Gao Baoliang held the small bowl carefully.
He fed Xiao Bao a bite, and Xiao Bao ate a bite. After finishing, Xiao Bao looked at Gao Baoliang and shook his head, which seemed very harmonious.
Xu Ruantang was watching intently when her view was blocked by a strong arm. Looking down, she saw that Chen Ji had placed a bowl of fish soup in front of her.
"It'll get cold soon."
Chen Ji's movements were natural and casual, as if he genuinely believed that the fish soup would become fishy when it cooled down, which was why he urged her to drink it.
Okay, thank you.
Xu Ruantang leaned slightly closer and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Chen Ji paused for a moment while picking up food, but quickly resumed his normal movements.
Gao Ying's parents didn't eat much either, their eyes were always on Xiao Bao. Their godmother had to persuade them several times before they finally managed to eat a little.
Chen Ji's cooking was delicious, at least it suited Xu Ruantang's taste perfectly, and today she became the one who ate the most at the table.
Another reason is that the dishes on the table were all bought according to her preferences.
After dinner, Gao Baoliang spoke privately with Chen Ji and Xu Ruantang. One of them was a man who had been on the battlefield, but he was speaking haltingly at this moment.
Chen Ji glanced at him indifferently, and he immediately stood up straight.
"Say what you want to say."
Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together that she had gotten used to Chen Ji's cold face.
Xu Ruantang no longer felt that Chen Ji was an iceberg with a blank expression. She could tell at a glance whether he was smiling or not, happy or unhappy.
To outsiders, Chen Ji appeared cold and indifferent.
But Xu Ruantang just felt that his attitude was very gentle...
"Commander, can I take Xiaobao out for a walk?"
Gao Baoliang suddenly spoke very loudly, his tone as if he were giving a report, which startled Xu Ruantang.
Is Chen Ji really that intimidating?
She couldn't help but glance at Chen Ji again.
Chen Ji's face was cold and his tone was flat without any inflection: "Ask your sister-in-law."
He then adopted an attitude of "I can't make decisions at home" and stood aside.
Xu Ruantang thought for a moment, "Okay, we have Xiaobao's stroller at home, you can take it. Come back early this afternoon, Xiaobao still needs milk."
For several days in a row, Gao Baoliang would pick up Xiaobao during the day and bring him back in the afternoon when it was getting dark.
He did exactly what Xu Ruantang told him to do, even timing it precisely.
The godmother was worried about tiring the child, but Xiao Bao seemed to be in good spirits. Every morning she would get up on time and eagerly wait for Gao Baoliang to take her out for a walk.
Xu Ruantang was still in the shop during the day, while the people next door had already started moving things out.
Sister Juan thought they were new neighbors, so she kindly went over and brought them some pastries. But before the afternoon, she saw the perfectly good honey bread rolls on the garbage truck.
Sister Juan was so heartbroken that she shed tears. People in this era can't stand wasting food.
A few days later, a stall was set up next door, also selling pastries. The pastry shop was called Wang Ji Centennial Pastry Shop.
Xu Ruantang stood by the roadside and laughed out loud when she saw the name.
Seeing her smile, Sister Juan and Qiu Liang were both a little worried. "Ruan Tang, this place is so close to us, how are we going to do business in the future?"
After finishing a mung bean cake, Xu Ruantang clapped her hands and walked into the shop, saying casually, "Just do what you're supposed to do. Having competitors is a good thing, don't worry about it!"
It's normal for people to imitate them; it just proves their business is really booming.
In later generations, if one shop becomes popular, the whole street will be filled with similar shops, and business will still go on as usual.
Sister Juan still looked worried, and Xu Ruantang comforted her: "Sister Juan, you can imitate the signboard and the food, but you can't imitate the taste."
Even if you can imitate the taste, you can't imitate the mind. All the good stuff is in my head, don't worry!
She always believed that no matter what you do, you must keep improving in order to be fearless.
Xu Ruantang thought that she should also improve herself when she had time.
Since Chen Lin spoke with Xu Ruantang alone last time, he has not paid any attention to Xiao Bao's matter.
But recently, Gao Baoliang has been picking up and dropping off his child every day, which is visible to everyone in the compound, so rumors have started to circulate again.
Someone is gossiping behind my back, saying that Chen Ji, relying on his status and position, not only prevented Gao Baoliang from taking the child away, but also made Gao Baoliang, a grown man, work as their nanny.
As such rumors accumulated, they naturally reached Chen Lin's ears.
When Xu Ruantang returned to the courtyard, she learned that Chen Lin had spoken to Chen Ji about the matter, which naturally led to another argument. It was definitely Chen Lin who was throwing a tantrum, and Chen Ji ignored him.
Chen Lin even threatened that if Chen Ji continued like this, he would have the higher-ups issue an order that the child would have to be sent, whether they wanted to or not!
When Xu Ruantang arrived home, Gao Baoliang was just walking out. Seeing Xu Ruantang, he quickly stopped and greeted her, "Sister-in-law!"
During their conversation, Xu Ruantang learned that Gao Baoliang had decided not to return to his hometown. Chen Ji had helped him find a job at the factory, and the factory had even provided him with a two-bedroom apartment.
"Sister-in-law, because of me, I have caused you and the commander so much trouble. I don't know what to do."
Gao Baoliang looked apologetic.
He picked up and dropped off Xiaobao every day, and naturally heard the rumors circulating in the compound. Every time, he would give a long explanation, but everyone only believed what they wanted to believe.
"My workplace isn't far from here. Will I be able to visit my child often in the future?"
Gao Baoliang dared not look Xu Ruantang in the eye, and said with his head down, lacking confidence.
Xu Ruantang thought for a moment, "Are your parents staying here too?"
Gao Baoliang nodded, "My dad isn't in good health, so it's convenient for him to stay here for medical treatment. They also want to take care of the children."
Xu Ruantang and Chen Ji had already discussed it, so she said directly, "How about this, you can take Xiaobao over and let your parents take care of him."
Gao Baoliang was visibly excited; this was something he never dared to dream of. "Really?"
“Yes, I’ve discussed it with Chen Ji,” Xu Ruantang said. “But don’t force it. If they can’t take care of her, then you can bring Xiaobao back. Chen Ji and I want to visit the child every week and bring her back to stay on weekends, so your parents can have a break.”
“We don’t need to overcomplicate this. Chen Ji and I will still be Xiao Bao’s parents. She will just have another father and grandparents. There’s no need to force her to choose one.”
Xu Ruantang's lips curled up slightly, "There's just one thing I need to make clear to you beforehand."
"If you remarry and have your own children in the future, and neglect Xiaobao, then Chen Ji and I will take Xiaobao back and take care of her."
Chen Ji once said, "She's our daughter for life. No one can bully her, not even her own father."
Xu Ruantang spoke each word with force, each word striking Gao Baoliang's heart with power.
He didn't cry when he was injured, he didn't cry when he knew he wouldn't come back, and he didn't cry when he came back and found out his wife was gone. But now, this grown man couldn't help but cry out loud.
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