Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 61.1 – For Future Memories (I)

On the morning of the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, Xia Wenyue and Mao Zhishan finally returned home together. Not only did they bring back a large bag of luggage, but they also brought back a color TV!

The three Mao sisters were ecstatic. Mao Huizhu clung to Mao Zhishan’s leg and screamed, “Dad, Dad, you’re amazing!”

Mao Huilan curiously touched the box and said, “Dad, can we set it up today?”

Seeing the radiant smiles on his daughters’ faces, a deep sense of contentment lit up Mao Zhishan’s expression. In just over a dozen days, he had undergone a remarkable transformation—not only in his appearance but in his entire demeanor; he was undoubtedly more upbeat, more at ease.

“Dad’s never set one up before—might end up breaking it. Let’s go check with Uncle Li next door in a bit. If he’s free, we can get it set up right away.”

Mao Huizhu immediately pulled him next door.

Xia Wenyue shook her head helplessly, then opened the large luggage bag.

Mao Huilan exclaimed, “Wow, so many clothes! Mom, are you going to sell clothes?”

Xia Wenyue chuckled, “They’re all for you girls—one set each.”

Mao Huilan asked in surprise, “Really?!”

No wonder she was so excited. The Mao sisters hadn’t worn new clothes in years. Back in their old hometown, the family was strapped for cash. Their clothes were usually hand-me-downs from relatives and friends that Xia Wenyue would mend and alter. Though she was skillful with her hands, they were still secondhand.

Even though their financial situation had drastically improved after moving to Yan City, the sisters knew that the family’s income wasn’t steady, especially when the stall was not in operation. After Mao Huimei got her paycheck, she only bought one new outfit for their youngest, while she and Huilan planned to find something they liked from the old clothes, clean it up, and wear it for New Year’s.

None of them had expected their parents to come back with such an incredible surprise!

Even in her excitement, Mao Huimei still remembered to ask, “Mom, did you get something for yourself too?”

Xia Wenyue smiled, “I did. Your dad and I both did. I got clothes for the whole family—no one was left out.”

Mao Huilan was even happier. “Was it from Dad’s pay? Did he earn that much?”

“His pay went into the color TV. But they said he might get another role soon—this one with more scenes, so it should pay well.” A smile crept across Xia Wenyue’s face as if nothing could have made her happier. She then continued, “You see—things are very cheap over there, especially the clothes. And they’re even nicer than the ones here.”

“I thought, well, it’s our first New Year in Yan City—we should start fresh! So I splurged a little!”

“They really are nice. I’ve never seen these styles around here,” Mao Huilan said, picking out a piece of clothing excitedly. “Come on, let’s go change! We must try them all!”

No woman, no matter the era or age, can resist the charm of new clothes.

Xia Wenyue pulled out a snow-white lambswool coat with bold black spots and handed it to Xia Mian. “This one’s for Xiao Feng—have him try it on too.”

Xiao Feng’s eyes lit up. “Mine?” Then he looked up at Xia Mian. “I have new clothes!”

Xia Mian rubbed his head. “Now you have two outfits to switch between.”

Xiao Feng immediately grabbed her hand.

“So you like new clothes too?” Xia Mian chuckled. By the time she had changed both herself and her nephew and stepped out, Mao Huilan was already in the main hall, happily twirling in circles. A sweater with butterfly print paired with tight jeans, topped with a fluffy outer coat—she looked playful and adorable.

When she looked up and saw Xia Mian, her eyes lit up. “Wow, Mom has great taste! Sister Mian, you look beautiful!”

“Right back at you. Aren’t you complimenting yourself?” Xia Mian laughed. Their outfits were the same style—only the sweater patterns and coat colors were different, clearly meant to be matching.

Mao Huilan burst into laughter. Spotting Xiao Feng, she let out a delighted squeal, rushed over, and scooped him into her arms, rubbing his cheeks. “Xiao Feng, how are you this ridiculously cute?!”

With a fluffy white lambswool coat with black patches, paired with a black knitted pom-pom hat, the boy looked just like a panda cub. Xia Mian had already given him a good cuddle earlier, so he was quite calm this time.

“Very adorable, huh?” said Xia Wenyue, stepping out and smiling at Xiao Feng. “The moment I saw it, I thought our Xiao Feng would look great in it.”

