Chapter 208: Traveling to Beijing with Mother-in-Law

At the dinner table, Tang Mingli changed the subject, asking her mother-in-law, "Mom, when are we going to receive the award? When are we leaving for Beijing?"

When it came to going to Beijing, Fu's mother felt both excited and apprehensive.

Mrs. Fu exclaimed, "Oh, they said the invitation letter has some dates on it, so I didn't ask. I'll know once I receive the invitation letter from them."

Tang Mingli was stunned.

I didn't ask about it in detail on the phone yesterday, I didn't expect there to be this detail. If I had asked, I wouldn't have had to rush back like this.

Fu Ci was also stunned.

The two of them looked at Fu's mother at the same time.

Fu's mother was clearly only realizing this belatedly, and said with some guilt, "I was so happy when I called that I forgot to mention this, which made you rush back."

Tang Mingli didn't want her mother-in-law to feel guilty, so she quickly said, "My original plan was to send Gu Lin there and then come back."

Fu's mother didn't believe it: "You just went to Shenzhen yesterday and came back today. Do you think you're a bus driver?"

This description made Tang Mingli laugh. "Mom, what you said is so down-to-earth."

Unlike people decades later, who directly use terms like "oxen" and "horses" to describe them.

Fu's mother didn't know what was so funny about her description, but when her daughter-in-law laughed, she couldn't help but laugh along, as if it were an instinctive reaction.

After suppressing her laughter, Tang Mingli asked again, "Has the organizer said when the invitations will be sent out?"

"When they called, they said it had been sent out two days ago, and they don't know when we'll receive it."

It's hard to estimate Tang Mingli's worth.

Given current communication conditions, it's certainly not possible to receive it in just a few days, like it will be decades later.

Fu Ci estimated a timeframe, saying, "I think it should arrive in two or three days."

Beijing and Guangzhou are not small cities, so communication is relatively smooth.

Given this, Tang Mingli hesitated whether she should buy train tickets in advance.

"Planning to take the train?" Fu Ci asked, somewhat surprised.

Although there is a dedicated railway line from Guangcheng to Beijing, eliminating the need for transfers, the train journey takes too long.

"Yes." Tang Mingli nodded matter-of-factly. "Flying is too much trouble."

You need to provide proof of purchase to buy a ticket, and even if you successfully buy a ticket, you still need to arrive at the airport several hours in advance to go through security checks.

Although the total time is still much shorter than taking the train, the train is less hassle, and she plans to buy a deluxe soft sleeper, which is basically like staying in a mobile hotel with her mother-in-law.

When you're tired, you can sleep, and when you wake up, you can still enjoy the different scenery along the way.

The words "mobile hotel" piqued Fu's interest, and she began to look forward to it.

“Let’s listen to Mingli and take the train.”

Fu Ci respected his wife's opinion and nodded.

His return this time was sudden, so he couldn't stay too long. He planned to take a bus back to Shenzhen tomorrow, so he could only make the most of today to share his travel experience with his mother and wife.

This conversation unexpectedly led to lunch, so we had to eat while we talked.

Tang Mingli listened very attentively.

She knew perfectly well that when going out with her mother-in-law, she would inevitably be the one to hold her back.

Although going out is no longer as difficult as it was a few years ago, when you needed a letter of introduction to go anywhere, it's not as free and unrestrained as it was decades later. Fu Ci traveled a lot for business, and his experience is invaluable.

Feeling that everything that needed to be said had already been said, Fu Ci suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh, right."

Just as Tang Mingli was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she looked at him again.

Fu Ci smiled and said, "It's not anything very important. It's just that when you stay in a hotel, you might occasionally run into the police checking rooms. Don't be nervous if you encounter them."

I've also heard of this "Fu Mu" (a term of endowment for a female relative).

When I was working before, some people in my department had been on business trips and encountered similar situations. After returning to the office, they vividly recounted what had happened to everyone.

As for Tang Mingli, she was curious about how the two of them had traveled to so many places together during the six months they were unemployed years ago, and never encountered a police raid.

Upon hearing this, Fu Ci knew what his wife was thinking and couldn't help but tap her forehead with his index finger.

"What are you thinking about all day?"

They are a legally married couple, so they are not afraid even if they are checked on.

Tang Mingli chuckled.

I glanced at the time; it was almost 1 p.m.

Perhaps because I was driving yesterday, I felt sleepy more than usual.

With more than an hour until dinner, she decided to use Fu Ci and then abandon him, taking her daughter upstairs to catch up on some sleep.

Fu Yu was having a great time playing with building blocks when she heard her mother want to take her upstairs to sleep, and she was caught in a dilemma.

I want to play with building blocks, but I also want to be with my mom.

"Mom, I'm not sleepy."

Tang Mingli didn't insist and smiled, "Then baby can play with building blocks downstairs with Daddy."

She knows all too well what it feels like to be engrossed in a game.

In her past life, she was once obsessed with a mobile game so much that she wished she were rich enough to not have to work and play the game day and night.

However, as soon as she went upstairs to change her clothes and lay down, her daughter, who had said she wasn't sleepy, came running up to her.

"Mom, even though I'm not sleepy, I still want to stay with you."

These words were so sweet that Tang Mingli wondered if she had fallen into an invisible and intangible honey pot.

"When Mom wakes up, she'll play with building blocks with you."

"Okay." Fu Yu was very happy to hear this and obediently lay down next to her mother.

"Mother."

"Um."

Tang Mingli looked at her daughter with a smile, waiting for her to continue, but all she saw was her daughter yawn.

Those who said they weren't sleepy fell asleep instantly after lying down.

