After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 32

“Auntie, are you drunk?” Xu Chacha placed the milk on the bedside table and squatted in front of Wen Mubai. “Why don’t you drink some milk before you sleep? It will be easier on your stomach.”

Wen Mubai didn’t answer her question. Instead, she reached out and pinched Xu Chacha’s cheek. Feeling the softness of the skin under her thumb, her smile widened. “So soft.”

Xu Chacha sighed heavily, letting her knead her cheek. “Auntie, hurry up and finish the milk and go to sleep. Weren’t you tired just now?”

“Little one, do you want to come home with sister? sister will buy you cake,” Wen Mubai answered with a non sequitur.

“…” Xu Chacha gave up on talking to her. She held the milk up to her face. “Drink.”

“Quite fierce,” Wen Mubai lazily glanced at her, but still took the milk and drank it.

A bit of milk foam clung to the edge of her pale lips. She casually licked it off with the tip of her tongue, then changed the position of her hand, resting her head on it. She maintained that lazy look. “So, do you want to come to sister’s house?”

Xu Chacha pretended she couldn’t hear. She took the empty milk cup to wash and dry it to prevent a milky smell from lingering overnight.

When she returned, Wen Mubai was still in the same posture, though her eyelashes drooped, making her look drowsy.

Xu Chacha helped her lie down by holding her shoulder, feeling like a diligent old nanny while Wen Mubai acted like a playful child.

“Go to sleep if you’re tired. Why are you trying to act cool?”

Hearing her voice, Wen Mubai pried her eyes open to a slit. Her sleepy gaze couldn’t focus accurately, but she precisely called out her name. “Chacha? Why did it take you so long? Auntie was waiting for you to sleep together.”

Oh, good grief, Xu Chacha sighed inwardly. She thought to herself, I will absolutely not watch this year’s Spring Festival Gala without Wen Mubai’s Sichuan opera face-changing performance.

She closed the door, locked the window, and finally tucked Wen Mubai into bed before kicking off her own slippers and lying down.

She had gotten a considerable amount of exercise during the day. Only after lying down did Xu Chacha realize how wonderful it felt to relax all her muscles.

Satisfied, she found a comfortable sleeping position and was just about to close her eyes to enjoy her sleep when she suddenly realized something was wrong and snapped her eyes open.

Wait, did she forget to turn off the light?

…

As the weather forecast predicted, a thunderstorm started again in the night. The thin, single-pane glass windows of the old house couldn’t block the booming thunder. Xu Chacha was woken up by the noise and rolled over.

With dark circles under her eyes, her small face drooped as she watched the lightning that once again split the night sky, filled with helplessness.

At some point, she had burrowed into Wen Mubai’s arms. Wen Mubai’s shallow breathing was heard above her head. The rhythm was long and regular at first, but with a faint murmur in her sleep, it suddenly became hurried.

“Mom, Grandma… don’t leave me alone… don’t go…”

She had never heard Wen Mubai’s voice so vulnerable. The faint hint of a sob startled Xu Chacha.

Was it because Wen Mubai had been faking it too well during the day? Aside from looking a bit tired when they first met, she showed no sign of emotion afterward, even joking with Xu Chacha as usual.

Xu Chacha raised her arm and placed it on Wen Mubai’s back, patting her with her small palm. “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

But as she spoke, she felt a warm liquid flowing down her neck.

Xu Chacha’s breath hitched, and the heartbeat in her chest became muffled, like the thunder outside.

She was crying.

Wen Mubai’s rare vulnerability made Xu Chacha feel like she had stumbled upon an incredible secret—one that she shouldn’t publicize and one that Wen Mubai probably wouldn’t even share when she woke up. She just wanted to quietly hide it away.

“You won’t be alone. Chacha will always be with Auntie.” A childish voice, yet making the most sincere and earnest promise.

When I grow up a little more, I’ll protect you.

Wen Mubai, holding her, seemed to have heard her words, and her arms tightened around her.

…

The next day, Wen Mubai woke up quietly before seven o’clock. She had never woken up this early. Lying on her back, she stared blankly at the ceiling.

She thought she had a dream last night, a very long dream about her departed mother and grandmother, and her younger self.

