Chapter 160: The Mischievous Little Sprite

She knew what firecrackers were. Precisely because of that, she was pretty afraid of them.

“How about I buy you some pop-its?” Cao Shujie asked her.

Hearing this, Mengmeng’s eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes! Daddy, I want pop-its!”

While speaking, she lifted her hand and made a motion as if throwing something hard downward, mimicking the action, and shouted, “Pop!”

“Haha!” She burst out laughing at her own antics.

Cao Shujie laughed along with her. “Alright, we’ll stroll around in a bit. If we run into someone selling them, I’ll get you some.”

Cheng Xiaolin reminded him, “Shujie, you can’t buy too many. Otherwise, she’s going to ruin the home’s floors.”

Pop-its aren’t very powerful, but when they’re thrown on the ground and the gunpowder explodes, they leave a yellow or light black mark that’s hard to clean.

Chatting with his wife and daughter, Cao Shujie found that driving no longer felt lonely. Time flew by, and before he knew it, he’d already driven into Yiling City.

Their first stop was Yiling University, planning to pick up his younger sister Cao Huifang before heading together to the Five Star Department Store to shop for New Year’s items for the family.

As he drove to the area around Yiling University, Cao Shujie could see from a distance that there were many cars parked near the college gate. Students dragging suitcases were coming out and being picked up by middle-aged men and women, then getting into cars and leaving together.

He instantly realized—these must be parents here to pick up their children.

Cheng Xiaolin frowned at the sight. “So many parents picking up their kids. Are we going to end up doing this too when Mengmeng goes to college?”

“Wife, Mengmeng still has fifteen or sixteen years before she goes to college. Isn’t it a little early to be worrying about this?” Cao Shujie teased her with a smile.

Cao Shujie slowly drove forward, and as a car nearby started to leave, he immediately maneuvered their car into the now empty, marked parking spot with perfect precision.

Pulling out his phone to call his sister, Mengmeng looked out the window and asked, “Daddy, are we at the mall yet?”

“Almost. Once we pick up your aunt, we’ll go to the mall, okay?” Cao Shujie was already dialing his sister’s number.

Just as he finished speaking, he heard Mengmeng shake her head. “No, I don’t want Auntie.”

Cheng Xiaolin looked at her daughter, not knowing how to respond.

“Big Brother, are you here?” Cao Huifang’s voice came over the phone, clear inside the car.

As soon as Mengmeng heard it, she shouted, “Ah! Auntie. I don’t want her!”

With that, she turned and burrowed into her mother’s embrace, but soon she was peeking out to look around from her mother’s arms.

Cao Huifang heard her niece’s voice and happily called out, “Mengmeng, you came to pick me up too? Auntie’s so happy! I’ll buy you a toy later.”

“Fangfang, there are a lot of cars at the college gate. I can’t drive in. Come out, I’m waiting right outside the main gate,” said Cao Shujie.

“Okay, Big Brother, wait for me a moment. I’ll be right there.” Cao Huifang answered cheerfully. She’d had more than enough of staying at college the last couple of days.

After Cao Shujie hung up, Mengmeng anxiously urged, “Daddy, let’s go! Auntie’s coming!”

In her mind, auntie was basically the embodiment of a little devil.

“We’re not going anywhere. We’re here to pick up your aunt,” Cao Shujie looked at his daughter, wondering if her aunt was really that terrifying to her.

Cheng Xiaolin patted her daughter’s little head, coaxing her, “Mengmeng, didn’t your aunt say just now that she’d buy you a toy?”

Cheng Xiaolin explained, “When we get to the mall, if you see a toy you like, let your aunt buy it for you, okay?”

Hearing that someone would buy her something, Mengmeng was clearly tempted. She even paused to think for more than ten seconds before grudgingly nodding her head. “Fine then!”

Cheng Xiaolin was amused by her daughter’s serious manner.

After waiting a while, Mengmeng grew restless again. She leaned on the car window, eyes wide, staring outside.

Cao Shujie was just about to call his sister again to check where she was, when suddenly he heard his daughter shout, “Daddy, look, Auntie!”

“Mama, look!”

The little one had sharp eyes. Following the direction she was pointing, Cao Shujie saw his sister by the main gate, dragging her suitcase as she walked out.

Cao Shujie opened the car door and headed over to greet her.

