Chapter 198 (Second Update) Parents should set rules for their children...

Tang Mingli suddenly understood something she couldn't understand in her previous life.

Why are some people forced to stay in a state of constant stress after having children? It's simply because of the prevailing circumstances that leave people with no other choice.

It's understandable to feel bad that your child isn't good at anything, especially when your classmates are skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

As evening falls, the hustle and bustle of Lunar New Year's Eve gradually fades away, and the earth returns to tranquility.

Tang Mingli lay in bed, nestled in her husband's arms, and spoke of the worries that had suddenly arisen during the day.

"Many of our child's classmates seem to be exceptionally talented, and quite a few have already started learning the piano and violin."

Fu Ci was clearly stunned as well.

"Aren't Xiaoyu's classmates only a little over three years old?"

"yes."

"Learning these things at such a young age?"

"Some musical instruments require learning from a young age."

Fu Ci couldn't imagine it. A three- or four-year-old child, not even as tall as his knee, with a hand smaller than an egg—how could such a small person press the piano keys and carry a violin?

Tang Mingli had never touched a piano or violin before, so she didn't know how difficult it was to press the piano keys or how heavy a violin was.

But thinking about how other children start so early, wouldn't everyone have a talent to show off when they go to elementary school? I wonder if my daughter will be disappointed if she doesn't have one.

Fu Ci thought his wife's consideration was correct. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We'll ask the children for their opinions after the New Year. For now, let's enjoy the New Year together."

"That's true." Tang Mingli yawned and decided not to think about it anymore.

I have to get up early tomorrow to go to the temple to burn incense, and I'm going on a long trip the day after tomorrow.

This was the first trip since having a child, and it involved two families. Tang Mingli knew the responsibility on her shoulders was heavy, so she needed to take the time to rest and recharge.

Fortunately, the place they visited was a resort, only two or three hundred kilometers away from Guangcheng.

They went on the second day of the lunar new year and returned on the fifth.

The journey and the time spent playing were not long.

The reason for this journey was that Tang Mingmei mentioned once that the farthest place her child had ever been was Shenzhen, and that was because she was moving the family here.

Tang Mingli suddenly had a thought and had the idea of ​​going out together during the Spring Festival.

Once the idea was mentioned, both sets of elders were very supportive, so it was settled. As for the specific itinerary, it was naturally arranged by Tang Mingli, who was more experienced.

Tang Mingli wasn't under any pressure; she was someone who rarely went out, and she was happy to go out for a walk whenever possible. However, considering the large number of people and the fact that she had been busy all year and could only rest for a few days during the Spring Festival, she decided to choose a resort.

You can enjoy the scenery, experience the customs and traditions of the Spring Festival in different regions, and also get a good rest.

As it turned out, Tang Mingli was right.

The trip ended, and everyone was very satisfied with it. As they left, everyone said that celebrating the New Year this way was very interesting.

Judging from his tone, he seemed to want to continue in the future.

Seeing everyone's lingering enjoyment, Tang Mingli thought to herself, "That's right, how could anyone not like a relaxed and comfortable way of celebrating the New Year and insist on being bound by social obligations? They just don't have a choice."

-

I arrived home on the evening of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and Madam Fu woke up early on the morning of the sixth day.

Because Gu Lin was coming back to pay New Year's visits today, she couldn't sleep because she was thinking about it, so she decided to get up early to prepare.

Around 7 a.m., Mrs. Fu also got up.

Seeing that her mother-in-law had already tidied herself up and was sitting on the sofa, and had obviously been sitting there for a while, she asked, "Mom, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Madam Fu said truthfully, "I don't know why, but I feel uneasy all day."

"Are you tired from playing outside?"

Hearing her mother-in-law say she felt anxious, Fu's mother looked worried.

Madam Fu waved her hand: "I'm not tired from playing these past few days. It's just that the thought of Gu Lin coming makes me inexplicably anxious."

"What's wrong? Are you worried about Gu Lin?"

"I don't know either, it's just really inexplicable."

Fu's mother didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only say, "Don't think too much about it. Anyway, you'll see him soon."

Madam Fu nodded.

Around 8 a.m., the family members gradually got up.

After breakfast, Grandpa Fu asked his wife if she wanted to take a stroll in the yard together.

Madam Fu figured she still had some time, so going out for a walk would be nice and would make the time pass faster. So she went out with them.

I came back from my stroll around around 9 o'clock.

In previous years, Gu Lin arrived around ten o'clock, which is about right.

However, just as I sat down to rest for a while, the phone rang.

As if she had a premonition, before even answering the call, Madam Fu said to the people beside her, "Could it be Gu Lin calling?"

When the call connected, it was indeed Gu Lin on the other end.

Gu Lin first greeted Madam Fu over the phone and asked if she had a good time these past few days.

After exchanging pleasantries, he stammered, "Auntie, something has suddenly come up, so I can't come to wish you a Happy New Year."

"What's wrong? What happened so suddenly?"

Madam Fu didn't necessarily want her to come and wish her a Happy New Year; she was just worried that something might have happened to her.

Gu Lin on the other end of the phone explained, "It's nothing, it's just that Yang Tao's relatives suddenly came, and I have to stay to receive them."

"Oh, that's alright. Whether you come to pay your respects or not, your aunt knows how you feel."

"I'm sorry, Auntie, I'll visit you and Uncle again in a while."

