Chapter 104 Don't think that just because you're at home eating, drinking, and having fun all day...
Seeing that the Li family's expressions didn't seem fake, the people from the neighborhood committee relaxed and finally drank the first sip of hot tea poured by the Li family.
Setting down her teacup, she softened her tone and said, "To tell you the truth, the reason I came today is because people have been saying they haven't seen your Tang Mingmei in a long time."
Li Dazhu really didn't know who was so talkative, even reporting such a thing to the relevant departments.
He cursed the gossipers in his heart, but when speaking to the people from the neighborhood committee, he only dared to reply in a polite tone: "She's throwing a tantrum and has gone back to her parents' home."
Fearing the neighborhood committee wouldn't believe him, Li Dazhu added, "Everyone in the neighborhood knows that Tang Mingmei has a bad temper and often argues with me and my family."
To everyone's surprise, the comrades from the neighborhood office retorted sarcastically, "Is this something to be proud of?"
Li Dazhu blushed when asked the question.
He had lived for over twenty years and had rarely felt as ashamed and indignant as he did now.
At this moment, Li Dazhu felt as ashamed and indignant as he loathed Tang Mingmei.
If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have suffered this humiliation.
He should marry a virtuous wife; he truly paid a heavy price for his lust.
Li Dazhu was so ashamed and indignant that he dared not utter a word. Seeing this, Li's mother naturally stood up to speak for her son.
“Comrade, we know we shouldn’t air our dirty laundry in public, but our daughter-in-law is notoriously bad-tempered. Our family used to be harmonious, but ever since she married us, there hasn’t been a single day of peace. Just recently, she…”
"Alright, I didn't come here today to listen to your complaints."
A single sentence from a street office worker interrupted Li's mother's rambling.
Li's mother felt a lump in her throat, but she could only give up.
"You said she went back to her parents' home, right? What's her address?"
When asked by the staff, Li's mother exclaimed, "Oh? Are you going to go look for her again?"
"What business is it of ours whether we look for her or not? What's her family home address?"
The staff's attitude turned bad again, and Li's mother, who was being very happy, pouted and looked at her son: "I don't remember the exact address of Tang Mingmei's parents' house. You tell them."
By this time, Li Dazhu roughly guessed why the neighborhood committee officials had come to his door. They probably thought Tang Mingmei was hiding because she was pregnant with her second child.
I never imagined that family planning would be so strict; they would even go to the door to inquire if we didn't see someone for a while.
Previously, he and his family had wanted Tang Mingmei to quit her job at the brown sugar factory and secretly have another child. Now it seems that loophole has been closed; even if Tang Mingmei hides, they will threaten her with her job.
Li Dazhu couldn't describe the feeling in his heart, but despair was certain.
He reluctantly gave the neighborhood office staff the address of Tang Mingmei's parents' home.
The street office staff took notes diligently, and said with a hint of warning, "Don't try to get away with lying. We will personally come to investigate."
Li Dazhu smiled wryly: "I didn't lie."
"Alright, as long as you didn't lie." The staff member closed the workbook, stood up, and said, "I've gathered everything I needed to know, so I'm leaving now."
She looked at Li Dazhu, sized him up for a few seconds, and finally couldn't help but offer a suggestion before leaving: "Don't always focus on your wife's shortcomings, think more about her strengths. Forgive me for being blunt, but with your family's circumstances, it's not easy for you to even get a wife."
She originally wanted to say something about Li Dazhu's conditions, but she realized that the words were a bit hurtful and quickly changed her mind.
However, Li Dazhu was still provoked, and he didn't overlook the look in the other person's eyes when they sized him up. It was obvious they were saying he was ugly.
Li Dazhu hates it most when others mind his appearance.
For men, inner qualities are more important than appearance.
Li Dazhu wanted to swallow his anger, but ultimately failed.
He asked in an annoyed tone, "Comrade, what do you mean by that?"
People who work in the subdistrict office have seen all kinds of people; it's no wonder they're afraid of Li Dazhu.
She mimicked Li Dazhu's tone: "Comrade, I was just reminding you to cherish your partner, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Is this a reminder? You are clearly... you are clearly..."
Li Dazhu couldn't bring himself to say that the other person was clearly saying he was ugly; the words stuck in his throat again.
The people from the neighborhood committee couldn't wait until he figured out what to say before leaving.
In the end, Li Dazhu could only swallow his anger, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Mr. and Mrs. Li did not understand the implied meaning of the street office staff's words, and they thought their son was acting strangely, wondering why he would suddenly get angry with someone.
Li Dazhu immediately vented his anger at the street office staff on his parents.
"What do you know? She's talking about me..."
Li's mother wiped away her tears and said to herself, "I know, she's just lamenting how difficult it is to find a wife for our family because of our poor circumstances."
Upon hearing his mother's interpretation, Li Dazhu nearly vomited blood.
What he didn't expect was that his mother actually thought the people from the neighborhood committee were right.
It wasn't easy for them to get a wife. Not only did they spend money, but the whole process was also messy, and they even fell out with the matchmaker, which made it impossible for any matchmaker to arrange a marriage for their daughter. That's why their daughter was deceived by the old man.
Hearing his mother bring up that matter again, Li Dazhu became even more annoyed.
