Da Zhuang looked at He Xiu and scratched his head in confusion.
He felt that Dr. He was a bit strange, but he quickly put that strangeness out of his mind.
Grandpa cooked porridge with cornmeal; it was fragrant, sticky, and especially delicious.
Grandpa Xia looked at Xia Ran feeding the child while he himself didn't eat, and his eyes showed heartache.
"Xiao Ran, let me feed the baby. You should eat something too; you've been hungry all night."
He had eaten a little before the others returned, so he wasn't hungry now.
Xia Ran shook her head and said,
"No need, Grandpa, I can feed you. I'm not hungry."
He was so worried about the baby that he didn't feel hungry at all.
Grandpa Xia sighed and didn't say anything more, but Gu Chen glanced at Xia and then spoke.
"Little Daddy, I can eat by myself. You eat too, don't go hungry."
Xia Ran felt a warmth in her heart and said softly.
"No need, Daddy isn't hungry. You eat first, and Daddy will eat after you're done."
Gu Chen couldn't argue with Xia Ran, so he could only try to eat faster. Gu Chen, who usually only ate one bowl, was really starving today and ate two big bowls.
If Xia Ran hadn't been worried that eating so much at once would upset his stomach, Gu Chen would have wanted to eat some more.
"Xiao Chen, be good. You can't eat so much right now, or your tummy will burst. How about we eat tomorrow? Now let's take a shower and then go to sleep, okay?"
Fortunately, the child listened and obediently stopped eating after hearing Xia Ran's words.
"Will my little daddy sleep with me?"
“Yes, we’ll sleep together tonight.” Xia Ran picked up the child.
Xia Ran originally wanted to bathe the child, but there were no clothes for the child. Just then, Grandpa Xia took out several sets of clothes from the room, including pajamas and everyday clothes.
“Grandpa…” Xia Ran was stunned for a moment, not expecting that her grandfather would have children’s clothes.
Grandpa Xia looked a little uncomfortable, coughed lightly, and said...
"These clothes were bought when I went shopping with Lao Li and the others. Lao Li wanted to buy clothes for his grandson, so I bought some for him."
"Originally... I only intended to buy one set, but then I felt they were all quite suitable for children, so I bought a few more, thinking that my child could use them when they come back in the future. I just didn't expect you..."
Even if Grandpa Xia didn't say anything next, Xia Ran would know what he meant. What Grandpa Xia didn't expect was that they would actually get divorced.
"It would be a waste to throw these clothes away. They've been sitting in the closet for a while now... so they can finally be used."
After hearing this, Xia Ran's feelings became even more complicated. He lowered his head and said to the child,
"Xiao Chen, say thank you to your great-grandfather."
"Thank you, Great-Grandpa," Gu Chen said obediently. Grandpa Xia patted the child's head and then left without saying anything more.
What can he do with a child? He can't say anything, he can't scold him, and he just can't bear to do it.
After watching her grandfather leave, Xia Ran took the child into the bathroom.
He understood his grandfather's thoughts. Although his grandfather hated Gu Zheng, he couldn't bear to treat the child badly.
Only Dazhuang and He Xiu remained in the living room. Dazhuang scratched his head, looked at He Xiu, and said cautiously,
"Um... Dr. He, it's so late now, why don't you go back to the hotel and rest? Thank you for your help today, I'll treat you to dinner next time I have the chance to thank you."
Da Zhuang thought that He Xiu had come over because he had something to do and would leave tomorrow, so his words were just a polite remark.
But to his utter surprise, He Xiu agreed without hesitation.
"Sure, I'm going to stay here for two more days anyway."
Da Zhuang: "…………" Why is Dr. He acting so unpredictably?
"...Then you should go back to the hotel first. I'll see you during dinner time; I'm free."
Having learned from the previous experience, Dazhuang directly gave the choice to He Xiu.
If he hadn't recognized that He Xiu was wearing designer clothes and didn't seem to lack money, he would have suspected that the man was deliberately trying to freeload.
Da Zhuang escorted the person to the door, but to his surprise, He Xiu turned around and looked at him again.
“The child was so frightened today. You should ask Xia Ran to spend more time with him, as he might get sick and have a fever. Please be careful.”
Chapter 223 About the Child's Whereabouts
"Huh?" Dazhuang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Okay, I understand, thank you."
Thinking about his earlier thought, Dazhuang felt extremely ashamed. The other person was doing everything for the child and Xia Ran, and he had actually misunderstood her. This kind of thinking was really unacceptable!
Because he felt a little guilty, Da Zhuang's face turned slightly red. This made He Xiu raise an eyebrow. He didn't seem to have said much, so why was this person so shy?
But is this a good thing?
Since it was a good thing, he wouldn't expose the person in front of him. He simply nodded and said,
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go home and get some sleep. You've had a busy day."
