Chapter 60: Father and Son Drink Together for the First Time

From a distance, Cao Shujie spotted his wife and daughter and jogged over. “Honey, what are you two doing here?”

“We just came to take a look. How many days until it’s finished?” Cheng Xiaolin asked.

Cao Shujie held up two fingers. “Two days to finish digging all the ditches. After that, laying the pipes, connecting everything, and installing the automatic sprinkler heads will take longer—at least four or five days.”

That estimate was about right. The whole job took six days in total.

On the last day, Xia Changhong had Cao Shujie hire twenty people at forty yuan a day to fill in the trenches. They hooked up the power and tested the irrigation on the spot. Cao Shujie walked around the field to inspect the work—everything was perfect.

Xia Changhong gave him a few tips and told him to call if there were any problems; there was a three-year warranty.

The service was excellent, and Cao Shujie wasn’t stingy. That same day, he brought Xia Changhong home, plugged his Bank USB key into his laptop, and transferred the final payment of 160,000 yuan online.

“Boss Xia, did you receive it?” Cao Shujie asked.

Back then, bank transfer notifications cost three yuan a month, but anyone doing business or handling transactions would sign up for the service.

Xia Changhong was no exception. He pulled out his phone and immediately saw a text: “Your account ending in 0748 has received…”

“Mr. Cao, let’s keep in touch. If anything comes up, just contact me directly.” Xia Changhong hadn’t expected Cao Shujie to pay up so straightforwardly.

It made him realize that Cao Shujie was someone worth befriending.

He also figured that with Cao Shujie’s vision, he’d go far in the future, so making friends early couldn’t hurt.

After seeing Xia Changhong off, Cao Shujie went home, explained everything to his wife and parents, then grabbed the pre-mixed nutrient solution and headed up the mountain.

Since late April, after nearly twenty days of hard work, the mountain was finally quiet again.

Standing there, Cao Shujie looked at the orchard, now surrounded by a blue-painted wire fence. The newly installed automated sprinkler equipment gleamed among the lush, vibrant saplings. A deep sense of accomplishment welled up in his chest.

“This is my territory from now on,” the thought popped into his mind out of nowhere.

He strolled over to the reservoir by the well and gazed at the crystal-clear water. Flipping the nearby power switch, he watched as the motor roared to life, driving the pump to suck water into the automated sprinkler system. Sprinkler heads all over began watering the young trees. Slowly, Cao Shujie poured the nutrient solution into the reservoir, letting it mix with the water and spread throughout the orchard.

“It’s still a bit of a problem that I can’t distribute the nutrients evenly,” Cao Shujie muttered to himself.

But for now, he had no better solution, so he’d make do and figure something out later.

He’d come up at noon and kept the irrigation running until after seven in the evening. Down in the village, dogs were already barking. Only then did Cao Shujie shut off the power, pack up the empty nutrient bottles, and hurry home—his stomach was aching with hunger.

On the way down, he really felt how rough and uneven the path was. He made a mental note to talk to Cao Jiangang about road repairs the next day.

“It’s not that long a stretch, shouldn’t cost much. Still, I should ask. Who knows, maybe the Village Committee would actually foot the bill?” Cao Shujie mused.

Back home, as soon as he stepped inside, he saw his daughter Mengmeng dashing back and forth through the house, not caring about the heat.

It was already late May, and with the rising temperatures, even a little activity would leave you drenched in sweat.

“Mengmeng, aren’t you hot?” Cao Shujie called.

Seeing her dad come in, Mengmeng immediately changed direction and ran straight to him.

“Daddy, hug!” Mengmeng spread her arms, ready to leap into his embrace.

But Cao Shujie raised his hands. “Mengmeng, Daddy’s got chemicals on his hands, they’re dirty. Give me a minute, let me go change first.”

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaolin quickly pulled Mengmeng back.

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Cao Shujie came back to the main room. On the table were five bowls of millet porridge and four dishes, a nice mix of meat and vegetables—just looking at them made him hungry.

His father, Cao Jianguo, asked, “Shujie, how’s the equipment? Everything alright?”

“I just tested it on the mountain—works great. From now on, I can handle all the irrigation by myself. That alone will save a lot on labor and boost efficiency,” Cao Shujie replied.

He added, “It’s just too hot—one round of watering doesn’t soak through. I’ll go up again in a couple of days and water it once more.”

“The house needs another soak too, or it won’t hold up,” Cao Jianguo reminded him.

Cao Shujie knew this well and nodded. “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ve got it.”

Just as Cao Jianguo was about to say more, Wang Yuelan cut in, annoyed. She glared at her husband and son. “The food’s getting cold. Can’t you finish eating before you talk?”

“Let’s eat, let’s eat!” Cao Jianguo picked up his bowl of millet porridge and grabbed a stalk of celery with his chopsticks.

Cao Shujie couldn’t help but laugh—his father was completely under his mother’s thumb.

Then, something occurred to Cao Shujie. “Dad, the big job’s finally done. How about a drink tonight?”

Hearing his son mention drinking, Cao Jianguo instinctively glanced at his wife. Seeing she didn’t react, did that mean she approved?

He slapped the table lightly and set down his porridge bowl. “Alright, let’s have a drink. Shujie, go get a good bottle.”

“I want some too!” Mengmeng chimed in, thinking it must be something delicious.

Seeing both Grandpa and Dad drinking, she wanted to join in.

Cao Jianguo laughed happily at his granddaughter’s enthusiasm.

Soon, Cao Shujie returned with a bottle of Fenjiu, the kind in a blue-and-white porcelain bottle.

Cao Jianguo scolded him, “Why’d you bring out the good stuff? Just get a cheap one.”

“Dad, I bought this for you,” Cao Shujie said, unconcerned as he opened the bottle. “When New Year comes, I’ll get you two cases of something even better.”

Cao Jianguo was pleased but pretended otherwise. “You should save your money.”

When Mengmeng saw her dad pouring Grandpa a drink, she protested and insisted on trying some herself.

“Mengmeng, it’s spicy! If you keep fussing, I’ll spank you,” Cheng Xiaolin warned.

But Mengmeng didn’t believe her and wouldn’t give up until she tried it.

Cao Jianguo held out his glass. “Mengmeng, have a sniff first. It doesn’t smell very nice.”

Mengmeng took a whiff and immediately sneezed from the fumes, then obediently sat back down next to her mom, not mentioning it again.

This was the first time father and son had ever sat down for a proper drink together. Between the two of them, they finished the whole bottle.

They drank heartily, and Cao Jianguo was in high spirits, his face glowing red as he kept praising how good the liquor was.

Later, in the other bedroom, Cao Shujie told his wife, “This is the first time my dad and I have ever drunk together.”

“Really?” Cheng Xiaolin found it hard to believe.

“Why would I lie?” Cao Shujie grumbled.

(End of this chapter)