Chapter 147: Cheng Xiaolin Feels Guilty

Around 9 a.m., a Buick LaCrosse with a Beijing license plate cruised down the highway, heading toward Cheng Family Slope in Dayao Town, Anwu County.

At this hour, the road was nearly empty, so Cao Shujie was driving at a good clip.

From the back seat, Cheng Xiaolin noticed and reminded him, “Shujie, you can slow down. We’re not in a rush.”

“It’s fine, I know what I’m doing,” Cao Shujie replied.

With over twenty years of driving experience under his belt, safety had always been his top priority.

Mengmeng sat quietly in the back seat, watching the little Pekingese puppy in the cardboard box. With the puppy around, she was unusually calm.

Cao Shujie hadn’t expected his usually mischievous daughter to turn into such a little lady just because of a dog. It completely caught him off guard. Still, in some ways, he was pretty lenient with this particular puppy.

For example, he never used to allow pets in the car, but this Pekingese was an exception. In fact, this was already its second ride.

The puppy lifted its head from the box and looked up at Mengmeng, who was peering down at it. Its eyes sparkled with intelligence as they darted around.

If you looked closely, you’d notice a hint of flattery in its gaze.

It was smart. It seemed to know that Mengmeng was the most pampered one in the family, so it tried to cozy up to her, hoping to win more attention and affection—and, of course, benefits.

Even Cheng Xiaolin found herself growing fond of the little dog.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been able to sit in a car and relax like this, playing on her phone without worrying about keeping Mengmeng entertained. The last time might have been years ago, taking the train to school.

After a while, Cheng Xiaolin turned to glance at the puppy playing with her daughter and thought to herself that she should give it a special treat one of these days.

At least a chicken drumstick, or maybe a meaty bone—anything less would seem insincere.

“Little doggy, let me tell you,” Mengmeng said in her soft, spoiled tone. “There’s a big brother at Grandma’s house.”

Then she shook her head dramatically and added, “But when we get there, if he touches you, you should bite him.”

Cheng Xiaolin: “…”

She was stunned. She never imagined her daughter would have such a dangerous thought. At the same time, she was relieved she caught it early.

She immediately lost interest in her phone, stuffed it into her pocket, and quickly said, “Mengmeng, when we get to Grandma’s house, you can’t let Xiaobai bite your cousin Dongdong. If you do, we won’t let you go next time, understand?”

“Why not?” Mengmeng looked confused. Her innocent little mind couldn’t grasp the connection.

She said, “If he doesn’t touch Xiaobai, I won’t let Xiaobai bite him.”

Cheng Xiaolin tried to reason with her again and realized that Mengmeng had a strong sense of possession over what she considered “hers.” Changing that mindset in a short time wasn’t going to be easy.

For the rest of the ride, Cheng Xiaolin kept explaining things to her daughter until her mouth was dry and her head was spinning. She felt exhausted.

During the final stretch, the road seemed endlessly long to Cheng Xiaolin. She was about to lose her mind by the time they finally pulled up to the house.

Just as Cao Shujie was about to get out, he paused and closed the door again.

He reminded Cheng Xiaolin to bundle Mengmeng up properly—coat, hat, the works—before he stepped out and opened the back door for his wife.

A gust of cold wind rushed in as the door opened, making Cheng Xiaolin shrink into herself. She hugged Mengmeng tighter.

“Why is it so cold all of a sudden?” she muttered.

It hadn’t felt that bad in the car, but the moment she stepped out, the temperature seemed to drop drastically.

Cao Shujie looked up at the sky and said, “Honey, look. Looks like the weather’s turning.”

Cheng Xiaolin followed his gaze. The sky did look ominous.

“The forecast said there might be snow in the next few days. Don’t tell me it’s going to start today?” she said, clearly annoyed.

She really hoped it wouldn’t snow today. Her mother’s house didn’t have radiators installed. They still used an old-fashioned stove to heat the main bedroom, and that was the only room with any heating. If it snowed heavily, the temperature would keep dropping. If they got snowed in, they wouldn’t be able to go home, and just the thought of spending the night there made her uncomfortable.

Cao Shujie had the same concern. He even offered, “Honey, do they have radiators around here? If not, we can pay to install some for your parents.”

