Chapter 193 After Su Taotao finished speaking, she resolutely headed for the gate.

Chapter 193 After Su Taotao finished speaking, she resolutely headed for the gate.

Su Taotao returned quickly, purposely slowing down as she passed the banyan tree so the nosy aunties could see she was going to the commune to buy watermelon.

"Su Zhiqing, I heard a little prince has come to your house, craving watermelon, braised pork, and yams, is that true?"

Su Taotao smiled and said, "Don’t say that, the child is wonderful. We just want to buy these for him. It's rare for him to come, so we want him to eat well."

Uncle Mu, that’s all I can do for you.

The auntie curled her lips: "Sounds so sweet, city kids are just spoiled."

"Exactly, I heard they’re still digging up yams in the private plot."

"By the way, they've been gone for a while, why aren’t they back yet? Did they go to the river to catch fish again?"

...

Su Taotao’s heart sank, praying nothing had gone wrong.

She kept her composure: "Haven't they come back yet? I'll go to the private plot to check."

After saying this, Su Taotao quickly rode her bike toward the private plot.

The private plot was just a short bike ride away from the banyan tree.

After their noon break, the team members gradually returned to work. Su Taotao met many people on the way.

But Su Taotao was always distant, and everyone was used to it, so whether they greeted her or not was irrelevant.

When Su Taotao arrived at the roadside and looked at her private plot, she saw no one. She parked her bicycle and walked towards the mountain.

At this time, everyone was busy going to work, and no one would go to the private plot. The small plot was easy to take in at a glance, and there was no sign of the two kids.

"Yuanhang, Uncle Mu..."

Inside the air-raid shelter, Fu Yuanhang and Uncle Mu exchanged looks.

"My sister-in-law’s here; I’ll go out and check."

"Don't worry, if my sister-in-law calls me, there’s no one else around."

After saying this, Fu Yuanhang and Uncle Mu crawled out of the air-raid shelter together.

"Sister-in-law/Aunt Taozi..."

Su Taotao finally relaxed when she saw the two kids were safe. She patted their heads one by one and gestured towards the air-raid shelter with her chin:

"Is that where he is hiding?"

With their anchor here, the two kids grew calmer.

Fu Yuanhang nodded and lowered his voice: "Yeah, we nabbed another bad guy."

Su Taotao pursed her lips: "This isn’t the place to talk; come back with us first."

Fu Yuanhang shook his head: "I’m worried they’ve got accomplices. Uncle Li has a broken leg and can't fight. When will the police come?"

Su Taotao shook her head: "I don't know, we are too conspicuous here. The police also need time to get organized. Before the police arrive, we can't alert the enemy. You’ve been here too long, and there are too many eyes in the village watching."

"What should we do now?" Uncle Mu asked.

Su Taotao said, "Untie the watermelon, carry it up, and soak it in the stream. Then you can pretend to catch fish while keeping an eye out."

The two kids exchanged glances, nodded, and understood.

They quickly went down to the roadside and untied the watermelon from the bicycle. A team member, not much older than them, passed by and tsked, "Such a big watermelon? Where are you taking it?"

"The stream by the mountain is cool. Naturally, we’ll soak it there to make it taste better," Uncle Mu said.

The team member chuckled, "You city people sure know how to live it up. We usually soak it in the well water at home, which is also very cool."

Uncle Mu said, "I saw some fish in the stream. I’ll try my luck at catching some."

The team member gave Uncle Mu a thumbs-up, "You’ve got a good eye. I’ll let you in on a little secret, there are also river snails in the stream, much tastier than field snails."

Uncle Mu blinked his big eyes at him, "Really?"

"Of course, it’s true."

"Alright then, I’ll go and see. Thanks, brother. I’ll share a piece of watermelon with you later."

The team member laughed, "I probably won’t get to eat it. I have to wait until the sun sets before I finish work."

Uncle Mu rummaged around and pulled out a piece of coconut candy produced by Su Taotao’s factory, "This is a local specialty. The factory is very famous, and the candies they produce are especially delicious. This is coconut candy, which is hard to come by here. I don’t usually hand this out to just anyone."

The team member was flattered and accepted it with both hands, "For me? Thank you."

Uncle Mu waved his hand, "Don’t mention it. Don’t let me keep you from work."

