NOVPUBThe day Baby Nuan was born, everyone in the Qin family was waiting outside the delivery room.
When the nurse came out holding Baby Nuan, and they found out it was a girl, the maternal grandmother's smile stretched so wide, it nearly reached the back of her ears.
Grandfather Qin also decided to retire the name he had come up with, "Zhaomei." (Notes: In Chinese the name "Zhaomei" means praying for a little sister.)
He had thought that, following the Qin family's tradition of having sons, this child would most likely be a boy, so he had picked a lucky name in anticipation.
But unexpectedly, the heavens had smiled upon them, and they finally had a second girl in the Qin family.
He had a feeling that this generation of the Qin family might be setting a good precedent.
Grandmother Qin also noticed this and, after a quick twirl of her eyes, attributed the good fortune to the fact that Qin Er was a son-in-law.
"Baby Nuan doesn't have the Qin surname, so that's why she came so smoothly," she concluded.
Thinking this over, Grandmother Qin turned to the other members of the family and said, "You all better get married off too and give me more great-granddaughters."
The Qin family children stared in confusion. "Huh?"
It was ridiculous.
Their grandmother's obsession with girls had gone too far, and she was always coming up with strange ideas.
Zhouzhou looked at them with envy, thinking, how wonderful, she also wanted to marry a girl.
As for why not a boy, her father and brothers had always said that being close to men would bring financial losses, and she had verified that theory when she was very young.
She firmly believed it to this day.
At least Brother Dafu was lucky. He married a kind-hearted sister who was not only beautiful but also willing to spend money on him. She even gave birth to a soft, sweet little girl for him.
Zhouzhou glanced over at Qin Er and saw him frowning deeply, as if something was bothering him.
Curious, Zhouzhou approached him and asked, "Brother Dafu, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Qin Er continued to furrow his brow and expressed his concern, "I'm worried that my daughter will grow up to be like Shanshan."
As soon as he said this, Zhouzhou immediately understood.
Sister-in-law was great in many ways, but her fondness for spending money was one of her downfalls. She had once spent a lot of money on a scoundrel.
Although Brother Dafu had managed to get it back later, it was still quite distressing to think about.
Upon hearing this, Zhouzhou felt a little worried too.
She thought, "No, spending money on men will bring bad luck for a lifetime."
Even though Qin Er had entered the family as a son-in-law and had received a dowry, he didn't want to spend a fortune and let his daughter marry in a husband when the time came.
After all, people like him who didn't mind being a married-in son-in-law were rare.
But more than that, he didn't want his little girl to suffer after getting marry with someone else. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Less than ten minutes after Baby Nuan was born, her father was already thinking so much.
"I've made my decision," Qin Er said seriously. "I'll take care of the child from now on."
He was confident that he wouldn't let Baby Nuan waste money.
Zhouzhou eagerly volunteered, raising her hand. "I'll help too!"
The two of them agreed in an instant. By the time Baby Nuan turned one, she had already joined their stall business.
At that time, Baby Nuan had just learned to walk, with a small bamboo basket on her shoulder that held her bottle.
The little girl, with her short legs and her tiny teeth showing, waddled over to Zhouzhou and clung to her leg, calling out, "Aunt!"
Zhouzhou's heart melted at the sound, and she picked her up, planting a kiss on her chubby little face.
Baby Nuan, in return, hugged Zhouzhou and covered her face with drool.
She loved her fragrant, sweet aunt so much!
Unbeknownst to her, Zhouzhou also thought she smelled wonderful.
There was this milky fragrance about her.
Before long, they arrived at the pedestrian bridge where Zhouzhou and Qin Er set up their stall with practiced ease.
"Baby Nuan, sit here." Zhouzhou placed Baby Nuan on a stool and laid a cloth in front of her, with all sorts of cute little trinkets on it—hairpins, handkerchiefs, little dolls, and so on—all handmade by Qin Er.
After having Baby Nuan, he had come up with new ideas and started making various things for her.
He sold the things he made in excess.
Baby Nuan, holding her bottle with her cute, chubby face puffed out, looked irresistibly adorable, drawing the attention of passersby, who couldn't help but take a second look.