She remembered the excitement of showing off her report cards and awards to her mother, but she couldn’t forget her mother’s perfunctory tone.

Wen Mubai didn’t blame her. Of course, as a mother, she cared about her, but she was never the priority.

Compared to her father, her mother spent more time at home, but Wen Mubai saw her even less than the former.

She usually stayed in her studio drawing or making sample clothes. When she finally had time to rest, she wouldn’t stay home but was always on her way to various parties and dates.

When Wen Mubai missed her, she would muster the courage to knock on the studio door or call her, but the former would only be met with stern criticism, and the latter with the cold “beep, beep” sound of a disconnected call, or perhaps a message: “Mom will be back later. If you’re bored, go find your dad.”

On the rare occasion that she remembered she had a daughter, Wen’s mother would bring back a gift, but the young Wen Mubai was so easily appeased. She would instantly forget her slight grievance and rush into her arms.

Wen’s father and mother never argued, but they rarely had heartwarming conversations. They were like two strangers living in the same house, barely greeting each other when they met.

Yet, even so, on the day Wen’s mother passed away, it was Wen’s father who, as her husband, first received the critical condition notice. He rushed to the hospital and signed the consent form for the surgery. At that time, Wen Mubai was in a competition.

The judges randomly assigned a topic: three elements—mother, winter, and fresh flowers—and the contestants had to write a piece on the spot.

Wen’s father told Wen Mubai’s teacher that he hoped to inform her after the competition. By the time he made that call, Wen’s mother had already passed away. He felt there was no need to interrupt Wen Mubai’s competition.

Wen’s mother did not, as they do in TV dramas, hold on to a final breath to wait for a family member to give medical instructions. She came alone and wanted to leave alone.

Wen Mubai won first place in the competition. She was originally going to put the award certificate in a box to be forgotten, but when she learned of her mother’s death shortly after, she threw the certificate in with her mother’s belongings to be burned.

Her mother, who was as passionate as a rose, could not survive that winter, like a short-lived blooming period.

Wen Mubai’s life did not change much due to her mother’s departure. She even questioned whether she was truly so stone-hearted that she felt no sadness over her mother’s death.

It wasn’t until the holiday when she saw her grandmother. The woman embraced her and said, “I’m sorry. I only told her to be a free and unrestrained person, but I forgot to teach her how to care for the people closest to her.”

The elderly woman’s eyes were red. She took Wen Mubai’s hand. “Grandma will love you for your mother, okay?”

That day, she finally cried. She didn’t make much noise, but her tears flowed endlessly, as if she would silently cry all the water out of her body.

After that, every holiday trip to Town F became the day Wen Mubai looked forward to the most, but now her grandmother had also left.

She didn’t cry this time because she knew the elderly man was sadder than she was. If she didn’t hold back, who would look after him?

The alcohol and the rainy night had allowed her to relax her guard. Wen Mubai felt the dream was too real. It seemed that when her emotions were out of control, a warm pair of hands had wrapped around her, whispering something in her ear.

What was it?

Wen Mubai blinked her eyelashes, clearing her mind, and heard shallow breathing next to her. She looked down and saw Xu Chacha, curled up and sleeping soundly in her arms.

She remembered now.

“Chacha will always be with Auntie.”

Her eyelids drooped, and she smiled silently, reaching out to ruffle the child’s hair.

Xu Chacha mumbled a few words and turned her face away. The messy hair covering her face slid down, revealing the bluish shadows under her eyes—fatigue that couldn’t be hidden even in her sleep.

Wen Mubai frowned. If she remembered correctly, she was drunk after just one cup last night, and her memory seemed to be patchy since the moment she was having her hair dried.

Did a child take care of me last night? Wen Mubai raised her arms and twisted her neck, finding that no part of her body was sore or weak.

She took care of me quite well.

“Our Chacha worked hard.” She leaned down and touched Xu Chacha’s forehead, then gently pulled back the covers.

The elderly man never ate breakfast, and the housekeeping aunties were only hired to come at noon. Yesterday morning, Xu Yanshu had settled for bread, but today, Xu Chacha was here.

There were quite a few ingredients in the refrigerator, which the housekeeping auntie had just bought the day before.

