Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 103 Part 1 – Dr. Ning’s Here! (I)

Xia Chuan was full of anger and didn’t chase after Ma Lili. He turned and stormed home.

Xia Mian quietly followed behind. Since Ma Lili had already made up her mind, Xia Mian didn’t bother explaining anything to her uncle’s family. At this point, all she had to do was watch how it all unfolded.

Though still angry, Xia Chuan ended up going to the county hospital the next day, worried about Ma Lili. He rushed back in a panic. “Lili quit her job at the hospital!”

“That job is so good—people fight tooth and nail to get in. Why would she suddenly quit and disappear? Could she have gone off on her own?”

His mother, calmly snapping green beans, said confidently, “Relax, that girl knows what she’s doing. If she dared to quit, she must already have something better lined up.”

Xia Chuan still didn’t believe it. He was so anxious that he paced in circles and quickly went back to call the Ma family. But as soon as they heard his voice, they hung up.

He was just about to head over to their house when Xia Mian finally broke her silence. “If she’d really run off, the Ma family would be in chaos right now. But they’re not—which probably means Auntie was right. She must’ve found a better option.”

“Instead of going to the Ma house, Brother Chuan, why not check out the film crew?”

She then gave Xia Chuan a heads-up. “Quitting her job isn’t something that happens overnight. She probably planned this a while ago and was just weighing her options.”

Xia Chuan paused, then headed straight for the film set in the south district.

No one knew exactly what had happened, but by evening, he came back looking completely lost and shut himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink.

But his family was overjoyed—his mother and sister-in-law whipped up several delicious dishes, and even the eldest uncle seemed to be in high spirits. “Give me seconds,” he said cheerfully.

Xiao Feng munched on fried cicadas and leaned against Xia Mian’s leg, occasionally glancing anxiously toward the room. “Uncle Chuan…”

“It’s okay,” Xia Mian patted his little head. “Your Uncle Chuan is just heartbroken. He needs time to feel better.”

Qiangqiang didn’t know what heartbreak meant, but seeing everyone celebrating, he cheered loudly in the yard, “Third Uncle has a heartbreak! Third Uncle has a heartbreak! Hahahaha, that’s great!”

Which prompted Xia Chuan to come out and chase after him, threatening to smack him. But Qiangqiang was a pro at dodging, and the two of them ran wild around the yard, drawing laughter from everyone.

Qiangqiang, the kind of rascal who’d run wild the moment he was given an inch, only got more out of hand at the reaction. The more his uncle chased him, the more thrilled he became, while Xia Chuan was so angry he forgot he was supposed to be sad.

And just like that, it seemed the whole thing was over. Everyone thought they’d wait for Xia Chuan to get over it and then help him find a new love.

But what they didn’t expect was just how spiteful Ma Wenwu and Ma Lili could be.

That day, Xia Mian was sitting with Xiao Feng at the small corner shop by the road, both eating popsicles while waiting for Ning Shaobai.

Xia Mian and Ning Shaobai used to talk on the phone every day, mostly exchanging small talk and some teasing: Xia Mian would share bits of fun from her days here, while Ning Shaobai kept asking when she’d return. But lately, the tables had turned. Now it was Xia Mian left hanging, with Ning Shaobai dodging the question of when he’d be coming, saying he wanted her to know what it felt like to wait.

It wasn’t until yesterday, after he got on the train, that he finally told her he was on the way.

“You took the train?” Xia Mian asked in surprise. “I thought you’d drive.”

Ning Shaobai paused and sighed, “The car’s in for maintenance. You were nagging me so much, I had no choice but to take the train.”

“Oh, poor Dr. Ning,” Xia Mian said with a laugh.

At noon, he called to say he was already on the road from Ming City to Mingxi County. By her estimate, he’d arrive in about two hours.

Time instantly became unbearable. Every few minutes, Xia Mian ran over to the street corner to check, and eventually she got so fed up with herself that she just brought Xiao Feng to sit and wait outside the corner shop.

Inside the store, a 24-inch color TV was playing a popular martial arts drama, which helped pass the time. Quite a few people had gathered inside and at the door—part of the shopkeeper’s strategy, since idlers watching TV would likely buy something sooner or later.

Xiao Feng, watching a swordsman descend from the sky on TV, leaned over and whispered into Xia Mian’s ear, “Auntie, that’s Second Great Uncle.”

Xia Mian chuckled and whispered back, “Yes, it is.”

In this drama, Mao Zhishan played the role of the male lead’s reclusive uncle, who came out of seclusion at a critical moment to save him, then brought him back to pass on his martial arts. It was the classic “hidden master” character.

This was largely because Mao Zhishan wasn’t a professionally trained actor. He had stumbled into acting in middle age by sheer chance, and didn’t fuss over image or career planning. He just took whatever roles he could get, learning and improving along the way. So far, this kind of character was the one he was most practiced at.

Even the heartbroken Xia Chuan was caught up in the story. He suddenly asked Xia Mian, “Mianmian, don’t you think this guy looks kind of like our second uncle Mao?”

Xia Mian blinked, exchanged a glance with Xiao Feng, and chuckled, “Ah, yeah, maybe a little.”

Xia Wenyue had told the family about opening a factory, but had specifically told them not to talk about Mao Zhishan being an actor.

Mainly because of the Mao family. If they found out about the factory, it wouldn’t matter much—Yan City was so big, they wouldn’t be able to find her. Not to mention that they could no longer do anything to her.

But Mao Zhishan becoming an actor was a different story. A celebrity was too visible a target. While the entertainment press wasn’t as crazy as it would be in the future, one bit of bad press could still ruin a career.

