Yesterday, in Xu Gui's live stream, netizens who knew about the Mao family's situation were quite excited.
Could the mystery of whether the old man of the Mao family had actually donated so many things finally be solved?
Many netizens in Xu Gui's live stream opened Weibo to follow the gossip. Only those who joined the live stream yesterday afternoon, or even today, were somewhat confused, typing: "What's going on? Who is this Mao Taiping? Why are you all so excited?"
A kind netizen briefly explained the Mao family's search for inheritance and told them that if they wanted more details, they could watch the replay of Xu Gui's live stream yesterday morning, or watch the edited video by the popular streamer "Loves Fishy Herbs," which was more concise and clear than the replay.
After understanding the Mao family's situation, even more people left Xu Gui's live stream to follow the gossip on Weibo, and the number of viewers in Xu Gui's live stream began to drop.
Xu Gui, at this time, also opened Weibo.
She opened Weibo, clicked on the trending topics, and saw the related topic: #Comrade Mao Taiping donated gold, antiques, and calligraphy worth 3.8 billion yuan to our museum#.
Clicking on this topic, the first thing she saw was the National Museum's response.
After the Mao family incident yesterday, opinions differed regarding whether Mao Taiping had actually donated so many assets to the National Museum, with various speculations. Many netizens left messages on the National Museum's official Weibo account, specifically inquiring about the veracity of this claim.
At that time, a staff member noticed their messages and, keeping them in mind, informed their superiors.
The museum's leadership took this matter seriously. The reason the National Museum hadn't responded to netizens' messages yesterday was because they were researching. Fortunately, after spending an entire night and morning, they finally found the relevant information about Mao Taiping's donation to the National Museum.
[...According to surviving records, Comrade Mao Taiping donated 986 jin of gold to our museum at the time, worth nearly 100 million yuan. He also donated antiques and paintings worth approximately 2.7 billion yuan. The "×× Picture" and "×× Painting" currently exhibited in our museum... these antiques and paintings were all donated by Mr. Mao Taiping...]
Underneath this Weibo post from the National Museum, there was also a picture, or more accurately, a list—a long list—meticulously recording what Mao Taiping donated to the museum.
At first glance, all one could see was densely packed text.
Among these donated items were many worth over 1 billion yuan each. And this 3.8 billion yuan value was measured according to prices twenty years ago; today, the value of these items has more than doubled or tripled.
If measured according to current values, these items would be worth at least 10 billion yuan.
10 billion?!
Netizens who saw this number couldn't help but gasp.
That's billions! Did that old man Mao just donate it all?
The National Museum replied: "[Comrade Mao donated it to our museum free of charge. After repeated inquiries from our director at the time, he only asked for one reward: that the organization arrange jobs for his three children...]"
Mao Taiping also said at the time that he only needed ordinary jobs to feed them, and if they later committed any serious offenses, he wouldn't care; everything would be handled according to the rules.
The three Mao siblings, who always thought finding jobs was their own merit: "..."
At that moment, their pride felt like it had been ripped off, their faces burning with shame. Their past "arrogance" and "shamelessness" seemed to have been trampled into the ground.
Online, things were incredibly lively. Faced with the National Museum's response, netizens had countless questions.
Netizen 1: "[What about Comrade Mao's two first-class medals? Are those real? Wasn't he said to be a bandit? How can he have something like a first-class military medal?]" The National Museum replied: "
Comrade Mao Taiping consistently supported our fight at the time, supplying the front lines with countless weapons and ammunition..."
Netizen 2: "Where did Mao Taiping get so much gold, antiques, and calligraphy? Was it all the wealth he plundered from the people when he was a bandit?"
The National Museum replied: "The items donated by Comrade Mao Taiping were all treasures looted and plundered by the enemy during their time in our country, many of which were even items from the palace..."
Speaking of this, we must mention Mao Taiping's background. He was a bandit, but not a bandit who ruled from the mountains. He defeated the enemy occupying Qinglong Mountain in City A, thus taking control of Qinglong Mountain and its resources.
