Chapter 47: Mengmeng’s Happiness Is Also My Childhood

Back in the bedroom, Cheng Xiaolin was already awake, lying under the covers looking at her phone.

Mengmeng was still sleeping on her stomach, her little hands raised up, her round face turned toward the door and cuddling sideways. Drool dribbled from the corner of her mouth again, and one chubby little leg was draped over her mother.

Luckily, it was May and the weather was warm—so warm that using a blanket was almost too much—which was the only reason she dared let Mengmeng sleep with her legs exposed.

Cheng Xiaolin, seeing Cao Shujie push the door open and come in, was a bit baffled. “Honey, what happened to you? Did you fall into a ditch?”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. Daha and Erha, those two darn dogs, did this to me,” Cao Shujie griped as he went looking for clothes in the wardrobe. “My clothes are soaked. Let me change first and then I’ll tell you the whole story.”

“Why don’t you take a shower while you’re at it? Don’t catch a cold again,” Cheng Xiaolin teased him a little.

They had solar water heaters at home, but the shower room was in a separate building from the living quarters.

Cao Shujie rolled his eyes at her. “If I wasn’t soaking wet right now, I’d definitely deal with you first.”

With that, he grabbed some clothes and a towel and went to shower.

“Coward!” Cheng Xiaolin spat after him.

When he came back, freshly showered and changed into clean clothes, Mengmeng was awake, playing on the bed with her mother. Upon seeing her father, she was still in her diaper, lifting her legs high to show off: “Daddy, look!”

“Mengmeng, you’re amazing! But let’s get you dressed first—Grandmother made millet porridge with red dates. Let’s go have breakfast,” said Cao Shujie.

Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t keep lounging around, so she got dressed in a hurry. Meanwhile, Cao Shujie was treated to another visual shock.

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt his wife was getting prettier these days—her skin smoother and fairer, and, well, certain features fuller too.

“Geez, since we came back, eating well, sleeping well, and being in a good mood—is that causing you to have a second growth spurt?” Cao Shujie didn’t really understand if there was any logic to this, but he couldn’t help wondering.

After Mengmeng came out of the room, she habitually went to the dog cage to check on Daha and Erha, then glanced at the Little Wild Cat Huahua and the little wild rabbit Huihui next to them, greeting each one in turn.

But today, seeing that Daha and Erha looked soaking wet—just like after a bath—she grew worried. “Daha, Erha, are you cold?”

Inside the cage, Daha and Erha silently eyed Mengmeng from the other side of the bars. If dogs could think like people, they’d probably be saying, “You should ask your shameless dad if we’re cold.”

“Daddy, look—the doggies are wet.” Mengmeng pointed to Daha and Erha in their cage, looking a bit anxious now that her dad had also come out of the room.

Cao Shujie certainly knew the story, but hearing his daughter talk like this, he pretended concern. “Oh no, what happened to Daha and Erha? Should we put them on the roof to sunbathe, so they don’t catch cold?”

Daha and Erha: “…”

Neither of them could even muster a bark. What kind of creature is this outside?

Just act like a human for once!

Cheng Xiaolin also knew what happened, and at this moment she was speechless when she looked at her husband. “Shujie, don’t torment them anymore. Watch out—they might hold a grudge and bite you the next chance they get.”

“Would they dare?” Cao Shujie glared at Daha and Erha, a dangerous glint in his eye.

Even Mengmeng could sense the malice. She rushed in front of the cage, spreading her little arms to block her father, looking up at him. “Daddy, you can’t be bad!”

“…” Cao Shujie was speechless!

Cheng Xiaolin followed up, scolding him, “Shujie, you hear that? Just wait for your righteous judgment.”

Cao Shujie turned to shoot his wife a dangerous look. He couldn’t say anything in front of his daughter, but his glare clearly said, “I don’t know about anyone else judging me, but I’m judging you tonight.”

“Get lost!” Cheng Xiaolin immediately understood her husband’s crude humor and scolded him angrily!

At this point, his younger sister Cao Huifang got up as well and was calling Deng Miaoshan. Directly hearing that none of the four girls were up yet, Cao Huifang thought of checking on them, only for Deng Miaoshan to refuse.

According to Deng Miaoshan, they’d get up, eat some breakfast, and head straight to the bus after, so there was no need for Cao Huifang to make an extra trip.

