Chapter 54: Mengmeng’s Smarts Are Definitely Wasted in the Wrong Place

Cao Shujie carried the things in from the car. As soon as he stepped into the house, his wife greeted him with a silly grin.

It was already late. Wang Yuelan asked why they’d come back so late, and once she understood, she hurried them off to wash up and get to bed.

…

The next morning, roused by the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs outside, Cao Shujie got up and dressed, stepping out of his room.

After a good night’s sleep, he felt refreshed—none of that groggy, foggy-headed feeling he used to get even after a night’s rest following a late one.

From the chimney on the east wing’s roof, blue smoke curled skyward. Now and then, a few sparks would ride the smoke up before fading away in the air.

Even in the courtyard, Cao Shujie could smell the aroma of rice cooking in the big pot.

His father, Cao Jianguo, was sweeping the yard with a bamboo broom. Cao Shujie walked over. “Dad, give me the broom. I’ll sweep.”

“I’m getting my exercise. Go on, do something else,” Cao Jianguo replied, and he meant it.

A few of his peers in the village had suffered strokes and now had their wives nagging them all day. That scared Cao Jianguo into working even harder than before.

Since that was the case, Cao Shujie didn’t insist. “Dad, I’m heading up the mountain to have a look.”

“Go ahead, but don’t forget you need to water your new house today to keep it damp,” Cao Jianguo reminded him.

“I remember.” Cao Shujie nodded. He glanced at the two huskies still sleeping in their cage, tempted to mess with them again, but in the end, his conscience won out.

The little wild cat was up early too, perched atop the cage. When she saw Cao Shujie approach, her cold cat eyes fixed on him, making him feel a bit uneasy.

“What on earth are you, you wild thing? How are you so fierce?” Cao Shujie muttered, then asked offhandedly, “I’m heading up the mountain—want to come?”

“Meow!” Little Wild Cat Huahua called out. Cao Shujie thought she wasn’t interested, but to his surprise, she nimbly leapt off the cage and stood by his side, unmoving.

“Whoa, you actually understood me?” Cao Shujie felt like he must be missing something.

But the little wild cat just replied with another “meow,” shaking her head and shooting him a sidelong glance, as if to say, “Are you stupid or what?”

Cao Shujie figured he was probably overthinking it.

“Let’s go!” Cao Shujie took the lead, heading toward the mountain at the north end of Cao Family Village.

Little Wild Cat Huahua followed right behind. Cao Shujie thought about petting her like other people did, but she wouldn’t have it. Every time he got close, Huahua darted away, so he just let her wander at her own pace.

Passing by the new house, Cao Shujie went in for a look.

It was still early, the sky barely light. There was no water or electricity installed yet, so the interior was pitch black. The house hadn’t dried out either, giving it a damp, eerie feel.

“Meow!” Huahua suddenly yowled, making Cao Shujie jump.

“Huahua, could you not yell for no reason? You nearly scared me to death,” Cao Shujie grumbled.

Huahua turned her head away, looking at him with disdain, as if to say, “Look at you, such a coward. Embarrassing.”

But deep down, she was feeling melancholy. If she remembered right, this used to be her home. So why did everything feel so different now?

The things were the same, but the cat was not. So much had changed. She felt a pang of sadness.

Leaving the house, they made their way up the mountain to the orchard. A wire fence blocked their path—this really did have the feel of a “private domain.”

But no one in Cao Family Village objected. Even the Village Party Secretary, Cao Jiangang, didn’t say a word. Everyone knew Cao Shujie had invested hundreds of thousands into this place; it was only natural he’d want to protect it.

Wild Cat Huahua stuck close behind as Cao Shujie went to check the Old Orchard. The tiny kiwi fruits on the vines had grown bigger.

The leaves and vines were lush and green, pouring all their energy into nourishing the fruit. Just looking at them was satisfying.

Cao Shujie wasn’t in a hurry. He walked slowly, inspecting everything. Whenever he spotted withered branches or vines, he pinched them off on the spot.

If he found any bad fruit, he’d pluck it and toss it away.

At this moment, Cao Shujie was all business.

After checking the Old Orchard, he went over to the new orchard.

These yellow-fleshed and red-fleshed kiwi saplings had been planted for over ten days now and watered twice. Most were thriving, but some looked like they were starting to wilt.

Cao Shujie pondered for a while, surveying the 78 mu of mountain land around him. Manual watering and spraying wouldn’t cut it. He’d have to lay down pipes and install an automated sprinkler system.

He spent another hour or so checking the growth of saplings in other parts of the orchard.

Suddenly, his phone rang out with the tune, “A Heart That’s Been Hurt, Who Can It Still Love?”—a new song by Liu Zhe released just last year, and a favorite of his.

He checked the caller ID—it was his wife, Cheng Xiaolin. “Hello, honey.”

“Honey, are you still up on the mountain? Mom says come home for breakfast,” Cheng Xiaolin said.

“On my way,” Cao Shujie replied.

He hung up and headed down the mountain.

After breakfast, he planned to look around town. If he couldn’t find what he needed, he’d head straight to the county seat.

While eating, Cao Shujie asked his father, “Dad, do you know where I can buy automated sprinkler equipment?”

“What do you want that for?” Cao Jianguo knew exactly what his son was talking about.

Cao Shujie explained what he’d seen up on the mountain. After listening, Cao Jianguo said, “How about I help you water the place later? That automated sprinkler stuff is expensive. For such a big area, you’ll need to spend over a hundred thousand. Why waste money like that?”

Cao Jianguo was still worried about the cost. He figured if a problem could be solved by hand, then why not save the money?

After all, his son’s money didn’t grow on trees. There was no income yet, but he kept pouring tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, into the place. Even a magic money pot couldn’t keep up.

Cao Shujie shook his head. “Dad, you can’t think like that. My orchard is huge. Manual labor alone won’t cut it—the efficiency is low, and the watering isn’t even. If I install automated sprinklers, I can handle it all myself and free up time for other things. It’s a win-win.”

“Besides, this kind of equipment is a one-time investment with lifelong benefits. You can’t just look at the short term.”

“…” Cao Jianguo couldn’t argue with that and didn’t bother to say more.

He muttered, “There’s nothing like that in town. You’ll have to go to the county seat. Huanqiu Hardware Market has it. Need me to go with you?”

“No need, Dad. I can handle this little thing myself.” Cao Shujie thought to himself that his dad wouldn’t understand anyway, so there was no point. Once he got to the county seat, he might as well ask Cao Zhen and the others for help.

At times like this, Cao Shujie felt more than ever that since coming back from Beijing, whenever he wanted to get something done, he always had friends willing to help.

It wasn’t like in Beijing, where he didn’t know anyone. If something came up, coworkers wouldn’t go out of their way to help.

He told his wife he’d be heading to the county seat later. Before Cheng Xiaolin could say anything, Mengmeng piped up, “Daddy, I want to go! I want to go!”

“What for?” Cao Shujie asked her.

Without missing a beat, Mengmeng replied, “To play! To buy dresses! Princess shoes! Yummy food!”

She waved her little hands excitedly. “Lots and lots!”

She might be young, but she was sharp as a tack. Anything that involved her, she never forgot!

Cao Shujie thought to himself, “My daughter’s smarts are definitely wasted in the wrong place.”

(End of chapter)