Chapter 82
The young man arguing with the village chief followed the sound and looked down to see a little bundle of joy looking up at him.
Whose kid are you?
Xiao Mo obediently pointed to the door, looking completely self-righteous, "I am my mom and dad's child."
The young man rushed over overnight after receiving news of his father's fall and injury, unaware that someone was filming a program in the village. Looking at the three well-dressed and dignified people in front of him, he was completely confused.
Seeing the camera next to them, he became a little angry and turned to question the village chief.
"What? Is my little incident even worth exposing? Which media outlet are they from?"
The village chief raised his hand and gave him a big pat on the back of the head.
"Don't call yourself Niu Hui anymore, just call yourself Niu Ben. They are VIPs who came to the village to record a program. I think the little kid is right, you've been blinded by that three thousand yuan a month, you don't know anything."
Niu Hui and the village chief started arguing again. Du Xiaoruo reached out and nudged Qi An in the waist, signaling him to go in, steal Xiao Mo out, and make a quick getaway.
Qi An raised a long leg, preparing to snatch Xiao Mo away when no one was looking, when he saw Xiao Mo swagger to a small stool under the corridor, sit down, and start chatting with someone in a serious manner.
"Why bother working so hard in the city? Once the show airs, this place will become famous. You can earn money and take care of Grandpa Niu by doing something at home."
His words were delivered with clear logic and compelling evidence, leaving everyone in the live stream completely bewildered.
Is this the kind of logic a three-year-old should have? Xiao Mo, tell the truth, did you not drink the Meng Po soup (the soup of oblivion)?
[Xiao Mo's thinking ability... she's on track to become the successor to the Golden Cicada!]
【Huh? Isn't Lele the heir to the Golden Cicada?】
[Upstairs, which ancient tomb did you crawl out of? Lele has already publicly stated that he wants to take the civil service exam and told the family business to stay away from him, hahaha.]
After listening to Xiao Mo's words, Niu Hui seriously discussed it with her, "If it really becomes popular, what can I do?"
Little Mo rested her chin on her small hand, blinking her big eyes.
“There are many things you can do. You can cook delicious food, run a bed and breakfast, or sell local specialties from the village. If all else fails, you can go work in the ancient town.”
Niu Hui looked at the determined little girl in front of her, wondering if she could believe her words.
"But no one has ever done this before."
Xiao Mo stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and mocked Qi An's tone of voice at the company, saying, "It'll be too late for you to start after everyone else has done it, young man."
Qi An couldn't wait any longer, so he rushed in and pulled Xiao Mo away. It would be impolite to say anything more.
Xiao Mo, carried on his father's shoulders, didn't forget to turn around and shout loudly at Niu Hui.
"Young man, remember this: choice is more important than effort."
Back in the courtyard, Mu Hua was already there, drinking tea and waiting for them.
When Xiao Mo was carried back by Qi An, Mu Hua immediately laughed, "What mischief has Xiao Mo gotten into this time?"
"I didn't do anything bad." Xiao Mo clenched his fist indignantly. "What I did was a good thing."
Mu Hua saw the scene of Xiao Mo "educating" Niu Hui on the recording handed to him by his assistant. He raised his hand, tapped Xiao Mo's nose, and chuckled indulgently as he scolded her.
"Small in stature but big in mind."
Qi An walked to the small tea table, poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp. He then sat down on the small stool next to Mu Hua, his two long legs practically sticking out of the screen.
Mu Hua poured him another cup of tea and casually asked, "Did you have fun in the ancient town yesterday?"
Qi An unceremoniously picked up his teacup, took a sip, and leaned back lazily in his chair. "Let's skip all these formalities and get straight to the point."
Mu Hua put down his teacup. It seemed that Qi An had already guessed his purpose. It was so much easier to talk to a smart person.
Qi An raised his hand to shield his face from the sun, his voice languid.
"First we saw natural scenery, then Brother Guan and his wife were so hospitable, and yesterday they arranged for us to visit the ancient town. Isn't this just your usual 'tourist project inspection' routine?"
Mu Hua quickly refilled his tea. "So, how did Mr. Jin's inspection go?"
“If Jin Chan is willing to invest, the young people in the village will be able to stay, and the elderly will also be taken care of. This would be a good deed for Jin Chan.”
