After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 25

Xia Shibai’s anxiety over her mint lasted less than five seconds before her attention was diverted.

Xia Yaozhou—who hadn’t reconciled with Xiao Yi for nearly half a month—sneaked in from outside like a little thief, followed by Xiao Pang and Xiao Qiu. Each of the three was dragging a large palm leaf, likely scavenged from some cleaning bin.

Xia Shibai turned to look. Xiao Pang was holding a leaf up to hide the other two, perfectly achieving a new achievement: Blind to the world with one leaf, one fatty hiding a Zhou and a Qiu.

Looking at the three little rascals who treated her like an idiot, Xia Shibai grit her teeth as an ominous premonition flashed through her mind.

—When children are quiet, they must be up to no good.

“Xia Yaozhou.”

Xia Shibai called her name in a low, stern voice. The little girl hiding behind Xiao Pang and the leaf shifted her steps reluctantly but didn’t come out.

“I’m counting to three.”

“Mom…” Xia Yaozhou quickly dragged the palm leaf—which was twice as long as she was—out from behind Xiao Pang. Her little face was flushed red from the sun, and the towel tucked into her back was soaked with sweat. She trotted over to Xia Shibai with a flattering smile plastered on her face. “Mommy!”

“What are you messing with now? Why did you bring back a bunch of tras—leaves?” Xia Shibai really wanted to call the leaves “trash,” but out of consideration for a child’s fragile and sensitive feelings, she managed to bite her tongue.

“Making a treehouse.” Xia Yaozhou wiped the sweat from her face with a dirty hand, then tugged at Xia Shibai’s hem, gesturing for her to lean down. She whispered, “Xiao Yi’s birthday is coming up. I have to prepare a gift for her.”

“Even though we’re still fighting… but, hmph, I still have to express my thoughts, right?”

“…” Xia Shibai bent down and looked at the “tsundere” Xia Yaozhou, pinching the cheek that had puffed out. “How do you know Xiao Yi’s birthday is coming?”

“Xiao Qiu said so.” Xia Yaozhou pointed at Xiao Qiu standing not far away. “Xiao Qiu knows everything; he even remembers Xiao Pang’s and my birthdays.”

Xia Shibai looked in the direction Xia Yaozhou pointed. The little boy looked a bit more tanned than the last time she saw him.

Seeing Xia Shibai look over, Xiao Qiu pursed his lips and gave a dignified nod, then turned his head away, his ear tips turning slightly red.

“Fine. But why did you pick up leaves?”

“Aren’t treehouses made of leaves? We’ll wash them and stick them onto the house.” Xia Yaozhou let go with one hand and used her sleeve to wipe away falling sweat. “We wanted to find dry leaves, but the grandmas swept them all up. We finally managed to ask for three big ones!”

Xia Shibai: “…”

Alright then.

“Fine, go play by yourselves, but be safe.” Watching the dirty leaves enter the house, Xia Shibai’s scalp felt numb. She couldn’t help but call out to the three brats.

“Forget it, I’ll find you a clean room. Just don’t go into the bedrooms.”

While going up the stairs, Xia Shibai couldn’t bear to watch the three “little radishes” struggle to drag the leaves up. She sighed and helped carry them. As for the tools for the treehouse, she found child-safe scissors—not sharp, but sufficient.

“Be careful with the glue. Remember to wear gloves. If it gets on your skin, your fingers will get stuck together.”

“Auntie, we know!” Xiao Pang patted his chest confidently. “Don’t worry, Auntie! I learned how to make treehouses in kindergarten! I’m an expert!”

“Is that so?” I don’t believe you.

Xia Shibai patted Xiao Pang’s shoulder to show her “trust,” then set the air conditioning to 27°C. She didn’t want them to catch a cold from the sudden blast of cold air right after sweating.

Xia Shibai went to the study to handle accumulated company meetings.

Regarding her hiring a professional manager, the original host’s parents were aware of the news. However, they didn’t call; instead, they held an assessment meeting. Only after confirming the decision was approved by the shareholders did they return to their comfortable life abroad.

