Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 118: Chapter 107: New Year’s Money and the Adorable Little Dumpling

The moment the firecrackers went off, the little ball of meat started to cry and weep. How could there not be firecrackers on New Year’s Eve? Luo Qianqian stayed with the meatball, looking helpless. Just what would the whole day and night of crying turn into?

”Qianqian, quickly bring your sister out,” Luo Shufan shouted loudly from the yard.

Dressing the meatball in her clothes, Luo Qianqian walked into the yard, ”What is it?”

”Take a look,” he said, pointing to the cardboard box in front of him.

”A puppy? Where did it come from?” Luo Qianqian was startled to see the white puppy curled up in an old sweater, shivering.

”I was playing over there just now,” Luo Shufan pointed in the direction of the street. ”Then I saw something moving in the trash, so I picked it up. The cardboard box is what the milk carton was emptied from, and the old sweater I found in the pile of unwanted clothes from the back room.”

”Meatball, do you want to keep it?” Luo Qianqian looked at Li Menglin, who extended her little hand, and quickly grasped it to ask.

”Baa baa baa.” The meatball’s face was filled with curiosity towards the unknown creature.

”Brother, take it inside. If it freezes any longer, it will die,” Luo Qianqian shook her head. Convincing Aunt seemed to be a struggle, but you need to stay strong yourself if you’re to have a future.

”Okay,” Luo Shufan, holding the cardboard box, surreptitiously moved the puppy inside with the other two. The meatball squatted in front of the box, not blinking, watching the little dog.

”You mustn’t reach out with your hands, understand?” Luo Qianqian warned the meatball with a stern look.

”I’ll sneak some food, where did we put the milk just now?” Luo Qianqian, seeing Luo Shufan’s reluctant look, couldn’t help but quietly admire the puppy’s immense charm.

”On the kang in the east room,” said Luo Shufan.

Luo Qianqian sneaked over to grab a box of milk. If Mother knew they used it to feed a dog, they would undoubtedly be scolded terribly.

Expertly warming the milk carton with hot water, she took a small bowl, placed it in the puppy’s cardboard box, poured a little milk into the bottom, and moved the bowl to the puppy’s mouth.

Perhaps because of the warmth, the puppy stuck out its tongue and happily began to drink.

Watching the puppy drink half a box of milk before stopping, Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been since it last ate.

”Qianqian, what should we do now?” Luo Shufan said worriedly, frowning. ”We can’t always be here. If we don’t tell the adults, the puppy will eventually starve to death.”

”As long as it regains some energy, we will tell them. Otherwise won’t it just expose that we used milk to save the dog?” Luo Qianqian’s face showed fear. Master hated wastefulness more than anything, yet they dared to feed a dog with milk.

”Hopefully it survives,” Luo Shufan clasped his hands together and silently prayed for the puppy. ”May the king of devils give you strength.”

Soon it was evening, and the meatball woke up neither crying nor fussing, tugging at Luo Qianqian with an anxious look on her face.

”Need to go to the bathroom? Let Mom take you. Stop bothering your sister,” An Zihua, seeing the girl scramble out of bed and scurry to her niece’s side, found it somewhat amusing.

The meatball shook her head and stared straight at Luo Qianqian, her face full of urgency, ”Milk, milk.”

”You want milk? Mom will get it for you,” An Zihua said with a laugh, placing the milk beside her daughter.

The meatball ignored it, still gazing at Luo Qianqian. Luo Qianqian understood; the child was worried about the puppy. She quickly said, ”Good girl.”

Then she hastily got out of bed without putting shoes on the meatball and they went to the back room. The puppy was already awake, whimpering and turning circles in the cardboard box.

”Good you’re awake,” Luo Qianqian stuck out her tongue. She had forgotten while watching TV.

The milk had cooled down. She quickly warmed it again before giving it to the puppy. The puppy drank happily, peed happily, and soon the cardbox box was filled with a milky, urine-soaked, wet patch.

”It’s a good thing I found this when I was out playing.” Luo Shufan held up a foam box that they had used as an insulated box before. ”This won’t get wet. I got it from the nearby store, and I bought a few bags of milk too.”

”I was wondering why you all were so secretive,” An Zihua appeared at the door, followed by An Aiguo.

The meatball stood up and blocked the cardboard box. Luo Qianqian rushed to stand in front of the meatball, and Luo Shufan in turn blocked her, all assuming a protective stance.

”This won’t do. The back room is too cold; it could still freeze to death,” An Zihua pushed past the three of them, looking at the seemingly small puppy in the box. ”Where did you pick it up? It’s so young. It must have been thrown away, right?”

Indeed, they had picked it up... The siblings remained silent, looking at the sky. An Aiguo watched the two with a silent smile.

The meatball looked nervously at her mother.

”Linlin likes it, so let’s keep it. But don’t blame me if it doesn’t survive,” An Zihua said, watching her daughter’s expression and thinking maybe it was time for a furry child to grow up with her daughter.

