Chapter 139 Stand Firm and Raise Your Head

"Zihang is married!" the chubby woman repeated. "Qin Zihang is married!"

"You're married?" Zhang Chenghai asked. "Are you having a wedding banquet?"

"They didn't tell us about their wedding banquet today, nor did they invite Xiaohu." Fatty felt very uncomfortable. When Zhang Wen got married, Fatty called to invite Song Fenglan. When Zhang Xiaohu held his wedding banquet in Nancheng, Song Fenglan was not invited. When Zhang Xiaohu held his wedding banquet in the capital, Qin Zihang was invited.

Now, Qin Zihang is holding a wedding banquet, but he has not invited Fatty's wife and her husband, nor has he invited Zhang Xiaohu.

The plump woman's heart sank. She had thought that Song Fenglan would invite them to Qin Zihang's wedding banquet. Perhaps, she might even make a trip to the capital to attend Qin Zihang's wedding in person, and also to visit Song Fenglan.

“I didn’t invite you…” Zhang Chenghai was stunned for a moment.

"Yes, they didn't invite Xiaohu, and they didn't invite us either," said the plump woman. "Fenglan gave our family a gift of money, and we haven't had a chance to repay her yet."

“How do you know they didn’t invite us?” Zhang Chenghai asked.

"Xiao Hu said that his friend works at the hotel where Zihang held his wedding banquet," said the plump woman. "Xiao Hu's friend told him, so he found out."

“This…” Zhang Chenghai didn’t know what to say. He also thought that when Qin Zihang held his wedding banquet, those people would invite him and his wife, as well as Zhang Xiaohu.

"It's better that they didn't invite her," said the plump woman. "Zihang's friends are all very rich, right? They're afraid that our youngest daughter-in-law will go there and set her sights on those people."

As she spoke, the fat woman squatted down on the ground; she was very sad.

Gao Xiuxiu, who lived next door, overheard this. She was in the yard, but afraid that her sister-in-law and Zhang Chenghai would find out, she hid nearby, crouching down slightly.

"Gao Xiuxiu, what are you doing?" Grandma Fang saw a figure. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Gao Xiuxiu. She said that she had already closed the door, and it shouldn't be a stranger coming at this time.

Gao Xiuxiu was startled; why did her mother-in-law have to call her?

The fat woman next door and Zhang Chenghai heard Grandma Fang's voice, so they stopped standing in the yard.

Back in the room, Zhang Chenghai continued, "When Xiaohu held his wedding banquet in Nancheng, he didn't invite Song Fenglan and her husband. He invited Zihang separately when he returned to the capital. Maybe, maybe they were planning to invite Xiaohu separately later too."

“Xiao Hu is in the capital, why would we invite him separately? We’re having Xiao Hu’s wedding banquet in the south, that’s why we didn’t invite them from the capital,” said the plump woman. “If they were in the south, we would have invited them directly, why would we wait until later? When Xiao Wen had his wedding banquet, we invited them, but they didn’t come.”

Fatty Sister was just upset. She felt that since Zhang Xiaohu was in the capital, Song Fenglan and her husband could skip inviting her and Zhang Chenghai, so why couldn't they invite Zhang Xiaohu? What would people think if they found out? They would definitely think that they had fallen out with Qin Zihang's family.

They used to have such a good relationship, but now it's turned out like this.

“Xiao Hu isn’t on a business trip; he’s right here in the capital,” said the plump woman. “Couldn’t they have asked him to come? Xiao Hu is away on a business trip, but his wife is still here…”

"Alright, stop talking." Zhang Chenghai couldn't listen anymore. "So what are you going to do? Call Song Fenglan and her husband and tell them they've gone too far?"

"I..." Of course, the plump woman couldn't do that; she just felt that Song Fenglan and her husband hadn't handled things well. "They...they..."

…”

They went a bit too far!

The fat woman really wanted to say that, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

“Our family can’t compare to theirs. That’s just how they are,” said the plump woman. “It’s true, we’ve lost touch. They must have other relatives and friends in the capital. How could they possibly care about us…”

"What you're saying is that they look down on us, isn't it?" Zhang Chenghai immediately understood what Fatty Sister meant. "They're so far away. Besides, haven't we already implicated Qin Zihang enough times when Xiao Hu's situation has caused trouble? If they invite Xiao Hu and his wife over this time, and Xiao Hu's wife sees something else, and then something else happens, we'll offend them!"

