Chen Danian was determined to get the ice-making method from Gan Li, so he went to the dock impatiently. However, it was already late, and when he arrived, Gan Li had already closed up shop and gone home. He would have to come back the next day.
That night, Chen Danian barely slept, his mind filled with images of piles of silver and Gan Li's hateful face!
"You bastard! You have such a great way to make money, yet you've kept it a secret all this time. If you had revealed it sooner, I wouldn't have had to curry favor with that old dog from the Zhao family!"
He cursed repeatedly, taking out all the anger he had suffered at Master Zhao's hands on Gan Li, and secretly vowed: this time, he would get his hands on the ice-making method no matter what!
Before dawn the next day, Chen Danian got up and rushed to the dock, but still couldn't find the Gan family's stall.
I had to ask someone nearby to find out that the dessert shop usually comes around noon, not this early.
After a grueling night, Chen Danian was furious to have come up empty-handed, but the thought of the hard-earned money kept him from losing his temper.
Since he was already there, and it was such a hot day, he didn't want to keep running around. Remembering that he hadn't eaten breakfast, he decided to take advantage of the many food stalls around. He chose one with a canopy, went inside, and ordered a bowl of chicken soup wontons and a basket of meat buns, which he then ate slowly and leisurely.
After he finished eating slowly, Ganli finally arrived in an oxcart. He saw that before the food was even unloaded, the guests rushed forward and formed a long queue.
"A bowl of taro balls, please, with extra sugar syrup and ice!"
"I want two popsicles, one red bean and one green bean!"
Listening to the shouts of the guests and watching Gan Li skillfully collect money, scoop sugar water, and hand out popsicles, Chen Danian felt as if cat claws were scratching at his heart, both itchy and uncomfortable. He wished he could rush up and take Gan Li's place to collect money.
However, he wasn't entirely brainless; he knew it wasn't appropriate to act in front of so many people, so he could only patiently observe from the shadows.
Time passed by, the sun rose higher, more and more people gathered at the dock, and the pear business flourished.
Chen Danian's eyes turned red as he watched, and his heart was filled with urges. He wished he could rush up and overturn Ganli's stall and force her to hand over the method of making ice!
But he couldn't.
He also wants to get the ice-making method from this wretched woman!
Finally, as the sun began to set, the pear stall sold out, and the remaining customers, seeing that there was nothing left to buy, quickly dispersed.
Upon seeing this, Chen Danian immediately perked up.
He quickly straightened his wrinkled clothes, cleared his throat, and then strode toward the pear stall.
"The taro balls and popsicles are all sold out. If you'd like some, please come back tomorrow!" Gan Li said without looking up, quickly packing up the items.
However, the people in front of the stall did not move.
She looked up in confusion and saw Chen Danian standing in front of her stall, staring intently at their money box with a greedy look in his eyes, just like a hungry wolf!
"What are you doing?!" Gan Li was startled and shouted sharply.
Her shout immediately attracted the attention of those around her.
Upon seeing this, the Gan brothers, forgetting about packing their things, rushed forward, one on each side, to protect the money jar behind them, watching Chen Danian warily.
Gan Mingyi rolled up his sleeves, waved the fist-sized clay pot in front of him, and shouted, "You bastard, I didn't come looking for you, but you delivered yourself to my door! Do you want a beating?"
"I...I..." Chen Danian was startled by Gan Li's sudden rebuke, and even more so by Gan Mingyi's fist, which made him stagger back three steps. When he came to his senses, he saw that everyone around him was looking at him, and he felt a little embarrassed.
He coughed twice to cover his mouth, and his gaze shifted until he saw Gan Tian standing behind Gan Li. He waved to Gan Tian with feigned affection, pretending to be looking after his daughter, and said loudly:
"Pan'er, your father has come to see you! You haven't been home for several days. Are you not used to it? I think you should come home again so that Yaozu can keep you company."
Gan Tian didn't want to talk to him in the first place, and upon hearing this, she turned her head away even more, her attitude becoming indifferent.
Chen Danian was rebuffed and felt embarrassed, so he awkwardly withdrew his hand.
At this moment, Gan Li coldly said, "She's not called Chen Pan'er anymore, she's called Gan Tian."
"Gan Tian?" Chen Danian was taken aback, then said angrily, "Changing her name is one thing, but how can you change her surname? She's my daughter, how can she have your surname Gan?"
"The letter severing ties is written clearly in black and white. You're a scholar, after all. Don't you know that signing this means you have no further connection? So she can take whatever surname she wants; it's none of your business!" Gan Li retorted without any politeness.
"You, you..." Chen Danian was speechless after being confronted by Gan Li, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
Ganli waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing away a fly: "What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'get lost if you have nothing to do!' Don't get in my way!"
"Don't go too far!" In the past, Chen Danian had always been the one to say what was right in front of Gan Li. He had never been humiliated like this before.
Having lost face in public, he was furious and clenched his fists, ready to step forward, but before he could get close, he was blocked in front of him.
"What? You want to fight?" Gan Mingli stepped forward, blocking his sister's path, and glared at Chen Danian with his bull-like eyes: "Let me tell you, this is the dock, not a place for you to run wild!"
Gan Mingyi rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular physique: "If you come any closer, don't blame me for my ruthless fists!"
Although Chen Danian was frightened by the Gan brothers' murderous looks, the thought of his ice-making method, which could bring him a fortune, gave him renewed confidence.
He turned to look at Gan Li, cleared his throat, and, adopting the demeanor of the head of the household, said to Gan Li:
“I saw it all over there just now. You must have made a lot of money from your stall… Tell me, if you had shown me your money-making methods earlier, how could I have been forced to be with Zhao Juan?”
Now stop making a fuss and come home with me. From now on, we're still husband and wife—but you absolutely mustn't hide anything from me anymore. Once we're home, tell me the method for making ice, and I'll forgive and forget what happened before!
Gan Li was utterly stunned by Chen Danian's shamelessness when she heard these words. In her two lifetimes, this was the first time she had ever met such a shameless person.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and sneered, saying, "Chen Danian, you really are something! To make abandoning your wife and daughters and living off a woman sound so elegant and refined! And you want my ice-making method? Have you lost your mind?!"
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