10. The Chicken Peddler Scumbag of the 2000s (10)

Gu Chen arrived swiftly, parking his motorcycle right in front of the two children. “Come on, time to go home.”

When Gu Tang’s wife spoke earlier, Xiaozijia was a little scared—after all, he was just a child under six. But when Gu Chen appeared, his fear vanished, though his heart was conflicted, and he pursed his lips silently.

Little Yanyan tugged her brother forward, looking up at Gu Chen. “Where’s Mom?”

“Mom’s at home cooking. Today she bought roast duck and chicken legs. Let’s go eat,” Gu Chen said, first lifting Xiaozijia to sit in front of him, then picking up his daughter. Both children sat in front of him on the motorcycle.

They were too young; he didn’t feel comfortable letting them sit behind.

“Are there chicken legs?” Yanyan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, glancing behind her. “Brother, there are chicken legs to eat!”

If Dad says there are, then there definitely are.

Thinking about the chicken legs made Yanyan almost drool.

Xiaozijia didn’t say anything. He stayed close to Gu Chen, proudly looking at Gu Jie.

Last time, Gu Jie said their dad didn’t care about Mom or them anymore, and wouldn’t come pick them up from school.

Who said he wouldn’t?

Today, their dad was here to pick them up!

“Let’s go home,” Gu Chen started moving forward, then turned around.

There was some traffic ahead, so Gu Chen stopped and started again. Nearby stood an old man holding a straw stick covered with skewers of candied hawthorn.

Seeing Gu Chen stop, he approached with a smile and said to Yanyan, “Little one, want some candied hawthorn? It’s sweet and sour, very tasty!”

Yanyan didn’t respond.

This old man sold candied hawthorn every day, but Mom never bought any for them.

She looked up at Gu Chen.

Without hesitation, Gu Chen asked, “Want some? Pick whichever you like.”

“It costs money,” Yanyan reminded him.

That’s right, it cost money.

Xiaozijia was more sensible than Yanyan; he often told her not to let Mom spend money because buying things costs money and Mom works hard to earn it. They didn’t have much money.

“Dad has money,” Gu Chen said, rummaging in his pocket and pulling out a five-yuan note. “Pick whichever you like, quickly, one each. We need to go home and eat.”

Seeing Dad had money, Yanyan was delighted and tentatively pointed to the biggest one at the top. “I want the biggest one.”

She didn’t realize the biggest would cost more, but since money was spent, she wanted the biggest.

“Get one for her,” Gu Chen said, then looked at his son. “Which one do you want?”

Xiaozijia glanced at his sister, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t resist the allure of the candied hawthorn and also picked the biggest one.

Gu Chen added, “Let’s buy three—one for Mom.”

“Okay~~~” Yanyan happily took her large candied hawthorn, bigger than her hand, and instead of hawthorn inside, it contained a large apple.

“That’s one yuan fifty each, total four yuan fifty,” the old man said as he took five yuan from Gu Chen, ready to give back fifty cents.

Gu Chen pointed to a lower skewer. “How much for this one?”

“Fifty cents.”

“Let’s round it up. No change needed,” Gu Chen said, letting Yanyan pick one. “This one’s for you, your brother, and Mom to share.”

“That one!” she smiled and picked the nearest skewer.

The old man handed it to her.

Yanyan held her big candied hawthorn and the skewer, beaming. “Thank you, Dad.”

“Time to go home,” Gu Chen freed one hand to stroke his daughter’s head, then reached out to pat his son’s head, who was still looking down at his candied hawthorn, a slight smile curving his lips.

Gu Chen rode off with the two children.

Gu Jie looked at the old man selling candied hawthorn, loudly demanding to buy some as well.

“Why buy? Go home and eat!” Gu Tang’s wife glared at him, her face dark.

Gu Tang’s earnings from the construction site never came to her; how could she have any money?

Every time the subject came up, Gu Da’s wife would complain about running out of money for basic needs. Gu Chen spent five yuan all at once, even though he owed so much outside and still spent money so freely—it was really strange.