The enemy forces on Qinglong Mountain were large, and they had plundered an unknown amount of goods. After taking over, Mao Taiping exchanged most of these goods for money, food, weapons, and ammunition, which he then sent to the front lines. This is the origin of the two medals he received.
Later, when the world stabilized, 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 when he suddenly contacted the National Museum, claiming he had a batch of items he wanted to donate to the country.
Yes, to the country, not just the National Museum, but through the National Museum.
According to a staff member at the National Museum at the time, "...it wasn't just money, but countless brilliant cultural treasures..." Many of those antiques and paintings were extremely valuable.
According to Chairman Mao, he had seized these from the enemy and hidden them in the mountains.
He also frankly admitted, "Actually, I thought about whether I should leave some for my children, but after much consideration, I still felt that the country's things 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 Mr. Mao. Many were surprised to learn of this hidden story behind the events. As for the Mao family, they were furious upon seeing the museum's reply.
Hundreds of billions! That's hundreds of billions worth of things!! That old man just donated it all like that?
"He donated it, and he didn't even want anything!" Uncle Mao almost vomited 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 aunt were also ashen-faced—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 united in their hatred, as if they were on the same side.
Aunt Mao was also furious. "Dad really went too far. With all his hard work, he could easily have gotten a government position if he wanted to. But he insisted on coming home to be a lazy bum and forced us to support him. Do you think he really treats us like his children? Does he see us as his enemies?"
Aunt Mao was filled with hatred. She thought about her daughter Kong Minhui's marriage. Kong Minhui's current boyfriend came from a good family, and his family members all worked in the government. The two had a good relationship, but the man's family looked down on Kong Minhui's family background.
If Grandpa Mao had held even a minor official position back then, given his achievements, his rank would have risen rapidly. His daughter, Kong Minhui, wouldn't be facing such difficulties in finding a husband, and wouldn't be being looked down upon.
Most importantly, those items were worth hundreds of billions, and according to the National Museum, their actual value was even greater; several antiques were incalculable.
If Grandpa Mao had been willing to leave them even a little, their family's financial situation wouldn't be so dire now.
The Mao family felt a surge of resentment at the thought of almost possessing such a large fortune. They cursed their deceased grandfather countless times in their hearts, and of course, they cursed him aloud as well.
Mao Dayong held the biscuit box his grandfather had left behind, looking at this and that, his expression somewhat bewildered.
The internet hailed his grandfather as a hero, but in his family's words, he seemed to be the most despicable and disgusting person in the world.
Mao Dayong looked down at the cookie box and hugged it even tighter.
Outsiders had no way of knowing the Mao family's reaction, but even without seeing it, judging from their attitude yesterday, everyone could roughly guess their reaction now.
[The Mao family is definitely cursing at Old Master Mao again, I guarantee it!]
[Just thinking about the Mao family's resentful faces after seeing the Weibo post makes me feel refreshed, like drinking a bottle of ice water on a hot summer day.]
[Old Master Mao has actually been very considerate of his three children; three stable jobs, guaranteed they won't be laid off, that's enough for the Mao family to live comfortably, but they don't seem satisfied.]
[Xu Guizhen is amazing!!! She really predicted everything correctly!! So far, she hasn't miscalculated anything, has she?]
[I used to believe in scientism, now I… scientific fortune telling, how isn't that science?]
As Mao Taiping's affair resurfaced, Xu Gui's name gradually came to the forefront. After all, without Xu Gui, this matter would have remained a secret buried deep in time, perhaps never to be discovered. However
, when everyone learned how Xu Gui had unearthed it, they were all somewhat bewildered. "
Tell me, this was calculated?"
Netizens exclaimed: "I'm confused! Did they see it wrong?"
Xu Gui's fans, including those who had watched her livestreams, strongly asserted: "It really is! It was really 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!"
Those who hadn't heard of Xu Gui were inevitably skeptical: "Is this person really that amazing?"
Netizens were initially impressed but later, after watching the videos directed by her fans, they were like: "??! Is this real? Or is it scripted?"
