Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 135 Part 1 – One Good Thing After Another (I)

During the winter break, one of Ding Mingjin’s former comrades-in-arms came personally to Yan City to arrange medical treatment for Ding Sijin’s grandmother.

The grandmother had liver issues, along with some chronic illnesses caused by age and years of overwork, which needed long-term care. Thankfully, a weekly visit to the hospital for follow-up appointments and prescriptions would suffice.

The compensation money that Ding Sijin’s uncle, Ding Mingsheng, had taken was difficult to reclaim due to the grandmother. But the comrade had made other arrangements. Ding Mingsheng had already received a job transfer order from his company. He was about to be transferred away from Yan City to a more remote province in a demotion disguised as a promotion.

That job had originally been arranged for him by Ding Mingjin, a very lucrative position at a state-owned enterprise. So, although he was reluctant to leave Yan City, he didn’t dare give up this iron rice bowl. After the Spring Festival, he would be moving away with his entire family.

Knowing they were about to leave, his wife’s family started eyeing the apartment they had just moved into. They said they’d pay a little rent and let her recently married younger brother live there.

Naturally, Ding Mingsheng refused—he knew exactly what kind of person his brother-in-law was. Once he moved in, he’d never leave.

Then someone “reminded” him that being a “martyr’s family member” might help him get promoted and transferred back sooner. He immediately made a show of welcoming Ding Sijin and her grandmother into his home, treating Ding Sijin especially well.

He said they could keep living there even after he left. Not only would that discourage his brother-in-law, but it would also serve as a constant reminder to the higher-ups that he existed, killing two birds with one stone.

All of this was inferred by Xia Mian from Ding Mingjin’s comrade.

Yes, before leaving, the comrade brought Ding Sijin to thank Xia Mian in person.

Of course, the main reason was to ask her to look after Ding Sijin when possible and contact them right away if anything happened.

That wasn’t a problem. Without being asked, Xiao Feng had already started taking care of the girl. He brought an extra candy every day to school and always shared if he had something tasty or fun.

The comrade was clearly pressed for time and left in a hurry after the visit. But his presence eased the constant vigilance and guardedness Ding Sijin had developed from being left without support.

Though she still acted like a fierce little wolf at times, she had started to soften around certain people—like Xiao Feng’s group, for example.

On the first weekend after her father’s comrade left, she pushed her new bicycle over to play with the trio. She pushed it because she hadn’t learned to ride yet.

The comrade had bought her the bike, but after helping her ride for a bit, he had to rush off to catch his train.

Seeing how her uncle and cousin were eyeing her new bike greedily, Ding Sijin decided to just push it and walk for almost twenty minutes to Xiao Feng’s home. She was generous with her new toy, letting the other kids play with it. They were ecstatic.

They had a rule for toys like this, where there was only one: Xiao Feng, Chenchen, and Huizhu each got one turn around the block, and Ding Sijin, as the owner, got two. Then they’d start again.

Xia Mian, with nothing to do at home, helped each of them with their first turn, but soon tired out and let them play on their own.

So anyone walking by would see four kids in the alley learning to ride. One on the bike, the other three swarming around—flailing and tumbling all over each other until they collapsed in a pile.

People watching couldn’t help but laugh.

The next day, Zhou Xuewen brought back three brand-new kids’ bikes. Now, each of the three kids had their own. The alley was lively every day. Whenever the grown-ups had free time, they’d help the kids, and when no one could, the kids just played on their own.

Huizhu was the first to learn. This tiger girl was fearless and managed to ride shakily after a dozen tumbles—though her padded jacket and pants were torn up in the process.

Chenchen followed right after. He was the thinking type—he hadn’t ridden as much, but showed clear improvement each time. After one light fall, he was riding well enough, so long as he avoided crashing into Huizhu.

While the two of them were racing, Xiao Feng would still calmly scoot along using his feet, which drove Huizhu and Chenchen crazy.

Eventually, they both dropped their bikes. Each stood on one side of him, giving advice and encouragement as they tried to teach him together.

They pulled at Xiao Feng’s handlebars so much they were lopsided. He hadn’t even started riding before the other two started arguing.

Then, when Xiao Feng finally managed to pedal a bit, they forgot about the argument and rushed over to cheer him on.

Ding Sijin had been away accompanying her grandmother to the hospital. After she returned and began learning to ride, Xiao Feng quickly picked it up as well.