As for why they didn’t just call their daughter to ask for the reason behind such a small matter, Xia Shibai couldn’t figure it out.

But seeing the reactions of the employees and shareholders, everyone seemed to take it as a matter of course.

Xia Shibai reached a conclusion: The relationship between the original host and her parents was likely not very good.

The original novel didn’t mention this. The entire book rarely touched upon Xia Yaozhou’s family, only pulling them out for a few lines when plot padding was needed. Xia Shibai couldn’t recall specific details.

Thinking about it now, it was indeed strange.

Even if the eldest daughter had died, there was still a younger daughter who had just graduated from college. No matter what, they shouldn’t have pressed such a heavy burden onto the younger daughter’s shoulders…

At the end of the meeting, after the reporters slowly exited the online room, only Yao Yao remained.

“We’ve finalized things with the program crew. The contract is with legal, and we’re revising safety measures and variety activities. Invited guests are being confirmed. Little President Xia, do you want to look it over?”

“No, you can decide those things yourselves. Try to make things convenient for the crew. Don’t worry about funding; use the maximum budget allocated for Starry Sky Cinema’s variety planning department this year. For sponsorships, prioritize our own outdoor and children’s products.”

“Didn’t the watch department release a new family-tracking model? Put their operations team and the crew’s contact people in a group chat to see if they can integrate it.” Xia Shibai thought for a moment. “Don’t worry too much about money. This variety show has great prospects. We can push it later and even export it to the Southeast Asian market.”

“Got it. I’ll go back and screen the company’s products with the crew again. If there are suitable ones, our brands will get the title sponsorship first.”

“Good.” Xia Shibai paused. “Pick the guests carefully. Don’t find those with bad reputations in the industry; fame isn’t the most important thing. Since this show is positioned as children’s adventure education, the character of the adults must pass the test. Those who are home-wreckers, cheaters, two-faced, or divas—none of them.”

“Don’t pick up trash and bring it home. Ask Starry Sky if their own artists are suitable. It doesn’t have to be limited to biological parents and children—aunts, uncles, whoever has a child of the right age in the family should be considered.”

Yao Yao nodded. “Yes, President Chen at Starry Sky said the same. We’re currently picking people. Once selected, we’ll send the files for each family to your email for review.”

“Alright, push the process as fast as possible. Once the contract is confirmed, send the electronic version to Xiao Yi’s parents for them to sign.”

“Understood.”

By the time the meeting finished, Xia Shibai realized it was already 7:00 PM. Usually, at this time, Xia Yaozhou would have been shouting about hunger, clutching a milk bottle on the sofa while waiting for the delivery man.

Today, it was incredibly quiet.

Xia Shibai rubbed her brow, remembering they were messing with that treehouse. She wondered what it looked like.

Thinking this, she stood up and walked to the spare room. Since no one lived there, it was empty and perfect for children’s crafts.

When she pushed the door open, only Xia Yaozhou was awake. The two boys had played hard all day and then focused intensely on the craft; before long, they had tipped over like bobbing dolls, sleeping in a heap covered by leaves.

Xia Yaozhou had her back to Xia Shibai. She still had her gloves on and sat perfectly straight. Her hands were flying—she was busy, but it was unclear what she was doing or if she was heading in the right direction.

Xia Shibai tiptoed behind the child, peeking over to see what this “kindergarten-taught treehouse” looked like.

Upon seeing the “actual object,” Xia Shibai fell into a long silence.

The frame? The foundation? It was just a ball of leaves… you could call it a dodgeball and she’d believe you. If this thing was called a treehouse and meant for living in, one would probably lose ten pounds a day…

Rolling around the house inside a wooden hut every day.

Rolling as far as possible.

Xia Yaozhou was focused on gluing the upturned leaves together. One layer finished, another to go—layer upon layer, never-ending.

Even Yu Gong (The Foolish Old Man) would sigh at this. If this was the mountain in front of his door, forget his children and grandchildren digging forever; even digging from ancient times to today wouldn’t clear it.

