Chapter 62: Is It Like When Daddy and Mommy Kiss?

Erha was too excited, and with one careless swipe, it knocked the ear off the little dog toy. Seeing this, Erha was dumbfounded.

It looked at the now one-eared dog toy, then at the ear lying on the floor not far away, and finally at its little owner, who was on the verge of tears. Erha’s dog brain buzzed, and its heart pounded as if it couldn’t handle the stress!

“Waaa…” Mengmeng burst into tears, her cries long and mournful.

Cao Shujie was returning from Cao Jiangang’s house and hadn’t even reached the door when he heard his daughter Mengmeng’s wailing, as pitiful as could be.

“Did she fall? Oh no, oh no.” Cao Shujie didn’t dare imagine a bloody scene and hurriedly ran home.

“Mengmeng, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Cheng Xiaolin hadn’t expected the mishap to happen so suddenly. She glanced at Erha, who was lying on the ground with its tongue out, pretending to be dead to escape punishment, and couldn’t help but laugh.

“This silly dog!” Cheng Xiaolin was at a loss for words.

“Mengmeng, it’s okay, don’t cry.” Cheng Xiaolin held her daughter, gently stroking her little head to comfort her.

Wang Yuelan went over and gave Erha a kick.

“Oh, oh, oh…”

Erha felt the kick, though it didn’t hurt much. But Erha’s brain worked quickly, and it let out a series of ‘pitiful’ cries to gain sympathy.

Sure enough, Mengmeng stopped crying when she heard Erha’s cries. She peeked out from her mother’s embrace, watching Erha roll around on the ground, and she laughed.

But then she remembered the dog toy missing an ear and felt heartbroken again. Pouting, she was about to cry again, “Little doggy!”

“Mengmeng, tell Daddy, where does it hurt?” Cao Shujie quickly ran over to his wife and asked.

Cheng Xiaolin, exasperated, said, “Erha knocked off the ear of Mengmeng’s dog toy. Can you fix it?”

“Erha’s asking for a beating!” Cao Shujie glanced at the pitiful-looking Erha but didn’t bother with it.

Erha slunk away to hide.

Cao Shujie picked up the dog toy from the floor, glanced at it, then picked up the fallen ear. He carefully aligned it with the small hole on the right side of the toy’s head and pressed it in with force. With a ‘click,’ it was fixed.

“Mengmeng, look, isn’t Daddy amazing?” Cao Shujie approached his daughter, proudly waving the perfectly intact dog toy.

“Let me see.” Hearing her dad, Mengmeng quickly wriggled out of her mother’s arms, her eyes glued to the toy in her dad’s hand.

Seeing it was indeed fixed, she clapped her hands joyfully, “Daddy, you’re amazing!”

Seeing the admiration in his daughter’s eyes, Cao Shujie felt even more pleased.

Cheng Xiaolin knew her husband had gone out for important matters and asked, “Honey, did you get everything done?”

“I didn’t get the money, but I can apply for a subsidy. It’s still something,” Cao Shujie replied with a smile.

Wang Yuelan asked, “How much is the subsidy?”

“Mom, it’s not much, but for 85 acres, it totals 17,000 yuan,” Cao Shujie explained in detail.

Hearing her son’s explanation, Wang Yuelan frowned, “Isn’t it troublesome to get that money?”

“Yes, after preparing the documents, I need to go to the county to apply at the Forestry Bureau,” Cao Shujie didn’t find it troublesome. He said, “Mom, Cao Zhen’s uncle is at the Forestry Bureau, and he’s in charge, so it should be easy.”

“For just that amount, you’re going to trouble someone?” Wang Yuelan hesitated.

But Cao Shujie didn’t see it that way. He shook his head, his expression firm, “Mom, this is what we deserve!”

“Besides, it’s not just about the money. I plan to lease more land for orchards in the future, and I’ll have to deal with the Forestry Bureau sooner or later. Through Cao Zhen’s connection, I should call him uncle, right? Visiting elders early is the proper etiquette…”

“Honey, you’re really thick-skinned!” Cheng Xiaolin teased him with a laugh.

But Cao Shujie didn’t mind. He clenched his right fist, giving a thumbs-up, “Cao Zhen and I are like brothers. I help him now, and he’ll help me later.”

Listening to her husband’s nonsensical talk, Cheng Xiaolin realized that returning to their hometown indeed offered conveniences unseen in Beijing.

“Honey, bring some gifts when you go,” Cheng Xiaolin reminded him.

Cao Shujie nodded, “I know.”

“When are you going?”

Without thinking, Cao Shujie told his wife, “The Village Committee needs to issue a few certificates for me, and the town needs to stamp them. Once everything’s ready, I’ll head to the county.”

At this point, Cao Shujie couldn’t help but complain, “It’s such a simple matter, but these procedures are too cumbersome. They need improvement!”

Cheng Xiaolin rolled her eyes at him, “It’s about money, so of course, everything has to be precise. You think you can just stretch out your hand and get the money?”

Wang Yuelan said, “Shujie, should I ask your dad to visit your Uncle Jianlin and talk about it?”

Hearing his mother, Cao Shujie waved his hand, “Mom, there’s no need. I can go to the county myself.”

Cao Jianlin was Cao Zhen’s father, and his mother wanted to use the older generation’s connections.

But Cao Shujie found it unnecessary. He said, “I’ll have plenty of dealings with the Forestry Bureau in the future. It’s better to get acquainted with my uncle early.”

“Do as you see fit. I won’t interfere,” Wang Yuelan decided not to meddle with her son anymore.

However, seeing her son’s progress since returning home, she felt like it was a giant leap, a stark contrast to her previous impressions. Now dealing with government departments, her son was truly making his mark!

Cheng Xiaolin also noticed her husband’s rapid transformation over the past two months. Seeing his spirited demeanor, she believed it was a good thing.

…

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. As June approached, the temperature continued to rise. Staying indoors felt hot, let alone working on the mountain.

That day, before dawn, Cao Shujie went to the orchard to water the plants again. Upon returning, he snuggled on the sofa with his wife and daughter, browsing Taobao on the computer, planning to buy clothes, shoes, and other necessities online.

With the further development of the internet, people increasingly accepted online shopping on platforms like Taobao and JD.com. Even in rural areas, there were now courier points.

The air conditioner was on, and the outdoor unit on the east wall was buzzing like a tractor.

“Shujie, the noise from that outdoor unit is way too loud. When you get a chance, have someone take a look at it. Maybe something’s wrong,” Cheng Xiaolin nudged her husband with her elbow.

Cao Shujie nodded, “Alright, if it can’t be fixed, we’ll just get a new one. It’ll save on electricity too.”

Their two air conditioners were quite energy-consuming.

“Mama, princess dress.” Mengmeng was oblivious to her parents’ conversation, her eyes glued to the pictures of clothes on Taobao.

She spotted a dress adorned with rhinestones, particularly beautiful, and quickly called out to her mother.

“Where? Let me see.”

Cheng Xiaolin began scrolling up and soon found the dress her daughter had her eye on. But at a glance, she realized this wasn’t a princess dress; it was a wedding gown.

“Mengmeng, this isn’t something you wear now. It’s what two people wear when they get married,” Cheng Xiaolin patiently explained to her daughter.

As soon as she finished, Mengmeng looked even more puzzled, “Mama, what does getting married mean?”

“Uh!” Cheng Xiaolin found her daughter’s question quite profound and didn’t know how to answer. After thinking it over, she finally said, “It’s like how Daddy and Mommy love each other, so they got married and then had you.”

“So it’s like Daddy and Mommy kissing?” Mengmeng asked.

Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin: “…”

(End of Chapter)