Chapter 63

Yesterday in Xu Gui's live stream, some netizens who knew about the Mao family's situation became quite agitated.

Can the mystery of whether the old man from the Mao family actually donated so many things finally be solved?

Now, many viewers in Xu Gui's live stream opened Weibo to follow the drama. Only those who joined the live stream yesterday afternoon or today were somewhat confused, typing: "[What's going on? Who is this Mao Taiping? Why are you all so excited?]"

A kind netizen briefly typed out the story about the Mao family searching for their inheritance and told them that if they wanted to know more about it, they could watch the replay of Xu Gui's live stream yesterday morning, or watch the edited video by the expert "Loves Eating Fishy Herbs". Compared to the replay, the edited video was more concise and clear.

After learning about the Mao family's situation, even more people left Xu Gui's live stream to follow the gossip on Weibo, causing the number of viewers in Xu Gui's live stream to drop.

Xu Gui also opened Weibo at this time.

She opened Weibo, clicked on the trending topics, and saw the related topic: #Comrade Mao Taiping donated gold, antiques, and calligraphy worth a total of 3.8 billion yuan to our museum#

Clicking on this trending topic, the first thing you see is the National Museum's response.

After the Mao family incident concluded yesterday, opinions differed and various speculations arose regarding whether Mao Taiping had actually donated that many assets to the National Museum. Consequently, many netizens left messages on the National Museum's official Weibo account, specifically inquiring about the veracity of this matter.

At that time, a staff member happened to notice their message, and this person took it to heart and told the leader about it.

After learning of this news, the museum's leaders also took it very seriously. The reason why the National Museum did not reply to netizens' messages yesterday was because they were looking up information. Fortunately, after spending another night and a morning, they finally found the information about Mao Taiping's donation of materials to the National Museum.

According to surviving records, Comrade Mao Taiping donated 986 jin of gold to our museum at the time, which was worth nearly 100 million yuan. He also donated antiques and paintings worth approximately 2.7 billion yuan. The "×× Picture" and "×× Painting" exhibited in our museum today are all donations from Mr. Mao Taiping.

The National Museum's Weibo post was accompanied by a picture, or more accurately, a list—a long list—that meticulously documented the items Mao Taiping donated to the museum.

At first glance, all one can see are densely packed words.

Among the items donated by Mao Taiping were many worth over a billion yuan each. The original value of these items was 3.8 billion yuan, which was based on prices from twenty years ago. Today, their value has more than doubled or tripled.

If these things were valued at their current worth, they would be worth at least tens of billions.

Tens of billions?!

Netizens who saw this number couldn't help but gasp.

That's tens of billions! Did that old man Mao just donate it all?

A representative from the National Museum replied: "Comrade Mao donated the artifact to our museum free of charge. After repeated inquiries from our then-director, he only asked for one thing in return: that the organization arrange jobs for his three children..."

Mao Taiping also said at the time that all they needed was an ordinary job so they could have food to eat. If they later made any fundamental mistakes, he didn't need to worry about them and everything would be done according to the rules.

The three Mao siblings, who always felt that finding a job was due to their own abilities: "..."

At that moment, it felt as if their faces had been ripped off, and they felt a burning sensation on their skin. Their previous arrogance and shamelessness seemed to have been trampled into the ground.

The internet is buzzing with excitement right now, with netizens having a lot of questions about the National Museum's response.

Netizen 1: [What about Comrade Mao's two first-class medals? Are they real? Wasn't he said to be a bandit? How come he has such a thing as a first-class military medal?]

The National Museum replied: "Comrade Mao Taiping consistently supported our struggle at that time, supplying the front lines with countless weapons and ammunition..."

Netizen 2: [Where did Mao Taiping get so much gold, antiques, and calligraphy? It must be the wealth he plundered from the people when he was a bandit, right?]

National Museum: [The items donated by Comrade Mao Taiping were all treasures looted and plundered by the enemy during the war, many of which were even items from the palace...]

