Chapter 115: The Only Girl of the Fourth Generation

Upon hearing her daughter-in-law mention the orchard, Cao Jianguo said, “Why did you come back so soon? You could have stayed longer at Mengmeng’s grandmother’s house. Your mother and I can handle the orchard, no worries.”

Mengmeng asked her mom to lift her out of the car. Seeing Cao Jianguo, she called out, “Grandfather.”

Her eyes then caught sight of the four dogs, and she couldn’t look away. She dashed toward Daha and Erha, exclaiming, “Puppies!”

Cao Jianguo was quite startled, fearing Mengmeng might be too rough and provoke the dogs. Even if they didn’t bite her, a mere nudge could knock her over.

Daha and Erha were now heavier than Mengmeng. Although the two little German Shepherds had only been with them for a month and a half, they ate and slept well, were very active, and grew quickly. If they got upset, Mengmeng wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

As Mengmeng neared her grandfather, she made a sharp turn to avoid him and continued running toward the dogs. She almost toppled over from the sudden stop.

From a distance, Cao Shujie commanded the dogs, “Sit!”

Mengmeng stopped and echoed, “Sit!”

Daha and Erha obediently sat down, but the two little German Shepherds hesitated. They looked at their ‘big brothers’ sitting on the ground, then mimicked them and sat down too, looking up at Cao Shujie for further instructions.

Unaware of this, Mengmeng thought the dogs had followed her command. She felt a small sense of pride.

Turning to her grandfather and father, she said, “Grandfather, look! Dad, look!”

As if she had accomplished something extraordinary.

Cheng Xiaolin knew what was going on and let her daughter be, while she started unpacking the items brought from her parents’ home.

Entering the house, she saw her mother-in-law cleaning fish in the yard, with her sister-in-law, Cao Huifang, helping.

“Mom, why are you doing this? Let Shujie handle it when he gets back,” Cheng Xiaolin suggested.

“I have nothing else to do. Once it’s done, we can stew it for lunch. Your sister is heading back to school this afternoon.”

“Fangfang is leaving so soon? Not staying for the evening?” Cheng Xiaolin was surprised.

Cao Huifang replied, “Sister-in-law, I have classes tomorrow morning, so I need to head back this afternoon.”

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaolin didn’t know what to say. Whether it’s work or classes, this three-day Mid-Autumn Festival break seemed meaningless.

Cao Huifang shook her head, “There’s nothing we can do. That’s how the school arranged it.”

Cao Shujie came in from outside and, hearing his wife and sister’s conversation, thought for a moment and said, “Fangfang, do you have classes tonight?”

“No, I don’t,” Cao Huifang replied.

“Then stay and celebrate the festival with us. I’ll drive you back early tomorrow,” Cao Shujie suggested.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Cao Huifang said, “Brother, why go through the trouble? It’s not worth the gas money.”

“I’m not asking you to pay for gas, so why worry?” Cao Shujie retorted.

Cheng Xiaolin nodded in agreement with her husband’s suggestion. “I think that’s a good idea. Your brother is just lazing around at home anyway. A couple of trips could be good exercise.”

Cao Shujie rolled his eyes. Driving isn’t exercise; if anything, it makes you gain weight. He couldn’t be bothered to argue with them.

Outside, Cao Jianguo was walking the dogs and chatting casually with his granddaughter, often having conversations that didn’t quite match. Yet, he enjoyed it.

He asked Mengmeng if she had fun at her grandmother’s house.

After a moment of serious thought, the little one replied, “Not fun. Brother, dumb!”

Cao Jianguo had heard about the situation at his in-laws’ place from his son. He knew his daughter-in-law’s younger brother had a son just a year older than Mengmeng.

“Did your cousin hit you?” Cao Jianguo asked with concern.

The little one shook her head, “No, he’s just dumb…”

Halfway through her sentence, Mengmeng stopped talking to her grandfather and ran toward the house, shouting, “Mom, Mom.”

Hearing his granddaughter’s cheerful voice, Cao Jianguo felt delighted. He thought only his granddaughter could bring such joy to the family.

“When Mengmeng is a couple of years older, it’ll be even better,” Cao Jianguo mused, imagining taking her to catch fish and shrimp. That would be wonderful.

…

In the evening, as his mother Wang Yuelan was cooking, Cao Shujie called his cousin Cao Shubin.

The cousins, who rarely saw each other after growing up, chatted for a bit before Cao Shujie asked, “Brother Bin, can your computer do QQ video calls?”

“Yes, but it’s not very clear. Log into QQ, and I’ll connect with you,” Cao Shubin replied.

Cao Shujie brought out his laptop, logged into QQ, and waited briefly.

Cao Jianguo watched his son fiddle with these gadgets, completely baffled. He didn’t understand but was excited about seeing his father, brother, and nephew’s family through the computer.

