Seeing that Zhong Tingyue was focused on playing mahjong, Chu Fang did not disturb her and went to the living room.
At this moment, Grandma had already gone to sleep, and only Chu's mother sat in front of Grandpa's coffin burning paper money, talking incessantly, her eyes still red-rimmed.
Chu's mother didn't even want to play mahjong, which showed that she was extremely depressed.
Upon seeing Chu Fang, Chu's mother snorted and turned her head away from him. The former sat down beside her and began tearing at the paper money.
"You're not allowed to sit here!"
“I’m your son.”
"... ... " Chu's mother pouted slightly, "It's not allowed either."
"I didn't do anything to you."
“We’ve offended them, we’ve offended them.” Mother Chu’s voice rose a few decibels. “Why did you let that woman come to our house?”
Well, that matter is really hard to get over...
Chu Fang sighed and said earnestly, "Mom, firstly, fortune-telling is feudal superstition. You once predicted you'd have great luck at cards, but you still lost in the end, so fortune-telling is unreliable; secondly, we've done everything we can for Grandpa's illness; thirdly..."
He paused, organizing his thoughts: "Third, Zhong Tingyue is my girlfriend, your future daughter-in-law, and a member of our family. She has already done a great job, and I hope you will respect her."
Chu's mother lowered her head and remained silent.
To be fair, Zhong Tingyue did a very good job. Upon hearing the news of the death, she rushed to her hometown immediately and treated the guests with a gentle attitude, without revealing her cold personality. She busied herself with the arrangements, treating Chu Fang's grandfather's funeral as if it were her own relative's.
And they're not even engaged yet, which is already the best a girlfriend can do.
“You want to reason with me? You never used to be reasonable.” Chu’s mother raised her head. “You’ve been seduced by that girl and can’t extricate yourself. You don’t even comfort me.”
"Sure enough, the fortune teller was right. That woman was a jinx. She not only killed my father, but also isolated me and took you away from me."
“... ..."
Huh?
Chu Fang was taken aback.
He had only advised his mother to be gentler with Zhong Tingyue and not to involve her, but the result was not what he expected.
This, on the contrary, stirred up Chu's mother's rebellious spirit.
Chu's mother was truly furious.
Not only did her father pass away, but her beloved 'darling' was also taken away. Combining the two, Chu's mother looked at Zhong Tingyue, who was playing mahjong, and said angrily, "That woman is too wicked! She's sure to lose at mahjong tonight!"
“... ..."
have to!
It's hopeless.
Chu Fang realized that his actions had only deepened his mother's hatred.
"Sigh!" he sighed.
I don't know how to resolve conflicts between my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
... ...
The funeral continued for the next few days, with a grand banquet for guests. The whole family was busy running around, barely having time to rest.
Zhong Tingyue was looking at her younger sister's messages.
[Nana: Sister, how are you doing over there? How's your husband's health?]
[Wang Shu: Everything's fine, don't worry, Chu Fang is in good health.]
[Nanako: Oh, take care of yourself.]
[Wang Shu: Okay.]
Zhong Tingyue put down her phone and glanced back at Chu's mother, who was burning paper money. The latter seemed to notice her gaze and looked back at her as well. Their eyes met.
Chu's mother had a hint of anger in her eyes. She shook her head like a child and ignored her. After a few seconds, she looked back at Zhong Tingyue's direction and saw that she was still staring at her. She turned her head away again, and after more than ten seconds, she repeated the same action, but saw that Zhong Tingyue was still staring at her.
Chu's mother glared at her fiercely, as if to say: Why are you looking at me?
He immediately snorted coldly, moved the stool he was sitting on to a different position, and turned his back to 'that enemy'.
Zhong Tingyue's speechlessness and grievances were somewhat alleviated by Chu Ma's actions.
She has indeed felt quite wronged these past few days.
She had never even met Chu Fang's maternal grandfather, yet she was labeled a "jinx" and ostracized by her boyfriend's mother.