”Aunt, you agree?” Luo Qianqian asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

”Otherwise what? Throw it out? Then wouldn’t you hate me?” An Zihua pretended to be aggrieved. ”Let’s take it to the vet after the New Year. Could I really say no if my daughter likes it? Right?” she said, scraping Linlin’s nose playfully.

”That’s amazing,” Luo Shufan and his sister jumped for joy.

”You’re just fooling the kids, it’s clearly you who likes dogs,” An Zilan bluntly exposed her sister.

”So what, hehe, little Dou Ding, you have to live well, okay?” An Zihua looked at the puppy in the box and chuckled lightly, ”Let’s call it Xi Xi. It arrived on New Year’s Eve, carrying the hopes of three kids, we hope you live well, Xi Xi.”

”Xi Xi,” the little meatball repeated.

Xi Xi was quickly settled in the bedroom, the foam box left open so that Xi Xi could jump around inside happily.

Luo Qianqian saw that Xi Xi’s bowl even had dumplings in it before she went to bed after the New Year’s Eve dinner.

”Yiya, yiya,” Luo Qianqian was woken up early by this noise and saw the meatball lying next to her, babbling in baby talk.

”You’re up early,” Luo Qianqian rolled over and picked up the meatball, ”Happy New Year, Linlin.”

”Jiejie, good,” the little meatball ’smecked’ a kiss on Luo Qianqian’s unwashed face.

”Good girl,” Luo Qianqian quickly got up to wash and change into new clothes.

It was only after entering her grandparents’ room that she realized why no one had called her to get up—relatives who had come to give New Year’s greetings were all listening to Grandpa boasting about how amazing his granddaughter was, having won a silver medal and stuff.

Holding the meatball, Luo Qianqian said rather shyly, ”Happy New Year to Grandma and Grandpa, wishing you both longevity. Happy New Year, Mom, may you get younger and younger. Uncle and Auntie, wishing you a sweet and happy life, and a harmonious marriage for a hundred years. Wishing Big Brother a happy new year and everything going smoothly, and my little Linlin a happy new year filled with joy every day.” Saying this, Luo Qianqian planted a big kiss on Li Menglin’s face.

”Listen to that little mouth, it’s so sweet,” An Zihua beamed with happiness upon hearing the auspicious phrases, ”Here, your red envelope, keep it safe and don’t let your mom take it away for savings, what your aunt gave you is for you to buy snacks with.”

”When have I ever taken it...” An Zilan looked at her sister with a speechless expression.

”Come on Qianqian, this is a red envelope from Grandma and Grandpa, keep being the top student next year,” Zhang Aihua handed over a red envelope.

”This is the stingy mother who skimps on her own niece’s New Year’s money,” An Zilan rolled her eyes at An Zihua and passed another, ”This is for Linlin, I want to see if you, her actual mom, are going to skimp.”

”Qianqian, say hello, this is your third aunt from your maternal side, this is your cousin, this is your older female cousin, this is...” An Aiguo again began introducing Luo Qianqian to the relatives sitting in the room, and she greeted each one, collecting a big pile of red envelopes in the process.

”Linlin, keep the red envelope your sister gave you safe,” Luo Qianqian said with a smile as she stuffed a brand-new ten-yuan note into the little meatball’s pocket.

Then she took the meatball to see the puppy, with Luo Shufan following behind somewhat sullenly, asking, ”Should we call Grandpa’s house?”

Luo Qianqian nodded in agreement, took out her phone, sent messages to elders, brothers, and friends, and then hid away with Luo Shufan and called the Luo Family’s phone.

”Hello, this is the Luo Family.”

”I’m Luo Qianqian, is Grandpa there?”

Luo Qianqian heard a voice from the other end of the phone asking ”Who is it?” and then she heard a familiar voice:

”Qianqian?”

”Third Brother? Happy New Year, Third Brother, did you get my message?”

”Got it, but Grandpa went out with his old buddies, and Dad, Mom, Second Uncle, Second Aunt are not here.”

”Hehe, I just wanted to make a phone call to wish you a Happy New Year. But I felt sending a message wasn’t respectful enough, so I decided to call.”

”Heard you went to your grandma’s house?”

”Absolutely, my little sister can even call me ’sister’ now, it’s so fun.”

”You’re also a lot of fun in our eyes...”

”Don’t say that to my face, I don’t know if I can handle the happiness.”

”You’re not happy?”

”Not really.”

”When will you come back to the Capital City? Just the other day while buying festival goods, my mom got you some clothes again.”

”Hehe, winter break is almost over now, I guess I won’t come back until the summer holidays. Wearing a cotton-padded jacket in summer? Don’t let Auntie waste her money.”

”No worries, they just love shopping. By the way...”

”What?”

”Xiao Si said you were going to prepare Valentine’s Day gifts for us?”

”I almost forgot...”