Film and Television World Life Record

You could go to some well-known hospitals abroad for a checkup; it's best to take preventative measures in advance.

However, this is just his plan; he can't say it out loud yet, and we can't indulge him like this.

He deliberately said, "How about this, I'll rent you a house on your own and hire a nanny to take care of you. Wouldn't it be great to have your own freedom?"

Upon hearing this, Su Daqiang shook his head even more violently, his eyes reddened, and he looked as if he was about to cry.

"No, I don't want to. I don't want to live alone. I've heard that caregivers abuse the elderly these days. Meilan, you just left, and the children don't want to take care of me anymore..."

Su Daqiang, true to his reputation as a drama queen, burst into tears on the spot.

The group of people were stunned for a moment.

Li Mu was both amused and exasperated. He stepped forward and patted Su Daqiang on the back: "Alright, let's not go to a nursing home or rent a place."

"Stay at Mingcheng's house for a while. I'll make some arrangements in the US and bring you over in a while."

Upon hearing this, Su Daqiang's eyes immediately lit up. He stopped sobbing, his tears cleared, and he slapped his thigh, saying, "Great, Mingzhe, that's a good idea..."

……

Furthermore, seeing that Li Mu had readily agreed after his performance, Su Daqiang was overjoyed and his face was full of happiness, despite the fact that his mother had just passed away.

As if gaining confidence and realizing his status as the head of the Su family, he began to act dignified.

As the only remaining elder in the Su family, he felt that his words now carried weight.

He couldn't help but straighten his spine, the first time in his life he consciously straightened his spine, feeling as if he had been liberated from his serfdom and was now in charge.

For the first time in over thirty years, he felt this way. It was a wonderful feeling that expanded his lung capacity and gave him a powerful breath.

Suddenly, he thought of something and, for the first time, bravely looked directly at Mingyu and said, "Mingyu, take me home to get something."

"What are you getting?" Mingyu asked, then got up to prepare, her voice a little loud.

Unexpectedly, Su Daqiang seemed to shrink back as if he were a mouse seeing a cat. He was so frightened by her words that he quickly turned to Li Mu and said softly, "I'm just getting some clean clothes. Aren't you going to stay at Mingcheng's house?"

Li Mu patted Su Daqiang's arm, stood up and said to Mingyu, "Let's go with Dad. I haven't seen the old house for many years. Let's go back and take a look."

Fearing that Mingyu would refuse, Su Daqiang quickly stood up and said, "Alright... Mingzhe, Mingyu, you two come with me."

……

Back at the old house, Su Daqiang nimbly slipped into the inner room and started rummaging around under his mother's bed, which was in a feng shui-favorable spot by the window.

Ignoring the spiderwebs clinging to his forehead, Mingyu stood up triumphantly. Her eyes flashed like lightning, and before Su Daqiang could quickly put the things in his hand into his pocket, she recognized them as a stack of bankbooks.

So, the reason he rushed over was because he was worried about the bankbook under the bed. And what was with the excuse of getting a change of clothes?

He reached out and snatched it, then opened it and saw that there was only a little over 4 yuan in savings.

Su Daqiang, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately panicked and reached out to snatch it back.

"Mingyu! This is all the money I have left, you can't take it from me!"

Mingyu took a few steps back, holding up the savings book and waving it around: "You and Mom have saved so little money over the years."

Su Daqiang stared intently at the bankbook, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "Mingyu, you can't blame me! It's all Mingcheng's fault. Half of my and your mother's retirement pensions have been plundered by Mingcheng over the years. You can't take even this little bit away from me."

Hearing Su Daqiang's words, Mingyu looked at Li Mu beside her.

It's as if it's saying, "See? Big brother, where did all the money in the house go? Who spent it all!"

He then waved the bankbook in his hand and said to Su Daqiang, "Dad, I heard you have a habit of keeping accounts, and you remember every expense clearly from childhood to adulthood."

"Take a look at the ledger, and I'll return your passbook."

Su Daqiang hesitated for a moment, then, seeing Li Mu beside him, as if finding someone to rely on, he quickly took a few steps closer and pointed at Mingyu, saying, "Mingzhe, look at Mingyu..."

It was as if a child was complaining to an adult.

Li Mu was a little amused and exasperated: "Dad, Mingyu was just joking with you. But since you have the account books, why don't you take them out and let us take a look?"

He then turned to Mingyu and said, "Mingyu, return the savings book to Dad first."

Mingyu behaved very obediently.

"Okay, big brother!"

With that, he returned the passbook. Su Daqiang, overjoyed to have it back, treasured it dearly and immediately hid it away carefully.

Then, he rummaged around in the room again and found a stack of account books.