Zhang Chenghai isn't so oblivious to this; once is enough, twice is not enough. If it happens again, it will be the third time. How many relationships can withstand such attrition? Blame Xiao Hu for misjudging people.

Zhang Xiaohu is eager to establish himself in the capital and hopes to do well, which is understandable; everyone wants to climb the ladder. However, Zhang Xiaohu's situation affects others, and those others have the right to choose not to let him go.

“They must have been invited separately later,” Zhang Chenghai said.

"Why didn't you say so beforehand if you were inviting me alone?" the fat woman asked again.

"Did you tell them in advance when Xiaohu was holding his wedding banquet?" Zhang Chenghai asked. "Didn't Xiaohu hold the banquet in Nancheng first, and then he went to the capital to invite people?"

Zhang Chenghai was well aware of these things; he had seen them all. His wife was just being a bit stubborn. Back when she first came to join him from the countryside, she always felt that this person looked down on her, that person looked down on her; she was very prone to overthinking. No one meant anything by it; they simply didn't want to cause trouble for everyone.

"Are we allowed to do this, but others aren't allowed to?" Zhang Chenghai asked.

“I…” Fat Sister looked at Zhang Chenghai.

"Stop talking, people will laugh at you if they find out," Zhang Chenghai muttered. "I wonder how much the neighbors heard. How long have you been standing in the yard?"

"It wasn't long..." How could the plump woman say she had been standing in the yard for a long time? "Actually, it was only about half an hour. I... I just couldn't stand it anymore... I really couldn't... I thought that between Fenglan and me, I thought..."

"Don't overthink it," Zhang Chenghai said. "They've helped us so much on their own; that's more than enough."

Gao Xiuxiu was a gossipy person by nature, and she wasn't particularly afraid of Fatty Sister-in-law. She was happy that Fatty Sister-in-law and Song Fenglan had fallen out. Gao Xiuxiu didn't know the specifics of what had happened, but she knew that Fatty Sister-in-law was unhappy because Qin Zihang hadn't invited her to his wedding.

Then, Gao Xiuxiu went outside and said that Fatty Sister-in-law was talking badly about Song Fenglan at home.

"I think she just wants someone to pay for her transportation and invite her to the capital."

"She wasn't thinking about attending someone else's wedding banquet; she clearly just wanted to see her youngest son."

"How can she be so shameless? She talked badly about other people at home, saying quite a few things."

...

Gao Xiuxiu told others, and they told others, and the news eventually reached Fan Yani's ears.

Fan Yani couldn't help but shake her head. She kept shaking her head when she talked about this with her husband, Yue Hongwei.

“Even if you’re upset, speak more quietly,” Fan Yani said. “Besides, this isn’t Song Fenglan’s fault. I’ve heard that Xiaohu’s two girlfriends both dragged Zihang into it. How could they dare invite Xiaohu to their wedding? There are so many people there. What would they do if Xiaohu and his wife caused trouble? Of course, they wouldn’t invite them at that time.”

"How come everyone else knows?" Yue Hongwei asked.

“There are no secrets that stay hidden forever,” Fan Yani said. “Sister-in-law Pang can’t keep things to herself, and she loves to talk. If she complains a little, others will hear it, won’t they? Gao Xiuxiu has wanted to talk about Sister-in-law Pang for a long time, but she just couldn’t find the right excuse. This time, Sister-in-law Pang herself handed the excuse over to others. When Xiaohu held his wedding banquet, they didn’t invite Sister Fenglan. Now, Qin Zihang is holding his wedding banquet, and they can choose not to invite them either. Sister-in-law Pang, you just can’t put yourself in others’ shoes. She’s not well-educated and doesn’t understand those social niceties. What she does understand is superficial.”

Fat Sister always felt that she had a good relationship with Song Fenglan, and Song Fenglan also treated Fat Sister very well.

Back then, Song Fenglan often went to work in this area, and having a suitable neighbor was always a good thing. Fatty Sister-in-law was much better than Gao Xiuxiu, and Xiao Hu played with Qin Zihang, which is why Song Fenglan paid more attention to Fatty Sister-in-law.

