Chapter 33 (Second Update) Riding the spring breeze of reform and opening up...

Li's mother had no idea what she had done to offend her daughter-in-law. All she had done was mention that she had brought back some nice things, and she was immediately berated by her.

In an argument, Li's mother might not lose to Tang Mingmei, but in terms of being willing to go all out, she loses.

If the neighbors overhear their argument during the Chinese New Year, they'll probably laugh at them behind their backs.

The thought of being laughed at by the neighbors made Li's mother's heart ache.

Since their son married Tang Mingmei, their family has had countless arguments in just six months, and the neighbors have been laughing at them behind their backs for who knows how many times.

Full of resentment but forced to swallow it, Li's mother gave her son a resentful look, then went into her room in grief and indignation, without even looking at what they had brought back.

Seeing his mother so upset by his wife, Li Dazhu was also a little unhappy and said a few words to Tang Mingmei.

"Mom just wanted to see what you brought back, why did she get so angry? Look at your attitude, is that how a daughter-in-law should act? Ask your cousin if she would treat her in-laws like that."

Tang Mingmei was already furious when she was talked about, and when Tang Mingli was mentioned, she was so angry that she almost lost her temper.

"How dare you mention my cousin? Why don't you mention the family she married into, and the family I married into? Is your Li family comparable to the Fu family?"

Marrying into a powerful family is like swallowing a needle; even if Tang Mingli has to endure humiliation in front of her husband's family, it is what she deserves.

Wasn't she like this in her previous life?

In this life, she married Li Dazhu, who was inferior to her in both family background and personal qualities. Why should she have to swallow her anger?

Thinking of all this, Tang Mingmei felt even more confident and mocked Li Dazhu: "His grandfather is a national hero, his parents have respectable jobs, and Fu Ci himself is even more outstanding. He is handsome and talented. So what if he quit his respectable job? Just because he was born into such a family, he will live a hundred times better than someone like you even if he does nothing in this life."

Tang Mingmei had intended to put Li Dazhu down, but after saying it, she herself was stunned.

Why couldn't she have thought of this in her previous life?

When Fu Ci mentioned wanting to resign, I just thought he'd lost his mind. A job that everyone wanted but couldn't get, and he didn't want to do? Didn't he realize that with his family's wealth, what difference would it make if he just stayed home and freeloaded?

However, his dazed state was quickly brought back by Li Dazhu's hurtful words.

Li Dazhu knew, of course, that his family was no match for the Fu family. After talking with Fu Ci today, he realized even more deeply that the gap between him and Fu Ci was far greater than a hundred thousand miles.

But even knowing his own limitations, no man could be happy to be disliked by his wife like that.

Li Dazhu, enraged and embarrassed, sneered, "You knew my family's situation before we got married, didn't you? What? Now you're regretting it? I'm not trying to belittle you, but you think you can marry into a family like the Fu family? You're dreaming. Don't you even know your own circumstances? Are you worthy?"

Tang Mingmei was so angry at being belittled by her husband that she couldn't speak for a long time, and her hand pointing at him trembled violently.

How dare they say she's worthy?

She disdained to marry Fu Ci, which was why she didn't. But she couldn't directly say these things to refute Li Dazhu.

A sense of powerless sorrow filled Tang Mingmei.

She couldn't help but ask herself, why is it still so difficult to be reborn with the memories of her previous life and to deliberately choose a different path in life than in her previous life?

The two years she spent in the countryside were tough, and life was even harder after she married Li Dazhu.

Why did God make her suffer so much in both her lifetimes?

However, no matter how much she cried out to God in her heart, no one would give her an answer.

Tears of despair streamed down her face.

However, when she saw her husband mock her mercilessly after seeing her tears, she immediately wiped them away and told herself that it wouldn't happen, that her life had only just begun and that she had a long way to go.

She stopped arguing with that idiot Li Dazhu and took all the things she had brought back from her parents' home into her room.

Her parents had given her many good things, and she didn't want to give any of them to the Li family.

Tang Mingmei held back her tears as she sorted through the things her parents had carefully prepared for her.

However, as I tidied myself up, tears welled up again uncontrollably.

The people who love her most in this world are her parents, who fill her with the best things.

When Tang Mingli left, they made an excuse that they didn't have time to prepare anything and only gave her two large oranges. But after she left, her parents wanted to give her all the good things in the house.

Her parents treated her so well, but the Li family only wanted to take advantage of her family. She refused to do as they wished.

While crying, Tang Mingmei carefully sorted out the things her parents had given her.

Some things that can be stored for a long time are put away in the cupboard. For example, candy, cookies, and some canned goods.

She keeps things that can't be stored for too long on the table, like cured meat and sausages. If the Li family ever realizes their mistake, she can always use them to improve their meals.

-

In the evening, Li Baohua returned home with her friends after watching a movie and found the atmosphere at home to be particularly oppressive.

The mother was wiping away tears in her room, while the father and eldest brother were smoking with their heads down in the living room, filling the room with the smell of smoke. It was unclear how much they had smoked.

She glanced in the direction of her older brother's room; the door was tightly shut. Without even thinking, she knew that her dear sister-in-law was probably hiding in her room, slacking off.

She laughed in exasperation.

They had only been calm for two days when they started arguing again.

Ever since her good older brother married this good sister-in-law, the family has hardly had a peaceful day.

If this continues, she's even considering moving to the factory dormitory.

However, she only thought that the living conditions in the factory dormitory were too poor, and she still couldn't get used to living there.

To escape this oppressive home, I still have to get married.

Even if the man doesn't have a house, she can apply to the factory for one.

