“Mm-hmm, got it,” Jiang Mo nodded her head like a spinning top. The three men earlier had said some rather blunt things, even trying to get handsy.
She wasn’t used to this kind of scene. If it weren’t for Su Yunjin by her side, she would have bolted out the door in a heartbeat.
What was so fun about this?
Seeing Jiang Mo obediently nodding, Su Yunjin handed her a bottle of drink and casually munched on some fruit herself. “Take it slow and eat up. Someone might come in again soon. Let’s hang out a bit longer before we head back.”
Coming out with the madam meant following her lead.
After eating a bit and filling her stomach, Jiang Mo took on the role of warming up the atmosphere.
Honestly, Su Yunjin’s singing was surprisingly good—much better than hers.
With their hunger and thirst satisfied, Su Yunjin decided they’d had enough fun outside for the day. With a wave of her hand, the two prepared to leave.
Jiang Mo was very self-aware and took the front passenger seat. Even though she couldn’t drive on the road yet, sitting up front was much better than the back seat.
Sitting in the back always made her feel like she was the boss or something.
“Madam, since you’ve been waiting for a while, I found a driving coach online. Once I’m confident behind the wheel, I’ll drive you around,” Jiang Mo said.
“That’s fine, no rush. Just practice well,” Su Yunjin replied. “Why don’t you have Old Li teach you? Your dad’s been driving for decades; he’s a real pro.”
“My dad’s driving skills are great, but he’s been really busy lately, always out on the road,” Jiang Mo explained. She’d talked to Li Daming about it, but hadn’t been able to catch him recently.
That’s why she thought of hiring a coach online—it would save some money on lessons.
As the two prepared to drive away from the club, a black Lexus approached from the opposite direction. Zhuge Shen was behind the wheel, with Gu Xun sitting in the back seat.
Gu Xun glanced out the window, feeling the car and license plate looked familiar. Before he could get a closer look, the Lexus sped past.
They had come to the club for a business meeting, with the venue decided by the other party.
Zhuge Shen parked the car in the garage. The two got out and took the elevator up.
Jiang Mo and Su Yunjin returned to the Gu residence, where Su Yunjin went straight upstairs to rest.
Wang Xia came downstairs after tidying up and asked Jiang Mo, “Where did you two go today? You didn’t spend that long at the beauty salon, right? When I called you this afternoon, you said you had just finished.”
“Oh, we went singing afterward,” Jiang Mo replied cautiously, not daring to say that the madam had taken her to a club to hire male models. Singing was true enough—they had indeed done karaoke.
Wang Xia didn’t press further and turned to busy herself in the kitchen.
Jiang Mo followed her in. On the stove, a small pot was bubbling with steam. “Mom, it’s almost nine o’clock. What are you making?”
At this hour, no one was having a late-night snack at home.
“This is a hangover soup for your husband,” Wang Xia explained. “Your dad messaged me saying he had some business engagements and drank alcohol today. So I’m preparing this soup in advance.”
“Is there really such a thing as hangover soup?” Jiang Mo asked curiously. “Does drinking it mean you won’t get drunk?”
“It’s not that magical,” Wang Xia replied, lifting the lid off the small pot to take a look before turning the heat down. “This hangover soup mainly helps ease the discomfort and speeds up the metabolism of alcohol.”
“This recipe, I got it from a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Back when the old man and the teacher had social events, they always drank, and this soup worked really well. When you have time later, you can learn how to make it with me,” Wang Xia said.
Jiang Mo nodded. Seeing there was nothing she needed to do for now, she decided to go back to her room to freshen up. She wasn’t going home tonight—just wanted to sleep close to her mom for once.
After she finished her shower and came out, she heard voices outside. Li Daming had come back too.
Wang Xia took the hangover soup upstairs and also made some dumplings for Li Daming. The couple sat in the small room next to the kitchen, eating and chatting.
Jiang Mo walked over. “Dad, you’re back. You must be tired. You’re only eating dinner now?”
“I just grabbed something light tonight. But I was hungry, so your mom made some dumplings. Hey, do you want some?” Li Daming sipped the dumpling soup, feeling his stomach settle.
Jiang Mo shook her head, indicating she didn’t want any. She’d eaten plenty earlier and was worried about indigestion if she ate more now. That would make it hard to sleep later.
“Oh, why aren’t you eating tonight?” Li Daming invited. “Come on, have a little more with your old man.”
“Kids say no, and you better be careful not to give her indigestion,” Wang Xia said, rolling her eyes and giving Li Daming a look.
