Chapter 50 (Bonus Chapter) So many years, so many days...

Tang Mingli, who had been called out by Madam Fu, smiled guiltily and pushed the chilled cantaloupe cut into small pieces in front of her towards Fu Ci, indicating that he should eat it.

Fu Ci picked up a toothpick, poked a small piece, and put it in his mouth.

It's sweet and delicious, with a slightly cool sensation.

He figured his wife would like it, so he decided to eat fewer pieces himself and let her eat more.

To everyone's surprise, she said, "I've had enough. You should eat more."

As he spoke, he kept stuffing cherries into his mouth.

Fu Ci laughed.

This isn't because they've had enough to eat; they're just using him as a recycling bin again.

But he got used to it. Anyway, he didn't know when it started, but whenever she didn't like something, she would subconsciously put it in front of him.

Eating is eating, eating snacks is eating snacks.

Fu Ci silently finished the cantaloupe on his plate. Tang Mingli glanced at the half-eaten cherry in her hand and tentatively asked, "Want some of this?"

Fu Ci thought for a moment, then took one and put it in his mouth.

In his opinion, the cantaloupe had a stronger flavor, but his wife preferred cherries.

He didn't understand, but he knew very little about food.

Tang Mingli stared nervously at his hand, a little afraid that he would reach out again.

There are only a few cherries left. Aunt Guihua wanted to buy some today, but found that the grocery store didn't have any.

Fu Ci noticed this and, wanting to tease her, reached for the plate again, even though he didn't want to eat anymore.

Tang Mingli subconsciously picked up the fruit plate.

Fu Ci was stunned.

Tang Mingli was stunned when she realized what she had done. Feeling ashamed, she reluctantly picked up a piece and fed it to Fu Ci, as if this could cover up her instinctive food-guarding behavior.

Fu Ci didn't expect her to suddenly feed him, and he reflexively opened his mouth after it was brought to his lips.

With one bite, the sweet and sour taste of the cherry bursts in your mouth.

Yes, these cherries aren't sour at all today, no wonder my wife is reluctant to part with them.

In less than a second, he mentally excused her behavior.

The entire incident involving the couple was witnessed by the two elderly people.

Madam Fu was alright; she had spent a lot of time with Tang Mingli and had often been treated this way by her, so she was somewhat used to it.

Grandpa Fu, being a typical straight man, was different. The younger generation's open display of affection made him a little uncomfortable, and he didn't even know where to look. So he simply made an excuse to read a book and quickly went into the study.

Upon seeing this, Fu Ci belatedly realized he was somewhat embarrassed.

Tang Mingli asked him if he wanted more, and he was too embarrassed to tease her any further, so he said, "I've had enough, you can eat."

"Yay!"

Tang Mingli smiled, her eyes crinkling, and happily ate alone.

-

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Fu's mother returned home from get off work and was both happy and surprised to see her son there.

"Why did you get home earlier than me today? It feels strange."

Tang Mingli told her mother-in-law, "Mom, would you be even more surprised if I told you that he came back at 3 o'clock?"

"That's certainly surprising," Mrs. Fu said honestly. After putting down her things, she rushed over and asked with concern, "Is there some problem with your business?"

Fu Ci found it funny that his mother and wife thought of the same thing.

He joked, "You guys get uneasy when I'm free, don't you?"

"You two?" Fu's mother pondered these two words, looking at her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, wondering who she had thought of the same thing as.

Tang Mingli raised her hand and confessed: "Mom, it's me."

Fu's mother was overjoyed: "They truly are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law; they're on the same page."

Madam Fu was getting jealous, and said in a sour tone, "You two, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are so in sync. It turns out that I, an old lady, am the only one who can't think the same way as you."

"Oh dear, Mom." Fu's mother quickly sat down to comfort her mother-in-law.

Madam Fu was easy to please and wasn't really jealous; she was all smiles in no time.

Fu Ci was so happy watching this scene that he almost fainted.

But the next second, he was jolted awake by a single sentence from his mother.

After appeasing her mother-in-law, Fu's mother asked Tang Mingli, "Did the hotel call you today?"

Tang Mingli shook her head: "No."

Although there are still two people missing, it won't be possible to gather them all in a short time.

She told her mother-in-law, "I'm already making preparations. As long as the hotel calls to let me know it's okay to travel, I guarantee there won't be any delays."

Mrs. Fu was relieved. "It'll be easier for me to take leave now, just a day or two in advance."

Everything is ready; the only question is whether the hostel can gather ten people.

Fu's mother was really looking forward to this trip. It was the first time she had ever traveled at her age, and she was going with her daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. Just thinking about it made her happy.

With Mingli along, it's never going to be boring.

This chat reminded Fu Ci that his wife and family might soon be going on a long trip.

Although it was only four days, the thought of only himself and Aunt Guihua at home during those four days made him feel cold, lonely, and miserable.

Time has a magical power; it gradually made him accustomed to having a wife in the house without him even realizing it.

It's only when she's around that the place comes alive and the atmosphere is lively.

He told them, "Don't be so reluctant to come back when the trip is over."

Actually, it's not impossible; Tang Mingli has indeed thought about it.

If Goose City is fun, they can stay there for a few more days and then take a bus back on their own.

But judging from her husband's tone, he was very reluctant to part with them, so she decided not to upset him any further.

