Gan Li had already considered this before she said those words. If she simply said that she would change and treat Chen Pan'er better in the future, people would definitely not believe her.
Even if it were her, in her past life, if her parents suddenly appeared and said they would change and treat her better—she would tell them to go somewhere cool and stay away.
Do you think she's someone who's easy to fool?
Unless a plausible reason can be presented, then this statement has some credibility.
And this plausible reason is readily available: in a life-or-death situation, the son who used to dote on her doesn't care about her life or death, but the daughter who she always looked down on treats her so sincerely. Anyone who isn't heartless would be moved.
After experiencing all of this, it's only natural to change one's views on one's daughter.
Sure enough, after hearing her reason, Chen Pan'er's tense expression relaxed a little. Although the tears in her eyes did not stop, her eyes had changed from fear to grievance.
Seeing this, Ganli persevered.
She said, "Now that we've left the Chen family, and you've already signed a letter severing ties with Chen Danian, he's no longer your father. Since you two are no longer related, it's not good for you to keep the Chen surname. Why don't you take my surname, Gan? What do you say?"
Chen Pan'er was taken aback, her face showing some surprise, as if she hadn't expected her to bring up the matter of changing her surname. But she didn't think about it for long before nodding.
After all, although Chen Danian was her father, he hadn't cared for her for more than ten years, and the two had no affection for each other. So whether she took Chen Danian's surname or not was none of her concern.
Gan Li was overjoyed to see this and said even more, "Since we've already changed our surname, let's change our given name too!"
Pan'er, Pan'er. She had only been calling her that name for a day, but it already felt incredibly awkward, so she decided to take the opportunity to change it.
She thought for a moment and quickly came up with an idea: "Since you have the surname Gan, how about... Gan Tian! It sounds nice, and it has a good meaning, representing that after hardship comes happiness, and the days ahead will be sweet! What do you think?"
Chen Pan'er blinked, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.
Gan Li became a little anxious upon seeing this: "Don't cry, don't cry! If you don't like this name, then we can change it to another one. Or, do you have any ideas of your own?"
"No, no need!" Chen Pan'er said, choking back tears, "This is just fine!"
Although she had never been to school, she was not stupid. She understood the meaning of her name from the way people around her treated her and her brother.
She used to be resentful—it was clearly her own name, yet it carried the expectation of another person!
Later, she became numb, because even if she changed her name, it wouldn't change her family's attitude towards her.
But now her mother has taken the initiative to change her name and said that she will have a sweet and happy life from now on! Does this mean that her mother... will love her dearly from now on?
Perhaps it was because her mother seemed different today that Chen Pan'er mustered up the courage to ask the question.
Gan Li looked at the expectant look in her eyes and felt a pang of sadness. She naturally reached out and patted the girl's head, saying softly, "That's right, from now on you'll be a girl who's loved."
His tone was gentle, as if comforting her, or perhaps comforting his former self.
As she spoke, her eyes reddened. Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of the children, she suddenly stood up and said nonchalantly, "Oh dear, it's getting dark, and we haven't cleaned the fish yet!"
After saying that, he rushed over, picked up the bamboo basket, and went into the kitchen, disappearing from Chen Pan'er's sight like a gust of wind.
Chen Pan'er... no, she should be called Gan Tian now.
Gan Tian watched her mother's hurried departure, but she didn't feel abandoned at all. Remembering what her mother had just said, she couldn't help but smile... and then a snot bubble popped out of her nose.
She covered her nose in alarm, turned around to look, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there was no one around.
Gan Tian washed her face before reluctantly heading to the kitchen.
She was so focused on being sad that she was still feeling a bit disoriented now that she'd calmed down.
After all, she had never been close to her mother before, and the two of them had just said so many sweet things together. She was at a loss as to how to get along with Ganli.
The little girl approached the kitchen hesitantly, but was drawn in by the aroma wafting from inside.
"It smells so good!" she couldn't help but exclaim.
Hearing the voice, Ganli turned around with a smile and greeted her, "Does it smell good? Come in quickly, it'll be ready to eat soon!"
Ganli was busy at the stove. An oil lamp had been lit in the kitchen, but it wasn't very bright. However, Gantian didn't feel that the environment was dim at all. Instead, she felt a special kind of warmth.
Her lips curled up unconsciously, and she obediently hummed in agreement before stepping inside.
On the stove, a pot of milky white fish soup was boiling and bubbling, with fine bubbles constantly bursting and making a pleasant gurgling sound.
Ganli poured in the finely chopped pickled cabbage and gently stirred it with a spatula to ensure that every strand of pickled cabbage was evenly incorporated into the boiling fish soup.
As she moved, a mouthwatering aroma rose gently. The unique sourness of the pickled cabbage blended perfectly with the rich and delicious fish soup, creating a distinctive fragrance that whetted the appetite with just one whiff!
Ganli filled a bowl for each of them and placed it on the small wooden table. She then invited Gantian to sit down and handed her chopsticks.
Gan Tian looked at the steaming fish soup in front of her, which contained two small fish fried to a golden brown. The originally milky white fish soup had turned golden in color because of the addition of pickled cabbage, and it looked very appetizing.
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