Chapter 5. One cries in the countryside, the other laughs in the city…

Tang Mingmei cried herself to sleep and collapsed onto the table.

I don't know how long I slept, but suddenly I sat up abruptly, tears streaming down my face, crying very sadly.

She dreamed of her previous life again.

Since her rebirth, everything that happened in her previous life is still vivid in her mind, but she rarely dreams about it.

Because she felt that her life was different this time.

In this life, she can live a wonderful life on her own, just like Tang Mingli in her previous life.

After seeing her college entrance exam results and realizing that she had no hope of ever going to university, she began having nightmares about her past life.

In her previous life, she was only twenty-six years old, but her face was withered and she was as thin as a rake.

She didn't even dare to look in the mirror, afraid of seeing herself looking neither human nor ghost.

Fu Ci said she was sick and had to see a doctor.

The rest of the Fu family also said that she was sick and needed to see a doctor.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and she screamed as she retorted, exposing their evil scheme.

They looked down on her and wanted to send her to a mental hospital so that Fu Ci could find someone of equal social standing.

No way.

Hearing her say that, the Fu family was very disappointed. Fu Ci, in particular, looked at her with cold and distant eyes.

Later, my cousin graduated from university and got a job at a national research institute.

She felt that she could finally hold her head high in front of the Fu family, after all, her cousin was so impressive.

She mustered her strength to return to her parents' home to offer congratulations, but overheard the neighbors gossiping about her and her sisters behind their backs.

“Mingli is really promising. She was able to get into university on her own even after going to the countryside, and now she’s in such a good department. On the other hand, Mingmei had her parents planning everything for her, and this is what happened to her.”

"What a wonderful marriage to the Fu family! If it were Mingli who had married into that family, she would surely have lived a happy and fulfilling life."

"There were clues to all of this. Mingli has always had a good personality since she was little. Mingmei is like her mother, she tends to overthink things, is petty, and can hold grudges over the smallest things for a lifetime."

...

Tang Mingmei listened with tears streaming down her face.

These people used to praise her for being lively and cheerful, but because she was unhappy after getting married, she was belittled like this.

Overthinking, petty and narrow-minded.

She felt like throwing up when she heard people say that Tang Mingli would definitely live a happy and fulfilling life after marrying into the family.

The Fu family is a suffocating household, and Fu Ci is a cold-hearted husband; anyone who marries into that family would be ruined.

But in her current state, she didn't even have the courage to go out and argue with them.

She truly regretted it. If she hadn't listened to her parents' arrangements and married into the Fu family, her life would have been completely different.

After that, she deflated like a punctured balloon, quickly shriveling up.

Perhaps God took pity on her and gave her a second life, allowing her to start over.

This time, she resolutely refused to marry.

She got her wish; in this life, she chose to go to the countryside, and Tang Mingli married Fu Ci.

Life in the countryside was tough, much tougher than she had imagined. But when she thought of Tang Mingli in the Fu family experiencing what she had experienced in her previous life, it didn't seem so bad.

The suffering she's enduring has an end, as long as she gets into university. But Tang Mingli's suffering is endless, unless she dies.

With this belief, she persevered and waited for the college entrance examination.

But when her college entrance exam results came out, her dreams were shattered.

Her score was less than 200.

Let alone going to university, people would laugh at me if I told them.

If you don't get into university, you might have to stay in the countryside for the rest of your life.

Tang Mingmei panicked; this was the first time she had been so afraid since her rebirth.

She wrote to her parents, urging them to do everything in their power, by any means necessary, to bring her back to the city.

Going to the countryside was just a temporary measure; she didn't want to stay in the countryside for the rest of her life.

The letter has been sent for many days now, and I don't know if my parents have received it or if they are trying to find a solution.

They will definitely find a way. She is their only biological daughter. Knowing that she is not doing well here and wants to go back, how could they not try their best to help her?