…

Before long, the entire production team knew that the city boy from Su Taotao’s family was going to soak a watermelon in the stream and catch fish and river snails!

Moreover, the "XX Base Food Factory" was a leading local enterprise, and their coconut candy was so good it’s practically priceless—it was delicious enough to make you swallow your tongue!

The team member flamboyantly flaunted the coconut candy like a prized possession. Not just the entire production team, but the whole village knew about it in no time.

Uncle Mu was indeed Auntie Zhong’s biological son. His social skills were unmatched, even by ten Fu Yuanhangs.

Su Taotao took off her shoes, and her snow-white feet soaked in the icy stream water, instantly cooling off the summer heat.

The two kids originally only intended to pretend to catch fish and snails, but they ended up turning it into the real deal. Fu Yuanhang built a small dam with straw and mud to block the stream.

He opened a small outlet to let the water flow and used a broken dustpan to intercept it. Unexpectedly, some naive little fish actually swam right into the trap.

Fu Yuanhang caught one, and Uncle Mu put it in a "fish pond" made of sand, having a blast.

They completely lost track of their watch duty.

Before they knew it, the sun was almost setting. Su Taotao had been watching for a long time and found nothing unusual. Seeing that it was about time, she called the two kids to go home.

"It’s time to head back."

Uncle Mu and Fu Yuanhang were still catching river snails, hesitant to leave, "Aunt Taozi, why don’t you go back first? We’ll stay on watch a little longer."

Su Taotao shook her head, "No, after the sun sets, no matter what’s going on outside, you’re not to step out."

Uncle Mu knew Su Taotao well. She wasn’t pushy, but she always stood by her word.

Villagers began to arrive one after another to water the crops in their family plots or pick vegetables for dinner. Seeing Fu Yuanhang and Uncle Mu catch so many small fish and stream snails, they cast envious glances.

Especially when they saw Uncle Mu pick up the big watermelon that had been cooled in the stream, they were green with envy.

Thus, soon the whole village knew that Su Taotao had spent the entire afternoon by the stream with the two children.

Ah, those without work just laze around.

When Su Taotao returned home, Zhou Linglan had already prepared the pig trotters and frog legs, even the side dishes were ready, and the rice had been cooked.

Chenchen, who missed them all afternoon, immediately stuck to them like glue, hugging one and nuzzling the other.

"Mommy, I kept the house safe."

Su Taotao kissed the little one and said, "Mommy knows, Chenchen is the best. After dinner, Chenchen, Yuanhang, and Uncle Mu will bathe and then go play in the room. Mommy has to go out for a bit and might come back late."

Fu Yuanhang and Uncle Mu said in unison, "Sister-in-law/Aunt Taozi, we want to help too."

Su Taotao shook her head, "You can only help with this when you’re older. Right now, you’d just get in the way. Yuanhang and Chenchen, remember to learn martial arts well from Uncle Dong when you go back. Uncle Mu, if you’re interested, you can join too. Become strong, and you’ll fear no enemy."

Fu Yuanhang nodded, "I will, Aunt Taozi." He took out a map he drew earlier and said, "Aunt Taozi, this is a map of the mountain. Let me explain it to you..."

After Su Taotao was fully familiar with the terrain and all the entrances and exits, Fu Yuanhang said, "Uncle Li mentioned they’re hauling goods, so there’s only one path down the mountain, which is here."

Su Taotao marked it.

Fu Yuanhang added, "Actually, it would be best if I went with you."

Su Taotao shook her head, "You’re forgetting what I just told you."

Fu Yuanhang shook his head, "I haven’t forgotten."

Uncle Mu was still in the dark.

While Su Taotao was cooking, Fu Yuanhang began to talk about why learning martial arts is important to Uncle Mu.

Uncle Mu swore to train hard to take on the bad guys in the future.

By the way, his brother’s no slouch either.

Su Taotao’s sand ginger pig trotters and stir-fried frog legs were absolutely delicious. By the time she served them, the sun had already set.

The whole family ate as the sun set, and the two children, who hadn’t eaten much at noon, ate with gusto.

Halfway through the meal, there was a knock at the door.

Su Taotao stood up slowly and said to them, "Just go about your usual business. I’ll take care of myself, don’t worry about me. Mom, I’ll leave the house to you. I’ll be back soon."

After saying this, Su Taotao resolutely walked towards the front door...