Chapter 89 Where did you get the money?

Jin He has always looked forward to the New Year since he was a child, because it means he can finally rest for a few days and, if he's lucky, he can even treat Xiao Miao to a good meal. So, usually he counts down the days for the New Year. But this year, perhaps because he was too busy, or perhaps because Jin Miao is living a very comfortable life now, he didn't even notice that the end of the year had arrived.

As the most popular member of the group and also starred in "The Emperor's Star," Jin He was invited to participate in the Spring Festival Gala on a local TV station. For a newcomer who has only been in the industry for a year, being able to participate in the Spring Festival Gala is something that many people can only dream of.

It was already past midnight when the program ended, and Jin Miao turned on her phone at that moment.

"elder brother!"

Jin Miao sounded incredibly excited on the other end of the phone, "I watched your show! I watched it with my classmate! You're so handsome!!"

Jin He was waiting for a car by the roadside. The little girl was so excited that her voice cracked. It was noisy on the other end of the phone, probably because she was preparing New Year's Eve dinner with her classmates. Before the holiday, Xiao Miao's homeroom teacher posted about a study tour winter camp in the group. Although Xiao Miao didn't mention it to Jin He, Jin He could tell that the little girl really wanted to go, so she contacted the homeroom teacher herself to register her.

They should be in Shenzhen now.

Jin He didn't know if he was exhausted from promoting his album, filming, and rehearsing for the Spring Festival Gala these past few days, or what. He felt sweaty after standing for a while, and he started to have a fever last night. He suspected it was because he got cold during the snow scene he filmed to wrap up the movie. He took two fever-reducing pills but didn't take it seriously.

But now the temperature seems to be making a comeback, and for some reason he also feels chest pain. It's not easy to get a taxi during the Chinese New Year, so he has no choice but to squat under a street lamp and wait for a car to come.

"Brother! Have you eaten dumplings yet!"

"Not yet, I'll eat when I get home." Jin He felt nauseous from the chest pain and was afraid that if she talked to Xiao Miao any longer, she would give herself away, so she quickly made an excuse to hang up the phone. "I'll talk to you later, Xiao Miao. The car is here, I'm getting in now."

"Okay, sure."

"Do you have enough money?"

"That's enough, don't worry, brother! Happy New Year!"

Hearing Jin Miao's energetic voice, Jin He felt that everything was worth it. After hanging up the phone, he waited on the street for a while before the taxi slowly stopped in front of him. Jin He took a breath, opened the car door, and got in.

Happy Chinese New Year!

The carriage was warm and stuffy, and the smell of tobacco and sweat filled the air. Jin He wondered if she had crawled into the driver's bed.

"Oh, you're that, that celebrity, right? Your name is Jin, Jin..."

"Jin He." Jin He pursed her lips, a smile blooming on her pale face. "Happy New Year, driver."

"Oh my goodness, this is incredible! I even landed a deal with a celebrity during the Chinese New Year."

The taxi slowly started moving, and the driver chatted with Jin He: "My daughter really likes you. Her room is full of your posters. Every time you release an album, she collects your photocards and even complains that they're hard to get."

"Really?" Jin He rubbed his chest and said cheerfully, "Please thank your daughter for me. Thank you so much for her support. Do you need an autograph?"

"Oh, that's great!" the driver laughed, his round face full of a kind and honest smile. "There's a notebook and pen in the seat pocket in front of you. I know your rules. Can't you sign on blank paper? This is a notebook."

After quickly writing her signature in the notebook, Jin He asked, "Do you need me to write a message?"

My daughter is a senior in high school this year.

Jin He paused, his pen poised.

"Please write a message wishing her good luck on her college entrance exam!"

"Your daughter... is eighteen years old this year?" Jin He asked.

"Yes, I'm eighteen this year. Oh, I think we're the same age. Are you also taking the college entrance exam this year? Oh my, you're so busy, how can you keep up with your studies?"

“I started school early, so I must have taken the college entrance exam last summer,” Jin He said. “Uncle, I dropped out of high school, so it might not be very auspicious for me to write a college entrance exam blessing for your daughter like this.”

"Ah, then you can write something like... wishing her to become more and more beautiful. You're so good-looking, this blessing will definitely be auspicious."

Jin He was amused by her uncle, and after finishing writing, she put the notebook back in her pocket.

"You just got off work? Being a celebrity must be tough enough," the middle-aged man said, turning the steering wheel. "Are you going home? Do you live in the countryside?"

