Chapter 65: Innocent Stupidity

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Innocent Stupidity

Tuantuan finished the meal with her eyes closed. Rewarded with an extra fried little fish by Deng Yuyuan, she happily clutched a bowl containing five small fried fish as she was lifted onto the back seat of the bicycle modified by Zhang Ci Hao.

It wasn’t until she handed out the fried fish, one per person, that she sniffled and stared at the solitary fish remaining in her hand. Belatedly, she realized that Fubao had three older brothers. If everyone got two fish, she would need...

One, two, three, four, five, six—

"Ah." Fubao caught the fried fish that slipped from Tuantuan’s palm. "Tuantuan, let me lend you a hand. You need to hold the little fish securely."

"You’re so good to me, Fubao," Tuantuan said, immediately leaning over to give Fubao a kiss before taking her fried fish back.

Meanwhile, her wily mother, Deng Yuyuan, strolled back to her room at a leisurely pace. She spread out her paper and pen, beginning to organize her grand entrepreneurial master plan. She had known for a long time that the college entrance examination would be reinstated, so she had started reviewing and taking notes early on. If she could sell top-tier study guides in a month’s time...

MWAHAHA! She would absolutely make a killing!

Over the past two years, Deng Yuyuan had lived an incredibly comfortable life. Gou Ya helped with the chores, Zhang Ci Hao helped look after her child, and a broker assisted her in making money. Aside from the arduous task of studying, she hadn’t suffered a single hardship.

She also kept in touch with the Agricultural Research Institute and provided Mr. Cheng with plenty of inspiration. Her own secrets couldn’t be revealed, but occasionally pretending to find mutated crops in the mountains was perfectly fine. To make these discoveries seem plausible, Deng Yuyuan had practically trekked across every nearby mountain peak.

Of course, Deng Yuyuan wasn’t some anonymous saint. Although she sent letters to the Agricultural Research Institute incognito, she still left behind secret markers that could identify her, just in case she needed them for a rainy day.

Her farm game system had already reached level twenty. The amount of experience required for the next level was so massive that she would be lucky to gain even one level a year. Deng Yuyuan let go of her obsession with grinding and decided to level up slowly.

There had been almost no need to use Game Coins over the past two years. Aside from essential exchanges and buying books, she hadn’t spent a single penny. She merely browsed the farm game system’s store daily to see what good items were newly listed.

While the daily necessities available in this era were relatively cheap, anything beyond the current technological civilization—even useless toys—was priced in the thousands. That time she exchanged for a Power Potion to fight Meng Deyin had nearly emptied Deng Yuyuan’s savings.

Zhang Ci Hao managed to drop a puffed-up, furious little dumpling back at the Knowledge Youth Institute before dark. The angry Tuantuan rejected hugs from the adults and walked to her detestable mother’s room alone, her little fists clenched tightly.

BANG BANG!

Under the pounding of her chubby, furious little paws, the door didn’t budge an inch. Zhao Erdong opened the door for her just in time, saving the determined Tuantuan from an awkward situation.

As Tuantuan stepped into the room, Deng Yuyuan was writing at her desk by the light of a kerosene lamp. Her beautiful side profile was faintly visible in the dim glow. Accompanied by the turning of pages and the scratch of a pen on paper, her long eyelashes cast two delicate, curved shadows on her cheeks. A tiny glimmer of light rested on the tip of her perky nose, while the smooth line of her jaw faded into the shadow of her neck. Her bright, spirited eyes were focused intently on the desk.

"Sigh, I should have known Mommy was busy. What bad timing," Tuantuan thought. She smiled awkwardly and tiptoed backward toward the door.

"Tuantuan?" Deng Yuyuan put down her pen and called out to her daughter.

"Mommy!" Tuantuan turned back joyfully, peering tentatively at the old wooden desk. Deng Yuyuan had leaned back from her work, facing her with her arms slightly open.

Tuantuan trotted over in quick strides and expertly climbed onto her mother’s lap. Her anger had already dissipated, but her grievance still needed to be aired. "I only got to eat one little fried fish at Fubao’s house!"

"Huh? Why? What happened?" Deng Yuyuan’s puzzled expression didn’t look fake. Tuantuan stammered, suddenly doubting her own judgment.

"Because... it was supposed to be two per person, but Fubao has three older brothers!"

"Oh my goodness! I had no idea that Tuantuan and Fubao were such good, generous little girls. You shared your fried fish with her brothers! Mommy is so proud of you!"

"Is... is that so?" Tuantuan wondered. A look of pure, innocent cluelessness shone in her large, dark, grape-like eyes. She broke into a wide grin and giggled. "Whatever, Mommy praised me again, hehe!" she thought happily.

Seeing that the mother and daughter were back to being affectionately clingy with each other, Zhao Erdong finally pushed the door open and entered.

They were still roommates after these two years. While it was somewhat inconvenient for Deng Yuyuan when she wanted to play the farm game or read, having a roommate made childcare incredibly convenient.

She motioned for Zhao Erdong to come over. "I’m thinking about taking some time over the next few days to organize our study materials for the exam. I bought the textbooks from town as well. We each get a set."

Zhao Erdong reminded her to keep them stored away safely, but Deng Yuyuan waved her off. "I brought them out so we can use them together. We can only find and fill the gaps in our knowledge by tutoring each other. If we all keep everything hidden, we’ll just stagnate and find it hard to improve."

Zhao Erdong’s heart instantly softened into a puddle of mush. "Then you should only share them with us youths here at the institute. Don’t give them to anyone who has already moved out."

Deng Yuyuan blinked. "I’m not stupid."

The next day, Deng Yuyuan remained in her room to organize her materials. Meanwhile, Tuantuan had Gou Ya help open the door. She sat on the front steps, holding a bowl of warm milk in her hands. She took a sip of milk and glanced at the main road, waiting for Zhang Ci Hao to take her to town on his bicycle.

A shadow fell over her head. Tuantuan looked up at the familiar silhouette, her reaction delayed by half a beat. "Oh, it’s Daddy," she realized.

Her father would sometimes pull her aside and say inexplicable things. Tuantuan decided she needed to finish her milk first; once they started talking, she wouldn’t have time to drink it.

"Tuantuan," Zhang Jiahua spoke up. He looked at the fair, chubby, and lively little girl in front of him, noticing her now-empty bowl. Since she drank it so quickly, he figured she must really like it. "Do you want another bowl?" A nearby family kept a dairy cow, and he could go over and buy a bowl for her.

Tuantuan shook her head, rejecting him in her milky, childish voice. "Why would I want another empty bowl?"

"Don’t add to my dishwashing burden!" she thought indignantly. "I only wash my own little bowl every day. Daddy is so lazy."

Zhang Jiahua choked on his words. He pulled a small snack from his pocket. "Tuantuan, this is a gift from Daddy..."

"Chocolate!" Tuantuan’s eyes lit up.

Zhang Jiahua stared at her in a daze. "You know what this is?" Deng Yuyuan had truly raised her too well.

"Mommy ate it before, but I’m not allowed to have any." Tuantuan tilted her head. "Is it for Mommy?"

Once, when Tuantuan had thrown a tantrum about her food looking too ugly, Deng Yuyuan couldn’t take it anymore and pulled out some chocolate to eat. Seeing her mother eating a snack that looked like dirt, Tuantuan had obediently decided to "share in the hardship" with her mother.

Zhang Jiahua froze on the spot and looked toward the inside of the Knowledge Youth Institute. Was it for Deng Yuyuan?