Wen Mubai hesitated, taking out a can of luncheon meat and two eggs. She never cooked at home and always ordered takeout when outside. The only recipes she could think of now were fried eggs and luncheon meat.

The hair tie she usually used to tie up her hair was nowhere to be found. Wen Mubai casually picked up a chopstick to secure her long hair and was ready to go.

Wen Mubai held the eggs, then looked at the luncheon meat, seemingly contemplating which to handle first. Finally, she put the items down and chose to turn on the stove.

Once the fire was on, the pan quickly started to heat up. This gave her a sense of urgency. She had to throw the ingredients in right away. So, she grabbed an egg and cracked it into the pan. With a sizzling sound, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Now she just had to wait for it to cook and then take it out, right?

But soon, a burnt smell reached her nose. Wen Mubai remembered she needed to flip it, but one scoop sliced the egg in two, and a charred part of its “corpse” was stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Wen Mubai stood there, holding the spatula, motionless for a long time.

“This is harder than playing the claw machine.”

Xu Chacha was woken up by the smell. Her sense of smell was quite sensitive, and the room she slept in was close to the kitchen, right near the stairs.

She quickly recognized the smell of burnt food and heard clattering sounds from the kitchen after opening the door.

The bed behind her was empty, so… was Wen Mubai downstairs blowing up the kitchen?

She quickly put on her slippers and ran downstairs. The first thing she did when she rushed into the kitchen was to shout at Wen Mubai, “Auntie, turn on the range hood!”

“Range hood?” Wen Mubai was holding an egg in her hand. She turned and looked around. “Where is it?”

Xu Chacha patted her chest to calm herself down, raising her finger to point above the stove. “That round thing. Touch it with your finger.”

“Beep—” The range hood finally started working.

“Why are you down here?” Wen Mubai put the egg down and walked over. “Are you hungry? Wait a moment. Auntie is making you breakfast.”

Xu Chacha wasn’t listening to what she was saying. Her eyes were fixed on the still-burning stove behind her. “The fire is on! Fire, fire, fire!”

“Oh, it seems so.” In the midst of the emergency, Wen Mubai was still unhurried. She turned off the fire and tossed the pan into the sink. When the cold water was turned on, there was another loud “sizzling” sound and a burst of white smoke.

Xu Chacha watched her clumsy attempt at scrubbing the pan and then looked at the small mountain of eggshells next to her, her expression unreadable. “Auntie, if you fry a few more eggs like this, you’ll scrub a hole in the pan.”

Wen Mubai stopped her movements, feeling a little embarrassed exposing her culinary black hole status in front of a child.

“Sorry, Auntie isn’t very good at cooking.”

“I can tell.” Xu Chacha rolled up her sleeves. “Let me help Auntie.”

“How can you? Go outside. Auntie can handle it,” Wen Mubai shook her head.

“Yes, you can handle it. You can totally blow up the kitchen,” Xu Chacha ignored her objection, grabbed a bowl, skillfully cracked three eggs into it, and said while mixing with chopsticks, “It’s a good thing Grandpa didn’t wake up, or no amount of liquor would calm him down.”

Wen Mubai touched the tip of her nose, having no comeback.

“You’re so small, but you’re quite a lecturer,” Wen Mubai watched her smooth, flowing movements. “When did you learn all this?”

“I…” Xu Chacha’s mind spun, and a lie came out instantly. “I used to make breakfast for them at their house.”

Wen Mubai didn’t want her to recall bad memories and quickly changed the subject. “Auntie will help you. Just tell Auntie what to do.”

“First, wipe the pan clean. Don’t leave any water at the bottom, or the oil will splatter.” Xu Chacha brought over a small stool to stand on, putting her hands on her hips to direct. “Cut the luncheon meat into cubes and mix it with the egg liquid.”

Wen Mubai followed the command. “And then?”

Xu Chacha got down, took a small spoon herself, added some salt and cooking wine to the egg liquid, mixed it well, and put the bowl back.

“Heat the pan, add oil, and pour in the egg.” Xu Chacha stood on her toes, monitoring her every step. “Medium-low heat. Keep stirring with the chopsticks; this way, the eggs will be more tender.”