Li Daming caught the message from Wang Xia’s eyes and obediently kept eating.
Under the warm glow of the small room’s lights, the family chatted casually, the atmosphere cozy and heartwarming.
Jiang Mo mentioned she had hired a driving coach and already paid the deposit.
“Look at you, paying someone when your old man is right here! You’re just throwing money away. I could have earned that for you,” Li Daming lamented. “I could even give you a discount. How much is the coach charging?”
“I can’t even get hold of you these days, let alone have you help me practice,” Jiang Mo pouted. “It’s two hours per lesson, twenty hours total, about eighteen hundred yuan.”
“The coach can take you through city rush hours, night driving, highways, and the schedule is flexible,” Wang Xia added approvingly.
“I think it’s money well spent. Don’t wait for your dad—let the professionals handle it. You might not need to drive often, but you can’t be without the skill,” Wang Xia said.
Although she could drive, Wang Xia mainly stuck to familiar routes, and her skills were average.
Mother and daughter had decided, and Li Daming raised his hands in agreement.
“I’ll cover the cost of the coach,” he said.
“No need, Dad. I’m earning my own salary now and have money in my pocket,” Jiang Mo replied. Then she dashed back to her room, came out with two gift boxes, and hurried back to them.
“These are gifts for you both.”
“It’s not a holiday or anything. Why are you giving us gifts?” Wang Xia said, but still reached out to take them.
“Now that I’ve started working and earning my own money, I thought I’d buy you some gifts,” Jiang Mo said. “Go ahead and open them—see if you like them.”
Although she had interned before, her salary back then was low. After covering living expenses—food, drinks, and all that—there wasn’t much left.
Li Daming took the gift box and joked, “Don’t tell me there’s a car key inside.”
“Dad, you’re giving me too much credit,” Jiang Mo grinned, making a bold promise. “But don’t worry, when your daughter has money someday, I’ll definitely get you one.”
“If you don’t mind, I can even afford a go-kart or a bike now.”
Wang Xia chuckled, “Alright, Old Li, stop acting all sly after getting a freebie.”
“I’m just dreaming—what if it actually happens someday?” Men love cars, and Li Daming was no exception. He tore off the cute wrapping paper to reveal the gift inside: a phone brand’s logo.
“Oh wow, a new phone!”
Jiang Mo nodded. “Yeah, your old phone’s been around forever, and it’s gotten a bit laggy. So I thought I’d get you a new one with more storage.”
Li Daming examined the new phone. “That must have cost a pretty penny.”
“Not too bad. There’s a government subsidy, plus some promotions, so I got it for just over four thousand yuan,” Jiang Mo said with a mischievous smile.
“Take a look—do you like it? I’ll transfer all your old phone’s data to this one, so you won’t need the old phone anymore.”
“I love it!” Li Daming said happily. “Ah, my daughter really went all out.”
After Li Daming finished unpacking his phone, Wang Xia began opening her own gift. Inside the box was a lifelike artificial rose. Once she took out the rose, she saw a gold necklace hanging beneath it, adorned with a small fan-shaped pendant.
“Gold is so expensive these days. This must have cost a lot,” Wang Xia said, smiling broadly and showing her front teeth.
“Let me put it on you,” Jiang Mo said as she helped Wang Xia wear the necklace and brought over a mirror.
Wang Xia admired herself in the mirror, gently touching the necklace. “You know, buying these two gifts must have cost quite a bit.”
“It’s okay, as long as you both like them,” Jiang Mo smiled, knowing that gold was always a safe bet for her mom. Although the price of gold had soared recently.
Last year, when Wang Xia’s birthday came around, Jiang Mo wanted to buy gold but thought it was too expensive, so she chose something else.
And of course, gold prices shot up again this year.
Luckily, she’d had some extra income lately.
Li Daming clicked his tongue. “Looks like you love your mom a little more—you got her a much pricier gift than me.”
“Besides, I’m confiscating your phone,” Wang Xia teased, getting close to him. “I think you’re too spoiled by your daughter. She should have bought you a phone worth one or two thousand yuan—that’d be good enough.”
“Hmph, it’s not like you bought it,” Li Daming said, slipping the phone into his pocket.
Jiang Mo didn’t take off the gift her daughter gave her; she just wore it right away. Although she liked it, she still teased a little, “You’ve only been working for a short time. If you have money, save it for yourself. Buy some makeup, get some new clothes. Girls should dress up more. Don’t buy us gifts anymore—we don’t need them.”
