Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 40.2 – The Joy of Counting Money (II)

Mao Huilan circled the cart and exclaimed, “This is so beautiful! I’m almost reluctant to put anything on it.”

Xia Mian laughed, “I bet this cart will be the most eye-catching stall on the street!”

Stepping out of the kitchen, Aunt Wei called out, “Are you done? Come on here, let’s make dumplings! The filling Wen Yue prepared smells amazing. We’re sending well wishes for her stall to thrive!”

“Oh! We’re having dumplings!” Mao Huilan and Mao Huizhu cheered in unison.

Xiao Feng’s eyes lit up, and with his hands covered in paint, he ran toward Xia Mian, shouting, “Auntie, wash hands!” Dumplings ranked second on his list of favorite foods, right after Eldest Aunt-in-law’s special noodles.

Although Chenchen didn’t fully understand what was going on, that didn’t dampen his joy. He cheerfully ran into his mother’s arms, but her apron was covered in paint, and soon his face was smeared with mixes of colors too, making Ning Shaoyun burst out laughing.

Chenchen, puzzled, looked up at his mother, and when he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly brightened up and ran toward the gate, shouting, “Dad!”

Huo Xuewen responded and quickly stepped forward to pick up Chenchen, wiping the paint off his chubby cheeks. A pang of guilt struck him—he had always prided himself on how composed and well-behaved Chenchen was, so smart and mature for his age.

However, at that moment, his son’s radiant, happy face finally made Huo Xuewen realize how wrong he had been. Chenchen’s so-called maturity and obedience were nothing more than a result of a suppressed nature, just like Xiao Yun.

“I’m sorry,” Huo Xuewen said, realizing how much he had failed as a father.

Hearing the familiar apology, Chenchen thought his father was about to leave for work again. He immediately wriggled out of his arms, saying, “Are you going to work, Dad? Go ahead, I’ll be good.”

Shaken to his core, Huo Xuewen’s heart was filled with profound sadness as he recognized the extent of his own failure as a person—a terrible husband, a terrible father, and, considering his parents’ coldness and disappointment, a terrible son too…

Xia Mian was quite surprised when she saw Huo Xuewen. In just a few days, the cold and composed demeanor he used to have was gone. Now, he appeared like any other man who had recently experienced a breakup—well-groomed, but with dark circles under his eyes and an overall air of despondency.

“Xiao Yun,” he called out softly.

Ning Shaoyun’s smile faded, and she replied calmly, “Are you here to see Chenchen?”

There was no expectation, no resentment… and no love left. She had completely let go.

A sharp pain spread through Huo Xuewen’s empty heart as he realized that he had lost the most precious thing in his life.

Although Huo Xuewen’s arrival affected the atmosphere somewhat, it wasn’t too disruptive. He seemed to realize that he wasn’t particularly welcome there, and unlike last time, he quietly made himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Xia Wenyue and her daughters were very proficient at making dumplings. Xiao Feng, seeing Xia Mian making them, sat beside her and watched intently, so she handed him a piece of dough to play with.

Not wanting to be left out, Chenchen climbed on a stool and begged, “Auntie Xia Mian, I want to do it too!”

Xia Mian handed him a piece as well, and Mao Huizhu volunteered to teach the boys. The three children ended up making quite a mess, covering themselves in flour like little kittens.

In the end, they even managed to make seven or eight misshapen dumplings.

Aunt Wei took these ‘masterpieces’ to boil and praised the kids, “Not bad at all! Remember which ones you made, because those are the ones you’ll be eating.”

Chenchen, still thrilled with his dumpling-making success, eagerly exclaimed, “I made three!”

Xiao Feng, looking at the plump dumplings Xia Mian had made and then at his own shriveled pieces of dough, glanced around. When he spotted Ning Shaobai relaxing in the corner, he said, “I want to give mine to Uncle Ning.”

Ning Shaobai: “…” This little guy’s definitely picking up bad habits from his aunt!

Sure enough, with Xia Mian’s encouragement, those misshapen dumplings ended up in Ning Shaobai’s bowl.

The dumplings Chenchen made were, of course, given to Huo Xuewen. As Huo Xuewen looked into his son’s bright eyes, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

During the meal, Huo Xuewen took several phone calls, and Chenchen was already prepared for him to leave at any moment. However, after casually giving a few instructions, Huo Xuewen simply returned to the table and continued eating without any intention of leaving.

Xia Mian couldn’t help but scoff inwardly. Sure enough, what men often claim as ‘important’ was actually just a matter of how they prioritize things!

She thought Huo Xuewen might be there to say something about reconciling, but after finishing the meal, he had a brief conversation with Ning Shaoyun and then left. Though curious, Xia Mian knew this was Ning Shaoyun’s personal matter and didn’t intend to pry.

However, Ning Shaoyun, who had recently become more open about sharing her thoughts with Xia Mian, mentioned the purpose of Huo Xuewen’s visit. “He said he’s willing to agree to the divorce, but he wants to amend the divorce agreement.”

“How does he want to amend it?” Xia Mian asked, instinctively clenching her fists.

Ning Shaoyun chuckled, “He said he’ll give me some shares of his company and increase the monthly child support for Chenchen.”

Xia Mian remarked, “That sounds reasonable enough. But will the Huo family agree to it?”

Given that their marriage was a business union, a divorce would inevitably involve losses on both sides. While Ning Shaobai had assured that the Ning family was taken care of, the Huo family was not exactly upstanding, and Xia Mian had doubts about Huo Xuewen’s ability to handle his family.

Obviously sharing Xia Mian’s sentiment, Ning Shaoyun told her, “It doesn’t matter. If he wants to do it, let him. I still have that original agreement as a fallback, after all.”

She had truly given up on any hope for Huo Xuewen and no longer expected anything from him.

Of course, no one in the house was concerned about what Huo Xuewen planned to do—they were far more excited about Xia Wenyue’s new business venture. On the day of the opening, Xia Wenyue and her three daughters were up before dawn. Xia Wenyue prepared the broth, Mao Huimei washed and chopped the ingredients, and Mao Huilan and Mao Huizhu skewered them.

Over the past few days, Xia Wenyue hadn’t been idle either; she found some excellent tofu and seafood products and secured the procurement route. With nearly forty different varieties of skewers, the selection was quite diverse. Since it was their first day, Xia Wenyue prepared about 500 skewers, and by ten in the morning, the mother and daughters headed out together, pushing the cart.

At that time, street food stalls weren’t yet heavily regulated, and there weren’t too many of them. Although the prime spots were taken, they still found a decent place. Xia Wenyue had already scouted the location, so they quickly finished the setup.

Typically, new food stalls take a bit of time to gain recognition, so it’s normal not to sell much in the first couple of hours. However, thanks to Ning Shaoyun’s vibrant and lively artwork, the stall stood out, especially with the three cute cartoonish children painted on the side of the cart. The picture was so lively that it brought a smile to the passersby, who then made a stop to ask about the stall’s specialties and inquire about prices. Upon hearing that it only cost one or two dimes, many people decided to give it a shot, and once they did, they became hooked and couldn’t stay away.