VHBF – Chapter 68 Movie King Daddy (Part 27)

The crew following them froze as they looked at the empty bamboo basket. Then they glanced at Emperor Zhu, who was calmly packing up his things. His little daughter happily hugged her small school bag with her two chubby little hands, holding it tight as if afraid of losing it—it contained all the money she and her dad had earned from selling vegetables!

And now they could even take the emptied bamboo basket back to report to the old man and trade it for a bigger house to live in! Nothing could be better than this!

Before noon, the father and daughter had sold all their vegetables. They weren’t in a hurry to leave; they strolled around the market. Zhu Ji carried a white crucian carp, planning to make a soup. Kids have delicate stomachs, and a crucian carp tofu soup was perfect. He also bought a piece of pork belly to make braised pork. With fish and meat, vegetables were naturally indispensable. Yinyin raised her hand proudly: “Daddy, daddy, Yinyin has vegetables. Grandpa gave them to me this morning.”

Zhu Ji twitched at the corners of his mouth, recalling the basket of vegetables his daughter had picked.

What could a three-year-old understand? She picked the vegetables based on what looked nice—this one a little, that one a little. In that basket, Zhu Ji vaguely remembered two small tomatoes, two small greens, and an eggplant?

A few tomatoes could be stir-fried with eggs, the eggplant was big enough for a minced pork eggplant dish, and the small greens could simply be thrown into the soup when it was nearly done.

After some thought, Zhu Ji didn’t buy any more vegetables. With both hands carrying the goods, Yinyin tugged at her father’s shirt, waddling along with her short little legs. Zhu Ji slowed his pace.

After just a few steps, a few elderly men and women stopped them, including the fruit vendor who had guided them earlier.

The lady held a bag containing a few large, fresh peaches and handed it over, smiling: “Hey, why didn’t you say your child is on TV? We all watch the show at our place. My husband and I love it. Take these peaches home and enjoy.”

“You’re such a sensible child, only three and already helping daddy sell vegetables. More sensible than kids ten or more years older than you. Come again tomorrow! We’ll have watermelons for sale, big, sweet, and seedless—delicious!”

The lady directly placed the peaches into Zhu Ji’s bamboo basket. Before she finished speaking, another elderly man hurried over with half a chicken.

He stuffed it into the basket without a second thought and said: “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

Looking at the soft, rosy little girl, he spoke gently and earnestly: “Good little girl, listen to me. Don’t pick up bottles anymore. Whenever you need food, just come to the market. Our house is nearby.”

Then he looked at the father and said: “Today we killed a chicken. One is too much for us to eat, and I heard there’s a little girl here. My wife told me to bring half for your daughter so she can get some proper nourishment—she’s at that age where she’s growing.”

“Don’t worry, it’s a chicken we raised ourselves. Fat and clean, fed only grains and worms—very nutritious.”

One by one, more enthusiastic elderly men and women added things to the basket—candies, snacks, vegetables, meat, fruits—filling it completely.

Fortunately, Zhu Ji had trained a lot and often carried his child, so his arm strength was considerable. Even with a fully loaded basket, he managed to carry it steadily.

Zhu Ji: “…”

He stayed silent for a moment and looked down at his little one. Yinyin immediately tilted her head up with a sweet smile: “Daddy, you’re so strong! The strongest!”

Zhu Ji: “…”

Ah, never mind. Silly little girl, lucky in her own way—she’s his treasure.

He curved his lips slightly, feeling a surge of inexplicable pride. This is his daughter! Finally, Zhu Ji could somewhat relate to the pride he always spoke of when talking about “dad” in front of Yinyin.

The cameras captured the smile playing on the movie star’s lips—a face so gentle it seemed impossible. Although Emperor Zhu always appeared mild, it had never been like this; he seemed completely immersed in thought, and the smile was genuinely heartfelt.

Yinyin wiggled her father’s shirt, urging: “Daddy, hurry up! Let’s return the cart to Grandpa and move into the big house!”

