Chapter 113: Mengmeng, Why Am I So Unlucky to Have You?

Given his father’s skills, Cao Shujie could easily dodge, but he was worried his father might lose his balance and fall, so he didn’t move out of the way.

Cao Jianguo didn’t really intend to kick his son; he retracted his leg just in time, almost stumbling in the process.

After finishing their work on the mountain, Cao Jianguo pointed to the weeds in the orchard and said, “Shujie, we need to find someone to cut the grass, or you could buy a small lawn mower, and I can come over daily to mow a section.”

Once grass starts growing, it becomes quite vigorous. Fortunately, these grasses have saved Cao Shujie a significant amount on feed costs for the calves.

“Then let’s buy one. Dad, do you know where we can get one?” Cao Shujie asked.

As expected, Cao Jianguo did know. He told Cao Shujie, “When you have time, go to the town. There’s a place behind the street that sells agricultural machinery. Just ask there.”

“Alright, I’ll check it out as soon as I can,” Cao Shujie agreed.

After returning home from the orchard and having a meal, Cao Shujie began loading things into the car, preparing to visit his father-in-law’s house.

He packed the wine, clothes, and gift boxes he bought at the department store yesterday, along with toys and clothes for the kids, and two boxes of leftover kiwi fruit from home.

Just as he was about to leave, Wang Yuelan brought over a bag of lamb meat. “Linlin, I packed the remaining lamb from the freezer. Take it to your parents so they can make dumplings for the festival.”

Cheng Xiaolin waved her hand, “Mom, I took some over last time. We can keep these for ourselves.”

Wang Yuelan ignored her, opened the passenger door, and placed the bag of lamb in the front seat. “Just take it. We have plenty at home, no need to spend more money.”

Mengmeng, lying on her mother’s lap, waved her little hand at Grandmother Wang Yuelan, “Goodbye, Grandmother.”

“Goodbye, Mengmeng. Be sure to listen to your mom and dad, okay?” Wang Yuelan said.

Mengmeng nodded with a smile, “I will, Grandmother, I’m very obedient!”

Wang Yuelan watched the car drive away before turning back to prepare for the festival the next day.

In the past, she would have stood outside for a while longer, imagining the car and its passengers still nearby. But now, with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter close by, she quietly said, “They’ll be back tomorrow.”

Cao Shujie didn’t drive directly to Anwu County’s Dayao Town, Cheng Family Slope. Instead, he first stopped by the shop selling agricultural machinery in Qingshi Town’s back street.

They did have the small lawn mowers his father mentioned, and they weren’t expensive. However, they were handheld and cumbersome to use. Cao Shujie wanted one that could be operated while seated.

After explaining his needs to the shop owner, Zhao Wenyang, the owner immediately offered to help source the right model. From their conversation, it was clear that the imported ones were pricier, but domestic models were affordable and sturdy, costing around ten thousand yuan each. Satisfied, Cao Shujie took Boss Zhao’s business card, left his contact information, and drove toward Cheng Family Slope.

Over an hour later, they arrived at Cheng Family Slope. As soon as Cao Shujie parked in front of his mother-in-law’s house, his brother-in-law, Cheng Yunping, came running out.

Cheng Yunping ran to the driver’s side, opened the door, and exclaimed excitedly, “Brother-in-law!”

His enthusiasm made it seem like they were real brothers.

Cheng Yunping was 25, having entered the workforce and married early. Though two years younger than Cao Shujie and his wife, his son Cheng Tiandong was a year older than Mengmeng.

“Yunping, are you blind? Can’t you see all these things? Come help me carry them,” Cheng Xiaolin shouted, unrestrained.

Without a word, Cheng Yunping obediently ran to the back, opened the rear door, and called out with a smile, “Sis, I’ve missed you so much!”

“Do you miss me or want me gone? I can’t tell,” Cheng Xiaolin bantered, though she was genuinely pleased to see her brother.

Looking closely at his face, she asked, “Yunping, why is your face so tanned?”

“Sis, I’m always outside, under the sun. How could I not get tanned?” Cheng Yunping replied cheerfully. He reached out to hug his niece, Mengmeng.

