Chapter 158: Good Neighbours in China

The little girl nodded happily when she heard that they were going to Grandma Zhang's house.

'Yes, Grandma Zhang has rabbits,'

children naturally like animals, especially cute ones.

Tangtang's favourite animal was a rabbit.

Gu Chen let out a sigh of relief when he saw that his daughter was not unhappy.

He got out of the car and took his daughter down.

Then he turned around and took down all the things he had bought.

When they entered the courtyard, he petted his daughter's head before squatting down and opening the bag containing the crabs.

The crabs were not tied up, and their claws were not restrained, which was quite intimidating.

Gu Chen, however, was not afraid, and in no time at all, he had picked out five crabs and put them in another bag.

Then he held the bag in one hand and, with his other hand, he took his daughter's hand and walked towards the house next door, which belonged to Auntie Zhang.

In the countryside, there is no habit of accidentally locking doors. As long as it is not dark, the main door is usually left open.

Gu Chen led Tang Tang inside.

As soon as they entered, Tang Tang shouted in a childish voice:

'Grandma Zhang, Grandma Zhang.'

Hearing Tang Tang's voice, Zhang, who was kneading dough inside the house, immediately stopped what she was doing and turned her head and walked out of the kitchen.

She had wanted to reach out and hug Tang Tang.

But remembering that her hands were covered in dough, she had to smile at Tang Tang.

'Tantang is a good boy. Grandma's hands are dirty, so can I hug you later?'

The little one nodded with a smile.

'Okay, I'll go see Bunny!'

After saying that, she quickly ran over to the rabbit cage, crouched down and fed the rabbit grass.

Seeing her daughter playing with the rabbit, Gu Chen smiled.

'Auntie Zhang, Pianran is sick and needs an operation. I'm the only one at home, so I'm going to trouble you to take care of Tantang for a while.'

He really had no choice but to cook and look after the baby at the same time.

If he didn't watch her carefully, she would fall or get hurt, and he would be heartbroken.

When she heard that Ji Pianran was sick, Zhang's expression immediately became serious.

She looked at Gu Chen with a worried face.

She asked, 'What happened? Is she very sick?'

You see, Zhang really treats Ji Pianran like her own daughter, and when she heard that she was sick, she was really worried.

'There are polyps in her stomach. The doctor said that cutting them out will do the trick, it's just a minimally invasive surgery, don't worry.'

Although Gu Chen also felt very distressed about Ji Pianran, Auntie Zhang was old after all, and she really did care about Ji Pianran, so she didn't want to make her worry.

She had to say that it wasn't a big deal.

Hearing him say that, Auntie Zhang was slightly relieved.

She thought for a moment and said, 'Well, I can't really help much. You've been busy with the land and your daughter-in-law being in the hospital these past few days. Why don't you leave Tangtang with me and go about your business?'

Gu Chen hurriedly said, 'That's not necessary. We've troubled you enough over the years.'

Over the years, it was really thanks to Auntie Zhang.

Upon hearing this, Auntie Zhang's face instantly fell, and she looked a little unhappy.

'What are you talking about? We're neighbours, it's only right to help each other. Besides, this child has had a really hard time over the years, and she really is a heartbreaker. I feel really bad if I don't help her!'

After a pause, she added, 'It's settled then. You leave Tang Tang with me, and I promise that the child won't suffer in the slightest while she's with me.'

Tang Tang is cute and smart, and she's also a pretty girl.

She's been a favourite since she was little.

Especially when she calls her "Grandma Zhang", it melts her heart.

She really liked the child from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing that Auntie Zhang said so, Gu Chen did not demur. After all, it was really hard for Tang Tang to always follow her to the hospital.

Moreover, there were many viruses in the hospital itself, and children did not have as good a resistance as adults.

If Tang Tang got sick later, it would be even more troublesome.

Gu Chen said apologetically, 'Then I'll trouble you. You still love me.'

He was telling the truth. The only person who was willing to help and support him like this was Auntie Zhang. While everyone was talking behind his back about how he had distanced himself from his family, Auntie Zhang had always been quietly kind to his family and to Ji Pianran and the child.

He had never forgotten any of this and would never forget it for the rest of his life.

After Gu Chen finished speaking, he handed over the crab in his hands.

'Auntie, when I went grocery shopping today, I found a seafood store that sold rare crabs. I bought a few for you to try.'

They are all villagers, and Haicheng is located between the north and the south, with more in the north.

Although it is called Haicheng, there is actually no sea at all.

Crabs are not exactly cheap.

Not to mention the villagers, even ordinary families in the city generally don't buy them during the New Year and other holidays.

After all, the price is there, and no one is willing to part with them, as they don't feel they are good value for money.

Hearing that it was crabs, Auntie Zhang hurriedly pushed Gu Chen's hand back.

'What's this? This stuff isn't cheap. Take it back for Pyan Ran to eat. Pyan Ran is having an operation, so give her something good to eat!'

This isn't cheap, she can't accept it!

Gu Chen couldn't possibly take it back, so he smiled.

'This stuff really isn't expensive, and besides, I've kept five of them, which is enough for Pyan Ran to eat. You, just take it!'

'You just said that distant relatives are no better than close neighbours, and that they should be nice to us. But you don't want us to be nice to you in return. That's quite a double standard.'

What did he mean by that? Auntie Zhang didn't understand, but from what he said, she got the general idea.

It meant that she should be nice to them, but they weren't allowed to be nice to her.

Since he had put it so bluntly, she didn't want to refuse.

Auntie Zhang grinned.

'Okay, I'll take it, and I'll treat Tangtang to a nice dinner tonight!'

It would be an exaggeration to say that she had never eaten crab before, but she had only eaten it twice in her life: once when she was a child at her grandmother's house, and once when she visited relatives in the city.

She never expected that Gu Chen would give her crab for the third time.

Carrying the crab that Gu Chen had given her, she felt warm and happy inside, and couldn't help feeling grateful.

This child really has a good heart.

It was worth the effort!

Gu Chen walked over to Tang Tang and tilted his head to look at her as she concentrated on feeding the rabbit.

'Can we stay at Grandma Zhang's house today? That way, Daddy can concentrate on taking care of Mummy.'

In fact, Tang Tang didn't really want to stay at Grandma Zhang's house. Although Grandma Zhang was very kind to her and she liked her very much, she had never slept over at Grandma Zhang's house before.

She would rather sleep at home with her father than at Grandma Zhang's.

But when she heard that her father was going to take care of her mother, she couldn't help but waver a little.

After all, her mother was sick and needed care, and if her father stayed with her, her mother would be alone.

Tangtang didn't want her mother to be alone.

She hesitated for a long time before she said, 'Okay, then Daddy, remember to think of Tangtang.'

After saying this, she smiled at Gu Chen.