“Oh Mom, you look gorgeous too,” Mao Huilan exclaimed, letting go of Xiao Feng and rushing toward Xia Wenyue. “Mom! Mom! You look amazing!”

She made her mother laugh. Xia Wenyue wore a white turtleneck sweater with high-waisted dark grey wide-leg pants, a pair of chunky-heeled leather shoes, and a camel-colored woolen coat. Slender and tall, if you ignored the wrinkles on her face, she did look like she was in her twenties.

Mao Huimei also came out, following behind her mother as she laughed and said, “If I go out with Mom like this, people will think we’re sisters.”

Her figure was similar to Xia Wenyue’s, and their outfits were also alike. Mao Huimei’s sweater had little pink flowers on it, her wide-leg pants were light gray, and her shoes were a bit more casual.

Xia Wenyue couldn’t stop smiling. “Looks like having a job helps—Huimei sure learned to flatter well.”

Mao Huilan added, “Mom, my sister wasn’t exaggerating. Your face is way fairer and smoother now. Have you been doing facials with Dad?”

Xia Wenyue couldn’t help touching her face, happiness radiating from her smile and brows. “Your dad gives me one every night. The actors in his crew use all sorts of fancy face masks, even pearl powder and the like.” She chuckled and added, “He’s a grown man and doesn’t even feel embarrassed—he even goes to the female stars to ask for tips.”

“All the outfits I bought for you girls were picked out with help of your Dad’s colleague in the costume department. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known there’s such a method for putting together outfits.”

Just then, Mao Huizhu, who had gone next door, came back. The moment she stepped in and saw her dolled-up mom and sisters, she was stunned. “Wow! Are you all going to become movie stars?”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Mao Huilan said proudly, “These are the new clothes Mom bought for us!”

Mao Huizhu widened her eyes and asked Xia Wenyue, “What about me?”

Mao Huilan teased her, “Nope, didn’t you already get one yourself?”

Mao Huizhu bit her lip and nodded heavily after a moment as if trying to comfort or convince herself. “Yeah, I already have new clothes. Now everyone has—that’s great.”

Then she turned to Xia Wenyue and said, “Mom, I’ll show you my new clothes!”

Xia Wenyue affectionately patted her little head. “Your second sister’s teasing you. You have one too.”

Whatever sadness was in Mao Huizhu’s heart vanished instantly. She let out an excited scream and charged at Mao Huilan. “Meanie Sis!”

Mao Huilan laughed and ran away.

Uncle Li followed Mao Zhishan inside, looking on enviously. “Your kids are so well raised.”

Pride shone in Mao Zhishan’s eyes.

A few minutes later, Mao Huizhu ran out in her own fluffy outfit and grabbed Xiao Feng in a big hug. “We’re wearing the same clothes, haha!”

Xiao Feng happily touched the fluffy fabric on her. “Chenchen has one too,” Xia Wenyue said to them. “You two can bring it to him later.”

Naturally, Chenchen got excited as well, but the adults let the kids enjoy the thrill only briefly before having them take the clothes off again. After all, today was cleaning day, and lambswool outfits were easy to get dirty and hard to wash.

When he had to part with the clothes, Xiao Feng showed an unusual look of reluctance. He asked Xia Mian for confirmation, “We can wear them tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, you can wear them tomorrow,” Xia Mian replied, rubbing the soft fuzz of the outfit against his little cheek. “Today we clean the house, then tomorrow we put up Spring Festival couplets and set off firecrackers—after that, it’s time for new clothes.”

Mao Huizhu had probably been told the same thing, so when everyone began cleaning, the two little ones followed behind, handing out rags and holding dustpans, looking even busier than the adults.

Luckily, they had already done a thorough cleaning when they first moved in, so this round wasn’t too hard. Everyone in the family was hardworking, and by the time night fell, the house was spotless and bright.

Xia Wenyue made sure the boiler room was nice and warm, and everyone took turns bathing. After Xia Mian was done with her bath, she stripped Xiao Feng down and put him in a big basin.

“You’re putting on some chub!” Seeing his finally plumped-up belly, she couldn’t resist giving it an extra scrub.

Xiao Feng giggled as she rubbed him, then stretched out his arms to her, trying to change the subject. “Auntie, wash here.”

Xia Mian gave his little hand a big kiss. “You know you’ve gained weight, don’t you?”

“I know,” the boy beamed, spreading his arms to demonstrate. “I ate lots and lots of yummy things.”

