Gu Chen hadn't expected the old brother to be so loyal.
He felt a bit embarrassed by his own behavior.
But since it had come to this, he naturally couldn't reject the offer.
He could only thank him before accepting the things.
Old Tang chuckled, "Oh right, they all call me Old Tang."
"Gu Chen," said Gu Chen.
Old Tang patted his shoulder, "Alright then, you go about your business, I need to get back to my stall."
With that, he turned and walked back to his own booth.
Gu Chen put away the goji berries that Old Tang had given him.
He also carefully stowed away the nylon bag he brought with him.
Then he took Yan Yan by the hand and walked out.
The little girl had been helping Gu Chen hold the bag, but after all, she was just a child and grew tired within half an hour.
She looked up at Gu Chen lethargically.
With a stuffy voice, she muttered, "Daddy, Yan Yan wants to be held."
Gu Chen picked up the little girl in his arms.
"Alright, Daddy made some money today. What would Yan Yan like to eat? Daddy will buy you something delicious!"
Hearing about food, Yan Yan's black eyes suddenly sparkled.
Her fatigue vanished in an instant!
"Daddy, candied hawthorns! Yan Yan wants to eat candied hawthorns!"
A few days ago, Yan Yan from across the door came to the city with her mom, who bought her some candied hawthorns.
They were red and plump, looking incredibly tempting.
Yan Yan cherished them greatly, licking them carefully as she ate.
She even told Yan Yan how sour and sweet they were, and how delicious.
They cost three yuan a stick.
The two-year-old girl didn't understand the value of money; she only knew they were tasty!
And that made her crave them even more.
Gu Chen affectionately stroked her head.
"Okay, Daddy will take Yan Yan to buy some candied hawthorns!"
Carrying Yan Yan, he left the market and walked onto the street.
The street was bustling with activity just before the new year.
There were vendors of all sorts, pushing bicycles, selling candied hawthorns, cotton candy, and even hairbands and hair clips.
The little girl's eyes locked onto the candied hawthorns.
"Daddy, over there!" she exclaimed.
Gu Chen, holding Yan Yan, made his way over.
The vendor of the candied hawthorns was an old granny.
Gu Chen asked, "Granny, how much for the candied hawthorns?"
The granny smiled, "Three yuan each."
Gu Chen fished out three yuan and handed it over.
"I'll take one."
The granny smiled warmly as she handed Yan Yan a candied hawthorn.
"This little lady is so beautiful, you can tell her mother must be a rare beauty."
Hearing the granny compliment her mother made Yan Yan giggle with upturned eyes.
"My mom is the most beautiful in the world!"
The little girl's adorable demeanor made all the nearby vendors laugh heartily.
Gu Chen thought for a moment, then took out three more yuan.
"Granny, I'll take another one, please."
If his daughter got one, of course, he had to get one for his wife too.
Yan Yan, thinking the two were for her, quickly shook her head with understanding.
"Daddy, Yan Yan only needs one, Mommy said one is enough," she said.
Gu Chen took the candied hawthorn wrapped in wax paper from the granny.
He then playfully scraped Yan Yan's nose.
"You little glutton, this one is for Mommy."
Yan Yan licked the candied hawthorn in her hand and then her rosy lips.
Looking puzzled, she gazed at Gu Chen.
"But Mommy said that candied hawthorns are only for kids, right?"
Gu Chen chuckled.
"But to Daddy, Mommy is also a child."
It was he who had made Ji Pianran suffer for three years, marrying her but never treating her well.
Redemption was not just about making amends by speaking.
Ever since the day he was reborn, he had sworn to make sure both mother and daughter would live a good life!
Yan Yan blinked innocently.
"Then, is Candy also Daddy's little friend?"
Gu Chen nodded.
"Right, Candy and Mommy are both Daddy's little friends, the people Daddy has to protect for a lifetime."
After finishing their conversation, father and daughter walked towards the nearby mall.
That year, Ji Pianran ran away from home because he took the two hundred yuan she had saved up to gamble at mahjong.
The money was meant for Candy's milk powder and for the family's New Year's goods.
Upon entering the mall, the sales assistant saw him coming to buy milk powder for his child.
She quickly grabbed a can of Sanlu milk powder and came over.
"Handsome, take a look at this milk powder—it's our best-selling right now. It's great for kids; they absorb it well."
These sales assistants, they have sharp eyes, able to judge a person's circumstances at a glance.
Today, Gu Chen was wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket, jeans, and a pair of sneakers.
No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem like a rich man.
So she recommended Sanlu to Gu Chen, forty-one yuan a can, cheap indeed.
Gu Chen looked at the brand on the milk powder.
Subconsciously, he thought of melamine and those infants who were later exposed as having big-head disease and kidney stones.
Even though it wasn't disclosed until 2008, Gu Chen still felt it was unsafe in his heart.
He squinted his eyes, feeling a bit resistant.
"No, no, no, is there a better one?"
The sales assistant did not expect that Gu Chen, who seemed somewhat impoverished, would be so willing to spend money on his child.
A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
A moment later, she busily picked up another brand called Feihe and another called Wondersun.
Both were priced at over a hundred yuan.
Gu Chen looked them over and chose a can of Feihe milk powder.
After all, it was for his child, so it had to be the best.
It had to be reassuring.
He paid the money.
After buying the milk powder, Gu Chen walked out of the mall doors, holding Candy in his arms.
Standing on the street, he felt so hungry he could hardly stand it.
But he still restrained his urge to eat out.
After all, food outside was expensive.
With that money, it was better to buy some food to take home—enough for the family of three to eat!
Gu Chen endured the hunger.
He bought three pounds of pork and three pounds of beef.
He also bought some nuts, including walnuts, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, and finally spent twenty yuan on a bucket of Xufuji chocolate.
In those days, high-end chocolates like Dove and Ferrero Rocher were generally not available.
Xufuji was already considered very good.
After buying these items, Gu Chen checked his pockets; he still had two hundred yuan left. One hundred could buy a bag of rice and a bag of flour, leaving some for spices and such.
The remaining one hundred would be given to Ji Pianran.
After all, he had kept a Huacai plant in his space, specially for seeding.
As long as he waited to get home that evening and planted those seeds, he would be able to make even more money tomorrow.
...
At four in the afternoon, Gu Chen arrived home.
Ji Pianran had been helping out at Aunt Li's house today and had just gotten back, washing sheets and duvet covers in the house.
Before she had washed a few, she saw Candy bouncing into the room.
Following behind was Gu Chen, carrying big and small packages.
The little girl joyfully ran up to Ji Pianran, held out the unfinished tanghulu from her embrace.
She held it up to Ji Pianran's face.
Smiling, she looked at her, "Mommy, have a taste. It's so sweet and delicious!"
The last time Yan Yan from opposite their door had tanghulu, it made Candy extremely envious.
Ji Pianran had seen it all.
But to be honest, three yuan was not cheap, plus the trip to the city; a one-way bus ticket was two yuan.
Going there and back would mean seven yuan was gone.
That could buy a pound of meat.
Therefore, she had never bought tanghulu for Candy.
Unexpectedly, today, Gu Chen had actually bought it for Candy.
She watched Candy with a beaming smile.
"Sweetie, tanghulu is for kids. Candy, you eat it."
Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately began to retort in her baby voice.
"But, Daddy said that Candy and Mommy are both Daddy's little friends, and Daddy bought tanghulu for Mommy too."
In front of her, Candy looked innocently up at her.
Ji Pianran felt a surge of emotions well within her.
Gu Chen said that both she and Candy were little friends?