The Richest Daughter is Three and a Half Years Old

Wen FuChen took out a piece of chewing gum from the cigarette box and unwrapped the package and popped it into his mouth. The cooling sensation spread throughout and mouth and he placed the cigarette box back into his pocket. In his heart, he knew that in the future he and cigarettes will not have much fate.

MiaoMiao sprawled next to the window and looked outside with her large round eyes. Seeing her father stuffing the chewing gum into his mouth, her heart was filled with satisfaction. She hopped off the little bench, put on her little bunny slippers and moved the little bench back to its original position. Then she went to the master bedroom to find her mother, “Mommy, MiaoMiao has made up the homework from the past few days, can I go find Xiong Da and Xiong Er to play?”

“Xiong Da and Xiong Er followed your big brother and sister in law to a foreign country. They won’t be home for the next few days.” Fu Rou explained.

MiaoMiao disappointingly lowered her head. She originally though once she made up her homework, she would be able to play with her little nephews. But now that all her homework is done, why is there no one to play with her?

Being on vacation is boring, when will kindergarten start, MiaoMiao misses the other little friends from kindergarten.

MiaoMiao stepped with her little bunny slippers and sulkily padded to her room. Then she thought for a bit and asked Sister System: “Sister System, MiaoMiao is bored. Can you create a few friends for MiaoMiao, so MiaoMiao can play with them?”

“System does not have this ability.” Sister System gently said: “MiaoMiao, you’ve only made up for the homework from the previous few days. There is still homework for the next few days that you can do in advance. When Xiong Da and Xiong Er come back, then you can find them to play.”

MiaoMiao’s eyes immediately brightened and picked up her mathematics notebook and opened her pencil case and took out a pencil. “Sister System, you definitely know how to do these math questions, right? Can you MiaoMiao do them? MiaoMiao will give you some candy, okay?”

“… …” System: “MiaoMiao, you need to do your homework on your own. You can’t do this.”

MiaoMiao looked at the math questions and furrowed her brows. Her chubby little face was full of distress. It was only after racking her brains was she able to do the questions.

Fu Rou originally wanted to ask MiaoMiao to do her homework, but when she entered MiaoMiao’s room she saw MiaoMiao seriously sitting at her little desk counting her fingers and doing questions. Her heart suddenly warmed and walked towards her. She knelt down by beside her and asked: “MiaoMiao is working on tomorrow’s homework?”

MiaoMiao earnestly nodded her head, “Xiong Da and Xiong Er aren’t here. MiaoMiao wants to do more questions. When the homework is done and they are back, MiaoMiao can go find them to play.”

Fu Rou felt a little distressed for her daughter. Normally during kindergarten it was still fine, as she had other little friends to accompany her. But during the holidays, the child is always lonely.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er lived upstairs and it was honestly quite convenient. But during the winter break, they had to go out to wish their extended family Happy Chinese New Year** and could not always be home.

**TL Note: 拜年 (bai nian) — During Chinese New Year, generally your entire family will go out to pay respects to the grandparents/extended family to wish them a Happy Chinese New Year. For the kids, its basically going out and asking for red packets (lucky money). I didn’t get an allowance as a kid, so all the money I ever got was during Chinese New Year, my birthday, and Christmas. Chinese New Year was always my favourite time of year as I could go around, say “gong xi fa choy” and collect a lot of money. 

In the beginning, why didn’t she give birth to a pair of twins directly?!

MiaoMiao worked seriously and finished tomorrow’s homework. During lunch, she was surprised to discover that there were fried chicken legs!!!

She say in her highchair and expectantly looked at Fu Rou. “Mommy, how many fried chicken legs can MiaoMiao eat today?”

“MiaoMiao is very good today, so you can eat two.” Fu Rou said and placed two fried chicken legs into the little empty bowl in front of MiaoMiao.

Even though MiaoMiao is young, she already knows how to use chopsticks. But because she was small and her arms were short, when she eats she has a full set of dishes. In addition to the chopsticks and spoon, in front of her there was also a little bowl filled with white rice and several cute little plates. The little plates were used to hold the food that she wants to eat, so that she can conveniently pick them up.

Fu Rou tied a bib around her neck to prevent her from dirtying her clothes. “Eat slowly, don’t choke. Also don’t forget to drink the soup.”

“Okay!” MiaoMiao quickly nodded her little head. She couldn’t bear to immediately eat the fried chicken legs. First she ate her rice and the other dishes. After finishing them, she picked up the fried chicken leg with her hand and happily started eating it.

