Chapter 325 Looking for Dad to Have Lunch

Chapter 325: Going to Have Lunch with Daddy

Chenchen sat back in his car seat, and Su Taotao fastened his seatbelt before gently touching his forehead:

"What would you like for lunch, Chenchen?"

Chenchen shook his head: "Don’t know~~"

Su Taotao: "Then let’s skip the park and go have lunch with Daddy, okay?"

To her surprise, Zhang Jingan turned out to be quite easygoing—not what she’d expected. She had originally thought it would take a lot of time spent negotiating with him.

Chenchen blinked his big, round eyes, his face brightening with excitement: "Eat with Daddy? We really can?~~"

"It’s still early, of course we can! But by the time we get to where Daddy works, we might miss the usual lunch hour. We should call him first."

Chenchen nodded eagerly, nodding like a little bird: "Mm-hmm, call Daddy~~"

Having a phone was a big help. Once the new factory got electricity, they set up phone service right away, making communication much more convenient.

Su Taotao drove to Old Gao’s workplace and took Chenchen inside to call Fu Zhengtu.

Chenchen did the talking, excitedly saying that he and Mommy were coming for lunch and that he wanted to eat jumbo shrimp!

Fu Zhengtu naturally agreed, and Su Taotao could practically hear the smile in his voice.

Truth be told, she missed Fu Zhengtu herself.

After the call, she noticed Old Gao waiting outside.

"Is something wrong, Old Gao?"

Old Gao chuckled and shook his head. Seeing no one else around, he asked, "Nothing much. How’s the new secretary? Not being difficult, is he?"

Su Taotao shook her head: "Nothing stands out so far. He seems easy to deal with."

Old Gao said, "In all my years, I’ve never seen someone so young yet so hard to read. The dangerous ones aren’t those you can figure out—it’s those you can’t. You should stay cautious."

Su Taotao had a good heart and was straight with people, treating him and all the workers well, so Old Gao spoke to her frankly.

Su Taotao nodded: "Thanks, Old Gao. I’ll keep that in mind."

"As long as you’re aware. What about the land deed? Have you mentioned it to Secretary Zhao yet?" Old Gao asked again.

Su Taotao shook her head: "Haven’t had the chance yet. It’s not urgent—I’ll bring it up when the time comes."

Old Gao nodded: "Got it. Just checking. You know what’s best."

He then looked down at the little boy playing with building blocks and took out some homemade dried persimmons from his pocket: "My wife made these. They’re very sweet."

Though Chenchen knew Old Gao, he wasn’t sure about taking gifts from him, so he glanced at his mother.

Su Taotao nodded and patted his head: "Thank Uncle Gao."

Chenchen happily took them with a bright smile: "Thank you, Uncle Gao~~"

Old Gao, delighted by the child’s reaction, beamed: "Don’t mention it."

This child is so well-behaved.

Once back in the car, Chenchen waited until he was seated before asking Su Taotao, "Mama, can I have this cake now~~?"

Su Taotao shook her head, "No food in the car. It's easy to choke. Let's save it to share with Daddy, okay?"

Chenchen nodded cheerfully, "Okay~~"

During the ride, the little boy perked up, putting the building blocks aside and swinging his short legs while watching the scenery outside the window, babbling away.

Going back for lunch with Fu Zhengtu instead of the park had been the right call, Su Taotao thought.

The drive took over an hour from the new factory to the base.

By then, it was almost one o'clock. As soon as Su Taotao parked the car, she saw Fu Zhengtu waiting there.

"Daddy~~" Chenchen, clutching the persimmon cakes, barreled into Fu Zhengtu like a little cannonball.

The toddler wasn't very steady on his feet to begin with, and holding something made it worse—he almost took a tumble.

Fu Zhengtu scooped up the little boy just in time.

Chenchen proudly offered the persimmon cakes to Fu Zhengtu, "Cake from Uncle Gao, share with Daddy~~"

"Look who's happy now that he sees you," Su Taotao said. "He's been moping all morning."

