After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Returning to the familiar place, everything has changed.

Lan Yujuan recalled the past, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

The little guy next to me, however, was munching on a cantaloupe when he looked up curiously and asked:

"Mommy, why do we have to pedal to ride a boat? Is it like pedaling a bicycle? Don't boats move by themselves?"

"Why did he make you walk instead of take a car? And make you stand in the sun while waiting in line? That person is really mean and stingy!"

Lan Yujuan listened to her daughter's quiet complaints and couldn't help but find it both funny and exasperating.

She gently stroked her daughter's head and said softly, "You're still young, there are some things you don't understand yet."

The little guy wrinkled his nose and hummed, "I understand!"

"He couldn't bear to spend money on his mother, so he made her walk."

"Dad is willing to spend money on Mom so that she won't have to paddle the boat. In order to save money, he even paddled with two strangers."

Sitting opposite him, Chen Mo patiently explained after hearing the little guy's words:

"Xiaoman, everyone's financial situation is different."

"You can hardly understand adult matters now, but you will when you grow up."

Although, hearing his daughter complain about that man made him feel inexplicably satisfied.

But reason told him that the child was too young and did not yet have a sense of right and wrong. The formation and development of his values ​​still needed proper guidance from his parents.

The little girl had just said it casually, but since she rarely heard it, her parents surprisingly agreed that she was still young and didn't understand.

The little guy puffed out his cheeks and immediately became unhappy.

"Who says kids can't behave?"

"That person is bad to Mom, that's all. Not having money is not an excuse."

"My dad can't bear to see me walk. Even if there's no car or boat, he'll hold me in his arms or carry me on his shoulders."

"That's what liking something is all about; it has nothing to do with whether you have money or not."

"How much does it cost to take the bus? Only one yuan per person. How much does it cost to take the sightseeing bus? Only 20 yuan per person."

"Hmph, if it were me, I'd rather go a whole day without eating than let my mom walk out to play."

Lan Yujuan felt ashamed after hearing her daughter's words.

Even a three- or four-year-old child understands this principle, but when she was in college, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it at all.

Even after walking all day, wearing out her socks, and getting blisters on her feet, when Liu Zhiyuan jokingly said, "City girls are so pampered," she still felt that their date was fulfilling and romantic.

Looking back now, she probably had more than just blisters on her feet; her brain must have been blistered too...

"Dad, if I go to university in the future and also come to paddle boats with other people, walk in the sun, and queue up, will you be happy?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo's face immediately darkened, and he put on a very displeased expression, threateningly saying:

"Hmph, anyone who dares to treat you like that, Dad will break their legs!"

Unexpectedly, the little guy wasn't scared at all; instead, he leaned back and giggled.

"Haha, I'm not stupid."

That afternoon, the little guy was carefree and had the most fun.

Lan Yujuan recalled the past, how she was bullied by the father and daughter, and her resolve was somewhat broken.

Chen Mo was initially a little jealous, or perhaps more than that.

But after hearing the details, he lost all interest in being jealous and just wanted to drag Liu Zhiyuan back from Africa and kick him off the boat into the lake.

Before we knew it, it was evening, and the event was about to begin...

That evening, Chen Mo attended the event discreetly with his wife and daughter.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with several business partners he knew, he took his wife and daughter to a quiet spot and began to entertain themselves.

Lan Yujuan sat to the side, watching the people present, almost without any interest in eating or drinking.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the main figures in the room, looking for opportunities to strike up a conversation or meet by chance.

Clearly, for them, opportunity was more tempting than food.

Lan Yujuan glanced over discreetly, then lazily sat down beside them, focused on keeping herself and her daughter company in silence, and whispered:

"Why don't you go and get busy too?"

"Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."

Since Chen Mo agreed to attend such an occasion, he must have his own goals.

As Chen Mo served food to his daughter, he smiled faintly:

"It's okay, no rush."

"Let's eat first, and talk about it after we've eaten our fill."

Seeing his relaxed appearance, Lan Yujuan stopped trying to persuade him.

With someone looking after the child, she could eat, drink, and play on her phone without worry.

As the event progressed, a series of important figures took the stage, changing the atmosphere of the event.

Lan Yujuan noticed the change in her surroundings and quietly put away her phone.

As soon as I looked up, I suddenly saw a waiter walking over with a tray without making a sound.

After placing a glass of wine in front of Chen Mo, he whispered something in Chen Mo's ear.

Chen Mo nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Okay, I understand. I'll be right there."

The waiter had barely left when Chen Mo stood up, holding his wine glass.

Before leaving, he whispered with a smile and instructed:

"My partner has arrived. I'll go say hello."

"You and Xiaoman wait here for me, I'll be right back."

Lan Yujuan nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, you go quickly, we'll wait for you to come back!"

After Chen Mo left, the mother and daughter waited for quite a while.

Chen Mo still hadn't returned, even after the little guy had finished all the strawberry ice cream balls in his glass.

"Mom, I want more ice cream."

The little guy picked up the empty glass, licked his lips, and grinned sheepishly.

Lan Yujuan reached out and pinched the little guy's chubby cheeks, readily agreeing:

"Okay, before Dad comes back, let's go get some more ice cream and enjoy it slowly."

As she spoke, she got up, took her daughter's hand, and walked towards the dessert self-service area.

"Would you like the strawberry flavor again? Or would you like to change the flavor?"

The mother and daughter stood in the dessert area, chatting and laughing as they quietly discussed their plans.

Finally, after discussion, it was decided that the little one would get a cantaloupe-flavored ice cream, Lan Yujuan would try a strawberry-flavored one, and Chen Mo would get a chocolate-flavored one.

"Mommy, can you hold mine for me?" The little guy eagerly stuffed the scoop of ice cream he was holding into Lan Yujuan's hand.

Then he turned around, stood on tiptoe, and held the glass containing the chocolate ice cream scoop in both hands, tilting his head back and smiling with his eyes narrowed:

"Mom, help me carry it; I'll help Dad carry it."

Lan Yujuan looked at the little glutton in front of her, her eyes full of helplessness and doting, "Fine, you decide."

The mother and daughter, holding their ice cream glasses, turned around to head back.

Lan Yujuan followed closely behind, smiling and carefully reminding her, "Xiaoman, walk slowly, be careful not to bump into anyone."

The little one nodded obediently and replied with a smile:

"Mom, don't worry, I'll be careful..."

Before the little guy could finish speaking, two women suddenly appeared beside him.

The two women walked with their heads close together, covering their mouths and talking and laughing in hushed tones, without paying attention to where they were going.

Just as she was about to bump into her daughter from behind, Lan Yujuan reacted quickly and pulled her daughter into her arms.

"Be careful!"

Fortunately, she acted in time, preventing the other party from hitting the little guy.

Lan Yujuan looked at the woman wearing shiny high heels with sharp, thin heels that almost stepped on her daughter's instep.

She dared not imagine the serious consequences if she had been any later.

Unbeknownst to her, Lan Yujuan's arms trembled slightly with fear, and she was already covered in a cold sweat.

The two women, who were whispering to each other, noticed something was amiss and turned around one after the other.

One of the women frowned immediately upon seeing the child:

Whose child is this?

"Why are you here trying to freeload?"