Qi An raised her beautiful, slender finger and lightly tapped Mu Hua.
"Don't flatter me. I'm an entrepreneur, not a philanthropist. I won't do business that loses money. How about this, I'll arrange for an investigation team to conduct a detailed business investigation report first. If there's a need for investment, then we can talk about the next step."
Qi An's words were impeccable, and Mu Hua could no longer persuade him. In the past few years, Qi An had indeed matured a lot, transforming from a somewhat impulsive young CEO into a shrewd and cunning old fox.
“However, Xiao Mo’s words make some sense.” Qi An changed the subject. “The broadcast of the show will definitely make this place popular. Even if the villagers do some small business near their homes, they can still make a living. Their income may not be worse than working in the city.”
Little Mo nestled obediently in her mother's arms, listening intently to her father with wide eyes, her face practically radiating "admiration."
She has been interested in business since she was a child, and Qi An has also been guiding her towards this interest. He would often bring Xiao Mo along when discussing business, so even though Xiao Mo is young, she has quite a bit of business acumen in her head.
Mu Hua had actually thought of this before, so while tricking Qi An into inspecting the project, he also invited Fan Lei's family to participate in the program. Fan Lei and Tang Tang are a film emperor and an actress, respectively, which can generate a wave of influence.
As long as people know about this place and are willing to come here, the villagers can make money, and the problem of elderly people left behind can be solved.
Qi An raised his wrist to check the time; it was already past noon.
"Does Director Mu have any other plans? If not, I'll head home now. I haven't seen my baby for two days."
Inside the live stream room,
[Mr. Ha really switches seamlessly between the roles of domineering CEO and doting father. One second he's saying, "I won't do a deal that loses money," and the next he's saying, "I haven't seen my little one for two days."]
Mr. Ha really loves children. I thought that men of his status were mostly absent from the role of father, but he's so warm-hearted.
[I saw an interview with Mr. Ha before, where he said that he rarely travels for work because of the children, and he delegates the work to Secretary Jin.]
[Then Secretary Kim complained on her social media account that he's been on too many business trips, leaving him no time for dating and still single, hahaha, two sullen souls.]
Mu Hua waved his hand, "No rush. The villagers have prepared a long street feast. After dinner, we'll go back early tomorrow morning. If you're really worried, call the driver to pick up Lele and we can play together."
Upon hearing the words "Long Street Banquet," Xiao Mo's big eyes practically gleamed with greed. She looked up at her mother with her little face.
"A long street banquet, there must be so much delicious food."
Du Xiaoruo calmly handed her a tissue, "Wipe your drool."
Back in the village, Xiao Shu had already run off to watch the long street banquet. Now, panting, she ran back, grabbed Xiao Mo, and ran outside again.
"Xiao Mo, there's fried chicken nuggets now, they smell amazing, let's go quickly."
The two little ones ran off, full of energy. Du Xiaoruo walked over to Qi An, intending to squat down next to him and make a phone call to Lele together. But as soon as she got there, Qi An put his long arm around her and pulled her onto his lap.
Du Xiaoruo blushed, her ears turning a deep red in front of so many people. She tried to remain calm as she took out her phone.
"Should we call Xiao Le?"
"Okay." Qi An reminded him, "Make a video call, you haven't seen him for two days."
The call was answered after a while, and Lele's handsome face appeared on the screen, wearing his white lab coat.
"Mom." Lele looked delighted when she received Du Xiaoruo's video call. "Didn't Uncle Muhua forbid you from using your cell phones?"
Lele was busy with her research project and had no time to watch the show, so she was unaware of what was happening here.
“Now you can use it,” Du Xiaoruo replied with a smile.
Every time I see Lele's handsome face, I feel like I can't get enough of looking at him. Boys change a lot as they grow up. When Lele was little, he was very well-behaved, but not particularly handsome. Now that he has lost his baby fat, his deep, sculpted features can be described as beautiful.
Qi An leaned closer to the camera and said to Lele, "Xiao Le, there's a long street banquet here tonight. Would you like to come and join us? If you want to come, have the driver take you. If you leave now, you can still make it in time."
