Chapter 47: Little Su & Daaddy

Fu Zhengtuu didn’t show it on his face, but Su Taotao could tell he was in low spirits.

This man never showed his cards easily. The fact that he so readily agreed to leave Zhou Linglan behind probably meant he knew something—or had silently agreed to something.

Even if Su Taotao didn’t fully trust herself, she trusted Zhou Linglan’s character. Leaving her alone didn’t worry her at all.

After the car drove out of the county, everything along the way was unfamiliar and fascinating. The two little ones quickly had their attention captured by the scenery.

Especially Fu Yuanhang—today was a day of “firsts” for him. His first step on a long journey, first time leaving his mother, first time traveling far, first time riding in a car, first time going to the zoo, first time…

Well, the list of firsts went on.

Su Taotao placed Chenchen on Fu Yuanhang’s lap and warned them not to stick their heads out the window—just look from inside.

Even though cars were rare in those days, bad habits still shouldn’t be formed.

Fu Zhengtuu didn’t look very energetic today. Su Taotao had noticed that since morning—he’d silently yawned several times on the way.

She took out a thermos she had prepared earlier, unscrewed the lid, and handed it to him. “Drink a few sips, it’ll help you stay alert.”

Their eyes met briefly through the rearview mirror before he reached out to take it, didn’t even look, and took a swig. A faint flavor of green tea blended with lemon and mint, with a hint of honey. Lightly sweet, refreshing, and energizing.

Fu Zhengtuu took several more gulps before passing it back to Su Taotao.

“Little Su?”

Su Taotao was still lost in thought, staring at the drop of tea that had slid past his Adam’s apple.

“Huh?” Little Su, huh… Alright, Engineer Fu. “Little Su” in public, “Taotao” in private—you keep the lines real clear.

This man was cold and abstinent in every way—except his Adam’s apple. The way it moved when he swallowed was… sexy.

Fu Zhengtuu followed her gaze from the rearview mirror—to his own throat.

“Do you like this spot?”

“Yes, yes…”

The corners of Fu Zhengtuu’s mouth curled slightly. Clearly, she did like it.

He passed the thermos back. Su Taotao took it casually, pretending nothing happened.

“Is it good?” She looked into the rearview mirror, locking eyes with him, her large eyes curving like a child waiting to be praised.

If I’m not embarrassed, then it’s someone else’s problem. With thick enough skin, nothing is a big deal.

Fu Zhengtuu withdrew his gaze. The small smile on his lips never faded. He nodded. “It’s good.”

Su Taotao’s eyes lit up like crescent moons at the praise. “Of course it is. Early spring wild mountain tea, only picked the tiniest tips,”—she demonstrated the size with her thumb and ring finger—“Just the very tip. Plus mint and lemon my mom grows herself, and wild honey from the mountains. How could it not be good?”

Something that natural and pure, you couldn’t even buy with money in the 21st century.

Her own description made her crave it, so she drank several sips before closing the lid with a satisfied squint.

The mouth of the bottle he’d just drunk from now rested against her rosy lips. Fu Zhengtuu’s gaze darkened, and he took several deep breaths to steady himself before focusing back on the road.

He decided: from now on, he’s not looking in the rearview mirror for no reason.

Meanwhile, Su Taotao had absolutely no idea she and Fu Zhengtuu had just shared an indirect kiss.

The scenery along the national highway didn’t change much. The kids were excited at first but soon lost interest.

Both of them had woken up early that morning. Su Taotao hugged Chenchen in her arms and let him nap a while.

“Xiao Hang, lean on your backpack and take a nap too. Still a long way to go.”

She then told Fu Zhengtuu, “I’ll doze off a bit too. Keep the speed steady. If you get sleepy or want a drink, just tell me.”

Fu Zhengtuu said, “Use the strap to secure Chenchen in your arms.”

Su Taotao nodded. “I know. I won’t fall asleep completely, don’t worry.”

She was more nervous than he was. There were no car seats in this era—who dared to actually sleep?

They drove along the highway for more than four hours before reaching the city.

They had set off early, so it was just before 11 when they arrived.

The two kids had napped most of the way and were now full of energy.

The bloodshot veins in Fu Zhengtuu’s eyes were very visible, making Su Taotao a little worried.

“Didn’t sleep well last night? Can you hold on?”

