Golden tears dripped from Ruanruan’s eyes as she cried while running toward the courtyard gate.
“Ruanruan wants to find Dad! Ruanruan wants Auntie Wang to judge! Stepmom and Sister are teaming up to bully Ruanruan! Waaah—!”
If that got out, the entire family compound would explode with gossip.
Su Ting’s head buzzed.
What did she fear the most?
Family scandals spreading outside!
Most of all, anything that could affect her and her father’s reputation—especially now, when her father was at a critical stage for a promotion.
Seeing Ruanruan about to spill everything like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube, Su Ting nearly lost her soul in panic.
She dashed forward in one stride, scooped up the hiccuping little dumpling, and spoke in a tone full of unprecedented panic.
“Ruanruan, don’t cry, don’t cry! Mom was wrong! Mom misunderstood you! Mom apologizes! Don’t look for anyone else—we won’t ask others to judge!”
Patting Ruanruan’s back, she quickly added,
“Xiaomei did something wrong! Mom will punish her severely! She’ll return everything she stole from you! Mom… Mom will compensate you double! Okay? What do you want? Mom will take you to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it!”
Ruanruan’s crying immediately decreased by more than half. She raised her tear-filled eyes and sniffled.
“R-really? Double compensation? And we go to the cooperative?”
“Really! Mom keeps her word! We’ll go right now!”
Su Ting promised firmly, afraid Ruanruan might change her mind and start crying again.
“Then… then Ruanruan wants the most expensive cream biscuits! White Rabbit milk candies! And… and that tin pencil box with little flowers on it!”
Ruanruan instantly opened her mouth wide like a little lion, listing the most expensive and sought-after items in the store.
Su Ting’s heart bled as she listened.
But seeing Ruanruan’s red crying eyes—and noticing neighbors seemingly peeking from the courtyard gate—she could only grit her teeth and force out a smile uglier than crying.
“…Fine! We’ll buy them! All of them!”
Inside the cooperative store, Su Ting paid with a dark expression, handing over money and coupons.
Ruanruan hugged her new premium cream biscuits, White Rabbit candies, and the pretty tin pencil box, smiling so widely her eyes disappeared.
She even sweetly told the saleswoman,
“Thank you, Auntie! My mom loves Ruanruan and bought these for me! Mom is the best!”
The saleswoman looked at Su Ting’s forced smile and then at Ruanruan’s obedient, adorable face.
She awkwardly praised, “Doctor Su really loves her child! Ruanruan is so lucky!”
Su Ting: “……”
A mouthful of blood seemed stuck in her chest.
This little girl—taking advantage and still acting sweet!
Yet she still had to keep smiling.
“…Of course, of course.”
After returning home, Su Ting watched the excited Ruanruan run into her room to “store her treasures,” and the anger in her chest had nowhere to go.
So it all fell on Su Xiaomei, whose face was still covered with bite marks.
“Su Xiaomei! Look at the trouble you caused! Of all things you could learn, you learned to steal! You’ve lost all face! And it made me compensate so much money and coupons! No dinner tonight! Stand facing the wall and reflect!”
Su Xiaomei covered her face, not even daring to cry loudly.
Her hatred for Lin Ruanruan deepened even more.
In her heart she swore she would definitely drive Lin Ruanruan away!
That night when Lin Dayong came home, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Su Xiaomei was standing in the corner as punishment, her eyes swollen red.
Su Ting was in the kitchen banging pots and pans loudly, her face dark as storm clouds.
Only his daughter sat cross-legged on the little bed, happily counting her White Rabbit candies and admiring her new pencil box, her small face glowing with pure joy.
“W-what happened here?”
Lin Dayong’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly walked to his daughter and lowered his voice.
“Ruanruan, tell Dad the truth… did you… make trouble again? Did you make your stepmom angry?”
Ruanruan looked up. Her big eyes were clear and innocent.
“No, Dad! Ruanruan was very good!”
Seeing his daughter’s silly expression made Lin Dayong worry even more.
Especially the scarce goods Su Ting had bought for her—it made him suspect Su Ting might have noticed his daughter’s abilities and was secretly plotting something.
He spoke earnestly and anxiously.
“Daughter, my precious girl, listen to Dad. From now on, can we keep a low profile? Stop fishing? Stop showing off that you can cook?”
“Just… just be like Dad taught you. Act like a clueless little fool, okay? Dad’s begging you!”
He felt like he was teaching survival philosophy to a five-year-old child, and he was utterly exhausted.
Ruanruan blinked her big eyes and stretched out her chubby little hand. Like a tiny adult, she patted her father’s worried face and comforted him in a soft childish voice.
“Dad~ don’t worry! Ruanruan is very smart. No one can sell me off. It’s okay! Dad can relax!”
She smiled carefree and innocent.
Lin Dayong: “……”
He felt like he had punched a pillow.
How could his daughter’s heart be so big?
He sighed heavily, rubbing his throbbing temples. Step by step, looking back repeatedly, he left her room while sighing.
No! He had to probe Su Ting and see what she was really planning!
Lin Dayong forced himself into the kitchen. Su Ting was chopping loudly on the cutting board, clearly still angry.
“Um… Su Ting,” Lin Dayong rubbed his hands nervously. “Ruanruan caused you trouble again today, right? She’s just a child and doesn’t understand things. Don’t take it to heart. If she’s really too troublesome… maybe I can find a way to send her back to the countryside?”
He asked cautiously, trying to see if Su Ting had already grown intolerant of Ruanruan.
Su Ting suddenly stopped chopping.
She turned around, anger still lingering on her face, and looked at him with complicated eyes.
Her tone was stiff.
“Send her where? Just raise her! Otherwise people will say this stepmother can’t tolerate her stepdaughter!”
After saying that, she turned back and chopped even harder, as if the cutting board were the incarnation of a certain little troublemaker.
Lin Dayong: “……”
He felt even more panicked.
It was over! Completely over!
Su Ting’s attitude… wasn’t right.
Could it be she had really taken a liking to Ruanruan’s abilities and was plotting something about his daughter?
Full of worry, he returned to his room and tossed and turned all night.
The next morning Lin Dayong got up with dark circles under his eyes, still troubled.
He saw Ruanruan already sitting at the table, holding a bowl of fragrant milk oatmeal porridge and eating it happily in small bites.
Seeing her carefree expression and remembering his sleepless night, Lin Dayong felt utterly drained.
He opened his mouth, wanting to give her more advice.
But Ruanruan quickly finished the porridge in a few gulps, wiped her mouth, grabbed her little bucket and fishing rod, and ran out like a happy little bird.
“Dad! Ruanruan is going fishing!”
Before the words even finished, her tiny figure had already disappeared out the courtyard gate.
Lin Dayong: “!!!”
That heartless silly daughter!
When Ruanruan arrived at the seaside, she found many people already gathered there, chatting excitedly about something.
Little Ruanruan squeezed closer to listen.
“Hey! The annual military-civilian fishing competition is about to start again! I heard the prize money is super generous this year. I want to try too!”
The moment Ruanruan heard the words prize money, her eyes lit up.
That meant lots and lots of money.
She hopped up and raised her little hand excitedly.
“A competition? Me! I’ll go!”