Ultimately, Song Fenglan's main concern was Qin Zihang, while Fatty's sister-in-law failed to see reality clearly. Song Fenglan wasn't selfish; after all the help Fatty's sister-in-law received, Fatty's sister-in-law felt that since they were good friends, Song Fenglan shouldn't have acted this way or that.

Why is it only the fat sister's family that does this or that?

“It’s perfectly normal to have reached this point,” Fan Yani said. “Different social classes. Sister Fenglan’s family is so rich that some people are inevitably blinded by it. Actually, Xiaohu is not bad either. At least Xiaohu didn’t think about asking Sister Fenglan to find him a job, and he didn’t go to work for the Song family’s company. He’s been self-reliant. It’s just that if he goes to work for another company, he will inevitably encounter some things and suffer setbacks.”

Fan Yani knew with a little thought that Zhang Xiaohu must be having a very difficult time in the company. Without connections, he couldn't compete with those who had connections, making it much harder for him to get things done. Those with connections could potentially boost the company's performance, while what could Zhang Xiaohu possibly do?

The Song Fenglan family is wealthy, but they're not fools; they can't always give Zhang Xiaohu face. This means the Song Fenglan family's connections are only for show, not for practical use. Even if they were to be used, it would depend on the specific circumstances.

"Did Sister-in-law Fatty really say those things?" Yue Hongwei asked. "Could it be that the rumors are wrong?"

"Most of it is true, though some may have exaggerated, but Sister-in-law Pang should have said a few things as well."

“That’s just how Fatty’s mouth is,” Fan Yani said. “Sometimes she speaks without thinking, not knowing what she shouldn’t say. Everyone in the family compound knows they’ve taken advantage of us a lot. Before, when Sister Fenglan came on a business trip, she brought them a whole suitcase of things. Whenever Fatty’s sister has a problem, she asks Sister Fenglan, and Sister Fenglan always tries her best to help her.”

Fan Yani didn't bother Song Fenglan. She knew they were just neighbors and shouldn't trouble their former neighbors.

The fat woman considered herself a good friend of Song Fenglan and asked her repeatedly. Song Fenglan had a good attitude and was willing to help the fat woman. The fat woman took advantage of the situation and didn't even realize how excessive her actions were.

“The gap between the two families is too big. Maybe Sister Pang thinks that Sister Fenglan is high and mighty and doesn’t care about them.” Fan Yani sighed. “Sister Fenglan is very busy. When she was in Nancheng, she worked overtime a lot. Sister Pang called the capital to look for Sister Fenglan. Sister Fenglan was often not at home, but she would call her back later.”

Fan Yani knew all about it; her sister-in-law had mentioned it outside.

At that time, Fatty Sister boasted about her good relationship with Song Fenglan, saying that Song Fenglan hadn't forgotten them even after going to the capital.

“When someone gives you a favor, you praise them. But if you do the first thing and someone else does the fifteenth, you criticize them,” Fan Yani said. “Sister-in-law Pang is not clear-headed. She can do some simple things, but she can’t do complicated ones.”

This is why Fan Yani only asked Pang Sao to make simple things like grass jelly. Pang Sao had once considered opening a milk tea shop and getting ingredients from Fan Yani, but Fan Yani refused. Fan Yani said she had no plans to open a chain store or have anyone franchise it. If she really let Pang Sao get ingredients from her, and Pang Sao's business didn't go well, or Pang Sao did something else shady, firstly, Pang Sao would talk, and secondly, Fan Yani herself might feel uncomfortable.

Fan Yani meant that if Fatty wanted to cook, she should make those things herself. Fatty is capable and has some cooking skills, so there's no need to buy them from Fan Yani.

Then, Fatty Sister-in-law didn't think about opening a milk tea shop. If any milk tea shop could become a hit, people would have opened milk tea shops long ago. Why would they just sit and watch?

"Did Fatty Sister-in-law say that to you?" Yue Hongwei asked.

“She hasn’t said anything this time,” Fan Yani said. “Previously, Sister-in-law Pang said something, saying that she and Sister Fenglan are getting more and more distant, and that Sister Fenglan is a very busy person. I said, of course Sister Fenglan is busy, but she still finds time to talk to her in her busy schedule, it’s not easy for her.”