He shook his head. “It’s fine.” When work was busy, he often went dozens of hours without sleep—this was nothing.

But driving required full focus, and it was a bit tiring.

Su Taotao said, “Let’s find a state-owned restaurant and have lunch first. Good time to take a break too.”

Even the most bustling city streets seemed so-so to Su Taotao. But to the kids who’d only seen four or five-story buildings in the county, the eight or nine-story “skyscrapers” were jaw-dropping. Even the wide roads felt new and amazing.

Chenchen, perched on his dad’s shoulder, saw boats on the river in the distance. He got excited and bounced a few times, craning his neck: “Daaddy boat~~”

He’d never seen a real boat before—but he’d folded paper ones, taught by Fu Zhengtuu. The smart little guy made the connection instantly.

But Fu Zhengtuu wasn’t focused on the boats—he gently adjusted his son’s position, lowered him a bit, and looked into his clear black-and-white eyes: “What did you just call me?”

Chenchen wrapped his arms around Fu Zhengtuu’s neck, tilted his little head, and stared right into his eyes. “Daaaddy~~”

Fu Zhengtuu smiled.

It was the first time Su Taotao had seen him truly smile from the heart. Because he rarely smiled, his slightly upturned phoenix eyes usually looked calm and restrained. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t know he actually had smiling eyes. Now, they lifted ever so slightly.

He gently pinched his son’s chubby cheek. “Mm, I’m Daddy.”

Chenchen blinked his big eyes in confusion. Of course, he knew Fu Zhengtuu was his dad, but he probably thought this dad wasn’t too bright. Chenchen tilted his head and looked at Su Taotao.

Su Taotao had to stand on tiptoe to pat the child’s head. “Chenchen, it’s the first time you’ve called him Dad. He’s very happy.”

Only then did Chenchen seem to understand. He hugged Fu Zhengtuu’s neck and seriously looked into his eyes, calling out to him again, “Daaddy”

Thanks to that “Daaddy,” the father and son grew much closer. Even after entering the restaurant and starting to eat, the smile on Fu Zhengtuu’s lips never faded. He had to hold Chenchen while eating.

However, Chenchen made a little fuss. Su Taotao ordered his favorite scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but after taking one bite, he shook his head, not wanting to eat anymore.

In those days, children never really picky about food. They ate whatever was given to them and were easy to feed. Before, when Su Taotao brought food from the county’s restaurant, Chenchen had happily eaten it. So Su Taotao asked him, “Chenchen, aren’t you the one who loves scrambled eggs with tomatoes? Why don’t you want to eat?”

Chenchen shook his head. “Not tasty~~ Mommy’s~~ tasty~~”

Fu Yuanhang felt like his taste buds had also been spoiled by his sister-in-law. He actually agreed with Chenchen, thinking the scrambled eggs weren’t good. He reluctantly ate it with rice and couldn’t help but say, “This scrambled egg isn’t as good as what my sister-in-law makes.”

Su Taotao thought, No matter how you make scrambled eggs, they shouldn’t be this bad. She tried a bite herself and found it a bit off. Maybe she forgot to add a little sugar to balance the flavor, and the salt was a little too much. It was both sour and salty with a bit of a rough taste.

“Well, just eat the eggs then.”

Zhou Linglan had prepared enough eggs, so Su Taotao asked the waiter for some soy sauce. She peeled a few eggs and placed them in the soy sauce. Since Chenchen was so small, he could easily choke on the egg yolk, so Su Taotao mashed the yolks and mixed them with the rice, while the egg whites were eaten with soy sauce.

“Xiao Hang, eat some eggs too.”

Fu Yuanhang shook his head and picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. “I’ll eat this.”

Fu Zhengtuu silently moved the scrambled eggs toward himself. “Order another dish, I’ll eat this.”

Actually, the other dishes at this state-owned restaurant weren’t that great either. Another fish dish was very fishy, and Chenchen didn’t want to eat it. Su Taotao felt like she should stay and offer some cooking guidance to them.

“We won’t order anything else. Mom prepared plenty of eggs. I’ll peel a few more and eat those.”

In those days, food was hard to come by, and wasting it was a disgrace. In the end, Fu Zhengtuu and Fu Yuanhang shared the steamed fish and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, while Su Taotao and Chenchen had rice with mashed egg yolk and soy sauce. They were at least able to fill their stomachs.