Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Chen Xia was tall and sturdy, with a loud voice.

She hadn’t forgotten the roasted pork that Qi Mo had given her family. While she couldn’t help with other matters, she certainly wouldn’t let some old shrew bully Momo. It was time to flex her skills.

She wanted Momo to know the meat wasn’t free.

Seeing the tall, imposing woman striding toward her, the middle-aged woman—a shrew who made a habit of bullying timid young people—immediately backed down.

Faced with someone even tougher, she folded right away.

Chen Xia watched as the woman, who had just been lying on the ground trying to knock on Momo’s door, bolted like a frightened rat. She snorted coldly.

She’d dealt with plenty like this.

Bullies fear the bold, the bold fear the crazy, and bullies like this were terrified of someone like her—someone who wasn’t afraid to fight or curse.

Soft-hearted young people like Momo couldn’t handle troublemakers like this.

Qi Mo peeked out through a crack in the door, ready to slam it at the slightest hint of trouble.

Seeing his furtive, nervous expression, Chen Xia laughed. “Don’t worry, kid. Auntie took care of her. With people like that, you can’t be afraid. Just act like you’ll hit her before she starts screaming, and she’ll bolt.”

“You’re the best, Auntie Chen Xia!” Qi Mo said, giving her a thumbs-up.

Chen Xia smiled. “It’s blazing outside. Don’t take the baby out wandering around. Stay inside where it’s cool.”

Watching Chen Xia leave, Qi Mo closed the door and returned home. Chubby baby had finally stirred from the heat—no amount of ice packs could beat the room’s cool air.

As soon as Qi Mo stepped into the living room, he heard the baby calling, “Dada! Dada!”

Lifting the stroller’s mesh cover, Qi Mo lifted the chubby baby out and first gave him a small bottle of water to prevent dehydration after sleeping so long in the heat.

Then he removed the baby’s little pants and diaper, wiped him clean with a wet wipe, and let him air-dry…

A small bowl of lean meat, egg, and scallion porridge was ready. The baby had overslept, and his stomach was rumbling. He gulped down the water quickly.

When it came to feeding the porridge, the little chubster was an angel. He focused intently, doing nothing else, his big eyes fixed on the spoon—mouth wide open for every spoonful.

If Qi Mo fed him too slowly, he’d whine “ah-ah-ah” to rush him along.

Too cute for words.

Kitty Snowball, who had woken up after the baby, was scooped up by Qi Mo and given a small bowl of the same lean meat, egg, and scallion porridge, poured onto a plate. It was especially fragrant, and Snowball quickly finished it before flopping onto the floor, belly round and full, melting into a puddle of cat!

Pet me! Baby demands pets!

Unfortunately, his dada was busy feeding his older brother porridge.

Ugh, he’s a big baby now—why can’t his brother feed himself yet? The kitty can eat on his own!

Snowball chased his tail in circles, yowling in protest…

Alas, Qi Mo couldn’t understand the little one’s thoughts at all, so he just thought his kitty was incredibly cute, full of expressions.

It was just a shame there were no phones now—he couldn’t share his adorable cat son with anyone.

Bragging about the baby? Too risky—someone might snatch him. But with the kitty? No one would ever kidnap a cat.

Even if it was a real kidnapping, the kidnapper would surely take him home and raise him like a beloved son—there’d be no life-threatening danger at all.

After feeding the baby, Qi Mo gave Kitty a good cuddle.

He put the baby’s diaper back on.

A month from now, Qi Mo planned to start weaning the baby off diapers. The little one was smart—he already knew how to call him “Papa” and understood that Qi Mo was his father.

Hungry? Call Papa. Sore bottom? Call Papa. Lonely? Call Papa. Bored? Call Papa. Can’t catch Kitty? Still call Papa…

He had already learned that as long as he called out for Papa, Papa would do anything he needed.

Qi Mo believed the baby would soon understand what potty time meant, and after just two weeks of teaching, he should know to call Papa when he needed help.

Once the baby was settled, Qi Mo put a wide-brimmed sun hat on him and applied sunscreen.

He checked the time and temperature.

8:00 a.m., 43°C.

To better adapt to the current heat, Qi Mo took out two homegrown sweet potato seedlings, pushed the stroller, and set off.

Next door at Chen Xia’s house.

Chen Xia’s son glanced at her and said, “Mom, mind your own business, or people will hold grudges.”

“What do you mean ‘mind your own business’? We’re neighbors. Besides, didn’t you enjoy the roasted piglet?” Chen Xia shot back.

Her husband added, “Enough, son. This is the countryside, not the city. As long as there are no issues, neighbors help each other. Good fences make good neighbors.”

So Chen Xia’s son stayed quiet—he had eaten the roasted piglet, and it was delicious.