Fans: [This really isn't scripted. Anyone who's watched Xu Gui's livestream knows this is something even a script couldn't write. Trust me, watching her livestreams every day is like watching a TV drama!]
Xu Gui's fans, especially her career-oriented fans, found their reactions incredibly satisfying. After all, Xu Gui's specialty is fortune telling; it's her profession. From the beginning until now, she's never been wrong. How could that not be satisfying?
It's like what the previous commenter said—the refreshing feeling of chugging a huge bottle of ice water in the sweltering heat of summer.
Xu Gui, however, remained remarkably calm. She already knew all this, so she wasn't particularly affected. While the viewers in the livestream were getting excited, she calmly stated:
"Okay, let's choose the next one..."
Viewers: ??
Xu Gui, have you ever quit drugs?! 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, seemingly bewildered, retorted confidently, "Isn't it common knowledge that I'm a fortune teller?"
Fans: [...This mentality, truly worthy of you!]
They forgot that from the very first day of fortune telling, Xu Gui had always been unpredictable, and from beginning to end, she had been incredibly confident; they had never seen her doubt herself.
Xu Gui tilted her head to look at them: "So, do you still want your fortunes told?"
Netizens: Yes! Of course!!
Xu Gui seemed too calm and composed, making the fans feel that their reactions were somewhat lacking in restraint? Yes, calm, calm.
The composed Xu Gui quickly began her next fortune telling session, but the internet was buzzing with activity. Because of the Mao Zedong incident, many people had also come to know about Xu Gui, and her Weibo followers were skyrocketing, along with the popularity of her live stream, attracting more and more viewers.
When Xu Gui ended her broadcast, the number of viewers in her live stream was already close to ten million, causing her ranking on the show to jump five places, instantly leaping from eighteenth to thirteenth.
The five guests, suddenly notified that their ranking had been surpassed: ??
When they checked the rankings and saw Xu Gui had already surged to thirteenth, their question marks multiplied. At that moment, they had only one thought: "It's 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 couldn't help but feel uneasy. With a complex mix of emotions, they opened Xu Gui's live stream and were shocked by the number of viewers.
Over nine million viewers?!
The five stared wide-eyed.
They almost thought they were seeing things, counting the number of viewers in Xu Gui's live stream again and again, finally having to admit that there were indeed that many people in the live stream.
Realizing this, the five couldn't help but gasp.
As fellow guests on the show, they had some impression of Xu Gui. When she first came to the program, she was a complete newcomer, barely even a nobody, having squeezed her way in entirely through her scandals with Tang and Qiu.
Back then, everyone's impression of her was that of an unremarkable minor celebrity with no fans, only haters.
But in the blink of an eye, she got rid of the then-popular Tang and Qiu, while she herself remained, and now her fan base had multiplied many times over, with her livestream viewership approaching ten million.
—Although livestream viewership doesn't account for a large percentage of the show's rankings, others only have one or two million viewers, while she has nearly ten million, enough to put her ahead of many others.
The five of them, looking at Xu Gui's livestream viewership, gritted their teeth, their eyes practically overflowing with jealousy: It's infuriating to compare people like this!
Wouldn't this popularity be better for them than for this charlatan? —Indeed, many of the guests privately called Xu Gui a charlatan, of course, they called her that secretly.
After all, they wouldn't dare call Xu Gui that 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 were used to her habit of ending her streams on time, explaining, "[Our Gui Gui is like this, she never works overtime, she leaves on time, no matter how many people are in the stream!]"
They were used to it.
However, the first-time viewers were a bit confused: "[Isn't she afraid that no one will watch her stream next time?]"
The fans replied, "[Our Gui Gui relies on her skills! She's a fortune teller, not someone who makes a living by streaming, of course she can turn off the stream whenever she wants!]"
The fans understood clearly that with Xu Gui's abilities, even if she didn't stream, she could set up a fortune-telling stall every day, or... pick up money? She could make a living without being limited to streaming.
