Chapter 264 (Second and Third Updates) A ​​Turning Point in Fate...

Long afterward, when Tang Mingli recalls that summer of 1994, there are still three things she remembers.

One of them was that Tang Xin said she had the blood of the Tang family flowing in her veins and she would not be an ingrate.

One of her achievements was taking many photos of her grandmother and the other elderly women in the compound, which she then compiled into several photo albums. When she tried to give them away, even the most critical old ladies had tears in their eyes, holding her hands with silent gratitude.

The third thing was that when they returned to Shenzhen at the end of summer vacation, He Xiaojuan cried to her about her husband having an affair, and also said that the reason she was beaten last time was because the two of them had argued about this.

Mistress, such a distant term.

Decades later, everyone calls her a mistress, but "second wife" is still too respectful.

He Xiaojuan burst into tears in front of Tang Mingli, sometimes denouncing her husband for being vulgar and shameless, and sometimes envying Tang Mingli for finding such a good husband.

It was clear that she was in great pain because of her husband's affair, but Tang Mingli didn't know how to comfort or console her.

Tang Mingli always advised breaking up with men who lacked morality and shame.

However, it is also very obvious that although He Xiaojuan is in great pain, she has no intention of separating from her husband at all, otherwise she would not have said that "many small business owners in Shenzhen are like this, they all keep mistresses".

Perhaps He Xiaojuan just needed an outlet for her emotions; once she's vented, she'll go back to her life as usual.

But Tang Mingli didn't like being an emotional dumping ground.

Reading someone else's story online is completely different from having someone tell it to you face-to-face.

Across the internet, people are just watching the drama unfold.

Face-to-face, one is somewhat involved.

He Xiaojuan cried for half the day at their house. Fortunately, despite her tears, she still cared about the two children and knew to go back to cook for them when it was time.

After He Xiaojuan left, Madam Fu comforted Tang Mingli: "Don't worry, even though Xiaojuan cried so hard and said so painful things, she will definitely not do anything rash."

He sighed, looking somewhat sad, and said, "I've actually seen quite a few of these kinds of things. Men, their nature is so flawed."

All morning, Fu Cheng'an consciously kept his presence to himself, wishing he could be invisible. Hearing his mother's words, he couldn't help but stand up and defend his fellow men: "Actually, there are good ones too, like the men in our family."

After hearing this, Madam Fu snorted twice, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

This terrified Fu Cheng'an. He asked cautiously and incredulously, "Mom, my dad wouldn't...?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? You unfilial son, are you trying to make your father so angry that he'll turn to death?"

Before he could finish speaking, Old Madam Fu scolded him.

Fu Cheng'an breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken, and said, "Mom, the tone you used just now really scared me. I thought Dad had just done something to wrong you."

"What nonsense are you thinking? Your father is a veteran member of the Communist Party." Old Mrs. Fu couldn't bear to look at her son.

Fu's mother also said to her husband, "Next time you go to offer incense to Dad, you should kowtow a couple more times to apologize."

Fu Cheng'an had no objection; that was his own father, and he was willing to kowtow a hundred times.

Thinking of his father still brings a pang of pain to Fu Cheng'an's heart.

When his father was alive, he spent most of his time in the military and rarely spent time with his parents.

-

That evening, when Fu Ci returned home, Tang Mingli told him about what had happened to their downstairs neighbor.

Fu Ci's first reaction was to frown, and he asked with some worry, "What if she comes to you crying all the time in the future?"

Tang Mingli had also considered this and told her husband not to worry.

"If she really comes to me often crying, I'll solve it in my own way."

"What method?" Fu Ci asked curiously.

Tang Mingli, however, kept everyone in suspense: "Defeat magic with magic."

This piqued the curiosity of both Madam Fu and her mother.

How can you defeat magic with magic?

However, Tang Mingli soon had the opportunity to perform for her family.

Within a week, He Xiaojuan came to the Fu family for the third time to cry and complain to Tang Mingli.

As the saying goes, things shouldn't happen more than three times. Tang Mingli believed that she had been patient enough by enduring things three times.

So this time, when He Xiaojuan came to her crying again, Tang Mingli didn't play by the rules.

He Xiaojuan: "Waaah, how could he do such a thing when he has a wife and children?"