Speaking of this, we have to mention Mao Taiping's background. He was a bandit, but not a bandit who ruled the mountain. He defeated the enemy who occupied Qinglong Mountain in City A before he took over Qinglong Mountain and its possessions.

At that time, the enemy in Qinglong Mountain was very large, and they had looted an unknown amount of things. After Mao Taiping took over, he exchanged most of the loot for money, food, guns and ammunition, and sent them to the front line. This is the origin of the two medals he holds.

Later, when the world became more stable, he disbanded the bandits on Qinglong Mountain and went down the mountain to live as an ordinary citizen. Then, twenty-three years ago, he seemed to be traveling to the capital, but suddenly contacted people at the National Museum, claiming that he had a batch of items that he wanted to donate to the country.

That's right, it was donated to the country, not just the National Museum, but it went through the National Museum's hands.

According to the recollections of staff members at the National Museum at the time: "...it was not just money, but countless brilliant cultural treasures..." Many of those antique paintings and calligraphy were extremely precious.

According to Chairman Mao, these were all stolen from the enemy and then hidden in the mountains.

He frankly admitted, "Actually, I've thought about whether I should leave some for my children, but after much consideration, I still feel that what belongs to the country should belong to the country..."

He came empty-handed and left empty-handed, asking for nothing except jobs for his three children.

Upon seeing the National Museum's response, netizens couldn't help but feel deep respect for Chairman Mao. Many were surprised to learn that there was such a hidden story behind this past event. As for the Mao family, they were furious upon seeing the National Museum's reply.

Hundreds of billions! That's stuff worth hundreds of billions!! That old man just donated it like that?

"He donated it, and he didn't even want anything else!" Uncle Mao almost spat out blood; he felt his heart was bleeding. "Tell me, if he had just asked for a little more back then, would I have wasted most of my life in this position? I would have been promoted long ago!"

Mr. Mao and his sister-in-law's faces were naturally ashen as well—the three siblings had previously fought like madmen over their father's inheritance, but now that they knew Mr. Mao had donated everything, they seemed to be united in their hatred, as if they were on the same side.

Aunt Mao also said angrily, "Dad really went too far in this matter. With all his contributions, if he wanted to, he could easily have gotten an official position, right? But he insisted on coming home to be an idle man and forced us to support him. Do you think he really treats us as his children? Isn't he treating us as his enemies?"

Aunt Mao was filled with rage. She thought about her daughter Kong Minhui's marriage—Kong Minhui's current boyfriend came from a good family, with everyone working in the government. The two had a good relationship, but the man's family looked down on Kong Minhui's family background.

If Mr. Mao had been able to obtain even a minor official position back then, given his achievements, his rank would have risen rapidly. In that case, his daughter Kong Minhui's marriage wouldn't be so difficult now, and she wouldn't be disliked by others.

Most importantly, those items are worth hundreds of billions, and according to the National Museum, their actual value is even greater than that; the value of several antiques is immeasurable.

If Old Master Mao had been willing to leave them even a little bit, how could their family be in such a bad situation now?

The Mao family was filled with resentment at the thought that they had almost acquired such a large fortune. They cursed their late father, Mr. Mao, countless times in their hearts, and of course, they cursed him aloud as well.

Mao Dayong held the biscuit box left by the old man, looking at this and then at that, his expression somewhat blank.

Despite the fact that everyone online calls his grandfather a hero, his family members portray him as the most despicable and disgusting person in the world.

Mao Dayong looked down at the cookie box and hugged it even tighter.

Outsiders have no way of knowing the Mao family's reaction, but even without seeing it, judging from their attitude yesterday, everyone can roughly guess what their reaction will be now.

[I guarantee the Mao family is hurling insults at Chairman Mao again!]

Just thinking about the furious faces of the Mao family after seeing the Weibo post makes me feel refreshed, like drinking a bottle of ice water on a hot summer day.

[Old Master Mao had actually considered his three children's situation very well. Three stable jobs, with no chance of being laid off, were enough to ensure the Mao family's livelihood. However, the Mao family did not seem to be satisfied.]