“We’ll see. I don’t even know where to get them around here. Besides, my parents wouldn’t let you pay for that,” Cheng Xiaolin replied.

“Mama, the puppy,” Mengmeng reminded her, not forgetting about Xiaobai. She wanted her mom to help carry it out.

“Woof woof, woof woof!” Xiaobai barked a few times, startled by the unfamiliar surroundings.

But as soon as it saw Mengmeng, it quieted down.

Both Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin were surprised by what they saw.

“Honey, this little Pekingese is really smart. It seems to recognize Mengmeng,” Cheng Xiaolin said.

Cao Shujie nodded. “I noticed that a few days ago. This little guy’s pretty clever. The ones at home really know how to win people over.”

“Is that what they call kissing up to the boss? Hahaha!” Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

As they chatted, Cao Shujie opened the trunk and started unloading their things. Just then, the closed front gate of her mother’s house swung open from the inside.

Her mother, Li Xiaojuan, appeared at the gate holding her grandson Cheng Tiandong’s hand. When she saw them, she quickly walked over with the boy.

When she reached them, Li Xiaojuan asked out of habit, “Shujie, was the drive smooth?”

Cao Shujie smiled and nodded. “Yeah, Mom, not too many cars on the road.”

“Mom, it’s freezing out here. Why’d you bring Dongdong outside?” Cheng Xiaolin asked.

Just as she finished speaking, she heard her nephew start coughing.

It was a sharp, harsh cough that turned his face red. Cheng Xiaolin frowned. “Mom, is Dongdong sick?”

“Yeah, he caught a bit of a cold a few days ago. We were out playing and didn’t dress him warmly enough. He’s been coughing and has a runny nose. Nothing serious though. I’ve been giving him medicine, so don’t worry,” Li Xiaojuan replied.

From Cheng Xiaolin’s perspective, her feelings were complicated.

Especially when it came to kids—colds were highly contagious. And once someone caught it, the severity varied. Unfortunately, Mengmeng was the type who, once she started coughing, it would go straight to her lungs. Treating it was a nightmare. The child would suffer, and the adults would suffer right along with her.

She realized she’d been careless this time. When she called her mom before coming, how had she forgotten to ask about this?

Seeing that his wife didn’t look too happy, Cao Shujie immediately guessed what she was thinking. With his back to his mother-in-law, he shook his head and waved his hand at his wife, signaling her not to say anything more.

Cheng Xiaolin figured that since they were already here, it wouldn’t make sense to turn back now. The best solution was to keep the two kids apart as much as possible.

But she had forgotten just how difficult that would be—kids never follow those kinds of rules.

“Woof woof, woof…”

The little Pekingese, leashed and held by Mengmeng, rubbed against her leg. When it saw strangers, it started barking.

The barking immediately drew the attention of Mengmeng and her little cousin, Cheng Tiandong.

Even Li Xiaojuan asked curiously, “Linlin, where did this little dog come from?”

“Mom, Shujie got it for Mengmeng. She really likes this dog, won’t go anywhere without it,” Cheng Xiaolin explained.

“Grandmother, puppy.” It was the first time Cheng Tiandong had spoken since seeing Cao Shujie and the others.

“Go on then, take a look. It’s your cousin’s dog. But don’t touch it, okay?” Li Xiaojuan reminded her grandson not to touch the dog, just in case it bit him.

Cheng Xiaolin was just about to find an excuse to stop her nephew when she heard her mother say that. But before she could act, Cheng Tiandong had already run over to the dog, standing across from Mengmeng and staring at the fluffy white Pekingese at her feet.

“Cough, cough, cough cough!” Dongdong suddenly started coughing hard, spitting out tiny droplets that floated in the air.

And right across from him was his little cousin, Mengmeng.

Cheng Xiaolin didn’t have time to think about anything else. She quickly asked, “Mom, do we have any masks at home?”

“No, we don’t. Why do you need a mask?” Li Xiaojuan asked her daughter.

Cheng Xiaolin looked at her nephew and said, “Dongdong’s coughing, and kids are the easiest to spread colds. If Mengmeng catches it, it always turns into bronchitis.”

Li Xiaojuan nodded and said, “We really don’t have any masks. Should I go to the pharmacy and buy some?”

