Fu Shengyan was so excited last night that he barely slept, and he got up early the next morning.
When Lin Zhihua woke up and came downstairs, she saw him mysteriously fiddling around with the trunk of the car.
She stood at the doorway and watched for a moment. She could more or less guess what he was preparing, and she pursed her lips with a soft smile.
So cute.
The car slowly stopped in front of a small Western-style house. Lush green vines climbed along the corners of the cream-colored walls, adding a touch of vibrant greenery beneath the gentle caress of the sunlight. In the courtyard, Yun Yueyao was watering the roses in the flower bed.
“Mom, Dad, we’re back.”
“Aunt—Mom, Zhizhi and I are back.” Fu Shengyan nearly tripped over his own tongue.
Hearing the sound of the car engine turning off, Lin Boyu quickly walked out of the house, still wearing his apron.
Fu Shengyan walked around to the back of the car and carefully unloaded bag after bag of gifts. Somewhat awkwardly, he said, “These are gifts for you.”
Tea cakes, bird’s nest, ginseng slices, and several bottles of expensive liquor.
Lin Zhihua sucked in a breath.
This guy had actually hidden that much private money behind her back?
“You brought this much stuff?” Father Lin and Mother Lin stared in shock at the trunk packed full of gifts.
They couldn’t help wondering inwardly.
Was today some important holiday?
When she saw the familiar Tongqing Hao round tea cake, Lin Zhihua silently held her forehead.
She could probably guess where Fu Shengyan had gotten all these gifts from.
“Come inside and wash your hands first. Let’s eat breakfast.”
Lin Boyu had already prepared breakfast for them. Yun Yueyao was from the south, so that morning she had made small wontons and shrimp dumplings that she had prepared the night before.
Two bowls of wontons had already been served on the table.
Lin Zhihua ate the little wontons one after another, her face full of satisfaction.
“After you finish eating, come fishing with Dad.” Father Lin patted Fu Shengyan on the shoulder.
Fu Shengyan: “?”
No one had told him in advance that he would have to go fishing with Dad today.
He looked toward Lin Zhihua for help.
How would a young man in the prime of his youth, who loved running around everywhere, know how to do such a leisurely activity?
Lin Zhihua silently turned her head away.
Although her father had always treated Fu Shengyan like a son in the past, could a son and a son-in-law really be the same?
Later, when he realized that this brat seemed to have certain intentions toward his precious daughter, he had been furious. Everything about Fu Shengyan suddenly displeased him, but since he couldn’t say it outright, he could only secretly find fault with him.
Then Fu Shengyan lost his memory, and the two of them had been at odds for a while. Father Lin went a long time without seeing his godson and strangely began to feel unaccustomed to it, hoping the two would quickly make up.
In short, he was extremely contradictory.
After the two of them got together, Fu Shengyan had tried to win her father over. When he learned that Father Lin liked going fishing on weekends, he specially sought out many experienced fishing enthusiasts for advice.
Whenever the two of them went fishing together, they never brought Lin Zhihua along. Seeing how happily they got along, Lin Zhihua had never deliberately followed them.
Fu Shengyan had no choice. He seized the time and forced himself to search online for help.
“How to become good at fishing quickly.”
An enthusiastic veteran fisherman soon replied.
“Fishing is all about diligence and enthusiasm. You must not fear hot, cold, or any other kind of weather. Learn to wake up early, prepare your bait in advance, and find favorable terrain.”
“You must cast accurately so the bait lands at your intended fishing spot, then observe the different reactions of the float when a fish bites.”
“When a fish takes the bait, don’t rush to pull it ashore. Especially when you hook a large fish, you need to use proper fish-playing techniques. Learn when to let the line out and when to reel it in. Once the fish has exhausted its strength, you can use the landing net.”
Fu Shengyan memorized everything seriously.
First, put down the bait, and then what came next?
Before he could finish memorizing it, Lin Boyu came out carrying fishing rods and a bucket.