Gu Jie wailed on the spot, “Gu Ziyan and Gu Zijia both got some, but didn’t you say their family was poor? Their dad’s useless, yet he can buy for them. Why won’t you buy for me?”

“Go home!”

“No! I want candied hawthorn! I want two skewers! I don’t want to ride a bike.” Gu Jie threw himself on the ground, kicking and screaming. “Buy it for me! I want to eat!”

Gu Tang’s wife, furious at the onlookers, went to find a stick to punish him.

Gu Jie screamed and cried, “You’re lying! You’re lying!”

*

Many villagers came to pick up their children.

They also saw Gu Chen; the two children holding large candied hawthorns were eye-catching—and there were three of them.

Five yuan wasn’t much, but few villagers would lavish a few yuan on snacks for their kids all at once, especially since the whole family needed to live on their meager landwork. Life was very tight.

Salaries in town were only a few hundred yuan a month, yet people still competed for those jobs.

The two children had a small sense of pride. Previously, other village kids mocked them for having a father who didn’t like their mother or them, who wouldn’t pick them up from school, and for being poor with nothing to eat.

When seeing other kids, Yanyan would proudly raise her big candied hawthorn and the skewer, smiling brightly.

See? Their dad not only came to pick them up but also bought candied hawthorn.

Did they have such big candied hawthorns before?!

Gu Chen had just brought the motorcycle back and hadn’t even stopped when Yanyan shouted loudly, “Mom! Mom, we’re back!”

“Hey—” Lin Juan came out of the kitchen smiling. “School’s out?”

“Dad bought candied hawthorn,” Yanyan bounced happily toward Lin Juan, holding up the large treat. “Big big candied hawthorn.”

Lin Juan looked at Gu Chen helplessly but then thought of how hard he worked all day yesterday, earning two thousand yuan—the first time he’d earned money. She wanted to indulge the kids and not spoil the moment.

She squatted down, smiling at the children. “Dad bought it? So big? Looks like there’s even an apple inside?”

“Mm-hmm.” Yanyan nodded vigorously. “Mom has one too, with brother.”

Lin Juan was puzzled.

Mom has one too?

“Mom, here—” Xiaozijia handed her one big apple skewer; he still had another.

“Dad said to buy one for Mom too, so we can all share,” Yanyan carefully counted the skewers with her little finger. “One for Mom, one for brother, one for me—”

Lin Juan took the skewer from her son; it was indeed large and quite heavy, covered in a thick layer of caramelized sugar.

She was already a mother of two, well past childhood herself. Seeing Gu Chen buy one for her and the kids made her heart swell slightly.

She looked at Gu Chen, her face shy, and said, “Why waste money on that?”

Gu Chen smiled. “How much can a skewer cost? If you like it, I’ll buy it every day.”

Lin Juan said, “They’re still teething; too much sugar will ruin their teeth.”

“Did you hear Mom?” Gu Chen looked at the two children and gently pinched their cheeks. “We can’t buy these often; they’re bad for your teeth.”

“Okay.” The two kids nodded obediently.

This time, getting to eat such big candied hawthorns made them extremely happy.

“Quick, wash your hands; it’s time to eat.”

“Okay.” The little ones obediently put away their backpacks and carefully placed their candied hawthorns before washing their hands.

Lin Juan went into the kitchen, carefully set her skewer aside, and glanced at it again with a sweet smile.

Gu Chen had her and the children in his heart; no matter how hard life was, he wasn’t afraid.

The two kids, still dizzy with candy excitement, rushed inside and their eyes brightened again when they saw the chicken legs and roast duck.

“Really delicious,” Yanyan said to Gu Chen. “Did Dad buy this too?”

Hearing this, Xiaozijia quickly came over.

Gu Chen felt a bit awkward, lowered his head, and rubbed his nose.

Being a good father seemed more fulfilling than being an irresponsible one.

“Yes, you said you liked it, so Dad had to buy it,” Lin Juan said, serving the kids. “Dad’s so good to you.”

“Thank you, Dad!” Yanyan smiled and said, “Dad’s so nice—”

Gu Chen held his chopsticks, lowered his head, not looking at the children, shifting uncomfortably. Lin Juan noticed his ears flush red and found it amusing.

