Chapter 80: Li Dongning’s Suggestion (An Extra Chapter for “Sprite Plum” Leader’s Ten Thousand Reward)

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“Brother!”
“Sister!”

When Yang Qing and Tan Jin’er entered the courtyard together, Xiao Qiu’er and Xiao Xi’er were instantly stunned, staring blankly in amazement.

Little Bai abruptly ended her call on her children’s smartwatch, looked at the two, and exclaimed in a curious, childish voice, “Qing brother, how come you and Jin’er sister came back together?”

Without waiting for Yang Qing to reply, she turned toward the two dazed children and asked, “Jin’er sister was just with us, right?”

“Mm-hmm!” The two little ones nodded in unison, then looked at Yang Qing together.

Yang Qing was amused by their odd, questioning glances and said gently, “Alright, stop guessing. I met your Jin’er sister at the gate. And… this is a new friend of mine, Brother Li Dongning, who’s visiting us today.”

“Hello, Brother Li Dongning!” The three children greeted politely. Li Dongning, watching these adorable children and hearing their sweet little voices, broke into a wide smile.

“Hello, little cuties! Here, I bought you some gifts. See if you like them.”

“Teddy bear! Hahaha…” Xiao Xi’er, upon seeing a familiar box, laughed gleefully.

“Mm—Brother—hug—” Xiao Dong’er wriggled free from the hands of Chunxia and the other child, wiggled her little hips over, and bumped right into Yang Qing.

“Oh, little darling, you’re awake?” Yang Qing quickly picked her up, kissed her affectionately, and asked, “Did you eat breakfast?”

“Eat—ate—mm, drink—Dong’er wants to drink—” The little one babbled, her tiny hand adorably pointing at Li Dongning’s teddy bear.

“These… are all your sisters?” Li Dongning looked at the three, then at Chunxia standing aside, and finally at Xiao Dong’er in Yang Qing’s arms, startled.

“Yes,” Yang Qing smiled, offering no further explanation, then invited him inside. Tan Jin’er went to the kitchen to start cooking.

The three children curiously watched Li Dongning, whispering as they followed inside. Xiao Chun’er headed into the kitchen to help Tan Jin’er, while Xiao Xia’er politely poured Li Dongning a glass of water.

“Hey, thank you, thank you so much,” Li Dongning quickly accepted the cup, then looked at Yang Qing, saying,

“Your sisters are so adorable, so sensible.”

“Yes, they’re my pride,” Yang Qing replied sincerely, smiling. Then, seeing the three children staring at Li Dongning, he added gently, “Go play now. If you want to drink the teddy bear drink, take one yourself, but only one bottle each—dinner’s soon.”

“Okay!” The three little ones ran off hand-in-hand, happily grabbing their drinks. Xiao Xia’er scooped up Xiao Dong’er, who was flailing her little arms in Yang Qing’s arms, and followed them out.

With the children gone, Li Dongning relaxed, smiling at Yang Qing. “Your home is so lively, with so many little cuties. By the way… where are Uncle and Auntie? I haven’t seen them.”

Yang Qing paused in silence, then looked at him calmly and smiled, “We’re all orphans.”

Instantly, the smile froze on Li Dongning’s face. He stared at Yang Qing, unable to respond for a long moment.

Seeing this, Yang Qing smiled softly and said, “Drink some water. Dinner will be ready soon. Jin’er’s cooking is superb.”

“Ah, oh, okay…” Li Dongning nodded awkwardly, then looked at Yang Qing apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

“It’s alright,” Yang Qing waved off his apology. “The past is just the past. What matters is the present and the future. They’re happy and joyful now, aren’t they?”

“Yes!” Li Dongning nodded vigorously. Hearing the cheerful laughter from the courtyard, he felt a wave of bittersweet emotion.

Sadness and happiness are never truly balanced; only hope is the constant melody.

His thoughts raced. After a moment’s silence, he looked at Yang Qing and suddenly said, “About the song your sister sang—I have an idea.”

“Oh? What idea? Tell me,” Yang Qing was surprised.

Li Dongning spoke earnestly, “Regarding that song, you said you wanted more people to hear it, to pass on and believe in that spirit, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“In that case, why not record it as a single and release it?” Li Dongning said seriously. “Currently, the only version people can hear is your sister’s live performance on Children’s Day. The sound is clear, but there’s still some background noise.”

“And the video you edited isn’t very clear after being re-recorded, which affects how widely it spreads.” He looked at Yang Qing, speaking gravely. “But if we release a single, we can eliminate the noise, you can re-edit a video, make it a short music video, and upload it to major music platforms!”

“This way, not only can we increase its reach and impact, but also…”

Li Dongning paused, leaving Yang Qing listening intently and a bit confused.

“But also what? Say it.”

Li Dongning glanced at a little figure darting past the doorway, took a deep breath, and said, “But also, it can make money!”

Make money!

Yang Qing’s eyes lit up. He looked at Li Dongning, speechless for a moment. “You made it sound so serious—I thought your ‘but also’ was going to be something shocking. Turns out, it’s just making money!”

Yang Qing laughed, “That’s a good thing! I’d be delighted to earn some money.”

“Uh… well—” Now it was Li Dongning’s turn to be dumbfounded, bewildered by Yang Qing’s reaction.

“Haha…”

Seeing his expression, Yang Qing couldn’t help but laugh. “What, did you think I’m the type who treats money like dirt, some kind of saint? Haha… Let me be clear—I’m not!”

“Haha… Good, that’s a relief,” Li Dongning laughed as well. “I was worried you were. In that case, let’s settle it.”

Yang Qing nodded, “Alright. But how do we record the single? Where do we go?”

“A recording studio,” Li Dongning smiled. “That’s no problem. I have a friend who owns one in Yang City. I’ll arrange it!”

“Great, haha… thank you so much.”

“Haha, it’s nothing. Your sisters are so adorable and well-behaved—I’d love to do something for them.”

“Mm, then I thank you on their behalf.”

“Haha…”

While the two chatted merrily about the preparations and things to consider for recording a single, Xiao Xi’er burst in, laughing gleefully.

“Qing brother, sister says dinner’s ready!”

“Alright,” Yang Qing nodded, then looked at the teddy bear drink in her hand and smiled helplessly. “Xi’er, you’re still drinking the teddy bear drink? How many bottles have you had?”

Slurp!

Xiao Xi’er puffed up her cheeks and quickly took a few big gulps, her wide eyes rolling as she declared, “One! Xi’er only had one!”

“Hehe, Xi’er, you’re lying to brother. You’ve already had three!” At that moment, Xiao Qiu’er rushed in, giggling as she said to Xi’er, “Xi’er, little children shouldn’t tell lies, or their noses will grow longer!”

Instantly, Xi’er was startled. She quickly touched her little nose, found it hadn’t grown, sighed in relief, and patted her chest adorably.

“My nose didn’t grow—scared me!”

“Haha…”

Li Dongning was amused by her series of lovable antics.

Yang Qing smiled at her, saying, “Tonight we’re going back to the shop. Since you drank so many teddy bear drinks, you shouldn’t cuddle Dong’er when you sleep tonight. Let her sleep with me instead.”

“Ah! No! Qing brother, please no!”

Xi’er immediately waved her hands and shouted in protest.