“Xiao Feng rides so steadily, I think he already knew how,” said Mao Huilan, who had come out to watch, said amusedly. “Was he just waiting for Ding Sijin? That girl does seem really competitive.”

Ning Shaobai said, “Xiao Feng’s balance and patience are the best.”

So, he was likely the fastest learner, but his friends were all the competitive type.

Xia Mian, holding Ning Shaobai’s arm, sighed, “Xiao Feng’s just like an angel sent to earth.”

Ning Shaobai tugged gently at her tuft and smiled dotingly, “You too, a little angel sent from the heavens.”

Mao Huilan gave him a surprised look, clearly not expecting Dr. Ning to be someone who could lie so shamelessly with a straight face.

But Xia Mian liked it. She was already delighted, snuggling against his shoulder with a playful nudge. “Our Dr. Ning sure has made a big fortune!”

Ning Shaobai patted her head and smiled, “Mm, you are mine now.”

Mao Huilan felt like she was about to get a cavity and decisively turned away, determined to go study hard.

This year’s end seemed to bring one good thing after another. Ding Sijin’s situation had been resolved, and Rong Xin and Tang Miaomiao had finally gotten engaged.

Xia Mian and Ning Shaobai attended their engagement banquet. Though Rong Xin still wore a hopeless expression in front of them, the moment Tang Miaomiao was nearby, he immediately took on a serious and seemingly enthusiastic demeanor.

Clearly, after losing the battle for a free-choice marriage, he had decided to take responsibility for the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

“Alas, I wonder if Sister Miaomiao will be happy,” Xia Mian said worriedly. Rong Xin didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Ning Shaobai chuckled. “Don’t worry. Rong Xin is reliable—just a bit dim. Without something like responsibility to tether him, he’d just move from one celebrity to another for the rest of his life.”

Xia Mian couldn’t help but laugh as she recalled how furious Rong Xin had been upon learning that the goddess he had admired for so long had been secretly married for years. He hadn’t looked heartbroken, though—more like a fan who had suddenly unfollowed their idol.

When they got home, Ning Shaobai took her hand and led her straight toward his house. Xia Mian grinned quietly to herself, understanding exactly what that meant.

As the year came to a close, Xia Wenyue’s factory had already shut down for the year-end break. Mao Zhishan was back home, and the three children were also on break. The Mao household was lively from morning to night. It had been a long time since the two of them had enjoyed a quiet moment alone.

But their plans were soon interrupted. Before they even reached the door, someone called out, the voice was full of excitement. “Xia Mian, Mianmian!”

Xia Mian turned around and saw Mao Huimei getting out of a taxi. She didn’t even bother with her suitcase and ran straight at her. “Mianmian, we did it!”

“Sister Huimei!” Xia Mian was thrilled. “Weren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow?”

After the concentrated juice from Three Sisters Beverage Factory passed all necessary inspections, Mao Huimei had personally flown to Country D a month ago to pitch it to potential buyers.

“There was an earlier flight, so I came back ahead of schedule,” she said, visibly elated. “Guess how many orders we landed this time?”

Xia Mian saw her eyes shining and made a bold guess. “Three million? Five?”

Mao Huimei kept shaking her head, then couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Two million, in US dollars!”

“How much?” Xia Mian took a second to process it before she threw her arms around Mao Huimei and screamed in delight. “Ahhh, Sis, you’re amazing!!!”

“We’re rich! Rich!”

Mao Zhishan, having heard the commotion, came out, picked up her suitcase, and smiled. “Huimei, Mianmian, let’s go inside and talk.”

“Dr. Ning, come have dinner with us.”

When Xia Wenyue heard that two million U.S. dollars equaled about sixteen million yuan, she was stunned. She gave her daughter a big thumbs-up. “That’s my daughter for you. I’ve never even seen foreign money in real life, and you guys went and earned a pile of it!”

Still, with the New Year approaching, Xia Wenyue cared more about Mao Huimei’s love life than her business success.

“Now that your factory’s covered for the next year, you should hurry up and find someone to marry! New Year’s is only a few days away—can you still manage to bring a boyfriend home this year?”

Mao Huimei covered her face. “Mooom~”

Xia Wenyue said, “I know you’re impatient, but time’s ticking. If you don’t settle down, Mianmian will be stuck waiting too. Don’t hold her back.”