Unlike the heavy cart full of vegetables on the way there, the father and daughter now felt lighter than anyone. In the back seat, the cart now only held the gifts from the elders and Yinyin herself. This time she wasn’t tied to it; two crew members also sat in the back, one holding Yinyin.

The big house Grandpa owned was a three-story villa with a huge yard full of vegetables, intended for retirement for him and his wife.

They were still active enough to live outside with their children and take care of their grandchild. They came here now and then to pick vegetables and sell some, just to stay active—keeping themselves occupied. Growing and selling vegetables was perfect for them.

Letting someone stay in the house for a few days was no problem. The elderly were superstitious; they believed a house shouldn’t remain empty. Having people move in brought life and energy—especially a chubby, fair-skinned, cute, lovable child. This was considered a blessed child. They could stay as long as needed!

Upon learning that the father and daughter were big celebrities filming a show here, they felt even more at ease. Celebrities are public figures; even if their manners aren’t perfect, they won’t do anything foolish to ruin their image. Letting them stay in the house was definitely safe.

Grandpa was straightforward. After taking the tricycle, he handed them the keys. Zhu Ji even offered to pay rent, but the old man refused. Rural folks are simple and straightforward; to the older generation, young people are like little children. Once a promise is made, there’s no turning back.

He only collected a symbolic amount for utilities—just a few dozen yuan—and then reminded them again, “The air here is good, the mountains and water are nice, but there are lots of mosquitoes in summer. Don’t forget to use the electric mosquito repellent.”

Zhu Ji didn’t refuse out of politeness and thanked them sincerely, thinking that when the show ended and they went back, he would bring a gift to properly thank the elderly couple.

Three-year-old Yinyin was not so reserved. She was naturally outgoing and innocent, saying whatever came to mind. When Grandpa handed Dad the key to the big house, Yinyin looked on excitedly. Once Grandpa and Dad finished speaking, she couldn’t wait to clap her hands.

Her little chubby face beamed with sweetness, and her voice, like honey, rang out clear and soft: “Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Grandma! Grandpa is so nice!”

When it came to Grandma, Yinyin frowned, and her chubby face drooped. “Grandpa, is Grandma feeling better? Does her head still hurt?”

She poked her pudgy finger. “Yinyin wants to see Grandma. Yinyin is lucky! If Grandma touches her, she’ll feel better!”

Grandpa felt warmth in his heart from her words. Children don’t lie; moments ago, she had been thrilled about the big house, but when thinking of his wife’s headache, her little face wrinkled. This child was genuinely kind—a delight even compared to young adults!

He smiled and said it was an old ailment. “A nap and some medicinal soup will fix it. Don’t worry. Little miss, it’s good that you care. In a couple of days, your grandma and I will come over to pick some vegetables and bring you some treats!”

They didn’t return to the production team’s lodging first; they put their things into the “temporary new home.” The house was very new. According to Grandpa, it had been renovated three to five years ago but barely lived in, just occasionally cleaned. All the furniture and decorations were brand new, in a traditional Chinese style, with solid wood sofas and tables. Bright and spacious, Yinyin gasped with delight as soon as she entered. No wonder—she hadn’t seen much of the world. What kind of life had she lived before?

She had lived in a tiny rundown room in a city village, maybe no more than ten square meters including the bathroom. Later, the place she shared with Dad was also a narrow unit: a living room with a kitchen, but extremely small, barely enough space for two people to move. The decor was old, leading young Yinyin to think all houses were like that.

Now, seeing this big house with her own eyes, her round eyes were full of amazement. She looked around, then cautiously reached out her chubby hand to touch the mahogany sofa. Excitedly, she said, “Dad, Grandpa’s house is so big! This chair is solid too, bigger than ours!”

Yinyin was overjoyed, smiling with satisfaction. “Dad, we finally have a big house! Thanks to kind Grandpa! When Yinyin earns money, I’ll buy Grandpa some nutritional supplements!”

“And… buy Dad a big house too!”

At such a young age, Yinyin already had countless wishes. From scavenging bottles to support Dad to now earning money to repay kind Grandpa and buy a big house for Dad, her dreams expanded as her experiences grew.