Xia Yaozhou sensed someone approaching but remained focused on her “treehouse.” After finally pasting a large leaf on, she happily raised the ungraceful leaf ball with her glue-covered gloves to show Xia Shibai.

“Mommy! Is it pretty?”

Xia Shibai: “…” To be honest, I can’t appreciate it.

“Does Zhouzhou think it’s pretty?” Xia Shibai rubbed her nose and threw the question back, decisively refusing to answer directly.

“Um, it’s not very pretty.” Xia Yaozhou hesitated. “But Brother Xiao Qiu said that as long as a gift is from the heart, a friend will like it, regardless of beauty or ugliness.”

“People say that, baby, but…” Looking at Xia Yaozhou’s clear eyes, Xia Shibai swallowed her critique.

Harsh words wound like the cold in June. My sin, my sin.

“By the way, why did you want to give Xiao Yi a treehouse?”

Xia Yaozhou thought for a moment and told Xia Shibai what happened that afternoon.

It turned out Xiao Qiu said Xiao Yi’s birthday was coming up. Since Xiao Yi had given gifts to him and Xiao Pang in the first half of the year, they had to give gifts back.

Xia Yaozhou forgot if Xiao Yi gave her anything for her birthday, but they were friends. Even if they were fighting now, she should show something for the birthday.

However, having no savings and being “penniless,” Xia Yaozhou fell into silence.

She couldn’t give her friend a giant, expensive astronomical telescope like Xiao Pang, nor could she give a full scientific encyclopedia set with various experiment kits like Xiao Qiu.

Because she had no money. She was broke.

She could only make something herself, and then she ran into trouble. Fortunately, this trouble was solved by Xiao Pang.

“Xiao Pang said for his latest homework, he made a wooden hut out of leaves and won first prize in kindergarten!” Xia Yaozhou let her mom help her take off the gloves. “He even gave me a photocopy of the certificate this time. So I thought—first prize! So cool! I asked him to teach me how to make a treehouse for Xiao Yi.”

“This way I don’t have to spend money, and my friend can know my heart.” Xia Yaozhou raised her head and hummed, as if she had a big tail wagging behind her.

Xia Shibai didn’t have the heart to look at the glue-leaf-ball again. If this was sent out, it would be the end of the friendship.

“Alright, I understand. After we eat, Mommy will help you solve this problem.” Xia Shibai woke the two boys sleeping on the floor and led the string of “radishes” to the bathroom to wash their hands and faces.

She brought the delivery in from the door. Xiao Qiu and Xiao Pang had already used their smartwatches to call home and were waiting obediently by the table.

In kindergarten, they mostly used spoons, so Xia Yaozhou got them spoons and large plates, dividing the food equally into each plate, essentially turning from a CEO into a new type of “Lunch Lady.”

The kids were very focused on eating; no one spoke, and the dining room was as quiet as usual.

After finishing, Xiao Pang patted his bulging belly and thanked Xia Shibai, his eyes crinkling into slits. “Auntie Xia, you’re so nice! Your food is delicious too! I love it!”

“I’m glad you like it.” Xia Shibai poured a cup of warm water for everyone and sat down to rest.

Thinking of the leaf ball upstairs and Xiao Pang’s claim of winning first prize for his homework, she curiously asked him about it.

A child’s world is chaotic; their perception of reality and fiction is blurred.

Xia Shibai didn’t use leading questions but let Xiao Pang tell the story himself.

Xiao Pang loved telling people about his awards and started from the material preparation.

As Xia Shibai listened, she found holes in his story, peeling back the layers until she reached the truth.

Xiao Pang couldn’t finish the homework and was afraid of being scolded by the teacher. He cried half the night at home. He tried again the next day and still couldn’t do it, just as his older brother came home from Saturday self-study.

The “Big Boss” brother saw that he couldn’t even do such simple kindergarten homework—as expected of his stupid little brother—and in a fit of pique, he stepped in and built a Pro Plus Max Ultra difficult version.

As for Xiao Pang, he wasn’t entirely uninvolved—he picked up the leaves. But that was the extent of it.