Li Baohua deliberately asked, "Where's my sister-in-law? Did she stay at her parents' house and not come back?"

If that were the case, she would really like it. She hoped that her dear sister-in-law could go back to her parents' home for a while, so that their house could have some peace and quiet.

As soon as his younger sister returned, she asked his sister-in-law. Li Dazhu replied irritably, "How am I so irresponsible? You and your sister-in-law have such a good relationship. You're thinking about her as soon as you get back."

Li Baohua rolled her eyes and said irritably, "It's because you all look so gloomy during the New Year, I'm afraid your sister-in-law has upset you again."

She said she turned around and went to find her biological mother.

Not long after, the sound of Li's mother sobbing could be heard from the room, clearly as she was crying and complaining to her daughter about her grievances.

Li Dazhu's temples throbbed, a bad premonition creeping over him. His younger sister had a close relationship with their mother; several times when his wife and mother argued, she had firmly sided with her mother.

During the Lunar New Year, don't argue with your sister-in-law just to stand up for your mother.

Just as I was getting worried, I saw Li Baohua storm out of her mother's room in a huff.

"Tang Mingmei, come out here! What are you doing hiding in your room like a coward?"

Tang Mingmei has a certain personality; how could she accept being called a coward?

He had barely finished speaking when he opened the door and rushed out.

Li Dazhu was worried that his heart would change instantly and he would die.

Even during the Lunar New Year, it was inevitable that these women would argue.

Li Baohua accused Tang Mingmei of disrespecting her mother-in-law.

“My mom just wanted to see what you brought back from the girl’s house, and you scolded her. Do you think you’re some princess marrying a prince? Let me tell you, this is the Li family, and my mom is the lady of the house.”

“So what if I scolded her? This isn’t the first time. Every time I come back from my daughter’s house, she covets the things I bring back. Does she think my family is some kind of traitor?”

"Oh, so you feel like you're losing out by bringing things back from your parents' home? Then you don't have to bring them back. It's not like our Li family is short of your things."

This attitude is outrageous; they're smug even after getting a good deal. Tang Mingmei was furious.

"You don't lack anything, right? Fine, fine, you said that."

Tang Mingmei had completely lost her mind. She rushed into the room, grabbed the sausages and cured meat that were on the table, ran to the corridor outside, and threw them down the corridor.

Neither Li Baohua nor anyone else expected her to go to such extremes.

Li Baohua was stunned, and at the same time felt a pang of heartache.

Those sausages and cured meats look quite good, and should last them for a month or two.

However, the most heartbroken person was Li's mother. She was worried that her daughter would suffer a loss. When she came out of the room, she saw her daughter-in-law throwing away such a good thing. She was so heartbroken that she kept slapping her thigh.

"You heartless bastard, how could you waste that meat like that?"

As he spoke, he went downstairs to pick it up.

Tang Mingmei felt incredibly pleased with their reaction.

Seeing that Li's mother wanted to go downstairs, he quickly said sarcastically, "Didn't you say you didn't need the little things I brought back? Don't pick them up. If you have any backbone, don't pick them up. Whoever picks them up is worthless."

These words were so harsh that Li's mother, who had rushed into the corridor, stopped in her tracks.

Just then, shouts came from downstairs.

"Whose cured meat is this? How did it end up here?"

Whose is it?

No one answered.

Li's mother looked at Tang Mingmei, and Tang Mingmei was also looking at her.

Both of them were gambling, seeing who would lose their composure more easily.

"No one answered me, so I picked it up."

Li's mother was heartbroken, but she was not as ruthless as Tang Mingmei. She quickly shouted to the people downstairs, "It's our family's. It accidentally fell down."

The aunt downstairs had already picked up the sausages and cured meat when she heard someone answer. She pouted unhappily, but in the end, she was too embarrassed to take the things away.

Li's mother rushed downstairs, taking three steps at a time, and thanked the aunt as soon as she saw her.

To express his gratitude, he even gave the woman a sausage at the end.

The woman finally smiled genuinely and accepted the gift without hesitation, saying, "Don't mention it, we're all neighbors, helping out with this is nothing."

Not long after, Li's mother returned carrying cured meat and sausages.

Tang Mingmei looked smug and said sarcastically, "In the end, you still can't bear to part with what my family has to offer. Stop being so stubborn in the future, why bother?"

After mocking her, he said, "You even used my family's things to do favors, you're really shameless."

Li's mother accepted the earlier sarcasm; it was indeed something she couldn't bear to do.

But Li's mother couldn't stand what he said next.

"Tang Mingmei, Tang Mingmei, didn't your parents teach you any manners or social skills? How come you have absolutely no emotional intelligence?"

"If someone finds your things and is willing to return them, you can give them a sausage as a thank you. It's a win-win situation, isn't it? But what if they just don't return them? What can you do? How can you prove that the sausage and cured meat are yours?"

Tang Mingmei was stumped by the question her mother-in-law had asked. She hadn't really thought about it; she only knew that it was hers.

But if others don't acknowledge it, she really has no evidence to prove that the item is hers.

At the same time, the phrase "not understanding human relationships" reminded her of some things from her previous life.

Such accusations were made in the same way in my previous life.

However, they didn't dare say it to her face, only whispering about it behind her back. It was just a coincidence that she overheard it.

She didn't take it seriously.

The husband's family is of a status that is far beyond that of ordinary people, so why should we talk about social etiquette with the neighbors from those old tenement buildings?

However, in this life, when her mother-in-law said those words, she felt as if she had been electrocuted, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

-

Tang Mingmei's life after marrying into the Li family was chaotic, while Tang Mingli's life was thriving thanks to the reform and opening up policy.