Thinking this way, Tang Mingmei felt a little more at ease.

I glanced at the sky; it was still early before dawn, so I went back to bed and lay down.

But after lying down, I tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. Sometimes I thought about the suffering I had endured in my two lifetimes, and sometimes I wondered what would happen if my parents couldn't come up with a solution.

As I thought about it, sadness welled up inside me, and tears streamed down my face.

But she dared not cry out loud, and could only bite her lower lip tightly.

The house she lives in now was specially arranged by the village for educated youth sent to the countryside. At its peak, it housed more than twenty educated youth.

Now, besides her, there are three female educated youth and two male educated youth left. As for the others, apart from a few who married locals, most of them tried to return to the city this year.

Two years ago, when Tang Mingmei first arrived here, she shared a room with five other people. After the lights were turned off, she didn't dare to breathe too loudly, or she would be scolded for making any noise.

With fewer people around, she didn't want to live with anyone anymore, so she moved to a smaller room by herself.

Even though she was alone in a room, she didn't dare to cry out loud, afraid that the other educated youth living next door would hear her.

She didn't get along well with the other educated youth; if they knew she had cried, they would only gloat.

During those two years in the countryside, if it weren't for the care she received from her boyfriend, Li Dazhu, she probably wouldn't have made it to the end of last year to take the college entrance examination.

Thinking of her boyfriend, Tang Mingmei finally felt less upset.

In her previous life, she listened to her parents and married a man of unequal social standing, only to be neglected and die young.

In this life, she followed her heart and got together with Li Dazhu, a male educated youth who went to the countryside with her.

Although Li Dazhu's looks and family background couldn't compare to Fu Ci's, he was thoughtful, considerate, and caring. If it weren't for him, she couldn't imagine how hard those two years in the countryside would have been.

However, Tang Mingmei then thought about how she had secretly asked her parents to find a way to get her back to the city. If he found out, would he be angry with her?

Tang Mingmei's mind was filled with more and more thoughts, and she only managed to doze off for a short while as dawn approached.

...

Guangcheng, family compound.

After two days of drizzling, the sun finally shone brightly today.

Tang Mingli and Madam Fu strolled leisurely in the garden, enjoying the long-awaited sunshine.

It is absolutely true that all things grow by the sun.

After not seeing the sun for two days, she felt like she was about to get moldy.

A neighbor saw Tang Mingli and Madam Fu walking side by side and exclaimed that the grandmother and granddaughter had a very good relationship.

Having seen so many such looks, Tang Mingli half-jokingly said to the old lady, "Grandma, it seems like everyone is envious of you."

Madam Fu asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

“Look at the way they look at us, their eyes are full of undisguised envy.”

Madam Fu hadn't noticed it, but she also thought it was quite enviable.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Madam Fu gently patted Tang Mingli's hand: "It's all because of you."

Before Tang Mingli married into the family, their family was naturally harmonious, but it became even more vibrant after she joined.

Actually, the Tang family was unhappy with what they did back then.

The two families are of vastly different social standing. The Tang family was only able to marry their daughter off because of the kindness of the previous generation. How could they be happy to resort to such underhanded tactics?

But they've already registered their marriage, so they can't force a divorce. They can't do that, so they can only swallow their anger.

To paraphrase what her grandson said, they are all her benefactor's granddaughters anyway.

Given this premise, they had some prejudice against Tang Mingli.

But without realizing it, everyone gradually came to regard her as a member of the Fu family.

Madam Fu didn't know how to describe Tang Mingli.

After spending a long time with this person, you'll discover that they possess an invisible, gentle charm.

It was precisely because the Fu family accepted Tang Mingli from the bottom of their hearts that their attitude towards Tang's uncle and aunt softened.

There's a saying from our ancestors that's true: perhaps everything is the best arrangement in the grand scheme of things.

Tang Mingli is the most suitable daughter-in-law for Fu Ci.