Tang Mingli: "Of course it's because he's a scoundrel. Scoundrels have no sense of shame or morality, what wouldn't they do?"

He Xiaojuan was taken aback by the bluntness of the slow pace.

To be honest, he was still her husband, and hearing others insult him like that made her unhappy. But she couldn't find a reason to say that Tang Mingli was wrong, since she was the one who started it.

He Xiaojuan could only shift all the blame onto her mistress.

“He wasn’t like this before. No matter how hard or tiring it was, he did it all for our family. But then he met that vixen and got bewitched. It’s all that vixen’s fault. She’s shameless. She even seduced someone else’s husband.”

Tang Mingli: "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. If a scoundrel doesn't give people a chance, not even a vixen or Daji reincarnated could seduce him."

He Xiaojuan: "..."

After being thwarted again, she finally realized that Tang Mingli seemed a little off today.

However, at that moment she didn't think much of it, only assuming it was because she hated men cheating too much.

Yes, her husband is perfect. He's not only handsome, but he also earns money and is loyal to his family.

Thinking about all this, He Xiaojuan couldn't help but feel envious.

"There aren't many men like Fu Ci; most men can't resist temptation."

Tang Mingli: "Being unable to resist temptation is inherently inferior. Just because most men are shit doesn't mean you should choose to be a piece of shit yourself."

He Xiaojuan: "..."

First she was a slut, then a piece of shit, and today Mingli's words are so awful.

Yes, her husband isn't as good as Fu Ci, but he's not that bad either.

At least they can earn money, ensuring that the mother and her two children have enough to eat and wear, and live in such a nice house.

He Xiaojuan said somewhat unhappily, "Mingli, why have you been using such nasty words to curse my husband all day?"

"Huh?" Tang Mingli pretended not to understand: "Didn't you come to me to help you curse your slutty husband who keeps a mistress? I thought you came to me to cry and complain, just to find someone to curse with."

"No, I'm just feeling sad and want to talk to someone." He Xiaojuan wiped away her tears. "Actually, my husband isn't that bad."

Tang Mingli sneered inwardly, but immediately changed her attitude on the surface.

"Oh dear, I misunderstood you." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "You're right, your husband is capable, much better than other men. He's just keeping a mistress, but he hasn't let you and the children go hungry. You should be more understanding."

"no……"

He Xiaojuan was speechless.

Why should she be more magnanimous?

"Is keeping a mistress a good thing?"

Tang Mingli said, "Keeping a mistress is definitely wrong; only scum would do that."

No, how did he become a scumbag again?

He Xiaojuan didn't know what was wrong; her head was spinning.

This outpouring of emotions only made her feel worse.

After a long pause, she said sourly, "We are from two different worlds. You have no idea how I feel."

After that day, He Xiaojuan never came to Tang Mingli again to complain about her husband having a mistress.

Tang Mingli finally had some peace and quiet.

Later, when Fu Ci learned how his wife had "persuaded" He Xiaojuan to leave, he couldn't help but seriously ponder this magic trick.

Clothing stores often encounter unreasonable customers; perhaps this method can be used to deal with them.

Tang Mingli could only sigh that this man was a natural businessman, so good at drawing inferences from one instance to another.

I learned this method from a video in my past life where a customer service representative shared their experience of dealing with bizarre customer service representatives.

After going around in circles, it has returned to its original course.

-

Once things calmed down, time flew by without us realizing it, and before we knew it, it was spring of 1995.

This spring was special for the Tang family.

With less than half a semester left, Tang Xin will be taking the entrance exam for junior high school. The three adults are treating this as the most important thing this year.

Although Tang Xin's grades are not a concern, the adults are still worried about the possibility of something going wrong.

Tang Xin was at her wit's end with her elders, who were even more nervous than her, so she had no choice but to call Tang Mingli for help.

"Auntie, please help me talk to them and tell them not to be so nervous. I already told them I'm sure I'll pass the exam. Look at my mom, she used to be so anxious if she missed a day of business, but today she closed the shop to stay home with me. Today is Saturday, the busiest day for business."

