Chapter 81: Protection

Chapter 81 Protection

In Shangyao Village, who didn’t know Fu Tinghua from the Fu family? Easy on the eyes, a hard worker, and sweet as pie.

Rarely did he ever show a cold face to anyone, no matter who spoke to him. Seeing his current attitude toward the Wang family, Wang Jun felt his gut clench and quickly said, "Ahem, there was a bit of a misunderstanding last time, so I brought my mother here to apologize in person.

Ideally, my kid brother and his missus should’ve come too, but there’s too much farm work at home, so I’m here as the family representative."

After speaking, Wang Jun turned his gaze to Su He. Seeing how much thinner she looked compared to their last meeting, he was surprised, though he didn’t dare show it on his face.

"Miss Su, our Wang family was in the wrong this time. We apologize. This chicken is our peace offering to you and your children. We hope you’ll accept it."

With that, Wang Jun handed the chicken to Su He.

Before Su He could say anything, Fu Tinghua spoke up beside her, "Truth is, you ought to’ve reported that incident to the police.

If you’re not ready to let it slide, I can stop by the station when we’re back in the city and have someone get to the bottom of things.

I don’t want my wife and kids getting pushed around in the village while I’m away working."

With every word Fu Tinghua spoke, Wang Jun and old lady Wang felt cold sweat prickle their foreheads.

They weren’t sure if Fu Tinghua was joking, but seeing his stern and serious expression, they were genuinely afraid.

"Ah, Ting Hua, it was all this old woman’s fault that day. Cross my heart, I’ll never do it again.

And I promise, from now on, if anyone dares to mess with Miss Su, they’ll have me to deal with.

We won’t dare anymore, so let’s just forget about the police, alright? We’re all neighbors here..."

Old lady Wang couldn’t hold back any longer and launched into a babble.

Wang Jun immediately chimed in, "Yeah, Ting Hua, we’ve been thick as thieves since we were kids.

I’ve already given my foolish kid brother and his missus an earful over this.

Hope you’ll be big-hearted and let sleeping dogs lie."

Fu Tinghua didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to look at Su He.

Su He, suppressing a faint smile, said generously, "Oh, water under the bridge. There’s no need for the chicken—take it back."

Good cop, bad cop—she understood the game.

"If you’re willing to let it go, that’s great. We’ll just leave the chicken here. We won’t disturb you any longer."

With that, Wang Jun dumped the chicken in front of Su He, then grabbed old lady Wang and hightailed it out of there, ignoring Su He’s calls.

"Hey, running like the devil’s on your tail?" Su He muttered at their retreating figures.

Fu Tinghua, biting back a grin at her sass, lowered his head and chuckled.

The chicken, its legs tied, flapped like a fish out of water.

Su He stepped forward to take a look and remarked, "Damn, that’s one fat bird."

Of course, the Wang family picked the fattest chicken to show their sincerity in apologizing, which made old lady Wang’s heart ache.

If they had sent it earlier, it wouldn’t have been this chicken. She really went for wool and came home shorn.

"Looks like we can kill another chicken for dinner tonight. Lucky you." Su He patted the chicken’s head and looked up playfully at Fu Tinghua.

Perhaps it was the sight of Su He opening the door this morning that made his heart skip a beat, but now, everything she did seemed cute and charming to Fu Tinghua.

He didn’t dare look too long, worried she’d catch on.

“Yeah, whatever you say,” Fu Tinghua replied flatly.

“By the way, you acted so well earlier—I was almost scared by your intensity.”

“Act? I wasn’t acting. Everything I said was serious. If you weren’t willing to forgive, I would’ve made things right for you.” Fu Tinghua spoke earnestly.

What? Really?

Su He’s mouth opened slightly in shock. She never expected the famously upright and rigid Fu Tinghua would actually pull strings over personal matters.

“Silly, if I can’t protect my own wife and children, what kind of man am I? So if you’re ever bullied again, tell me. I might not be able to solve everything, but I can definitely help carry the load with you.”

Hearing this, Su He truly felt, for the first time, that she truly belonged somewhere in this world.

No matter what happened in the future, she wouldn’t be fighting alone anymore.

“Okay, I’ll remember that,” Su He answered with a smile.

“What about this chicken?”

Su He glanced at the plump chicken, hesitating whether to return it—after all, she’d already had her fun beating them up.

“Since they sent it, just accept it. Otherwise, they’ll think we haven’t forgiven them and make more fuss. I don’t want you to be annoyed.”

If Fu Tinghua said so, why should Su He hesitate about keeping it?

“You don’t think they messed with this chicken, do they?”

Su He had read plenty of novels—stories about farmers lacing animals for revenge weren’t unheard of.

“Keep it for a few days before eating. If it’s poisoned, it won’t live long.” Fu Tinghua weighed in as a doctor.

“Alright, then tonight we’ll kill the chicken Ji Liangchuan’s grandmother brought.”

Su He seemed cheerful as she took it out back.

As he watched her walk away, Fu Tinghua suddenly felt an increasingly strong urge to bring her back to the city with him.

But he knew he couldn’t rush her—he never wanted to hear that word—‘divorce’—from her lips again.

When Zai Zai and Niu Niu came home, they could tell something was different between their mom and dad.

They couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but they could feel it—things were better.

Before, their mom had always kept dad at arm’s length and never started conversations.

—But now—

"Fu Tinghua, could you grab some green onions from the garden for me? I forgot," Su He said while stir-frying the food in the pan.

The father, who had been sitting nearby, said "Sure" and immediately headed to the backyard.

In just a few minutes, he not only picked the green onions but also rinsed them off.

"Should I chop them for you?" Fu Tinghua asked.

"No need, just give them here."

After taking the green onions, Su He broke them into a few pieces and threw them in the pan, giving them a quick stir before serving the dish.

Meanwhile, Fu Tinghua naturally started dishing out the rice and called out to the two children who had just returned, "Time to eat."

Seeing that their parents seemed to be doing better, the kids exchanged a glance and obediently took their seats at the table.

When Niu Niu spotted the dish on the table, her eyes lit up. "Mom, it's that melon stir-fry you made before!"

"Yes, do you like it?" Su He asked as she sat down.

" Yeah! It's so good."

Pleased with the answer, Su He glanced at Fu Tinghua and said with a smile, "Told you this was good. I wonder if you'll like it too."

Hey, I love whatever you make.