Published at 13th of April 2023 8:16 am

Chapter 821: I NEED YOUR HELP

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

The family of three went to a fairly wide river on a speedboat with a capacity of five people and it was the first time for Mika to ride a vehicle like this and also go fishing.

Meanwhile, the river water was so clear she could see the riverbed, which made her even more excited.

“Mika can catch fish!” Mika exclaimed, so fascinated by the clear river and the fish swimming there.

“Don’t get too close, Mika, you might fall,” Kia reminded her, pulling Mika’s hand and sitting her on her lap.

“Fish! Fish! Mom, look! There is a yellow fish!” Mika was so happy to see this.

She seemed to like being out in nature and having a bit of adventure which was evident by now, but it was certain that those traits did not come from Kia, as she simply wasn’t strong enough to endure too much physical activity.

If it came to fishing, she knew she could only last half an hour and after that, she would start thinking that buying fish at the supermarket was much easier. Why did they even bother coming to the fishing area?

Meanwhile, on the other hand, Misha was preparing his fishing rod and a smaller fishing rod for Mika.

“The fishes seem to be plentiful here and the river doesn’t look that deep, why don’t you just catch it by hand?” Kia asked curiously, because according to her this method was far more practical than waiting all day, only to find that she didn’t get anything.

Misha laughed when he heard the suggestion. “You are very practical,” Misha said softly and then taught how to use the fishing rod to Mika who listened carefully.

Two more months and Mika would be four years old. He had a feeling this little girl would grow fast and only be more curious about everything around her.

“Of course, this is the most fun part of fishing,” said Misha as he called Kia closer to him and let her sit beside Mika, who was holding her mini fishing rod.

“The most fun part? Which part? The waiting part?” asked Kia confusedly, she wasn’t sure what she should do with this rod, because the only thing she had to do was hold it.

“Yeah,” Misha said. “For now, you just have to wait until a fish takes your bait,” Misha explained to her as well as their daughter. “When you pull the fish out, it is the most fun time.”

Kia was even more skeptical when she heard this.

However, the river was calm and the shining sun was not too hot, making it bearable for the three of them to enjoy this afternoon. It was like a date and people wouldn’t believe they weren’t a happy little family.

“There’s something tugging at my fishing rod!” Mika exclaimed in panic and also excitement. Misha immediately assisted Mika from behind, while he hugged his little daughter.

And indeed there was a fish that was biting Mika’s rod, which made the little girl scream with pleasure.

“I got a fish! I got a fish!” Mika exclaimed cheerfully. Her face lit up when she saw Misha pulling out the fishing rod and at the end of the hook there was a fish that was just two adult fingers wide.

Fish of such a small size were certainly not worth bringing home and should be released back into water.

However, Mika was so happy when she saw the first fish she ever caught.

“Are we going to fry the fish over the bonfire later?” she asked enthusiastically, she even nudged the floundering fish with her finger and giggled.

“No, we are not going to cook it in the bonfire, we have to release this fish into the river because it is too small to be eaten.” Misha looked at his daughter’s disappointed face and kissed her forehead. “This fish is too small, you can say that it is still a baby.”

“Baby fish?” Mika followed what Misha said. She then tilted her head toward her father. “What should we do with this baby fish?”

“We will release it back, so that it grows up,” said Misha calmly, then released the fish from the hook and handed it to Mika. “Do you want to let it go?”

Mika then grabbed the small fish which was very small and threw it back into the river.

“Bye, baby fish.” Mika waved her hand, watching the fish disappear from view after returning to the river water.

“Good job, you’re a very smart kid, Mika.” Misha stroked Mika’s head affectionately, a genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips. And Kia felt her heart lighten a little seeing the interaction between the two of them.

This was a moment she had never imagined before. She felt her heart warm upon seeing how Mika laughed and how Misha patiently taught her and told her about many things, things that Kia never knew about.

Moreover, in the early years Mika was born, she didn’t even have much time for her, because all she could think about was how to find money so they could eat and how to provide a place to live for the both of them.

After that, they fished until the sun almost set. Misha then took them back to where they were camping while carrying Mika who was fast asleep.

This child, even though she looked shy and often hid herself when she was in the midst of strangers, her courage was unquestionable while her curiosity was unparalleled.

“I’m going to start the bonfire, can you take out the ingredients for the food, please?” Misha said as he laid Mika down on the bed.

This tent was really big to accommodate two single beds. Kia didn’t even want to think about how they brought the mattresses in.

“Okay,” Kia said, she then went out to prepare their dinner, but before that, she saw Misha kiss Mika on the forehead and tuck her in.

They would make dinner together and wake up Mika later after all the food was ready.

And not long after that, Misha came out and prepared the bonfire and helped Kia to prepare the ingredients they were going to cook.

“I didn’t expect that you would bring such a luxurious set up and tent, but you didn’t bring a stove,” said Kia while cutting the fish they had gotten from the river earlier.

“I’m trying to make it look more natural by using a bonfire,” Misha replied casually.

Kia frowned, not understanding why Misha was like that, but then she didn’t say anything else and just shook her head. He sounded preposterous.

“Why?” asked Misha who could see Kia’s expression. She was clearly holding back the words she wanted to say.

“It’s nothing,” Kia answered quickly, but Misha didn’t let it go.

“What is it? Why?” Misha even walked closer to Kia and stood before her which made her frown. “Tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just saying that what you say is quite controversial,” Kia said patiently. “Look at that tent, which isn’t like your average camper and also this dining table.” Kia pointed at the table where she was cutting fish meat. This was a garden table made of wood and looked very stylish. “I’m not complaining, I just find it very funny.”

Kia chuckled when she saw Misha’s expression.

“I can’t sleep in a sleeping bag,” Misha admitted this and this actually made Kia laugh again. “One of the reasons I don’t like going camping with dad is because he always forces me to sleep on a portable mattress or in a sleeping bag.”

Misha then took a carrot and cut it.

“You really lived not knowing what hardship is until now, huh?”

Misha shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not my fault, is it?”

Kia snorted seeing that attitude, but she felt happy because she could talk comfortably with Misha without feeling awkward, even though it was just a simple conversation.

“I’ll wash the fish,” said Misha while taking the bowl containing the fish that had been cut by Kia.

Not far from them, a big barrel had been prepared to hold water, so they didn’t have to go to the river at night like this.

“Ah, yes, Kia,” Misha said, suddenly stopping walking, but he didn’t turn his body, so he spoke with his back to Kia. “I have something to ask you,” Misha said.

After cutting the fish, Kia continued to cut the carrots that Misha had been working on.

“What is it?”

There was silence for a moment and when Kia thought she had missed Misha’s question and was about to ask again, Misha finally opened his mouth.

“I noticed that you weren’t wearing the ring. Is that the answer?” said Misha.

He didn’t raise his voice nor did it look like he was annoyed or angry, his tone was even and with his back to Kia, it was hard to tell what kind of expression Misha was showing.

“It’s fine, if that’s the answer, at least you’ve decided on that.” Misha gritted his jaw and walked toward the barrel where he would wash the cut fish.

He was there for quite a while, washing the blood from the fish, but even when the fish had been thoroughly washed, he didn’t get up from there until Kia came with the vegetables she had cut up to wash.

“The fish will get bruised if you don’t stop squeezing them,” Kia said casually while crouching beside Misha.

Meanwhile, Misha who was in deep thought was surprised to see Kia who was right beside him now and immediately stood up.

“Ah, I want to ask you a favor,” said Kia when she saw Misha running away from him.

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