"Jiaojiao?" Xu Qing hurriedly yelled as soon as she returned home.
Sheng Jiaoyang sat up and moved her gaze towards Xu Qing.
Xu Qing was stunned; she felt that her daughter had changed a lot.
"Why do you look so thin? Is the compet.i.tion wearing you out?" Xu Qing"s heart hurt for her daughter.
"No, it"s just that I"m more toned now."
Sheng Jiaoyang couldn"t stand being looked at with such worry, so she hurriedly stood up and turned around in front of Xu Qing as proof.
Xu Qing then smiled as her daughter seemed more lively than before. Now, she had no time to think about anything else; she just wanted to improve her daughter"s health.
Just look at that skinny body. Even the meat on her cheeks was gone!
"Jiaojiao, you rest at home, and I"ll go buy the ingredients to cook something," after saying that, she then headed out.
Sheng Jiaoyang immediately followed, and taking Xu Qing"s hand, they walked out together as she said, "There"s no need to cook today, we can go out to eat and celebrate."
"But…" Xu Qing was filled with concern. She knew that her daughter had money, but with school starting soon, and the amount required for fees, it would be better to start saving now.
"No buts. I know what you"re worrying about, but don"t. I have enough money to cover my tuition and fees for the next few years."
Xu Qing stopped, then turned to look at Sheng Jiaoyang and ask, "Jiaojiao, what kind of paintings are you selling to make so much money?"
It"s not that she didn"t believe her daughter, but she didn"t know that her daughter had a talent at drawing as she"d never seen any of her artwork before. Moreover, she herself had no talent for art, so she found it hard to imagine what kind of paintings would sell for a high price.
"You wouldn"t understand the concept even if I told you. To put it simply: I went to the Business District in Old Town to sell paintings the other day, and then a super-rich man took a fancy to my painting. He found my painting an artistic creation, and thought that if he paid too little for it, he"d be letting down a masterpiece. Thus, in the end, he paid a hefty sum of money for it."
Sheng Jiaoyang"s words were rather misleading, but she couldn"t tell the truth. How could she say that she"d unfortunately met with Demon King Shen the other day, but was then fortunate enough to receive money from him?
Even if she said it, n.o.body would believe her!
"Jiaojiao, could you tell Mother how much your painting sold for?" Xu Qing asked cautiously as she looked at Sheng Jiaoyang"s expression.
Sheng Jiaoyang thought for a moment and decided to tell her, to save her from worrying about it.
She then stuck out her index finger.
"Ten thousand?" Xu Qing felt that this number was still within a reasonable range.
"Pftt! Even ten thousand isn"t enough to pay the rental deposit for our apartment," Sheng Jiaoyang giggled as she commented. Indeed, people who were used to being poor were less open-minded about spending money.
A certain person had apparently forgotten that she"d initially wanted to ask Demon King Shen for that same amount of money as she needed some quick money back then.
"One hundred thousand?" This number exceeded Xu Qing"s imagination, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of painting would cost one hundred thousand?! It would take her two or even three years to earn so much money. If it was a famous painter selling their work for this amount, then she would easily believe it. But, Jiaojiao was only a young girl who"d just completed her university entrance exam!
"One million," Sheng Jiaoyang answered, not beating around the bush.
Those two words were earth-shattering, and shocked Xu Qing speechless. One million! If they didn"t buy a house and a car, then this money was enough to feed them for the rest of their lives.
"Jiaojiao, you really are too awesome!" After a good while, Xu Qing gradually returned to her senses.
"Therefore, you don"t have to worry about me, as I can make money by selling my artwork. In the future, I"ll be able to earn even more money. If you don"t want to work, then don"t. You don"t need to be responsible for anyone, because I"ll take care of you," Sheng Jiaoyang said earnestly.
In that instant, Xu Qing"s eyes reddened as her daughter had said similar words in the past. But, back then, even though she was touched, she felt that her daughter was still young. At the least, she had to complete university to achieve such a good wish. Yet, now it was different, as her daughter had proved it wasn"t just an empty promise.
At this moment, she felt that raising her daughter on her own after her divorce was the best choice she"d ever made in this life. All those thoughtless remarks onlookers had made over the past few years didn"t matter, and those were nothing in comparison to her daughter"s words of "I"ll take care of you."
Sheng Jiaoyang reached out to hug Xu Qing.
"You should be happy. I"ll no longer be your burden."
"No, you were never a burden. You"re the reason that I can live on." Xu Qing"s voice was a bit choked, but her tone was firm.
Sheng Jiaoyang was greatly moved from the bottom of her heart. She also had a great Mother. Her Mother had steadfastly given birth to her despite knowing that her health would be in danger. In order to take care of her for a few years, her Mother had miraculously overcome the doctor"s diagnosis, and she"d stayed in this world for more than five years.
Xu Qing was a delicate woman, but she was indeed a good Mother. For Xu Jiaojiao, she must"ve suffered.
"In the future, I"ll be your pride," Sheng Jiaoyang took a step back as she spoke.
"You"ve always been my pride."
Sheng Jiaoyang grabbed a tissue from the tissue box placed by the entrance to wipe Xu Qing"s tears before saying playfully, "Let"s go, your little pride will now take you to dinner!"
Xu Qing then broke into laughter.