Holding up the thinnest book on top, he said, "This is Mingyu's."

Then he took out three or four more books: "Mingzhe, these are yours."

There was still a large stack left. Su Daqiang pointed and said, "These all belong to Mingcheng."

Su Daqiang said with some pride, "Back then, the school encouraged us to keep a household budget. I remember it very carefully, not missing a single expense. I even won the first prize for being thrifty and good at managing a household in the school's selection. I have maintained the habit of keeping accounts to this day."

Li Mu took out Mingzhe's account and flipped through it. The expenses basically matched his memory, but there were some he had forgotten.

Su Daqiang remembered things in such detail that he even wrote down the exact date on a candied hawthorn skewer he bought.

Then he picked up Mingcheng's account book and flipped through it casually. No wonder he's a freeloader.

Especially after he went abroad, Mingcheng thrived even more, taking money from home almost every one or two months. Over the years, half of their income went into Mingcheng's hands.

He picked up Mingyu's again and looked at it. Even though Li Mu was prepared, he was still taken aback.

It's far too little. Not to mention pocket money, even the cost of some basic study materials is pitifully small.

This shows that, apart from food and lodging, Yu has basically not spent much of her family's money growing up.

Not to mention comparing him to Mingcheng, he's far inferior to him.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh softly, walked to Mingyu's side, and gently patted her shoulder: "Mingyu, I'm sorry you had to go through this!"

Hearing her elder brother say that, Mingyu felt a warmth in her heart and was greatly comforted. Although her eyes were a little red, she still pretended to be nonchalant and said in a carefree tone, "Brother, it's all in the past. I showed you these account books to let you understand the situation. There was no other meaning."

Li Mu nodded: "I understand."

"Some things need to be brought to the table, and you did the right thing."

Mingyu paused for a moment, then finally smiled broadly, like a hundred flowers blooming: "Thank you, elder brother."

……

On the other side, Su Daqiang began to sort out the clothes, but they were mostly old, with some pilling and others coming undone. There were very few good ones; almost all of them were old.

Mingyu said from the side, "Don't take those clothes. Can you even wear them? Go buy new ones later. No one will be watching you anymore, so don't be stingy with yourself. Eat well and dress well. Don't act like you're from the last century."

Upon hearing about buying clothes, Su Daqiang clutched the pocket where his savings book was kept, hesitated for a moment, and looked at Li Mu.

Li Mu said, "Don't take those old clothes. Let's go to the mall. I'll pay, and you can pick whatever you want!"

Su Daqiang then beamed and happily agreed.

Afterwards, the group went to the mall. After walking around, Su Daqiang bought four sets of brand-new vests and underwear, four sets of cotton long underwear, two sets of sweaters and long pants, two pairs of woolen trousers, a jacket, and a down jacket.

And brand new wool socks, as well as household items such as towels, bath towels, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Su Daqiang was so happy that his face turned completely red.

Chapter 8 Conflicts intensify

After buying the clothes and leaving the mall, Li Mu asked Mingyu to find a five-star hotel nearby and book a business suite for them to put their luggage in.

He didn't want to squeeze in with Su Daqiang at night.

……

After having lunch at the hotel restaurant, the group returned to Mingcheng's house.

Julie diligently brewed coffee beside her, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly ground and brewed coffee.

Such a bourgeois lifestyle shows that Mingcheng's family is indeed living a comfortable life.

The group drank coffee, but Su Daqiang looked at his newly bought clothes with a happy expression on his face.

Li Mu took a sip and said to Mingcheng and his wife, "Zhu Li, Mingcheng, Dad's underwear needs to be washed before he can wear it. Do you two need to put in the effort?"

Before Mingcheng could say anything, Julie readily agreed, "Don't worry, big brother, leave it to us."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

As he spoke, he took out two small gift boxes from the side.

"Mingcheng, Zhuli, we came back in a hurry and didn't prepare anything. We could only pick out a simple gift. Please take a look and see if you like it."

The two hesitated for a moment, then declined slightly, but seeing Li Mu's firm attitude, they accepted it.

Upon opening the box, they were surprised to find a pair of matching Jaeger-LeCoultre watches for couples. Julie and Mingcheng were immediately delighted. As people who lived paycheck to paycheck, the two had a penny-pinching taste and would buy some affordable luxury items whenever they had extra money.

The couple had seen these watches in shopping malls many times; they liked them, but the prices were too high.

For two people who frequently need financial support from their parents and live paycheck to paycheck, there's no way they can afford it; they can only look on with envy.

Julie posted several times on her WeChat Moments about this, expressing her regret.

I never expected that my older brother would buy it for them as a gift today. Did he see her old posts on WeChat Moments?

The two were exceptionally happy at that moment.

……