She ate until her little mouth was all covered in grease. After finishing the two chicken legs, she picked up a wet tissue and messily wiped at her mouth and hands. Then she let the nanny** take her to wash her hands.

**TL Note: In chapter 1.2 we had a helper aunt who made the food, but this time the author wrote nanny. I’m not sure if the helper aunt and the nanny are the same person are not. It probably doesn’t matter but I’m not sure.

In the bathroom in MiaoMiao’s house, she had a special sink just for her. It is a shorter sink that was used often in restaurants so that little kids can easily reach it. In her room, the toilet and sink in the bathroom are all custom made to be children sized.

After finishing washing her hands, MiaoMiao picked out a story book and asked her mother to read it to her and got ready for her afternoon nap.

While MiaoMiao was sleeping, Wen FuChen’s phonecall arrived.

Fu Rou was worried that MiaoMiao would be woken by the noise, so she closed the bedroom door and went to the living room to talk to her husband.

“How is it? How was your discussion with the doctor?”

“I did a full-body assessment today. In a few days, I will need to do a surgery and will need to stay in the hospital for a few days. I don’t think we will be able to go home** for the new year this year.” Wen FuChen helplessly said.

**TL Note: “go home” — In this case its not returning home to where they live, but back to their hometown where generally the rest of the extended family and the seniors of the family live. A lot of young families have moved to the cities and away from the villages as that is where there are jobs are as well as better education in for the children.

Fu Rou’s immediately got teary-eyed. “In the future, you definitely cannot smoke anymore. First it was MiaoMiao being kidnapped and now its your turn to get into trouble. This is going to worry me to death.”

“Yes, yes, we will all listen to you.” Wen FuChen originally felt a bit down due to needing to quit smoking. After all it had become an addiction. Now that his cigarettes were suddenly replaced with chewing gum, although there was still something in his mouth, it was still difficult to get used to.

But hearing his wife’s words, he couldn’t help but felt his heart warm. Isn’t it just quitting smoking? For his wife and daughter he should quit.

“Since you can’t return home for the new year, how will you explain to MiaoMiao? If you say you are staying in the hospital, she might want to go to the hospital to see you.”

“Just say I am busy with work and left for a work trip. Don’t let the child worry. Previously didn’t FanChu** say on the seventh day of the new year he will bring Xiong Da and Xiong Er to travel abroad? Let them bring MiaoMiao with them. With two little nephews to accompany her MiaoMiao won’t feel lonely.”

**TL Note: FanChu == Wen FanChu, MiaoMiao’s older brother, in case you forgot like I did.

“Sounds good.” Fu Rou spoke to her husband a bit more before hanging up the phone.

Joey’s Corner:
There were a lot more cultural references that I’m not sure if I needed to explain. Mainly regarding Chinese New Year. Do you guys think that these things need to be explained or would it be okay to just leave it as is without the notes?

Also do you guys prefer the notes to be within the post itself, or would you prefer to have them all footnoted at the bottom? I do read all the comments, so let me know what you guys think. Or if I should change anything.

When Wen FuChen returned home in the evening, MiaoMiao didn’t notice anything wrong. After eating dinner, Fu Rou took MiaoMiao back to her princess room and explained: “Daddy needs to go out on a work trip for a section of time, he cannot spend the new year with us this year.”

MiaoMiao listened, and immediately knitted her brows, “Daddy still needs to work during the new year?”

“Yes, Daddy needs to earn money for the family. It is very difficult.” Fu Rou said.

MiaoMiao thought about how little time her father spends with her and now during winter break, he couldn’t even be home. She resentfully said: “MiaoMiao will properly learn to do math, so in the future when I buy things, I won’t be scammed. Mommy, ask Daddy to not work during the new year okay? MiaoMiao misses Daddy… …”

There was no way for Fu Rou to agree so she could only try to comfort her, “This time Daddy really needs to go.”

MiaoMiao’s heart was sad. Xiong Da and Xiong Er isn’t here, Daddy isn’t here, there is only Mommy and her.

Daddy is a bad egg!**

TL Note: I would normally translate this as “Daddy is a bastard!” But I don’t think MiaoMiao would know language like that, so I went with a literal translation instead.

Once MiaoMiao thought this, MiaoMiao heard Sister System’s voice: “MiaoMiao, your father isn’t a bad egg. He is going to the hospital because he is sick and because he doesn’t want MiaoMiao to worry he told your mother to say that he is going to work. MiaoMiao don’t hate your father.”