[Xu Guizhen is amazing!!! She predicted everything perfectly!! So far, she hasn't miscalculated anything, right?]

I used to believe in scientism, but now I... scientific fortune telling, how is that not science?

As Mao Taiping's affair was brought up again, Xu Gui's name was also gradually mentioned. After all, if it weren't for Xu Gui, this matter would still be a secret buried in the river of time, and might never have been discovered in a lifetime.

However, when everyone found out how Xu Gui had found it, they were all somewhat bewildered.

You're telling me this was calculated?

Netizens: I'm confused, did they see it wrong?

In response, Xu Gui's fans, including netizens who watched her live streams, strongly expressed: "It really is! It was Xu Gui who calculated it!! Our Xu Gui's fortune-telling is incredibly accurate! If you don't believe me, check out these videos! These are all compilations of her fortune-telling videos! Go watch them and you'll see!"

Netizens who had never heard of Xu Gui couldn't help but be a little skeptical: Is this person really that amazing?

Netizens were initially confused but impressed. After watching the videos of fans directing them, they were like: ??!! Is this real? Or is it scripted?

Fans: [This really isn't scripted. Anyone who's watched Xu Gui's livestreams knows this is something no script could ever write. Trust me, watching her livestreams every day is like watching a TV drama!]

Xu Gui's fans felt really good seeing their reactions, especially her career-oriented fans. After all, Xu Gui's specialty is fortune telling, which is her career. She has never made a mistake in her fortune telling since she started. How could they not feel good about that?

It's just like what the sister mentioned earlier said—it's like drinking a whole bottle of ice water in the sweltering heat of summer.

Xu Guihuan, on the other hand, remained remarkably calm. She had known about these events for a long time, so she wasn't particularly affected. While the viewers in the live stream were getting excited, she calmly stated:

"Alright, let's choose the next one..."

Netizens: ? ?

Xu Gui, have you ever been through drug rehabilitation?! Did you hear what we said? You're famous! You're trending! Everyone's saying you're a fortune teller!! Aren't you excited at all?!

Xu Gui seemed bewildered, but retorted confidently, "Isn't it common knowledge that I'm a diviner?"

Fans: 【…This mentality, it's truly typical of you!】

They forgot that from the very first day of fortune telling, Xu Gui was someone who didn't play by the rules, and from beginning to end, she was extremely confident; they had never seen her doubt herself.

Xu Gui tilted his head and looked at them: "So, do you still want your fortunes told?"

Netizens: Yes! Of course we should count!!

Xu Gui seemed too calm and composed, which made the fans feel that their reactions were a bit too unrestrained. Yes, calm down, calm down.

The composed Xu Gui quickly began her next fortune-telling session. However, the internet was buzzing with excitement. Because of the matter involving Chairman Mao, many people had come to know about Xu Gui, and her Weibo followers were skyrocketing. Consequently, the popularity of her live stream was also soaring, with more and more viewers joining.

When Xu Gui finished her broadcast, the number of viewers in the live stream had already exceeded ten million, which caused her ranking in the show to jump five places, instantly jumping from eighteenth to thirteenth.

The five guests who were suddenly notified that their rankings had been surpassed: ?

When they checked the rankings and saw that Xu Gui had already climbed to thirteenth place, their question marks multiplied. At that moment, the five of them had only one thought: Why is it you again, Xu Gui?!

The memory of Xu Gui's sudden appearance was still fresh in their minds, and now it was happening again. The five of them couldn't help but feel uneasy. So, with a mix of emotions, they opened Xu Gui's live stream and were shocked by the number of viewers.

Over nine million viewers?!

The five people stared wide-eyed.

They almost thought they were seeing things, counting the number of viewers in Xu Gui's live stream over and over again, and finally had to admit that there were indeed that many people in the live stream.

Realizing this, the five of them couldn't help but gasp.

As fellow guests on the show, they still had some impression of Xu Gui. When he first came to the show, he was a complete newcomer, barely even a nobody. He squeezed into the show entirely because of his scandals with Tang and Qiu.