“It’s so hot. When will this end? I’m going to take a shower,” said Huo Jingjun, the 17- or 18-year-old boy.

Chen Xia immediately refused, “Jingjun, no. You know the notice from above—there won’t be rain for the next seven or eight months. We only have the water stored in our tank. If you keep showering, we’ll run out quickly. When the temperature gets even higher and we have no water, what then?”

Huo Liangyu looked at his restless son and said, “Go to the cellar. It’s cooler there.”

Watching his son run off, Huo Liangyu sighed, wondering when this extreme heat would end.

Not long after, Qi Mo knocked and called out, “Aunt Chen, are you home?”

Hearing Qi Mo’s voice, Chen Xia quickly replied, “I’m here! I’m here!”

With the current heat, staying indoors to conserve energy was the only option.

Chen Xia opened the door, and Qi Mo wheeled the stroller inside.

Seeing Momo with sweat beading on his forehead, Chen Xia quickly grabbed a hand fan to cool the father and son, saying, “Momo, what’s up? It’s too hot—keep the baby indoors during the day. Come play in the evening instead. Here, sit near the cellar entrance—it offers some relief from the heat.”

Qi Mo greeted the man of the house, “Mr. Huo.”

Huo Liangyu laughed. “Momo, that’s the wrong generation. You should call me ‘Huo,’ and call your Aunt Chen ‘Chen.’ Liangzhou and I are of the same generation.”

Qi Mo, you're in your forties, and I'm supposed to call you 'Huo'?

Hearing the couple’s words, Qi Mo simply switched to, “Huo, Chen, the weather's still manageable now. I'm just getting the baby used to it. According to the latest updates, temps will keep rising. Oh, and I came by to thank you, Chen, for shooing away that jerk earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

“Also,” he continued, “we can collect used water—like face-washing, foot-washing, or shower water—and use it to water plants, as long as no soap or shampoo is used.” As he spoke, Qi Mo placed the two sweet potatoes he had brought on the floor.

Pointing at the sweet potatoes, Qi Mo began, "In this heat, anything you plant in the ground will just dry up and die. But we grow them indoors. Just like these sweet potatoes—you can actually grow them in water."

"Don’t let the water cover the sweet potatoes fully," he continued. "Wait until the roots sprout and the leaves grow a bit bigger. Then when you're making noodles or porridge, pluck a few fresh leaves to add in for extra vitamins."

Chen Xia slapped her forehead. "Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks for telling me, Momo."

Qi Mo shook his head. "No need to thank me. It’s just a handy trick. With a little one at home, I have to make sure he gets enough vitamins and fiber, so I figured this out. The water’s just sitting there anyway—might as well put it to use growing something before it evaporates."

Chen Xia nodded. "You’re right. I should plant some too."

Qi Mo smiled and shared his plan. "I’m also going to try planting some potatoes in garbage bags. Once the sprouts come out, I’ll tie the tops shut and use leftover household water to keep them watered. Beats sitting around waiting for supplies to run out."

Chen Xia nodded again. They weren’t the type to sit idle. After all, what's a farmer if they don’t grow food?

Then Chen Xia asked about building a kang (heated bed).

Qi Mo replied, "Since we’re in extreme heat now and temperatures are still rising, chances are extreme cold’s next. If you build a kang and stock up on firewood, even if it doesn’t come, it’s just a bit of extra work. But if the cold really hits, it’ll be a lifesaver."

Huo Liangyu and Chen Xia both felt he had a point. If extreme cold came, that kang could mean survival.

After chatting for over half an hour, Qi Mo took his chubby little one and headed home.

He still had plenty to do. Now that his brother-in-law was gone, he finally had some freedom.

As soon as he got back, Qi Mo brought his baby and the kitten into his storage space.

Inside, fruit trees lay toppled over on the black soil.

Looking at the tangled roots, he quickly decided to start by trimming the branches and roots.

With sharp shears in hand, he snipped away—snip, snip—hacking off the dead branches decisively.

Roots next—snip, snip—leaving only three main ones and about ten smaller shoots.

An hour passed, and he wasn’t even tired.

He spaced the pruned trees, now looking like stubby little radishes, evenly around the pond with about a meter between each.

Next came digging the holes. The chubby little guy stood in his playpen, occasionally calling out, “Daddy!” sometimes watching the piglets, other times reaching for the lazy kitty sprawled on the edge, squeezing and nuzzling it—copying Daddy’s behavior.

By the end of the day, Qi Mo had planted only part of the trees he’d brought back.

The rest were stored in the storage area—they’d keep just fine. He could plant them whenever he needed later.

The middle-aged woman left Huo Village and returned to town.

Back at Jinxiu Community, she knocked on her neighbor’s door. "Old Chen, Old Chen! I checked it out. That Qi Mo family has a good twenty or thirty eggs—and who knows what else stashed away."