Wen Mubai’s movements were a bit clumsy, but she managed to succeed, even if the egg pancake was a bit fragmented.

“Great job!” Xu Chacha clapped her hands.

“Is just this enough to eat?” Wen Mubai brought the egg over to her. “I’ve already warmed up the milk for you.”

“Is there toast in the fridge?” Xu Chacha asked.

“Yes,” Wen Mubai went to get it, “but there’s no toaster.”

“It’s okay. Using the pan works just the same,” Xu Chacha instructed her. “Turn the heat to low and dry-roast it a bit. No need for oil. It will be ready quickly.”

The bread was much easier to handle than the eggs. Wen Mubai quickly toasted four slices.

“Mmm-hmm,” Xu Chacha put on disposable gloves, put the broken pieces of egg into the toast, squeezed a little salad dressing on top, and closed it up.

“All done. Try it.” She presented the plate to Wen Mubai, her eyes full of expectation.

Wen Mubai picked up the sandwich and took a bite. She found it to be surprisingly delicious. The outside of the toast was lightly crisp, and the inside filling was warm and soft. The fried egg and salad dressing tasted just right.

“Is it good?”

“It’s delicious.”

“That’s good.” Xu Chacha smiled with relief and then picked up her milk to drink.

The two didn’t sit at the dining table. They stood in the kitchen, smiling at each other, and quickly finished the sandwiches. Xu Chacha rolled up her sleeves to wash the dishes.

“Auntie cooks, I wash the dishes. We have a clear division of labor.”

“I’ll do it. It’s just one plate anyway,” Wen Mubai took the dishcloth.

“What happened here?” As she stretched out her wrist, Xu Chacha keenly noticed several small red marks from burns. Thinking about her recent clumsy actions, it wasn’t surprising that she would get burned by oil.

“Why are you so careless?”

“It doesn’t hurt. The marks will be gone in two days.”

“Who said that? If not treated properly, it’s easy to scar.” Xu Chacha had a burn mark on her neck once. Because she popped the blister herself, it left a mark.

“Come here, let me put medicine on it for you.”

“Just after I wash this.” Wen Mubai’s hands kept moving. She quickly washed the dishes and put them back in place, then was pulled upstairs by the impatient Xu Chacha.

After searching around for a while, the little girl turned around, pouting and reluctantly admitting defeat. “Where is the first-aid kit?”

Wen Mubai chuckled softly and patted her head. “I’ll get it.”

She found the first-aid kit, opened the cotton swab package, dipped it in the ointment, and handed it to Xu Chacha. “Hurry up, my ancestor. If you don’t apply the medicine soon, it will heal on its own.”

Xu Chacha glared at her, with a fierce, milky look. “You’re not careful at all.”

Wen Mubai didn’t know why, but she quite enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by her. She propped her head on her hand, listening to her lecture while occasionally responding with a simple “Mmm.”

Xu Chacha was annoyed by her indifferent attitude, and the hand holding the cotton swab consequently pressed harder.

“Hiss…” Wen Mubai took a light breath and said with a smile, “You’re quite ruthless with your Auntie.”

“I didn’t mean it.” Xu Chacha dropped the cotton swab, puffed out her cheeks, and blew on the spot where she had pressed. “I’ll blow on it twice. Does it feel better?”

“That won’t make it better.”

“Then what do I do?”

“You have to say the magic words,” Wen Mubai held back her laughter, teasing her mischievously. “Poo-poo-poo, the pain flew away.”

Xu Chacha: ?

“How old are you?”

Wen Mubai was a little addicted to teasing her. She rested her chin in her hand and shook her head. “I forgot. Maybe just three?”

Fine, Xu Chacha gritted her teeth inwardly, challenging her.

You think you can act like a child better than me?

The next second, a sweet smile quickly bloomed on her face. Her eyes curved into crescents. She raised her arm and patted the top of Wen Mubai’s head, her voice so soft it could drip honey. “Be a good girl, little sister. sister will blow on it for you. The pain will fly away soon.”

Wen Mubai was completely unprepared for the head-pat attack. She blinked, momentarily speechless, unable to react.

How should one describe this? It was a move that injured the enemy one hundred but damaged the user eight thousand.