At the time, people's impression of her was that she was an ordinary little star with no fans, only haters.

But in the blink of an eye, she got rid of Tang and Qiu, who were at the height of their popularity, while she herself stayed. Now, her number of fans has increased many times over, and the number of viewers in her live stream is even approaching ten million.

—Although the number of viewers in the live broadcast room does not account for a large percentage of the program's rankings, while others only have one or two million viewers, she has nearly ten million, which is enough to make her stand out from many others.

The five of them gritted their teeth as they looked at the number of viewers in Xu Gui's live stream, their eyes practically overflowing with jealousy: It's infuriating to compare yourself to others!

Wouldn't it be better to give this attention to them than to this charlatan? — That's right, in private, many guests called Xu Gui a charlatan, though they did it secretly.

After all, they wouldn't dare call her that in front of Xu Gui anymore. Didn't they see what happened to Tang and Qiu? Who would dare to provoke a tiger now?

Xu Gui, facing the still-rising number of viewers, said "See you tomorrow" without any hesitation and turned off the live stream, leaving the five people dumbfounded. The blacked-out live stream room was filled with question marks.

Xu Gui's fans are used to his habit of ending his livestream on time, and they explained: "That's just how our Gui Gui is, he never works overtime, he leaves on time, no matter how many people are in the livestream!"

They're used to it.

However, some viewers who were watching the live stream for the first time were puzzled: "Isn't she afraid that no one will watch her next time?"

Fans: [Our Turtle lets her talent speak for itself! She's a fortune teller, not someone who makes a living by streaming, so of course she can turn off her stream whenever she wants!]

Fans can see very clearly that with Xu Gui's abilities, even if he doesn't stream, he could make money by setting up a fortune-telling stall every day, or... picking up money on the street? He doesn't need to be limited to streaming at all.

They felt that if it weren't for the production team's requirements, she probably wouldn't have been willing to do the live broadcast.

After the fans explained it, the viewers who were watching the live stream for the first time understood. Then another question arose: "Why do you call her Turtle? Isn't her name Xu Gui? Isn't 'turtle' an insult?"

Well, that's the question...

Fans shared: "[Just between you two, Turtle's nickname is Little Turtle. The director of the orphanage where she grew up told us this, and it's absolutely true! Plus, our Turtle really loves turtles, so that's why we call her Turtle!]"

As for what these fans are called, well, they're naturally called: [The Tortoise!]

Others: ? ? ?

*

Xu Gui, unaware that his fans already had names, and even more specifically "Divine Turtle," relaxed his somewhat stiff body after ending the live stream.

The paparazzi reported, "The assistant said that the people from [Miaoyu] have already taken everything back..."

Xu Guizheng was texting Ji Kaiming, the boss of [Miaoyu], mainly apologizing for not promoting their company's products that afternoon. Ji Kaiming didn't seem to care much about that; he was more concerned about something else.

Ji Kaiming: "So, have you found the child's parents?"

Xu Gui: "I found it, and I told her about it. However, because the child is still young, she doesn't plan to make this public for the time being. Instead, she wants to find evidence first and then look for an opportunity to kill the person in one fell swoop!"

Ji Kaiming agreed: "This matter is indeed not something that should be publicized."

Although the child is the victim, those who speak ill of others don't care whether you are a victim or not. They just open their mouths and say whatever they want. The child is still young, and it would be bad if he were to be affected by this.

After chatting for a while, Xu Gui said she was going to eat. She remembered that she had promised Grandma Qiao Qiao at noon that she would accompany her to her niece's school.

Xu Gui: Hmm, there's still a tough battle ahead! So she has to make sure she eats her fill at this meal.

At this time, the other guests had not yet returned, and the restaurant was empty and quiet. Since that was the case, the old lady did not stand on ceremony and cooked a special meal for Xu Gui and the others, making them her best dish of sweet and sour pork, and also serving them three bowls of tofu pudding.

The reason we say "them" is because, besides Xu Gui, the people eating included the cameraman and his assistant. The latter two benefited from Xu Gui's presence and got to taste the old lady's cooking. After eating, they finally understood why Xu Gui asked the old lady for special meals every day.