Tang Mingli was both amused and exasperated.

No wonder he's a child who gets praised by the teacher at every kindergarten parent-teacher meeting.

Which kindergarten teacher doesn't love a baby who sleeps peacefully during their afternoon nap?

-

After staying at home for two nights, I resigned and returned to Shenzhen.

On the same day he returned to Shenzhen, Fu's mother received an invitation from the organizer.

Tang Mingli didn't delay any longer and went to the train station the next day to buy a train ticket for the following day.

Based on the timeline, they should be in Beijing when my daughter starts school. Fortunately, my daughter isn't a new student; she's already familiar with the principal and teachers.

However, during their time in Beijing, they had to rely on their grandparents and a nanny to pick up and drop off the children.

Although Fu Yu knew that her mother and grandmother were going to Beijing, she was still so saddened to hear that they would be leaving the next day that she shed a small pearl.

This was the first time in her life that her parents had been away from her for such a long time at the same time.

While wiping away her tears, Fu Yu explained to herself, "Mom, you and Grandma haven't even gone to Beijing yet, how come I'm already missing you?"

Hearing this almost broke the hearts of Fu's mother and Tang Mingli.

In particular, Fu's mother even considered not going to Beijing to receive the award.

Between the award and her granddaughter, naturally the granddaughter is more important to her.

Fortunately, Tang Mingli was quite rational. "Mom, this award is very important to you. It can almost directly affect your later creative career."

The organizer is very authoritative. It's no exaggeration to say that if you can win this award, Fu Mu will have a place in the short story field.

After persuading her mother-in-law, she then comforted her daughter.

"Mom knows it's not right to leave you alone at home with Grandpa and Grandma, but Mom has to go to Beijing with Grandma to receive a very, very important award. This time, baby, please help Mom with this and help carry this burden, okay?"

Tang Mingli knows her daughter well; she's a responsible child, just like Fu Ci. Talking to her like this will help her develop a sense of responsibility and reduce her separation anxiety.

Fu Yu was only four years old, and she listened in a daze.

She didn't understand what the burden meant, but she seemed to understand what her mother meant by staying to keep her father-in-law and grandmother company.

She looked at the two elderly people with white hair sitting on the other side, and thought about how they could never outrun her when they played together in the yard. They really couldn't be without someone to keep them company.

Mom and Grandma are going to Beijing to receive an award and to take care of important business. She should behave herself and put Mom's mind at ease.

The child is still young, but he has already figured things out on his own.

Fu Yu stopped crying and solemnly assured her mother, "Mom, you and Grandma can go to Beijing without worry. I will definitely take good care of Grandpa and Grandma."

Upon hearing this, Madam Fu, who was standing nearby, was moved to tears and hugged Fu Yu, repeatedly calling her her "little darling."

Even Grandpa Fu's eyes were wet with tears. No matter how tough a man he was, he couldn't get hard at this moment.

This scene made Fu Yu's sense of responsibility even stronger.

So it turns out my father-in-law can cry too.

During the time that her grandmother and mother are away, she must spend a lot of time with her father-in-law and great-grandmother!

Although she had successfully persuaded her daughter, Tang Mingli still hugged her before bed that night, emphasizing that she would call her every night after arriving in Beijing and bring her gifts when she returned, giving her a sense of security and anticipation.

The next day, Tang Mingli and her mother left early in the morning with their luggage.

The train was scheduled to depart at 9:15 AM, but they arrived at 8:30 AM. After waiting for about twenty minutes for the ticket check to begin, they boarded the train smoothly at 9:10 AM.

Ms. Fu was a little nervous at first, but she relaxed after entering the private room and seeing that it was just her and her daughter-in-law.

Just as I put my luggage away, a train attendant came to remind me that the train was about to depart.

Soon enough, the train slowly began to move forward.

Fu's mother sat on the bed looking out the window, watching the scenery on both sides slowly recede into the distance and then rapidly recede into the distance.

This was the first time she had so strongly felt how good it is to be rich, and she exclaimed, "The difference between a soft sleeper and a hard seat is really huge."

Tang Mingli smiled and said, "The price difference is also very large."

"Do you think that what we're doing means we've been corrupted by hedonism?"

Tang Mingli, of course, realized that her mother-in-law was joking, and she joked back, "Mom, you know me, I'm the easiest to corrupt."

Fu's mother laughed heartily upon hearing this, and her unease completely vanished.

Yes, what's wrong with enjoying life? The point of living is to treat yourself well.

Tang Mingli smiled and lay down on the bed.

Although the sleeper berth on the train can't compare to the bed at home, the soft sleeper is still quite comfortable.

If someone can afford a sleeper berth but insists on buying a hard seat, it's considered making a fuss over nothing. In her view, people who make a fuss over nothing are cognitively biased.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with the soft sleeper, nor did she think there was anything wrong with the hard seat.

The national railway offers both soft sleeper and hard seat options to meet the needs of people at different levels, not to create a hierarchy.

Tang Mingli lay on the sleeper berth with her eyes closed, resting, while Fu's mother gazed at the scenery outside the window with great interest.

The train moved forward, clanging and clattering, each thud feeling like a blow to her heart.

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Fu's mother suddenly said to Tang Mingli, "You know, I learned about Tiananmen Square from my elementary school textbooks when I was little, and I've always wanted to go and see it."

However, as she grew older and realized how far away Beijing was, her longing gradually faded, to the point that she didn't think about it anymore for many years.

I never imagined that at this age, my childhood dream would suddenly come true.

The mother was so excited that she couldn't express it in words, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at her daughter-in-law.

Without her, my childhood dream would never have come true.