Since the incident at the New Year, a rift had formed between her and Xiaotian. She was quite surprised that he came to pick her up from get off work today. She closed the car door and got into the back seat.
"Why is Xiao Tian here today?"
Gu Xiaotian turned his head away awkwardly. Gu Anran was a little disappointed and lowered her head without saying anything. Suddenly, a small hand grasped her hand, and she looked at Xiaotian with surprise.
“Mom, I was wrong about what happened last time. I shouldn’t have disregarded you. That little girl is my friend. Her family is very poor and lives in a remote area. They can’t afford to send her to school.”
The sudden apology brought tears to Gu Anran's eyes. She hugged Xiaotian tightly. What mother wouldn't love her child? During this time, Xiaotian would either sleep or go out to play when he came home. She knew he knew and was intentionally avoiding her.
"Mom was also wrong. I will definitely control my temper in the future."
Gu Xiaotian nodded and leaned against her. Actually, he missed his mother very much. He knew that she had covered him with a blanket in the middle of the night, but he just couldn't let go of his pride as a man until his father told him that pride could be put aside in front of the person you love.
"Mom, I miss you."
"I miss Xiaotian too."
Gu Anran stroked his hair gently, thinking about the little girl and realizing that she had gone too far. The little girl was a very sensible child who just wanted someone to spend New Year's Eve with her. If only she had stayed with the little girl to celebrate the New Year together.
Thinking of this, she asked Xiaotian about her situation. Xiaotian shook his head, "I don't know either. I haven't seen her since last time."
Gu Anran paused, feeling even more guilty. She heard the longing in Xiao Tian's words, and she leaned forward to pat Ye Lichuan.
"Do you remember where that little girl lives?" Hearing this, Gu Xiaotian looked at her excitedly. She kissed her son's soft cheek, told Ye Lichuan to drive in the direction of the little girl's house, and sat in the back seat to play games with Xiaotian.
On the way, she also bought some toys and clothes for Xiaotian. The three of them went to the little girl's house together. It took them half an hour to get there after leaving the city.
Gu Anran pulled Gu Xiaoxia out of the car, and they walked for a while before reaching the village. It was too late that night, and Ye Lichuan couldn't quite remember which house it was. After asking around, they finally arrived at the little girl's house.
The village as a whole is not considered poor; some families have built detached villas and seem to have good living conditions. However, the little girl's family still lives in an old tile-roofed house, which is damaged in some places.
"Who are you looking for?" The villagers from Luguo looked at them warily.
"Hello, we're looking for Xiaoling, isn't she home?"
"They've gone to work in the fields. You'll see them if you walk this way." Gu Anran thanked the villagers and handed them the gifts before heading towards the fields.
The ground was slippery and muddy after the rain. After walking a few steps, the three of them had their shoes covered in mud and their pants were covered in mud spots. After circling around twice, they finally saw Xiaoling and her grandmother. Their faces were dirty and covered in grime as they weeded the vegetables in the field.
"Xiao Ling! Xiao Ling!" Gu Xiaotian shouted excitedly when he saw her. He tried to run over but fell to the ground. When he got up, he was covered in blobs. Gu Anran suppressed a laugh and helped him wipe his face clean.
Xiaoling, who was working, heard a familiar voice and quickly looked up. She was excited to see that it was Gu Xiaotian. The two waved to each other. Her grandmother stood up and Xiaoling helped her grandmother walk out of the field.
"Grandma, this is the little Tian I told you about, and his family." She excitedly hugged Little Tian, and the two held each other for a long time before letting go.
The little girl stepped forward to greet Ye Lichuan. She was a little scared when she saw Gu Anran, but she still greeted her despite her fear. Gu Anran was very annoyed when she noticed the fear in her eyes.
Grandma went up to greet them and invited them to go home together. The old door creaked as the group went inside. The house was clean but poor, with hardly anything new in sight. Grandma fetched water for the two children to wash their faces.
Afterwards, she tidied up the house and brought out three stools. Seeing the embarrassment on the old woman's face, Gu Anran immediately sat down and chatted with her. Although they were not in the same age group, they got along very well.
"It was Mom who suggested coming this time. Actually, Mom got angry that day because she was worried about me," Gu Xiaotian quickly explained when she saw her mother staring at her.
Xiao Ling smiled and looked in her grandmother's direction. As if she had made up her mind, she nodded and kept encouraging herself. After her grandmother stood up, she also stood up and walked to Gu Anran.
"Your name is Xiaoling, right?"
She nodded and said, "Auntie, I'm not a bad child. I won't lead Brother Xiaotian astray. Please don't blame Brother Xiaotian. I just want to play with him."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head nervously. Gu Anran looked at her. Her clothes were faded from washing, and her shoes had a hole in them. It seemed that only she and her grandmother lived in the house.
"What happened before was my fault. I promise I won't stop you from playing with Brother Xiaotian anymore."
Hearing this, the little girl looked at her with surprise. Gu Anran bent down and took out two boxes from the ground, which contained the clothes and shoes she had bought for her. "I didn't see them clearly last time, so I bought them for you based on my memory. Try them on and see if they fit."
She shook her head to refuse, but Gu Anran stopped her. She looked at her grandmother with difficulty, and her grandmother, feeling embarrassed, agreed after Gu Anran's persuasion.
The little girl looked much prettier in her new clothes. The clothes she had chosen fit her perfectly, and she looked proudly at the two men in the house.
After Xiaoling blushed and thanked him, she ran to sit down next to Gu Xiaotian. The two children started chattering again. Gu Anran stayed at the little girl's house until dark, then got up to say goodbye. The little girl was very reluctant to leave, but there was nothing she could do.
Seeing that Gu Xiaotian was also reluctant to leave, she walked up to the old man and said, "I want to discuss something with you. The children's education is a big issue. Xiaoling is now of school age and should receive an education. I am willing to sponsor Xiaoling's schooling. Would you be willing to move away from here?"
The girl's grandmother looked at her in surprise, and the next second she burst into tears. "I never thought that Xiaoling would meet such kind people. I am old and my family has no source of income to support Xiaoling's tuition. Thank you so much, thank you all."
The old man didn't know how to thank them and wanted to take out his last bit of money, but Gu Anran stopped him, saying, "It's just a small thing, there's no need for that. If you're willing, I'll come pick you up in a couple of days."
Xiaoling overheard their conversation, stepped forward to thank Gu Anran, and said she would study hard. She then saw them off out of the village before returning home.
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