Fan Yani is just that straightforward. She respects Song Fenglan and doesn't think she's being biased; she's simply stating the facts.

"Aren't you afraid that Sister-in-law Pang won't like you?" Yue Hongwei asked. "Aren't you afraid she'll get angry?"

“No!” Fan Yani said, “If I hadn’t made her do those jobs, would she have earned those earnings? The things she said to me, trying to get my approval, depend on what I think. I’m not a block of wood; I have my own ideas. It’s not like I can agree with everything she says.”

Fan Yani has always been quite down-to-earth. After all, she is the female lead in the original novel, not someone without a brain. She has always been very tactful.

Some of the things Fatty Sister-in-law said eventually reached Song Fenglan's ears. There were always people who didn't want Song Fenglan to be so good to Fatty Sister-in-law. This time, with such a big problem arising on Fatty Sister-in-law's side, wasn't this the perfect opportunity for those people to take advantage of the situation?

When Song Fenglan heard those words, she just smiled and didn't say anything more.

When the weekend arrived, Qin Zihang and his wife came to their home to have dinner with Song Fenglan and her husband. Xu Yan specially cooked two dishes, knowing that her mother-in-law liked sweet and sour pork ribs.

“If you feel tired, just rest at home,” Song Fenglan said. “You don’t need to come and keep us company.”

"I'm not tired," Xu Yan said. She thought that her mother-in-law had given them so many good things, so of course they should come and keep her company when they had time. It was fine for her mother-in-law to stay up a little later since she rarely had a day off. Xu Yan wasn't here to have her mother-in-law take care of her; she was here to take care of her mother-in-law. "Mom, if you need anything, just tell us. We live so close by, we're always free."

“It’s not easy for you at school either,” Song Fenglan said.

"It's alright," Xu Yan said. "I teach chemistry, and chemistry is fine. I don't do many experiments, so it's not a big problem. It would be much harder to teach foreign languages ​​or Chinese, because those subjects are more important."

Xu Yan teaches chemistry, and the main thing is to pay more attention when conducting experiments. Fortunately, high school chemistry experiments are relatively simple, not too difficult, and not easy to cause problems.

"Mom, I'm treating Xiaohu to dinner tomorrow. I just called him," Qin Zihang said. "We've arranged a hotel, the same one."

“Okay.” Song Fenglan nodded. “You can make your own arrangements.”

"It's just the two of us, and Xiao Hu and his wife. We didn't invite anyone else," Qin Zihang said. He hadn't invited any other friends; the other friends from his circle had already gone to the banquet.

Qin Zihang's friends are basically from the same circle, or they are his close fellow students and classmates from school.

“You guys go,” Qin Yizhou said. “Even if you’re drifting apart, you should still make things clear. That’s how they did it when they had their wedding banquet before, so there’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing now. It’s not that your mother looks down on them.”

Song Fenglan looked at Qin Yizhou, who already knew some of the things the fat woman had said. Qin Yizhou was very unhappy when he learned those things. It was all because Zhang Xiaohu was bad at judging people, and Zhang Xiaohu and his wife were prone to making mistakes, which was why Qin Zihang hadn't invited Zhang Xiaohu to the wedding banquet.

Those people only know how to criticize Song Fenglan; isn't that bullying her?

Qin Yizhou would never allow his wife to suffer. Just because his family is rich, does that mean others can say they look down on people?

Song Fenglan didn't think Qin Yizhou was wrong; she just felt heartbroken. The main reason she and Fatty Sister-in-law had ended up like this was because of Zhang Xiaohu.

But can we completely blame Zhang Xiaohu for this?

cannot!

At that time, Zhang Xiaohu had just graduated and entered the workforce; he had no idea about those things. College students are always naive and foolish, and recent graduates are no better. College students are still pampered, but once they leave school and become corporate slaves, who will still pamper them?

Zhang Xiaohu experienced a huge gap between his school and real life. In school, grades mattered more, but outside of school, connections mattered more, and personal ability was secondary.

"Speak properly," Song Fenglan said. "Don't make things too ugly."

“I know,” Qin Zihang said. “I told him on the phone that he invited us separately last time, so we invited him separately too.”

Qin Zihang left it at that, and Zhang Xiaohu naturally understood.

