Chapter 157: A Different Place

“Mengmeng, let me hold you,” Cao Zhenghu bent down and stretched out his arms to embrace Mengmeng.

Cao Shujie initially thought his daughter would run away again, but to his surprise, she stood still this time, spreading her arms wide. When Cao Zhenghu approached, she cooperatively wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “Grandpa, I like you.”

Mengmeng had a sweet tongue, and heaven knows how she learned such charm.

Cao Shujie knew his daughter wasn’t light, so he kept his arms ready nearby, not daring to relax for a moment.

His second brother drove the car towards the only two-story house in the northern part of the village. As soon as the car stopped, Wang Yuelan and Cheng Xiaolin, who were busy inside, came out to greet them.

Another lively scene unfolded as Cao Shujie and his elder cousin Cao Shubin stood protectively beside their grandfather. However, Cao Zhenghu, holding Mengmeng, walked with remarkable steadiness, showing no sign of faltering.

Seeing his younger cousin’s puzzled expression, Cao Shubin smiled and said, “Shujie, our grandfather has been exercising daily with your uncle in Anyi City. Unless the weather is really bad, he hasn’t missed a day.”

“Really?” Cao Shujie watched his grandfather carrying Mengmeng and walking so swiftly, and he began to believe it.

He never expected his grandfather to have such physical fitness at his age. Comparing himself, Cao Shujie realized that if he lived to his grandfather’s age, he might not be as fit.

“Grandpa, I want to get down,” Mengmeng said after being carried for a while. She grew anxious seeing the little white poodle, Xiaobai, lagging far behind.

Cao Zhenghu was puzzled and turned to see the small white dog. He asked, “Mengmeng, do you want it?”

“Grandpa, that’s Xiaobai,” Mengmeng said, leaning on Cao Zhenghu’s shoulder and stretching her arms back, shouting, “Xiaobai, Xiaobai!”

Upon hearing its owner’s call, the little poodle immediately ran forward, following behind Cao Zhenghu, barking, “Woof, woof!”

Despite its small size, it was fiercely protective. Seeing Mengmeng being carried away, it barked quite aggressively.

Cao Shujie gently nudged it aside, “Xiaobai, that’s my grandfather. If you keep barking, I’ll take you up the mountain.”

Just as he finished speaking, a series of urgent barks came from the house. Cao Shujie saw his mother and wife leading his elder sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and second brother inside, and knew it must be the four dogs scaring everyone.

Before he could rush over, his wife shouted, “Daha, Erha, move aside. These are our own people.”

Immediately, the four dogs stopped barking and became very obedient.

Cao Shubin walked to the entrance and curiously peeked inside. Unable to see clearly, he asked his younger cousin, “Shujie, how many dogs do you have?”

“Big Brother, not many. Including this little one, we have five dogs,” Cao Shujie replied with a smile, implying that it wasn’t enough.

Cao Shubin was envious, “How do you manage to keep so many?”

“It’s only possible in the countryside. If we were in a residential area, it would be too troublesome and likely annoy the neighbors.”

Cao Shujie nodded in agreement with his cousin’s sentiment.

Entering the yard, Cao Shubin saw four Huskies and German Shepherds, each at least 50 centimeters tall, staring at him menacingly.

Although the four dogs stood quietly in the yard, Cao Shubin couldn’t shake the feeling that if his younger cousin and uncle weren’t nearby, these dogs might pounce and bite him.

“Wow, they’re fierce!” Cao Yichuan exclaimed in surprise.

Cao Shujie chuckled upon hearing this, but Cao Shubin’s face darkened, “Yichuan, if you keep talking like that, I’ll beat you up.”

Scared by his father’s threat, Cao Yichuan immediately shut up.

When Cao Zhenghu saw the four dogs, his eyes lit up. After observing them for a while, he said, “They’re really good dogs.”

“But they must consume a lot of food, right?”

Cao Shujie nodded in response to his grandfather’s question, “Grandpa, they do eat a lot, but I can still afford to feed them.”

Wang Yuelan, seeing Cao Zhenghu inside the house, called out, “Father.”

Cheng Xiaolin also greeted him, “Grandpa.”

“Yuelan, Linlin,” Cao Zhenghu acknowledged his daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law.

Wang Yuelan guessed that they hadn’t eaten much since coming from Anyi City. After exchanging a few words, she prepared to cook the freshly made lamb dumplings to give them something to eat.

“Auntie, what meat are you stewing? It smells so good,” Cao Shubin asked, genuinely tempted by the aroma.

Wang Yuelan explained, “Your brother bought beef, lamb, steaks, and lamb spine. Linlin started stewing them early this morning, and they’re ready to eat now.”

She added, “I’ll serve them first. While you enjoy the meat, I’ll cook the lamb dumplings.”

“Shujie, bring over the box of wine you bought for your grandfather,” Wang Yuelan reminded him.

Cao Shujie quickly turned around to fetch the wine.

In no time, he returned carrying an opened box of Wuliangye, “Grandpa, Uncle, let’s drink this today.”

“Wow, Wuliangye! We’re in for a treat today,” Cao Shubin wasn’t surprised. Seeing his younger cousin’s two-story house, he knew Cao Shujie had made money, and probably quite a bit.

He just couldn’t understand how growing fruit could be so profitable.