Cheng Xiaolin also climbed out of the car with her daughter in her arms. “Fangfang, how many days of break do you get?”

“Sis-in-law, we get more than a month. We don’t go back to college until after the Lantern Festival,” said Cao Huifang.

“That’s great. You get to rest at home plenty for the New Year.”

Cheng Xiaolin opened a car door and said, “Fangfang, hop in. Let’s go to the Five Star Department Store and do some shopping, then head home.”

At this moment, Mengmeng also called out to Cao Huifang, “Auntie, buy me a toy!”

“Alright, Mengmeng, let Auntie give you a kiss, and I’ll buy you two toys, how about that?” Cao Huifang reached out her arms, wanting to hug her.

Cheng Xiaolin thought her daughter would agree—but to their surprise, Mengmeng didn’t even hesitate. She stiffly turned away, wrapped her arms tightly around Cheng Xiaolin’s neck, clutching with small hands to lock herself in position. “No way.”

When she felt Cao Huifang trying to pull her away from behind, Mengmeng was terrified, her voice breaking into a wail, “Mama, save me! Mama, hold me!”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the scene. Cheng Xiaolin was especially puzzled—how had her daughter become so scared of her aunt? What had her sister-in-law done to upset Mengmeng?

Cao Shujie said from the side, “Alright, enough fooling around. Let’s get out of here so others can have this spot.”

He was right.

Cao Shujie also noticed that more and more cars were arriving. They’d soon have trouble exiting and, if they delayed any longer, might get stuck inside for who knows how long.

Once they left Yiling University, Cao Shujie drove straight to the Five Star Department Store in the city center. It was a large, local multilevel shopping complex. With a little over half a month left before the New Year, the place was especially crowded with people shopping.

After parking in the underground lot, the four of them—three adults and one child—took the elevator straight up to the first floor.

Stepping out, they found themselves on the floor mainly selling shoes, leather goods, jewelry, cosmetics, and luggage.

When Mengmeng saw the cosmetics section, she stopped in her tracks, pointing at a set displayed behind a glass counter and shouted, “Mama, powder!”

“Powder.” Mengmeng called out loudly. She opened her left hand, then with all five fingers of her right hand pinched together as if she were picking something up and dabbing it in her left palm, then lifted her right hand to her face, pretending to apply it. As she did, she looked at her palm over and over, as if staring into a mirror.

Cao Huifang was stunned. She asked her sister-in-law, “Sis-in-law, is Mengmeng imitating you putting on powder?”

Even Cao Shujie could tell what his daughter was up to. How could a three-year-old girl understand this?

And yet, she’d even mastered the essence of it.

Could vanity really be innate?

Cheng Xiaolin looked at her daughter’s skillful moves and couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “Mengmeng must have seen me putting on powder lots of times and learned by watching.”

Not only Cao Huifang and Cao Shujie, even the sales assistant behind the counter couldn’t help laughing at Mengmeng’s flawless act. In her eyes, Mengmeng looked like a tiny actress: innocent, yet adorable.

“What a lovable little girl,” the shop assistant said with a smile.

Mengmeng looked at her and replied sweetly, “Thank you, Auntie.”

“Oh, what a polite child! Your parents have really raised you well. My own little brat doesn’t compare at all,” the shop assistant said, full of envy.

But she was always so busy that she barely had time to teach her son. She knew in her heart that this couldn’t go on long-term, but what could she do? Reality was what it was, she still needed to earn a living.

She worked two shifts, her husband three, and neither of them could spare enough time to really take care of their son. Sometimes she even thought about changing jobs, but in her industry, Five Star Department Store paid the highest wages and offered the best benefits.

No matter what anyone says, income is what matters most. In the end, she had no choice but to send her son to stay with his grandparents.

But the way the grandparents managed him was enough to make her sigh.

Every family has its own troubles. Cao Shujie wasn’t aware of her feelings, but the assistant’s roundabout praise for him and his wife made him quite happy. Looking over the products at the counter, he saw they were all good brands. So, he decided to buy a set for his wife.

The sales assistant hadn’t expected that a single comment from her would lead to a sale—especially since this particular set was quite expensive. As Cao Shujie handed over the receipt, carrying the set away, she still felt a bit amazed.

She hadn’t even begun her usual pitch, and already the product was sold.

“Big Brother, you’re just too generous. Money burning a hole in your pocket?” Cao Huifang teased her brother.

