After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 18.2

Fortunately, once Yaozhou’s excitement faded, she became a sweet little girl again. Perhaps feeling she’d been a bit too over-the-top tonight, she clung to Xia Shibai’s clothes and acted spoiled, asking her to sleep with her.

“No, you’re a big girl now. You have to sleep on your own.”

“But I’m only three!” Yaozhou protested. “I’m smaller than Xiao Pang and Xiao Qiu!”

“When I was three, I already slept alone,” Xia Shibai said matter-of-factly. As expected, that bluffed the girl. The little one sighed under the covers, knowing she wouldn’t win this, and asked for a story instead.

“After the story, I’ll sleep. Last time the Little Mermaid became an Empress, what happened to her old kingdom?”

Xia Shibai said, “A new princess stepped up to inherit it.”

“Will she be as smart as the Mermaid?”

“As long as she’s willing to study, she will be.”

“Will people remember her like the Mermaid?”

“Of course. Even if we don’t know her, someone out there will take her as an example, remember her name, and be inspired by her story.” Xia Shibai looked at her sleepy daughter. “We can be like that too. As long as we live hard and stay kind, someone will always find a place in their memory for us and the things we’ve done.”

Even if the original novel was a cage, Xia Shibai never believed those shallow words could remain shackles on Yaozhou’s future. She herself was an anomaly in this world. If she couldn’t break the original plot, what was the point of being sent here?

As steady breathing filled the room, Xia Shibai carefully pulled her hand away, turned off the light, and tiptoed back to her own room. As for the uncleaned bathroom… I MUST hire a nanny! she thought as she lay in bed.

The nanny search continued. Xia Shibai interviewed several but wasn’t satisfied. Either they tried to interfere with her parenting, or they were lazy and talkative. She realized why some nannies in novels stayed with wealthy families for decades—finding a good one was incredibly difficult.

Fortunately, five-star hotel deliveries solved their dinner problems for now. She hired a part-timer to do two hours of cleaning a day, which kept them afloat.

Without a job, her life revolved entirely around the child’s schedule. TV, learning, eating, and naps during the day; playtime in the afternoon. Xiao Pang and Xiao Qiu had kindergarten, so she didn’t see them every day, but on weekends, the “Four-Kid Squad” would assemble at 4:00 PM and head to the sandpit with their toys.

Initially, Yaozhou was too prim to get into the sand, saying, “Washing clothes is too much trouble for Mommy.” But after discovering the part-time nanny hand-washed everything, she became more adventurous. She offered a milk candy to the nanny and asked, “If I make my clothes sandy, will you think I’m a bother?” The nanny, paid by the hour, didn’t mind.

Xia Shibai watched from a distance as Yaozhou hopped with joy at being allowed to play. A child’s happiness is so simple.

So, before the sandpit, four clean, orderly kids marched out; after the sandpit, they were so dirty you’d want to chase them with a switch until all the sand fell off. On the second day of sand-play, Qin Zhijin asked Xia Shibai for the cleaning company’s number and hired one too. Song Ling had no complaints: “I have money! Don’t save it! Spend what you need, eat what you want, and don’t let things get to you!”

In the sandpit, Xiao Pang was animatedly practicing for a “Storytelling King” competition at school. To win the big chicken leg reward from his grandmother, he practiced on his friends every day. At first, they cheered with all their might. Eventually, they lost interest.

“Is my story bad?” Xiao Pang asked anxiously.

“No…” Yaozhou said dully. “We’ve just heard it too many times! And it’s not very exciting. It’s way worse than my Mommy’s stories.”

Xiao Pang scooted closer to Yaozhou. “Then what kind of story is exciting? Zhouzhou, if I win, I’ll give you half my chicken leg! My grandma’s soy-sauce chicken legs are amazing!”

Yaozhou licked her lips. Those chicken legs were famous, but she’d never tasted one because they always ended up in Auntie Lin’s stomach. She used to watch Auntie Lin eat them while she drank a bottle of water to quell her own cravings.

Yaozhou waved her hand. “Divide it into four. There are four kids here.”

“Fine, fine! As long as I win, I’ll divide it however you want!” Xiao Pang (Yin Weining) urged her to tell a story.

“A story needs ups and downs,” Yaozhou repeated one of the mashups Xia Shibai had told her.

A minute in, Xiao Pang tilted his head in confusion. Wait… why is the Little Mermaid jumping over a Dragon Gate? Didn’t she go to the sea witch for legs to see the world and save a prince?

But before he could ask, he realized this wasn’t the Mermaid from his picture books. Was it uninteresting? Not at all. Was it weird? Not really. Even other kids playing in the sand drifted over to listen. Soon, a circle of children had formed.

By dinner time, parents were dragging crying kids home; some didn’t want to leave, asking when Yaozhou would tell stories again.