On the one hand, there may indeed be an idea of ​​saving money, but the main reason is probably because the old lady's cooking skills are too good. The sweet and sour pork she made was really delicious.

The photographer couldn't help but glance at Xu Gui with envy.

He felt that other guests might come to their show to undergo trials, but Xu Gui came to their show to enjoy herself. She clocked out on time every day and was even given special treatment by an auntie from time to time.

No wonder when the crew members were chatting before, someone said that Xu Gui seemed to have gained some weight and looked better than when the show was first filmed.

If they worked regular hours on the show, had good food and drinks every day, and even had late-night snacks occasionally, they would also gain weight.

The old woman placed the tofu pudding in front of them, then sat down next to Xu Gui and asked, "How is the child?"

Xu Gui looked at her with her big eyes, her expression momentarily blank, but she quickly realized who the "child" the old woman was talking about was.

“You’re asking about Zhao Di? She’s doing great,” Xu Gui said. “She’s adapting well to the orphanage. The only thing is that she’s probably used to being bossed around at home. I heard from the director that she’s been very proactive in helping everyone at the orphanage every day since she arrived.”

The director and the others initially didn't want her to help, since she had only just arrived at the hospital and hadn't settled in yet. However, when they refused, Zhao Di seemed restless and anxious, so the director and the others could only arrange some tasks that she could manage for her.

Sure enough, once she was able to help, Zhao Di seemed less uncomfortable. In addition, she was well-behaved, obedient, and sensible. After only a few days in the orphanage, everyone there already liked her very much.

Yes, that includes children too.

Hearing Xu Gui's words, the old woman's expression turned slightly cold as she said, "This child's previous adoptive parents probably often told her that raising her was useless, or that she could only eat if she worked, otherwise they would abandon her. So if you don't let her work, she will feel uneasy."

Xu Gui said, "What you said is the same as what our dean said."

The old woman said, "This is the experience of someone who's been there... By the way, I bought some daily necessities for that child. Next time you go to the orphanage, take some with you."

Xu Gui nodded: "Okay."

The old woman seemed to remember something else. She looked at Xu Gui and asked, "Is she still called Zhao Di? Haven't you changed her name yet?"

Xu Gui shook his head. "No, we plan to wait until her parents find her and then have them change her name so that she won't have to use several names in such a short time."

The old lady nodded slightly, thinking that Xu Gui and the others' consideration was very reasonable, except for one point.

"Are you sure she can find her parents in a short time?" The old woman said, "If she can't, then she'll just keep calling herself Zhaodi?"

Xu Gui said, "Don't worry, since I said that, I'm confident that she can find her parents soon. Have you forgotten? I'm a fortune teller."

The old woman frowned and then relaxed, nodding.

After the old lady left, the assistant whispered to Xu Gui, "Everyone says the old lady looks very serious and they're all afraid of her. But Teacher Xu, you don't seem afraid of her at all?"

Xu Gui said, "Because I know that the old lady is a very nice person; she's just a little serious."

When she was young, the old lady was a head chef, managing a group of people in the kitchen. If she wasn't serious, those people would think she was easy to bully because she was a woman. Over time, the old lady's expression became very serious. Even though she's no longer the head chef, she's still used to having a stern face and can't change it.

"Let me tell you, if you want to eat anything, just tell Auntie nicely, and she will make it for you!" Xu Gui shared her experience with them.

The cameraman and his assistant exchanged a glance and gave a dry laugh: they felt that they probably couldn't learn this kind of experience.

After finishing her meal, Xu Gui received a text message from Qiao Qiao's grandmother—the two had exchanged contact information while at home. Qiao Qiao's grandmother had been secretly watching Xu Gui's live stream, so she knew Xu Gui had finished broadcasting and couldn't wait to come find her.

Xu Gui glanced at the outside temperature and typed a reply: "Wait a bit longer. It's still very hot. I'll definitely melt if I go out." Her expression was very serious.