But Mengmeng had forgotten who this ‘uncle’ was. Seeing his dark face, she was initially stunned, then started crying when he tried to hold her.

Feeling awkward, Cheng Yunping scratched his head, trying to comfort her, “Mengmeng, don’t cry. I won’t hold you.”

“Yunping, she’s just being fussy. Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine soon. Help your brother-in-law with the things first,” Cheng Xiaolin advised.

“Got it!” Cheng Yunping quickly went to assist his brother-in-law.

Cao Shujie opened the trunk and asked his brother-in-law, “When did you get back? Are you leaving right after the festival?”

Cheng Yunping chuckled, “Brother-in-law, Yingying and I are leaving tomorrow.”

“But tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Cao Shujie remarked instinctively.

Nodding, Cheng Yunping continued smiling, “The factory resumes work the day after. When you work for someone else, that’s just how it is.”

“True, when you rely on others for a living, you have to follow their schedule,” Cao Shujie recalled his past life, now completely committed to a new lifestyle.

As they talked, he unloaded the wine, clothes, snacks, gift boxes, and fruits from the trunk, placing them on the ground.

Seeing the wine box, Cheng Yunping instinctively bent down to pick it up. When he noticed the label, he paused, “Wuliangye?”

He then asked, “Brother-in-law, is this real?”

“Get lost!” Before Cao Shujie could respond, Cheng Xiaolin scolded him.

“Yunping, if you can’t speak properly, just keep quiet. Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

Startled, Cheng Yunping almost dropped the wine box.

Hastily, he stacked two gift boxes on top of the liquor case and carried them home.

Cao Shujie couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw his brother-in-law looking so frightened.

“Wife, why are you scaring him?” Cao Shujie asked.

But Cheng Xiaolin was exasperated, “Don’t shield him. Look at him, he’s a father now, with a three-year-old child, yet he doesn’t act like an adult at all.”

This was interesting. Cao Shujie questioned his wife, “What do you think it means to be an adult?”

Cheng Xiaolin was momentarily speechless.

She simply felt frustrated that her brother and his wife would leave their child at home unattended and still struggle to get by.

“Why not take the child with them? They brought him into this world, so how can they just ignore him?”

Seeing his wife on the verge of an outburst, Cao Shujie advised, “Just vent here, but don’t bring it up later.”

“Every family has its own troubles. Do you really know their current situation? Maybe they’ll sort things out and bring Dongdong to live with them in the future,” Cao Shujie said.

In his past life, his brother-in-law did have some unconventional talents, but those only emerged after many experiences and realizations. Right now, he was still finding his way.

Hearing her husband, Cheng Xiaolin said, “You always make it sound so easy. Fine, why should I bother with them and make myself unhappy?”

“Exactly, that’s the right mindset.” Cao Shujie picked up the rest of the items and headed home.

Seeing his wife still standing there, he urged, “Come on, why are you dawdling? Do you want Mom and Dad to come out and get you?”

“Ugh, stop talking nonsense.” Cheng Xiaolin took Mengmeng’s hand and headed home. Before they even entered, her mother Li Xiaojuan and sister-in-law Liu Yingying came out to greet them.

“Sis, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for you!” Liu Yingying said with a smile.

They had returned the night before and heard from their mother-in-law about the situation with the elder sister-in-law and her husband, learning that they had quit their jobs in Beijing and were now developing their prospects back home.

Their mother-in-law also mentioned that the elder sister-in-law and her husband had visited two or three times recently, bringing many things for the child.

Especially since her husband had just brought in a case of Wuliangye, Liu Yingying, who worked at a supermarket, knew the price of Wuliangye well.

Naturally, she was curious if the elder sister-in-law and her husband had really struck it rich back home.

Even so, they had no intention of following the sister-in-law and her husband to develop their own prospects. Farming and orchard work were things they would never consider doing.

The women gathered and mostly talked about the children.

Cao Shujie carried the remaining items inside and saw his father-in-law Cheng Rengui standing in the courtyard.

At 49, Cheng Rengui was an ordinary rural man who followed the town’s construction crew around, lacking any significant skills or talents. However, he was honest and hardworking, making him a person others liked to associate with.