“Mom, forget it. Don’t bother. Do we still have ginger and brown sugar at home?” Cheng Xiaolin asked.

Li Xiaojuan nodded. “We do. You’re thinking of making ginger tea with brown sugar, right?”

“Yeah, exactly.” Cheng Xiaolin looked at her nephew and added, “Make a bowl for Dongdong too. It helps prevent colds.”

“Alright, let’s go inside,” Li Xiaojuan said.

She and Cheng Xiaolin each took one of the children by the hand and headed into the house.

The little Pekingese followed Mengmeng inside, and Cao Shujie came in last, carrying their things.

He asked, “Mom, didn’t Dad come back? He’s not home?”

“He went to collect payment. His contractor said they’re settling six months’ wages,” Li Xiaojuan replied.

Cao Shujie wasn’t surprised. These days, working on construction projects, it was rare to get paid promptly.

Most people were owed a year’s worth of wages.

Inside, the stove was lit, casting a warm red glow and making the house feel cozy.

As soon as they entered, Cheng Xiaolin went to slice ginger to prepare the ginger tea with brown sugar.

Mengmeng and Dongdong huddled together, watching the little dog Xiaobai. Mengmeng proudly said, “His name is Xiaobai. He listens to me really well.”

“Xiaobai,” Dongdong repeated after his cousin. But Xiaobai ignored him completely. Feeling a bit indignant, Dongdong reached out to pet the dog.

But Xiaobai remembered Mengmeng’s command. The moment someone else tried to touch him, he lifted his head and barked sharply, startling Dongdong.

“Waaah!”

Little Cheng Tiandong was easily frightened and burst into tears on the spot.

Cheng Xiaolin, who was slicing ginger, heard her nephew crying loudly and asked, “Shujie, what happened?”

“Dongdong tried to pet Xiaobai, and Xiaobai barked at him. Scared him,” Cao Shujie explained, glancing at his daughter with a headache coming on.

This girl really was a handful.

Li Xiaojuan heard what had happened and didn’t think much of it. She came over to comfort Dongdong, and after a short while, he stopped crying.

He tried to pet Xiaobai again. But this time, Xiaobai was smarter. With Cao Shujie glaring at him, he didn’t dare bark again and obediently let Dongdong pet him a few times, acting like a well-behaved pup.

Seeing how popular Xiaobai was, Mengmeng looked quite pleased.

Once the ginger tea was ready, Cheng Xiaolin asked Cao Shujie to bring over two small bowls. She gave one each to her daughter and nephew, coaxing them to drink it.

As Mengmeng drank, she stuck out her tongue and kept saying, “Mommy, it’s spicy! So spicy!”

“Peh peh peh!” She tried to spit out the spiciness, but it didn’t help.

Soon, sweat started to bead on her forehead.

Cao Shujie took her thermos and had her drink some water to wash it down, then grabbed a few tissues to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

Watching his cousin finish an entire bowl, Cheng Tiandong took a few gulps of his own ginger tea, but no matter how much they coaxed, he wouldn’t drink the rest.

When Cao Shujie’s father-in-law, Cheng Rengui, came back, Cheng Xiaolin was just setting dishes on the table. Seeing him enter, she greeted him cheerfully, “Dad, you’re back!”

“Linlin, Shujie, when did you two get here?” Cheng Rengui saw his son-in-law, daughter, and granddaughter, and his gloomy mood instantly lifted.

“Dad, we got here a little after nine. Mom said you went to collect payment. How did it go? Did they pay up?” Cheng Xiaolin asked.

She wasn’t really counting on the money, just curious.

Hearing his daughter’s question, Cheng Rengui sighed. “They gave me three months’ worth. It’s something, better than nothing.”

“Huh? Weren’t they supposed to pay for six months? Why only three?” Cheng Xiaolin was furious. “It’s just over two months until New Year, and they only paid three months’ wages?”

Cheng Rengui had gotten used to it. “This is actually better than usual. At least they paid something early. In past years, I didn’t get the first half’s wages until the end of the year.”

Cao Shujie wasn’t surprised at all by his father-in-law’s words.

Li Xiaojuan felt helpless hearing that her husband had only gotten three months’ pay, but there was nothing she could do.

