Chapter 105: Ode to Joy

The National Day long holiday is, for some, a time of agonizing boredom, and for others, a time of exhausting toil.

Those plagued by boredom are usually the homebodies, their days and nights turned upside down, questioning the meaning of life, wondering what they should be doing, and generally feeling lost.

Those driven to exhaustion are the ones running around to tourist attractions across the country, spending their time either queuing on the highway or queuing at the scenic spots, wearing themselves out completely.

Su Tong’s National Day holiday, however, belonged to neither category; he was busy as a bee.

On the second day of the holiday, he went to the recording studio to record songs. Aside from "Travel," he had pre-recorded a few others, though he didn't plan to release them all online at once, preferring to wait until after he had performed them during his live streams.

After finishing the recording, Su Tong took Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao to a piano store. Now that he had a little money to spare, it was only natural to buy a piano for Xiaoyu.

"Hello there, beautiful lady who counts money until her hands cramp," Su Tong said, smiling at the cashier as he entered the same music store where he had worked part-time during the summer. "They say a day apart is like three autumns; you’ve grown even more beautiful."

The cashier looked up and her eyes lit up at the sight of Su Tong. For boys, a world with beautiful women is colorful; for girls, a world with handsome men is a world of falling flower petals.

"Su Tong? Why are you here?" Qiu Hong asked, pleasantly surprised, automatically filtering out Su Tong’s flirtatious remark.

Su Tong laughed heartily. "I won the lottery, so I’m here to treat you to a meal. How about it? Would you do me the honor?"

Qiu Hong’s face turned beet red. Although Su Tong was younger than her, he was thick-skinned and spoke without restraint. She hadn't been used to it at first during the summer, but she had gradually adapted, though she didn't always blush like this. Yet, after being apart for over a month, she had reverted to her old self, blushing whenever Su Tong said something bold.

Glancing at little Xiaoxiao in Su Tong’s arms and Xiaoyu beside him, Qiu Hong recovered from her momentary panic. That was close—she had almost taken him seriously. After all, who takes their whole family along when trying to pick up a girl?

"Sister Qiu, you’re truly beautiful; you don’t look like you come from an ordinary family. Are you perhaps running away because you were unhappy with an arranged marriage?" Su Tong joked. Aside from her tendency to blush, Qiu Hong really didn’t seem like a girl from an ordinary family; she possessed the refined air of a young lady from a wealthy household.

"Su Tong, if you keep talking nonsense, I’m going to get angry," Qiu Hong said, unable to do anything else but threaten him.

Su Tong chuckled and, holding Xiaoxiao, introduced her. "This is my little sister, Xiaoxiao." He then pulled Xiaoyu over. "And this is my other sister, Xiaoyu. What do you think? Pretty, right? Cute, right?"

Qiu Hong looked at the two girls. This family was certainly full of good-looking people, but she couldn't help but wonder why eighteen-year-old Su Tong had such young sisters. Though puzzled, she didn't pry.

Upon learning that Su Tong wanted to buy a piano for Xiaoyu, Qiu Hong called over another staff member to watch the counter, then led the three siblings to look at the instruments, even pouring them water.

"The manager isn't in, but I can authorize a forty percent discount for you," Qiu Hong whispered to Su Tong, looking a bit shy. She lacked the ruggedness of a girl from the Northeast, possessing instead the delicate charm of a woman from the Jiangnan water towns.

Su Tong chuckled. "Sister Qiu, I knew you weren't an ordinary person. You wouldn't be cheating your boss, would you?"

Qiu Hong blushed again. "No... no, I wouldn't."

"Haha, then I'll play a new piece for you today." Xiaoxiao had been walking for a long time and was tired, so Su Tong, who had been carrying her, set her down on the bench in front of a piano.

Qiu Hong felt a stir of joy. Some girls don't need material gifts; they value spiritual gestures more. Compared to being invited to dinner, a movie, or receiving flowers and gifts, Qiu Hong preferred this. Of course, if it were a villa or a Lamborghini, that would be a different story. A million piano pieces wouldn't compete with that.

"Xiaoyu, come sit over here too," Su Tong said, pulling Xiaoyu to the other side. Xiaoyu had never seen Su Tong play the piano before, and her little face was full of excitement.

A pure piano rendition of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" began to play. It would have been perfect if accompanied by a violin.

In this moment, Qiu Hong was happy—so happy that she wondered if she would feel sad thinking back on it later. Most human sorrow comes from the loss of memories and dissatisfaction with the present. Standing behind Su Tong, watching his elegant and then passionate posture, and seeing Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao swaying to the music, she felt a profound warmth.

*Is this what a family is like?* she thought. She suddenly wished she had siblings of her own, though that was impossible. A family is nice, she mused—she would sit to the husband's right, and their daughter to his left.

The song ended.

"Brother, that was beautiful," Xiaoyu said happily, her face glowing with pride. It was her brother who had played it.

"Thank you for the compliment, beautiful," Su Tong laughed, grabbing Xiaoyu’s small hand and kissing the back of it lightly.

"Brother, brother..." Xiaoxiao called out from the side, "Xiaoxiao thinks it was super, super pretty too!"

"Thank you for the compliment, little beauty," Su Tong laughed, grabbing her soft little hand and kissing the back of it as well.

Qiu Hong wanted to compliment him too, but seeing the interaction between the three siblings, she didn't know how to start.

"Was it not good?" Su Tong asked.

"It... it was beautiful," Qiu Hong said honestly. As soon as she finished, her hand was taken by Su Tong.

"Thank you for the compliment, lovely lady," Su Tong said, kissing the back of her hand as well.

Qiu Hong felt dazed, and when she finally came to her senses, her face turned bright red.

"We’ll take this one. I know you wouldn't cheat your boss, nor would you cheat me," Su Tong said, letting go of her hand.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the doorway.

Qiu Hong’s expression darkened, and a sharp, hidden intensity flashed in her eyes.

"Xiaoyu, cover Xiaoxiao’s ears," Su Tong said. "Don't let go until I come back."

Xiaoyu quickly covered Xiaoxiao’s ears, and Xiaoxiao habitually reached out to cover Xiaoyu’s ears as well.

The shouting at the door grew louder. There was the sound of something crashing to the floor, followed by the shop assistant’s scream. Su Tong and Qiu Hong walked out to see two young men pointing at the assistant, yelling, "Me taking an interest in her is an honor! She’s been dodging me every day—a lowly cashier, does she think she’s some high-born lady? I ask for her number and she doesn't give it, I invite her to dinner and she’s busy, I invite her to a movie and she has no time..."

Su Tong couldn't help but find it amusing. There really are all sorts of people in this world, even those who try to force their "affections" on others. It’s like the idiom about the beaten and the beater—if one is willing to hit and the other is willing to take it, that’s one thing. But try getting someone like Zhou Yu to bully Zhuge Liang, and as seen in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Zhuge Liang would probably be the one to drive Zhou Yu to an early grave.

Qiu Hong was shy in front of the handsome Su Tong, but when faced with these two ugly youths, she became sharp. She walked out and said coolly, "I am just a lowly cashier, not worthy of a young master like you. Stop bothering me and go home."

The two men had been drinking, and they reeked of alcohol. Judging by their attire, their families likely had some money. Su Tong studied them, and suddenly, one of them looked vaguely familiar.