After listening all afternoon, Xiao Pang realized his forest story was boring. He decided to write a better one—like Yaozhou’s Mermaid! He shared his initial thoughts with the group. As he left with his nanny, he called back to Yaozhou: “Don’t worry! I’ll win that chicken leg in three days and we’ll eat it together!”

Yaozhou waved him off nonchalantly, letting Gu Mingyi pat the sand off her back. “Okay, we’ll wait for the chicken leg.”

Xia Shibai had gone to the sandpit on the first day but found it boring and painful to sit in the sun. She and Qin Zhijin decided to hire an extra nanny to just watch them at the sandpit. This gave Xia Shibai her own time in the afternoon to handle company matters. She couldn’t stay away from the professional world forever; once Yaozhou was in school, she’d move her focus back to the company.

While in a meeting with her manager and secretaries in the garden, Yao Yao spoke up: “Something I forgot to mention—that low-budget variety show from Starry Sky Media we acquired became a hit. Season two is already in the works. The director and writer have another project; I’ll send it over for you to look at.”

“Mhm? You want me to predict the market?”

“No, I just thought you might be interested in this show.” Yao Yao didn’t say more; everyone was eager to clock out.

“Okay, I’ll look at it later.”

Just as Xia Shibai closed her laptop, Qin Zhijin emerged from her house with bug spray, treating every corner of her yard. It was hot, and Gu Mingyi was wearing short sleeves; one lapse and she’d be covered in bites.

Xia Shibai looked at her own rented garden. It was a mess. Thinking of Yaozhou, who was now much healthier and more energetic, she felt the girl needed something to do. Like replacing the weeds with mosquito-repelling mint. It was easy to grow and would burn off some of the kids’ energy.

Xia Shibai suggested the idea to Qin Zhijin over the fence.

“Sure, but I have to ask Xiao Yi. If she doesn’t want to go out tomorrow, it might not work.”

Song Ling spoiled her daughter. She made plenty of money, and her mother had provided a large dowry; she could live comfortably just on rent. She wasn’t competitive; modeling was an accidental career, but once she succeeded, she became ambitious. Regarding Gu Mingyi’s upbringing, she was very relaxed, pampering her with the best of everything.

Fortunately, Gu Chen and the Gu family had put effort into the girl’s education. Without interfering with Song Ling’s pampering, they taught the girl well. While it cost a lot, the Gu family didn’t mind spending on their child.

Qin Zhijin felt Gu Mingyi had a mind of her own. Though she was only three, she liked to handle things her way. And her learning wasn’t half-hearted like Song Ling’s. Qin Zhijin initially thought the science picture books were forced on her by Gu Chen, but she realized the girl loved them and would even ask Song Ling for educational toys and Gu Chen for science magazine subscriptions.

Gu Mingyi was very calm about her parents’ divorce. After observing her for a few days, Qin Zhijin realized she had her life organized and respected her as a “little adult.”

Afraid Xia Shibai would think she was the one who didn’t want to go, Qin Zhijin added, “Xiao Yi has her own study plan at home. She usually finishes her plan before going out to play with Zhouzhou.”

Xia Shibai: “?” Are kids these days already this ‘competitive’ (involution)?

Thinking of her own “dummy” daughter, she sighed. Literacy classes had to start soon. She couldn’t let a future genius grow up illiterate. She wanted to change Yaozhou’s path, but not like this.

“Xiao Yi…” Qin Zhijin thought of her own childhood, then of Song Ling, and said decisively: “She’s definitely not like her mother.”

Before Xia Shibai could say more, she heard her daughter’s shout. Yaozhou and Gu Mingyi were running toward them, filthy and sweating.

“I feel like a spanking is in order,” Xia Shibai muttered, clenching her fist. Even with money, this was too much. The high-quality clothes deformed quickly when scrubbed too hard; a few sessions like this and they’d be unwearable.

Finding an interest for them isn’t just about ‘pushing’ them—it’s about exhausting their infinite energy.

Yaozhou let go of Gu Mingyi’s hand as they reached the gate. Seeing the lack of a smile on Xia Shibai’s face, she stuck out her tongue and started taking tiny, cautious steps, afraid of getting in trouble.

Qin Zhijin saw the state they were in and called out, “Stay outside! I’ll bring out some hot water.” She waved to Xia Shibai. “Bring Zhouzhou over. I’ve boiled water; let’s wash the sand off before they come inside, or it’ll be a disaster.”

“Let’s go.” Xia Shibai rolled up her sleeves and gave Yaozhou’s back a light pat.

Yaozhou stumbled forward, her eyes wide as she glared at her mother. “Mommy, that hurt!”

Before Xia Shibai could respond, Gu Mingyi turned back to rub Yaozhou’s back and gave Xia Shibai a look of disapproval. She said nothing, but Xia Shibai read the “condemnation” in her eyes. Now I see why Zhouzhou says Xiao Yi is her best friend.