Grandma Qiao sent a crying emoji, but Xu Gui remained unmoved, his heart as hard as iron.

Perhaps because it was hot, the old lady brought them an ice cream a little while later. Xu Gui looked at her with bright eyes and asked, "Grandma, are you Doraemon?"

The old woman said, "...I think you're still daydreaming." What Doraemon?

Xu Gui took the ice cream and said, "Don't you know who Doraemon is? Let me tell you, he's a blue cat with an Anywhere Door..."

That's right. Recently, Xu Guixin has become obsessed with anime and has fallen headfirst into the anime pit, unable to extricate herself. Right now, she is watching Doraemon. In her opinion, the world where Doraemon lives is very likely the same as the world she used to live in, both being large worlds with supernatural powers.

Therefore, Xu Gui felt a sense of familiarity when he saw Doraemon, the kind of familiarity that comes from seeing a kindred spirit.

While Aunt Xu Guigen was explaining what Doraemon was, the other guests gradually returned. Fu Xia had informed the camera crew that Xu Guigen and the others were eating ice cream at the restaurant, so she went straight there upon her return.

"Wow, Xu Gui, I saw it trending online! There are several trending topics about you! I also saw that your follower count has increased a lot!" She rushed up to Xu Gui and excitedly told him, concluding, "Xu Gui, you're really famous now!"

Moreover, she became incredibly popular, and because of the story of Mr. Mao Taiping, her reputation online is very good, and people have a strong liking for her. This kind of explosive popularity is something countless celebrities want.

Before this, who could have imagined that the biggest beneficiary of this program would be Xu Gui, a newcomer star who was criticized by thousands at the time? As for the other guests who were highly anticipated, the response was lukewarm, and some even withdrew—yes, we're talking about Lin Xu.

“Your name is still trending on Weibo!” Fu Xia said with certainty, “Given your current popularity and the topics you're generating, you’re sure to receive a lot of business invitations in the future.”

Xu Gui asked curiously, "Can I make money by receiving business offers?"

Fu Xia nodded: "Of course, and you can make a lot of money."

Fu Xia knew that Xu Gui liked money, so she sat down and carefully analyzed the situation with Xu Gui: "Your popularity on the show is unparalleled right now, even the best actors can't compare to you. With your current fame, you could easily make a million dollars just by taking on a commercial deal."

"I bet the director's been getting tons of offers to work with you right now. Sigh, you signed with [Miaoyu] way too early. If you had your current fame, your endorsement fee would definitely have doubled!"

She said it with absolute certainty.

"Double?" Xu Gui thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "That means we can get six million?"

Hearing this, Fu Xia looked at her in astonishment and couldn't help but ask, "What? You said how much you were paid for endorsing [Miaoyu]?"

How did she hear the number six million? If doubling it is six million, then normally it would be three million? How is that possible? Then she actually heard the number "three million" from Xu Gui's mouth.

Fu Xia took a breath and looked at her very seriously, saying, "Xu Gui, tell me, you are actually Ji Kaiming's long-lost biological sister, right?"

Xu Gui sensed her attitude: "Is this price too high?"

Fu Xia screamed: "It's not just high, it's extremely high! Have you ever seen a brand offer three million to someone with no fame or work as a spokesperson? A few hundred thousand at most!"

When the contract was signed, Xu Gui guessed from the attitude of Ji Kaiming's secretary and her now-defunct agent that Ji Kaiming would be very generous with his signing fee. Hearing Fu Xia say this now only confirmed her guess.

"They really are good friends!" Xu Gui exclaimed. "I've decided that I want to be Ji Kaiming's best friend for life!" She really liked such a generous friend.

Just as the two were whispering to each other, two people came up to them and stood still.

Xu Gui looked up and saw a handsome, refined face wearing glasses. Despite the sweltering heat, the man was dressed in a well-fitting suit, exuding a gentle and elegant demeanor that occasionally revealed a hint of shrewdness and assertiveness.

"Xu Gui, hello, I'm Kuang Ming. From now on, I'll be your new manager..."