They felt that if it weren't for the program's requirements, she probably wouldn't even want to stream.
After hearing the fans' explanation, the first-time viewers understood, and then another question arose: "[Why do you call her Gui Gui? Isn't her name Xu Gui? Isn't 'gui' an insult?"]
Regarding this question… the fans said: [
Secretly, Turtle's nickname is Little Turtle. The director of the orphanage where she grew up told us, and it's absolutely true! Plus, our Turtle really loves little turtles, so our family is called Turtle!]
As for what these fans are called, naturally it's: [Divine Turtle!]
Others: ???
*
Xu Gui, unaware that his fans already had a name, and even more so, [Divine Turtle], relaxed his stiff body after ending the live stream.
He followed up, saying, "The assistant said that the people from [Miaoyu] have taken everything back…"
Xu Gui was on his phone messaging 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, did you find the child's parents?"
Xu Gui: "Yes, I did. I told her about it, but because the child is still young, she doesn't plan to publicize it for now. Instead, she's looking for evidence and then looking for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow!"
Ji Kaiming agreed: "It's indeed not good to publicize this."
Although the child is the victim, those foul-mouthed people don't care if you're a victim or not. They just open their mouths and say whatever comes to mind. The child is still young, and it wouldn't be good if it affected her.
After chatting for a while, Xu Gui said she had to go 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 to fight! So she had to eat her fill this meal.
At this time, the other guests hadn't returned yet, and the restaurant was empty and quiet. Since that was the case, the auntie didn't stand on ceremony and cooked a special meal for Xu Gui and the others, making her best-kept sweet and sour pork and bringing them three bowls of tofu pudding.
It's said that they were the "them" because besides Xu Gui, the people eating included the cameraman and his assistant. The latter two, thanks to Xu Gui, got to taste the old lady's cooking. After the meal, they finally understood why Xu Gui had the old lady cook for her every day.
On one hand, it might have been to save money, but the main reason was probably because the old lady's cooking was so good; the sweet and sour pork she made was absolutely delicious.
The cameraman couldn't help but look at Xu Gui with envy.
He felt that other guests might come to their show to face trials, but Xu Gui was definitely here to enjoy herself. She clocked out on time every day and even had the old lady cook for her from time to time.
No wonder when the crew members chatted before, some said that Xu Gui seemed to have gained weight and looked healthier than when the show first started filming.
If they were working regular hours on the show, with good food and drinks every day, and occasional late-night snacks, they would also gain weight.
The old woman placed the tofu pudding in front of them and sat down next to Xu Gui, asking, "How's that child?"
Xu Gui looked at her with wide eyes, her expression momentarily blank, but she quickly realized who the old woman was referring to.
"You're asking about Zhao Di? She's doing fine," Xu Gui said. "She's adapting well to the orphanage. The only thing is, she's probably used to being bossed around at home. I heard from the director that since she arrived at the orphanage, she's been very eager to help everyone every day."
The director and the others initially didn't want her to help, since she had only just arrived and hadn't settled in yet. However, when they refused, Zhao Di seemed restless and anxious, so they could only assign her some tasks she could manage.
Sure enough, once she could help, Zhao Di seemed less uncomfortable. Plus, she was well-behaved, obedient, and sensible, so after only a few days at the orphanage, everyone there already liked her.
Including the children.
Hearing Xu Gui's words, the old woman's expression turned slightly cold. "This child's previous adoptive parents probably often told her things like raising her was useless, or that she could only eat if she worked, otherwise they would abandon her. So, if you don't make her work, she'll feel uneasy."
Xu Gui said, "What you said is the same as what our director said."
The old woman said, "That's the experience of someone who's been there... By the way, I bought some daily necessities for that child. Take them with you next time you go to the orphanage."
Xu Gui nodded, "Okay."
The old woman remembered something else, and she looked at Xu Gui with a long gaze, saying, "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 she won't have to have several names in such a short time."
The old woman nodded slightly, thinking that Xu Gui's consideration was very reasonable, except for one thing.
