Chapter 98: At Ease

Chapter 98: Reassured

Su Shiming and Fu Tinghua shared a look when Su He summoned them to dinner but said nothing further, both following her into the kitchen and taking their seats at the dining table.

"Mom," Fu Tinghua greeted Wen Qing, who was busy in the kitchen.

"Oh, Ting Hua, you're here!" Wen Qing looked genuinely happy.

As a mother-in-law, she was utterly pleased with Fu Tinghua as a son-in-law.

But she also knew Fu Tinghua didn’t love her daughter and had only married Su He under pressure. Because of this, the Su family always felt a sense of inadequacy and guilt toward Fu Tinghua and his family.

Fu Tinghua was genuinely busy. After marrying Su He, he had made a few courtesy visits.

He had always been respectful to Su Shiming and Wen Qing, but the couple could see in his demeanor and eyes that there was no love for their daughter.

"Please, take a seat, Mom. Let me serve the rice," Fu Tinghua said, reaching for the rice scoop in Wen Qing’s hand.

"No, no, you must’ve had a long day. Those hands of yours belong in surgery," Wen Qing said proudly.

Fu Tinghua, a little flustered by her praise, quietly sat down at the table.

The two children were already waiting eagerly for the meal.

Zai Zai, seeing Fu Tinghua sit down, said, "Daddy, Mommy cooked today! It’s yummy!"

"Yes, Daddy knows," Fu Tinghua replied with a smile, patting their heads.

Wen Qing chimed in, "Ting Hua, have you tried Su He’s cooking before?"

"Yes, I have. It’s delicious," Fu Tinghua answered, finally looking at Su He.

Su He was washing the pot. Though she still wore the eye-catching dress from the morning, it didn’t slow her down at all.

Wen Qing checked if he meant it, glancing at him.

To her surprise, she caught him looking at her daughter with a gentleness in his eyes—completely different from his usual calm and habitual detachment.

She kept glancing between the two until Su Shiming’s cough brought her back to reality.

Su Shiming had also noticed the change in Fu Tinghua’s demeanor, but he felt uneasy about it.

Though men were inevitably drawn to appearances, he didn’t want Fu Tinghua to like Su He only because of her looks.

"Ting Hua, when did you return?" Su Shiming asked.

"Over a month ago."

"Oh, so you met Su He then?" Su Shiming probed.

"Yes. The day she came to visit you in the village was when I had just returned," Fu Tinghua replied.

A month ago, Su He was still curvy, but noticeably slimmer than before.

Hearing this, Su Shiming breathed a little easier.

Even if Fu Tinghua had grown fond of Su He because of her looks, he could understand—after all, what man didn’t appreciate beauty?

But Su He was his most beloved daughter, and Su Shiming still hoped Fu Tinghua would come to love her for who she was inside.

Hearing he’d already seen their daughter a month ago, Su Shiming relaxed a little.

When the family sat down to eat, Su Shiming opened a bottle of fine wine that Fu Tinghua had brought, and the two had a few drinks together.

After a few drinks, Su Shiming started rambling.

He pulled Fu Tinghua aside and said, "Ting Hua, I’ll admit I didn’t raise my daughter right, so I’ve always felt guilty toward you.

But no matter what, she’s still my daughter, and I hope you’ll treat her well from now on.

Our little girl’s grown up a lot and isn’t as willful as before."

Su He, listening nearby, felt her nose tingle, moved by her parents’ love for their daughter.

"Teacher, don’t worry. Now that I’m back from deployment, I’ve been promoted and won’t be as busy as before. I’ll look after Su He right and won’t let her suffer anymore."

After speaking, Fu Tinghua glanced up at Su He.

Meeting his gaze, Su He also looked at him, and then they both looked away, embarrassed.

"Haha, your father’s had one too many—he gets chatty when he’s had a few.

But Ting Hua, you two already have such lovely children, Zai Zai and Niu Niu. Just focus on being happy together.

If Su He ever does anything wrong in the future, just tell me, and I’ll set her straight for you," Wen Qing chimed in.

The way they tag-teamed made Fu Tinghua feel deeply ashamed.

"Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I promise Su He and I will make it work.

As the saying goes, ‘A teacher for a day, a father for life.’ If I ever make Su He suffer, you can yell at me or even take a swing—I’ll take it without complaint."

Seeing their concerns grow more serious, Fu Tinghua quickly made this promise, worried Su He might hold it against him.

After Fu Tinghua left with Su He and their two children, Su Shiming dropped the drunk act. He sighed and said to Wen Qing, "You think Ting Hua’s only into her now that she’s prettier?"

Wen Qing gave him an eyeroll.

"Don’t you even trust your own student’s character?

What kind of person is Ting Hua?

He had his pick of pretty girls before, but in all these years of marriage to our daughter, was there ever even a whisper about him and another woman?

The man lives for his work, and now that he’s finally developed feelings for our daughter, you’re reading too much into it again."

Su Shiming frowned, somewhat displeased.

Recalling all the beautiful girls who had once admired Fu Tinghua, yet he had never been involved in any scandal or rumor with any woman, Su Shiming felt better.

After all, Fu Tinghua was not the type to stray.

Moreover, the couple had watched Fu Tinghua grow and progress over the years and knew his character and integrity well.

Su Shiming was well aware that Fu Tinghua was deeply committed to medical research, with immense passion and perseverance.

He spent most of his time in the hospital, honing his craft and providing better care for patients.

How could someone like that possibly have time for messy affairs? When it came to his daughter, Su Shiming always tended to become overly anxious and worried.

Fu Tinghua was a student he personally trained and also his son-in-law, so he should give him full trust and support.

"You're right. We really shouldn’t overthink Ting Hua’s character." Su Shiming took a deep breath and relaxed.

Seeing that he had come around, Wen Qing also sighed in relief.

"At your age, taking good care of your own health is what matters most. Stop worrying over nothing, or you’ll end up with anxiety."

"Oh, I forgot to ask Ting Hua what that blood pressure medication was that he brought for our little girl last time. It worked so well—my blood pressure has stayed normal ever since."

"You old man, isn’t it a good thing that it hasn’t risen? Now what kind of nonsense is that?"

The couple chatted and laughed, clearly in an especially cheerful mood tonight.