Chapter 112: Such a Dutiful Daughter

What’s the point of earning money if you don’t spend it? He’s not some miser like Grandet!

“Brother, why don’t you buy me a couple of outfits too?” Cao Huifang quickly sidled up to her brother after hearing her sister-in-law’s suggestion, hoping to negotiate.

“You’ve got your own income now,” Cao Shujie replied.

He continued, “Fangfang, you’re a university student now. In two years, you’ll graduate and enter society. A few years after that, you’ll need to think about starting a family and establishing a career. You need to learn to be independent from now on.”

“Sister-in-law, why don’t you buy them for me?” Cao Huifang, hearing her brother’s response, couldn’t be bothered with him. He was impossible!

She turned and clung to her sister-in-law’s arm, trying to persuade her instead.

Cheng Xiaolin clasped her sister-in-law’s hand, gave her husband a playful glare, and said, “Alright, tell me which ones you like later, and I’ll buy them for you.”

“Make your brother pay!”

“Haha!” Cao Huifang laughed triumphantly at her brother. With her sister-in-law backing her up, she felt confident and insisted on helping her sister-in-law carry her niece.

However, when Mengmeng saw her aunt reaching out, she clung tightly to her mother’s neck and refused to let go.

“Mengmeng, you’re just as annoying as your father,” Cao Huifang grumbled. But upon hearing this, Mengmeng turned around, pulled at her eyelids, stuck out her tongue, and made a face, not letting her aunt have her way, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Cao Jianguo and Wang Yuelan had never shopped at the Yiling City department store in their entire lives.

They rarely even visited the mall in their own county.

It’s not that they couldn’t afford it; they just preferred to save their money.

Yet, they managed to support two university students and even helped their son with the down payment on a small house in Beijing.

When it came to spending on Cao Shujie and his sister, they could easily part with tens of thousands, but when it came to themselves, they found even a few dozen too expensive!

In his previous life, Cao Shujie rarely went shopping with his parents due to lack of time. But now that he had the time, he wanted to make up for it.

“Dad, how about you try on this outfit?”

In the men’s section, Cao Shujie spotted a casual outfit that would suit his father well. He asked a sales assistant to get the right size for his dad to try on.

Cao Jianguo felt his hand tremble at the price tag—several hundred yuan. He didn’t want it.

“It’s not nice!” he casually made up an excuse to refuse.

Cao Shujie saw through his father’s little trick and insisted, “Dad, just try it on.”

Seeing his father still hesitant, Cao Shujie earnestly said, “Dad, our family will only get better. In the future, buying one set of clothes, or even ten, will be no problem. You could wear a different outfit every day!”

“Nonsense, such wastefulness!” Cao Jianguo scolded his son with a smile. Such extravagance would surely invite gossip!

But this time, trying on the clothes felt more natural, without any psychological burden.

He took the clothes to the fitting room, while his mother, Wang Yuelan, noticed the price tag and muttered, “Shujie, it’s too expensive. Why buy such good clothes? I could get your dad an outfit at the market.”

“Mom, it’s fine. Money is meant to be spent. We’ll get you a couple of outfits next,” Cao Shujie reassured her.

Cheng Xiaolin also chimed in. She wasn’t overly concerned about money, believing that as long as the family was healthy, everything was fine.

So when it came to spending money, she wasn’t stingy at all. She wasn’t afraid when Cao Shujie wanted to invest.

Thinking their shopping pace was too slow, she suggested to her husband, “Shujie, you stay here with Dad and look at clothes. I’ll take Mom, Mengmeng, and Huifang to check out the women’s section.”

“Go ahead. I’ll join you after we finish here,” Cao Shujie agreed.

Just as they were about to leave, Cao Jianguo emerged from the fitting room. Seeing him, Cao Shujie was pleasantly surprised, “Dad, you look quite dashing!”

“Don’t be silly!” Cao Jianguo said, but his smile betrayed his pleasure.

Anyone would want to look their best!

Cao Shujie pointed to a nearby mirror, “See for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“Grandfather, you look great!” Mengmeng, ever the perceptive one, praised him with a natural flair.

Pleased by his granddaughter’s compliment, Cao Jianguo happily checked himself in the mirror, turning to see his reflection, then touching his stubbly face, “I’m getting old!”

Seeing her father’s antics, Cao Huifang couldn’t help but burst into laughter, “Dad, as the saying goes, ‘Clothes make the man, just like a saddle makes the horse.’ You really do look good when you dress up.”