Cheng Xiaolin turned to her husband and complained, “Shujie, what’s wrong with these people? They’ve got money, so why won’t they pay up?”

Cao Shujie said with a half-smile, “Honey, you really don’t get it. Just because he’s a foreman doesn’t mean he’s got money.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his father-in-law, Cheng Rengui, nodded and added, “That money was scraped together by Li Guangqing, practically begging the project side for it. Otherwise, we’d have to wait until the end of the year.”

“Dad, is that why you guys don’t have any work right now?” Cao Shujie asked.

Cheng Rengui nodded. “Yeah, we had a falling out with the other side. But we had no choice. Cheng Dagua’s family ran into some trouble and needed money. Li Guangqing kept covering for him, but he doesn’t have much himself. He had to go to the project side to ask for funds.”

Only then did Cheng Xiaolin realize there was so much more going on behind the scenes.

Li Xiaojuan was getting annoyed from listening and said, “It’s already mealtime, let’s just eat.”

Once she spoke, no one brought it up again. They all gathered around the table to eat.

After lunch, Cheng Xiaolin went to make some brown sugar ginger tea for her daughter and nephew.

Meanwhile, Cao Shujie sat with his father-in-law, drinking tea and chatting. When the topic circled back to what had happened earlier, Cao Shujie asked, “Dad, are you planning to keep working on construction sites?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. But if I don’t do this, I don’t really know how to do anything else,” Cheng Rengui said helplessly. He didn’t have any specialized skills.

Cao Shujie thought for a moment, then said, “Dad, how about I give you a suggestion?”

“What is it?” Cheng Rengui asked.

Then he heard Cao Shujie say, “Raise cattle.”

“Not too many at once. Four or five would be enough to start,” Cao Shujie continued.

“Like on my end, I started with fifty head of cattle. By next year, I’m planning to buy another batch of calves.”

“Dad, if you want to raise them, I can help you source the calves. They’re not expensive,” he added.

Hearing his son-in-law say this, Cheng Rengui was clearly tempted. He hesitated and asked, “Do you think it’ll work?”

“Dad, would I lie to you? Raising cattle is pretty straightforward. You just need to feed them on schedule every day. There’s not much else to it.” Cao Shujie shared all his experience from raising cattle over the past few months.

By the time he finished, Cheng Rengui was even more interested. He said, “I’ll talk it over with your mom.”

“Dad, this is a big decision. You two should think it through,” Cao Shujie said. “If you’re raising them at home, just start small. Build up some experience. If it goes well, you can raise more later. In the long run, it’ll definitely be better than working outside.”

Cheng Rengui understood the logic and nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.

When he saw his wife, Li Xiaojuan, he brought up the idea of raising cattle.

After hearing him out, Li Xiaojuan didn’t give a clear answer. She felt her husband was too honest and had never done this kind of work before. She didn’t think he was cut out for it. In her mind, it was safer to just keep working and earning a steady income.

But when Cheng Xiaolin saw her mother still wavering, she chimed in, “Mom, raising cattle is a good idea.”

“Look at us. We’ve got fifty head at home, and it’s not that much trouble,” Cheng Xiaolin said.

Even by the time Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin were getting ready to leave, Li Xiaojuan still hadn’t given a definite answer.

“My parents are too indecisive. Always overthinking everything. That’s not going to work,” Cheng Xiaolin said in the car.

Cao Shujie chuckled and replied, “Honey, you can’t say that. How old are your parents now?”

“They’ll be fifty after the New Year,” Cheng Xiaolin answered. She remembered clearly.

Cao Shujie kept his eyes on the road and smiled. “Exactly. At their age, you expect them to suddenly dive into starting their own business? Of course it’s hard.”

“But it’s just raising cattle!” Cheng Xiaolin said.

Cao Shujie asked, “Honey, if Dad starts raising cattle, won’t those few cows be his main source of income in the future?”

Cheng Xiaolin nodded. “Yeah.”

“Then there you go. This is going to be their livelihood. It’s only right for them to think it through carefully. That’s being responsible for themselves,” Cao Shujie said.

Cheng Xiaolin realized she had been oversimplifying things.

