Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 144 – Xia Li’s Changes

Qiangqiang declared, “I want to be a top carpenter like Lu Ban!”

“Auntie Mian, how can I become as amazing as Lu Ban?”

Xia Mian thought for a moment and replied, “Well, you’ll need to be good at math and physics, at the very least. Look here—catapults use the principle of levers.”

As she spoke, she dismantled the arch bridge and used the chopsticks to demonstrate. “Where’s the fulcrum? How long are the effort arm and resistance arm? Only when you figure those out can the stone be launched the right distance.”

“You have to calculate all these factors to know how far your stone will go.”

Qiangqiang’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Really? Will it go the same distance every time? I can launch the stone exactly where I want?”

Xia Mian smiled. “Why don’t you go do your own experiment later? Just grab a stick and a stone.”

The other three kids were getting excited too.

Xia Mian grinned. “If you’re interested, I’ll take you to the Lu Ban Museum tomorrow.”

“I want to go!” Qiangqiang shouted at once.

Xiao Feng raised his hand too. “Me too!”

Watching Qiangqiang studying everything seriously with Chenchen and the others, Xia He sighed, “Education sure matters a lot! Who would’ve thought being a carpenter could be this complex?”

Xia Chuan laughed, “I just learned today that the saw, ruler, and ink line were all invented by Lu Ban.”

Xia Hai muttered, still doubtful, “Will he finally study properly?”

Xia Mian smiled. “To build catapults, he needs to learn math and physics. To read the Classic of Lu Ban, he needs classical Chinese. If he wants to represent the country in international competitions, he needs English…”

“Whatever the subject is, if someone wants to be the best, they’ll have to learn a lot.”

Qiangqiang might be mischievous, but once he’s fixated on something, he’s as stubborn as they come. Otherwise, Xia Hai wouldn’t have been so anxious when his son said he wanted to be a carpenter.

Xia Hai let out a long breath and said gratefully, “Mianmian, thank you. Really. If not for you, Qiangqiang would’ve gone down the wrong path.”

The eldest uncle was also delighted as he looked at his naughty grandson. “See, that’s why education matters. A well-educated mind won’t mess up a child’s future.”

Then he reminded Xia He and Xia Chuan, “You two should keep learning, too. Even if it’s just to be a good example for your kids, it’s worth it. Don’t wait until they grow up and then regret it.”

Xia Chuan laughed, “When our Dudu grows up, I’m definitely coming to Mianmian for help!”

He gave Xia Mian the thumbs-up. “Our Mianmian’s going to be a great teacher!”

Xia Mian puffed out her chest. “Of course!”

In the days that followed, Xia Wenyue and Mao Zhishan were too busy with the wedding preparations that they had no time to entertain the guests. Mao Huilan and Xia Mian thus divided up the tasks, taking turns escorting Xia Hai’s family on tours around the famous sites of Yan City.

Xia Mian focused on showing Qiangqiang and the three Xia brothers around: they visited the Lu Ban Museum, the Hua University campus, and even an exhibition of top student work from its architecture department.

Qiangqiang was so engrossed he didn’t even want to go home.

Xia Mian laughed. “This is just part of it. The real Lu Ban Memorial is in the south. Maybe when you grow up and make your own money, you can one day visit the site.”

“But if you’re counting on building cabinets to save for the trip, it’s going to take you a good few years.”

Qiangqiang asked, “If I go to college, can I go then? Do colleges teach this stuff?”

Xia Hai clenched his fists in excitement.

Xia Mian smiled. “Yes, they do teach it. Higher-ranked universities have stronger curricula, so there’s even more to learn. Take Chenchen’s Lu Ban box, for example. There are countless ways to design one.”

Qiangqiang turned to Xia Hai and said, “Dad, I want to go to college. I want to be amazing like Lu Ban!”

Following what Xia Mian had taught him the day before, Xia Hai said, “Alright, perfect—Dad wants to learn too. Once you’ve learned it well in school, come home and teach Dad.”

Qiangqiang immediately felt the weight of responsibility. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll study hard!”

Xia Hai was overjoyed.

