Amidst the swirling smoke, a carefree demeanor shines through

Young Master Cao was not a scheming man—if he were, he wouldn’t have lived a mundane and unremarkable life even after a hundred years in his dreams.

But because he had accumulated enough experience,

mastered enough skills,

and his brain seemed almost supercharged, possessing a photographic memory,

he could memorize entire books with just a casual flip-through, gradually synthesizing and internalizing their knowledge.

On top of that, his baseline abilities had improved across the board.

As a result, his intellect had become…

a little too sharp.

History teaches wisdom, after all!

So,

whenever Cao Cheng did anything, he naturally considered one layer, two layers, even multiple layers of implications.

Take this online feud, for example.

First and foremost, it was about emotional energy—the unchanging core of his motivations. Cao Cheng factored it into everything he did; it had become second nature.

Second,

it was about announcing his arrival, promoting his new company and new show. At its core, this was still about fame, which ultimately tied back to emotional energy.

Third,

"Self-sabotage" might be too strong a term, but Cao Cheng was indeed mindful of how the higher-ups perceived him. Being a little reckless had its advantages—it made certain things easier and kept people from guarding against him too closely.

Fourth, it was a small tactic: if you acted like you didn’t care about anything, most people would think twice before messing with you.

Why do people always pick on the meek?

Because the meek endure it silently.

And Young Master Cao was clearly not that kind of person.

If he wasn’t bullying others, he considered it a good deed for the day.

But if anyone dared to cross him, he’d make sure the whole country knew about it.

So,

any family with ill intentions would have to weigh the consequences of provoking this loose cannon.

It was all about crafting an image.

But above all, it was still about emotional energy—everything else was just a bonus.

...

Seeing that Cao Cheng had his own plans, Ren's mother stopped pressing the issue.

She simply enjoyed the massage.

Which made Old Cao jealous.

He sidled over, nudged Cao Cheng aside with his hip, and took his place, reaching out to massage Ren's mother himself.

But his move was too forceful.

He sent Cao Cheng flying.

"Ah—!"

Cao Cheng let out a theatrical yelp as he soared a dozen meters before crashing to the ground, clutching his face in exaggerated pain.

"..." Old Cao froze, hands still hovering mid-air.

Ren's mother turned, scowling. "What did you do?"

Old Cao stammered, "If I said I didn’t do anything, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?"

"Obviously not!" Ren's mother stood and hurried to help Cao Cheng up.

"What happened? Did your father bully you again?"

Cao Cheng pouted pitifully. "Yeah, he probably didn’t want me massaging you, so he just kicked me all the way over here."

"..." Old Cao’s face darkened. Not only was this brat putting on an act, but he was also slandering him?

Outright slander.

"Since when did I kick you? When the hell did I kick you? Damn it—"

"Mom, look, he’s cursing at me now."

"Old Cao."

"I didn’t."

"He did."

"Shut up."

"Mom, see?"

"Old Cao..."

"..."

Amid the chaos, Old Cao lost decisively.

Eventually, Ren's mother went to cook—personally.

Meanwhile, Old Cao and Young Cao sat outside the courtyard, smoking.

One puff.

Then another.

Amid the swirling smoke, an air of nonchalance settled over them.

"Damn it, kid, you’re getting sneakier by the day," Old Cao grumbled.

Cao Cheng smirked. "Old Cao, no offense, but you’ve been talking about having another kid since early last year.

How long has it been now?

A full year, by my count."

"Where's the kid?"

"Could it be that you can't have one?"

"Tell me the truth—are you infertile? Am I adopted? If so, just give me my real parents' address. I’ll go find them myself."

"..."

Old Cao laughed in exasperation. "I’ll beat the crap out of you, you little brat!"

As he spoke, he glanced back to check if Ren's mother was nearby. Confirming she wasn’t, he turned and kicked out.

Heh.

Cao Cheng dodged.

Old Cao didn’t pursue him, just gave him a once-over and said, "What the hell do you know? We’re not exactly young anymore, and with her first pregnancy..."

He looked back again, lowering his voice.

"There are risks. We’re taking care of ourselves, exercising, making sure we’re in the best condition before trying. You don’t understand a damn thing."

Cao Cheng sat back down. "If that’s the case, you should’ve said so earlier. I know a bit about traditional medicine—I could whip up a tonic to help nourish the 'field.'"

Old Cao shook his head. "No way I’m trusting your prescriptions. Might end up dead from whatever you cook up."

That’s a real father for you.

He wasn’t wrong to be cautious.

Even if Cao Cheng had shown some skill in medicine, Old Cao would still be skeptical.

They knew each other too well.

Anyone can talk big.

So, projecting his own tendencies, he figured Cao Cheng was just blowing smoke.

His so-called medical expertise was probably 90% hot air.

Old Cao was practically an expert himself—maybe even a master—just a notch below Cao Cheng.

"Suit yourself." Cao Cheng shrugged and dropped the subject.

It wasn’t like he was some chosen protagonist destined to bring misfortune to everyone around him.

So, if Old Cao and Ren's mother wanted a child, it’d probably go smoothly.

The only issue was their age, especially for Ren's mother—this being her first time.

High risk.

But worst-case scenario, if something went wrong, Cao Cheng could always pull out a life-saving elixir to protect both mother and child.

No big deal.

Still...

Cao Cheng asked, "The four sisters—they haven’t objected, but you need to think this through. Make sure Ren's mother prepares them mentally. If the baby’s a boy..."