She had tried her best to appease Chu's mother, but to no avail; in fact, she became even more hostile.
What happened?
“That’s just how my mom is; she’ll forget about it in a few days.” Just then, Chu Fang’s voice came from the side.
“Really? I don’t think it’s that easy…” Zhong Tingyue glanced at him sideways.
Given Chu's mother's love for her father, this incident would be hard for her to forget.
If not handled properly, it can really affect the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"How about we break up?" Zhong Tingyue crossed her arms. "If this continues, your mother and I will definitely start fighting."
"No, can't you just give in to her?"
“I won’t give in an inch,” Zhong Tingyue said. “Your mother is a first-time mother-in-law, and I’m a first-time daughter-in-law. Why should I give in to her?”
“... ..."
In the end, Chu Fang shrugged and spread his hands.
There's nothing I can do to help.
... ...
The funeral lasted three days before preparations began for the burial.
On this day, before dawn, Chu Fang's family got up, dressed in mourning clothes and wrapped in white cloth, and headed up the mountain to the sound of trumpets and suonas.
When they arrived at the grave, Chu's mother cried again, almost to the point of madness.
Chu Fang thought he wouldn't cry, or even have much emotional fluctuation. He had never received the so-called "grandparental affection" from his maternal grandfather, but seeing the coffin placed in the cemetery and the lid closed, he knew that he would never see the familiar person again.
Tears streamed down his face.
It's really inexplicable.
Actually, I wasn't emotionally affected, but I still cried.
After the funeral, Chu's mother fainted from crying. Chu's father and Zhong Tingyue helped Chu's mother and grandmother leave.
Chu Fang didn't rush to leave. He sat in front of the tomb, gazing ahead at the endless plains and below a reservoir.
"Please accept my condolences." Wang Fa patted him on the shoulder.
"It's nothing." Chu Fang shook his head. "Thank you for these past few days."
Wang Fa has been a great help during the funeral. Today, he and a few friends carried my grandfather's coffin from the foot of the mountain to the top.
"Hey, it's all part of the job." Wang Fa sat down next to her, not caring whether there was dust on the ground.
"Sigh!" Chu Fang sighed, trying to calm his complicated feelings. "Even with a fortune, one still cannot withstand the fear of death. If only one could buy life with money in this world."
At that moment, he truly realized that money was also an extremely powerless thing.
He desperately wanted to spend all his assets to save his grandfather's name, but those cold, hard sums were powerless in the face of life.
“Hiss… …” Wang Fa said, smoking a cigarette. “Sometimes I get really annoyed by your Versailles-like ways. Do you know how many people spend their whole lives and still can’t earn as much money as you? They practically sell their lives for it, while you easily surpass their achievements.”
He took a deep drag on his cigarette and said resentfully, "It's not my fault for being so annoyed with you; blame yourself for being so pretentious."
Chu Fang smiled.
Hearing Wang Fa express his feelings so frankly, I felt that this old classmate had changed a lot.
This change... is good.
The two did not continue the conversation on that topic, but instead chatted about all sorts of things.
The sun rose from the east, bathing the entire mountain peak in its light.
Chu Fang stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Call me if you need anything. I'll definitely help if I can."
"No way! You're just showing off again!" Wang Fa refused outright: "I may not be as rich as you, but I'm not going to beg you for anything."
Chu Fang smiled and then left. Before leaving, he nodded to Wang Fa's wife as a greeting, and she nodded back.
After Chu Fang disappeared, Wang Fa's wife walked over and asked, "Honey, what were you two talking about just now? You were laughing one minute and cursing the next."
“It’s just a small matter,” Wang Fa said softly. “I don’t seem to be bothered by Chu Fang anymore, and I seem to be gradually understanding him.”
"Hey? Didn't you think he was pretentious?"
"It's alright." Wang Fa thought for a moment and said, "If I were half as rich as him, I'd be even more pretentious than him."
... ...
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