“Father!” Cao Shujie greeted.

Cheng Rengui quickly came over, “Shujie, you didn’t have to bring so much stuff. It’s just a waste of money.”

“It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it wasn’t much,” Cao Shujie replied with a smile.

It was clear that his father-in-law had been working hard outside. Although he wasn’t yet 50, his hair was already graying.

Cheng Rengui took some of the items from him, and the two men chatted as they entered the main room.

Li Xiaojuan, knowing her daughter and son-in-law were coming today, had been preparing food since receiving her daughter’s call.

Her son and daughter-in-law were leaving the next day, and with her daughter and son-in-law visiting today, it felt like a family Mid-Autumn Festival celebration.

During the meal, six adults sat around a round table. Cao Shujie opened a bottle of Wuliangye and poured a glass for his father-in-law and brother-in-law, while his mother-in-law and the other women drank soft drinks.

Even Mengmeng and her cousin Dongdong wanted to join in with their own drinks.

Cheng Rengui was curious about how his son-in-law’s orchard was doing and casually asked after a few sips of wine.

Before Cao Shujie could respond, Cheng Xiaolin chimed in, “Dad, our orchard’s kiwi fruits sold out a while ago, but we saved some. They’re in the box; you should try them later.”

“Are they that popular? There are two families in our town growing kiwi fruits, but they can’t sell them at the high prices they want. They can’t sell much at the market, and they spoil if left too long,” Cheng Rengui remarked.

The meal stretched from noon into the afternoon, with Mengmeng and her cousin Cheng Tiandong being the happiest.

They had new clothes, toys, snacks, and drinks, and were having a blast.

After lunch, Li Xiaojuan went to wash the dishes, suggesting her daughter-in-law and daughter chat on the side.

Cheng Xiaolin casually brought up her nephew Cheng Tiandong’s schooling.

Liu Yingying was worried about this. After spending so much time outside, she didn’t want her son to attend kindergarten in their hometown. She preferred to take him elsewhere, but couldn’t manage it herself.

She had even discussed with her mother-in-law the possibility of renting a two-bedroom apartment outside, so her mother-in-law could help take care of the child and handle school pick-ups and drop-offs. If her mother-in-law was bored, she could find some part-time work to earn a bit of money.

But her mother-in-law was unwilling, saying she wasn’t used to living outside and preferred staying at home.

Since they couldn’t reach an agreement, Liu Yingying was in a difficult position.

If one of them had to stop working to care for the child, their income would drop significantly, which would be problematic for them.

Hearing her sister-in-law mention this, Liu Yingying hoped she might persuade her mother-in-law to move with them.

Cheng Xiaolin wanted to say, “I took care of my child myself, why can’t you?” But remembering her husband’s advice not to meddle too much in her brother’s family affairs, she swallowed her words.

After playing with her cousin for a while, Mengmeng grew bored. She found her cousin too slow to follow her games, which made playing with him dull.

Seeing her father chatting with her uncle, she ran over and jumped onto her father’s lap, “Daddy, hug me.”

As she spoke, Mengmeng playfully sprawled across her father’s lap, her arms and head hanging down, legs kicking up, almost falling to the ground if not careful.

With no other choice, Cao Shujie lifted Mengmeng onto his lap, listening to his brother-in-law talk about the hardships of working outside. Remembering his own past work experiences, he nodded in empathy.

But Mengmeng was determined to interrupt their conversation, “Daddy, let’s play seesaw.”

“You’ve really got some nerve!” Cao Shujie extended one leg for her to sit on. Once Mengmeng climbed onto his leg, she shouted loudly, “Daddy, I’m ready, go faster!”

“You’re such a nuisance,” Cao Shujie remarked.

But Mengmeng didn’t care. She entertained herself, sitting on her father’s leg, making him lift it like a seesaw and then slowly lower it back down.

Before long, Cao Shujie was panting heavily from exhaustion.

“Mengmeng, come down and take a break,” Cao Shujie said, clearly worn out.

Mengmeng paid no heed. “No way, Daddy, a little higher!”

Cao Shujie thought to himself, “How did I end up with such a troublesome daughter…”

(This chapter ends)