Chapter Sixteen: Consultations from All Sides

The next morning, just after dawn, Su Tong carried Xiaoxiao on his back, with Xiaoyu walking beside them. The three of them left the house together, heading toward the main road in the neighboring village. Come rain or shine, since they had agreed to go record songs in the city today, the three siblings didn’t let their father’s transformation last night delay their plans.

Su’s father was still fast asleep and, naturally, wouldn’t be able to work today. He used to be a foreman, commanding a crew, but now he was just another laborer under someone else’s direction.

The Su family lived at the edge of the village. Behind their house stretched a wide open field, and beyond that, a forested mountain. Su Tong carried Xiaoxiao while she held an umbrella over them. The weather was sweltering, and they hadn’t walked far before Su Tong was drenched in sweat. Still, because Xiaoxiao’s foot was injured, leaving her at home wasn’t an option—she insisted on coming and Su Tong couldn’t rest easy otherwise.

“Geh geh, fish, let’s catch fish…” Xiaoxiao, seemingly having forgotten the troubles of the previous night, pointed excitedly at the rice paddies as they passed, her shouts carefree.

“Haha, we’ll have fun today. We’ll eat grilled fish while we play,” Su Tong replied with a laugh. Their father’s troubles had only brought the three siblings closer.

Before they reached the main road, Su Tong’s phone rang inside his pocket. He took it out and saw an unfamiliar number, the caller ID indicating it was from Yandu.

Seeing his brother get a call, Xiaoyu quickly helped lift Xiaoxiao off Su Tong’s back.

“My number’s from Yandu, but I’m roaming right now,” Su Tong muttered, pained by the thought of the charges. He rarely received calls—few friends, fewer classmates—and when they did want to contact him, it was usually online or by text. Since he’d returned home for the holidays, he hadn’t bothered with a roaming plan.

“Hello, hi, my phone’s roaming and almost out of credit. Unless this is a matter of utmost urgency, a life-and-death situation… If you’re a classmate, send a message on QQ. If you’re a friend, send a text. If you hear this, please respond—just say ‘yes’ or… ‘yes.’ You have one second,” Su Tong said.

The person on the other end seemed to hesitate. “Yes” or “yes”—it wasn’t much of a choice.

“Hey, it’s been three seconds already. Don’t you know how expensive the Big Three telecom companies of Great Qin are? If you’re not going to speak, I’m hanging up,” Su Tong threatened, just about to end the call when an urgent voice came through.

“Wait, please! Are you the broadcaster ‘Nian Nujiao’ from CoolCast? I’m with ShowGrounds and I’d like to invite you for a conversation…” Zhang Xin blurted out her purpose in one breath, feeling exasperated. This ‘Nian Nujiao’ truly was eccentric—who else would answer a stranger’s call with such nonsense?

Su Tong was startled, remembering last night’s events. It seemed “Winter to Huangshan” had already passed along his contact information.

Calling this early showed just how eager they were.

Heh, gold will shine wherever it is.

Su Tong had faith in himself, and in those songs from his past life, each having endured the scrutiny of millions.

“Ah, sorry. I thought it was some girl calling to tease me. You know, when I’m not happy and say so, they always end up happy,” Su Tong replied sheepishly, but couldn’t stop his tongue from running away with him.

Zhang Xin was even more exasperated. At her age, being called a girl—she was already a beautiful woman, thank you very much.

“I…” Zhang Xin was at a loss for words.

Su Tong, mindful of his phone bill and the value of every minute, hurried on: “I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. We can talk, but I wonder if it should wait until I’m back at school. I’m home now, in Seaside City.”

Zhang Xin hesitated. It was only July—if she waited until he returned to school, it would be much too late. She was only reaching out now because his contract with CoolCast was almost up and, recognizing his talent, wanted to recruit him. Otherwise, with his current popularity, she wouldn’t be willing to pay his penalty fee for breaking contract.

“I’d like to meet you in Seaside City tomorrow, if that’s possible. I’ll come in person,” Zhang Xin said, convinced that his talent was worth any distance.

“Great, that sounds good. Just text me the time and place. I still have rice to harvest at home, so I’ll get back to work now,” Su Tong replied, hurriedly hanging up. Why waste money chatting when he could use that to buy popsicles for Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao?

Although he wanted very much to go, he couldn’t appear too eager. They were the ones seeking him out, not the other way around.

His confidence in himself was unshakable.

Zhang Xin was a little annoyed. This one would not be easy to win over—he came off as casual, but was clearly shrewd and thoughtful.

“Heh heh.” After hanging up, Su Tong picked up Xiaoxiao again and said with buoyant confidence, “Sweethearts, we’ll have money soon. We’ll eat well, drink well, and move on to bigger showgrounds—soaring to the top!”

“Gege, gege, I want cold watermelon, and ice cream…” Xiaoxiao’s words were still a little unclear, her thoughts not quite focused.

Xiaoyu was delighted too, licking his lips.

Passing the grocery shop at the edge of the village, Su Tong bought three ice creams for the three of them before heading to the bus stop.

Before the bus arrived, his phone rang again.

Another unfamiliar number, this time from Yangcheng.

He immediately guessed the purpose of the call.

The company’s headquarters was in Yangcheng, and last night someone had tried to get his contact information.

He answered, and sure enough, it was someone from there, also hoping to recruit him.

After hanging up, Su Tong felt a bit conflicted.

Backed by an entertainment company with considerable clout, the showground wasn’t as popular, and its fans and patrons were fewer than CoolCast’s.

The manager also wanted to meet him in person tomorrow. Su Tong said he might not have time, but the other was persistent, saying it didn’t matter—he’d come anyway and wait until Su Tong was free.

Throughout the morning, five calls came in, all from different showgrounds seeking him out.

Su Tong was bemused—CoolCast hadn’t reacted at all.

Perhaps it was just as well; leaving quietly would be easier. If anyone from CoolCast tried to persuade him to stay, he wouldn’t know what to say.

The recording studio in Seaside City was one of the most advanced and well-equipped in the area, with an hourly rate of five hundred Qin coins.

Xiaoyu recorded two songs: “Catching Loaches” and “Childhood.”

Su Tong also recorded two: “Childhood” and “Brothers Sleeping on the Upper Bunk.”

There was a Xiaoyu version of “Childhood,” and a Su Tong version.

By the time they finished all four songs, an hour and a half had passed.

“Very good,” the sound engineer said, admiration clear on his face. It wasn’t just that the songs were good—Su Tong and Xiaoyu both sang beautifully.

Su Tong felt a bit embarrassed. He’d thought that, after practicing, recording would be a breeze. Yet the engineer had him redo takes again and again. It was clear the engineer wasn’t trying to drag out the session to charge more, but was simply upholding his professional standards and habits—always striving for perfection.

“You must be from the conservatory. These songs are new—did you just write them? I haven’t heard them before. You sing well, though you’re not quite used to the studio,” the engineer, a middle-aged man, commented. He’d once worked in music himself, but it was a tough career—those who succeeded soared, while those who failed fell hard.

There were countless good songs online, but even more were buried and forgotten.

In this era, new songs were as plentiful as fish in the river—countless, but without marketing or promotion, they faded into obscurity.

The engineer had high hopes for these three songs, but the harsh reality of the music world made him shake his head privately. Recording these four songs, with post-production, would cost nearly five thousand. Whether they could recoup that investment, he dared not say.