“Tangtang, you’re being disobedient again. Disobedient children get punished, you know.”
The smile instantly disappeared from Tangtang’s face.
Looking at the vegetables in front of her, she pouted her lips, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
“Can I eat another bowl of noodle dumplings instead? Do I really have to eat the vegetables?”
To Tangtang, eating even one bite of vegetables seemed like a matter of life and death.
Su Yu sighed helplessly and slowly walked over to her daughter.
She looked at her seriously.
“Tangtang, vegetables are nutritious. They’ll help you become pretty and healthy. Don’t you want to grow up fair and beautiful?”
Su Yu gestured above her head.
“And they’ll help you grow taller too.”
No matter how young a girl was, she still cared about being pretty.
Tangtang was no exception.
After hearing that, she looked at Su Yu with watery eyes.
“Mommy isn’t lying to me?”
She sniffled, her little fists still clenched tightly, unwilling to pick up her chopsticks.
“Of course not. When has Mommy ever lied to you? Besides, these vegetables were grown through the hard work of all the uncles and grandpas from the production team. If you don’t eat them, they’ll be sad. Wasting food is wrong.”
Su Yu’s voice was incredibly gentle.
In her previous life, she had studied all kinds of parenting methods.
She had even given up her career to stay home and care for Tangtang, whose psychological state had suffered greatly.
Tangtang had always been sensitive, thoughtful, and kind.
Because of that kindness, she had repeatedly trusted her evil uncle, Su Jianguo, and his son, Su Baobao.
In the end, it led to tragedy.
Now, all Su Yu wanted was to protect Tangtang and help her grow into someone strong enough to face difficulties.
“Just take one bite. Mommy promises it’s delicious. Daddy and Mommy made it especially for you. Would you really want us to feel sad?”
As she spoke, Su Yu glanced at Tang Chen standing behind her.
Tang Chen had completely frozen.
His mind was still replaying the scene from moments ago—
Su Yu patiently talking to Tangtang.
Calling her name over and over in such a gentle voice.
Why had she never called his name that tenderly?
Tang Chen quietly clenched his fist.
For example… Ah-Chen…
His expression was extremely serious.
Unfortunately, he had spoken too softly.
Su Yu hadn’t heard a single word.
Her entire focus was on Tangtang.
“Did you hear what I just said?”
She glanced at Tang Chen.
She had no idea what this man spent all day thinking about.
His mind seemed to wander off somewhere every few minutes.
Tang Chen: I’m thinking about a woman named Su Yu.
He shook his head and smiled at the mother and daughter.
“That’s right. Mommy is doing this for your own good. Hurry and eat.”
He paused.
“Didn’t you say before that you wanted noodle dumplings? If you don’t eat them, Daddy won’t make them again.”
I’ll only make them for Su Yu.
Tangtang slowly walked back to the table and sat down.
Holding her chopsticks, she picked up a piece of vegetable leaf.
Her hand was trembling slightly.
Looking at the encouraging expressions of both her parents, she finally placed the vegetable into her mouth.
The result was immediate.
The moment she started eating, she couldn’t stop.
The vegetables were actually sweet.
Previously, Tangtang had eaten vegetables once and found them sour and bitter.
After that, she had refused to eat them ever again.
The reason was simple.
In her previous life, Su Yu had cooked them herself.
She hadn’t removed the spoiled leaves and had simply thrown everything into the pot because she didn’t want to waste food.
As a result, Tangtang had ended up eating rotten vegetables.
Ever since then, she had become afraid of vegetables altogether.
“Mmm! Mommy really didn’t lie to me!”
Tangtang’s eyes lit up.
“The vegetables are so good! Just as expected from something Daddy and Mommy made together!”
She praised the food while eating enthusiastically.
The compliments made Su Yu feel embarrassed.
After all, it was just a simple bowl of vegetable noodle dumplings.
There was barely any oil visible in the soup.
Even the salt had been used sparingly.
Looking at Tangtang eating so happily, with broth smeared around her little mouth, Su Yu took a clean cloth and gently wiped her face.
After breakfast, Tang Chen picked up his hoe and headed off with the production team to continue working.
Su Yu stayed home with Tangtang.
That afternoon she would once again help the scorekeeper record work points.
But Su Yu secretly made up her mind.
She had to learn how to cook properly.
The meals she currently made were acceptable at best.
Not bad, but not especially good either.
Fortunately, the system had rewarded her with a plot of land.
She could use it to grow more vegetables.
“Tangtang, Mommy needs to go buy some seeds. Do you want to come with me?”
Su Baobao was probably somewhere playing along the field ridges.
No matter what, she couldn’t let Tangtang run into him.
That child was a complete menace.
“Yes! Yes! I want to go with Mommy!”
Tangtang bounced up and down excitedly.
Truthfully, she had always wanted to go out with Su Yu.
But the Su Yu of the past had never taken her anywhere.
Every time Su Yu returned home from outside, she would wear a gloomy expression.
Tangtang often overheard one particular name from other people’s conversations:
Li Rui.
She didn’t know who Li Rui was.
But in her mind, Li Rui had already been classified as a bad auntie.
This time, as they headed out together, Tangtang still looked a little worried.
Su Yu locked the front gate and took Tangtang’s hand.
The two of them headed toward the village chief’s house.
The village chief possessed a wide variety of seeds.
Occasionally, he distributed them to the hardest-working members of the production team.
Normally, however, he didn’t hand them out casually.
After all, those seeds belonged to the production brigade.
As they walked, Su Yu wondered how she could persuade the village chief to part with some of them.
Sixteen years had passed.
The village chief’s appearance had become somewhat blurry in her memory.
She only remembered that he constantly held a cigarette holder in his mouth.
Even when it was empty.
Tobacco was expensive in those days.
Anyone who could afford to smoke daily was considered relatively well-off.
“Tangtang, do you know what the village chief likes?”
Tangtang had been looking around curiously.
Hearing the question, she immediately tilted her head up toward Su Yu.
“Village Chief Grandpa likes smoking.”
She thought for a moment.
“And drinking too.”
Then she added,
“But Xiaohua told me that Village Chief Grandpa got scolded by Grandma Luo again yesterday. He might not even be home right now.”
Hearing that, Su Yu fell into thought.
Grandma Luo was the village chief’s wife.
She had married into the village from a neighboring one.
Her temper was notoriously fierce.
Still, she wasn’t a bad person.
She simply had a sharp tongue and never backed down from an argument.
The village chief, meanwhile, was famously afraid of his wife.
If that was the case…
Maybe it would be easier to befriend Grandma Luo instead.
“I see. Then Grandma Luo should be at home, right?”
Tangtang thought carefully.
First she nodded.
Then she shook her head.
The contradictory answer left Su Yu completely confused.
“Maybe she’s home.”
“Maybe she’s not.”
Tangtang said seriously,
“Sometimes Grandma Luo goes out looking for Village Chief Grandpa.”
She lowered her voice dramatically.
“Because she wants to beat him up.”