"Don't blame me for Li Baohua's inability to get married."
Li's mother was taken aback. Although she thought so to some extent, she dared not admit it.
"That's not what I meant. I just meant that I offended the matchmaker because of that matter..."
"Isn't that the same thing? Because I offended the matchmaker, the matchmaker is unwilling to introduce a partner to Li Baohua. Isn't that what you mean?" Li Dazhu was so angry that his face was almost ferocious.
He understood why Tang Mingmei was staying at her parents' home and refusing to come back; if he had anywhere else to go, he wouldn't want to stay here either.
The thought that Tang Mingmei was still at her parents' home waiting for him to back down first made Li Dazhu even more annoyed.
He was determined not to back down this time.
And to be honest, after he stopped sleeping with the child, he could sleep through the night. But not coming back all the time wasn't a good thing; the neighborhood committee people all thought they were secretly pregnant with a second child.
He could ignore Tang Mingmei's tantrums and her frequent trips back to her parents' home, but he couldn't let her behavior affect his work.
Forget it, I'll stop thinking about it for now. Anyway, it's almost Chinese New Year, and I don't believe she'll have the nerve to stay at her parents' house during the holidays.
Li Dazhu was unaware that Tang Mingmei truly intended this.
She did waver when she saw her mother being mocked by neighbors for whether her daughter would spend the New Year at her parents' home.
Seeing her mother's embarrassed state made her feel terrible.
But then something happened that completely changed her mind, and that thing was related to Tang Mingli.
...
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
Inside her home with the heating on, Tang Mingli suddenly sneezed several times.
Even Madam Fu couldn't help but stop knitting and ask her if she was cold.
Tang Mingli shook her head. "There's heating, so it won't be cold."
But she really was sneezing the whole time.
Either someone is concerned about you, or it's just the yarn that's causing it.
But Grandma was also knitting. If the yarn really shed fibers and flew everywhere, Grandma wouldn't be unable to get anything done.
As for someone caring about you...
That's true. Fu Ci, who's far away in Shenzhen, thinks about me every day.
But she doesn't sneeze every day.
It's fair to say that sneezing is a mysterious phenomenon.
Tang Mingli's thoughts wandered for a few seconds before she returned to what she was doing.
She compared the scarf she had knitted to the one in her hand, then looked at her grandmother's, and couldn't help but let out a groan.
"How come I'm falling further and further behind?"
Yesterday, the grandmother and grandson went shopping together and happened to see a newly opened yarn shop. On a whim, they decided to knit and picked out a few skeins of their favorite colors.
Both of them started last night, but after this morning's efforts, Tang Mingli has fallen far behind Madam Fu.
Madam Fu smiled kindly and said, "I have decades of experience in knitting, so it's normal for me to be a little faster than you."
"Is this huge section considered a small distance?" Tang Mingli gestured with her hand, indicating a distance of about twenty centimeters.
A scarf is only a few centimeters long. At this rate, Grandma can finish knitting it today, while it might take her several days.
She must have had some experience knitting scarves in her past life.
Tang Mingli, who was far behind, was getting anxious. However, when it comes to delicate work like knitting, the more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes.
And now, she missed a needle prick.
Luckily, it was discovered in time, otherwise the second half of the scarf might have been knitted in vain.
After dismantling the white-woven rows and returning to the starting point, Tang Mingli adjusted her mindset.
It's really okay. Grandma can finish knitting first. Anyway, besides eating and sleeping, she spends her days at home practicing calligraphy and reading books. Now she has an extra task: knitting scarves.
When I bought the yarn, I planned to knit it slowly and finish it before the Lunar New Year.
She suddenly realized that her grandmother's knitting was so messy that it disrupted her own rhythm, but thankfully it's not too late to adjust now.
Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain ridge.
As she bent down to knit a scarf, Madam Fu sensed that her granddaughter-in-law had returned to her original leisurely knitting state, and couldn't help but smile.
This child has an exceptionally good personality and mindset.
I was just anxious because I was knitting too slowly, but after discovering that I had made a mistake, I didn't get angry or embarrassed. Instead, I immediately realized my mistake and adjusted my mindset in time.
Don't think this is easy. When most people make mistakes in a rush, they either get angry and make excuses, or they simply give up and do nothing.
But Mingli has never been involved in any of these things.
To outsiders, her daily life seems to consist of nothing more than eating, drinking, and having fun.
Don't think that spending all day at home eating, drinking, and having fun is an easy thing.
Most people live this kind of life aimlessly, in a daze, listless, and in a state of decline.
But Mingli is different; she has taken eating, sleeping, and playing to her own unique level.
Her heart was peaceful and fulfilled.
She sees not only blue skies and white clouds in the sky, but also endless daydreams.
She sees not only the lush greenery and withered flowers, but also the limited and precious nature of their annual cycle of flourishing and decay.
She loves all kinds of food and appreciates the simple joys of everyday life.
Others only see her relying on Fu Ci for a living, but in reality, she is very clear-headed and knows whether the person she entrusts her with can be relied upon.
Although she had never seen her granddaughter-in-law work hard, Madam Fu believed that if one day she had to rely on herself to live, she would live as resiliently as the roadside weeds.
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