“Let’s go. Did you leave your fishing bag in the car?” Father Lin didn’t see any fishing equipment in Fu Shengyan’s hands and didn’t suspect anything. He opened the front passenger door. “Xiao Yan, you drive.”
“Dad, I’m driving?” Fu Shengyan had learned how to drive in high school, but since he hadn’t been old enough to get a license, he had never actually driven on the road.
However, Father Lin was already seated in the passenger seat, so Fu Shengyan could only bite the bullet and sit in the driver’s seat.
The car left the residential area and slowly traveled a little farther.
When an electric scooter sped past the window, Father Lin finally realized that something was wrong.
“Why are you driving so slowly?”
He glanced at the dashboard and discovered that the car wasn’t even going twenty kilometers per hour.
“Safety first. Safety first.” Fu Shengyan laughed dryly.
It was his first time behind the wheel. How could he possibly dare use his father-in-law as a test subject?
“……”
The black Cullinan crawled forward at a turtle’s pace.
Pedestrians on the roadside occasionally glanced at them curiously, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward.
“Forget it. Let me drive.” Father Lin felt the pedestrians’ gazes were becoming far too intense, and for some inexplicable reason, his old face could no longer bear it.
Fu Shengyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Father Lin fastened his seat belt. The car left the city, entered the expressway, and after another half hour or so, they arrived at their destination.
It was a private fishing ground surrounded by mountains, with endless forests stretching along both sides.
After the license plate was scanned, the guard opened the barrier and let them through.
The parking area was huge. Although there were plenty of cars, Father Lin easily found a parking space.
Father Lin smiled. “The place you recommended really is good. Plenty of fish, beautiful scenery, and convenient parking too.”
The moment the car stopped, Father Lin grabbed his things and eagerly headed toward the lake.
“Quick, quick. Our usual fishing spot. Your Uncle Xu and the others are already waiting for us.”
They followed a small path to the lakeside, where many people were already fishing.
Father Lin went to his usual spot.
Beside it, an energetic middle-aged man greeted them with a smile. “Old Lin, you’re here pretty early today.”
Father Lin put down his fishing bag and laughed. “Still not as early as you. Let me see.”
Uncle Xu gestured toward his bucket.
A crucian carp swished its tail inside.
“Pretty lucky today. Caught one over forty centimeters.”
Fu Shengyan unfolded two chairs, placed a small table between them, and opened a parasol to create a patch of shade.
He copied Father Lin’s movements, scattering feed and setting the bait.
The two chatted about this and that, and somehow the conversation turned to children.
“When are you and Zhizhi planning to have a child?”
Fu Shengyan muttered inwardly that he couldn’t even get into the master bedroom right now.
He didn’t dare say that aloud, so he could only stammer and vaguely brush the question aside.
Seeing the troubled look on his face, Father Lin seemed to misunderstand something.
His expression turned serious.
“You young people really are under a lot of pressure nowadays, but you can’t only focus on your careers. Family is important too. The two of you grew up right under my nose. You’re no different from a son to me now. If you’re having any difficulties, you can tell Dad.”
Fu Shengyan froze and looked at Father Lin in confusion.
Father Lin cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
“Young people shouldn’t be embarrassed. For men, sometimes being a little unable to perform is perfectly normal. You mustn’t feel ashamed, and especially don’t avoid seeing a doctor because you’re embarrassed.”
Fu Shengyan didn’t understand at first.
Once he realized what his father-in-law meant, his face instantly flushed all the way to the roots of his ears.
“Dad, you misunderstood…” he stammered. “I… Anyway, it’s really not what you think.”
Father Lin patted his shoulder earnestly.
“Xiao Yan, this isn’t anything shameful. Medicine is so advanced nowadays. A lot of problems can be treated. If you’re embarrassed to go to a big hospital, we can find a reliable specialist hospital instead. Don’t keep putting it off, or it’ll affect your life as a young couple too.”
Fu Shengyan opened his mouth, but he had no idea where to even begin explaining.
Just then, his float moved.
As though he had seen his savior, Fu Shengyan immediately stood up and said, “Dad, a fish is biting.”
Sure enough, Father Lin’s attention immediately shifted to the fish.