Madam Fu smiled and replied, "Alright, you can come whenever you want."

...

After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Fu told her husband the news.

Grandpa Fu didn't think too much about it, and simply said, "It really is a coincidence."

However, Madam Fu was worried that Gu Lin might be lying to them.

"Otherwise, how can I explain feeling uneasy all day?"

Tang Mingli didn't want to see her grandmother like this, and she also believed that people sometimes have intuition. Her grandmother hadn't been acting well this morning, and perhaps something really had happened to Gu Lin.

She simply suggested, "Since we don't have anything to do tomorrow, why don't I go with you to the Yang family? There's no rule that juniors have to visit their elders during the New Year, so it wouldn't be inappropriate for us to go to the Yang family."

It was definitely abrupt, but everyone chose to ignore it.

-

The seventh day of the lunar month.

When Tang Mingli and Madam Fu appeared at the Yang family's home, they gave the family quite a fright.

Yang's mother, who was always better at speaking than singing, was so shocked when she saw them that she stammered.

"Why are her uncle and aunt here all of a sudden?"

Madam Fu smiled and said, "I haven't seen Gu Lin in a long time, so I came to visit."

He looked around and asked, "Gu Lin isn't here?"

Yang's mother replied, "She just went out. Please sit for a while, and I'll have Yang Tao go find her."

As he spoke, he winked at Yang Tao.

"Yang Tao, go and find him quickly."

Yang Tao understood immediately and went out the door.

Everything seemed perfectly reasonable, yet Tang Mingli felt a strange unease about it.

Something feels off.

Not long after, Gu Lin was found and brought back by Yang Tao.

Although it didn't look great, it wasn't bad either, about the same as what I saw last year. Only then did Madam Fu feel relieved.

Although the Yang family warmly invited them to stay for lunch, Madam Fu declined.

It was already embarrassing enough that they came all of a sudden, but to have to trouble them to cook for us made us even more embarrassed.

Gu Lin understood her aunt's intention to leave, so she didn't insist anymore, but she insisted on personally seeing the person downstairs.

Seeing this, Yang Tao also stood up.

"I'll go with you to see them off."

This sudden enthusiasm really surprised Madam Fu.

On the way back, she told Tang Mingli about Yang Tao's final act of seeing them off, and sighed, "Yang Tao comes from a good family and has a good job, which may be why he's so arrogant. He's been married to Gu Lin for so many years, and although he clearly wants to climb the social ladder by marrying into our family, he's never been able to lower himself. I never expected him to actually get up and see them off today. Maybe living together for so long has really changed him."

Tang Mingli, however, believed that something was amiss, but she didn't want to say such things and worry her grandmother.

Gu Lin is just like Aunt Caiping; she keeps everything to herself, and getting anything out of her is harder than climbing to heaven.

She should try to find out privately; secrets don't stay hidden forever, and she's sure she'll find out.

Tang Mingli was a woman of action; the very next day, she dragged Fu Ci to wander around the Yang family's neighborhood.

However, they were not cut out to be detectives. After wandering around the Yang family's neighborhood for two days, they didn't get any useful information except that Yang Tao and his wife's relationship was not good.

Or perhaps she was overthinking it, and the matter was put aside.

Fu Ci, knowing he would be returning to Shenzhen soon, wanted to quickly confirm whether his daughter, like her classmates, wanted to learn a special skill.

Fu Yu was completely bewildered, having no idea what "special skill" meant.

Tang Mingli pushed her husband away, "Let me say it."

She asked her daughter directly, "Does Dad mean you want to learn piano or violin?"

Fu Yu shook her head frantically.

"Our kindergarten also has pianos and violins, but I don't like them."

"Oh, I see. But all the other classmates can play the piano and violin. If Xiaoyu can't, won't she feel disappointed?"

"No way." Fu Yu raised her chin and said confidently, "Although I can't play the piano or violin, I'm the one who eats the most, sleeps the most, and is praised by the teacher the most. I won't be disappointed."

The couple were left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Tang Mingli, in particular, understood perfectly: her daughter didn't want to learn these musical instruments, but she was indeed proud of the teacher's praise.

This is really worrying. Once they start elementary school, or even before elementary school, once they're in kindergarten, everything might be different. At that point, being able to eat and sleep well won't be the focus of the teacher's praise anymore.

However, Tang Mingli truly believes that the starting point for learning a musical instrument should be enjoyment, not simply following the crowd.

There's still over a year until she starts kindergarten, it's too early to worry about these things. Let nature take its course. Focusing on my daughter's physical and mental health is more important than what she studies.

A child's path to growth should be one that follows their own heart and nature, full of unknowns, rather than one that parents take for granted and plan out for them entirely.

What parents should plan for their children most is to ensure that no matter which path they choose, they can live without any worries.

Fu Ci felt that his wife's last words were very reasonable. As parents, the most important thing they should do is to prepare for a worry-free life for their child since they brought her into this world.

He said with gratitude, "I often think, thank goodness I have you. You take care of this family and raise the children so well, so I can devote myself to my work and pursue my dreams. Without you, I might only have achieved success in my career, but I would never have been able to have both a happy family and a successful career."

This wasn't the first time Tang Mingli had heard these words.

Actually, she should be more grateful that it was Fu Ci.

Even if she only did so little for the family, she could always see it.

Even more fortunately, they always discuss and reach a consensus on parenting.