"Family harmony goes out the window."

"Even if they claim not to care about money, indifference isn’t the same as consent. You get it, right?"

Old Cao nodded. "I know. Your mother will handle it. I’ll just follow her lead."

Ren's mother was, after all, the backbone of the Ren family.

Even if the child didn’t carry her surname, they’d still have inheritance rights.

If this wasn’t handled right, trouble would brew.

Honestly,

Cao Cheng wasn’t worried about the sisters. What unsettled him was not knowing what the new sibling’s character would be like.

If the kid grew up greedy and started fighting for a share, the family would collapse.

The current dynamic would never recover.

So,

by human nature’s instinct for self-preservation,

subconsciously, Cao Cheng wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a little brother—or even a sister.

Just a tiny, buried thought.

But Ren's mother had never had a child of her own, and she’d doted on Cao Cheng so much that he’d never actually oppose it. He’d even support her.

The only thing he felt

was a faint trace of unease.

That’s all.

Besides,

even if chaos erupted, it’d be twenty years down the line. By then, who knew how much Cao Cheng would have grown?

No point overthinking it now.

...

After New Year's Day comes Laba Festival.

Once Laba passes, the Spring Festival is just around the corner...

Cao Cheng called his godmother, saying he would visit after the holiday.

And Lingling too!

She’s grown up now—so big, really big...

His words carried not just nostalgia but also updates about life and preparations.

Of course,

One must never forget the well-diggers when drinking water.

Success must always honor those who paved the way!

Cao Cheng understands gratitude.

He knows exactly where his first pot of gold came from—his hometown.

The folks back home must never be forgotten.

"Aunt Wang~~~~~~"

"..."

(▼へ▼メ)

Remembering kindness...

Naturally means remembering grudges too.

Cao Cheng still recalls that Spring Festival text message—Aunt Wang had been downright arrogant.

Never mind who actually sent it; since it came from her phone, it was hers to own.

"Aunt Wang, happy New Year~"

"Hearing your voice doesn’t make me happy," Aunt Wang replied flatly.

Well, well.

Getting bold, are we?

Learned to clap back now.

Must’ve been practicing in secret.

Aunt Wang’s leveled up.

Gotta admire middle-aged homemakers like her—a great mother who lives by "never too old to learn," applying it to every little thing in life.

Even her gossip and bickering skills are improving. What a terrifying old woman.

She’s an inspiration.

Cao Cheng chuckled. "It’s the holidays—why so bitter? So what if Little Wang flunked again? It’s not the first or second time, right? This is the third! Maybe just give up—school’s not for everyone!"

"What I said was, hearing your voice pisses me off. And who asked you? It’s the New Year—don’t bring this up. Listen here, you little brat, you’re lucky you’re out of town. If you were here, I’d smack you silly," Aunt Wang snapped, defenses crumbling.

Seems like...

She’s still got a weak spot.

Cao Cheng found it in seconds.

She’s still got room to grow.

Luckily, she’s got time. She’s not that old yet.

"I’m saying this for your own good, Aunt Wang."

"None of your damn business?"

"Aunt Wang~~ No need to be like this. I really care about you—your health, you know?"

"None of my damn business?"

Cao Cheng laughed. "Wait, did Little Wang piss you off again? Why take it out on me?"

"None of his damn business."

"..."

Alright, alright.

Aunt Wang, have you joined a cult or something?

You’ve mastered the 'Three Nones' now.

"Aunt Wang, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say..."

"Don’t. Got anything else? If not, I’m hanging up."

Truth is, Aunt Wang’s quite polite. Despite her sharp tongue—always nitpicking the Cao family—she’s got that old-school dignity.

She rarely hangs up on people rudely.

Unless she’s truly furious.

Cao Cheng said, "Life’s barely seventy years—ten years of ignorance, ten of frailty... Aunt Wang, you should let Little Wang stand on his own. Can’t keep coddling him. Before Fan Jin passed the imperial exams, he ate his family into poverty, then his neighbors, then the whole village. Only then did he finally succeed."

"..."

Damn, that’s harsh.

Not only calling me old but also saying we’re broke?

And threatening me?

Aunt Wang was fuming.

But then, Little Wang’s voice came through the phone: "Mom, he’s on the rich list now!"

"..."

After a pause, Aunt Wang sighed. "Xiao Cao... get your little brother a job, will you? Just enough to get by."

Cao Cheng nearly choked.

Wait.

Aunt Wang, where’s your pride?

Then again...

Talk is talk, jokes are jokes, but helping out the folks in the neighborhood is never a problem.

Especially Aunt Wang.

She’s family!

Cao Cheng said, "Sure, no big deal—we’re all from the same courtyard anyway. But you’ve got to get Little Wang to study computers. The future belongs to the internet."

"Computers? Is it too late to switch majors now?" Aunt Wang was stunned.

"Elementary, middle, and high school are just filters. Real specialization starts in college—and even then, it’s just the basics. So yes, it’s absolutely not too late to pick a major now. Trust me, even if it’s a vocational school, focus on computers. I’ll recommend him to a top internet company later—one based right here in Sanjiang, so it’ll be easier for you when you retire."

"Okay, okay, okay… yes, yes… that’s great. I’ll listen to you."

"Aunt Wang, happy New Year!"

"Happy, happy."

See?

Doesn’t that just bring out the festive spirit?

Cao Cheng received plenty of blessings…