Transmigrating as the Genius Villain’s Mother
Transmigrating as the Genius Villain’s Mother Chapter 77.2

The environment at Cen Zhengnian’s workplace was unique.

Most people were entirely focused on contributing to the country, with little interest in personal gains.

Of course, there were a few who tried to scheme, but those types never crossed paths with Cen Zhengnian.

Anyone mentored by Yan Hemin had to be both highly skilled and of solid character.

Chu Xia, reassured, asked how much the rent was.

“Seven yuan a month.”

Such a large house, with a backyard to boot, was definitely worth that price.

If it were in the center of Beijing, it would cost at least three or four yuan more.

While Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian were chatting, Cen Huai’an was busy moving his belongings into the house, with the two dogs running around joyfully behind him.

Chu Xia, Cen Zhengnian, and Jiang Zhida also began carrying the larger items inside.

Chu Xia was pleasantly surprised to find that every room she entered was spotless, without a trace of dust, including the beds.

Noticing her inspection, Cen Zhengnian smiled and said, “I came by a few days ago to clean up.”

In reality, Cen Zhengnian didn’t have much free time.

He had been coming over to clean each evening before bed, spending several days making sure the entire house was in order.

Chu Xia could feel the thoughtfulness in Cen Zhengnian’s efforts.

As she touched the clean table, her heart swelled with warmth, like honey melting into hot water, bringing a soft smile to her lips.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhida and An An, having heard there was a backyard, ran off to explore it with Huangzi and Heizi.

The yard wasn’t particularly large, and since it hadn’t been tended for a long time, the walls were overgrown with weeds. However, the grass in the center had been cleared, leaving only a bit along the walls.

The previous tenants had also grown vegetables, which had since been overtaken by climbing gourd vines.

Now, the vines hung with gourds of various sizes.

The moment the dogs entered the yard, they began to explore like treasure hunters, jumping into the grassy areas.

A cloud of insects flew up, and a few frogs hopped away.

Chu Xia, hearing the commotion, rushed out and, seeing the bugs, quickly pulled Cen Huai’an inside and shut the door. “Don’t let those bugs get in!”

With so many insects around, including mosquitoes, sleeping tonight might become a challenge!

Jiang Zhida glanced at the door behind him and then at the bugs already surrounding him.

He quickly knocked on the door, “Cousin, I’m still outside! Let me in!”

The door opened just a crack, and Jiang Zhida hurriedly squeezed inside.

Cen Zhengnian had just hung up his clothes when he came out and saw the trio’s actions.

He rubbed his forehead, “I forgot to tell you guys, I haven’t finished clearing the grass in the backyard yet. Don’t go in there.”

At this moment, there was another scratching sound at the door.

Chuxia opened the door, and the two dogs, Huangzi and Heizi, were covered in burdock and various dried grass.

They tried to come inside but were pushed back by Chuxia, who then shut the door again.

They were too dirty.

If Huangzi and Heizi came into the living room, they would make a mess, and it would need to be cleaned up afterward.

Cen Zhengnian went behind the living room door and took out a shovel, a small trowel, and a basket.

He handed these to Jiang Zhida, “I need to help your cousin tidy up the house. The grass in the back is your responsibility.”

Before Jiang Zhida could react, Cen Zhengnian had already pushed him into the backyard.

Jiang Zhida came back to his senses and immediately knocked on the door, “There are so many mosquitoes out here! Cousin, do you want me to be eaten alive by mosquitoes?”

Just then, a bundle of dried mugwort was tossed out of the door.

Cen Zhengnian’s unapologetic voice came from inside, “Use the mugwort to smoke them away.”

Jiang Zhida had no choice but to do as Cen Zhengnian said, all the while cursing him under his breath for being so inconsiderate and always making things difficult for him.

Chuxia watched Cen Zhengnian’s actions and pointed in the direction of the backyard, asking, “Are you really going to let Dazi do all the weeding by himself?”