A moment later, Zhang Xiaohu called back to his wife, Pang Sao. Zhang Xiaohu hadn't expected Qin Zihang and his wife to invite him and his wife separately, and to the same hotel. This made Zhang Xiaohu a little awkward; refusing wouldn't be good, but going made him think, "I'm in the capital, why invite them separately?"

When Zhang Xiaohu was on the phone with Qin Zihang, he didn't dare say these things. He only said a few words to Fatty Sister-in-law. After all, Fatty Sister-in-law was Zhang Xiaohu's biological mother, so he dared to say more.

“Give your elder brother his share of the money too,” said the plump woman. “Our family won’t owe them anything.”

“Mom, even if we give a gift of money, we still owe each other.” Zhang Xiaohu understood that it wasn’t like paying back the money or giving a gift of money meant that his family would no longer owe anyone.

After starting work, Zhang Xiaohu understood more things and was no longer as naive as before.

"We still have to give them a gift," said the plump woman. "They might not invite you again in the future."

“Zihang said there’s no need for a gift,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “He said he wouldn’t accept any, nor would he accept any from anyone else.”

"Didn't you accept it back then?" the plump woman said.

“He said there would be other opportunities in the future,” Zhang Xiaohu said.

As for whether there will be other opportunities in the future, that's uncertain.

Zhang Xiaohu thought that since Qin Zihang had said so, he was still wrong to follow Qin Zihang's advice. Zhang Xiaohu was a little short of money. He and his wife didn't rent a place to live, but Zhang Xiaohu had previously bought stocks, which didn't make much money and even resulted in some losses.

Zhang Xiaohu's wife also knew about his stock purchases. The two of them thought that since the money in their hands didn't earn much interest, they might as well put it in the stock market to give it a try, in case they could make a lot of money.

Then, the couple hit it off and started investing in stocks.

Zhang Xiaohu dared not talk about his stock trading. If he made money, that would be fine, but if he didn't, his mother would definitely talk about it.

“Since he said that, just do as he says,” said the plump woman. “I thought… I thought he wasn’t planning on inviting you.”

“Zihang’s relatives and friends are different from ours,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Zihang didn’t say it directly, but that’s the gist of it. We invited him over separately before…”

"Aren't there other friends of yours and your wife?" The fat woman still felt something was off.

"Mom, don't think about these things," Zhang Xiaohu said. "I called to tell you that Zihang is inviting us to a banquet."

"Okay, I understand," said the plump woman.

After hanging up the phone, Fatty was still uneasy. This kind of private invitation wasn't good at all. Fatty thought it would be perfectly reasonable for Xiaohu to host another banquet in the capital, since those people wouldn't come to the south city for the feast. But Qin Zihang's wedding banquet was different; Zhang Xiaohu could easily attend.

No matter what Qin Zihang did, Fatty Sister-in-law was never satisfied.

When Fatty's sister-in-law went to Fan Yani's place, she specifically mentioned that Qin Zihang had invited Zhang Xiaohu to a separate banquet.

"That couple is really too kind, they even invited someone else," said the plump woman. "They said it was the same restaurant and the same dishes, and they didn't want any money from the guests."

The plump woman's smile was somewhat forced, and Fan Yani understood immediately. The plump woman hoped that if she spoke to Fan Yani, Fan Yani would put in a good word for her. Right now, everyone in the residential compound was talking badly about the plump woman. If the plump woman put herself in those people's shoes, wouldn't they have other ideas too?

"You know, if they had told us earlier, we..."

"Did you mention it when Xiaohu held his wedding banquet in Nancheng?" Fan Yani interrupted Fatty Sister-in-law.

"It was too far, so I didn't say anything," said the plump woman. "At the time, we had a lot of things to do, and it's all Xiao Hu's fault for acting first and asking for permission later, getting the marriage certificate so early."

“It’s not like Xiaohu is getting married, so they don’t really need to be in such a hurry to tell you,” Fan Yani said. “Sister Fenglan and the others also have a lot of things to do.”

Don't always act like you're busy while others are not.

To put it bluntly, no matter how busy Sister Pang is, there are still things she can do. If Sister Pang doesn't do those things, others can. Song Fenglan is doing scientific research, and without her, many things probably can't be resolved; she needs to be there to oversee things.

Fan Yani didn't try to reason with Fatty Sister-in-law about these things. She had said it before, but Fatty Sister-in-law clearly hadn't taken those words to heart.

