Chapter 294: 290. The Fish Susu

It was just around five o'clock in the afternoon, and the summer sunlight was just right; although it was a little bit dazzling, it was slightly blocked by the surrounding mountains, making everything just perfect.

At this moment, the crowd was surging by the small creek, with many students and parents playing in the water; some parents were even playing more wildly than their own children!

As soon as Zhang Ran arrived, he saw Zhang Xiaotao holding a crayfish in his hand, showing it off to his little friends nearby with a smug look on his face.

Susu was always her brother's biggest fan, so at this moment, the little one was looking at Brother Taotao with an envious expression.

Seeing his grandfather coming over, Zhang Xiaotao immediately scurried over, the crayfish in his hand held tight the entire time.

"Grandpa, look, this is what I caught," Zhang Xiaotao said proudly as he ran over.

Zhang Ran smiled and said, "Not bad. Why don't you catch some more? How about we eat the crayfish you caught for dinner?"

"Okay, okay! I'll go catch some right now!" Upon hearing this, Taotao was instantly filled with fighting spirit.

Susu also ran over, and upon hearing this, she said urgently, "I want to catch some too! Grandpa, I'll catch crayfish for you to eat, okay?"

"Okay, Grandpa will go catch crayfish with Susu," Zhang Ran was instantly warmed by the little one.

After saying this, he took Susu's little hand to go catch crayfish together, while Huo Zhiyuan held her camera, taking photos of them from time to time from the side.

Whether in his past life or the present, Zhang Ran had done this sort of thing plenty of times as a child; after being a little unfamiliar at first, he slowly got the hang of it, and before long, he had caught quite a few crayfish and some crabs.

What made Zhang Ran even more motivated was that every time he caught a crayfish, Susu would clap her little hands on the side and look at him with an expression of worship, which filled him with a sense of accomplishment.

Watching the smug Zhang Ran from the bank, Huo Zhiyuan couldn't help but laugh, and the camera in her hand never stopped clicking.

This was the first time she had seen Zhang Ran have a side like this; none of the achievements Zhang Ran had attained in the past had ever made him this smug.

It seemed that being able to catch a crayfish in front of Susu was much more fulfilling than everything he had done before.

Seeing that his grandfather and little sister Susu had caught so many, Zhang Xiaotao became anxious and started searching for crayfish even more diligently, occasionally asking for tips from some Miao friends nearby.

Susu wasn't idle either; seeing that her grandfather had caught so many, the little one's body was also filled with a surge of motivation.

However, the little one had lived in the city from a young age, and her temperament had always been very quiet—no, "aloof" wouldn't be an exaggeration—so she almost never succeeded.

Just as Susu was getting a bit anxious, her little foot suddenly seemed to step on something, and then her foot slipped, and she fell into the water with a splash.

The water level of the creek was not high, so even though Susu had fallen, it only reached her waist.

Seeing Susu fall, Zhang Ran was about to come over to pick her up and check on her, but he heard Susu's voice, which was a bit anxious but filled with a hint of joy: "Grandpa, Grandpa."

Looking at her waving little hands, Zhang Ran thought she was hurt. "Susu, are you okay? Do you feel any pain anywhere?"

Zhang Ran looked at Susu nervously; he didn't dare to move recklessly at this moment.

But who would have thought that Susu's little face didn't show a trace of pain; instead, she looked very happy.

Under Zhang Ran's nervous and surprised gaze, Susu's fair, tender little hands scrambled around under her little bottom, and then her already dirty little face was suddenly filled with a brilliant smile.

Seeing this smile, Zhang Ran finally set his nervous heart at ease, and then curiously watched to see what Susu was doing.

He then saw Susu pressing down on something very hard with both little hands, then her little body slowly rose, and then she turned her whole body around, facing the water surface with her little face.

Next, Susu even pressed her little body against the water surface, seemingly hugging something, and finally, when she got up, Zhang Ran saw Susu holding a fish in her arms.

"Hee hee, Grandpa, look!" Susu said, holding the fish very proudly, her little hands gripping it tightly.

Only then did Zhang Ran realize that Susu had been sitting on a fish under her little bottom just now; no wonder she had been so nervous.

Seeing Susu's happy little look, Zhang Ran naturally praised her vigorously: "Susu is amazing! Grandpa didn't even catch a fish, but Susu actually caught one!"

"Hee hee, hee hee." Susu felt a bit shy from her grandfather's praise, but her little face was full of smiles.

This scene was also captured by Huo Zhiyuan on the side.

The gentle sunlight of the setting sun shone right on Susu's little body; the warm tones combined with Susu's healing smile made the photo seem to warm up all at once.

"Wow, little sister, you caught a fish?" Zhang Xiaotao also ran over at this time, saying with an amazed look.

Some other little friends also ran over, looking at Susu with envy; none of them had ever caught a fish before.

It was the first time Susu had been envied by so many people; she was a little shy at first, but soon she said with a bit of pride: "Mm-hmm, I caught it."

"Little sister, you're so amazing!" Taotao said enviously.

"Haha, how about we eat the fish Susu caught for dinner?" Zhang Ran said with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, eat the fish Susu caught, give it to Grandpa to eat," Susu said, nodding her little head vigorously.

Just as they were talking, the fish Susu was holding tightly suddenly slipped and was about to fall, but Zhang Ran was quick-eyed and fast-handed; he grabbed the fish that was about to escape, but he couldn't maintain his balance and fell forward with a splash.

Susu hadn't reacted yet, but seeing her grandfather 'fall' all of a sudden, her little face immediately showed some anxiety.

However, Zhang Ran quickly said: "Susu, don't worry, the fish didn't run away; it's here with Grandpa."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, just like Susu had done earlier, holding the fish as he rose.

"Susu, Grandpa is amazing, right!" Zhang Ran said smugly.

"Mm-hmm, Grandpa is the most amazing!" Susu said excitedly.

Huo Zhiyuan looked at Zhang Ran, who was almost a carbon copy of Susu just now, and immediately burst into laughter.

Afterward, Zhang Ran and Susu didn't go back into the water; firstly, because they had already caught enough, and secondly, because the weather was slowly cooling down, and Zhang Ran was afraid Susu would catch a cold.

As for Zhang Xiaotao, Zhang Ran didn't pay much attention to him; boys had plenty of energy, and even if he called Zhang Xiaotao back now, he probably wouldn't be happy about it, as he was having too much fun playing with his friends.

Some parents, looking at the smiles on their children's faces, felt more and more in their hearts that coming this time was the right choice; at home, they rarely saw such innocent and naive smiles on their children's faces, and to have them hanging there all day long, except when studying at night.

In the evening, Zhang Ran handed the fish Susu had caught and the crayfish Taotao had caught to the family who was cooking for them.

Soon, the family had prepared the meal and sent it over; Huo Zhiyuan looked at Zhang Ran, who was eating at the table with an expression of enjoyment, and the two little ones beside him who were eating with gusto, and for a moment, she was a bit dazed.

At this moment, how Huo Zhiyuan wished that things could just go on like this forever!