Chapter 75: This Is the Trouble Mengmeng Brought Upon Us

Mengmeng’s dark eyes darted around as she stared at the grass on the ground. While her parents weren’t paying attention, she suddenly bent down, tucked her head, and rolled forward through the grass.

She was having the time of her life. Before her parents could catch her, she even did two more somersaults in a row. Say what you will—this kid had guts.

In just a few moments, her hair was tangled with bits of grass and debris, and the back of her clothes was covered in dirt and leaves. What had been a clean outfit was now visibly grimy. Cheng Xiaolin’s face darkened.

Cao Shujie was caught off guard too. He never imagined his daughter would pull something like this. Watching her frolic through the grass ahead, he thought to himself, “You’re really asking for a spanking today.”

But he had to admit, seeing his daughter being so mischievous filled his heart with joy.

From the very beginning, Cao Shujie never intended to turn his daughter into some bookworm, nor did he ever try to mold Mengmeng into a proper little lady. That was just unrealistic.

Kids should be kids. Let them be free and play to their heart’s content.

There’s a time for everything!

The family of three stayed in the orchard until a little past 5 p.m. The sun was now just a small orange ball hovering above the horizon. Cao Shujie’s mother, Wang Yuelan, called to ask when they’d be home for dinner.

“Mengmeng, let’s go! If we don’t leave now, your Grandmother’s gonna get mad,” Cao Shujie shouted to Mengmeng, who was still running around the orchard.

But Mengmeng didn’t stop. She was bent over, head slightly raised, hands stuck out behind her like wings, making “woo woo” sounds as she ran: “Fly! Fly! Fliiiiiiight…”

She imagined herself as a fighter jet, charging into the sky.

The sight made both Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin burst into laughter. But the moment they mentioned going home, Mengmeng pouted. “Daddy, just a little longer?”

“Not even a little. Your Grandmother’s waiting for us to eat,” Cao Shujie said firmly.

He added, “Mengmeng, we’ve been out for a long time today. I’ll take you out again tomorrow.”

“Really?” Mengmeng stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief written all over her little face.

Cao Shujie felt a little hurt. His own daughter didn’t trust him?

“Really! If you’re good, I’ll take you to the Yellow River to catch fish next time. There’ll be tons of fish!” he said, stretching his arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.

His over-the-top promise immediately caught Mengmeng’s attention. She clapped her little hands in excitement. “Yay! Yay! Daddy, let’s catch fish!”

Cheng Xiaolin, worried her daughter might get hurt, scolded her husband, “Shujie, take it easy. Once was enough. Why are you going again?”

“Wife, your memory’s really not great. Didn’t I tell you last time? They’re releasing water from the upper Yellow River at the end of June. The mud and sand will get flushed out, and tons of fish will swim to the surface. Just imagine—so many fish swimming right on top of the water!” As he spoke, Cao Shujie suddenly remembered he still needed a good fishing net.

Thinking of that, he turned to his daughter. “Mengmeng, Daddy’s going to the county tomorrow. Wanna come?”

“What for?” Mengmeng blinked and asked.

Cao Shujie crouched down, scooped her up in his arms, and started walking with his wife toward the parking platform.

Mengmeng was still curious, looking at her dad, trying to figure out what he was up to.

Then she heard him say, “We’re going to the county to have some fun—and also buy a good fishing net.”

As soon as she heard “fun,” Mengmeng nodded eagerly. “Okay! Okay! Mommy, you come too!”

“All you know is how to play. I’ve got a ton of things to do!” Cheng Xiaolin shot her daughter a look, but Mengmeng just gave her a sideways glance right back.

When they reached the parking spot, mother and daughter climbed into the back of the tricycle. Cao Shujie hopped on the electric tricycle and rode it down the slope. The wind whooshed past them, and Mengmeng started yelling “Ah! Ah!” at the top of her lungs again.

At dinner that night, Mengmeng couldn’t wait to tell her Grandmother, “Grandmother! Daddy said… tomorrow… county… play…”

She broke the sentence into little chunks, but Wang Yuelan got the gist and turned to her son. “Shujie, you’re going to the county tomorrow?”

“Yeah, Mom. Do you want to come?” Cao Shujie nodded.

Wang Yuelan pointed toward the bedroom and said, “Your dad’s still not fully recovered. If I leave, he won’t even be able to get to the bathroom.”

And she was right.

Cao Jianguo had twisted his ankle on a muddy mountain path a few weeks ago. Though it had been over half a month, his foot still hadn’t healed completely. Standing for long periods caused him pain.

The realization hit Cao Shujie—his father might only be in his early fifties, but he wasn’t young anymore.

“Mom, is there anything you need me to pick up?” he asked.

Wang Yuelan thought for a moment and said, “Get some more medicine for your dad.”

“Got it,” Cao Shujie replied.

…

The lure of a day out was like magic for Mengmeng. The next morning, she didn’t even sleep in. By a little after 6 a.m., she was already up.

Seeing her dad playing on his phone and her mom still asleep, she went straight over and started shaking Cheng Xiaolin awake.

Cao Shujie was stunned. What kind of move was this?

Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

Sure enough, as soon as Mengmeng woke her up, Cheng Xiaolin was radiating that unmistakable “just-woke-up” grumpiness. She glanced at her husband first, then turned to her daughter. When she saw Mengmeng reaching for her hair, she instantly knew who the real culprit was.

“Mengmeng!” Cheng Xiaolin snapped, her voice sharp with irritation. Cao Shujie even flinched, but Mengmeng didn’t seem fazed at all. She wiggled her little diapered butt and plopped herself right down on her mom’s pillow—clearly determined to push her luck.

Cao Shujie was speechless. He thought, *You usually seem pretty smart, so why are you acting so clueless now? Fine, just don’t drag me into your mess.*

But of course, that’s exactly what happened. In her fury, Cheng Xiaolin shouted, “Cao Shujie! Look at your daughter! Aren’t you going to do something? She’s driving me crazy!”

And with that, she raised her hand and smacked him on the arm.

*Smack!*

Cao Shujie looked at his now-reddened arm, completely dumbfounded.

Mengmeng went quiet the moment she saw her dad getting hit. She sat obediently to the side, looking like the most well-behaved child in the world.

“Mengmeng…” Cao Shujie’s voice was full of grievance. He couldn’t understand—why was he the one getting smacked when it was his daughter who was being naughty?

The next second, a phrase popped into his head: “Was this… killing the chicken to scare the monkey?”

After breakfast at home, Cao Shujie headed out, carrying Mengmeng, who bounced like she had springs under her.

Cheng Xiaolin followed behind with a bag in hand, while Wang Yuelan saw them off, repeatedly reminding her son to drive slowly and to call her as soon as they reached the county.

“Mom, don’t worry, we’ll be fine!” Cao Shujie glanced up at the sky and said, “We’ll definitely be back before sunset.”

“Grandmother, bye-bye!” Mengmeng waved her little hand and called out.

(End of Chapter)