Xia Mian noticed that Ning Shaobai, sitting beside her at dinner, suddenly paused.

That sort of tradition still held weight in this era. In most families, marriage happened in order of age, from eldest to youngest. Otherwise, under the constant scrutiny of the neighbors and relatives, public opinion could really be devastating.

Take the Wang family across the street, for example. Everyone around here knew them. They were infamous because they had an “old spinster” daughter—and a big reason she hadn’t married was that her younger sister had tied the knot first.

This situation was perfect fodder for neighborhood gossip: Was there something wrong with the older sister? Or was the younger one in such a rush because of some scandal?

Those rumors swiftly drove away any promising suitors. The eldest daughter, who had merely been selective, was soon blacklisted in the local matchmaking circles. She gained the label of a “leftover woman” and became a frequent target of idle gossip.

Seeing the thoughtful look on Ning Shaobai’s face, Xia Mian suspected that Xia Wenyue had said all that deliberately for him.

…

The very next day, He Wei showed up at the house with gifts. Under normal circumstances, that kind of thing would have lit a fire under Huimei to hurry up and secure her own marriage, but with the capable Xia Wenyue handling things around, that visit turned out to be unnecessary. In the end, though, it still served a purpose—she managed to eliminate that walking red flag from Huimei’s life. So, not a wasted effort.

That morning, the whole family got up early to prepare for the New Year. For the past few years, the tradition of the three families making New Year’s food together had continued.

Xia Wenyue had already bought all the meat and poultry—chicken, duck, fish, the works. Running a food business meant she had access to wholesalers, and she always ordered in bulk, both for employee year-end gifts and the family’s own stock.

With so many people, the house was filled with activity. They spread their tools and ingredients across the main hall. Xia Mian and Mao Huilan sat at the coffee table shaping flower buns, while Ning Shaobai sat next to Xia Mian on a little stool, a large basin in front of him, processing the poultry and meat with his surgical knife.

Xia Wenyue and Mao Huimei stood at the dining table chopping fillings. Mao Zhishan was outside chopping firewood to get the stove going—food made with a wood fire always tasted better. Meanwhile, Aunt Wei was in charge of preparing the fried goods.

“Mom, we have a guest!” Mao Huizhu called out as she led a clean-cut, gentle-looking young man through the gate.

Mao Huimei spotted him through the window, dropped her knife, and rushed out to greet him. “Yongpeng, what are you doing here?”

Fang Yongpeng’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “I heard you were back today, so I came by to see you. Was your trip smooth?”

“You look like you’ve lost weight. Was the food over there that bad?”

“Oh, right—you mentioned you were craving pickled vegetables, didn’t you? I brought some. My mom’s pickles are famous back home.”

Mao Huimei burst out laughing. “You’re not even curious about the factory’s orders?”

Fang Yongpeng smiled. “Seeing how happy you are, it must’ve gone well.”

Hearing the commotion, Xia Wenyue quickly came out and called over, “Ah, isn’t it Xiao Fang! Come on in, come on in! Huimei, what are you doing, leaving a guest standing at the door?”

Fang Yongpeng stepped inside and paused for a moment at the scene before him, looking a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, I should’ve called first.”

Xia Wenyue smiled. “Why are you so polite! Auntie doesn’t see you as an outsider! We really have to thank you for looking after our Huimei these past months.”

“Come, sit anywhere you like. Huimei, go take care of our guest.”

“No need, Auntie, let me help out!” Fang Yongpeng quickly stepped over to the washbasin by the door, rinsed his hands, and walked over to the half-chopped bowl of meat to get to work.

Seeing this, Xia Wenyue hurried over to stop him. “How can we let a guest do work?”

But Fang Yongpeng wouldn’t budge. In the end, even Xia Wenyue—normally unbeatable in such matters—had to give in. She looked at him and sighed, “Such a good young man.”

“Ah, Auntie actually has a favor to ask you.”

Fang Yongpeng immediately perked up. “Please, Auntie, go ahead.”

“Huimei said the factory just landed a two-million-dollar order. That means things will go smoothly next year.”

Xia Wenyue continued, “So please help keep an eye on things at the factory and let Huimei focus a bit on her personal life.”

Just then, Mao Huimei walked over carrying a plate of fruit, only to hear that and roll her eyes. “Mom~ what are you saying to him?”

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