Jin He hummed in agreement.

"Great! Now that I'm home, I might even get to eat a hot New Year's Eve dinner," the driver said with a smile. "New Year's Eve dinner is wonderful. After a year of hard work, isn't it all for the chance to eat a hot bowl of dumplings?"

"Now that you know my home address, you have to keep it a secret for me."

"Hey, don't worry, this is called professional ethics. I wouldn't even tell my own daughter!"

Jin He yawned and dozed off amidst the driver's incessant chatter. He didn't know how long it was before the driver woke him up.

"Young man, young man!" the driver shook him. "You've arrived."

"Um, thank you." Jin He struggled to sit up, scanned the QR code to pay with her phone, and then staggered into the village. People in Haicheng rarely stay up all night during the New Year. At this time, every household was already asleep, including her uncle's house, which was closed. Jin He skillfully retrieved the key from the flower bed and opened the door.

He used to sleep with his mother-in-law when he was at home. His mother had said a long time ago that she would come back for the Chinese New Year this year, so there should be two people in his mother-in-law's room now. Jin He just wanted to lie down and get some sleep. There was no part of his body that didn't hurt, and his legs were trembling when he walked.

But he was dumbfounded when he entered the room, because there were three people lying on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Jin He walked over and carefully discerned the difference by the moonlight streaming through the window: This is her mother-in-law, and this is her mother…

Who is the man sleeping next to the mother?

Why is Mom sleeping in the same bed with this man?

The three people were fast asleep, and Jin He couldn't possibly wake them up to make room for herself, so she took a blanket from the closet and went to the living room to spend the night.

There was no heating or stove in the living room, only a small heater. Jin He wrapped herself in the blanket, turned on the heater, and snuggled on the sofa, falling into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept. He was only woken up by a headache. The discomfort he felt after sleeping was not relieved, but worsened. Jin He had a bad feeling. He took out two fever reducers from his backpack and drank them with the cold water on the coffee table. When he looked up, he found that the heater had been turned off at some point.

"So that's how it is," Jin He realized, understanding now. This family was as stingy as misers.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen across the yard. Jin He sniffed, but she wasn't actually that hungry yet. Her intuition told her that she should eat something, so she took a thick coat out of her backpack and wrapped it around herself. She touched her burning cheeks and thought that if her fever didn't break soon, she should go to the hospital.

As Jin He reached the restaurant entrance, she suddenly heard someone inside ask, "What time did Xiao He get back last night?"

It was her mother's voice, and Jin He stopped in her tracks as if possessed.

"I don't know. When I woke up this morning, I found the child sleeping in the living room. Sigh, there was a small electric heater on. Those things use so much electricity!"

This is what my aunt is saying.

"Why didn't this child tell us he was coming back?"

Jin He curled his lip and said, "Bullshit. He told me half a month in advance. He not only told my aunt, but also my mother and mother-in-law."

"Hey, Xiao Sun, have a dumpling."

"Thank you, brother."

The voice was unfamiliar; it must be the man who slept with my mother last night.

"Xiao Sun and I have decided to get married this spring," came the mother's voice. "We're still short one million for the house, and we really can't raise that much. Xiao He usually brings so much money home, so we'd like to borrow some of it."

When her aunt heard this, she was furious: "Xiao He only gives me a thousand or eight hundred yuan now and then to buy groceries and improve our meals. It's not as much as you're saying. Who can come up with a million yuan all at once?"

"Sister-in-law, it's just a loan. We're not going to forget about paying it back. Don't you trust me? Besides, Xiaohe is a celebrity now. She's not afraid of not being able to pay you back. Bring the money."

"It's not that I don't want to lend you the money, it's just that I'm short on cash right now."

"Sister-in-law, Jia Hui is dressed in designer clothes today. His outfit alone could buy a car. Who would believe he's broke? If you don't want to lend him the money, then don't."

"Oh dear, you know, your sister-in-law just took out a loan to buy a house in the city center, and the mortgage payment this month is going to be a lot. Are you really out of money, little sister? If I have money, can't I lend it to you?"

"Huh? Didn't the strawberry farm not make any money before? Where did you get the money to buy a house in the city center?"

"Yeah, where did you get the money to buy a house in the city center?" Jin He's weak voice rang out from the doorway, but the people inside the room seemed to have been suddenly muted, and they all turned to look at Jin He.

"Yes, Auntie, I know best how much money you used to make in a year, but recently Uncle bought a new car and you bought a house in the city center. Where did you get the money?"