"..." The fat woman fell silent.

Fan Yani has always been like this. Fatty Sister-in-law saw that Fan Yani was tolerant of her, and the two of them had some financial dealings, so they could be considered business partners. That's why Fatty Sister-in-law said this to Fan Yani.

After a moment of silence, the plump woman sighed again, "I did say some wrong things a few days ago, and now everyone outside is saying that I spoke ill of Fenglan. I've been Fenglan's neighbor for several years, and we've kept in touch for so many years afterward. How could I possibly say anything bad about Fenglan? I just said that Zihang didn't tell us about his wedding banquet. Who knew that it would spread like this? It's like a tiger being spread by three men. I really have nowhere to reason with them."

“You explain it to them,” Fan Yani said. She couldn't possibly explain it to those people; they weren't her, Fan Yani.

Ni made a mistake.

The portly woman looked embarrassed. She thought that so many people came to Fan Yani's shop to buy things, and Fan Yani often talked to those people. If Fan Yani could explain a few things to them, the portly woman thought that others wouldn't misunderstand her so much.

Fan Yani does business buying and selling things, and she does chat with people, but she doesn't like to talk about these things, as she might offend someone. Furthermore, Fan Yani has some issues with Fatty Sister-in-law regarding this matter, so she's even less likely to speak up for her.

While Zhang Xiaohu and his wife were having dinner with Qin Zihang and his wife at the hotel, Zhang Xiaohu brought up the matter of Fatty's wife before Qin Zihang could even speak.

"My mom just talks too much, she didn't mean anything by it. I don't know if my aunt heard what she said." When Zhang Xiaohu was on the phone with his aunt, she said a few words.

The fat woman was worried that those words would reach Song Fenglan's ears and make her unhappy.

"That's good." Qin Zihang thought that since Zhang Xiaohu had already said so, he wouldn't say anything else.

Xu Yan glanced at Zhang Xiaohu. Since her man had already said that, it was best for her to say less and save face for him. Anyway, they wouldn't see Zhang Xiaohu and his wife much in the future, so there was no need to make things too ugly. Xu Yan didn't know the specifics of what had happened, but it probably wasn't a good thing.

Tan Wu didn't say much during the banquet. Seeing so many dishes, she thought they must have cost a lot of money.

"We can't finish all of this," Zhang Xiaohu said.

"If you can't finish it, you can pack it up and take it with you," Qin Zihang said. "That's fine too, you don't have to finish it all."

"That's great!" Tan Wu said. She didn't stand on ceremony with these people. The dishes were all top-notch, tasted good, and were not cheap.

Tan Wu was indeed a thrifty person. She didn't care about saving face, nor did she feel that others looked down on them. The fact that Qin Zihang and his wife were willing to invite them to a banquet alone showed that they respected them. If they didn't respect them, they would have simply ignored them.

Qin Zihang did indeed value Zhang Xiaohu. It wasn't Zhang Xiaohu himself who made the mistake, but someone close to him. The two might not have frequent contact in the future, but if Zhang Xiaohu encountered any problems, Qin Zihang would lend a helping hand. And if Qin Zihang had a problem, he believed Zhang Xiaohu would be willing to help as well.

During the banquet, Qin Zihang didn't dwell on the matter of Fatty Sister-in-law, and that was the end of it.

After having a banquet at noon, Qin Zihang and his wife went home first.

Qin Zihang and his wife went to Song Fenglan's place and told her what Zhang Xiaohu had said.

“That’s true of Sister-in-law Pang; she can’t keep things to herself,” Song Fenglan said.

“She’s older than you, isn’t she?” Xu Yan said.

“Being older doesn’t necessarily mean being more mature and stable,” Song Fenglan said.

Song Fenglan has lived two lives, so her temperament is more stable and calm, unlike those people who have very intense emotional ups and downs.

In her past life, Song Fenglan had also experienced intense emotional turmoil. She met a senior student who was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer during her graduate studies and passed away not long after. When Song Fenglan visited her senior, the senior told her to maintain a calm emotional state, not to get too agitated, and not to overthink things. She told her that being alive was enough, and to take things easy.

