Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 53.2 – A Harbor Called Home (II)

When the car approached, Xiao Feng reacted first. His eyes lit up, and he ran over with his tiny legs. “Auntie!”

Chenchen and Huizhu called a temporary truce and followed.

Looking at the kids’ costumes, everyone couldn’t help laughing.

Xia Mian got out and scooped Xiao Feng into her arms, tugging at the fabric that flattened his tuft. “Who put this on you?”

Xiao Feng seemed to just remember what was on his head. He raised a little arm to touch it, smiling with crinkled eyes. “Aunt Huilan.”

Chenchen also dashed over, hugging Ning Shaoyun’s leg, proudly tugging at his ‘martial hero headband.’ “Mom, mine too! Aunt Huilan made it!”

“Where did this come from?” Ning Shaoyun stared at the red waistband on his forehead. Luckily, it was brand new—if it were old, she probably couldn’t bear it.

Chenchen answered, “Grandma Wei bought it.”

Xiao Feng touched his forehead and straightened the ‘headband’ “Aunt Huilan cut it.”

Xia Mian couldn’t stop laughing, and seeing her laugh made Xiao Feng’s eyes curve into a smile too.

But then he noticed something wrong with her ear. His little brows furrowed, and he gently touched it, concerned. “Auntie hurts?”

Xia Mian was melted by the gesture. “It’s okay, it’s okay. If Xiao Feng blows on it, it won’t hurt anymore.”

So the little guy leaned close to her ear and gently blew a few times. The tickling made Xia Mian jolt and burst into laughter.

Xiao Feng, seeing her reaction, knew she was fine and sneaked in one more unexpected puff. Watching her squirm, he giggled gleefully.

Xia Mian stared at him in disbelief and went for his little tummy. “You little rascal—are you teasing me now?!”

Xiao Feng twisted away, pleading for mercy. “Auntie, stop, auntie, haha…”

Thanks to the loud commotion, Mao Huilan came running out of the house, “You guys are back? Come on in! Sister Ning, Dr. Ning, Brother Rong, you’re all having dinner at our place today. My mom and Aunt Wei made tons of delicious food!”

Neither Ning Shaobai nor Ning Shaoyun stood on ceremony. Rong Xin, being the sociable type, got right to work helping with the tables, stools, and bowls. Looking at the spread of homestyle dishes, he finally realized how hungry he was.

Xia Mian dismantled the martial arts costumes from the three little guys. Mao Huizhu reminded her, “Sister Mian, put them in the closet! We’re wearing them again tomorrow.”

Xia Mian laughed.

When all the dishes were on the table, Mao Huimei and Mao Zhishan came back from work. Seeing guests in the house, Mao Zhishan smiled shyly and greeted them, “Hello, Xiao Yun, Dr. Ning, Mr. Rong.”

Rong Xin, still sneaking bites of sausage just like Mao Huizhu, looked up and was momentarily stunned when he saw Mao Zhishan. “Wow, Uncle,” he exclaimed, amazed. “You’ve changed so much—no wonder Director Li didn’t hesitate to say he wants you for his next film!”

Mao Zhishan laughed, a shimmer of joy in his eyes. He had already started filming lately. The director and crew were patient with him, and a well-known star was even personally teaching him some acting techniques.

Standing before the camera as the revered Long Wentian, Mao Zhishan felt the world stretch out endlessly before him. Now that he knew there were even greater landscapes waiting ahead, his past life seemed as insignificant as a drop in the ocean.

Rong Xin pretended to cover his eyes, as if being blinded by Mao Zhishan’s brilliance, “Uncle, once you’re fully recovered, the job offers will never stop. Trust me!”

Mao Zhishan smiled. “I owe it to you.”

“Nonsense!” The young man waved his hand. “I should be thanking you. If you’ve decided to keep acting, just sign with our company—we’ll help you develop your career professionally.”

This time, Mao Zhishan didn’t hesitate at all. “Alright.”

“Okay, time to eat!” Aunt Wei came in, a big plate in hand, emitting a rich, sweet aroma.

The three kids, like little puppies, all sniffed at the same time. “Grandma Wei, what is it?” Mao Huizhu asked excitedly.

“Your mom made sponge cake,” Aunt Wei said with a smile. “Xia Mian gave her the recipe—we’re trying it out today. If it works, we can sell it too.”

Ning Shaoyun was curious, “Weren’t you selling skewers? Why this too now?”

Mao Huilan huffed, “That Fatty Wang’s mom from the tenement at the alley entrance started selling skewers like ours, too! They sold it cheaper, so we’ve made way less money these past few days. My mom wants to add some other things to sell.”

Ning Shaoyun, usually buried in her art, hadn’t known about this and asked with concern, “Is it a big problem?”

“Not really,” Xia Wenyue entered with a bottle of red wine and tapped Huilan’s head. “Why are you mad? Just because we were first doesn’t mean others can’t do it. It’s not like they stole our recipe.”

“But she’s clearly trying to steal our business,” Mao Huilan said, feeling indignant. “They can go to Longcheng High and sell there!”

Mao Huimei chimed in, “Forget it. That family never sticks with anything. I heard from the neighbors—they just jump on whatever they think makes money, but never do it properly. No wonder they never last.”

“That’s true. Huizhu’s classmate’s brother also said their skewers aren’t as good as ours,” Mao Huilan added, though she looked troubled. “But they’re a lot cheaper. We’ve definitely lost customers.”

“Mom, why don’t we lower our prices too? Everyone will sure buy from us again.”

Xia Wenyue’s face turned serious. “Why would we do that? Like I said, they didn’t steal or rob us. If she can beat us fair and square, I’ll admit defeat!”

Seeing her mom getting upset, Mao Huilan stuck out her tongue and didn’t argue further.

“We’re not lowering prices,” Xia Wenyue continued now that her most fiery daughter had settled down. “Your Sister Mian is right—if we drop prices, it’s like admitting we’re on the same level as them.”

“But this matter indeed gave me a warning,” she added, addressing the kids, “We shouldn’t get too comfortable. If someone does something better, then we’re the ones finished.”

“Business will get slow anyway once the weather gets cold. I’ll just sell some sponge cakes and biscuits on the side.”

“In a few months, your dad’s heading south for filming. These skewered hotpots originally came from there, so I’m planning to go along, find better ingredients, and learn more.”

Mao Huizhu immediately said, “I want to go too!”

Xia Wenyue tapped her on the forehead. “We’ll talk when you learn to behave.”

Aunt Wei handed each of the three kids a sponge cake to quiet them down, and they gathered in a huddle, munching happily.

Only then did Xia Wenyue uncork the wine.

Ning Shaoyun chuckled. “Second Aunt, you have red wine? That’s pretty trendy.”

Xia Wenyue laughed. “Of course! In this life, you have to try everything. Even if it turns out bad, at least you’ll know and avoid it next time, right?”

Still smiling, she added, “Your second uncle says red wine is great—just a little each day puts you in a good mood and is great for your skin.”

“Come on, especially you two,” she poured a glass each for the Ning siblings. “You’ve both been exhausted lately. Eat this good meal your aunt made, get a good night’s sleep, and from now on, things will only get better.”

Ning Shaoyun paused for a moment, then looked up to meet Xia Wenyue’s bright gaze, full of affection, sympathy, and encouragement.

There were no flowery words, but Ning Shaoyun understood exactly what Xia Wenyue meant. A warmth rose in her chest like never before, flooding her entire body with a quiet but powerful strength. At that moment, Ning Shaoyun suddenly understood where the confidence and fearlessness of the Mao sisters came from.