The next morning, Jiang Qiuqiu had just woken up.
Meimei sent her a frantic message. "Qiuqiu! Youâve blown up!"
"Youâre a huge deal! Youâve officially broken into the mainstream!"
"What happened?" she asked, still in a fog.
Things always blew up so quickly on the internet.
A post made by someone in one of Jiang Qiuqiuâs online communities was so heartfelt and wittyâand his interactions with his grandfather so sweetâthat many people had shared it in the Federationâs most popular forums.
Family dynamics are a timeless topic.
Some young people who saw the posterâs conversation with his grandfather commented with envy, saying theyâd never received such treatment. Their own grandfathers were stubborn and old-fashioned. One said his grandfather always wore a stern expression whenever he visited home. And while it was true he hadnât gotten into Federation University, it wasnât for lack of tryingâit was just beyond his abilities... He had worked hard in the past.
His heartfelt complaint also drew a great deal of attention.
The original poster of the popular thread followed the conversation and chimed in with a passionate reply: [To be honest, at first, I also thought my grandfather was boringâjust a stuffy old man. But once I made an effort to get to know him, I discovered things were completely different! You should try getting to know him too. You might just see a whole different side of him!]
The best part was, the commenter actually did it.
Heâd gone expecting to start a new Chapter in his long history of getting chewed out.
To his surpriseâ
[Maybe I should have just laid everything out on the table from the start. I realized that because we never really communicated, we had completely different ideas about each other. He thought I had no plan, that I wanted to stay in the Federal Main City without any real skills. He wanted me to come back home but didnât know how to say it...]
[He told me he also tried to make it in the Federation when he was young, and it was tough back then, let alone now. My grandfather told me so much. Even though he doesnât surf the Star Network, my mom said heâs picked up his old trade again and started doing woodworking. (He originally built his business on woodworking.) He said he wants to save up and help me get a small home in the Federation. I feel so guilty.]
Admittedly, some parents show little love for their children, but the love that most parents and elders have for the younger generation is the purest and most selfless of all.
It is a love as weighty as a mountain and as constant as a flowing streamâa love that is profound, pure, and everlasting.
In an instant, the hashtag #DoYouKnowYourFamily shot to the top of the Star Networkâs trending charts.
Do you really know your family? Now that youâre an adult, do you remember your parentsâ birthdays? Your grandparentsâ birthdays? Your familyâs anniversaries? Have you ever taken your parents to a doctorâs appointment? Can you name even a few of the more important moments from your parentsâ lives?
Most people drew a complete blank.
But on the other hand, most parents knew the details of their childrenâs lives by heart.
Many netizens felt guilty about how little they knew, but they also felt that contacting their parents out of the blue would be awkward. With nothing specific to say, everyone was a little too embarrassed to reach out.
At that moment, an anonymous Level 7 account popped up and explained the story from Jiang Qiuqiuâs broadcastâhow the younger generation had tried to turn their elders into "useful tools," only to be "put in their place" by those same "tools." The user then made a suggestion: If you really donât know what to say, you can invite your parents and family to watch our Jujuâs broadcast together.
âYou get to share delicious food with your family, and you can all eat and chat while watching the stream.
With that suggestion made, someone in the replies naturally asked, "Is the food on the stream really that good?"
The anonymous account didnât say a word, simply dropping a screenshot in response.
It was, of all things, a screenshot from a discussion forum for a seniorsâ community.