Chapter 128: Daddy, I’m Scared

“Lilin, you stay home and watch Mengmeng. Shujie and I will head up the mountain for a look,” Cao Jianguo said after overhearing his daughter-in-law.

Cheng Xiaolin felt a bit worried when she heard her father-in-law’s suggestion. “Dad, if it really rains and the roads are bad, maybe I should go instead.”

The last time it rained heavily at night, her father-in-law and husband went to the orchard, and her father-in-law ended up twisting his ankle on the way back. Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t help but feel concerned.

Cao Jianguo seemed to understand her worries. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “Last time, the road was terrible. But now, Shujie has paved it, and we’ll be riding the tricycle. It’ll be fine.”

“Shujie, you and Dad should take it slow. If you see rain coming, hurry back,” Cheng Xiaolin reminded them.

Cao Shujie nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish.”

The father and son duo took their tools and rain gear, riding the electric tricycle up to the orchard. After a quick inspection, they ensured the fifty calves had enough grass and feed. Seeing no major issues, they returned home before the rain started.

They had planned to visit the county mall to look at appliances, but with the weather like this, Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin decided to stay home with Mengmeng.

The little one somehow found a musty-smelling “Journey to the West” comic book and brought it to Cao Shujie. She flipped it open and pointed to an illustrated page with text, asking, “Daddy, what’s this?”

Cao Shujie was fiddling with his phone and found explaining the picture a bit troublesome. Just as he was pondering how to explain it to his daughter, Mengmeng turned and took the comic to her mom.

This left Cao Shujie puzzled.

Before he could react, he heard Mengmeng telling his wife, “Mommy, I don’t understand.”

“Then why don’t you ask your dad to explain it to you?” Cheng Xiaolin suggested.

But Mengmeng replied, “Daddy doesn’t know either.”

“Huh?” Cheng Xiaolin turned her head in surprise to look at her husband. She said, “Mengmeng, your dad’s a dummy. He doesn’t know anything.”

“Yeah, Daddy’s a dummy,” Mengmeng echoed, nodding.

This left Cao Shujie feeling quite awkward. He quickly beckoned his daughter over. “Mengmeng, come here, I’ll explain it to you.”

Mengmeng stood by her mom, not moving. Cheng Xiaolin encouraged her, “Go on, your dad will definitely explain it to you.”

The little one finally brought the “Journey to the West” comic book back to her dad, flipping to a different page than before.

“Daddy, what’s this?” Mengmeng asked curiously.

Cao Shujie looked at the illustration in the comic. It was a glowing stone on a mountaintop. He said, “That’s the Monkey King, about to be born.”

“Wow… The Monkey King came out of a rock?” Mengmeng asked. “Was I born from a rock too?”

What a clever little one, making connections like that.

Cao Shujie thought to himself, explaining childbirth is a big topic, better not delve into it with his daughter.

He gestured as he spoke, “A long, long time ago, there were many immortals in the heavens…”

The story he told went beyond the comic’s scope, and Mengmeng listened intently, completely absorbed.

As he narrated, time slipped away unnoticed. Suddenly, a strong wind blew outside, followed by raindrops hitting the glass with a pattering sound.

Soon, the sound of rushing water filled the air.

“Boom!”

Before the lightning struck, thunder rolled in from afar. Then, with a crack, a flash of light tore across the dark sky, as if splitting it in two.

“This rain is really coming down hard,” Cao Jianguo said, worried.

He felt a bit relieved, though, since they had managed to harvest all the corn yesterday. If they hadn’t, it would have been at least a week before they could enter the fields again.

Mengmeng, startled by the heavy rain, lightning, and thunder, quickly burrowed into her father’s arms, covering her ears with her hands and timidly saying, “Daddy, I’m scared.”

“Mengmeng, it’s okay. Daddy’s here, there’s nothing to fear,” Cao Shujie reassured her.

“Scared!” Mengmeng was no longer playful.

Another clap of thunder made Mengmeng shiver, clinging tightly to her father’s shirt.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Cheng Xiaolin came over, gently holding Mengmeng and patting her back softly. “Mengmeng, it’s alright. We’re inside, and the windows and doors are shut tight. The rain can’t get in.”

