Chapter 170: Evil Thoughts Stirred by Da Yizi's Voice (Please Subscribe, Please Support!)

Xu Yuexin didn't say a word, he just led Liu Xiaoli forward, all the way to the gate of Guogongfu.

Liu Xiaoli wanted to say something at this moment, but she thought they had already arrived at the residence and feared being overheard, so she kept silent.

They opened the vermilion-painted gate, Xu Yuexin and Liu Xiaoli entered her room and placed the purchased clothes and other items on the table.

"I've prepared a practice room for you."

Xu Yuexin said to Liu Xiaoli, "I'll take you to see it."

"From now on, for dance practice and such, just dance inside."

"There's also a dedicated practice room?"

Xu Yuexin's thoughtfulness truly surprised Liu Xiaoli.

She had assumed she and her teammates would have to freeze in the courtyard to practice dance, but she didn't expect Xu Yuexin to have everything ready.

"Alright, that's really a hassle for you."

Liu Xiaoli expressed gratitude and, under Xu Yuexin's guidance, walked out of her side room into the Guogong Mansion Main Hall of the Zhongyuan courtyard.

The main hall was far more spacious than the side room; the living room spanned about seventy to eighty square meters, enough for eight girls to practice dance together.

"This is the heating; when it gets cold, open the valve, here."

Xu Yuexin pointed at the radiator and then bent down to demonstrate it once for Liu Xiaoli.

Liu Xiaoli watched attentively beside him, convinced in her heart that Xu Yuexin was a considerate and enthusiastic person, truly kind to her and her teammates.

…

The next morning, Chen Yixue arrived at Guogongfu and discussed dance movements with Liu Xiaoli.

The dance was already set; Chen Yixue mainly made adjustments to individual moves with her.

Xu Yuexin was not at home; he went to Gongti to discuss some on-site matters with Xu Guanzhang.

When he finished and returned home it was already noon, and at that moment Chen Yixue had also finished discussing the dance changes with Liu Xiaoli.

"Let's eat here; the dishes have all been bought."

Xu Yuexin said to Chen Yixue, "Qiao Qiao has no class this afternoon; she'll come back for lunch."

"Hmm, Qiao Qiao loves eating broccoli, does the house have any?"

"If not, I'll go buy some."

"Buy it early."

Xu Yuexin replied.

Liu Xiaoli listened to their conversation nearby and felt that the two had an unusual relationship.

"May I ask what the relationship between you two is…"

Liu Xiaoli asked cautiously.

"I am her brother‑in‑law; the Qiao Qiao we just mentioned is my daughter‑in‑law."

Xu Yuexin explained to Liu Xiaoli.

"Then your daughter‑in‑law must be very beautiful as well."

"Just like her older sister."

Liu Xiaoli laughed, having originally thought Xu Yuexin and Chen Yixue were merely collaborators.

Soon after, Chen Qiaoqiao returned home, and Xu Yuexin began cooking.

Chen Qiaoqiao, Chen Yixue, and the dancing girls including Liu Xiaoli had a rather large amount of food to prepare today.

Xu Yuexin and Chen Qiaoqiao entered the kitchen together and spent two hours before finishing each dish.

"We need to hire a nanny."

In the kitchen, Xu Yuexin tenderly wiped the fine sweat from his daughter‑in‑law's forehead and said to her.

"It's not like we have this many people eating every day."

"When you start working later, you can't keep shouldering the housework."

Xu Yuexin insisted, "Let's settle it like this; in a while I'll go to the labor market to have a look."

In the special period of previous years, even well‑off families dared not hire a nanny, because society regarded having others attend to oneself as the style of a feudal capitalist.

These past two years have been different; public opinion has gradually shifted, and Contracting Production to Households has liberated rural labor, gradually leading well‑off families to start hiring nannies or part‑time workers.

Moreover, Guogongfu's layout is well suited for hiring a nanny: the courtyard has a Four Halls Layout, so the nanny can simply sleep in one of the rooms. A moment later, Liu Xiaoli and the girls came in to serve the rice and carry the dishes.

Braised beef with potatoes, broccoli stir‑fried with shrimp, braised pork trotters…

The dishes were extremely sumptuous, making Liu Xiaoli and the others' eyes light up.

Liu Xiaoli and the other girls were indeed elites of the Song and Dance Theater, yet even so, they rarely saw such abundance of delicacies.

"So many fine dishes."

When the dishes were placed on the table and the other girls busied themselves with their rice, Liu Xiaoli smiled at Xu Yuexin and said, "You've gone to great expense."

"It's only natural. Eat well, then you'll have the energy to dance, haha."

Xu Yuexin ladled a bowl of chicken soup for her, saying, "The soup is quite fresh; give it a try."

"Ah, thank you."

Liu Xiaoli quickly took the chicken soup with both hands.

Then, Xu Yuexin served a bowl each to his daughter‑in‑law and Da Yizi.

After the meal, Liu Xiaoli and the girls rested briefly and headed to the practice room to rehearse dance.

Xu Yuexin conversed with Da Yizi about the current state of the concert.

"I asked yesterday afternoon; a total of 60,000 tickets were sold."

"Each ticket cost 9 yuan, totaling 540,000."

"So far the total expenses amount to 60,000 yuan, with another 30,000 yuan still pending payment."

So that means we earned 450,000.

Xu Yuexin listed calmly, "The key is the subsequent media coverage. I estimate that newspapers on the mainland will definitely report it, and over in Xiangjiang TV stations and newspapers will also take notice."

"Of course, that's all later talk; right now you just need to relax and sing well."

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems on my end."

Da Yizi, full of confidence, had a proud look on her face.

"Hmm."

Xu Yuexin nodded.

Da Yizi had previously been a mainstay of the Cultural Troupe, had seen many big stages, so she surely wouldn't mess up at the concert.

For the next two days, Da Yizi stayed at Guogongfu to facilitate communication with Liu Xiaoli and the others.

Xu Yuexin was busy running around, communicating with various parties about unresolved matters and handling newly arisen problems.

Finally, after endless busyness, the day of the concert arrived at last.

Early in the morning, Xu Yuexin rushed to Gongti and, together with Xu Guanzhang, supervised the workers moving equipment and performed the final test of the wiring and lighting.

Da Yizi and Liu Xiaoli also arrived at Gongti in the morning with the dance troupe's girls for rehearsals and sound checks.

By the afternoon, as the opening approached, the area around Gongti became lively; some audience members had arrived early, gathering around the venue waiting.

The venue opened its doors an hour early to let the audience in.

As more and more audience members took their seats inside the Gongti Venue, the concert began.

"Dear audience friends…"

Xu Yuexin lingered backstage, ready to handle any situation that might arise, when the front‑stage host's voice came through.

Xu Yuexin waited quietly, and soon Da Yizi's greeting to the audience and the cheers echoed from the front.

What a huge sound…

It must be lively up front.

Xu Yuexin stayed in the quiet backstage, accompanied only by two venue staff, thinking to himself.

At that moment, Xu Yuexin felt a bit lonely and desolate.

But soon, he wickedly lifted the corner of his mouth.

Heh, these audience members certainly wouldn't expect that the dignified, elegant goddess singer they admire is actually Xu Yuexin's woman.

The computer broke, typing on my phone is hard, and I also forgot to ask everyone for more support—please give monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)