Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

"Okay! Mom will help Tongtong!" Tongtong was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but seeing her mother join in made her smile happily.

The mother and daughter stood head to head, sorting the bamboo leaves that Mo Ye and Zhang Xiuying had picked by size and arranging them neatly.

He Wanqing patiently taught Tongtong how to arrange things more neatly, and Tongtong learned very diligently.

After a while, Mo Ye and Zhang Xiuying picked enough bamboo leaves. The two of them carried the fresh leaves to a nearby crystal-clear stream and began to wash the dust and cobwebs off the leaves.

Mo Ye, with his sharp eyes, spotted several clumps of wild mulberry trees growing by the stream, laden with mulberries that were either purplish-black or bright red.

He picked a small handful, a mixture of red and black, and walked to the stream to wash it carefully.

Then, he walked back to Tongtong's side and deliberately handed her a few of the reddest, most tempting-looking mulberries that were clearly not yet ripe.

"Tongtong, look, Daddy found something delicious! Try this, it's sweet and sour." Mo Ye said seriously, suppressing a laugh.

Tongtong's eyes lit up immediately when she saw the few ruby-like little fruits in her father's palm:

"Dad, can I eat this?" She had never eaten mulberries before.

"Of course, try it!" Mo Ye encouraged.

Tongtong couldn't wait any longer, so she picked up the reddest one, popped it into her mouth, and bit down hard—

"Ugh!" A strong sour taste instantly overwhelmed her taste buds!

Her little face immediately scrunched up, her eyebrows, eyes, and nose all squeezed together, her whole expression screaming accusation: Daddy lied! Where's the sweetness?! It's so sour it'll make your teeth ache!

Mo Ye looked at his daughter's adorable, funny expression of being teased, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He Wanqing, who was watching from the side, rolled her eyes at Mo Ye, feeling both annoyed and amused. This man was teasing their daughter again!

Mo Ye calmly handed her a few ripe, dark purple mulberries and ate one himself.

Helpless, He Wanqing also picked up a shiny black mulberry and put it in her mouth. The ripe mulberry was indeed juicy, sweet with a hint of sourness, and tasted excellent.

She even deliberately gave Tongtong a satisfied look, as if she thought the food was delicious.

Tongtong's face was contorted with pain from the sourness, and she kept inhaling. Suddenly, she saw her mother eating so deliciously, without a trace of pain on her face. Looking at the few red berries left in her hand, her little head was filled with questions.

"???"

Could it be... that I'm eating it wrong?

Or is this one just particularly sour?

With some skepticism, she picked up another one, hesitated for a moment, then carefully put it in her mouth again and took a gentle bite...

"Hiss—!" It's even more sour now~ The little guy's face scrunched up even more than before, and he was almost in tears from the sourness.

Mo Ye and He Wanqing couldn't help but burst out laughing when they saw their daughter's adorable expression of disbelief and yet falling for the trick again.

Zhang Xiuying was carefully washing the bamboo leaves by the stream when she caught a glimpse of Mo Ye and He Wanqing's mischievous smiles and Tongtong's face scrunched up from the sourness. She felt both amused and heartbroken.

She quickly washed the leaves in her hands.

"You two adults, why are you acting like children?" She walked over, her voice carrying the loving reproach of an elder. "Is having children something to play with? Really."

As she spoke, she took the few bright red mulberries from Tongtong's hand and shoved them directly into Mo Ye's hand: "If you eat them, you'll be doing something inhuman."

Mo Ye looked at the sour fruit in his hand and smiled wryly:

"Grandma, I just wanted her to experience it..."

"Experience what? Experience how bad her father is?" Zhang Xiuying rolled her eyes at him, turned around and walked to the mulberry bushes. She carefully selected a few ripe mulberries, washed them carefully in the stream, and then handed them to Tongtong.

"Sweetie, let's eat this, it's sweet."

Tongtong looked at the deep purple mulberry in her hand, remembering the sour taste that made her teeth ache just now. Still shaken, she shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum.

"Great-Grandma, Tongtong doesn't want to eat anymore~"

"This is really sweet, I'm not lying to Tongtong." Zhang Xiuying coaxed gently, then ate one herself and made a look of enjoyment.

Tongtong was skeptical, but she carefully licked it, and the sweet taste melted on her tongue.

Her eyes lit up, and she immediately gulped down the whole mulberry, puffing out her cheeks and nodding vigorously, "Mmm! Sweet!"

The next second, she realized what was happening, turned her head sharply, and glared angrily at the culprit—her father, who was trying not to laugh.

The little guy ran over with a "thump thump thump," raised his little fist, and punched Mo Ye's leg lightly but firmly:

"Daddy's a bad guy! He bullied Tongtong! You're such a bad guy!"

Mo Ye suppressed a laugh and quickly squatted down to beg for mercy:

"Daddy was wrong. Daddy will help Tongtong make amends. Shall we go catch some little crabs? There are lots of little crabs in the stream."

"A little crab?" Tongtong's attention was instantly drawn to it, her big eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Really? Tongtong wants to catch one!"

"Let's go!" Mo Ye picked up his daughter and walked to a shallow, rocky spot by the stream.

He took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trousers, and stepped into the stream first.

The cool stream water washed over my ankles, dispelling the sweltering heat of the mountains.

"Daddy, wait for Tongtong!" Tongtong imitated him, sitting on the rock and trying to pull at her little sandals.

He Wanqing stepped forward to help her take off her sandals.

When her soft, chubby little feet touched the cool stream water, Tongtong couldn't help but hiss and gasp, shivering slightly before being overwhelmed by the novelty and giggling.

"Be careful, the stones are slippery." Mo Ye took her small hand.

"Little crabs and fish like to hide under rocks," Mo Ye said, gently turning over a flat stream stone.

Sure enough, a grayish-blue crab, about the size of a fingernail, was scrambling sideways in a panic.

"Oh! Daddy, grab it quickly!" Tongtong whispered excitedly, pointing with her little finger.

"Watch how Daddy catches it." Mo Ye slowed down his movements, demonstrating and explaining at the same time.

"To catch a small crab, you need to approach from behind and gently pinch the sides of its shell with your thumb and forefinger. This way, its pincers won't be able to pinch you."

Remember, never reach in from the front; its pincers are very powerful.

"I understand now!" Tongtong was eager to try. She let go of her father's hand and walked shakily toward another stone.

She imitated her father and flipped it open forcefully—it was empty underneath.

Undeterred, she continued searching.

Finally, under a moss-covered rock, they found a little crab brandishing its tiny pincers in a show of defiance.

Tongtong was a little nervous. Her little hand hesitated in the air for a moment, then she looked back at her father's encouraging eyes and then at her mother's gentle smile.

She took a deep breath, aimed carefully, and stretched out her chubby little hand, pressing down from behind...