Helping Out

After Cui Cancan finished eating and put down her bowl, Mrs. Wang asked: "Miss, what should we call you?"

"I'm Cui Cancan." She replied: "You can also call me Cancan."

Su Chenyu yawned and said: "Granny Xu, is my room still available? I'm feeling a bit tired and want to get some rest."

"Of course it is! Go ahead and take a nap!"

Su Chenyu headed towards the rear courtyard, yawning again.

Cui Cancan looked lost and unsure what to do.

"Should I go back home?" she asked hesitantly.

Mrs. Wang noticed her confusion: "Cancan, would you like to take a nap too?"

Cui Cancan shook her head.

The Xu family, not knowing how to respond, fell into an awkward silence.

Mrs. Wang decided to speak up: "Cancan, you know the saying: 'Forced melons won't ripen.' A marriage will only be truly happy if both parties are in love."

Cui Cancan kept her head down and mumbled: "Do you think it's because I'm too fat?"

Mrs. Wang was caught off guard.

"If you know you're overweight, why don't you lose weight?" Qibao asked.

Cui Cancan looked up at Qibao and whispered: "I... I want to lose weight."

Qibao said: "Considering your current size, losing weight will be very difficult for you."

Cui Cancan twirled her finger.

Qibao secretly shook her head. Aside from Cui Cancan's size, her weak personality also made her unlikable. If she were Su Chenyu, she wouldn't be interested in someone like that either.

Mrs. Wang said: "I'll arrange a room for you. You can stay here for now!"

Cui Cancan murmured: "Thank you," and bowed her head.

After school that afternoon, when the older brothers saw Cui Cancan, they were startled. Even Xiaoba stayed away from her.

"Big Bro Su, what are you doing here?" Xiaowu eagerly greeted him.

Su Chenyu replied happily: "Hello, my dear brothers! It's been so long since we last met. You've all grown so tall!"

"Big Bro Su, did you come from the capital? Who is this?"

"Yes." Su Chenyu replied: "I dropped my wallet on the way here. This little girl is a tagalong."

Hearing Su Chenyu call her a tagalong, Cui Cancan immediately bowed her head.

The brothers were speechless.

Mrs. Wang quickly diffused the situation: "This young lady is named Cui Cancan. She came here with your Big Bro Su."

The brothers were startled by Cui Cancan's bulky appearance, but they were well-mannered and greeted her with a respectful bow.

Caught off guard by this gracious treatment, Cui Cancan immediately returned the bow.

Before long, the Xu family finished their meal.

Su Chenyu spoke as he ate: "Grandpa Xu, I'm amazed at how much Xu village has changed. When I arrived earlier today, I almost thought I was in the wrong place. It's really beautiful now."

The old man smiled: "Yes, we decided to turn Xu village into a tourist spot so everyone could make more money. It took us over three years, and we just finished yesterday."

Su Chenyu said: "This looks like Grandpa Xu's idea. I think it's great. On the road from town to the village, I saw a wooden archway with 'Small crayfish' written on it. What's that about? I've never heard of it."

Xiaowu quickly chimed in: "Brother Su, crayfish are a delicacy. They're raised in water, and they taste absolutely amazing!"

"Is that so?" Su Chenyu asked: "Granny Xu, can I try some tomorrow?"

Mrs. Wang smiled: "Of course you can. Tomorrow, I'll have someone catch some from the pond and cook them for you."

"Thank you so much, Granny Xu!" Su Chenyu exclaimed.

Mrs. Wang waved off the thanks: "No need to thank me, dear. Just enjoy your meal."

Cui Cancan, eating with her head bowed, listened to Su Chenyu's conversation with the Xu family. She could tell that Chenyu was very close to them.

After lunch, Su Chenyu planned to take a stroll to help with digestion, and the Xu brothers decided to accompany him.

"Qibao." Mrs. Wang suggested: "Take Cankan out for a walk. It'll help with digestion. You can come back for a bath and bedtime later."

Qibao agreed and led Cui Cancan out the door.

As they walked, they met some villagers who were startled to see Cui Cancan.

Cui Cancan felt even more awkward, but when villagers asked about her, Qibao introduced her anyway.

"Are you going to keep this up?" Qibao asked her.

"Yes, I want to lose weight." Cui Cancan replied.

Qibao wasn't close with Cui Cancan, but she felt sorry for her. The girl must have been teased and bullied a lot because of her condition.

"Do you sometimes find it hard to breathe or feel your heart race?" Qibao asked.

"How did you know that?" Cui Cankan asked, surprised.

Qibao asked: "And your period is irregular, right?"

Cui Cancan's face flushed red in an instant.

Qibao continued: "Don't be embarrassed to talk about it. We're both women, and no one else is here. I need to tell you that this is really serious. It will make it very hard for you to have children in the future."

Cui Cancan swayed on her feet, nearly losing her balance. Her face turned pale as she asked through trembling lips: "Is this true?"

Qibao nodded: "I'm not lying to you!"

In an era where children were highly valued, Cui Cancan panicked. To a woman, not being able to have children was like having no worth in life.

She gripped Qibao's arm tightly and asked anxiously: "So what should I do?"

Qibao gave a simple answer: "Lose weight!"

Cui Cancan quickly agreed: "I'll do it!"

Qibao said: "Good. If you want to lose weight, you have to listen to me. It will be tough and tiring, but I'm sure it will work. Are you willing?"

Cui Cancan looked up at Qibao and asked softly: "Do you mean... you're willing to help me?"

Qibao replied: "Yes, if you're struggling, just pretend I never said anything. But if you agree and then give up halfway, no one can save you after that."

Cui Cancan said firmly: "No, I can stick with it."

Qibao said: "Good. Starting tomorrow, your diet and exercise will be completely under my control."

Cui Cancan asked: "Can you tell me why you're helping me?"

Qibao's thoughts wandered for a moment before she said: "I'm not sure either. Perhaps it's just that I want to help you!"

Cui Cancan was taken aback and gently said: "Thank you!"

The next day, as soon as the sky brightened, Qibao started knocking on Cui Cancan's door.

Cui Cancan opened the door, still sleepy-eyed. Realizing it was Qibao, she immediately perked up.

Qibao said: "First, get up and wash up."

Cui Cancan quickly followed the instructions.

After she was all set, Qibao brought over a large water container made of bamboo and said: "This is warm water. Drink it all."

Cui Cancan didn't hesitate and gulped down the water noisily.

Qibao said: "This cup is yours now. Remember to drink a cup of warm water every morning when you wake up, got it?"

Cui Cancan nodded immediately. Having drunk a whole pot of water, she felt a bit bloated.

Qibao told her: "Come with me!"

The two of them went outside, and Qibao pointed down a path: "Slow jog along this path for an hour. Just get used to it for now. We'll gradually increase the time later. I'll wait for you here."

Cui Cancan swallowed nervously but didn't back down. She obediently set off.

Qibao watched Cui Cancan running away. Even with each small step, her fat bounced noticeably.

With her weight, she can only jog slowly, Qibao thought. Any faster would damage her knees.

Mrs. Wang appeared at that moment: "Qibao, what are you doing?" she asked.

"She's too fat." Qibao replied: "She needs exercise."

"But she's new here." Mrs. Wang said: "Isn't this a bit much?"

"It was her idea to lose weight." Qibao insisted: "Everything's up to me now. Grandmother, her weight is dangerous. This is actually good for her."