Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away
Chapter 180: One hundred and eight, all are words of fierce beasts!"_1

Chapter 180: One hundred and eight, all are words of fierce beasts!"_1

But her hands were too small, and since Gu Chen was a man, his hands were much bigger than hers.

So he only managed to envelop half of hers.

You could say it was thanks to the ginseng black chicken soup, it really made a difference; his hand was truly warm, like a little stove, and even a bit clammy.

Especially since Ji Pianran was holding her own hand tightly.

Within minutes, Gu Chen’s hand started to sweat as well.

He didn’t know if it was because of the heat, but his body felt like it was burning with a suppressed fire, inexplicably hot and restless.

Seeing a traffic light ahead, Gu Chen took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

His fingers moved slightly, as he wanted to let go of Ji Pianran’s hand.

At that moment, Ji Pianran’s mind was full of guilt, and she didn’t notice Gu Chen’s movement at all.

Seeing her not reacting, Gu Chen cleared his throat twice.

"Um, wife, can we hold hands again in a bit?"

It wasn’t that he wanted to let go, but he had no choice; if he didn’t let go now, he would run a red light!

This damn car, is—damn—it—a—manual—transmission!

Now, it was time to shift gears!

Gu Chen gritted his teeth, silently swearing that once he had money, he would definitely switch to an automatic!

A young man can be poor, but it’s not alright for a middle-aged man to be poor!

Poverty limits the freedom of holding hands with his own wife!

Pulled back to reality by Gu Chen’s voice, Ji Pianran instinctively looked at her own hand.

Her eyelid twitched in an instant.

!!!

She quickly let go of Gu Chen.

Was she actually gripping Gu Chen’s hand?

And to make matters worse, she had sweated so much!!!

This was just too embarrassing!

Would Gu Chen despise her for dirtying his hand?

Thinking about it, Ji Pianran’s heartbeat couldn’t help but quicken, and her already reddened face became even redder.

Like a ripe apple.

"I, I didn’t do it on purpose." She swallowed, her face a mix of tension and shyness.

Gu Chen shifted gears, smoothly stopping the car at the red light, his lips curling slightly, the amusement almost spilling from his eyes.

"It’s okay, I did it on purpose."

His voice wasn’t particularly deep, but it was very pleasant to the ear.

Ji Pianran’s heartbeat skipped a beat in an instant.

!!!!!!

What kind of outrageous things was he saying!

What did he mean by ’he did it on purpose’?

She clenched her fists, her palms becoming even damper.

Seeing Ji Pianran’s embarrassment and anxiety, Gu Chen thought his wife was just adorably tense.

He reached out and caught Ji Pianran’s hand again, "Come, relax."

He had to foster a good habit of hand-holding in her.

It was good to hold hands more often when there was nothing else to do; it could enhance their relationship and also provide warmth. How great that was.

"Oh, right wife, I asked Laosì to inform everyone this morning. Anyone renting the land should come over for dinner today; after all, it’s bad manners to have delayed everyone’s time."

Gu Chen glanced at the rearview mirror, speaking casually.

Ji Pianran nodded in agreement.

"I support you. We’re the ones who committed first, and the most important thing in life is credibility. With trust, we can talk about anything else."

Having grown up in the Ji Family, she may not have understood much about business, but when it came to credibility, she had indeed been immersed in its importance since childhood.

Besides, Ji Guangsheng was a man who valued credibility highly.

After speaking, she began to worry a little, "But preparing meals for so many people by yourself surely won’t be possible. How about we skip picking up Tangtang for now, and I help you? I might not be skilled at it, but I can definitely assist with simple tasks."

Although she wasn’t good at cooking, she could certainly handle washing and cutting vegetables.

Gu Chen looked at Ji Pianran with relief.

"I’ve already spoken to Tian Laosì and Aunt Zhang; they’re all coming to help, and so is Sister-in-law Cui Lan. Don’t worry, we have enough hands."

The support from his wife was the greatest affirmation for him, and as for anything else, he didn’t need it.

She had just been discharged from the hospital; it wouldn’t be too late for her to start working in a couple of days.

Ji Pianran licked her lips hesitantly, "Aren’t we troubling them a bit too much?"

She had always been independent and truly didn’t want to trouble others unless absolutely necessary.

"They are actually hoping for us to trouble them," Gu Chen stroked Ji Pianran’s hand, smiling to comfort her.

He knew better than anyone that what was owed to others, be it objects or favors, had to be repaid.

Chinese people value the concept of reciprocity.

When he goes into town tomorrow, he’ll buy some gifts for their families, and that will settle the matter.

...

The car slowed down on the dirt road at the entrance of the village, still kicking up dust.

Without going too far, Gu Chen lightly turned the steering wheel, heading towards their house.

Due to Tian Laosì’s notification, many in the village were aware that Gu Chen was hosting a meal today.

Right now, quite a few people were standing outside the village’s only assembly hall, chatting away. This place, minus the terraced fields, was the most spacious spot in the village.

"Have you heard? Gu Chen is inviting everyone who plans to rent their land to him to his house for a meal today," said Yang Yongxiang, who also intended to rent his land to Gu Chen.

"Yes, I’m taking my son with me later. According to Li You’e, Gu Chen’s cooking is incredibly delicious. A free meal, and then bringing home that three hundred after signing the contract—it’s tempting just thinking about it," responded a woman in a coarse cotton-padded jacket.

"Yeah, Aunt Li has been singing praises of Gu Chen. I’m going there for lunch today too."

"Just last month, Ji Pianran was borrowing money all over the place. Who would have thought that in just one month, Gu Chen made such a turnaround? Seems like he’s made a fortune, really made something of himself!"

"I’m envious! I want to make big money too. I must ask him how he did it later."

Everyone was talking, curious and praiseworthy — all implying good things about Gu Chen.

Lei Bo was not pleased to hear this, "With so many people, it’s probably just a formality; what good food could there be? Cold shredded radish or vinegar-dressed cabbage? Look at you all, acting like you’ve never seen the world."

After all, there were at least dozens of people who were renting out their land; that’s no small number.

Feeding so many people well wouldn’t be cheap.

Gu Chen, at best, could be considered to have a small amount of money. There was no way, Lei Bo thought, the meal for so many people could include anything of quality.

"I think you’re just being sour because you can’t partake in it. If he can offer three hundred per mu to rent land, that means he must have a decent amount of money. How much can a meal really cost?" countered Widow Wu.

When she heard someone flattering Gu Chen, Lei Bo’s annoyance was palpable.

He tossed his cigarette butt and snorted through his nose.

"Seeing as your husband died early, why don’t you go? Take your kid for a free meal. Maybe Gu Chen will take pity on you mother and child, giving you ’condolences’ now and then. Anyway, he’s rich. Skipping one banquet could feed you and your kid for a month."

Widow Wu’s face turned pale with rage in an instant.

"You ungrateful wretch, is that any way to speak? I, Wu Caifeng, have nothing to hide; my conscience is clear. Talk more nonsense, and I’ll have to have a word with your official father about the kind of person he’s raised. If your own mother can’t teach you right, maybe your stepmother can give you some lessons," she spat back, her voice rising several pitches, clear and loud for the nearby people to hear.

Some couldn’t help but let out a laugh.