Chapter 37: Mengmeng Can Dance Now

Han Dingping was a straightforward and energetic person. After meeting with Cao Shujie, the two chatted for a while before Han Dingping said, “Mr. Cao, let’s head up the mountain and take a look.”

“It’s a bit tricky to find a good spot for drilling on the mountain. I’ll need more time to figure it out,” Han Dingping added.

“Alright, Boss Han, I’ll take you there.”

Cao Shujie wanted him to ride on the back of his electric scooter, but Han Dingping pointed to a Jialing motorcycle parked by the roadside not far away. “No need, I rode my motorcycle here. You go ahead and lead the way, Mr. Cao.”

With the morning light streaking across the sky, Cao Shujie led the way as they both rode to the orchard.

At the foot of the mountain, Cao Shujie found a flat spot to park and said to the arriving Han Dingping, “Boss Han, my orchard is up there. Let’s park here and walk up.”

“Let’s go,” Han Dingping replied, unfazed—he was used to this and had drilled wells on mountains before.

The two chatted as they walked up to Cao Shujie’s orchard. Han Dingping looked around for a good five or six minutes before finally saying, “Mr. Cao, the spot you chose is actually pretty nice. It’s perfect for planting fruit trees.”

“Haha, my dad picked this spot originally. I took it over to farm myself.” Then Cao Shujie pointed east and added, “But that side over there is the land I contracted. It’s 78 mu, and combined with this side, it totals 85 mu.”

“That’s quite a bit of land. No wonder you want to drill your own well on the mountain for water,” Han Dingping nodded in understanding.

Eighty-five mu isn’t a small area—hauling water up from below would be completely unrealistic.

“Come on, let’s check further up,” said Han Dingping after observing for a bit. He now led the way.

Cao Shujie knew that people like him must have some special abilities or experience, while he himself was just along for the ride, quietly following behind.

As they walked, Han Dingping would stop every so often to observe the surroundings. He’d sometimes nod and look around more carefully, muttering to himself. Most of the time, he would shake his head after a glance and head somewhere else.

Eventually, they reached a spot where two mountains converged, and Han Dingping suddenly pointed to a small flat area at the lower junction. “Mr. Cao, based on my experience, this is a great place to drill. No problem at all.”

“Should we try it here then?” asked Cao Shujie.

Han Dingping shook his head. “No rush. Let’s keep walking and check a few more places. We should try to find the most suitable location. It’ll make irrigation easier for you later.”

That made sense, and Cao Shujie nodded. He felt he’d made the right choice hiring Han Dingping for the job.

The sun gradually climbed higher. Looking eastward from the mountain, the orange sun cast its glow across the land. The morning chill was quickly replaced by warmth.

Skipping breakfast entirely, Han Dingping led Cao Shujie around the entire area. In the end, he picked out three spots he felt were good both in terms of location and potential water yield.

During that time, more workers arrived to help Cao Shujie, and seeing him busy, no one went over to interrupt.

Before he realized it, it was past 10 a.m., and Cao Shujie’s stomach was already churning with hunger.

He suggested grabbing breakfast first and coming back later, but Han Dingping refused. Instead, he took Cao Shujie back to one of the three selected spots—a platform between two mountains—and said, “Mr. Cao, let’s do it here. I guarantee it—if we don’t hit water, you don’t pay me.”

Cao Shujie agreed without hesitation.

They finalized the plan to bring all the equipment over the next day. The total cost would depend on how deep they needed to drill and what materials would be used.

…

After everything was settled, Cao Shujie brought Han Dingping home for lunch. He’d originally planned to have some drinks too, but Han Dingping had other matters that afternoon, so they skipped it.

After lunch, Han Dingping rode off on his motorcycle.

Meanwhile, Chen Xingquan, the boss of Chen Zheng Safety Fencing, also called Cao Shujie to say that part of the protective netting was ready. He asked if he should deliver it now.

“So soon?” Cao Shujie hadn’t expected such high efficiency from Chen Xingquan.

Then he heard Chen say, “Mr. Cao, you’re Supervisor Cao’s friend—I had to prioritize your order.”

This casual remark helped build rapport, and Cao Shujie felt very pleased. Clearly, this was someone who knew how to deal with people.

“Boss Chen, if you can send it over, please do. Stay for dinner at my place before heading back,” said Cao Shujie.

“No need, no need. I’ll have someone else deliver it. We’ll catch up another day,” replied Chen Xingquan.

Since he insisted, Cao Shujie didn’t press it.

Up in the mountain fields, over thirty people were working together—truly proving the saying “many hands make light work.”

However, the original twelve workers who came on the first day regretted gossiping about it afterward. They could have stretched the work longer to earn more money. At the current pace, it would be done in three to five days—then where would they go to earn next?

While working, they noticed Cao Shujie and Han Dingping moving around the area and overheard them talking about drilling a well.

The villagers from Cao Family Village exchanged thoughts and couldn’t help but admire Cao Shujie. He really had guts and was willing to invest.

Just based on that, no one was surprised he was making money.

Once things calmed down, Cheng Xiaolin asked, “Honey, are you done with everything?”

“Mm, done for now. But Boss Chen from the county will have someone deliver the wire fencing later,” said Cao Shujie.

“So fast?” she asked in surprise.

“Part of it,” he replied.

Then he repeated Chen Xingquan’s exact words to his wife.

After hearing it, Cheng Xiaolin said, “Honey, when you have time, go to the county and invite Cao Zhen and Boss Chen for a meal.”

“Got it,” he nodded.

His childhood friend Cao Zhen was still busy—otherwise, he would’ve gone tonight.

His mother, Wang Yuelan, arrived with Mengmeng. Seeing her son wasn’t busy, she said, “Shujie, your house will be finished tomorrow. Didn’t you hire someone to decorate it? When are they coming?”

“Mom, I hired our village’s Cao Tiemin. He specializes in renovations in the county. He’ll start tomorrow,” Cao Shujie replied, feeling a bit overwhelmed by how everything was piling up.

But this was different from his past life in Beijing, where he’d stay up late for performance metrics. That exhaustion was physical and emotional, with no sense of direction.

Now, although he was tired, he felt a sense of accomplishment. The road ahead was clear. As long as he took steady steps, he’d be fine.

He cheered himself up, “It’s just the beginning. There’s a lot to do now, but once the foundation is set, everything will be easier.”

“Daddy, hug!” Mengmeng fluttered over like a butterfly.

When Cao Shujie picked her up, Mengmeng turned around in his arms, rested her back against him, squatted down on the ground, used his hands for balance, curled her legs up, and lifted her feet off the ground. “Daddy, look! I’m awesome!”

Cao Shujie praised her quickly, “Mengmeng, you’re amazing!”

“Heehee, I’ve got more,” said Mengmeng.

She grabbed her dad’s legs with both hands, squatted slowly with one leg forward and one back, almost forming a full split. “Daddy, look!”

“Mengmeng, you’re incredible. Even Daddy can’t do that!”

He showered her with praise, making her grin proudly.

But he was also curious and asked his wife, “Where did Mengmeng learn this?”

“Who else? She copied those dancers she sees on TV,” said Cheng Xiaolin, a bit helplessly.

Then she turned to her daughter and said, “Mengmeng, dance for Daddy.”

“Cue the music!” Mengmeng waved her hand and struck a pose.

She stood tall, left hand on her belly, right hand raised above her head, just waiting for the music.

She really had flair.

But after waiting a bit and hearing no music, Mengmeng pouted and called out, “Mommy!”

“Okay, okay, I’m playing it now,” Cheng Xiaolin said quickly, grabbing her phone to start the music.

(End of Chapter)