“Alright, alright, go buy your clothes quickly, so we can go home and make something delicious,” Cao Jianguo waved them off.

Shopping is a natural instinct for women, and even little Mengmeng was no exception. When she saw pretty clothes, she couldn’t resist trying them on, regardless of whether they suited her.

Her mother’s shirt, which she tried on, was so long it reached her feet and even hindered her walking. Yet, Mengmeng was unfazed, proudly asking her mom if she looked good.

She also asked her grandmother if she looked good, but when she reached her aunt, Mengmeng realized her mistake and quickly turned to run!

The clothes tripped her up, almost causing her to fall.

The new clothes got stepped on, and the sales assistant looked troubled. Cheng Xiaolin quickly bought them to ease the situation.

“Mengmeng, you’re asking for trouble. All my previous affection for you was wasted,” Cao Huifang scolded her.

Mengmeng didn’t care. Hadn’t she been scolded enough already?

After browsing the women’s section, Cheng Xiaolin bought two outfits for her mother-in-law, totaling nearly a thousand yuan. Wang Yuelan was delighted but felt the price was too high.

She thought that at the market, with her frequency of buying clothes, she could have bought enough for five or six years.

But then she remembered her daughter-in-law saying, “Mom, we’ll earn 500,000 this year and a million next year. Just wear them with peace of mind!”

This comforted Wang Yuelan, making her feel that the couple’s twenty years of hard work hadn’t been in vain.

“Grandmother, shoes!” Mengmeng pointed at a pair of black leather shoes, insisting her grandmother try them on.

Cheng Xiaolin noticed that the shoes were indeed suitable for her mother-in-law’s age group.

However, Wang Yuelan often did housework at home, and leather shoes were uncomfortable for her, so she rarely bought them.

Urged by her granddaughter, Wang Yuelan tried them on and found them quite nice.

Without hesitation, Cheng Xiaolin asked the sales assistant to bring a new pair in the right size.

Wang Yuelan looked at the shoes and remembered something. “Linlin, you should buy a couple of outfits for your parents too. You can take them along when you visit tomorrow.”

It was Saturday, and the day after tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin had planned to visit her parents the next day to check on the elderly couple.

“Sure, Mom!” Cheng Xiaolin nodded in agreement.

Watching her older brother and sister-in-law buy clothes for their parents, Cao Huifang felt a bit useless. She silently vowed to work harder in the future, earn more money, and not leave all the filial duties to her brother and sister-in-law.

After buying clothes and shoes, they moved to the beverage section and bought a case of Huiyuan pressed peach juice and a case of Wuliangye liquor.

Seeing his son buy alcohol again, Cao Jianguo’s first reaction was, “We still have alcohol at home. Why buy more?”

“Dad, I used most of the alcohol at home for gifts, so there’s not much left,” Cao Shujie explained.

Hearing this, Cao Jianguo grumbled, “But you don’t need to buy such expensive stuff, over 600 yuan a bottle.”

Cao Shujie shook his head and smiled, “Dad, didn’t I say before that I’d get you better liquor in the future?”

“We’ll drink this for now, and I’ll get you something else next time,” Cao Shujie added.

Seeing his son talk on and on, Cao Jianguo realized his son had truly grown up and become the pillar of the family.

“Save a few bottles for when your grandfather and uncle come back,” Cao Jianguo said.

Just as they were about to leave, Wang Yuelan stopped her son. “Shujie, you’re really forgetful. Aren’t you going to Mengmeng’s grandmother’s house tomorrow? Why didn’t you buy a case of liquor to take with you?”

“Oh dear, what was I thinking? My brain must be waterlogged,” Cao Shujie quickly asked the staff to bring over another unopened case of Wuliangye, the same kind.

Cheng Xiaolin smiled happily. She felt fortunate, not because her husband was particularly capable or wealthy, but because she had married into a family with such a warm atmosphere.

“Mom, I’ve never seen you wear a gold bracelet. At your age, a bracelet would look nice,” Cheng Xiaolin suggested.

She continued, “When we passed by earlier, I saw a gold bracelet that I think would suit you. Shall we take a look?”

“No, no, why bother!” Wang Yuelan waved her hands in refusal as soon as she heard about buying jewelry. “It’s so expensive and not something you can eat or drink. Why waste money on it?”

