Chapter 70: A shiver ran up Su Taotao’s spine from her toes to the top of her head.

Chapter 70: A shiver ran up Su Taotao's spine from her toes to the top of her head.

The bus to leave the island departed promptly at 8:00 from the parking area below.

For convenience, Su Taotao wore a simple white shirt and black pants. It was so hot that she tied her long hair into a topknot, leaving no bangs at all.

In a time when most people wore braids or kept thick bangs, Su Taotao's hairstyle was uniquely her own.

Her features were naturally stunning, with a flawless bone structure that made her stand out as a true beauty. With her bangs pulled back, her perfect forehead and striking features were on full display. Despite spending days in the sun, her skin still glowed with a radiant fairness. She was so dazzling in the sunlight that people couldn't help but look away.

Chenchen, who had a keen eye for beauty, hugged his mother's leg and said in a cute, childish voice, "Mama~~ so beautiful~~"

Su Taotao bent down and pinched his chubby, fair cheek, mimicking his baby voice, "Son~~ so handsome~~"

The two of them laughed together.

Fu Zhengtu picked up a straw hat and put it on Su Taotao's head, saying, "The sun is too strong."

Su Taotao: "..."

Surprisingly, the rustic straw hat didn't detract from her beauty; instead, it added a new kind of charm.

Fu Zhengtu fell silent, lost in thought.

That familiar yet unsettling urge to keep her all to himself surged again, but knowing such thoughts were wrong, he quickly pushed them down.

Out of the four family members, except for Su Taotao who wore a white shirt and black pants, the three men of the Fu family, each representing the peak of attractiveness in their respective ages, were all dressed in green military uniforms.

The tallest one, stately and stern, held a jade-like adorable little child in one arm and carried a large bag in the other.

Fu Yuanhang had his schoolbag slung over his shoulder, following behind them. By his side was Su Taotao, who looked relaxed, her hands leisurely pressing the brim of her hat to keep it from being blown away by the sea breeze.

This family of four turning heads as they walked down the road was inevitable.

Whether people knew Su Taotao or not, they couldn’t help but admire her.

The driver naturally recognized Fu Zhengtu and respectfully called him "Mr. Fu," taking his pass to check it. While registering the number of people, he couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at his family.

That glance left him stunned—Mr. Fu’s family was absolutely stunning.

Everyone on the bus looked in their direction, but no one dared to approach them.

Chenchen loved listening to his mother explain the sights along the way during rides. When he was happy, he would clap his chubby little hands and occasionally ask questions.

The mother and son chatted quietly all the way.

Today, the water bottle contained coconut water. When they got really excited in their conversation, Fu Zhengtu would hand over the bottle for them to take a few sips, and after they finished, he would take it back and screw the lid on.

Half an hour later, the bus stopped at the central square.

The return time to the island was 4:30 PM; if you missed it, the bus wouldn’t wait, and you’d have to find your own way back.

Actually, no matter what era it was, a family of four like theirs would always turn heads.

Fortunately, they didn’t care much about the gazes of others.

Before visiting someone, they needed to pick up some gifts. Their first stop was the local supply cooperative.

In an era of planned economy and limited supplies, the local supply cooperative was already crowded on regular days, and with it being the weekend, the place was even more packed.

Su Taotao had already prepared a list and simply had Fu Zhengtu follow it to pick the items.

Outside, she spotted some local specialties that weren't available back home and asked Fu Zhengtu, "By the way, did you call Mom to let her know you arrived safely?"

Fu Zhengtu nodded, "I called the commune on my first day of work."

Su Taotao pointed to the dried shrimp and kelp. "We can't get these where we're from. Let's buy some to send to Mom."

Fu Zhengtu felt a pang of guilt when he heard this. He had never thought about these things before, spending his weekends in the lab. This was the first time in years he'd had a weekend off.

But now things were different. With the base settled, everything was running smoothly, and things wouldn't be as hectic as before.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to bring everyone here.

Fu Zhengtu nodded. "You can decide on this."

Su Taotao said, "Let's split up. You take Yuanhang to get the items on the list inside, while I'll stay outside with Chenchen to pick something for Mom."

Fu Yuanhang shook his head. "Sister-in-law, I'll follow you and help carry things."

Fu Zhengtu agreed this arrangement was better and patted his younger brother's head. "Take care of them. Find me inside if there's anything."

With that, Fu Zhengtu disappeared into the crowd.

Su Taotao thought, 'Right, because a kid is totally qualified to watch over me.' She rolled her eyes at Fu Zhengtu's logic.

This wasn't the first time Su Taotao had taken the two children out shopping, and she was already quite adept at it.

Since the locals didn’t recognize them, they felt more comfortable striking up conversations.

Su Taotao responded with a smile here and there but didn’t say much.

A woman holding a baby stared at Chenchen and exclaimed, "Wow, your little one is so cute!"

Su Taotao nodded politely and glanced at the baby. "Thank you," she said, without intending to chat further.

"By the way, judging by your accent, you're not from around here, are you? Where are you from?"

Su Taotao smiled. "No," she replied, continuing to select dried goods.

Su Taotao asked Chenchen, "Chenchen, how about we buy this for Grandma? This is the little shrimp we put in our seaweed soup and winter melon soup."

Chenchen thought for a moment and smiled, nodding. "Okay~~tasty~~for Grandma~~"

The woman edged closer and started chatting again. "So your name is Chenchen? How old are you? Why are only the two of you here? Don't you live with Grandma?"

She then pulled out a crumpled wrapper from her pocket, revealing a candy that looked like it had been unwrapped and rewrapped, and offered it to Chenchen. "Chenchen, how about Auntie gives you some candy?"

Chenchen shook his head, avoiding her gaze, and burrowed into his mother's arms, his long lashes fluttering.

Su Taotao gently guided Chenchen away, creating some distance from the woman, and motioned for Fu Yuanhang to follow.

The woman quietly trailed after them.

Wherever Su Taotao went, the woman followed, quietly talking to another woman nearby. This time, the woman didn’t try to talk to Su Taotao and the others but just silently followed behind.

The way the woman kept watching Su Taotao and Chenchen made Fu Yuanhang's skin crawl as he stood guard nearby.

Just as Su Taotao, holding Chenchen, was about to leave, a hulking man with massive arms and a sun-darkened face stepped in front of her:

"Hey, you, did you steal more money from the family to buy stuff for your mom's place again? Didn't you just send seafood back last week? What part of ‘no money’ don’t you understand? Stop spending and come home with me!"

He reached out, his hand closing around her arm before she could react.

Su Taotao stepped back to avoid him, her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say a word.

At that moment, the woman who had been holding a baby earlier piped up:

"Yeah, Su, Chenchen just said yesterday how much he loved that shrimp and seaweed soup. Now you’re already running out to buy more for your mom? Even if you had a gold mine, you’d still be blowing through all the money! Stop buying things and go back home!"

A cold shiver ran up Su Taotao’s spine...