"Okay." Da Zhuang nodded. "Take care, Dr. He."
After watching He Xiu get into the Gu family's car, Da Zhuang turned around and closed the door. Thinking about what happened today, he also had a headache.
Could Xia Ran have gotten back together with that so-called Gu Zheng? After all, she's brought the child back.
But given Xia Ran's personality, how could she possibly forgive Gu Zheng like that?
As Dazhuang walked in, he found that Grandpa Xia was still sitting in the living room, so he sat down directly there.
"Grandpa, you...you don't need to overthink it. Xia Ran knows what he's doing."
Because he had lived under the same roof as Grandpa Xia for so long, Dazhuang knew Grandpa Xia quite well.
"I do know my limits," Grandpa Xia sighed, "I'm just a little soft-hearted."
Dazhuang: "He's not soft-hearted, he's just soft-hearted towards the Gu family father and son."
Actually, there was one more thing Da Zhuang didn't say: Xia Ran still couldn't let go of Gu Zheng.
However, Dazhuang didn't dare say these words aloud, otherwise it would only make his grandfather sad.
Grandpa Xia sighed heavily and then fell silent.
Dazhuang: "Grandpa, it's getting late, why don't you go to sleep first?"
"I'll wait for Xiaoran to come out and talk to her. You go to sleep first," Grandpa Xia shook his head.
Dazhuang thought for a moment and nodded. It wouldn't be good for him to be there when Grandpa Xia and Xia Ran were talking.
Although he and Xia Ran were good friends, this was ultimately their family matter, and it was inappropriate for him to be present.
After giving the child a bath, Xia Ran carried him back to the room. The child clung tightly to Xia Ran's neck the whole time, as if afraid that Xia Ran would suddenly abandon him again.
Xia Ran tucked the child into the blankets and said softly.
"Baby, be good and go to sleep, okay?"
"Then... then will Daddy sleep with me?" Gu Chen looked at Xia Ran expectantly, his hand still tightly clutching Xia Ran's clothes.
Xia Ran's heart softened. "Okay, I'll sleep with you."
He lay down in bed and slept holding the child, just like before.
Gu Chen's eyes welled up with tears. "Little Daddy, in the future... in the future, can you please not leave me?"
"You promised the baby that you would always be with the baby, and the baby doesn't want to be without you."
As Xia Ran held her child and listened to the child's choked sobs, her heart ached even more.
"Go to sleep first, and Daddy will tell you the answer tomorrow after you wake up, okay?"
He can't give the child the answer right now; he needs to talk to Gu Zheng.
Gu Chen: "I... okay, then Daddy must remember to tell me tomorrow, you can't go back on your word."
What could Xia Ran do but nod in agreement?
I should be able to give the child a positive answer by tomorrow.
With Xia Ran's assurance, the child quickly fell asleep, but he was probably too afraid of losing Xia Ran, so he never let go of Xia Ran's clothes.
Xia Ran, however, had not fallen asleep. When he looked at the child's furrowed brows, he couldn't help but sigh, his mouth full of bitterness.
"Little Daddy, I'm afraid I'll never be able to bear leaving you in this lifetime. You must grow up to be a good boy and girl."
After making sure the child was asleep, Xia Ran prepared to go out, only to find that the child was still tugging at his clothes.
Helpless, Xia Ran could only take off his clothes and let the child hold them while he changed his clothes and went out.
When Xia Ran saw Grandpa Xia in the living room, he was not surprised at all. He walked over and sat down opposite his grandfather.
"Grandpa, I..." Xia Ran moved her lips a few times, but didn't know what to say.
Grandpa Xia's face was serious, but when he saw Xia Ran looking exhausted, he couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.
What do you want?
He had anticipated his grandfather's problem.
“Grandpa, the child is like this, I… I can’t, I have no choice but to ignore him. Although I have no relationship with Gu Zheng anymore, I still can’t bear to part with the child.”
"So what if you can't bear to part with the child? Are you going to remarry him?" Grandpa Xia asked directly.
"Impossible!" Xia Ran retorted immediately. "I would never remarry him!"
Xia Ran was extremely resistant to the idea of remarrying Gu Zheng; at least for now, his face was still somewhat pale.
Grandpa Xia looked at him, his expression remaining serious throughout.
"If you can't remarry, how will you raise the child? Will they be willing to give the child to you? Xia Ran, I know you're reluctant to part with the child, but you need to understand that you and the child are not related by blood."
"Remarriage seems impossible. Do you think they'll just give you the child for nothing?"
Xia Ran turned pale after being bombarded with questions from Grandpa Xia, and was speechless for a moment.
Grandpa Xia: "Since we've already missed it once, I won't allow you to do it again. If you continue to disobey me, you can prepare to guard my body. I'll be driven to my death by you sooner or later."