After peeling the garlic, the fragrant aroma of the fish soup already wafted out, and Tiantian was still hungry.
Now, as the smell tantalized her, her innocent little tummy couldn't stop secreting saliva.
She walked over, clung to Gu Chen's leg, and before she could speak, a wet patch had already formed around her tender little mouth.
The little girl swallowed her saliva and looked up at Gu Chen with a desire in her eyes that seemed almost ready to spill over.
"Daddy, Tiantian wants to eat."
With a voice sweet and creamy, she couldn't help but slurp afterwards.
She was so adorable.
Gu Chen, looking at his daughter's eager little kitten demeanor, felt his heart melt.
He stroked his daughter's head.
He took an empty bowl from the stove, ladled some fish soup into it, sprinkled a little chopped green onion, and then placed it on the table.
"The fish will take a bit longer to cook, Tiantian, dear, could you start with some soup?"
The little girl nodded vigorously, eyes fixed on Gu Chen.
If she didn't get to eat soon, she really would be starving~
Gu Chen scooped a bit with a spoon, worried about scalding the child; he blew gently at it before carefully handing it over.
Tiantian opened her small mouth and with a "slurp," drank it all in one go.
Following that, her bright black eyes immediately lit up.
"So tasty, so tasty! Daddy, Tiantian wants more!"
This was the first time in two years that the little girl had tasted such delicious fish soup.
It surely made her crave for more.
Gu Chen was about to continue feeding Tiantian when he heard Ji Pianran's voice.
"Let me feed her, children's mouths are very delicate."
After all, she had been the one to raise the child single-handedly for these two years. Ji Pianran was worried Gu Chen might be unpracticed, or might not gauge the temperature right and end up scalding the little one.
Gu Chen understood her concerns.
He himself needed to start on the second dish, so he pushed the bowl toward Ji Pianran with a smile.
"Then I'll trouble you with this."
Ji Pianran didn't speak, but took the spoon from the bowl, carefully blew on it to check the temperature, and then fed her daughter.
By then, the fish was ready. Gu He immediately scooped some water to wash the pot and then added oil again, putting all the scallion, ginger, and garlic into it, quickly filling the small room with a delectable aroma.
He poured in all the cleaned eels, added a bit of soy sauce, and finally covered the pot with a lid.
Gu Chen picked the largest crucian carp from the ones he had prepared, put it in an empty bowl, and placed it in front of Ji Pianran.
Then he took another, smaller bowl for Tiantian.
After all, a child couldn't eat too much.
He carefully peeled the meat from the belly of the fish, made sure there were no bones, and then smiled warmly at Tiantian.
"Come on, Tiantian, open your mouth, Daddy has some meat for you."
At the mention of meat, Tiantian's eyes immediately sparkled.
She wanted to eat meat!
The little girl's mouth was round and plump, and she pointed to it in case Gu Chen couldn't see.
She stretched out her little hand toward her mouth, "Ah ah ah ah."
She looked incredibly cute.
Gu Chen placed the picked meat into Tiantian's mouth.
"How is it? Tasty?"
The little girl licked her rosy lips, her facial expression filled with satisfaction.
For years, Ji Pianran had raised the child alone, juggling work too.
To save time, she'd only ever made simple meals.
This was Tiantian's first time tasting something so delicious.
"So yummy, want more, more!"
Seeing the eager expression on the little girl's face, Gu Chen felt an indescribable sense of fulfillment.
He quickly continued to pick meat from the fish to feed Tiantian.
Ji Pianran sat on a stool, looking at the fish in the bowl and watching Gu Chen carefully feed Tiantian.
Her dark, indifferent eyes held a huge sense of unreality.
He... actually knew how to take care of a child?
The little one was greedy for food, but crucian carp had many bones.
Gu Chen, concerned about choking the child, picked another piece of belly meat, taking great care as he fed Tiantian.
Watching Tiantian take big and small bites, Gu Chen felt an inexpressible sense of satisfaction.
So this is what it feels like to be needed.
It's... wonderful.
An indescribable kind of wonderful.
The eel cooked quickly, and in just a short while, it was ready.
Gu He patted Sugar's little head, his face filled with an affectionate smile.
"Wait a moment, Daddy will get you something even more delicious."
The crucian carp soup, meant to nourish the body, had a mild and fresh taste.
But the eel was different.
The seasoning was heavier, so naturally, the flavor was much richer.
He walked to the stove, served the eel, and then brought it over to the mother and child.
By now, it was getting dark outside, and the room was dim.
Ji Pianran got up and turned on the light.
The family of three sat around the small wooden table, ready to officially start the meal.
Gu He looked at the mother and daughter and felt inexplicably restless.
In his previous life, he had gone off to work just a few days after marrying Ji Pianran.
Afterward, he rarely returned home, and even when he did, he mostly spent his time at his friends' places.
So, this meal was the first one they had shared as a family of three.
He pursed his lips, picked up a small piece of eel, and fed it to Sugar.
"Here, try this. Does it taste good?"
He tried to use feeding his child to disguise the uneasiness in his heart.
His little girl ate with great satisfaction, her cheeks puffed out.
At that moment, Ji Pianran realized what she needed to do and quickly picked up the porridge from the table to feed the child.
They couldn't go without eating some grains, of course.
The little girl, still small, had eaten a lot of fish and felt full after just a few bites.
Now patting her round belly, she looked contentedly at Ji Pianran.
"Mommy, I want to go to Aunt Zhang's to see the bunnies."
Children love to play.
When Ji Pianran was busy, Aunt Zhang had often helped take care of Sugar.
The two families were neighbors and got along well, so there was nothing to worry about.
She nodded.
"Go ahead, but be careful."
Having obtained permission, the little girl hopped and skipped out of the house.
Now, only Gu He and Ji Pianran were left.
The air was filled with a touch of awkwardness.
Gu He noticed that Ji Pianran had not touched the fish from start to finish, so he pushed it closer to her.
"Eat up, it won't taste good once it gets cold."
Ji Pianran had seen clearly that Gu He had picked the better parts of the fish for the child.
She blinked and pushed her fish to the center.
"Let's eat it together."
Gu He chuckled, "No need, I'll just eat what Sugar left, you should eat more."
After saying that, he placed the fish tail left by Sugar into his own bowl.
Having been reborn and after a day of turmoil, to be honest, he was hungry.
He picked up his bowl and started eating, alternating between big and small bites.
Watching his voracious eating, Ji Pianran's expression grew complicated.
"Today... thank you."
Her voice trembled.
Gu He, with his head down, was overcome with guilt.
"You don't have to thank me. She..."
Before he could finish, Ji Pianran put down her chopsticks.
Tears glistened in her eyes once more, her voice shaking even more.
"Sugar was really happy today. She's still young, and I hope, in front of her, you can always be a good father. She really likes you, don't break her heart."