Hearing this, the person on the other end of the phone leaned closer to Tang Mingli and said, "How can I not be nervous? If I don't get into No. 1 Middle School, I'll have to go to No. 2 Middle School. I didn't think there was anything wrong with No. 2 Middle School at first, since it's a public junior high school, right? But recently I looked into it and found out that you can get in to No. 2 Middle School just by paying money. There are a lot of students who don't study hard and fail their exams. It's a mixed bag."

“Auntie, tell my mom, how could I not get into the top high school with these grades? In all six years of elementary school, I’ve never fallen out of the top three.”

“Mingli, tell your niece that there’s a saying: ‘It’s better to be safe than sorry.’”

...

Tang Mingli on the other end of the phone was so confused by the two people's words that she could only try to comfort them one by one.

She first reassured Tang Xin: "Xiao Xin, don't worry about your mother. The clothing store has been doing so well these past two years, so losing a day or two won't make a difference. You should focus on your studies and relax."

Then she said to her cousin, "Sister, you're an old hand at this, you should know the principle of 'too much of a good thing.' Xiaoxin is about to take the high school entrance exam, if you keep being so stressed, it will affect her performance."

“Yes, it will affect me,” Tang Xin eagerly agreed.

Tang Mingmei asked helplessly, "Then what should I do?"

Tang Mingli said, "You're really blinded by your own involvement. Just do what you always do, just like before."

"Is this really okay? I've heard that some parents have even hired tutors to help their children out privately."

"That's because their studies aren't solid. For someone like Tang Xin, whose studies are solid, tutoring would be unnecessary."

“Yes, that’s unnecessary.” Tang Xin echoed loudly again, “Auntie, you really understand me. How about this, I’ll leave my mom to you, you can help me handle her.”

Without hesitation, he handed the phone to his mother and went into his room to continue studying.

Although she was confident, she still understood that she couldn't relax, especially at crucial moments.

Tang Mingli, who was suddenly entrusted with an important task, had no choice but to ask her cousin to come out and talk.

The two of them went to a coffee shop near the entrance of the residential area and ordered two cups of coffee.

Before Tang Mingli could say anything, Tang Mingmei hurriedly poured out her worries.

“I don’t want this to happen, but I just can’t stop worrying. I keep thinking about when I was in school. I usually got good grades, but I always messed up during crucial exams.”

Tang Mingli roughly understood what this was; it was probably the Jensen effect—performing well normally but failing at crucial moments.

Ultimately, the problem stems from a flawed mindset, which unknowingly added too much pressure on oneself.

But the past is the past, and the present is the present.

Having gone through so much, especially after years of struggling in the business world, my cousin's mental fortitude should be quite different.

Tang Mingmei sighed, "It's different, but when it comes to a major turning point in Tang Xin's life, I just can't stay calm."

Tang Mingli said, "You need to calm down."

"I know, but I just can't do it."

Tang Mingli understood that this was a case of being too concerned to think clearly. She could only try a different approach to help her cousin resolve her inner conflict.

"I have a few questions for you."

Tang Mingmei nodded: "Go ahead and ask."

She knew that her cousin was trying to find a way to help her.

"Which would you choose: not doing well on the entrance exam for junior high school or not getting along well with your classmates at school?"

Tang Mingmei thought for a moment and made a choice: "I should choose 'didn't do well on the exam'."

If a child doesn't get along well with their classmates, going to school can be a huge ordeal.

"Would you rather do poorly on the entrance exam for junior high school or be in a car accident?"

"Of course it's because I didn't do well on the exam."

Although it was only a possibility, Tang Mingmei did not hesitate to choose the option of failing the exam because it involved her personal safety.

"Would you rather do poorly on the entrance exam for junior high school or get sick?"

In fact, Tang Mingli already knew the answer when she asked the question.

Sure enough, Tang Mingmei didn't hesitate at all and said, "I didn't do well on the exam."

These questions are enough to illustrate the point. Tang Mingli said, "See? Actually, there are many things that are more important than failing an exam."

Tang Mingmei nodded.

In fact, as she answered Tang Mingli's questions one by one, her nervousness gradually decreased.

"One cannot wait until something more unfortunate happens before regretting that some mistakes were not actually serious."

In one sentence, Tang Mingmei suddenly understood.

Yes, in fact, as long as it doesn't endanger your life, you can overcome any setback.

Tang Ming has a great attitude and a very insightful perspective.

That's probably why she was so successful in this life and the last, whether she was a housewife or a career woman.

