossed and her head held high, looking at the bewildered crowd.
"Xiao Yu brother, how much is twenty million? Can it buy a whole room full of dolls?" Su Xiaoling, who was the calmest, being only six years old and having no concept of money, asked.
"Probably, depends on the size of the room," Su Yu chuckled.
"Then can Xiao Yu brother buy me a doll? I only want one. Xiao Hua from our class has a really big teddy bear, and all the classmates envy her," Su Xiaoling said weakly, holding up one finger.
"Okay, I'll take you to buy one after dinner. What kind of doll do you want?" Su Yu was increasingly fond of his cute little sister.
"Yay!" Su Xiaoling clapped her hands in delight, then placed her little hands on her head, forming the shape of ears and shaking her head. "I want a bunny, with two big ears!" she said in a milky voice.
"Okay." Su Yu was so charmed by her that his heart melted, and he couldn't help but pinch her cute cheek.
...
At the dinner table.
The atmosphere was somewhat quiet.
"Cough cough... It's the New Year, why is everyone so silent? Let's drink!" Su Yu's father, Su Zhengguo, was the first to break the silence.
"Haha, that's right. It's the New Year, what are all your expressions for?" His second uncle, seeing this, raised his wine glass and laughed.
Only then did everyone raise their glasses and start chatting.
"Zhengguo, Xiao Yu was sick for over ten years, and now he's recovered and can earn big money. It's a blessing from heaven."
"Exactly, our Su family has produced an extraordinary talent!"
"Now that your family's difficulties are gone, we your brothers and sisters are relieved." They had all witnessed the hardships over the years, and now that the storm had passed, these relatives were genuinely happy for Su Zhengguo.
"It's all thanks to the help of my brothers and sisters!" Su Zhengguo's eyes welled up. He had borrowed money from his relatives over the years and still hadn't paid it all back. Thinking of this, he glanced at Zhang Guizhi beside him. Understanding his look, she took out a stack of cash from her bag. The bills were neatly bundled, with names written on them.
"We've come back this time to repay the past debts to everyone." As she said this, she began distributing the money.
"Haha, we're all siblings, helping each other is only right."
"Haha, you're rich now, of course, you should repay the money."
"That's not right, I remember we didn't borrow this much before?"
While the others joked, they suddenly realized that everyone had received an extra amount in addition to the principal, and that extra portion was a staggering eighty thousand yuan!
"This is what you deserve. Without you, Xiao Yu might not have had money for treatment long ago, let alone achieve what he has now. So, please accept this money." Su Zhengguo was emotional, his voice trembling.
"This... it would be hypocritical to refuse. You're not short of money now, and you're willing to give it, so we'll accept it."
"We are all relatives, and helping each other is only right. However, this is the last time we'll be accepting money like this. After all, money is the easiest thing to poison kinship."
"Haha, that's right, Zhengguo. If you ever truly run out of food, you don't need to say anything, and we'll come to you for a meal."
"Exactly, we brothers and sisters can't mess around like this."
"Hahaha... Come, let's drink!" The family became lively again.
During the meal.
Su Yu also talked about the noodle shop's expansion plans. He intended to turn the noodle shop into a chain, and he would invest while his relatives helped with management. He felt comfortable with his relatives because they handled things without pretense or insincerity, and their demeanor hadn't changed just because he had money. Opening the noodle shop together was a way to indirectly repay their years of care, increase their income, and be better than working elsewhere. The relatives also understood that Su Yu was showing his gratitude, and after discussing it, they readily agreed. Gu Qianqian's admiration for Su Yu deepened with this act of gratitude.
"Qianqian jie, I heard my second uncle say earlier that you're studying directing?"
"That's right, so when Xiao Yu is doing well in the entertainment industry, you'll have to look out for me then," Gu Qianqian said with a smile.
"Okay, then you need to study hard," Su Yu smiled and nodded at her words.
~
ps: To avoid complaints about me padding the story, here are three chapters today. Daily plot points are finished in one day. Please give me more催更 (cui geng - push for updates) and send free gifts...