“No,” Cen Zhengnian replied. “Once I’ve finished cleaning up inside, I’ll join him.”

It wasn’t long before Cen Huainan, wrapped up tightly, headed to the backyard and handed Jiang Zhida a long-sleeved shirt.

“Uncle, my dad gave this to you.”

With that, Cen Huainan picked up a small trowel and squatted down to start weeding as well.

Jiang Zhida snorted, “At least he still has a bit of conscience.”

Putting on the shirt, Jiang Zhida lifted Cen Huainan by the collar, making him stand aside, and said, “You’re just a kid; you can’t do much. If you get blisters on your hands, just stand there and watch.”

Cen Huainan stood properly, but as soon as Jiang Zhida let go, he ran back and squatted by the grass, “Uncle, the teacher said we should be good students who help the grown-ups.”

Besides, he could earn a red star for weeding.

Cen Huainan dug in enthusiastically, just as he did at school.

Last autumn, when school had just started, the teacher had all the students pull weeds around the school grounds.

Even the preschoolers participated, though their assigned area was smaller than the other grades.

Huangzi and Heizi loved rolling around in the grass, and the two dogs played, flattening a large patch.

Cen Huainan stood up and pretended to glare fiercely at the dogs, “Huangzi, Heizi, stop playing around!”

He pointed at the pile of weeds beside him, “Come help me carry the grass.”

Jiang Zhida laughed, hands on his hips, “Dogs can’t carry grass! They don’t even understand what you’re saying.”

“Uncle, they understand,” Cen Huainan said earnestly, his eyes fixed on Huangzi and Heizi.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huangzi and Heizi ran over, each picking up a large bunch of grass with their mouths and placing it in the basket as Cen Huainan had directed.

Jiang Zhida’s laughter stopped abruptly, and he stared at the dogs in disbelief, eyes wide, “My gosh, they really can carry grass! An’an, how did you do that?”

Cen Huainan didn’t understand why Jiang Zhida was so surprised; it seemed quite simple to him.

“Just like this,” he said, and Huangzi and Heizi would do it.

Jiang Zhida shook his head, unsure whether to say Cen Huainan was lucky or that the dogs were lucky.

Even strays could behave like well-trained dogs, doing whatever he wanted.

He became even more envious of Huangzi and Heizi.

The two dogs continued diligently carrying the grass, just like when Cen Huainan had them fetch balls, working seriously.

“An’an,” Jiang Zhida said, stroking his chin and watching the dogs. “Are Huangzi and Heizi male or female?”

Cen Huainan replied, “One male, one female.”

Jiang Zhida’s eyes lit up, “Which one is the female?”

Cen Huainan pointed to Heizi.

Jiang Zhida rubbed his hands together, “When Heizi has puppies, save one for me, okay?”

Cen Huainan didn’t agree immediately.

He continued weeding, saying, “Uncle, you can’t ask me; you have to ask Heizi. Only if she’s willing to give you one of her puppies can you have it.”

“Alright, alright!” Jiang Zhida replied enthusiastically. “I’ll come and ask Heizi myself, okay?”

But that was still a long way off, as Jiang Zhida knew the dogs hadn’t fully grown yet.

For now, their task was to finish weeding.

Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian finished tidying up inside and came out, carrying a bundle of mugwort.

Chuxia had burned some in each room to repel mosquitoes, which she particularly disliked because they were always attracted to her.

In summer, her house was always stocked with mosquito coils, insect repellent, essential oils, and cooling balm.

Before heading out to weed, Chuxia covered herself in insect repellent, and she even applied it to Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huainan.

As soon as they got close, the strong scent of the repellent was unmistakable.

When he saw the insect repellent in Chuxia’s hand, Jiang Zhida’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked for some.

Even with his clothes on, mosquitoes were biting him, and he already had several welts around his ankles.

“We also have cooling balm at home. Do you need that too?”

“Yes!” Jiang Zhida replied without hesitation.