She thought he had an invincible thick skin but didn’t expect him to get shy.

After a while, Gu Chen said, “If you like it, I’ll buy it every day.”

“But we don’t have that much money. This costs a lot,” Yanyan said, holding a greasy chicken leg, mouth messy, looking at Xiaozijia unclearly. “Isn’t that right, Gege?”

“Yeah,” Xiaozijia nodded.

He knew that everyone said their family was poor because their dad was lazy and couldn’t earn money like Gu Jie’s dad, so Mom worked hard.

Gu Chen, eating with some pride, quickly replied, “Dad will go earn money then.”

“Dad has to work to earn money,” Yanyan tilted her head, her big bright eyes fixed on him. “Teacher said if you work, you can earn money.”

After saying this, she was even happier. “When Dad earns money, he’ll buy us lots of good food.”

“...Hmm.” Gu Chen didn’t look up and continued eating heartily.

“Gotta work hard, no slacking, or you won’t earn money,” Xiaozijia suddenly added seriously.

Gu Chen glanced at his son. Xiaozijia thought Dad was going to scold him but instead heard, “...Hmm, eat faster.”

Lin Juan couldn’t get a word in, watching him get lectured by two kids, feeling both amused and sympathetic.

She couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

After dinner, the two kids couldn’t wait to eat the candied hawthorn. They didn’t want to eat the big ones, so they tore open the smaller skewer.

Yanyan took charge of dividing it: one for Mom, one for herself, one for brother.

The skewer had four pieces. Lin Juan hadn’t planned to eat any, but this way, each kid could have two.

“Dad said to share with Mom,” Yanyan added.

Lin Juan glanced at Gu Chen outside and bit into a piece.

The sweet taste hit her taste buds. Maybe because she hadn’t had it in a long time, it tasted very sweet, sweet right to her heart.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her eyes.

After Yanyan finished distributing, one piece was left. Before Lin Juan could say anything, Yanyan looked at Gu Chen not far away, ran over quickly, and held up the last piece. “Dad, this one’s for you.”

Dad bought them all these delicious things but hadn’t eaten any yet, so they wanted to give him one.

Gu Chen looked at the candy in front of him; Yanyan was still licking hers, eyes curved like crescent moons. “Yummy, Dad’s eating.”

He glanced at Lin Juan and chuckled, “Give it to Mom.”

Lin Juan raised an eyebrow.

Did he mean to eat two himself? She was an adult—why compete with kids for food?

“Mom ate hers; this one’s for Dad,” Yanyan insisted, pushing the candy toward Gu Chen’s mouth, determined for him to eat it.

Helpless, Gu Chen took it and bit into it.

Sweet and sour.

What was so good about this? But seeing the family all eating, and the two little ones scrunching up their necks from the tart hawthorn inside, giggling at each other, made him smile even more, slowing his eating.

Before bed, Lin Juan took the kids to rinse their mouths, worried about cavities.

Back inside, Gu Chen, standing outside, heard Yanyan’s excited scream: “Wangzai milk!!! So many Wangzai milks!”

Yanyan ran out, eyes sparkling as she looked at Gu Chen, overjoyed. “Dad, did you buy us the Wangzai milk?”

Gu Chen didn’t respond, but Lin Juan smiled and said, “Yes, Dad bought them.”

“Thank you, Dad! You’re so nice!” Yanyan, confirmed, ran back inside, bouncing and shouting, “Brother, Dad bought us Wangzai milk!”

The two kids chattered excitedly, their voices filled with happiness.

Even when sleeping, they clutched the candied hawthorn and milk by their bedsides, their lips curved in smiles as they drifted off.

Gu Chen watched the two children, both amused and thoughtful.

That afternoon, Gu Chen again took the kids to school.

Lin Juan had planned to take them but Gu Chen answered a call. “I have to go to Wang Wenwei’s place; they still have a batch of shredded chicken to collect. I’ll check how to collect it, negotiate the price, and drop the kids off on the way.”

“Okay,” Lin Juan nodded. “I’ll go busy myself in the field.”

He took the kids, saving her a lot of time.