They all went home in good spirits that day. As they turned into the alley, Xia Mian saw a few people getting out of a small car parked in front of the Mao house. At first, she thought they were business partners of Xia Wenyue. Her business had grown over the past two years, and she’d built a strong network. Since her daughter was getting married, of course she would’ve sent out invitations.

But most of those business partners were also from Yan City, so they’d just attend the wedding directly at the hotel. Why would anyone come to the house?

Just as Xia Mian was wondering, she heard Xia Hai call out, “Xia Li.”

She looked up in shock, eyes widening in disbelief. She could hardly recognize the woman before her as Xia Li.

The Xia family actually had pretty good genes—most of the girls were decently beautiful. Xia Li had been considered quite a beauty back in the day. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so ambitious.

But it had only been four years. The once-pretty girl who loved heavy makeup was now thick-waisted and broad-shouldered, carrying a toddler around two or three years old.女形象。

Her ears were weighed down by four huge gold earrings, her neck hung with a thick gold chain as wide as a finger. She had four or five rings on her fingers, and on her wrist was a wide gold bracelet two fingers thick. The whole outfit screamed nouveau riche, topped off with a face weathered by hardship, she looked every bit the stereotypical middle-aged auntie.

If you didn’t know her age, you’d think she was pushing thirty, even though she was only a year older than Xia Mian.

At Xia Hai’s call, Xia Li stared at Xia Mian, momentarily stunned. The man beside her nudged her with his elbow, jolting her back to herself. She quickly put on a bright smile and greeted them, “Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother.”

Then she looked at Xia Mian. “Xia Mian… You really haven’t changed a bit.”

Her tone was calm, like running into a distant relative on the street, so relaxed that Xia Mian didn’t even feel the need to be on guard.

The man beside her, clearly dissatisfied with how plain she sounded, quickly added, “Not just ‘haven’t changed,’ huh? She’s way more beautiful than before. No wonder, a real college student.”

Xia Mian turned to look at him. Sure enough, it was Wang Tao. He’d changed a lot too. Much rounder than four years ago, now sporting a potbelly and slick fashion. His clothes were fairly tasteful now—none of that arrogant flash from when he had just started making a bit of money.

Seeing Xia Mian look over, Wang Tao quickly coaxed the child in Xia Li’s arms, saying, “Come on, Junjun, this is your aunt—say hi!”

Xia Li frowned slightly, adjusted the child’s position in her arms, then smiled warmly and said, “Junjun, this is your uncle, your aunt, and your cousin. Come on, say hello.”

The little boy was chubby and fair-skinned, clearly taking more after Xia Li. Hearing his mother’s words, he obediently greeted them in a sweet, milky voice, “Hello, I’m Junjun.”

Although the eldest uncle had already mentioned that Xia Li had changed, the transformation was still shocking. Xia Mian looked into the child’s clear eyes and, suppressing a sigh, smiled and said, “Hello, Junjun.”

Then she turned to the boy’s parents. “Come in.”

“Coming!” Wang Tao opened the trunk and took out several gift boxes, then turned and called out, “Xia Bao, come help!”

The chubby man who had been standing silently nearby reluctantly stepped forward, frowning as he muttered, “Why bring so much? Isn’t four boxes enough?”

“These sea cucumbers are expensive. A pack of cigarettes would’ve been fine!”

If Xia Li had matured through hardship, then Xia Bao was still the spoiled brat he’d always been, the kind of kid who made people want to slap him on sight.

Wang Tao shot him a glare. “Didn’t we already talk about this before we came? If you’ve got a problem, go back now.”

Xia Bao didn’t dare say more. He stepped forward to help carry the gifts and followed the others into the house.

Once inside, he still didn’t behave—glancing around nosily, he even tried to wander into the other rooms to see what was there.

Xia Li said coldly, “Xia Bao, one more time and you’re going back. No allowance this month either.”

Xia Bao pouted and reluctantly stayed close by, but he couldn’t help mumbling, “Didn’t they say Second Aunt opened a factory and struck it rich? Why’s she still living in a dump like this? Didn’t even buy an apartment?”

Wang Tao turned and gave him a fierce glare. Xia Bao finally shut his mouth.

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