Xia Mian chuckled and bent down to lift him out and dry him off. “Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve—that’s the real big day. We’ll have your favorite, dumplings!”

Xiao Feng obediently tilted his head to let her dry his hair, mumbling, “Put up couplets, set off firecrackers, wear new clothes…”

“Already missing your new clothes?” Xia Mian bundled him tightly in a quilt and ran with him from the west wing to the main house, quickly tucking him into the warm bedding.

Xiao Feng seemed incredibly cozy and happily rolled around on the bed. Xia Mian gently stroked his bare back and said, “Go to sleep—once you wake up, you can wear your panda new clothes!”

…

With anticipation for the New Year in their hearts, everyone slept soundly through the night, only to be jolted awake early the next morning by the sound of firecrackers. In his sleep, Xiao Feng was startled and instinctively flung himself toward Xia Mian before even opening his eyes.

Xia Mian quickly lifted the covers and gathered him into her arms. “Don’t be scared, it’s okay,” she soothed, gently rubbing his back. “Our neighbors are setting off firecrackers because they’ve finished putting up the Spring Festival couplets!”

At the mention of couplets, Xiao Feng instantly opened his eyes. “Put up the couplets, wear new clothes!”

“Haha, yes, but we have to put up the couplets first. Otherwise, we’ll get the new clothes dirty.”

Xiao Feng sprang up, grabbed his new thermal underwear from beside the bed, and began dressing himself…

When the aunt and nephew came out, the rest of the Xia Wenyue household was already up. Mao Zhishan and his eldest daughter were busy giving the courtyard a final cleaning.

Xia Wenyue was mixing paste, with Aunt Wei standing beside her. Aunt Wei had come to deliver Spring Festival couplets—this year, all the couplets for the three houses were written by Ning Shaoyun.

As the saying goes, calligraphy and traditional painting go hand in hand. Naturally, Ning Shaoyun had excellent handwriting. But this was her first time writing couplets for her family. Before marriage, there had been no need. After marriage, she hadn’t been interested. But now, brimming with a newfound love for life, she approached the task with enthusiasm. During the few days when food was being prepared, she had stayed home alone and written a whole stack of couplets and “Fu” (good fortune) characters.

“I figured you’d be coming soon, so I already made the paste. Tell Brother Li he doesn’t need to make any either—everyone can just come get it from here,” Xia Wenyue said.

“Alright,” Aunt Wei replied cheerfully. “Scoop me a bowl first. If it’s not enough, I’ll come back for more.”

“No rush,” Xia Wenyue said. “We’ve got more people over here—once we’re done, we’ll come help you.”

Aunt Wei laughed. “No need. Chenchen’s dad is here—we can manage ourselves.”

Xia Wenyue immediately understood. “Even if the kid doesn’t say it, he still misses his dad.”

“Exactly,” said Aunt Wei. “Father and son are always connected.”

After Aunt Wei left, Xia Wenyue gave instructions, “No one’s allowed to run over there. Finish putting up ours first.”

‘Everyone’s playing matchmaker now, huh.’ Xia Mian thought to herself.

Sure enough, when she and Mao Huilan were carrying stools to paste the couplets on their front gate, they bumped into the family across the road. Huo Xuewen was perched on a ladder pasting the horizontal scroll, while Ning Shaoyun stood at the doorway directing, “A little more to the left—it’s crooked. Okay, okay, that’s good!”

Whether it was the New Year cheer or something else, there was indeed a smile on her face.

After Huo Xuewen came down, Chenchen, holding a “Fu” character in his hand, trotted over and reminded him, “Dad, the ‘Fu’ should be pasted upside down.”

Clearly, the little guy was overjoyed, so much so that Xia Mian didn’t even catch his presence right away.

“Well, we should let Chenchen paste this one,” Huo Xuewen said as he lifted his son toward the door.

The boy was thrilled. He waved his little hands and asked in a soft, childish voice, “Like this?”

“I can’t see from here,” said his father. “Ask Mom.”

So Chenchen turned his head and called out, “Mom, did I do it right?”

Ning Shaoyun smiled. “Yes, Chenchen is the best!”

Chenchen was beaming with pride.

Xia Mian: “…”

‘Well, well, seems like Mr. Huo has improved drastically.’

Translator’s Note:

Extra chapter on Sunday!