MiaoMiao was a little doubtful, in her heart she asked: “Is Daddy’s body very unwell? He needs to be away from MiaoMiao for so long, and he can’t even spend the new year with MiaoMiao.”

“Yes. If he goes to the hospital now, he can still get better. If it is delayed, then other problems might appear. Daddy and Mommy are afraid that MiaoMiao will worry, so MiaoMiao needs to empathize with your parents okay?”

MiaoMiao doesn’t understand what “empathize” means, but based on Sister System’s words she could roughly understand this term.

She immediately stopped feeling resentful and said in her heart: “What MiaoMiao said just now doesn’t count. My Daddy is the best daddy in the world, Daddy is not a bad egg.”

She disappointedly lifted her little head and looked at Fu Rou, “Mommy, MiaoMiao is very obedient. We will wait at home for Daddy to come back.”

“Okay, if Daddy knows that MiaoMiao is this obedient, he can go to work without worrying.” Fu Rou breathed a sigh of relief.

On Chinese New Year’s eve, Xiong Da and Xiong Er came back. They had followed their parents to see their grandparents on their mother’s side. It was only when they came back did they learn of Wen FuChen’s situation.

This year’s new year’s eve was missing someone, who was also the backbone of the family. Although they didn’t show it on their faces, they were still a little worried.

Although they lived separately, everyone’s floors were connected.

When they were first looking to buy a house, this area had just opened for sale. Originally they liked the kindergarten that MiaoMiao is now studying at, and wanted to send MiaoMiao there to study. And the best apartment within a three kilometre radius of the kindergarten was here, which caused them to decide to live here.

Wen FuChen has specifically selected three floors in a row. He also considered that in the event of a power outage in the future, it would be difficult for the elderly to walk so the selected floors were not high.

MiaoMiao’s grandparents lived on the second floor, MiaoMiao and her parents lived on the third floor, and Xiong Da and Xiong Er lived with her big brother and sister in law on the fourth floor.

Each apartment was more than 400 square meters. When they originally bough the house it cost more than 30 million. After accounting for renovations, each apartment was just under 35 million. In Wen FuChen’s eyes, this is just a small amount of money and after all this was a convenient location for him to go to the company.

On Chinese New Year’s eve, everyone would normally go to the second floor and accompany the elderly to welcome in the new year.

Today, MiaoMiao wore a red winter styled Hanfu. On the inside she was wearing thin but warm thermal stockings and a silk traditional dress. On the outside she had a cute little vest and she wore a pair of embroidered cloth shoes.

TL Note: I would imagine that MiaoMiao would be wearing something like this.

She was dressed fully in red and looked very festive.

Her hair had been tied by Fu Rou into two little buns and were tied with a red string. It looked super adorable.

The whole building had central heating, so even if she didn’t wear a lot, she would not feel cold.

When MiaoMiao reached the second floor, she immediately took her her cloth shoes and revealed her pink little socks. She did not even bother to put on slippers before immediately ran over to hug her grandma’s thigh, “Grandpa, Grandma! Happy new year.”

“Good child, happy new year.” Grandma smilingly took out a red pocket from her pocket and passed it to MiaoMiao. “This is the new year’s red pocket that grandma and grandpa are giving you. When you get home later give it to your mom. Ask her to help you keep it.”

“Okay.” MiaoMiao took the red pocket and put it into her skirt’s secret pocket and looked toward her grandpa.

TL Note: Her skirt has pockets?! Why can’t my skirts have pockets too? Honestly I think all my clothes just need proper pockets as well. Its not fair that only guy clothing has real pockets.

Grandpa knelt down and said “Today we made a lot of MiaoMiao’s favourite dishes. Later MiaoMiao needs to eat more.”

MiaoMiao quickly rubbed her belly, “Then MiaoMiao will eat until her belly is all round.”

Xiong Da and Xiong Er arrived twenty minutes after her. After the two children ran in and greeted their great grandpa and great grandma and their aunt, they charged towards MiaoMiao.

“Little Aunt Little Aunt, we’re back! We took a lot of photos, come take a look.”

“Little Aunt, I also took some photos too. But they aren’t the same, you should look at them too.”

The two children fought for MiaoMiao’s attention and took out their iPads and opened the saved photos to show MiaoMiao.

Joey’s Corner:
Oh man. I think my favourite two characters so far are the little twins. They’re just so cute with how they try to get MiaoMiao’s attention. I can’t wait to see what kind of shenanigans the three of them get into in the future. I am reading this as I translate this so I don’t know what will happen or if there are any shenanigans at all. Hopefully they do get into some goofy trouble.