Tong Tong returned to the bank and, without any shyness, showed the older boys her wooden toy car.
The children marveled at the little wooden car, taking turns playing with it.
Seeing her son playing happily with the other children, Liu Yifeng no longer worried that the boy would be lonely here.
He then began to seriously search for fish, but the small fish were difficult to catch, and the fishing net had too large a mesh to trap them.
So he made a trap with mud, leaving only a small opening. Once the little fish swam in, he immediately sealed it, and the fish would have no escape.
Liu Yifeng waited for a while, like a hunter waiting by a stump, and finally saw two fish, no longer than a little finger, swim into the trap. He extended his hands and scooped up the fish along with the water.
He then put them into the wooden bucket. After catching the fish, Liu Yifeng immediately shared the good news with Tong Tong.
Tong Tong, who was playing with the older boys, immediately ran over upon hearing that his dad had caught fish.
However, he tripped on a small stone in the water and with a splash, Tong Tong fell into the water. 138 Reading Network.
"Be careful..." Liu Yifeng cried out in alarm and rushed over immediately.
Fortunately, Tong Tong did not swallow any water and quickly got back on his feet, though he was soaked through.
But he didn't care, only wanting to see the fish quickly.
"Dad, Tong Tong is fine, where are the fish?" he asked impatiently.
Seeing that his son was indeed unharmed, Liu Yifeng finally relaxed. "Walk slower, the fish aren't going anywhere. Come, Dad will take you to see them on the bank."
At this moment, Xiao Yong, who had walked over, looked at Liu Yifeng with some embarrassment. "Brother Feng, I didn't keep an eye on Tong Tong. Don't be angry with me."
Liu Yifeng knew that Xiao Yong wasn't entirely to blame. Tong Tong ran off without any warning; even an adult might not have been able to catch him in time.
He comforted him, saying it was alright, and when they reached the bank, Tong Tong looked at the two small fish in the bucket, his hands waving with joy. "Finally, we can raise fish!"
"Tong Tong, can you tell Dad why you want to raise fish?" Liu Yifeng asked with a smile.
Tong Tong replied, "Because little fish are cute! And when I'm bored, I can talk to them."
Remembering that Tong Tong usually spent his days alone at home without his parents, Liu Yifeng felt he owed the child too much.
He became even more determined to make sure this child was happy from now on.
Before they knew it, it was six o'clock, and the sun was beginning to set. Liu Yifeng later caught a crucian carp weighing over two pounds and gave it to Xiao Yong.
Xiao Yong happily took the fish and went home with his friends.
Just as Liu Yifeng was preparing to take Tong Tong home, someone suddenly shouted, "Yifeng, it's bad! Your dad got into a fight with someone!"
Hearing this, Liu Yifeng quickly asked, "Qiangzi, what happened? Why would my dad get into a fight with someone?"
Although his father had a bit of a temper, he wasn't someone who easily resorted to violence. At least, in all his years, he had never seen anyone in his village even get angry, let alone fight.
"It's because people in the village were discussing how your son doesn't look like you, saying you're raising someone else's child. Your dad overheard them, and that's when the fight started." The speaker was Liu Yifeng's childhood friend, two years older than him, whose son was already in the fifth grade.
Liu Qiang had just returned from working outside and heard about Liu Yifeng having a son.
To be honest, he was also skeptical about the matter. After all, Liu Yifeng had no girlfriend, let alone a wife, and suddenly he had a son over three years old.
Anyone would be suspicious. However, since Liu Yifeng acknowledged the child, it was likely true, and he wouldn't be so foolish as to raise someone else's son.
Liu Yifeng, upon hearing the reason, felt a surge of anger. He said indignantly, "I think these people have nothing better to do. Does it matter to them whether my son is my biological child or not that they have to gossip behind my back?"
Saying this, he asked Liu Qiang to carry the bucket for him. He then held Tong Tong and quickly went to where his father was fighting.
From a distance, he saw his father fighting with Old Man Liu.
Old Man Liu was also a bachelor in the village, still unmarried in his fifties, with no children.
It was likely jealousy at seeing his father become a grandfather that drove him to deliberately stir up trouble.
Some villagers stood by watching, while others tried to mediate.
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng put Tong Tong down, asked Qiangzi to look after him, and then charged forward himself.
He shoved Old Man Liu aside. "What do you think you're doing? Try touching even one finger of my dad!" Liu Yifeng stood in front of his father, glaring at Old Man Liu with anger.
Old Man Liu instantly lost his swagger upon seeing the tall and strong Liu Yifeng, but he still said defiantly, "You father and son ganging up on an old man like me, what kind of heroes are you?"
"Who wants to talk about heroes with you? Old Man Liu, I heard you gossiping everywhere, saying my son isn't mine. Now, in front of everyone, I will state it clearly one last time: Liu Tong Tong is my son, Liu Yifeng's biological flesh and blood.
Whether you believe it or not, if I ever hear you gossiping about my son behind my back again, I will fight you to the death." Liu Yifeng's eyes were somewhat terrifying, and at this moment, he was like a lurking beast, bristling with thorns.
Seeing his anger, the crowd dared not say anything more.
Old Man Liu certainly didn't dare to confront him at this moment and left resentfully.
Liu Chunsheng, however, was not pleased. "If you've got the guts, don't leave! Let's have a showdown!"
"Dad, stop stirring up trouble. Tong Tong is here, don't scare the child," Liu Yifeng said, suppressing his aura.
It was precisely because Tong Tong was present that he hadn't fought with Old Man Liu. He couldn't display violent tendencies in front of his child, as it would be detrimental to the child's physical and mental health. More importantly, he feared the child might become afraid of him, making it difficult to get along.
Liu Chunsheng then noticed his grandson looking on from not far away and immediately put on a smile. "Tong Tong, Grandpa got you something delicious. Come, try it, is it sweet?" He picked up a stainless steel cup from the ground, took out a wild strawberry, and put it into Tong Tong's mouth.
Tong Tong ate it and his eyes lit up with surprise. "Mmm, it's so sweet!"
"It's good that it's sweet. This whole cup of wild strawberries is yours. Take it and eat it," Liu Chunsheng said with a smile, handing the cup to Tong Tong.
These wild strawberries from the countryside, though not as large as cultivated ones, tasted sweeter than real strawberries and were free, growing everywhere in the village.
Tong Tong took the cup, said thank you to Grandpa, and started eating. He even thoughtfully offered Liu Chunsheng a strawberry.
Seeing how sensible and filial the child was, the others couldn't help but feel envious.
They suddenly felt that the child looked more and more like Liu Yifeng. The three of them, grandfather, father, and son, were getting along so well on their first day meeting.
It seemed he was indeed his biological son. This incident dispelled the doubts of many people about Tong Tong not being Liu Yifeng's biological child.
Liu Chunsheng, in a good mood, said to everyone, "Everyone, to celebrate my grandson's arrival, I will be hosting a meal the day after tomorrow. Just come, no need for gifts."
"This is wonderful news! We will definitely be there," the others replied.
Qiangzi then pulled Liu Yifeng aside and asked curiously, "What's going on with you, kid? You're not married, how did you become a dad? Is this child really yours?"