Qin Zhijin brought out two buckets of water. There was a small tiled pond in the garden—empty of fish—where they could wash the “sand-children.”

Even though Xia Shibai threatened Yaozhou with a “spanking” (bamboo-shoot fried meat) if she misbehaved again, the girl wasn’t scared. She stood patiently as her mother undid her braids. Her scalp felt sore from the tight hair, and she scrunched up her face.

“Even if Mommy only lets me eat steamed buns, I’m not afraid!” Yaozhou laughed. “I love Mommy best, and Mommy loves me best!”

Xia Shibai’s mouth twitched. She wanted to laugh but couldn’t. You actually think ‘bamboo-shoot fried meat’ is food, you dummy.

Gu Mingyi watched the two of them for a while. Once she was sure Yaozhou was fine, she obediently let Qin Zhijin wash the sand off her and even closed her eyes to have her hair washed. The drain in the little pond was large, so the water and sand washed away quickly.

Xia Shibai wrapped her soaked daughter in a towel. “Thank you, Dr. Qin.”

“It’s fine. Go have your bath, Xiao Yi. Come out for dinner after, I’ll bring your clothes in.”

“Okay. Thank you, Godmother.”

After dinner, Qin Zhijin put the dishes in the dishwasher, watched the girl on the sofa viewing a nature documentary for a bit, then sat nearby with her professional books. Once the documentary ended and commercials started, she mentioned Xia Shibai’s invitation.

“Sure! Can we grow peppers and onions?” Gu Mingyi asked.

“You can grow whatever you like.”

“Those repel mosquitoes too. Anything with a strong scent. Since we’re doing it, let’s make it a little vegetable garden. Then we can pick whatever we want to eat.”

“Okay.” Looking at Gu Mingyi’s face—which looked so much like Song Ling’s—Qin Zhijin’s heart softened. Fine, I’ll spoil her.

Especially since Song Ling’s adult face wasn’t as cute anymore, but Gu Mingyi was a treasure.

However, Dr. Qin was already worrying about whether they actually knew how to plant things. She secretly decided to push the labor onto Xia Shibai. Having grown up in the city, Qin Zhijin’s mother never even let her weed the garden.

“Better a dead colleague than a dead priest,” Dr. Qin muttered, returning to her book.

In the next house, Xia Shibai was sitting on the floor playing with blocks with Yaozhou, listening to her talk about the sandpit. This was something she’d learned from a parenting blog: adults who have deep childhood memories often had parents who listened to them repeat their stories, which fosters emotional stability.

She wanted Yaozhou to recount her day to build intimacy and ensure the girl would tell her if she ever got bullied. Listening was a skill a parent should model.

“So… Xiao Pang heard your story and decided to tell one about Sleeping Beauty who, cursed by a witch at eighteen, studied physics and invented a time machine? Not only did she save herself, but she sent a letter to her parents to invite the witch to the party and solve the problem?”

Xia Shibai looked confused. “And the time machine broke, but she gained immortality and kept studying advanced science to make her kingdom strong?”

“Yeah! Isn’t it amazing?!” Yaozhou nodded happily. “It’s way better than three bears having a meeting in the forest.”

Xia Shibai felt a twinge of guilt. Had her “mashups” led the squad astray?

“How does Weining know so much about physics?” The story mentioned telescopes and electromagnetic sensors.

Yaozhou thought for a moment. “Xiao Pang says his mom researches ‘light.’ I think she’s researching how to become Ultraman, ’cause he says her light is as strong as Ultraman’s skills.”

“…It’s probably lasers or infrared.”

“Oh, maybe.”

Xia Shibai took a deep breath. Parents are the mirrors of their children. She shouldn’t have too high expectations, but should guide them correctly.

“Weining is so smart, and Xiao Yi knows so much, and Xiao Qiu gets awards at school! Does Zhouzhou want to learn too?”

Yaozhou paused her block-building and huffed. “No way.”

“Why?”

“I’ll just push Xiao Qiu, Xiao Pang, and Xiao Yi to work hard. Then, when they need me to spend money later, I’ll just sit at home like Mommy and have Auntie Yao Yao throw money at them. Then I’ll get lots and lots of money back!”

Yaozhou giggled, enchanted by her own plan. “So Xiao Yi and the others go to kindergarten to study and become super amazing people, and I just have to spend the money!”

Xia Shibai nearly fainted. She mentally repeated “This is my own flesh and blood” ten times to keep her cool before getting a glass of cold water to douse her rage.

Her daughter was already dreaming of being the “investor” while everyone else did the work.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Xia Shibai muttered. The road ahead was long.

Yaozhou: Anti-involution, ‘push’ your partners—start with me! Goal: invest a hundred million and let my playmates make money for me!