But it was no use. The little one’s fear was a natural response to the unknown forces of nature, and she couldn’t be easily comforted.

Usually, Cheng Xiaolin could calm her down, but today was different.

Cao Shujie suggested, “Mengmeng, how about we watch some TV? Let’s watch a cartoon.”

Hearing about cartoons, Mengmeng perked up, nodding eagerly. “Yes, yes, I want to watch ‘Journey to the West.'”

“Alright, I’ll have to use the computer to find it,” Cao Shujie said.

“Then hurry up!” Mengmeng urged, impatiently waiting for her dad to bring the computer.

Cao Shujie quickly went to their bedroom to get the computer.

Cao Jianguo watched the heavy rain outside, his expression somber. “Those who haven’t finished harvesting their corn are in for a tough time.”

“Dad, there’s nothing they can do. Who knew the rain would come so suddenly? The weather forecast was unusually accurate this time,” Cheng Xiaolin remarked.

That was indeed the case.

Cao Shujie returned with the computer, plugged in the internet card, and opened the browser to search for the “Journey to the West” cartoon.

It was easy to find, and there was no need for a subscription, though the ads were a bit long. But the cartoon was free to watch.

Mengmeng didn’t mind the ads. She watched the commercial with little cartoon characters running around, quite amused.

After about a minute, the ad ended, and the first episode of the “Journey to the West” cartoon began, starting with the scene of the Monkey King emerging from the rock.

Having just told Mengmeng this part of the story, she was thrilled to see it. “Daddy, look, the Monkey King is born!”

“Yes, the Monkey King is being born,” Cao Shujie said with a smile.

Immersed in the cartoon, Mengmeng seemed to forget the outside world. Even when thunder rumbled again, it didn’t bother her. Seeing this, Cao Shujie breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing her granddaughter unafraid, Wang Yuelan relaxed as well and asked, “What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll cook.”

“Mom, take a break. I’ll do it,” Cheng Xiaolin offered.

Cao Shujie, thinking about the pork and a bit of lamb still in their fridge, suggested, “How about we have hot pot?”

“In this weather, where are you going to buy meat slices?” Cheng Xiaolin didn’t even want to comment on his suggestion.

But Cao Shujie replied, “That’s easy. I’ll slice the meat myself.”

He rummaged through the fridge, taking out the frozen blocks of pork and lamb.

Placing the knife on the rock-hard meat, he found it impossible to cut through.

It was an awkward moment, but ignoring his wife’s teasing, Cao Shujie said, “If only we had a special meat slicer.”

“Even if you wanted to buy one now, it’s too late,” Cheng Xiaolin remarked, too tired to argue.

Yet, Cao Shujie found a way. He partially thawed the meat before slicing, making it easier.

Though he couldn’t achieve perfectly even slices or the ideal hot pot style, Cheng Xiaolin was still satisfied.

She and her mother-in-law began washing the vegetables and preparing the other ingredients.

While it couldn’t match a restaurant’s hot pot, homemade hot pot was cleaner and more satisfying.

Cao Shujie thought to himself, “Once the rain stops and we go to the county to buy appliances, I’ll check if there’s a meat slicer available. It’d be great to stock up on hot pot seasonings and base, making it easier to enjoy hot pot at home.”

Living like this was indeed quite pleasant.

…

The rain lasted longer than expected, continuing intermittently until the afternoon of the next day.

When the sky finally cleared, the villagers of Cao Family Village, who hadn’t finished harvesting their corn, hurried to check their fields. If there was standing water, they needed to drain it quickly.

Cao Shujie, wearing rain boots and carrying a shovel, headed to the orchard on the mountain to assess the situation.

His parents went to the fields to check on the conditions. Since they hadn’t planted wheat yet, and with vehicles unable to enter, using hand-pulled carts to plant the wheat was their last option to ensure next year’s harvest.

As Cao Shujie walked up the road to the mountain, he noticed that the Chinese rose bushes planted along the way were washed clean by the rain. Unfortunately, there were no blooms this year.