Chenchen pouted in denial, "I wasn't mopy, I just didn't wanna talk~~"

Fu Zhengtu's expression softened as he ruffled the child's hair, "We'll eat these after lunch."

"Okay~~" Chenchen handed the cakes to his father.

Fu Zhengtu held Su Taotao's hand with one hand and carried the child with the other as they walked to the canteen.

The lunch crowd had cleared out, and only a few people remained in the canteen. The cafeteria lady had put aside a plate for Fu Zhengtu.

Grinning at the adorable family, she grinned widely, "So that's why Fu showed up at the cafeteria today and asked me to save some shrimp—his wife and child are here!"

Fu Zhengtu gave a slight nod, "Thank you."

The lady added another generous scoop of shrimp to the already overflowing lunchbox, "Still warm, eat it while it's hot."

Not one to turn down generosity, Fu Zhengtu could only express his thanks.

When Su Taotao returned with Chenchen after washing their hands, the little boy's eyes were wide at the sight of the "shrimp mountain," "So many shrimps~~"

"Daddy must have known you love shrimp and got two portions," Su Taotao said.

It certainly looked like enough for two.

Fu Zhengtu came back after washing his hands and started working through the pile of shrimp.

He took turns peeling shrimp for Su Taotao and Chenchen but didn’t have any himself.

"Daddy eat too~~" Chenchen pressed a piece of shrimp to Fu Zhengtu's mouth.

Fu Zhengtu ate it from the child's chubby little hand, "You and Mommy eat first. Daddy will have some later."

"Feed me~~" Chenchen screwed up his eyes, waiting happily for his dad to feed him.

Su Taotao handed a spoon to Fu Zhengtu: "Stop fussing with the shrimp. Take a bite of rice before it gets cold."

Fu Zhengtu: "Almost done."

A passing colleague watched in amazement as Fu rolled up his sleeves and gently peeled shrimp for his child and wife.

"I’ve heard Fu is devoted to his family and dotes on his wife and kid, but I never expected it to this extent."

"Director Su is no less impressive—she’s a real role model for working women, managing such a large factory. Not many could manage that!"

"True, they're perfect for each other."

...

After the heartwarming lunch, Chenchen got sleepy, nodding off in his dad's arms.

"What time are you heading to the train station? Should Chenchen and I wait for you so we can leave together?" Su Taotao asked.

Fu Zhengtu patted the child’s back gently: "Got some work to wrap up. It’ll be around three. You two go ahead first. Ah Hang and Uncle Mu are waiting at school—just pick them up on the way."

Su Taotao thought it made sense. There was no need to wait here, so she reached out to take the child: "Chenchen, say goodbye to Daddy. You can sleep in the car."

Chenchen was already too far gone to remember Dad was leaving.

Fu Zhengtu said, "He's really packed on the pounds now. I’ll carry him over."

Still holding the child with one arm, he squeezed Su Taotao’s hand with the other: "Save the heavy work till I return. Just eat at the cafeteria—cooking is too tiring."

Taking advantage of the empty surroundings, Su Taotao secretly pulled his hand to her lips and nipped at it playfully before quickly letting go: "I know my limits. It’s you who needs to remember to eat on time and stay safe when you’re away."

Fu Zhengtu looked at her, his fingers twitching—no, his whole being yearning. If not for worrying about appearances, he’d have pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

"I will." Carefully, Fu placed Chenchen in the car seat, tucked spare clothes around him, fastened the seatbelt to ensure he was safe and comfortable, then set the dried persimmon beside him and patted his little head before stepping out of the car.

He mused Su Taotao’s hair affectionately: "Take it easy on the road. I’ll be back as soon as I can."

Su Taotao gazed deeply into his gentle eyes, then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly: "Go back. I’m leaving now."

With that, she turned and got into the driver’s seat.

This wasn’t their first time parting, and neither was the clingy type. They both knew the other was their anchor, that as long as they held each other in their hearts, it didn’t matter where in the world they were. Yet, every time, they still found it hard to let go.

Just as Su Taotao was about to start the car, a blur of movement suddenly dashed out and blocked the front of the vehicle...