After talking with Tang Mingli, Tang Mingmei's mindset completely changed.

She no longer worries all the time about what will happen if her daughter doesn't get into the top high school.

It's just that I didn't get into the top high school; it's not like I'm on my deathbed.

Besides, her clothing store is doing so well, she can just work hard for a few more years and earn more money.

Yes, instead of worrying about my daughter's poor exam results, I should work harder to earn more money.

If you have money, how can you not survive?

After Tang Mingmei figured things out herself, the next step was to persuade her parents.

After listening, Tang Jianguo and Li Hong both felt that their daughter was absolutely right.

If they had earned more money back then, their daughter wouldn't have had to suffer so much.

Tang Xin sensed the calls from her elders and knew it must be her aunt's doing, so she made a special call to express her love.

"Auntie, you really know how to handle things. You managed to convince my mom and grandparents in no time. Now they're finally no longer so anxious. I love you so much."

Tang Mingli blushed for the first time ever, "You child, you've been influenced by bad company, haven't you? You play with Fu Yu every day, and you've become so glib-tongued."

"Auntie, you've wronged Xiaoyu. If it's true that you become like the company you keep, then I've been surrounded by your bad company."

"You're still talking back. Wait until your junior high entrance exam is over, then I'll teach you a lesson."

Tang Xin chuckled and said, "Okay, I'll wait for Auntie to scold me. For now, I'll focus on my studies and try to get good grades in the upcoming junior high school entrance exam."

"Okay. Auntie wishes you the best of luck on your exam."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Mingli glanced at the calendar.

Time is running out for the sixth-grade students.

As time became increasingly tight, Tang Xin no longer had time to play with Fu Yu.

Fu Yu felt incredibly bored every weekend.

It was the weekend again, and Fu Yu couldn't help but ask her mother, "Mom, when is Sister Xin's exam?"

"It'll be soon, the exam is in June."

"Mom, when I get to sixth grade, do I have to work as hard as Sister Xin to get into the top high school?"

By the time my daughter is in sixth grade, it will be 1999. By then, nine-year compulsory education will definitely be in full swing, and she will probably be assigned to a school based on her neighborhood's school district. Their neighborhood will most likely be assigned to the No. 1 Middle School.

However, Tang Mingli could not answer her daughter that way. She could only tell her, "That depends on whether the national policy changes. There are still several years to go, and the national policy may change."

Fu Yu didn't understand what national policy was, but she understood what her mother was saying.

If nothing changes, then I'm the same as my cousin. If something changes, then I'm different from my cousin.

"Mom, do you think there will be a day when policies will allow all children to attend good schools?"

Tang Mingli was overwhelmed with mixed feelings when her daughter asked such a question.

Perhaps some sentiments are truly passed down through bloodlines.

This time, she answered definitively, "Yes."

Fu Yu was very happy.

-

June has arrived before we know it, the final sprint stage for the entrance exams to junior high school.

Many parents have started picking up and dropping off their sixth-grade children from school so that they can have more time to rest and study.

Li Hong felt that she had to do the same.

Although she can't ride a bicycle, she can accompany you to and from school.

After spending two days with her, Tang Xin firmly declined.

It was so hot, and she felt really sorry for her grandmother who had to pick her up and drop her off under the scorching sun at noon.

She's not a lower-grade student, and she's been going to school for several years now.

Unable to persuade the child, Li Hong had no choice but to give up.

However, Li Hong felt very uneasy at home that day, with a strange intuition urging her to pick up her child from school at noon.

The unease was so intense that she couldn't concentrate on anything else.

I glanced at the time; there was still half an hour until school ended.

Li Hong didn't care anymore. Although she had promised the child she wouldn't pick him up anymore, she decided to do it again today.

She threw down the vegetables she was holding and said to her husband, "I have a feeling something will happen if I don't pick up the kids today. You cook, I'll go to school to pick them up."

Tang Jianguo laughed at her, saying, "You're getting overly nervous again."

Li Hongcai didn't care, took off her apron and decisively went out the door.

Thankfully, we made it out.

As Li Hong approached the school gate, this was her first thought, and she then hurried towards the gate.

-----------------------

Author's note: I've revised the section on the transition from primary to junior high school, changing it to focus on getting into a good junior high school.