Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away
Chapter 374: Three hundred seventy-four years of parting_1

Chapter 374: Three hundred seventy-four years of parting_1

Standing outside the Little Sun Kindergarten today was a new teacher I hadn’t seen before.

Her name seemed to be Zhang Qianqian, a bit on the plump side, with a smattering of freckles on her face and looking to be just over twenty.

At that moment, she was wrapped in a thick coat, chatting casually with the parents who had come to drop off their children.

Compared to Dong Yuwei’s pleasant and smiling demeanor, this new teacher seemed much more perfunctory.

Of course, this was no fault of hers, as standing guard at the kindergarten entrance early in the morning was inherently a tough job.

Although the average temperature in Chuan City was relatively high, for most of the year, it presented a gloomy, rainy aspect.

Adding to this was the high humidity, which made standing outside on the street in the morning even colder.

And then having to deal with the parents, who could never seem to be reassured, was an added hassle.

That’s why they usually avoided this duty, with only Dong Yuwei seeming to thrive on it.

However, when the new teacher saw Gu Chen, she turned out to be quite polite.

In the kindergarten, from the headmistress to the teachers, everyone knew that Gu Chen and Dong Yuwei were good friends.

And Dong Yuwei was one not to be trifled with in the education sector, so although some might despise Gu Chen for living off a woman, they wouldn’t show it openly. After all, nobody liked to make life uncomfortable for themselves.

After bringing Tangtang and the other children inside,

she put on a polite professional smile and said to Gu Chen,

"Tangtang’s dad, the kindergarten is currently planning to organize an outdoor excursion.

The main purpose is for teachers and parents to guide the children in correctly understanding nature.

The subsequent itinerary includes parent-child games, a family picnic, and a trip to a farmstay to pick fresh vegetables and fruit.

The event is preliminarily set for three days from now, and there’s a participation fee of 455 yuan needed.

Of course, it will ultimately be adjusted for any over or underpayment. So, what do you think about this group activity?

Tangtang has only recently started school; would you like to join in?

But please don’t misunderstand me, participation is entirely voluntary, and we won’t force you at all.

I just thought this was a rare opportunity, and it’d be great for fostering friendships among the children too."

Gu Chen nodded, not bothering with any unnecessary words, and promptly took out his wallet to pay on the spot.

He thought to himself, you’ve said your piece, what else can I say but agree?

Although his Tangtang had grown up in the countryside and was extremely familiar with nature,

what to speak of picnics or picking fruits at a farmstay, weren’t those just part of their regular life before?

But no matter what, this was a collective activity of the kindergarten, and he definitely couldn’t miss it.

Otherwise, while other children would be out on the trip,

his own Tangtang would be left alone in the kindergarten – what kind of look would that be?

And if Tangtang was laughed at by the other kids because of this, what if she developed some psychological issues?

It didn’t matter that he had the money now. Even if he hadn’t, he would have had to find a way to pay.

No matter the cost, his daughter must not be shortchanged.

Thinking this, Gu Chen found himself even more eager about the opening of his new store.

After all, his wife had only given him a thousand yuan last night, and now, in less than a day,

half of it had been spent on an activity fee. If this were an ordinary family,

yuan might be a whole month’s salary simply gone.

If we wait a few more days, the kindergarten might cough up another party that needs funding.

Then, I reckon I might as well close up shop since I can barely afford to fill up the damn tank.

After dropping his daughter at the Little Sun Kindergarten, Gu Chen drove straight to Xingye Road, and almost effortlessly, he found the shop.

It wasn’t that he had a particularly good sense of direction, but the location of the shop was indeed excellent.

It wasn’t just street-facing, but it was also situated right in the bustling Pedestrian Street of Chuan City.

Furthermore, to the east was the High-tech Industrial Park, and to the west were several local middle schools and universities.

To the north, there was a commercial office building that was up for rent, so attracting customers was hardly a worry.

Originally, he thought that the seller might be out to fleece him with an exorbitant price.

But now, seeing the place, Gu Chen suddenly felt that the location alone was worth the price.

The only issue was that the general spending power wasn’t very high right now, and the shop they were running was a breakfast spot.

If there had been more time, this prime location would probably have been put up for rent instead,

which would have been far more profitable than running around busy with the breakfast business.

As Gu Chen thought about this, he parked the car outside the shop and pushed open the wooden door to enter.

Upon entering, the first impression was that the decoration, from the inside out, was all very old-fashioned.

The intricate cornices of the entrance porch were completely round and painted with stripes of gold and red.

The various kinds of porcelain placed on the shelf behind the counter were simple in appearance,

yet every corner revealed a sense of time-worn solemnity.

The shop’s owners were an elderly couple who were busy with clean rags in their hands, meticulously wiping down every piece of the shop’s furnishings as Gu Chen walked in.

When they heard that Gu Chen was the new owner who purchased the shop space, both their expressions grew sentimental.

The couple had lived their entire lives around here, relying on this little breakfast shop to feed their family and put their children through school.

So many years had passed; they grew from youthful exuberance to their current old age.

Now, their child, having completed his studies, was eager to take them abroad for retirement.

This made both of them somewhat wistful, yet the prospect of reuniting with family and enjoying their twilight years together mattered more to the old couple.

Seeing Gu Chen come over, they couldn’t help themselves and started to enthusiastically show him around,

explaining how to use each item, where to place each piece of dishware, and how to maintain the furniture on a daily basis.

For them, these things were as ingrained in their minds as the years they had lived through.

Gu Chen wasn’t in a hurry; he just listened to them quietly,

carefully memorizing the placement and use of every item in the shop.

But before long, another car stopped at the door.

A man wearing round glasses, looking rather bookish, also came in, ready to leave with the elderly couple.

They looked around at their shop one last time, knowingly that they might not return in their remaining years,

and with tears glistening in their eyes and somewhat shaky hands,

they handed over the well-worn key, its edges smooth and rounded with use, to Gu Chen.

Only then did they finally turn and leave.