…

On the way back, the sky grew darker and more people filled the streets. Cao Shujie slowed the car down more and more to avoid any accidents.

Even though the trip took a bit longer, they still made it home safely.

When Wang Yuelan saw them come in, she was surprised. “Shujie, Linlin, I thought you were staying the night. Why’d you come back?”

“Mom, we’ve got a lot to do at home.” Cheng Xiaolin said.

She had originally planned to stay, but thinking about all the work waiting in the orchard made her uneasy.

Plus, her nephew had a bad cold and was coughing nonstop. Honestly, Cheng Xiaolin was worried her daughter might catch it too.

But she didn’t say any of that to her mother-in-law, and Cao Shujie didn’t think much of it either.

Wang Yuelan mentioned something else. “Shujie, the guy from town who installs radiators came by. He measured everything and said he’ll be back in about three days to install them.”

“Why so slow?” Cao Shujie asked, puzzled.

Wang Yuelan rolled her eyes at her son. “It’s cold now. Everyone’s getting radiators installed. This is already pretty fast.”

Cao Shujie thought about it and realized she was right. Three days wasn’t bad.

Before bed that night, Cheng Xiaolin made another bowl of brown sugar ginger tea for her daughter. After the little girl drank it and didn’t cough, Cheng Xiaolin finally felt a bit more at ease.

But their luck didn’t last. Around midnight, a series of coughs—“cough cough, cough cough”—rang out, loud and clear in the quiet of the night.

Cheng Xiaolin, fast asleep, was woken by her daughter’s coughing.

She saw Mengmeng coughing non-stop, her little back arching with each one. That’s when she knew Mengmeng hadn’t escaped it after all.

“Shujie, Shujie…” Cheng Xiaolin nudged her husband awake.

“What’s wrong?” Cao Shujie mumbled, half-asleep. Then he heard their daughter coughing.

He understood immediately. “Don’t worry. I’ll go find some medicine for Mengmeng. You give her some water first to help settle her throat.”

“Okay!” Cheng Xiaolin nodded and reached toward the side of the pillow, feeling around for her daughter’s thermos.

Click.

A sudden burst of bright light filled the room. Cao Shujie had found the switch on the wall and turned on the light.

While Mengmeng drank her water, Cao Shujie quickly went outside to rummage through the medicine box for some cough medicine.

Cao Shujie practically turned the medicine box upside down before finally finding something for a cough. He grabbed a small cup, poured the medicine in, added some warm water, stirred it thoroughly, then brought it back to the bedroom and handed it to his wife. “Honey, hurry and give this to Mengmeng.”

“Mm.” Cheng Xiaolin watched their daughter coughing so hard it made her heart ache. The guilt weighed even heavier on her. “Shujie, if I’d just asked my mom one more question when I called, we could’ve avoided this. If we’d known Dongdong had a cold and was coughing, we wouldn’t have gone back. Then Dongdong wouldn’t have passed it to Mengmeng, and she wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

Cao Shujie tried to comfort her. “Honey, don’t think like that. Mengmeng might not have caught it from Dongdong. Maybe she just ran around too much, got hot and cold, and caught a chill on her own.”

“Don’t try to make me feel better. I know what’s what.” Cheng Xiaolin watched as their daughter finished the medicine, but the coughing didn’t stop. At one point, she coughed so hard she even threw up.

The two of them could only watch helplessly as their daughter vomited on the bedsheet. The sour, fermented smell quickly filled the room. That sheet had to go.

After all the commotion, once Mengmeng finally settled down a bit, Cheng Xiaolin held her in her arms and gently shifted around on the bed while Cao Shujie carefully peeled off the soiled bedsheet, gripping the messiest part with his hands.

By the time they were done, it was nearly two in the morning. He was so exhausted he couldn’t even bring himself to put on a fresh sheet. Sleepiness hit him like a wave.

Wang Yuelan and Cao Jianguo, his parents, had heard the noise and came over to help, but Cao Shujie stopped them.

“Dad, Mom, I’ve got it. You two go back to bed,” he said.

That night, the couple barely slept. They were up and down most of the night.

The next morning, Cao Shujie, who was usually an early riser, got up an hour late for once. Even then, he still looked groggy and half-asleep.

(End of chapter)