Chapter 20: Brainless, Just Like Her Dad
"Dapeng," Zhang Yunhua couldn’t help but say, her voice tinged with cautious hope, "Shanshan just whispered to me that after a few more doses of medicine, your body will be completely healed. She said... the medicine has taken root in your meridians. It just needs one last push."
"Really? A full recovery?"
Yang Dapeng’s eyes widened as he stared at Shanshan.
A little kid in a floral padded jacket, with two crooked little pigtails, was actually claiming she could cure his illness?
The whole thing felt like a dream.
But he had to admit, he’d been feeling stronger every day.
He no longer woke up with an aching back. His steps were much steadier, and he didn’t even need to lean on the wall to squat down and pick up firewood.
The change was so strange, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a miracle.
"Mhm, mhm!"
Shanshan nodded vigorously, her little head bobbing and her pigtails swaying gently.
"Uncle and Auntie will be able to have your own baby, too! I dreamed of a chubby little baby who was giggling at you, and he even called me big sister!"
As soon as she said that, the couple’s faces instantly flushed bright red.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Even the flames in the stove quieted down.
Zhang Yunhua hastily lowered her head and rubbed the corners of her eyes, muttering, "Oh, this child... always talking nonsense, just making things up..."
As she spoke, she snuck a glance at Yang Dapeng.
Yang Dapeng, looking just as uncomfortable, coughed a few times to clear his throat. He unconsciously rubbed the rough fabric of his pants.
He gave a dry laugh and mumbled, "You can’t take a kid’s words seriously," before hastily getting up and rushing back to his room with his head down.
Zhang Yunhua took a deep breath, forced a smile, and stood up. She grabbed a few colorful fruit candies from the cabinet and stuffed them all into Shanshan’s small hands.
"Go on, go on, go play outside for a while. Don’t just stay in here, be good."
she said softly, adding another gentle reminder.
"Remember to wear your hat and gloves. The wind outside is strong, it feels like little knives on your face. It’d be terrible if you caught a cold."
"I know! Auntie is the best!"
Shanshan gave a sweet smile, revealing two small gaps in her teeth. She hopped, turned, and ran outside, her little cotton shoes going PATTER PATTER on the ground.
The family compound wasn’t large. It had blue brick paths and mottled, peeling walls.
A few old plane trees stood forlornly in a corner, their branches reaching toward the gloomy gray sky.
There weren’t many children, and on most days, there was hardly a sound aside from a few old folks sunbathing.
At this moment, the sun slanted across the center of the courtyard, casting a long shadow.
Shanshan had just reached the middle of the courtyard and hadn’t even found her footing when she suddenly heard a shrill cry.
"Hey! Who said you could be here?"
Cao Jiajia stood on the steps, hands on her hips.
Behind her stood three or four other children of about the same age.
"You two, block her for me!"
Cao Jiajia pointed at the two tallest boys beside her, her tone domineering.
But after what happened last time, none of the other kids dared to get too close to her.
Now, seeing she was about to start trouble again, they all started having second thoughts.
"What are you standing there for? Get her!"
Cao Jiajia stomped her foot, her voice rising an octave.
"Jiajia, my dad said we’re not supposed to bully people," a little boy with glasses muttered, taking half a step back. "Why don’t we go play somewhere else? This isn’t any fun today anyway."
"Yeah, Jiajia," another girl quickly chimed in, her tone both placating and cautious. "The back lake is frozen over, it’d be way more fun to go skating. I heard the ice is really solid, and we can even spin tops on it."
One after another, they all tried to persuade her to leave.
But how could Cao Jiajia, who was used to always getting her way, possibly listen to them?
Jiajia looked around and, seeing that no one was stepping up to back her, angrily shoved the friend next to her.
"My mom was right, you’re not a proper child at all! With that freaky look of yours, how dare you try to steal my dad?"
Her voice was shrill, on the verge of tears.
Seeing Jiajia charging menacingly toward her, Shanshan wasn’t flustered at all.
’What a joke,’ she thought. ’I’m the Little Golden Dragon from the heavens.’
She wasn’t even scared of Cao Daqiang, let alone this little brat who still smelled of her mother’s milk.
Just as Jiajia raised her hand to strike, Shanshan took a small step back.
At the same time, she secretly formed a hand seal behind her back.
Jiajia’s feet suddenly slipped out from under her, and she pitched forward, face-first.
The kids behind her were all dumbfounded.
"Hahaha, that was so dumb! Brainless, just like her dad! I’m dying of laughter!"
Shanshan was laughing so hard she bent over, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
Jiajia’s knees stung from the fall, her skin burning with a fiery pain.
Feeling utterly humiliated, she lay on the ground, biting her lip hard, refusing to move an inch.
Only after Shanshan was long gone did her playmates scramble to help her up.
The moment she was on her feet, she violently shook off their hands.
"This is all your fault! If you had stopped her, would I have fallen? Don’t any of you ever play with me again!"
After screaming herself hoarse, she turned, crying, and sprinted unsteadily toward home.
First the father, then the daughter, had been bested by a little girl. Cao Daqiang was seething with frustration.
What made him even more furious was that after hearing their daughter’s tearful account, Liu Yingzi got up, ready to go demand an explanation from Yang Dapeng and his wife.
He quickly grabbed her by the arm.
"Yingzi, don’t be rash. Remember what happened last time? We didn’t get justice, we just became a laughingstock."
"Then what do you suggest we do? Just let our daughter suffer for nothing?"
Liu Yingzi was so angry her chest ached.
Seeing that her dad wasn’t going to stick up for her, Jiajia threw herself on the floor and started rolling around, throwing a tantrum.
"I’m not getting up! I’m not getting up! They bullied me, and you don’t even care!"
Helpless, Cao Daqiang had no choice but to pick his daughter up and try to soothe her.
He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice.
"You know the position I’m in. That last blowup was the talk of the unit for a whole month. It cost me the performance awards and model worker nominations. If we cause another scene, I might not even be able to keep my current post."
"But I feel so wronged!"
Liu Yingzi glared at him, her eyes red-rimmed.
"She’s just a little girl! Humiliated like this! As her mother, how can I just swallow this?"
"Revenge is a dish best served cold. Trust me, as soon as I become vice battalion commander, we’ll be able to stand before them with our heads held high!"
His tone was firm.
"As for that brat, I’ll find a way to deal with her. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get off easy."
Hearing this, Liu Yingzi’s expression finally softened a little.
"Don’t make me wait too long."
"You always understand me best. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it as soon as possible."
The corner of Cao Daqiang’s mouth lifted in a slight smile.
Liu Yingzi took her daughter to take a bath.
She didn’t notice that the moment she turned away, Cao Daqiang’s expression turned ice-cold.
’Shanshan really does look too much like me.’
’It’s one thing for Liu Yingzi to see her once or twice.’
’But if they meet too often, she’s bound to get suspicious sooner or later.’
’The Liu Family is our materials supplier. It took me a hell of a lot of effort to secure that connection in the first place.’
’I can’t let that little wildcat ruin my plans.’
He gritted his teeth inwardly.
Meanwhile, the completely oblivious Shanshan was happily changing into her new clothes.