Chapter 74: Mengmeng the Little Money-Waster

“Hubby, look how fast these fruits are growing. They’re already this big! I don’t think we’ll need to wait until September—early August should be just about right,” Cheng Xiaolin said. She wasn’t exactly clueless when it came to these things.

Looking at the fruit in the Old Orchard, she had to admit her husband’s nutrient solution was seriously impressive.

The name said it all—simple, direct, and effective!

Cao Shujie glanced at the half-grown kiwis and smiled. “Not bad. That’ll be right in the middle of summer break—perfect timing.”

“Aren’t you going to do some promotion? Otherwise, who’s going to show up?” Cheng Xiaolin reminded him.

Cao Shujie nodded. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ve got it all under control.”

“Come on, let’s go take a look inside,” he said, taking Mengmeng’s hand and pointing deeper into the orchard.

Cheng Xiaolin nodded and followed behind them, walking into the orchard together.

The small green apples hanging on the trees were already bigger than quail eggs.

Mengmeng’s eyes lit up with mischief as she spotted the cute little fruits. She wanted to pick one to play with.

Cheng Xiaolin stopped her. “Mengmeng, you little money-waster! Your dad’s counting on these to grow up and sell for money. You’re already trying to ruin them?”

Mengmeng blinked, not quite understanding.

“Daddy, I want one!” she insisted, reaching out her hand, refusing to give up until she got one.

Without a word, Cao Shujie picked a smaller one and handed it to his daughter. “Here you go.”

“Seriously, can you not spoil her like that?” Cheng Xiaolin said, exasperated.

Cao Shujie chuckled. “This one’s no good anyway. I’d have to toss it sooner or later. Let her play with it—it’s fine.”

Cheng Xiaolin’s face turned stern. “You know that’s not what I meant. You’re way too soft on her. It’s not good.”

“I get it,” Cao Shujie said, his playful expression fading as he looked at his wife. “Don’t worry. I’m not raising a spoiled brat.”

“Daddy, what’s a ‘money-waster’?” Mengmeng asked, confused, scratching her head.

She sneaked a glance at her mom. Even though she was young, she could tell her mom wasn’t too happy with her right now.

Cao Shujie carried his daughter as they walked further in. Up ahead, he could see Cao Zhenggang and the others working on building the pigsty. He waved from a distance. “Grandpa Zhenggang! Busy as ever, huh? Everything going smoothly?”

“Smooth as can be! Don’t worry, I’ll get this job done right for you,” Cao Zhenggang said, patting his chest with pride.

That was his promise—and his secret to thriving in the countryside. If you couldn’t do your job well, gossip would spread faster than half the internet.

Mengmeng, annoyed that her dad was ignoring her, puffed up her cheeks and pressed her little hand against his cheek. The stubble pricked her fingers, but instead of hurting, she found it funny and reached out again to tug at his beard.

“Ow!”

Cao Shujie winced at the sharp pain of having his beard yanked. He quickly grabbed her mischievous little hand. “Mengmeng, you looking for a spanking?”

Then he gave her a light smack on the butt. It didn’t hurt, and Mengmeng just burst out laughing.

Across the way, Cao Zhenggang, who was supervising the workers, called out, “Shujie, I see the apples in your orchard are doing great—better than most places. They’re growing earlier and bigger. But why haven’t you bagged them yet?”

Hearing the question, Cao Shujie waved it off. “Grandpa Zhenggang, bagging just makes them look prettier, but it blocks sunlight and ruins the taste. I’d rather leave them as they are—better flavor.”

“But won’t that mean more pests? You’ll have to spray pesticides, right? That’ll affect both your yield and your sales,” Cao Zhenggang said. He wasn’t entirely clueless either.

Cao Shujie just smiled and didn’t go into detail. “I’ve got my own methods.”

Hearing that, Cao Zhenggang understood—it was a trade secret. Since he didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t press further.

As the two men chatted, Cheng Xiaolin picked up Mengmeng from her husband’s arms and took her to check on the young fruit trees.

After the heavy rain last time, the saplings on the hillside were growing even better than before. The weeds were thriving too.

Mengmeng didn’t want to be carried. She stood on the grass by herself, bent over with her little butt sticking out, staring intently at a sapling like she was trying to figure out why it was growing so well.

Suddenly, she started yelling, “Mommy, look!”

“Mengmeng, what’s wrong?” Cheng Xiaolin was startled. Was it something creepy?

Mengmeng turned her head and looked at her mom with confusion, then pointed back at the sapling. “Mommy, look! There’s a bug! Why isn’t it moving?”

“A bug?” Cheng Xiaolin leaned in. “Let me see.”

She knew her husband hadn’t sprayed any pesticides or insecticides, so she thought maybe the saplings really had attracted bugs.

But when she looked closer, it wasn’t a bug at all—it was a green leaf stem that had somehow gotten stuck on the sapling. At a glance, it really did look like a green insect.

Cheng Xiaolin picked it up and twirled it in her hand a few times. Mengmeng, seeing her mom daring to touch a “bug,” was awestruck. “Mommy, you’re amazing!”

Seeing her daughter’s wide eyes and open mouth full of admiration, Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t help feeling a little proud. “See, now you know who’s the real boss.”

The mother and daughter continued walking deeper into the orchard. Mengmeng kept getting startled by things she didn’t recognize, constantly asking, “Mommy, what’s this?”

Every time, Cheng Xiaolin would put on a know-it-all mom act, which only made Mengmeng admire her more.

Meanwhile, Cao Shujie and Cao Zhenggang had been chatting for about ten minutes. When he saw his wife and daughter walking off into the distance, Cao Shujie pointed toward them and said, “Grandpa Zhenggang, I need to go check on the saplings over there. Let’s catch up another time.”

“Go on, go on,” Cao Zhenggang waved him off.

He knew perfectly well that Cao Shujie probably had no interest in chatting for half a day with an old guy like him.

Cao Shujie caught up with his wife and daughter and saw them squatting on the ground, examining something. Curious, he asked, “What are you two doing?”

“Daddy, look!” Mengmeng pointed to a small hole in the ground. “Is there a monster hiding in there?”

Cao Shujie was speechless. *Your imagination really knows no bounds, huh?*

Cheng Xiaolin stifled a laugh and asked, “Honey, what were you and Grandpa Zhenggang talking about?”

“Just shooting the breeze. I asked him when he’d be done with everything. Once the whole project’s finished, he can cut back on raising pigs, cows, and sheep—maybe just keep a few chickens, ducks, and geese for fun.”

As he spoke, Cao Shujie pointed at the thick weeds growing on the ground. “Look at how lush this grass is. It’d be a shame to just throw it away.”

Cheng Xiaolin looked down at the grass growing between the rows of fruit trees. It did look rich and healthy. She nodded. “You’re right, it really is.”

(End of this chapter)