Especially since Mao Zhishan wasn’t some irreplaceable first-liner actor. If the Mao family found a weak spot to exploit, his career could be finished. So the plan was to keep his acting career a secret from relatives for as long as possible.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust the eldest uncle’s family—but the more people in the secret, all it would take was one slip for trouble to follow.

Xia Chuan had just spoken casually, but someone else picked up on it. “I thought he looked familiar! He really does look like Second Mao when he was young.”

The actor credits came up just then, and someone said, “Hey, this actor’s name is Mao Zhishan, too. What a coincidence. Don’t tell me it really is your Uncle Mao?”

Xia Chuan clapped and laughed, “It must be! My second uncle is a big star now. I should go find him sometime and see if he can get me into acting too.”

“That film crew in the south district? That’s nothing—no big stars there.”

Clearly, he was still salty about Ma Lili breaking up with him to follow Hao Xufeng into acting.

Most of the people there were neighbors and knew about Xia Chuan’s situation, so they all burst into laughter, taking it as a joke.

After all, how could that charismatic man on TV possibly be the same Mao Zhishan who used to hunch over and barely dared to lift his head?

Still, someone sighed, “He looks great on screen. Why was Second Mao always treated like trash? What was the reason?”

No one could really say. It was like with school bullying—often the kid being bullied had done nothing wrong at all. Sometimes, all it took was being a little “different” to become the target.

Mao Zhishan’s difference was that he was too good-looking. Combine that with how much disdain his own mother openly showed him, and it sent a message to others that this was someone they could mock and bully at will. Eventually, it became a habit.

Talk of Mao Zhishan led to talk about the Mao family, and most of the sighs and sympathy turned to Mao Huihe.

“That girl’s life is ruined.”

“The Mao family never treated their girls like human beings. Even now, their grandsons are still trying to cozy up to Hao Xufeng, thinking they’ll become stars too.”

“As if they haven’t seen what their sister went through.”

“It’s sinful! The Mao family will face retribution one day.”

Just as they were talking, the “main character” showed up—brought by Ma Wenwu.

“There, that’s her! She definitely knows where Second Mao’s family is. Mao Huimei must be in Yan City too!” he declared.

Xia Mian stared at the guy who had suddenly come up, baffled, wondering what kind of stunt he was pulling now. Then she heard him telling the two men behind him, “Hold onto her, and you’ll definitely find Second Mao’s family. If they won’t come back, don’t let her leave!”

Xia Chuan heard the commotion and came out of the shop, frowning when he saw Ma Wenwu. “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing,” Ma Wenwu sneered. “Didn’t your Xia family say I’m not good enough? Don’t want to take me to Yan City? Well then, Xia Mian’s not going either! None of us is going!”

He didn’t even finish before suddenly clutching his nose and screaming. He looked up at Xia Mian angrily, “Y-You hit me again?!”

“Didn’t I warn you not to come near me?” Xia Mian tossed a pebble and sneered.

“Didn’t I say I’d hit you every time I see you?” She threw another stone with each sentence. “What, you think I was joking?!”

Ma Wenwu jumped around in pain, but Xia Mian’s aim was dead-on. He couldn’t dodge and finally had to run off while shouting the ever-classic: “You’ll pay for this!”

Many people at the shop came out to watch the commotion. While Xia Mian dealt with Ma Wenwu, some of the Xia family’s distant relatives were already squaring off with the two men he brought.

“Eldest Mao, Third Mao, you here to stir up trouble again? What, want another fight?”

Mao Zhishan’s eldest brother frowned. “We’re just here looking for our Second. How’s that trouble?”

His younger brother looked at Xia Mian. “Your second aunt’s family followed you to Yan City, didn’t they?”

Xia Mian looked like she’d just heard the world’s funniest joke. “I don’t even have a place of my own to stay there. And my second aunt has five people in her family. You think that’s possible?”

The two Mao brothers both furrowed their brows simultaneously. Clearly, they felt what Xia Mian said made sense, but they still suspected she knew more.

While they hesitated, a figure suddenly lunged forward with incredible speed. Xia Mian instinctively stepped back.

“You know! You definitely know!” A frail young woman, having missed her target, collapsed to the ground. She looked up at Xia Mian and pleaded desperately, “I’m begging you—please tell me where my second uncle’s family is! If they don’t come back, I’m going to die!”

Everyone was startled at the sight of her. Someone said, “Wait… is that Mao Huihe?”

Eldest Mao frowned and stepped forward to bring his daughter up, but Mao Huihe avoided his hand and crawled toward Xia Mian. “Please! Tell me where Mao Huimei is! Tell me where she is!” Her voice rose to a sharp pitch.

To be honest, Xia Mian was genuinely shocked. She didn’t know what Mao Huihe used to be like, but right now she looked like a ghost.

Her face was deathly pale, cheekbones sunken. Even in this sweltering summer weather, she wore long sleeves and pants, and Xia Mian could still see the bruises and injuries on her exposed wrists and collar.

Xia Chuan had already scooped up Xiao Feng and pulled Xia Mian behind him, shielding them. “We told you, we don’t know where my second aunt’s family is! Ma Wenwu got humiliated by us and is using you like pawns. Are you guys stupid?”

Translator’s Note:

Introducing our newest novel, Dreaming Among the Pear Blossoms! This is a historical novel with imperial music bureau as a background. Takes quite a while for me to like the ML, but once I do, this is a very nice story. Try it~

PS. AerialRain is still short one title to replace the ending ATCF. Drop your suggestion!