“I know, I know,” Jiang Mo nodded. Besides the gifts for her parents, she also prepared one for her younger brother, Li Zheng, planning to give it to him during the May Day holiday.
After Li Daming finished eating, Jiang Mo handed him her new phone. Li Daming asked, “Are you going home to sleep tonight, or staying with your mom?”
“Hehe, I’m going to snuggle with Mom tonight,” Jiang Mo said lazily, not wanting to bother going home.
Li Daming replied, “Alright, then I’m heading home.”
Back in her room, Jiang Mo was watching a short video recommended by Douyin when she received a large red envelope from Li Daming.
Li Daming: “Take this, don’t tell your mom. You’ve only been working a short while, how much can you save? You spent so much at once, so Dad’s giving you a little backup.”
Jiang Mo: “No need, Dad, I have money.”
“Really? Then if you ever run short later, just tell Dad. You just started working; how much money can you have? It’s probably just enough for eating and drinking.”
Uh... she realized she hadn’t told Li Daming about all the red envelopes she received or the pocket money she earned selling secondhand stuff on Xianyu.
That’s why her dad always thought she spent a lot on gifts and didn’t have enough money.
“Dad, isn’t your salary all managed by Mom? Where do you get so much secret money from?”
Li Daming: “...Well, you should go to bed early and don’t stay up late.”
After Wang Xia finished washing up and went back to her room, Jiang Mo snuggled up to her. “Mom, Mom, does Dad’s job have good benefits?”
“Why are you asking all of a sudden?” Wang Xia pushed her daughter gently to the side. She didn’t like sharing a bed with Jiang Mo, mainly because of her bad sleeping habits.
“I’m just asking,” Jiang Mo said, knowing that her mom’s salary was higher than her dad’s.
“Your dad’s job has some benefits, but not as many as mine,” Wang Xia explained. “When it comes to household staff, the wife makes the decisions. Salary raises, personnel changes, benefits—your dad doesn’t really pay attention to these things.”
I see, Jiang Mo nodded.
“Alright, alright, it’s late. Go to sleep,” Wang Xia urged her daughter.
Sleep? No way at this hour.
Jiang Mo played with her phone. “Mom, aren’t you worried I’ll run out of money after buying gifts?”
Wang Xia glanced at Jiang Mo. “You’re right under my nose. I have a pretty good idea of how much you earn and how you manage your money.”
Jiang Mo: ...That’s true.
After two days of rest, Jiang Mo felt her health had returned to normal.
She had originally planned to order custom-made baked flatbreads for Gu Xuan’s classmates, but after going hiking on Mount Tai with her grandfather and then losing two days, she only had time to make the flatbreads today.
Gu Baotian got up early to exercise and took the dogs, Da Huang and Fugui’er, out for a walk.
When he came back, he was visibly annoyed.
“What’s wrong, Grandpa? Didn’t you just go out to walk the dog?” Jiang Mo set down the dough in her hands and leaned in, sensing that the old man was a bit upset.
Gu Baotian pointed at Da Huang and asked, “Am I ugly? No, wait—do you think my dog is ugly?”
Da Huang seemed to understand Gu Baotian’s words. He sat back on his haunches, chest puffed out proudly, and looked at Jiang Mo as if to say, “Look at me.”
Though he used to be a stray, after all this time of care and nurturing, Da Huang had grown much healthier and stronger. His coat was sleek and shiny.
Jiang Mo stroked Da Huang’s head gently. “Ugly? No way. Not at all.”
“Exactly! Some people really have no eye for beauty. This is a purebred Chinese rural dog, carefully bred by our ancestors for thousands of years,” Gu Baotian said indignantly. “And yet someone dares to say my dog is ugly.”
Jiang Mo pieced it together. It seemed that when Gu Baotian went out walking Da Huang, he ran into another dog owner who questioned Da Huang’s looks.
“That’s right, our Da Huang is handsome as can be,” Jiang Mo took the chance to ruffle Da Huang’s head and gave him some water.
Meanwhile, Fugui’er was darting around nearby, poking his little head into Da Huang’s water bowl until Jiang Mo scooped him up and placed him by his own bowl.
Gu Baotian grumbled, “She looks down on my Da Huang, but I look down on her little white dog. Its legs are so short, when it stands up, it doesn’t even reach Da Huang’s knees.”
From the description, it sounded like a small white dog. Not many small breeds were kept in the villa.
“Grandpa, don’t be mad. Let’s go have breakfast. I’ll feed Fugui’er and Da Huang their kibble,” Jiang Mo coaxed Gu Baotian. “Later, I’ll take you fishing.”