Yinyin hugged her little schoolbag, filled with lots of money. She felt light, almost as if she could fly. She would definitely earn even more in the future!

When father and daughter were together, Zhu Ji never interrupted her chatter. Once she finished, he would pat her little head and encourage her: very well done!

Yinyin secretly pressed her lips together, cheeks red. Of course, she was a child with dreams!

While Zhu Ji tidied up in Grandpa’s spacious, clean kitchen, he couldn’t help but think of Yinyin’s expression when she entered. His gaze darkened slightly, and his movements slowed.

As a father, seeing his child gaze at someone else’s house with longing and admiration made him feel a mix of sting and numbness, even briefly unable to meet her sparkling eyes.

She was well-behaved and easily satisfied—just a few days in a big house was enough to make her cheer with delight and promise to repay the kind Grandpa.

Zhu Ji knew how frugal Yinyin was. That she wanted to buy nutritional supplements for Grandpa showed just how happy she was.

These were things he could not give her right now.

Since he had stopped lacking money, Zhu Ji didn’t care much about finances. Part of his earnings was entrusted to a former agent for investments, some was donated to orphanages, and some was kept in cash, with several properties and cars bought as fixed assets. Later, he sold all of them and paid breach-of-contract penalties.

His worth was high. The contracts he signed originally started at tens of millions, even an international brand endorsement for three years at over a hundred million. Breach penalties ranged from three to ten times, enough to wipe out his savings.

At that time, Zhu Ji was relatively unaffected. Having experienced hardship from his youth and lived at society’s bottom, then later enjoyed wealth, he didn’t find starting over unbearable.

Perhaps because of his calm nature, events others considered catastrophic seemed manageable to him—as long as he was alive, living steadily wasn’t bad.

He might retire and take an ordinary job or become a certified teacher at a middle school, living a simple life.

He had accounted for everything—except that life would throw him an unexpected surprise: a blood-related child, forever like a little sun, entering his life.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared in his eyes. After finishing this show, he would focus on developing software to earn money to buy a big house for his daughter.

Zhu Ji had developed two software applications. One was a mobile game app, intended to be sold for initial capital. With his mentor’s contacts, he could negotiate with big companies. Confident in his game, he expected a good price.

Once the game sold and he had the money, he could register a company and release the learning software he had developed. Zhu Ji calculated in his mind that in under a year, he could earn enough to buy his daughter a big house.

He was more skilled in gaming software, which could generate continuous income if successful—but he wasn’t interested in that.

His entrepreneurial plan focused on a learning app. In China, children, teenagers, and young adults feared what most? Not games—learning, exams!

From elementary to high school, especially the college entrance exam, these could be pivotal. How many students failed at this stage?

Chinese parents often left their hometowns to accompany their children to ensure they could attend good schools and have future prospects.

This app covered learning from kindergarten to postgraduate levels, including resources, methods, and a personalized learning assistant.

The assistant assigned tasks, scheduled study, and could analyze user data to identify weaknesses and automatically adjust plans.

Zhu Ji’s design also analyzed past college entrance exam questions, organized by region, covering all areas. Even struggling students could benefit if they studied seriously for a month, even last-minute.

The software wasn’t complex in design—the challenge was the massive data. A high-performance server was needed to store, retrieve, update, and calculate the data. Progress was mainly blocked by this.

The top domestic servers were beyond his purchase power, even for rent. What to do? The software couldn’t be abandoned.

So, after filming, he planned to follow his mentor’s suggestion and spend time at a research institute with top equipment for his project.

Zhu Ji had no grand ambitions: he just needed a server to support his learning app. While research outputs belonged to the state, with prior agreement, he could use them for his own company as long as they weren’t sold.

Zhu Ji stared blankly for a long time, long enough that the photographer almost broke professional ethics to interrupt him. Yinyin, having explored outside and satisfied her curiosity, ran in. “Dad, are you done yet?”

They had to pack and move into the big house!