Tang Mingli felt guilty and ate cherries.

Fortunately, Fu's mother replied, "How could that be? Mom has to come back to work."

“That’s true.” Fu Ci laughed at himself for forgetting that point.

Tang Mingli laughed at herself for forgetting that point.

How could I forget? My mother-in-law still has to go to work.

Zhang Guihua had already prepared dinner and came over to ask them, "Shall we eat now? Or should we wait a little longer?"

This "wait a little longer" doesn't mean waiting for someone. Fu Cheng'an won't be able to come back for dinner for the next two days. It just means that there are still about ten minutes before the usual 7 o'clock dinner time.

Today, Tang Mingli made garlic ribs and sweet and sour pork. Not wanting to wait, she blinked and looked at the others.

Fortunately, Mrs. Fu was also hungry and said, "Let's eat first, the food won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Great!" Tang Mingli stood up excitedly and ran to the study door to call Grandpa Fu for dinner.

Madam Fu smiled at her, "She's the most enthusiastic eater. But that also shows her filial piety."

No matter how much I crave food, I will never forget my family.

-

Fu Ci returned home early, ate dinner, watched TV, and went back upstairs. Both husband and wife knew perfectly well what was going to happen.

After a satisfying workout, Tang Mingli ate a hearty meal and fell into a sweet sleep.

The pleasant feeling made even the air taste sweet.

-

Two days later, Tang Mingli received a call from the hotel.

The staff excitedly told her that everyone was finally accounted for and asked her to come and pay the balance in the next couple of days, and also to submit the relevant documents.

Tang Mingli had already prepared these materials.

Although she still felt a little bit of escapism, she would still do what needed to be done; she didn't like the panic of cramming at the last minute.

After hanging up the phone, Tang Mingli's last bit of escapist sentiment completely disappeared.

My heart should die.

Accept reality.

The day after telling her grandmother and mother-in-law the good news, Tang Mingli went to the travel agency to pay the money and submit the documents.

After checking the documents she submitted, the hotel staff praised her, saying, "Mingli, your submission is the most complete; nothing is missing."

Others either forgot to provide a copy of their ID card, or the certificate period wasn't correct; there were always various small problems that caused a lot of worry.

Tang Mingli smiled wryly, thinking that this was probably the reward for being a corporate slave in her previous life.

Tang Mingli, who had just returned home from the hotel and wanted to rest for a while, suddenly felt a bad premonition when she saw a room full of old ladies sitting in the living room.

really……

When Madam Fu saw her return, she quickly asked, "Did it go smoothly?"

Tang Mingli nodded.

Madam Fu: "That's wonderful."

She then explained the purpose of the visit of the elderly ladies, who were unsure of what preparations to make or what documents to submit, and had come specifically to consult the experienced Tang Mingli.

Tang Mingli took a deep breath, tried to put on a smile, and told herself that respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and besides, these grandmothers are her grandmother's good friends.

She patiently explained things to them, and even carefully wrote down the precautions on paper to prevent them from forgetting them when they got back.

As it turned out, her worries were not unfounded at all.

The next day, several grandmothers came to her for help again. Tang Mingli made up her mind and simply led them to get things done, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because she had done her a great favor, the grandmothers suddenly became exceptionally kind to her, calling her "Mingli" repeatedly.

As the grandmothers called out "Mingli" repeatedly, Tang Mingli's thoughts gradually cleared.

When she remembered what the hotel staff had told her—that the other two were also elderly grandparents—she suddenly had the illusion that she was also a staff member, leading a group of retired old ladies on a trip.

My heart is filled with unease.

But in any case, there's no turning back now.

After thinking it through, she stopped worrying unnecessarily and decided to treat it as a unique experience.

She even became excited the day before she was to leave.

That day, Fu Ci tried every means to adjust his work schedule and go home early. When he returned, he saw his wife happily humming a tune as she packed her luggage. She was completely different from the woman who had told him two days ago with a sad face that she was going to join a senior citizens' tour group.

Fu Cixin said with a bittersweet feeling, "Why doesn't it feel like we're on a senior citizens' tour group anymore?"

Hearing the voice, Tang Mingli turned around and greeted her husband with a smile: "You're back? Are you tired today?"

After saying that, she continued packing her luggage.

When traveling, you absolutely have to wear pants; skirts are just too inconvenient. So I carefully selected from a bunch of pants, trying to choose loose and comfortable sporty styles.

Feeling that his wife was giving him a perfunctory reply, he simply stepped forward, grabbed her hands, and almost blurted out that they shouldn't go on the trip.

Tang Mingli smiled at him, knowingly asking, "What's wrong? Having troubles at work?"

Fu Ci said sullenly, "No."

Tang Mingli stopped teasing him and said with a smile, "So you can't bear to part with me."

When Fu Ci was exposed, his ears turned red without him realizing it, but he still managed to hum in response.

Tang Mingli sighed softly, stopped joking, and leaned against his chest.

"Don't say that, it's only a four-day trip."

Yes, Fu Ci knew it was only four days, but he seemed to have separation anxiety.

"This is probably the first time in all these years of marriage that you've been away from me for so many days."

So many years, so many days.

Tang Mingli felt both amused and touched.

This man really can't bear to part with her, what should I do?

She broke free from her restraints, patted Fu Ci's sturdy back, and said something Fu Ci hadn't expected.