For Xia Yaozhou, hearing this at the table was like her idol’s building collapsing, with not even the foundation left. Tears hung from her eyelashes, but she didn’t dare get angry.

Xia Shibai found it amusing. She sent Xiao Pang and Xiao Qiu home before returning.

When she came back, Xia Yaozhou had already wiped her tears and was sitting on the sofa watching cartoons—PAW Patrol. The rising and falling barks and voices were full of childhood innocence.

As soon as Xia Shibai sat down, she was hugged by her daughter.

Xia Yaozhou wiggled and buried herself in Xia Shibai’s arms, sniffing her mother’s light scent. “That treehouse can’t be a birthday gift for Xiao Yi anymore,” she said aggrievedly.

“Then what are you going to send?”

“I don’t know.” Xia Yaozhou shook her head. “I have no money. I can’t afford things.”

“Before… I would go out and pick up trash, but there was no money then either.” Although Auntie Lin would occasionally give her a yuan or two when she was in a good mood, she would find an excuse to take it back later.

So Xia Yaozhou still had zero to her name.

Even if it hadn’t been taken, that pocket change was completely insufficient—at least not enough to buy a good gift for Xiao Yi.

Xia Shibai pinched Xia Yaozhou’s cheek. “You can tell Mommy if you have no money. Adults give money to their kids to spend.”

“But…” Xia Yaozhou shook her head. “I can’t pay it back. Mommy’s money is Mommy’s, and my money is mine.”

“But if Mommy gives you the money, you have the right to decide what to do with it,” Xia Shibai affirmed. “You can use it to buy toys, buy food, satisfy your own desires, or satisfy others’ desires.”

“As long as you think it’s meaningful, you can spend the money on it.”

“Money is spent easily; you can squander it very quickly. So we must not only learn how to spend money but also how to earn it—to let money make money.”

“Saving money is also a good way of earning. There are many temptations in the world: beautiful clothes, food, human’s endless and insatiable desires. If we spend on every single one, our money will never be enough. So, from these desires, choose which one we like and want most, put the money into that, and refuse other unnecessary expenses. This is the most decisive way to save money.”

Xia Yaozhou blinked as she listened, staring fixedly at Xia Shibai. It was unclear what her little brain was thinking.

Xia Shibai thought she didn’t understand and was about to break it down further when she saw the little girl’s eyes brighten. She let out a small “ah” and said excitedly:

“Then for the money Mommy gives me, as long as I set aside the amount for six gifts, and save the rest together, over time, when I truly need it, I’ll have countless money!”

“Right? Mommy?”

“…Yes.”

Xia Yaozhou nodded thoughtfully. “Cumin lamb chops, grilled sausages, and burgers—I like them all. But my favorite is grilled sausages! Lamb chops and burgers are ‘one, two, three’ digits, but sausages are ‘one’ digit. They’re cheap! I can buy many, many, and still not spend a lot of money!”

“Correct.”

“Then Mommy, how does money make money? Do I need to keep picking up trash to earn money?” Xia Yaozhou thought about her income from picking up trash; it seemed okay, maybe a few dozen. She could count now and recognized the amounts on bills, but her understanding of price was only in “digits.”

In her eyes, the difference between ten yuan and a hundred yuan wasn’t ninety yuan, but one digit.

So she felt picking up trash could earn it easily.

Thinking this, Xia Yaozhou became very happy. Even before seeing the cash, this “vision” had already filled her mind.

“Mommy, give money!” Xia Yaozhou patted her chest and said seriously, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll go pick up trash to pay you back.”

Xia Shibai: “…”

Every point was right, but… the conclusion is wrong!

I’m not telling you to go pick up trash, baby!

In the end, Xia Shibai spent half the night telling Xia Yaozhou that this money could be stored directly for her on a bank card and she didn’t need to pick up trash to pay it back. She just wanted her to know that money has a limit; even if the house has a mountain of gold or silver, you can’t just sit and eat until it’s gone.