After hanging up, Cao Huifang stared at her niece without blinking. “Mengmeng, how come you don’t even say hello to your aunt?”

“Auntie!” Mengmeng hid behind her father, calling out softly.

“Hey, come here. After breakfast, I’ll take you to the Yellow River to see some fish. Want to go?”

“Fish?” Mengmeng’s eyes went wide. “Goldfish?”

“There aren’t any goldfish in the Yellow River, but there are other kinds of fish.” Cao Huifang, never one to sit still, said, “Auntie will take you to catch fish. Want to?”

Before Mengmeng could reply, Wang Yuelan walked over to scold her. “Fangfang, quit messing around. The Yellow River’s dangerous! How could you take Mengmeng there? Do you even think before you speak?”

“Mom, it’s not like I wouldn’t watch over her,” Cao Huifang protested, talking back to her mother.

Wang Yuelan knew her daughter all too well. “You?”

She didn’t believe it!

Cheng Xiaolin hadn’t been to the Yellow River since coming back. Hearing her sister-in-law’s suggestion made her want to check it out herself. “Fangfang, after breakfast, I’ll go with you guys.”

Wang Yuelan, hearing this from her daughter-in-law, let it go and only reminded them to keep a close eye on Mengmeng.

“Make sure you dress warmly. The Yellow River’s damp, and it’s still a little chilly by the water this time of year.”

Cao Shujie wanted to go too. When he was a child, he used to catch fish and crayfish in the river, and when the weather was hot, he’d carry a tire inner tube to swim. When he got back, his dad would whip him with a leather belt—never learning from it, because he’d go again the next time.

Eventually, his dad tied a red string around his ankle. If the string got discolored or disappeared, it meant a guaranteed beating.

But so what? Not even the emperor himself could stop him. At worst, it was just another beating.

The happiness of those days was gone and would never return.

Hearing his sister’s suggestion, his heart was a little moved.

Mengmeng, eager to go see fish by the Yellow River, ate breakfast faster than usual.

She barely took any time to finish her bowl of millet porridge and even held up the empty bowl for everyone to see: “Look, I’m full.”

“Mengmeng’s awesome!” Cao Shujie praised her.

The little one basked in the praise, her face a big smile.

But the very next moment, she started urging, “Daddy, hurry up, the fish!”

As expected!

Half an hour later, Cao Shujie grabbed a homemade net fashioned from spare screen mesh, and drove them to the Yellow River. It was just about keeping his daughter company, nothing complicated.

The stretch of Yellow River near the Cao family’s village had been repaired twice since the big flood of ’98, and the embankment was now nearly five meters higher, the top paved to first-tier highway standards.

Learning from hard lessons, the river-facing side of the levee was all paved with big gray stone blocks, with trees planted at intervals.

Over time, the silt buildup on the other side formed a large flat area. Someone contracted the land, cleaned it up, and planted pear trees there.

But when Cao Shujie was little, he’d sneaked in to steal pears. They weren’t sweet, just full of pulp and not tasty.

When they got out of the car, seeing these familiar scenes, Cao Shujie felt like he was back in his carefree childhood. He even shamelessly pointed at the pear orchard and told his wife, “When I was little, I used to sneak in there for pears. They were terrible.”

“They were stolen. And you’re willing to brag about that?” Cheng Xiaolin rolled her eyes, picked up her daughter,and walked away.

Mengmeng was still thinking about her dad’s makeshift “fishing net.” In her mother’s arms, she craned her neck and shouted behind her, “Daddy, the net, and the fish!”

“I know. You two go slow getting down there.”

“Brother, don’t worry—I’ll help out my sister-in-law,” Cao Huifang piped up. She really didn’t dare be careless, hurrying a few steps to lead the way so she could shield her sister-in-law and niece if anyone tripped.

Muddy water and fast currents are what most people first notice about the Yellow River.

But now, not so much. Only some deeper spots still held water.

In the distance, people were walking on the riverbed, and children were running around under the watchful gaze of adults.

The place was full of sand and dirt—falling down didn’t really hurt.

When Mengmeng saw other kids, her eyes lit up. “Mommy, mommy, look!”

She pointed at the children running in the distance, wriggling restlessly in her mother’s arms, wishing she’d arrived sooner.

(End of the chapter)