She wanted one, too, but didn’t have that kind of money. She was green with envy.

There was no way she could ask her mother for money to buy it.

Cao Shujie couldn’t even be bothered to look at her. Cheng Xiaolin directly handed the cosmetic set she was carrying over to her. “Fangfang, here, take it.”

“Me?” Cao Huifang pointed to her own nose, looking a bit lost.

Cheng Xiaolin nodded with a smile. “Yes, it’s for you, go on, take it.”

She added, “I still have quite a few sets at home and can’t use them up anyway. Leaving them there would be a waste, so you should take this one.”

“Sister-in-law, this…”

“Take it, and use it sparingly. It’ll last you a long time.” As she spoke, Cheng Xiaolin took her sister-in-law’s hand and slipped the handles of the gift bag into it.

Mengmeng leaned over to watch, and chimed in with a shout, “Mom, I want some too, I want to try powder.”

“You’re just a little kid. What do you need powder for?” Cheng Xiaolin tried scaring her a bit. “If you use grown-up powder, your little face won’t be able to handle it, and then it’ll get ruined and you’ll look terrible.”

Mengmeng’s pupils widened instantly as she looked scared. Before her mother even finished speaking, she frantically waved her hands and said, “I don’t want it anymore.”

Saying that, she covered her cheeks with her small hands, looking genuinely afraid.

Seeing her daughter like this, Cheng Xiaolin broke into a mischievous grin. “Don’t be scared, Mengmeng. In a few days, Mommy will buy you a set made specially for kids, okay?”

“Okay!” Mengmeng’s little face immediately blossomed with a smile.

On this floor, Cao Shujie also bought a leather belt for his father and a pair of dress shoes.

He had planned to get a pair of shoes for his mother as well, but none of the styles seemed suitable, so they kept going upstairs.

On the second floor, he bought a pile of things for Mengmeng. On the third floor, he bought things for his mother and mother-in-law. They shopped until they were finished with everything for the family, and finally went to the supermarket on basement level one, stocking up on cigarettes, alcohol, gift boxes, candy, nuts, and all sorts of New Year goods.

Pushing two fully loaded shopping carts from the supermarket to the parking garage, Cao Shujie packed the trunk full and even stuffed the front passenger seat with bags before finally heading home toward Cao Family Village, content with his haul.

Mengmeng’s cheerful laughter filled the car on the way back, making the return trip anything but boring. Cao Shujie drove straight back to Cao Family Village without stopping by his parents’ place, taking his younger sister directly to his new home.

His mother, Wang Yuelan, was busy cooking. At this hour, his father had also returned from the orchard, waiting for everyone to come back so they could eat.

The last time Cao Huifang had come home was during the summer break, when she took two days off from her part-time job just to visit.

At that time, her brother’s house hadn’t even started being renovated. Now, seeing the finished home, Cao Huifang couldn’t help but think—she wanted to build one herself.

Compared to the house her parents currently lived in, this was on a whole different level.

“Big Brother, how much did it cost?” Cao Huifang’s curiosity got the better of her.

“Not too much. Including the renovations, it was a bit more than 300,000. Most of the cost was from furnishing and buying appliances, the rest was average.”

Hearing her brother’s nonchalant tone, as if 300,000 was nothing at all, made Cao Huifang’s teeth ache a little.

What kind of person was this—just earned a bit of money and was already inflating to the clouds.

If he makes even more money in the future, won’t he just fly straight off to the moon and never come back?

As soon as Cao Huifang stepped inside, she saw her grandfather sitting in the living room. Surprised and delighted, she ran over to grab Cao Zhenghu’s hand and shouted, “Grandfather, when did you get home?”

“Me? I came back half a month earlier than you. Fangfang, how come you’re just now on break?”

“Grandfather, ours is actually an early break. Middle and high schools haven’t even started vacation yet!” Cao Huifang replied.

Wang Yuelan was in the kitchen cooking. Hearing her daughter’s voice, she quickly put down her utensils and came out.

When she saw Cao Huifang, Wang Yuelan felt a little resentful and wanted to smack her, but in the end, she forced herself to hold back. “You child, why didn’t you come home for National Day break?”

“You’ve only been away for a couple of years, and now you think I can’t control you anymore?” Wang Yuelan scolded her.

Embarrassed by her mother’s words, Cao Huifang kept her head down, not daring to look up or meet her mother’s eyes.