-

After walking in the garden for half an hour, the sun gradually became scorching, so Tang Mingli and Madam Fu headed back home.

Zhang Guihua was already preparing lunch for today. Tang Mingli came to the kitchen to preview the dishes for lunch and was extremely satisfied.

When Madam Fu returned, she sat on the sofa and began reading today's newspaper.

Normally at this time, Tang Mingli would either go back to her room for a nap or read a book on the first floor while keeping the old lady company.

She was full of energy today and didn't need to take a nap, so she picked up a book she hadn't finished reading last time from the side table and slowly started reading it.

Tang Mingli is nine-tenths satisfied with her life in this era.

The point deducted was for entertainment purposes.

Take novels for example. Decades later, online novels will flourish, and you'll only regret not having eighteen pairs of eyes to read them. But at this time, there will be very few novels to read.

and……

Forgive her for being used to hardship and unable to appreciate fine food; she genuinely felt that novels of that era were too dull in both subject matter and content, requiring slow and careful reading to understand.

Madam Fu noticed that she seemed a little distracted while flipping through the book, and jokingly asked, "Are you thinking of resigning?"

Tang Mingli quickly waved her hand: "No, nothing like that."

That's the truth. I've had my own two-meter-wide bed for the past two days, and my sleep quality has improved.

Madam Fu assumed that he was just embarrassed to admit it, and couldn't help but say to her grandson, "Fu Ci is really something. Even though he's busy with meetings, he shouldn't be so busy that he doesn't even have time to call home. It's one thing if he doesn't care about us, but you, his wife, can't be so indifferent either."

“That’s because he knew we were all safe and sound at home.” Tang Mingli’s words were sincere.

Unless someone is heartless, the only reason they can go a long time without contacting their family is that they know their family is doing well and they feel at ease.

Worried that her grandmother would continue to tease her, Tang Mingli quickly and subtly changed the subject: "I wonder who Fu Ci took after in terms of personality."

"Who else could he take after? His dad, of course. But his dad took after the old man too."

As expected, Madam Fu was successfully diverted from the topic and began to talk about how Grandpa Fu disciplined his son in a military style since he was a child.

Tang Mingli listened with a smile, occasionally offering a response.

Just as Madam Fu was talking happily, the telephone in the living room rang.

Since it was right next to her, Tang Mingli reached out and took it.

After saying "hello," Fu Ci's voice came from the other end.

It's true what they say, speak of the devil and he appears.

Tang Mingli hurriedly told Madam Fu, "It's Fu Ci on the phone."

Upon hearing that it was her grandson calling, Madam Fu instantly beamed with joy, put down her newspaper, and leaned closer.

After chatting for a while, Madam Fu realized that her grandson hadn't made the call because he missed his family, and couldn't help but say to him, "You really are a blockhead."

Fu Ci was quite puzzled, but he had heard this so many times in the past six months that he had gotten used to it.

Over the phone, he told Tang Mingli that he had found someone to help Tang Mingmei return to the city, and it would probably be done in about a week.

After saying that, there was nothing else to say, so I hung up the phone.

Madam Fu shook her head repeatedly: "That blockhead is just like his grandfather. He made the phone call, but he couldn't say a single kind word."

Tang Mingli smiled and spoke up for Fu Ci: "When judging a person, you should focus on their strengths. Fu Ci's greatest strength is his reliability. Look, he's still in a meeting, but he hasn't forgotten what he promised me."

"You always see other people's good points first," Madam Fu said with a sigh, but also with some worry. "Back then, your cousin insisted on going to the countryside, and now she's insisting on coming back. I wonder what kind of trouble she might cause."

Tang Mingli had considered this, but she didn't like to worry unnecessarily. Thinking too much about things that haven't happened yet would only diminish her happiness.

Moreover, the two are no longer living under the same roof, so even if they cause any trouble, it will be the Tang family's eldest uncle and his wife who suffer the most.