Lele glanced at the watch. It was a very understated antique watch with a leather strap and a mechanical dial, seemingly unremarkable on the surface. However, this watch used a constant-force system, and the finger-shaped dial would pop out as the hour changed. It was worth thirty million, a gift from Zhang Yanshu, which he had bought at a charity auction. Lele had no concept of money and had always worn it haphazardly as an ordinary watch; the strap had even been burned yellow during an experiment.
It was almost 3 PM. Lele pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then shook her head regretfully.
"We just isolated 3 samples containing mites from 54 samples today. We plan to observe and record the growth cycle of the mites this afternoon. This part is mainly my responsibility, and I can't let my desire to play affect the group's progress."
"Okay, then you can manage your time well. Don't work too hard, and remember to eat." Du Xiaoruo has always had a laissez-faire attitude towards the children. She wholeheartedly agrees that Lele has her own interests and a rich spiritual life.
Lele nodded in agreement, a hint of sadness flashing in her big eyes. She pursed her lips and said with a touch of regret,
"Mom and Dad, I received a notification today that I am not yet 18 years old for the international programming competition I participated in. They said that I have been disqualified from entering the finals because I am not yet 18 years old."
"ah?"
Du Xiaoruo was quite shocked to hear the news. Lele had always been one of the top performers in the competition, and she thought that making it to the finals was a sure thing. But she was stuck because of her age.
Lele values this competition a lot. In his words, he enjoys the thrill of high-level competition. He must be very disappointed that he couldn't make it to the finals.
Qi An couldn't sit still any longer after hearing this; he immediately grabbed the phone.
“They didn’t mention any age restrictions when we participated, and now that we’re almost in the finals, they’re pulling this stunt? Should Dad contact the organizers? Grandma and the others are in the US right now, maybe they can figure something out?”
"No need." Lele shook her head. "I've already checked the relevant information myself. There is indeed no precedent for participants under the age of 18 to enter the finals in this competition. Let's just forget about it. I'll come back when I turn 18."
Xiao Mo ran into the yard with a piece of fried chicken in his hand. When he crossed the threshold, his short legs tripped on it, and his whole body flew out and fell to the ground, landing flat on his face. But the chicken piece in his hand was held high, perfectly protecting the food.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt, as long as the chicken nuggets are alright." After falling, Xiao Mo comforted herself.
Qi An pointed the camera at Xiao Mo, who was clumsily getting up. Lele was speechless when she saw her sister's reaction.
"Xiao Mo, shouldn't you do something about this? If she keeps eating like this, she'll suffer when she tries to lose weight later."
Du Xiaoruo also sighed and rubbed her forehead, "But we still have to be able to control them."
Faced with her older brother and mother's complaints, Xiao Mo rolled her eyes indifferently, sat down on a small stool, and ate her fragrant, sizzling fried chicken nuggets.
If someone isn't proactive in their work, there's something wrong with their head.
The village's long street banquet begins after dark. On the quiet path in front of the village committee, there are long tables that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. Each table is laden with various delicacies such as chicken, duck, fish, meat, seasonal fruits, and rice wine brewed by the villagers themselves.
The guests on the show were treated as honored guests and sat at the first long table, while the other villagers also sat down one after another.
At first, everyone was a little reserved, but after drinking a few cups of rice wine, the atmosphere gradually warmed up, and some villagers even sang toasting songs, their laughter carrying far and wide.
Not only did Brother Guan and his wife, who live on the mountaintop, make a special trip down the mountain, but even Grandpa Niu, who had injured his back, was carried over to join in the fun. It wasn't even as grand as during the Spring Festival.
At this moment, Du Xiaoruo and Qi An's phones rang one after another, but because the phones were in Du Xiaoruo's purse and the scene was noisy, they didn't hear them at all.
Little Mo was happily munching on a big duck leg, his hands covered in oil, when his children's watch on his wrist suddenly rang. Little Mo looked left and right, then asked the cameraman to help him answer the phone.
Lele's voice came through the speaker, "Xiao Mo, let Daddy or Mommy answer the phone, I have an emergency."
"Okay." Xiao Mo nodded obediently.
Lele waited anxiously. After hearing Xiao Mo greet seven or eight people warmly, accept food offered to her by at least three people, refuse food she didn't like five times, and even talk badly about Grandpa Niu's son for a while, the phone watch finally reached Du Xiaoruo's hands.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