Even if people say you have no emotions, or that you're some kind of AI with a mind of your own, it doesn't matter. What's important is having a good mindset. Women's emotions fluctuate greatly, making them more prone to illness and bad for their health.

That senior student had excellent grades. She was always busy with experiments, under immense pressure. She needed to publish enough papers, and her experimental data was often incorrect. Even the smallest things made her extremely anxious. It wasn't until she fell ill that she realized many things weren't as important as she thought. Being calm, taking things easy, and accepting of ordinariness is a blessing.

In terms of experience, Song Fenglan has experienced more than Fatty Sister. Leaving aside her past life, just in this life, the Song family was sent to a farm, and Song Fenglan, who stayed in the capital, was also harassed. She has experienced so much, and now, looking at the things happening before her, she truly feels that none of these things matter.

“In the past, Sister-in-law Pang was always like this, always suffering losses in this regard,” Song Fenglan said. “She came from the countryside to Nancheng, and she always felt out of place. She would try her best to be kind to others and try her best to integrate into their group, which inevitably made her feel somewhat inferior. This is not her fault, but the tragedy of being a woman. Women are always more easily looked down upon.”

People who come from the countryside to the city like Zhang Chenghai are mostly praised. Even if a man doesn't do very well, few people will criticize him.

“She’s not a bad person,” Song Fenglan said.

"Do you still keep in touch with her often?" Xu Yan asked.

“No,” Song Fenglan replied. “The children have all grown up. When we talk about Zihang and Xiaohu, the difference between them is too great, and it feels like there’s a lack of equality. Even if it’s not meant to be boasting, it becomes boasting. But I can’t just not say a word about Zihang, or people will start to have opinions. Besides, I’m really busy. She didn’t call, so I think she’s safe and sound. I didn’t call either, and everything is going smoothly for me.”

Xu Yan felt that her mother-in-law was no ordinary person; her mother-in-law was incredibly insightful. Xu's mother had once told Xu Yan that Song Fenglan had experienced a great deal, and that such a person was either cunning or simply indifferent to worldly affairs.

There's a man near the Xu family who went insane during a turbulent era. He's still mentally unstable and in very poor condition. His children take care of him, but he often talks incoherently, uttering words that no one can understand. It's unclear whether it's some kind of dialect or a language he invented himself.

"Little Tiger went to trade stocks," Qin Zihang said.

"Stock trading?" Song Fenglan looked at Qin Zihang.

“Yes, they’re investing in stocks,” Qin Zihang said. “Now that the stock market is open for trading, the couple bought some stocks.”

"You want to buy it too?" Song Feng

Lan asked.

"No, we're not buying, we're buying houses," Qin Zihang said. "If we have money, we'll buy houses."

“And buying gold,” Xu Yan added. “My mom really likes buying gold.”

“Sure, it’s okay if you two don’t know anything about stocks but still want to try. You can play around a little, but don’t play too much,” Song Fenglan said. “The money you have is enough for you to spend.”

“We don’t invest in stocks,” Xu Yan said. “Once the money goes in, it’s no longer our own. Who knows if we’ll make a profit or a loss? Many people have lost money, and sometimes a lot of money.”

Xu Yan prefers to be more grounded and ideally keep all her money in her own hands rather than investing it in the stock market.

When Zhang Xiaohu and his wife returned home, they packed up some food and pastries.

"Your friend is really too kind, with such a big table of dishes." Tan Wu entered the house. "When we invited your friend before, there were more people, and we didn't have this many dishes. We accepted his gift money, but he wouldn't accept ours."

“Zihang has always been like this,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “When I was drunk, he was the one who took me back to his house. My uncle even bought a leg of lamb and made us roast meat.”

Zhang Xiaohu smiled as he thought about the past.

“When I was in college, I even went to their house to celebrate the Chinese New Year,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Zihang also took me to his uncle’s house for dinner.”

"He even took you to his uncle's house?" Tan Wu asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Zhang Xiaohu nodded. “At the company, why do you think I’m doing so well? Zihang’s uncle came to the company once and saw me, and he even greeted me. When people ask me, I say I’m a friend’s uncle.”

“I’ve never heard you mention it,” Tan Wu said.

“I… I probably didn’t want you to think I was relying on Zihang’s uncle,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “You know what? Just a simple greeting made people treat me much better. Even when I said I couldn’t help build connections on the front lines, they didn’t make things too difficult for me.”

