CHAPTER 279: CHAPTER 279: MOM IS TOO SILLY

"Right, Yuanying, later you need to check the circuit breaker to see if it has tripped," Xu Xiuxiu countered the little one’s protests and remembered the important matter. Since the power cut last night, there had been no electricity. She had asked Aunt Su Ya next door and learned that her house had power again; Xu Xiuxiu then suspected that it was likely a short circuit in their own wiring after the power was restored.

Although Song Yuanming had never dealt with electrical circuits before, men might be naturally talented at such things, so Xu Xiuxiu wanted Song Yuanming to take a look. If he couldn’t handle it, they would figure something else out. After all, she was completely clueless about electrical circuits—who would expect her to be good at it when she was terrible at math and physics!

Thankfully, the kitchen used a gas stove, or eating would have become a big problem.

"Okay," Song Yuanming agreed as he ate.

As an eighteen-year-old young man, he had occasionally dealt with electrical issues back in his hometown, so he was confident in his abilities. Even if he couldn’t fix it, he’d certainly fiddle with it more than Xu Xiuxiu or the others.

After the meal, the whole family mobilized to tackle the electrical issue at home, and since they had to look after the boy and girl twins, Song Yuan Yao took charge of watching the kids in the living room. Xu Xiuxiu, Xu Jingjing, and Song Yuanming searched for tools like pliers and screwdrivers to investigate the circuit breaker.

With no experience in this area, the three of them huddled together chattering about what to do. Song Yuanming was set to work on it, but they were all cautious about handling electricity, being attentive and thoughtful. Song Yuanming identified the problem.

"It seems to be this burnt wire. Look, you can see the little bits of gold wire exposed," Song Yuanming checked the external wiring of the house and then turned to Xu Xiuxiu, "Sis, go and pull the main power switch off. I’m going to cut this wire and connect a new piece to test it out."

"Okay," she replied and quickly walked over to the large electric meters, pushing the switch for their household off.

After Song Yuanming received Xu Xiuxiu’s confirmation, he started cutting the wire and attached a new piece. Xu Xiuxiu went back to turn the meter switch on, went inside to turn on the lights, and sighed with relief to see them working.

"It’s fixed," Xu Xiuxiu leaned out from the entrance and told Song Yuanming and Xu Jingjing, who had been assisting him.

"You’re pretty good at this, kid!" Xu Jingjing lifted her hand and patted Song Yuanming on the shoulder in praise.

"It was nothing," Song Yuanming smiled, graciously accepting Xu Jingjing’s compliment.

To be honest, Song Yuanming, Song Yuan Yao, and Xu Jingjing had different personalities, but surprisingly, they got along very well. Xu Xiuxiu was initially worried about how the three young people would interact; after all, they weren’t family, and as their sister-in-law and elder sister, she sometimes overlooked things, which could easily cause discomfort.

However, it turned out Xu Xiuxiu worried too much. Their way of getting along was very harmonious, with Song Yuanming truly treating Xu Jingjing as an elder sister, and Xu Jingjing also took good care of Song Yuan Yao and Song Yuanming—sometimes even being more attentive than Xu Xiuxiu, the sister-in-law.

"Show-off," Xu Jingjing laughed at him. They finished up with the electrical panel and gathered a few things to take back to the room. "However, seeing as you’ve really done well today, once the weather clears up, I, your dear sister Jing, will take you to Sichuan Pavilion for some tasty and spicy treats." Xu Jingjing generously promised.

In the past, Song Yuanming would have been very excited, but ever since he had gone to the construction site in Soup City, he had become much more steady, "That won’t do. As soon as it clears up, I have to go help out in Soup City. Because of the rain these past few days, who knows how much work has piled up?" Song Yuanming said, frustrated. Then he remembered that halfway through the summer vacation, he had already earned a substantial amount of money. Suddenly, he felt better knowing he had savings, and so did his sister Song Yuan Yao. When the summer vacation ended and they returned to school, they wouldn’t have to ask their parents for living expenses. This meant that his elder sister-in-law Wang Qinghua would have one less reason to nag him and his sister, which was a comforting thought.

"Ah, you’re really working hard now, but who knows when this rain will stop," Xu Jingjing sighed helplessly after hearing his plans.

Seven days! It had been pouring rain for a full seven days and nights! Just think about it—the flood waters almost submerged the entire city.

Song Yuanming also felt helpless about the situation. Indeed, when would the weather turn fair!

"Alright, let’s not think about it anymore. Get inside and let’s play cards; I’m so bored I’m almost growing mold," Xu Jingjing said. She had always been busy, running around to different places, with a pile of documents and ideas to implement and experiment. Now, even though she was still ambitious, she had ideas but couldn’t step out of the house.

This morning, she got up early and went downstairs. When she reached the first floor, the sight of water reaching up to her thighs scared her back upstairs. The flood was deep enough to row a boat, and as someone who couldn’t swim, stepping into the water felt risky—she could have drowned if she wasn’t careful.

"Sure thing," replied Song Yuanming, a boy who knew how to make the best out of a bad situation. After putting away some tools, he brought out a deck of cards and started shuffling. While doing so, he called to Xu Xiuxiu, "Sis-in-law, join us! Otherwise, it’s no fun with just three of us!"

"Sure!" Xu Xiuxiu really hadn’t played cards in a long time, and the weather wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Worrying wouldn’t help, so she decided to just let loose and started playing poker with them.

Cheng Guang sat next to Xu Xiuxiu, alternating between watching them play cards and teasing his little sister. Seeing their mother keep losing at cards, the little guy couldn’t help but frown.

When it comes to playing cards, there are wins and losses. Losing one round might just be bad luck, and losing two could be blamed on a poor hand. But after losing three, four rounds, even the beginner Song Yuan Yao was winning with a good hand, Cheng Guang was no longer calm.

"Mom, you’re too silly," Cheng Guang urgently blurted out, unable to bear watching any longer. The chubby little boy stood up, waddled over, and nestled into Xu Xiuxiu’s embrace. Then he helped Xu Xiuxiu pick a bunch of cards and arranged them by rank for her.

"Mom, play this one," Cheng Guang advised Xu Xiuxiu when he saw which card she was about to play, quickly stopping her and suggesting a different move.

The adults, seeing Cheng Guang’s young age and small size, presumed he probably couldn’t even remember or differentiate between the cards and didn’t pay much mind. Xu Xiuxiu, wanting to indulge him, casually followed his instructions and then realized, to her surprise, that she was winning—her hand was empty. She won! Xu Xiuxiu had won the card game under the direction of her not even four-year-old son? How embarrassing!

Refusing to believe it, she played a few more rounds and kept winning. Eventually, Xu Xiuxiu had to accept that she was thoroughly outsmarted by her four-year-old son.