Fu Shengyan apparently really did have some talent for fishing.
Despite his young age, he was patient and composed. In less than half a day, he managed to catch several fish.
Father Lin, unexpectedly, had caught nothing all day and didn’t want to return home empty-handed.
At nearly four in the afternoon, he finally caught a snakehead weighing around four or five jin.
Looking at the fish in the bucket, he finally packed up his things in satisfaction and headed home.
Back at home, Lin Zhihua was tidying up her room.
This house had been bought when she was in elementary school.
Their original residential compound had been included in a demolition zone due to a certain force majeure event.
Shen Weiwei couldn’t find another house for a while and “had no choice” but to move into Fu Jinnian’s villa.
However, she didn’t want the Fu family to know about Fu Shengyan’s existence, so she entrusted the child to the Lin family.
There were many old things in the room, all left over from Lin Zhihua’s childhood. She had never been able to bring herself to throw them away.
She crouched down and pulled open the desk drawer.
Her gaze accidentally landed on a jar filled with tiny paper stars, and she chuckled softly.
When they were in elementary school, it was popular to say that folding 365 paper stars would allow you to make one wish.
Fu Shengyan had always acted completely disdainful of the idea, so Lin Zhihua had never expected to receive an enormous jar of paper stars folded by him on her birthday.
“It’s your birthday today, so you can make one wish. I’ll give you another wish too.”
Fu Shengyan forced himself to remain calm as he handed her the gift. His tone sounded casual, but his eyes unnaturally shifted away, not daring to meet hers.
“I thought you didn’t believe in this stuff.” Lin Zhihua happily accepted the jar filled with colorful little stars, her eyes shining.
“I really don’t, but don’t you little girls all believe in it?” Fu Shengyan stubbornly replied.
After a while, he spoke again somewhat awkwardly.
“If making a wish on them doesn’t work, then just hold the jar and make a wish to me. But let me make this clear first—no overly unreasonable requests.”
Lin Zhihua smiled and put the jar of stars away.
“Xiao Yan, really. Why did that child bring so many things today?” Yun Yueyao carefully stored the tea cake inside a cabinet. “Your father doesn’t even understand how to appreciate tea. Every time, all he knows how to do is gulp it down. I absolutely can’t let him waste this tea cake.”
Lin Zhihua smiled and told her the truth.
When Yun Yueyao heard that Fu Shengyan had lost his memory, her eyes widened in surprise.
“That child.” She smiled and shook her head, a hint of teasing on her face. “Now that you mention it, I remember. The first time Xiao Yan formally came to visit us, I think he brought almost exactly the same kind of things.”
Mother and daughter exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
For dinner, Ms. Yun personally cooked.
The whole family sat happily around the dining table.
Fu Shengyan was sweet-tongued and praised the meal as though it were something that could only exist in heaven, making Yun Yueyao laugh happily.
After dinner, Lin Zhihua accompanied Yun Yueyao to watch the news for a while as usual.
Normally, at this time, Fu Shengyan would accompany Lin Boyu for a game of Go.
But today, unusually, he followed her and watched television instead.
Seeing how engrossed he seemed, Lin Boyu couldn’t very well force him to play Go. With some regret, he went into the courtyard to deal with the fish he had caught that day.
Lin Zhihua quietly glanced at Fu Shengyan.
The tension in his muscles finally relaxed, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Suppressing her laughter, she leaned toward his ear and whispered, “Don’t you know how to play Go? Why aren’t you playing a game with Dad?”
Fu Shengyan pursed his lips and said nothing, his eyes filled with accusation.
Did she even need to ask?
Of course he was afraid Father Lin would bring up taking him to an andrology clinic again!
He was young, strong, and perfectly energetic, okay?
Wasn’t it all because of a certain little troublemaker who, even now, only allowed him to hold hands with her and put his arms around her waist?
Night fell, and everything was silent.
Fu Shengyan stood pitifully beside the bed, hugging a pillow.
“Zhizhi, Mom only prepared this one room. Can I sleep with you tonight?”