“The sun’s so hot, you keep sleeping; I’ll handle it later,” Gu Chen waved her off and left with the children.

The kids waved goodbye happily, showing no reluctance.

Lin Juan saw they were very happy.

Seeing the kids so fond of him, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back inside. She only intended to nap a little but nearly overslept until school’s end.

Gu Chen called her, saying he’d come back to pick up the kids.

Lin Juan relaxed again; now she had more free time and went out to the fields with her hoe.

Gu Chen brought the kids back, along with a big pile of stuff—some batteries or motors.

“What’s all this?” Lin Juan asked.

“For modifications,” Gu Chen glanced at her parked tricycle. “You take the kids and carry all that stuff, pedaling is tough. I’m going to convert it to electric.”

Lin Juan was quite handy. She kept the tricycle in like-new condition and even built a small canopy to shield the kids from rain.

“Why suddenly think of modifying it?” Lin Juan was surprised.

“A friend was selling second-hand parts cheap, gave me permission to take them for a small fee.”

“How much?”

“Spent a hundred and fifteen,” Gu Chen laid out the parts, then went to the storage room for tools. His grandfather was a carpenter, so the family had many tools.

He grew up fixing furniture and appliances and wanted to give it a try.

“That’s expensive; you didn’t tell me.”

“It’s stuff we’ll need sooner or later. You and the kids will suffer less. Plus, I earned some money earlier, right? I just bought it on the way,” Gu Chen squatted down turning a screwdriver. “I went to Wang Wenwei’s place this morning and helped sell their batch of shredded chicken. Boss Yao took it, gave me a two-hundred-yuan referral fee.”

“Another batch?” Lin Juan was stunned. “Is money really that easy to earn?”

He earned two hundred in just one afternoon?!

If he had a formal job in town, breakfast shops hiring started at five or six in the morning, working all morning for about two hundred yuan a month.

“I haven’t caught the chickens yet, but the contract’s signed. This batch goes to high-end restaurants, so they need to be raised first. They’ll come collect later,” Gu Chen shifted position, still working. “I collected two thousand from him this morning. I felt bad and told him not to, but he said rules are rules—he’s generous.”

“He is quite generous,” Lin Juan agreed.

In one day, they got two thousand two hundred yuan.

Still, she looked at Gu Chen and said, “You’ve worked hard all day without eating or resting.”

“I run around all the time; that’s nothing. Before, when I helped them, I didn’t get paid—” Gu Chen trailed off, then smiled. “Let’s not talk about it. I’ll keep doing this—it helps bring in some extra money to buy treats for you and the kids.”

Lin Juan stood beside him, watching him work and occasionally handing him tools.

She still thought it was expensive, but he meant well, so she didn’t want to spoil the mood. He was doing it for her and the kids.

Meanwhile, Lin Juan fed the chickens and cooked rice.

They harvested the grain together, and Gu Chen carried it into the storage room.

He continued working on the modifications while Lin Juan finished cooking. Once done, the family of four sat down to eat.

Usually, Lin Juan was so busy by the time she finished all this that night had fallen. But tonight, there was still light in the sky, and the two kids were especially happy, chatting away throughout dinner.

They kept talking about kindergarten things.

Gu Chen and Lin Juan listened, laughter occasionally spilling from the small kitchen.

Lin Juan glanced at the kids, then at Gu Chen, who wore a faint smile. Her heart felt warm—she didn’t ask for much.

Their family—just like this.

A simple, peaceful life was happiness enough.

After dinner, Gu Chen went back to work on the modifications. It was dark in the yard, so he pulled out a light bulb for illumination.

Lin Juan bathed the kids and sent them inside to sleep.

The kids were very obedient, seeing their parents busy and quietly going to their beds to play.

Lin Juan tidied the kitchen and prepared ingredients for the next day. When she stepped outside, Gu Chen was still working.

She walked over and squatted beside him.

Several batteries were already installed, and Gu Chen had connected many wires—it was quite a sight.

Lin Juan felt a little hopeful.

“Tomorrow I’m going to Ma Hongshan,” Gu Chen suddenly said. “At least two days.”