"Are you sure she can find her parents in a short time?" the old woman asked. "If she can't, will she just keep calling herself Zhaodi?"
Xu Gui said, "Don't worry, since I said that, I'm confident she can find her parents soon. Don't you remember, I'm a fortune teller."
The old woman's brows furrowed and relaxed, and she nodded.
After the old woman left, the assistant whispered to Xu Gui, "Everyone says the old woman looks very serious and they're all afraid of her. Teacher Xu, you don't seem afraid of her at all?"
Xu Gui said, "Because I know the old woman is a very good person. She's just a little serious."
When the old woman was young, she 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 woman's expression became very serious. Even now that she's no longer a 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 the old woman nicely, and she'll make it for you!" Xu Gui shared his experience with them.
The cameraman and his assistant exchanged a glance and gave a dry laugh: they figured they probably couldn't learn this kind of experience.
After dinner, Xu Gui received a text message from Qiao Qiao's grandmother—the two had exchanged contact information when they were 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 Qiao sent a crying emoji, but Xu Gui's heart was as hard as iron, completely unmoved.
Perhaps because she felt 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 lady: "...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, Xu Gui had recently become obsessed with anime, falling headfirst into the anime pit and unable to extricate herself. Right now, she was watching Doraemon. In her opinion, the world Doraemon lived in was very likely the same as the world she had lived in before—both were large worlds with supernatural powers.
Therefore, Xu Gui felt a sense of familiarity when she saw Doraemon, the kind of familiarity that felt like seeing a kindred spirit.
While Aunt Xu Guigen was explaining what Doraemon was, the other guests gradually returned. Fu Xia, having informed the cameraman that Xu Gui and the others were eating ice cream at the restaurant, rushed there upon her return.
"Wow, Xu Gui, I saw it trending online! There are several trending topics about you! I saw your follower count has increased a lot!" She rushed to Xu Gui, excitedly telling her, and concluded, "Xu Gui, you're really famous now!"
And it's explosive fame! Plus, because of the Mao Taiping incident, her online reputation is very good, and people have a lot of goodwill towards her. This kind of explosive fame is something countless celebrities dream of.
Before this, who could have imagined that the biggest beneficiary of this program would be Xu Gui, the newcomer star who was criticized by thousands? The other highly anticipated guests, on the other hand, received a lukewarm response, with some even withdrawing—yes, we're talking about Lin Xu.
"Your name is still trending on Weibo!" Fu Xia said confidently. "With your current popularity and buzz, you're sure to get a lot of business offers coming up."
Xu Gui asked curiously, "Can I make money from these offers?"
Fu Xia nodded, "Of course, and a lot of money."
Knowing Xu Gui loved money, Fu Xia sat down and carefully analyzed the situation with him: "Your popularity on the show is unparalleled right now, even the best actors can't compare. With your current fame, you could easily make a million from just one business offer."
"I bet the director has received a ton of offers to collaborate with you. Sigh, you signed with [Miaoyu] too early. If you had signed with them with your current fame, your endorsement fee would definitely have doubled!"
she said with certainty.
"Double?" Xu Gui pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "That means six million?"
Hearing this, Fu Xia stared at her in astonishment and couldn't help but ask, "What? You said your advertising fee for [Miaoyu] is how much?"
How did she hear the number six million? Doubling it is six million, so 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 high?"
Fu Xia shrieked, "It's not just high, it's extremely high! Have you ever seen a brand offer three million to someone with no fame or works as a spokesperson? A few hundred thousand at most."
When she signed the contract, from the attitude of Ji Kaiming's secretary and her now-defunct agent, Xu Gui guessed that Ji Kaiming would be very generous with her 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 approached them and stopped.
Xu Gui looked up and saw a handsome, refined face wearing glasses. Despite the hot weather, the man was dressed impeccably in a suit, his gentle demeanor occasionally revealing a hint of shrewdness and assertiveness. "Xu Gui, hello, I'm Kuang Ming. From now on, I 'll be your new manager..."