She mainly worried about spending money. The couple had been frugal their entire lives. To put it bluntly, they had saved every penny to put Cao Shujie and his sister, Cao Huifang, through college and help with the down payment on their son’s house. They always saved on their own clothing and food, just making do with what was necessary.

This time, Cao Shujie wanted his parents to let go of the past and enjoy a better life.

Finally, they made a round through the supermarket, buying snacks, drinks, deli meats, and gift boxes for visiting. As Wang Yuelan put it, her son and daughter-in-law could use them when visiting her in-laws the next day.

After finishing their shopping in Yiling City, they headed back to Cao Family Village. The family chatted and laughed in the car, satisfied and looking forward to the future.

Back home, Wang Yuelan took out the lamb from the freezer to thaw, planning to make lamb dumplings for dinner.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival again. It felt like the Spring Festival had just been celebrated yesterday. In the past, Wang Yuelan and Cao Jianguo eagerly awaited festivals because it meant their children would come home to be with them.

Now that the children were around, the couple wished time would slow down. They wondered how much longer they would be able to move around before they grew too old.

Mengmeng held a piece of date-filled mooncake. Her mouth was already stuffed, but she kept trying to cram the whole piece in as if determined to eat it all in one go.

“Mengmeng, slow down. There’s plenty more,” Cao Shujie said when he saw her.

But Mengmeng didn’t listen. She continued stuffing her mouth.

With half the mooncake already in her mouth and unable to fit more, she finally began to chew laboriously, slowly swallowing it down.

But eating so much made chewing difficult.

Cheng Xiaolin, who was helping her mother-in-law knead dough, saw her daughter’s cheeks puffed up like a little drum and quickly told her husband, “Shujie, give her some water to help wash it down.”

“Okay!” Cao Shujie promptly poured a cup of cool boiled water for his daughter.

But as soon as the cup touched her lips, Mengmeng opened her mouth, and the chewed-up mooncake spilled into the cup.

Cao Shujie, exasperated, raised his hand to give her a light smack. “Mengmeng, if you keep wasting food, I’ll have to discipline you!”

But Mengmeng didn’t care. She raised her hand and offered the remaining half to Cao Shujie. “Daddy, here!”

Then she shook her head. “It’s not good. I don’t want it. You eat it, Daddy!”

“…”

What a filial daughter he had!

Cao Huifang, watching from the side, pointed at Mengmeng and laughed heartily.

Wang Yuelan said to her, “Fangfang, how can you laugh? Come over here and help.”

“…” Cao Huifang felt wronged. She felt like she was a bit redundant in the family.

Meanwhile, Cao Shujie busied himself with stewing ribs, frying chicken, and stir-frying some vegetables. He opened a new bottle of Wuliangye and poured his father a glass. “Dad, with the festival approaching, let me toast to you. Here’s to better days ahead.”

“You’re wasting it. It would be better to open a bottle when your grandfather and uncle are here,” Cao Jianguo said, though he had already lifted the glass to his nose, swirling it to savor the aroma.

“Good liquor!” he exclaimed.

Seeing his father’s expert technique, Cao Shujie laughed. “As long as it’s good. I’ll leave the rest for you to enjoy slowly. When it’s gone, I’ll buy more.”

Unexpectedly, his mother, Wang Yuelan, said, “Shujie, a case of liquor costs several thousand. Just thinking about it makes me ache. Don’t buy more for him; it’s a waste.”

“Mom, what’s wrong with Dad having a little drink? I’ll get him even better ones in the future,” Cao Huifang chimed in, sounding like a defiant child.

Seeing her brother and sister-in-law buy so much for their parents, she vowed to buy her dad even better things in the future.

Time is a precious thing, but it’s elusive.

A night slips away like a slippery eel through your fingers. You think you’re holding it tightly, but before you know it, it slips through your grasp and disappears into the mud.

In the morning, Cao Shujie took four dogs out of the house and went with his father to the orchard on the mountain. They scattered ample grass and feed for the calves. Watching the well-fed calves lazily bask in the sun on the hardened ground, Cao Shujie felt a deep sense of contentment.

When they first brought the calves over, they weighed less than 300 jin . But after a month of good care and feeding, including the generous use of nutrient solution on the wild grass, each calf had visibly grown.

“Grow up quickly, once you’re big enough, we’ll slaughter one to taste,” Cao Shujie muttered.

Hearing his son say that, Cao Jianguo felt an urge to kick him. “Useless brat!”

Cao Shujie didn’t mind at all.

(End of Chapter)