Other seedlings, well-watered, began to thrive.

Squatting down, Cao Shujie used his fingers to dig around the roots of the seedlings, closely inspecting their growth.

The roots were growing deep, which was a good sign, and this made him happy.

Continuing upward, he saw that most of the seedlings were growing well, though some were wilting. He wasn’t worried, as he could call Song Shuli to supplement the seedlings.

Reaching the orchard, Cao Shujie’s concerns eased when he saw the fruit trees looking vibrant after the rain.

In the old orchard area, the kiwi vines were bare, but the apples’ fragrance was stronger.

He picked a large, red apple, wiped the rain off its surface, and took a crunchy bite.

The apple’s skin was a light red, while the flesh was pale yellow. It was crisp, and the juice dripped down his chin, tasting very sweet.

Taking another big bite, he chewed with satisfaction.

Not to brag, but naturally ripened apples were indeed delicious.

Looking at the remaining two mu of apples in the orchard, he thought, “Maybe I shouldn’t sell them and just keep them for ourselves.”

“It’s just a pity there’s no cold storage. Otherwise, I could keep some kiwis to eat slowly,” he mused, considering whether to invest in cold storage once his finances allowed. He wondered how much it would cost.

He wasn’t sure about this, but clearly, his current funds were insufficient, and with the current yield, there was no budget for it.

In the livestock area, he saw the calves frolicking after the rain, mooing happily, which eased his mind.

Noticing that the feed and fodder from yesterday were almost gone, he entered the area, opened the storage, and spread more fodder outside, attracting the cows to eat.

Some calves, seeing him nearby, ran over to him.

Seeing this, he used a fork to spread more grass.

While the calves ate, he dragged the prepared feed with a cart to the troughs, turned on the water supply, and let the calves drink freely.

“Eat up, grow strong, and see who grows the biggest this year for a big reward!” he shouted encouragingly.

Unfortunately, the calves didn’t understand his underlying message; otherwise, they might have ganged up to teach him a lesson.

Due to the rain, construction was paused for three days.

Fortunately, the high terrain of the mountain meant there was no waterlogging. With no excess water, the ground dried quickly, and two days later, on the second day of the National Day holiday, work resumed on installing water pipes, repairing roads, and setting up the wire mesh fence.

With nothing to do at home, Cao Jianguo came to help. Seeing the ground stable enough, he grabbed a shovel and began leveling the unfinished areas.

That same morning, Cao Shujie and his wife planned to go to Pingyuan County Town to shop for appliances, taking Mengmeng along for a bit of fun.

Before leaving, Cao Shujie told his mother, Wang Yuelan, “Mom, Cao Zhen is heading to Xinjiang in a few days. I might not be back tonight, but I’ll call you this afternoon.”

“Alright, just remember, if you drink, don’t drive,” Wang Yuelan reminded her son.

Cao Shujie understood and nodded vigorously, reassuring his mother.

As they drove to the county, perhaps due to the recent rain, the roadside trees looked particularly clean.

“Shujie, is Brother Zhen leaving?” Cheng Xiaolin asked.

Cao Shujie nodded, “The raw material costs at their factory have risen sharply. To cut costs, they’re planning to lease land in Xinjiang to grow cotton. Cao Zhen is going there to oversee it, and he won’t be back for a while.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Xiaolin wasn’t sure how to respond. “Even if they plant cotton now, it won’t be ready in time, right?”

“It won’t be ready this year, but it will be for next year,” Cao Shujie replied.

Cheng Xiaolin shook her head. “What if cotton prices drop next year? Wouldn’t it be a waste to plant it?”

Her reasoning made Cao Shujie pause. “I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right, it’s a possibility.”

“Exactly,” Cheng Xiaolin said.

But Cao Shujie added, “Regardless, in the long run, growing their own will definitely be cheaper than buying.”

Seeing that his wife still wanted to argue, Cao Shujie added, “If cotton really becomes cheaper next year, they can buy some in advance and stock up.”

“In any case, their company has its own considerations. There’s no need for us to worry about it for them.” Cao Shujie pressed the accelerator firmly, and the car sped up a bit more.