In desperation, Xia Shibai had to bite the bullet and turn the history of the Ming Dynasty into short stories for Xia Yaozhou. She went from how Zhu Chongba started with a single bowl and fought to become the founding emperor, to how the national treasury was squandered before the fall of the Ming Dynasty, attempting to tell Xia Yaozhou: It’s easy to win an empire, but hard to keep it.

To her surprise, the only thing the little girl took in before bed was: Zhu Chongba started with one bowl and ended up owning thousands of miles of land.

“He could earn so much money just by begging! He even became the founding emperor! I can definitely do it by picking up trash!” Xia Yaozhou patted Xia Shibai’s shoulder and made a grand vow. “Mommy, don’t worry. I will definitely pick up trash to become the Garbage Empress, then create an empire and never let our family fall into ruin.”

No… wait, this is…

Very strange!

Xia Shibai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing Xia Yaozhou muttering about picking up trash, her scalp felt numb. A home worth tens of millions shouldn’t become a waste processing plant.

Forget the landlord going crazy; Xia Shibai felt she would go crazy herself.

But it was late, and she had promised to take the child to the mall tomorrow to pick out a gift for Xiao Yi. The matter of picking up trash would be discussed later.

After all, her Empress was already pouting, immersed in her dream of “owning thousands of miles by picking up trash.”

Starting with one trash bag, becoming a generation’s martial Empress…

The next day, Xia Shibai and Xia Yaozhou woke up early. According to Xiao Qiu, Xiao Yi’s birthday was the eighth day of National Day—the first day after the holiday.

Xia Shibai felt this birthday was a bit tragic; it would be hard to celebrate once school started. But then she thought, Xia Yaozhou’s birthday on her household register was the Lantern Festival, which was also tragic—a birthday without a holiday.

Equally tragic, sisters in misfortune.

Xia Yaozhou was very serious about picking a gift. Finally, in the co-branded toy section, she found the “Science Personification Series” made by the National Academy of Physical Sciences and a famous domestic plush toy manufacturer.

“This is a neutron, this is an electron, and this is a proton.” Xia Yaozhou struggled to stuff the “family of three” into the shopping cart, and Xia Shibai finally helped.

“Yo, not bad. You couldn’t even count before; how do you know about neutrons, electrons, and protons now?”

Xia Shibai didn’t believe Xia Yaozhou learned this herself; it was likely some trivia Xiao Yi had casually taught her.

Xia Yaozhou hummed. “Mommy, don’t look down on the future Garbage Empress! I’m very smart. Xiao Yi only muttered it once while looking at a picture, and I remembered.”

“They look just like the photo. I’m not an idiot; of course I know.”

With the Empress buff added, Xia Yaozhou wished she could be enthroned tomorrow and rule the world.

“This electron has a circle with a horizontal line around it because it’s negatively charged. If the number of protons and electrons isn’t equal, it’s negatively charged.” Xia Yaozhou stood on her tiptoes, leaning on the edge of the cart to reach for a proton. After taking it out, she looked up at Xia Shibai.

“Just like this. Xiao Yi said this is negatively charged.”

“As expected of the Empress, truly clever and brilliant!”

As expected of Gu Mingyi; a genius’s education method is indeed different.

Xia Shibai felt like weeping. When she coaxed the girl to learn addition and subtraction, it was like taking her life, yet here she was learning popular science physics with such joy.

Why the double standard in “tormenting” her mother?

Xia Yaozhou happily shook her braids and walked toward the checkout carrying the proton plushie. After a while, she noticed her mother wasn’t following and turned her head in confusion.

“Mommy, why aren’t you coming?”

“Wait, your mom is digging a castle for you on the spot.” Xia Shibai looked calm.

Being the “Empress” is too cringey! Let this mother calm down first and find the dignity she dropped on the floor!

Author’s Note:

Xia Shibai: Mommy will tell you a story…

Zhouzhou after the story: Starting with one trash bag, I’ll be enthroned as a wise ruler and reign over the world!

Xia Shibai: Don’t mention it; your mom is digging a three-bedroom apartment for you, my dear Empress.

Zhouzhou: Mommy, I’ll pick up trash to support you (serious face.jpg).