As Wang Yuelan went to cook the lamb dumplings, Cheng Xiaolin took two basins to serve the stewed lamb spine and beef ribs, and also brought out the braised beef from last night, slicing it into two plates.

While stir-frying other dishes, the elder sister-in-law Zhang Yi went to help, while the second sister-in-law Ren Jingjing stayed outside to watch the children.

She was also curious about the specific structure and layout of the two-story house, planning to take a good look after dinner.

Unexpectedly, Cao Yichuan and Cao Yixin were particularly fascinated by the four dogs outside, frequently running to the door to take a look. Their excitement was palpable, as if they wanted to sleep with the dogs at night.

As for the little white poodle, the brothers completely ignored it.

They felt the small poodle was too tiny, not a dog befitting a man.

Seeing Cao Shubin come out, the brothers immediately approached him. Cao Yichuan nervously said, “Dad, let’s get a big dog like this.”

Without hesitation, Cao Shubin refused. Not only might the residential area not allow it, but he also wouldn’t feel safe keeping such a large dog at home. What if it bit someone?

Cao Shujie, who had arrived unnoticed, saw his two nephews squatting there, staring intently at the two dogs. He smiled and asked, “Yichuan, Yixin, do you want to raise dogs?”

Cao Yichuan nodded immediately, “Yes, Third Uncle, I really want to raise one.”

On the other hand, the younger nephew Cao Yixin thought for a while before shaking his head, “Third Uncle, it’s not possible. No one at home can feed it.”

“Why can’t anyone feed it?” Cao Shujie was puzzled.

His nephew then explained, “My parents go to work collecting scrap metal, and I have to go to school. There’s no one at home.”

Cao Shujie was surprised by his nephew’s awareness, “Yixin, do you find school tiring?”

Cao Yixin thought for a moment before replying, “It’s okay, not too tiring. It’s just that there’s too much homework, and it’s quite troublesome.”

He added, “The teacher always makes us write things ten times. Everything has to be written ten times. Is there such a thing? The teacher is so annoying.”

Hearing this, Cao Shujie and his elder cousin Cao Shubin couldn’t help but laugh. Neither of them expected such a complaint.

At noon, the six of them only opened one bottle of Wuliangye. As Uncle Cao Jianlin put it, “Drink less at noon so we can go out for a stroll in the afternoon. There’s plenty of time to drink in the evening.”

There was nothing wrong with that statement. Cao Shujie took the initiative and said, “Uncle, after lunch, I’ll take you all for a walk around the orchard.”

“Is there much to see in the orchard right now?” Second Brother Cao Shuxin asked.

Cao Shujie nodded, “Not much at the moment, but by March or April next year, my orchard will be quite beautiful.”

“Shujie, how beautiful are we talking about?” Second Sister-in-law leaned in, curious.

Cao Shujie thought for a moment and said, “Sister-in-law, let me put it this way. When spring comes next year, besides the fruit trees blooming in the orchard, the tens of thousands of flower seedlings I bought for over twenty thousand yuan will also bloom. Just imagining that scene is beautiful.”

“Tens of thousands?” Ren Jingjing found it hard to believe and couldn’t quite understand why her cousin would buy so many flowers.

Cao Shuxin became interested and said, “Shujie, let’s go take a look after lunch.”

“Sure!” Cao Shujie readily agreed.

After lunch, everyone was too eager to tour the orchard first. They immediately urged Cao Shujie to take them up the mountain, wanting to see his “tens of thousands of flower seedlings” and his seemingly mysterious orchard.

“Sister-in-law, look, these are Chinese rose trees, and the smaller ones next to them are Chinese rose seedlings. Further ahead, there are peonies, mophead hydrangeas, and other varieties,” Cao Shujie explained proudly as he talked about the place.

This was something he had built bit by bit, and he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

In his previous life, even if he had such ideas, there was no place to realize them.

But in this life, he could do as he pleased.

There was no other way. Although he didn’t have much money, he had time and space, enough to turn his past ideas into reality.

As they followed Cao Shujie into the orchard and saw the more than 20 acres of Strawberry Garden, Zhang Yi and Ren Jingjing both secretly entertained the thought of staying and never leaving.

They suddenly changed their perception of the countryside, feeling that this place in front of them didn’t seem to fit the image of “the countryside” at all.

How could it be so different?

“Shujie, will all these strawberries bear fruit next year?” Sister-in-law Zhang Yi asked.

Cao Shujie nodded, “Yes, they will all bear fruit. Sister-in-law, if you have time then, come back and pick some fresh strawberries to eat.”

“Alright, when all the flowers here bloom next year, remember to take plenty of photos for me to see,” Zhang Yi said. She loved gardening.

She thought the sight of tens of thousands of flower seedlings blooming simultaneously next year would be amazing.

Ren Jingjing, standing nearby, was also intrigued. She felt that this place seemed quite different from the picking gardens in the districts and counties under Anyi City.

She even said to Sister-in-law Zhang Yi, “Sister-in-law, I’ll come back with you then.”

“Mom, I want to come too,” Cao Yixin chimed in.

(End of Chapter)

— Translator’s Notes —

• Wuliangye: Wuliangye (五粮液) is a famous and expensive brand of Chinese baijiu, a strong distilled grain spirit, not a grape-based wine. Serving it signifies a special occasion and respect for the guests, which is why the cousin exclaims they are ‘in for a treat’.