As A Cardinal, I Don't Do Overtime - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Holy Rank Expert Lost to a Child?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Coming!”
“Alma, come over and eat!”
“Hot…”
“Hot beef soup, fragrant and crispy toast, and fresh boiled vegetables!”
Little Alma immediately interrupted just as Monn started to introduce the food he cooked.
“Father Monn, I’ve memorized these three things you made a long time ago!”
“This child…”
Monn looked embarrassed!
“Alright, stop talking. Come and eat!”
“Coming!”
The two of them sat on both sides of the dining table.
Monn passed the spoon to Alma. He picked up her bowl and filled it with beef soup.
“Try it. I added pepper to the beef soup today.”
“Okay!”
Although Little Alma said she was bored with the same meal every day, she still took the spoon obediently and carefully scooped up a spoonful.
“Wow! It tastes so good!”
A surprised smile bloomed on Little Alma’s face as soon as she drank a mouthful of it!
“Father Monn, can you add this to the beef soup in the future?”
“Okay!”
Monn rubbed Alma’s head and nodded with a smile.
He had never even had a girlfriend in his previous life.
But now, he had an obedient daughter.
He could only say that God had treated him well!
In that world.
Little Alma was Monn’s biggest and only weakness!
Monn smiled in relief upon seeing that Alma was eating with relish and scooped a bowl for himself.
“Come, eat it with bread! Also, don’t be picky. You have to eat vegetables too!”
“Got it, Father Monn, you’re so long-winded!”
“Brat! How was school today?”
“Teacher Edith praised me! She said that I’m smart and can learn things faster than other children!”
Little Alma answered with an obedient smile.
“Haha, not bad!”
Monn laughed loudly, took out a coin from his pocket, and placed it on the table!
“Little Alma, I’ll increase your pocket money by five shillings since the teacher praised you!”
The moment the little girl saw the coin, a small hand reached out.
She grabbed the coin back with a whoosh!
“Thank you, Father Monn!”
Alma said cutely!
Monn smiled.
He would give Alma five shillings of pocket money every day.
The five shillings also included Alma’s lunch money when she went to school.
In fact, a nine-year-old girl couldn’t eat that much at all.
Every day, Alma would have two or three shillings left.
She would secretly save the money. Monn knew about it, but he never exposed it.
Monn wanted his child to develop the habit of saving money from a young age.
“By the way, is tomorrow a Holiday?”
Alma’s elementary school had a holiday every week.
“Yes! Teacher Edith didn’t give us much homework. I just finished all of it!”
“Father Monn, can you take me to the church tomorrow?”
“Then you have to go fishing with me!”
“Ah…”
The little girl pouted, but after thinking about it, she still nodded profusely!
“Alright! I just have to wake up early!”
“Haha, hurry up and eat. Father Monn will play Five in a Row with you after you finish your meal!”
“Alright!”
Alma nodded obediently and increased her eating speed!
Ten minutes later, Monn tidied up the dining room and washed the tableware.
He arrived at Little Alma’s toy room.
In the room, Little Alma was sitting behind a small table with a serious look on her face!
There was a chessboard made of solid wood with small squares carved on it placed on the table in front of her.
Yes, that was the only “high-tech” item that Monn brought from his previous life!
Five in a Row!
The chess pieces were picked up by Monn himself with Alma by the river. They were pebbles of a suitable size.
Then, Monn painted half of the chess pieces with black paint.
A set of Five in a Row chess pieces were made!
“Father Monn, I want to win ten games in a row today!”
“Children are not allowed to brag!”
Monn said solemnly. Then, he thought about it and said rather embarrassedly.
“Usually, I can win two games out of ten, right?”
“It seems that you can only win two games at most…” the little girl looked at Monn with pity.
Monn was speechless.
He had never thought of that!
It was the only “high-tech” item he had brought with him from his previous life!
He couldn’t even beat Alma on the third day of teaching her…
“Come! I don’t believe it. I want to win three games today!”
Monn waved his hand and sat across the small table.
The two of them began to play nervously…
Five in a Row!
“Father Monn, I miss Aunt Millie!”
Little Alma suddenly said while they were playing gobang.
Monn was stunned.
Millie was the nun that Monn had asked her to take care of Alma when he had just adopted her.
Alma and Millie had lived together for almost a year, so it was normal for them to have feelings for each other.
“Won’t we be able to see Aunt Millie if we go to the church tomorrow?”
“Alright… But, I mean, when are you going to help me find a mother?”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Monn almost choked on his saliva!
He did not expect Alma to blurt out that so suddenly!
“Why do you suddenly think of a mother?”
Monn asked.
“I saw it at school. Other children have mothers…”
Alma’s expression became downcast. After a while, she muttered.
“I had a mother too.”
“Sigh.”
Monn sighed softly.
He knew that the little girl was yearning for motherly love.
But he really could not rush this matter!
Monn had no experience at all, whether it was dating or getting married!
Although he was close to thirty years old, it was time to get married, no matter how he thought about it.
But…
After having such a cute daughter like Alma, he had not thought about this matter.
“How about you take a few days out of the week to visit Aunt Millie?”
Monn scratched his head. That was the only solution he could think of.
A tint of helplessness flashed in Alma’s eyes. She shook her head and said weakly.
“No… There will be no one here to accompany you if I leave.”
“Little brat, who needs you to accompany me!”
Monn said snappily.
However, there was a deep sense of gratitude in his eyes.
He finally understood why others always said that daughters are like quilt in the winter.
“Father Monn, it’s your turn!”
“Oh, let me see… Hmm, here!”
“Haha! You’ve lost!”
Alma clapped her hands happily.
The five black pieces had already formed a straight line on the chessboard…
The corner of Monn’s mouth twitched a few times.
“Again!”
It was useless to play again.
Sometimes, a game like Five in a Row depended on talent!
Monn’s state of mind completely collapsed after losing ten times in a row!
“I’m not playing anymore!”
“Father Monn, don’t give up! Shall I be lenient to you on the next game?”
Little Alma smiled!
“Hmph! I’m not playing anymore. Go wash up and go to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow to go fishing!”
“Oh, alright!”
Alma clapped her hands and put away the chessboard.
The father and daughter finished washing up and returned upstairs.
Little Alma said good night to Monn seriously before entering her bedroom.
“Good night!” Monn nodded with a smile.
Little Alma carefully took out a small square box from under her bed after returning to her room.
There was a large pile of coins inside when she opened the box!
Then, Alma took out four coins from her pocket.
One of them was five shillings, which was the pocket money that Monn had just given her, and the other three were coins with a face value of one shilling, which were leftovers from that day’s lunch money.
“There is a total of 171 pounds with these eight shillings!”
“I can buy a fishing rod of good quality for papa, and I can also buy a present for my future mother!”
Little Alma sat on the bed, counting with her fingers and muttering to herself.
The little girl pretended to be an adult and sighed when she talked about her future mother.
“Father Meng is too old-fashioned. I said I miss my mother because I want you to find a mother for me, not to send me to Aunt Millie!”
Pouting, Little Alma lowered her shoulders helplessly.
Her straight-minded father was too unromantic!