At that time, Zhang Xiaohu experienced firsthand the immense benefits that connections could bring him. However, Zhang Xiaohu restrained himself and did not trouble Qin Zihang.

“I am me, and Zihang is Zihang. They have helped me a lot,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I’m with you because I think you don’t have big ambitions, and we can live a good life together.”

When Zhang Xiaohu and Tan Wu invest in stocks, they don't put all their savings into it; knowing when to stop is the most important thing.

Previously, Tan Wu had indeed made a mistake; she shouldn't have let her friend pursue Qin Zihang. Tan Wu had figured it out: there was a reason why he was so rich—he didn't act recklessly or offend people unnecessarily. As for herself, she thought too much and wanted too much, which easily led her astray.

Zhang Xiaohu took a liking to Tan Wu, and Tan Wu was not without her merits.

"Little Tiger, shouldn't you also change your temperament?" Tan Wu said.

"What, change your temperament?" Zhang Xiaohu frowned.

"Look at you, you just say what you want to say without even waiting a moment," Tan Wu said. "This time, your friend invited you to the banquet later, and invited us separately. We didn't go with your friend's relatives and friends, which avoided awkwardness. After all, they might have some opinions about what happened between us before. But you told your mother early on that they didn't invite us to the banquet. Your mother doesn't understand these things, and she was upset, which is why she said those things."

After much thought, Tan Wu still felt that Zhang Xiaohu was largely responsible for this matter. Since their marriage, she had noticed that Zhang Xiaohu always brought things up prematurely, assuming that everything was settled and ready to be discussed. However, things weren't over yet, and there were still changes in the process.

"I..." Zhang Xiaohu thought about it carefully and realized that it really was true.

“I was wrong, and you were wrong too,” Tan Wu said. “We oversimplified things. Actually, it’s perfectly normal for your friend to invite us alone this time. Your ex-girlfriend and I, to be honest, we’re not exactly on good terms. Others are afraid of getting involved in trouble, and they’re also afraid of not being able to continue being friends with you, so they might as well find another way.”

When two people get married, they have to consider more things and not just look at the surface or what's in front of them.

"..." Zhang Xiaohu understood that his wife was right.

“I only graduated from junior high school and don’t have a higher education, but I’m not ignorant of anything because I’ve managed to stay in the capital and survive,” Tan Wu said. “Before, I didn’t understand your friend and always judged by appearances. If I don’t understand your friend, don’t you understand your friend? Xiao Hu, are you feeling inferior? Do you subconsciously feel inferior in front of your friend?”

"It's probably because of work." Zhang Xiaohu encountered many problems at work, and he had to look down more often.

Thinking back on those things, Zhang Xiaohu felt terrible, extremely terrible. He would wonder if he shouldn't have bowed his head, shouldn't have bent over. Even the smallest gesture would be magnified by Zhang Xiaohu. He would wonder if others had ulterior motives. Office politics were always so cruel; should he fight them? He had to protect himself.

“Zihang is more focused when he stays at school or in the research institute,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I have more thoughts.”

“From now on, you should talk less about those things with your mother, and don’t say those things casually outside,” Tan Wu said. “Me too, I won’t let my friends go to see your friends.”

Previously, Tan Wu did feel that Qin Zihang was disrespecting them, but after this incident, she realized that it wasn't that he was disrespecting them, but rather that they were overthinking things, which led to unnecessary trouble. Besides, when Tan Wu and her husband invited Qin Zihang to his banquet, no other elders were present. Qin Zihang didn't invite them when the elders were present, but invited them separately later, which was considered reciprocal.

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say," Zhang Xiaohu said.

"We must establish a capital city"

"Let's put down roots," Tan Wu said. "Not just for us, but also for our future children!"

Song Fenglan was unaware of the changes in Zhang Xiaohu and his wife's feelings. She received a call from Fatty's wife, who sincerely apologized to Song Fenglan, "I'm so sorry, I...it's all my fault, I..."

“Sister-in-law, lift your head up!” Song Fenglan said. “Stand up straight. Xiao Hu stayed in the capital because of his own efforts. He doesn’t need to rely on others. Others helped him, and he doesn’t owe them anything for the rest of his life. He has a bright future, and he is better off than many people.”