It was Cheng Xiaolin who came over to smooth things over between them, so mother and daughter stopped using that roundabout way to express their longing for each other.

“Hui Fang just got home, she must be hungry. Hurry up and go wash up to eat.” Father Cao Jianguo brought out a bowl of stewed meat from the kitchen.

Hearing that, Wang Yuelan nodded repeatedly. “Right, you’re all probably starving. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”

“Grandma, I haven’t eaten either!” Mengmeng called out loudly.

As soon as Wang Yuelan heard her granddaughter say that, she moved even faster.

She brought out all the remaining dishes from the kitchen, checked on the pot of water about to boil, and got ready to cook the dumplings.

“Grandma, are they ready yet?” Mengmeng called from the doorway.

Wang Yuelan answered, “Almost. Did you wash your hands? We’ll have dumplings in a bit.”

“Okay!” Mengmeng ran off to wash her hands.

Cao Huifang teased her from behind, “Mengmeng, you’re not good at much, but you’re certainly enthusiastic about eating.”

“Auntie, what did you say?” Mengmeng looked at her in confusion.

Cao Huifang felt like talking to her niece was like playing music to a cow—there was really no point, and she didn’t even want to bother anymore.

After dinner, Cao Huifang finally had a chance to look around both the first and second floors. The more she looked, the more she liked it.

She honestly thought this was so much better than an apartment building.

As they chatted about the upcoming New Year, Cao Jianguo and Wang Yuelan kept emphasizing the importance of visiting relatives and maintaining family ties.

It wasn’t anything difficult. Cao Shujie nodded. “Dad, Mom, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Grandfather, Dad, Mom, I went to Yiling City today and bought you all some clothes, shoes, and other things. They’re in the car. I haven’t brought them in yet. After dinner, try them on to see if they fit. If not, I’ll go back and exchange them.” Cao Shujie said.

Wang Yuelan and Cao Jianguo thought it sounded like a lot of trouble. “Why buy them there? We could just get something from the town.”

“Dad, Mom, it’s not the same,” answered Cao Shujie.

After dinner, he busied himself unloading all the purchases from the car and sorted everything by category, handing the clothes and shoes he bought for his parents and grandfather to them.

“Grandfather, this is for you.”

“Dad, Mom, these are for you.”

“These were picked out by Linlin for you. Go ahead and try them on.”

When they heard everything was chosen by their daughter-in-law (or granddaughter-in-law), Cao Jianguo, Wang Yuelan, and Cao Zhenghu changed their tune instantly. “Oh, I just thought these clothes looked especially nice. They really are better than what the shops have downtown.”

“Exactly, they look beautiful.”

Although Mengmeng was still little, she was a lively one. Seeing her grandfather, grandmother, and great-grandfather praise her mom, she quickly chimed in, “Great-grandfather, don’t forget me, I picked out something for you too!”

Cao Zhenghu chuckled and patted her little head. “Mengmeng loves her great-grandfather the most.”

“That’s right!” Mengmeng replied, full of spirit.

Curious about what her brother’s orchard looked like now, Cao Huifang also wanted to see the fruit trees they had planted during Labor Day. How were they growing?

Without saying anything to anyone, she ran up the hill.

She saw their neighbor, Brother Chao, working in the orchard and couldn’t help but call out, “Brother Chao, what are you doing here?”

When Cao Shuchao spotted Cao Huifang back home, he greeted her with a smile. “Isn’t this our college student? Fangfang, are you on break?”

“Yeah, Brother Chao, we’re on winter vacation now,” Cao Huifang replied.

“It’s great to be in college. Fangfang, you should study hard so you can do big things like your brother in the future.” That’s what Cao Shuchao told her.

Just those few words made Cao Huifang both excited and a little embarrassed.

But she knew her own limits. Never mind being as capable as her brother—she didn’t think she’d manage to reach even half his level.

(End of Chapter)

— Translator’s Notes —

• Lantern Festival: The Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāo Jié) is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, marking the official end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

• National Day break: Refers to the public holiday celebrating the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1st. It is one of China’s major ‘Golden Weeks,’ a seven-day holiday period.

• playing music to a cow: A literal translation of the Chinese idiom ‘对牛弹琴’ (duì niú tán qín), which means to address the wrong audience or explain something profound to someone who cannot understand it. It is similar to the English expression ‘casting pearls before swine.’