“Technology these days is really amazing,” Cao Jianguo marveled.

Cao Huifang explained, “Dad, don’t say that outside. Video calls on QQ have been around for six or seven years. You just didn’t know.”

“That long?” Cao Jianguo was incredulous. He couldn’t fathom how people on one side could see those on the other.

As they waited, Cao Jianguo saw a new window pop up on his son’s computer screen, followed by a dark video feed.

Watching his son click on the screen, the shaking window soon revealed a face.

Cao Shujie smiled when he saw it, “Brother Bin.”

He then maximized the video to fill the entire screen.

“Shujie, how come you haven’t tanned from working in the orchard? Your face is still so fair. That’s not natural,” Cao Shubin teased his cousin.

Before Cao Shujie could respond, Cao Jianguo, who was standing nearby, looked at the computer screen with curiosity. Seeing his nephew, he still couldn’t quite believe it and asked, “Shubin, is that really you?”

Cao Shubin smiled and said, “Second Uncle, who else could it be if not me?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen this. Shubin, where’s your dad? And your Grandfather?” Cao Jianguo asked urgently.

“Second Uncle, just wait a moment. My Grandfather and my dad will be here soon,” Cao Shubin replied.

At that moment, a child’s voice came from the computer, “Dad, who are you talking to? Let me see.”

Soon, a young boy’s face appeared on the screen. Seeing him, Cao Shujie called out, “Yichuan, do you still recognize your Third Uncle?”

The boy was delighted to see Cao Shujie, “Third Uncle, it’s you! The kiwi fruit you grew was so delicious. I ate several in one go.”

“Is that so? But Third Uncle doesn’t have any more kiwi fruit. I have some apples, though. Once they ripen a bit more, I’ll send you two boxes,” Cao Shujie said.

The boy, Cao Yichuan, nodded eagerly, “Great, great! Third Uncle, I’ll be waiting.”

“Think about what other fruits you want to eat in the future. Whatever you want, Third Uncle will grow it for you, so you can eat to your heart’s content,” Cao Shujie promised.

Cao Yichuan laughed heartily at this.

While the uncle and nephew were chatting, Cao Shubin prompted his son to call out to his Second Grandfather.

“Jianguo, is that you?” Another face appeared on the screen, looking to be in his sixties or seventies.

Seeing him, Cao Shujie called out, “Uncle, it’s me, Shujie.”

“Shujie, how’s the orchard coming along?” Cao Jianlin asked.

This was Cao Shujie’s uncle, Cao Jianlin. He had served in the military and, after retiring, worked in a repair shop until he retired. Now, he had settled his family outside.

Cao Jianguo had just called out “Big Brother” when another face with a head full of white hair appeared on the screen. Seeing this face, he immediately called out, “Dad.”

This was Cao Shujie’s Grandfather, Cao Zhenghu. After losing his wife, he alternated living with his two sons, spending a year with each.

“Grandfather,” Cao Shujie greeted with a smile upon seeing him.

“Shujie, why did you go back to farming the orchard? That work is so tiring,” Cao Zhenghu asked.

Cao Shujie chuckled, “Grandfather, it’s not too bad. We have machines now, and if it gets too much, I can hire people. It’s not too hard on me.”

“Besides, growing fruit trees is different from farming crops. There’s less to worry about,” Cao Shujie explained.

“Mengmeng, come over and greet your Great-Grandfather,” Cao Shujie called to his daughter.

The little girl, quite clever, called out, “Hello, Great-Grandfather.”

“Haha, Mengmeng, what a good girl,” Cao Zhenghu looked at the youngest girl of the fourth generation with eyes full of affection.

She was the only little girl in the fourth generation of the family and naturally received extra doting.

“Great-Grandfather, when will you come back?” Mengmeng asked.

She added, “Dad bought you some good wine for when you return.”

Her words were clear and articulate.

Hearing Mengmeng, Cao Zhenghu was even more pleased, “Good, good, good. I’ll come back for the New Year.”

“Great-Grandfather, Dad also has a new house. It’s beautiful,” Mengmeng continued, parroting what she had heard.

Most people wouldn’t understand, and Cao Zhenghu didn’t either, so Cao Shujie explained, “Grandfather, I just built a new house. It’s almost finished with the decorations. Once it’s done, we’ll install heating, so it’ll be warm in winter.”

“Grandfather, when you come back, I’ll prepare the biggest room for you. I guarantee it’ll be more comfortable than living upstairs,” Cao Shujie assured him.

“Good!” Cao Zhenghu nodded.

The two families chatted over the computer on QQ video for a full 20 minutes before ending the call when it was time to eat.

…

The next morning, just past four, the sky was still dark. There were few people on the streets as Cao Shujie drove his sister to Yiling City.

(End of chapter)