Zhouzhou began her usual sales pitch: "Come take a look, don't miss out as you pass by!"
Baby Nuan chimed in, "Miss out, miss out!"
Zhouzhou continued, "You won't regret it, everything is a good deal!"
Baby Nuan echoed, "Regret it, regret it!"
Zhouzhou paused, looking helplessly at Baby Nuan.
Baby Nuan, unaware that she had unintentionally spoiled the pitch, looked up at Zhouzhou and gave her a bright, sparkling smile. She stretched out her chubby little arms, as if asking for a hug.
Seeing her like this, Zhouzhou couldn't help but smile back, affectionately kissing her once more.
Baby Nuan, blissfully unaware of her aunt's frustration, giggled and flashed a silly smile.
Seeing her, Zhouzhou genuinely began to worry and said to Qin Er, "Brother Dafu, Baby Nuan really needs to be taught well."
She saw potential for her to be a spendthrift!
Qin Er, too, felt a headache coming on.
"I've been trying my best. I take her with me to work everyday. If it really doesn't work, Caicai, can you take her for a few days?"
Zhouzhou thought about it for a moment, then nodded firmly. For Baby Nuan's future, she had to step up.
She couldn't let her niece, the daughter of Brother Dafu, grow up without knowing how to make money.
She wouldn't allow that!
So, Zhouzhou took Baby Nuan with her to catch human traffickers, clean up scammer grannies, and even turn in wanted criminals for rewards.
After every task, she would go over the key points with Baby Nuan.
Baby Nuan, still holding her bottle, with her big, dark eyes wide open, seemed to listen attentively, though Zhouzhou couldn't tell if she actually understood.
Every time Zhouzhou glanced at her, Baby Nuan would flash a sweet smile in return.
She looked so much like a naive, sweet little thing.
Zhouzhou and Qin Er watched her and couldn't help but worry, wondering if the little girl would actually remember the lessons.
Then one day, while they were out setting up their stall, a mischievous child grabbed a hairpin from Baby Nuan's display and ran off without paying.
Without hesitation, Baby Nuan shoved her bottle into her pocket and ran after him, catching up and blocking his path. With clear and firm enunciation, she said, "Pay up!"
Several people turned to look.
The mischievous child's mother, unfazed, glared at Baby Nuan and said, "It's just a worthless trinket, who wants it?"
She snatched the hairpin from the child's hands and tossed it at Baby Nuan.
Zhouzhou's eyes turned cold, but before she could go over, Qin Er suddenly stopped her.
Zhouzhou froze and continued to watch.
Baby Nuan slipped on her feet and "accidentally" dodged the hairpin, but it grazed her head, causing her to fall on her bottom with a loud thud, crying out in distress.
The little girl wept, looking timidly at the child and his mother, saying, "Don't hit Baby Nuan, Baby Nuan doesn't want it, sister can take the pretty hairpin."
Hearing this, the crowd around softened, and many started chastising the child and his mother.
"How could you be so cruel to a child? Look at how scared she is!"
"It's just a hairpin, how much is it worth? You can't even afford a few bucks? How poor can you get?"
The mischievous child's mother was so angry that her face turned red. "I didn't hit her!"
She had seen everything clearly.
Baby Nuan, trembling, shook her head repeatedly and said meekly, "No, no, Aunt didn't hit Baby Nuan, it's just that Baby Nuan cries too much."
The child's mother stood frozen, stunned by the act of this little drama queen.
She was furious, her face twisted in anger. Before she could shout, Baby Nuan suddenly clutched her chest and fell to the ground, her little hand reaching for the air.
"Ouch, Baby Nuan's little heart hurts."
Now, the mischievous child's mother panicked. She quickly took all the money from her pocket and shoved it into Baby Nuan's arms, then hurried away.
If they ended up in court, it would be a nightmare!
The crowd watched with concern as Baby Nuan tightly hugged the money. "I'm fine now, Baby Nuan's little heart is all better."
In the distance, Zhouzhou and Qin Er watched the scene unfold, moved to the point of almost crying.
They've made it!