There wasn’t much grass left in the yard anyway, and with Jiang Zhida and Cen Huainan having worked for so long, Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian didn’t take long to finish after joining in.

They left only the gourd vines intact; everything else was gone.

The backyard wasn’t all dirt; a path made of bricks was laid down, which wasn’t very pretty, but it kept their feet out of the mud on rainy days.

Since the house was for higher-ranking individuals, it had complete amenities, including a bathroom and a flushing squat toilet.

Chuxia tested them out, and everything was usable.

The kitchen still had a coal stove, but there was no fridge, washing machine, or even a television.

Chuxia suggested, “Let’s move the appliances from the old house here. It’ll make living here more convenient.”

Cen Zhengnian agreed, “Alright.”

Jiang Zhida looked at the sky.

He originally planned to stay for dinner, but since he hadn’t been home for a while and Cen Zhengnian’s place had just been moved into and lacked a lot of things, he decided to come back for a meal another time.

When Chu Xia, Cen Zhengnian, and An An walked Jiang Zhida out, they ran into a neighbor who also lived on their floor.

The neighbor glanced at them curiously but quickly turned away, uninterested in striking up a conversation.

As they watched Jiang Zhida drive off, Chu Xia asked Cen Zhengnian, “Is there a market nearby where I can buy groceries?”

Cen Zhengnian hesitated, clearly caught off guard.

He hadn’t thought about that.

He had never cooked for himself, and the past few days had been filled with preparing their new home, leaving little time to consider shopping. “I’ll ask around later.”

“No need. Your colleagues probably don’t know either. I’ll ask the locals tomorrow.”

The more pressing concern at the moment was figuring out how to light the stove to heat some water for a bath.

Chu Xia could barely stand her own stickiness after the long day.

“There’s a place to get hot water; I’ll go fetch some,” Cen Zhengnian offered.

“Okay.”

Chu Xia ignited the coal stove at home. The coal they’d brought from their old house was now stacked neatly here, with a few pieces left behind for emergencies.

She filled a bucket with water from the tap and set an aluminum kettle on the stove to heat up.

The bath facilities here weren’t as convenient as the ones in their old courtyard, and Chu Xia couldn’t help but think wistfully about bringing the bathtub from their old home.

That evening, they ate dinner that Cen Zhengnian had brought back from the institute’s canteen.

As they ate, he explained who their neighbors were on this floor.

“Don’t worry too much about how some of the other residents look at you,” Cen Zhengnian said. “They’re like that with everyone.”

He had encountered a few of them while cleaning up the house earlier but hadn’t gotten to know them well, having been preoccupied with work.

Still, it was clear that some of the spouses in the building were aloof and didn’t care much for small talk.

Concerned that Chu Xia might be bothered by their attitudes, he mentioned them specifically.

Chu Xia wasn’t fazed. “It’s no big deal. My second aunt doesn’t like me either, and I still live happily. Grandpa Jiang treats me and An An well.”

“Are there any friendly neighbors?” Chu Xia asked, hopeful that she might form a friendship or two, like the one she had with Sister Li back in the courtyard.

Cen Zhengnian shook his head, looking a little guilty. “I haven’t interacted with them much, so I’m not sure.”

Chu Xia understood.

The residents here, being families of senior researchers, probably didn’t mingle much with those outside their circle unless they also worked at the institute.

She was curious, though. “Since this complex is for high-level staff, did the institute approve of you renting this house?”

Cen Zhengnian replied, “As long as my teacher approved, it’s fine. This house was assigned to him, so he has the final say. And since I work at the institute, I can access any institute property.”

Chu Xia nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

That night, after Cen Huai’an had taken his bath, he went to Chu Xia, who was reading, and asked, “Mom, will we be moving again after the summer?”

Chu Xia tousled his still-damp hair and grabbed a towel to dry it properly. “Don’t run around with wet hair. Whether we move or not, I’ll discuss it with your dad, but we probably won’t.”

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