Su Ting didn’t want Lin Dayong to think she hadn’t taken good care of the children, so she quickly explained.
“When it was time to eat, Ruanruan still hadn’t come back. I asked Su Xiaomei to go look for her, but after searching around, the kids they usually play with said they hadn’t seen her. That girl must not have searched properly. Nothing will happen.”
Lin Dayong’s expression changed drastically. Though he was worried inside, he still said reproachfully, “That Ruanruan is really too naughty. I’ll go out and look for her!”
“Don’t worry too much. This is the family compound. That child won’t run too far,” Su Ting comforted him.
Lin Dayong nodded perfunctorily and strode out with his long legs to look for his daughter.
Fortunately, he ran into Granny Wang, who told him Lin Ruanruan was participating in a fishing competition. Without wasting any time, he hurried over.
But when he arrived, he found Lin Ruanruan chatting with a strange man. Her little mouth was pouted so much it looked like it could hang an oil bottle!
His first instinct was that someone had bullied Ruanruan. He quickly walked over—only to hear her dissatisfied childish voice.
“Uncle, why are you so clumsy! You used too much strength just now, and you squeezed the bait too hard. You added too much water…”
“Ruanruan, how can you talk to an elder like that?”
When Lin Dayong got closer, he realized the man was actually the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. Luckily he hadn’t acted rashly earlier, or it would have been a huge misunderstanding.
“Daddy, you’re here! Look, I caught so many fish today!”
Seeing his daughter eagerly seeking praise, most of Lin Dayong’s anger instantly disappeared. He pinched her chubby cheek lightly.
Lowering his voice, he said, “Ruanruan, I’ll settle accounts with you later.”
Then he raised his head, extended his hand politely, and said, “Sorry about that. My daughter came from the countryside and doesn’t know much about manners. I hope she didn’t accidentally offend Director Chen.”
Chen Hai waved his hand casually. He had noticed the interaction between father and daughter and laughed.
“You’re too polite. If it weren’t for Ruanruan’s guidance today, I’d have gone home empty-handed again! I like fishing, but for some reason I can never catch anything! My wife always complains about me running to the seaside when I can’t even catch fish.”
“If you ask me, you’ve raised Ruanruan very well—obedient, sensible, and such a great fisher! I almost want to trade my naughty, troublesome son for her!”
Lin Dayong subconsciously glanced at his daughter, who was looking at him eagerly, and smiled.
“Director Chen, you’re too kind. I…”
“I’m not being polite!” Chen Hai interrupted cheerfully. “Your daughter and I are like friends despite the age gap. I won’t stand on ceremony with you either. Just call me Dahai like a brother, and I’ll call you Dayong! Are you free? I caught some sea fish today and plan to pan-fry them with a little wine.”
Lin Dayong was tempted, but in the end he declined.
“Then I won’t be polite either. Not today. I need to go home and spend time with my wife and children. Next time we’ll drink together. I’ll bring some homemade sweet potato wine for you to try.”
“Alright! Then I’ll really be in for a treat.”
Chen Hai looked at Lin Dayong with even more appreciation.
After all, because of his position, many people tried to get close to him—especially when he personally invited someone for food and drinks.
Yet Lin Dayong refused for the sake of his wife and children instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to curry favor.
Ruanruan tilted her head, watching the two adults chatting. Her dad seemed a little strange today!
Chen Hai glanced at the time and quickly blew a whistle for the staff to come count the fish he had caught.
“Uncle, let’s fish together tomorrow! I’m a little lucky star. If we fish together, we’ll definitely catch even more fish!”
Chen Hai laughed. “You little rascal, acting so grown-up! But with your guidance today, I really did gain a lot. Thank you, Ruanruan!”
Ruanruan gave a sweet smile. “You’re welcome, Uncle. See you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow!”
Lin Dayong didn’t say anything more. Instead, he proactively picked up all the buckets and fishing rods.
On the way back, Lin Dayong asked curiously, “Ruanruan, why did you suddenly want to participate in the fishing competition? Did someone bully you?”
“No one bullied Ruanruan! I just want to win first place and get lots and lots of prize money!”
Only then did Lin Dayong relax. Seeing his daughter’s money-loving expression, he couldn’t help poking her forehead.
“You usually take your fish to the cooperative to sell for money, and I don’t say anything. Now you even joined a competition. You’ve really fallen into a money pit! If you ever don’t have enough money to spend, just ask your dad. Do you think I’d let you go hungry?”
“It’s different! This is money I earned by myself~”
“Su Xiaomei!!”
Suddenly a furious shout rang out.
Father and daughter looked at each other. It was Su Ting’s voice. They quickly hurried home.
They saw Su Ting holding a feather duster and whipping Su Xiaomei, who was crying loudly in pain.
“Waaah… I’m sorry, Mom! I know I was wrong! It hurts…”
“You still dare to cry! Su Xiaomei, I told you to go find someone, but at such a young age you’ve already learned how to pretend to obey while secretly disobeying me!”
The more Su Ting spoke, the angrier she became. She struck the girl a few more times before Lin Dayong rushed forward and grabbed the feather duster from her hand.
“Su Ting, what’s going on? No matter what the child did wrong, you shouldn’t hit her!”
Su Xiaomei glared at Lin Dayong.
It was all his fault. If he hadn’t brought that burden Lin Ruanruan with him, her mother wouldn’t treat her like this!
The more she thought about it, the sadder she felt. Crying, she ran back to her room.
Seeing her like that, the nameless anger in Su Ting’s heart grew even stronger.
Lin Dayong quickly stopped her.
“Su Ting, the child is still young and doesn’t understand things. Whatever it is, we can talk it out.”
Seeing the worried look on Lin Dayong’s face, Su Ting finally suppressed her anger. She glanced at the fish they had brought back and said,
“For your sake, I won’t deal with that brat anymore. Go wash your hands and eat. But why did you bring back so many fish?”
“Ruanruan caught all of them.”
Ruanruan thought for a moment, then took out a milk candy the staff had given her and handed it to Su Ting.
“Auntie, have some candy. Don’t be angry anymore! Angry aunties don’t look pretty!”
Su Ting pushed the candy back and said stiffly, “Thanks. You eat it yourself.”
Lin Dayong took the candy and called to his daughter,
“Ruanruan, go wash your hands and eat! I’ll handle things here.”