Chapter 132 (Second Update) Do you think I'm a child...?
Having lived two lives, this was the first time Tang Mingli had encountered such a brazen robbery, leaving her completely stunned.
Is robbery at this point really this simple and brutal? They don't even bother to cover their faces.
That's true. Back then, cameras weren't common, and cell phones hadn't even been introduced yet. So what if someone showed their face?
The three robbers started from the front of the bus and ransacked each passenger one by one.
There were over twenty people in the car, and no one dared to resist; they obediently took out their money.
Tang Mingli didn't have the courage to be the one to call on everyone to unite and resist. When the thugs pointed knives at her, she could only obediently take out her money.
Fortunately, she only brought a few dozen yuan with her when she went out, and she divided it into two parts for storage.
What she gave the thug was thirty yuan that she had in her pocket.
Even though it was only thirty yuan, it was the most among all the people in the car, which made the thugs take another look at her.
That glance almost scared Tang Mingli out of her wits.
Fortunately, it was only a glance; if she had looked any longer, she would have been terrified.
The thugs, having made their haul, glanced around the carriage one last time before leisurely disembarking.
Tang Mingli gritted her teeth at his fearless demeanor.
The driver quickly closed the car door and spoke again, his voice trembling, "Sit tight, we're going to continue."
The passengers were still shaken and urged the driver to leave quickly.
After the car had been driving for about ten minutes, everyone finally felt completely relieved.
At this point, some people started criticizing the driver, saying that he shouldn't have stopped to teach in such a remote place.
The driver defended himself: "Those people looked decent enough, I didn't know they would rob me. Unless I stop whenever someone waves me down, no one can guarantee they won't encounter something like this."
It's impractical to pick up passengers without stopping; once we leave the city, there are hardly any passengers in the car.
Most of the passengers boarded the bus midway through the journey. If the driver doesn't stop midway, it will be inconvenient for them to take the bus in the future.
However, after being robbed, it's impossible not to feel resentful. Many people still blame the driver for letting the robbers onto the bus.
The driver also felt wronged.
The ticket seller was worried that this would affect the driver's mood and thus his driving, so she yelled at the passengers who were talking about the driver.
Those people became even more agitated after being scolded and started arguing with the ticket seller.
Tang Mingli's head was buzzing. She glanced nervously in the direction of the driver, and news reports she had seen in her previous life flashed through her mind.
She was already somewhat regretful because the train station was farther away than the bus station, so she chose to take the bus.
I'll try to take the train as much as possible in the future.
Fortunately, the driver seemed relatively calm, with both hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.
I was terrified the whole way, enduring the noise in the carriage, and finally arrived at the bus terminal outside Shenzhen.
After the car stopped, Tang Mingli looked out the window and saw Fu Ci waiting for her at the station. Her nose immediately stung with tears.
After Tang Mingli got off the bus, Fu Ci also noticed her and immediately broke through the crowd to walk towards her.
He had barely approached, and before he could even utter a word, his wife rushed over and embraced him tightly.
Fu Ci initially thought that it was because they hadn't seen each other for so long that she missed him, and he felt both happy and touched.
However, he soon realized something was wrong; his wife in his arms was sniffling.
He quickly picked up her luggage, put his arm around her, and led her to a less crowded corner, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Did something happen on the way?"
Tang Mingli nodded, looking aggrieved. "Our whole car was robbed on the way."
Upon hearing that she had been robbed, Fu Ci's expression changed drastically, and he quickly looked her up and down.
"Are you alright?"
Tang Mingli shook her head: "No, I gave them all the money in my pocket and didn't resist."
Although it sounds cowardly, she really didn't dare to resist.
Fu Ci praised her for doing the right thing: "No matter what, the most important thing is to protect yourself from harm."
"That's what I think too."
Leaning against Fu Ci's chest and listening to his strong heartbeat, Tang Mingli finally felt more at ease.
However, Fu Ci's heart was beating too fast, thumping like he had just run 10,000 meters.
He must have been frightened when he heard about what happened to her.
Even though he was so afraid, he still didn't blame her for not listening to his advice and insisting on coming on his own.
Tang Mingli sighed softly, knowing in her heart that Fu Ci was such a good person, and that the Fu family had raised him very well.
After sensing that his wife's emotions had gradually calmed down, Fu Ci took her hand and left the bus station.
There's still some distance between the bus station and the factory.
The two arrived at the bus stop, intending to take the bus, but unexpectedly saw a taxi parked there.
Fu Ci did not hesitate and chose to take a taxi.
On the way back to the factory, Fu Ci kept his lips pursed.
Tang Mingli didn't know if he was thinking about something else or if he was still afraid of being robbed on the way.
She guessed it was most likely the latter.
To divert Fu Ci's attention, she deliberately said, "I'm quite lucky today; it's such a coincidence that a taxi stopped here."
What was meant to be said to Fu Ci turned into an excited reply from the taxi driver: "You guys don't know this, our company added thirty new taxis in the second half of this year."
Thirty taxis might not seem like much decades from now. But this was 1982, and very few cities even had taxis.
Tang Mingli couldn't very well not reply, so she said to her master, "It sounds like they're going to increase their efforts in development."
"That's right. With more and more foreign businesses investing in Shenzhen, how can we do without a well-developed transportation system?"
"Master, you're right."
...
The two chatted for a while, but Fu Ci didn't say anything.
Tang Mingli didn't know what to do, so she asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Fu Ci then smiled and said, "It's nothing."
"You've been keeping your lips pursed and not saying anything. Are you angry with me?"
"How could that be?" Fu Ci quickly denied. "How could I possibly be angry with you?"
"If you're not angry, why don't you say anything?"
Fu Ci sighed, took his wife's hand, and told her the truth: "I just need some time to calm down."
They had been together for so many years, and he could say that his wife had never been in such danger as she was today. He knew it was an accident, but he was still shaken.
He dared not imagine what would have happened to her if those thugs had been even more brutal today.
The more I try not to think about it, the more I can't help but think about it, and the more I think about it, the more frightened I become.
He regretted telling his wife about the factory's current difficulties, and regretted not taking the last bus back to pick him up immediately when she offered to come and help.
Tang Mingli squeezed Fu Ci's hand back and said sadly, "You might as well just be angry with me."
"Don't talk nonsense."
She was so frightened, if he's still angry, is he even human?
"If getting angry can stop me from being sullen, I'd rather you be angry."
"Silly girl, I'm not depressed." Fu Ci sighed helplessly, realizing he couldn't let it go, or his little wife would start overthinking.
So, Fu Ci pointed out the car window and chatted with Tang Mingli about the changes in Shenzhen.
"When I first came here, there were mud-brick houses on both sides."
Tang Mingli looked out the window in the direction he was pointing.
The road was still a dusty dirt road, but many new houses had been built on both sides of the road.
At that time, the infrastructure outside Shenzhen's Special Economic Zone was still incomparable to that of Guangzhou's urban area.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the border station.
The two got out of the taxi and lined up to cross the border.
There weren't many people, and the two quickly passed through the checkpoint.
Once inside the pass, everything is different.
From the establishment of the Special Economic Zone until the early 2000s, the area inside and outside Shenzhen's Special Economic Zone was like two separate worlds.
Fu Ci did not take Tang Mingli back to the factory directly, but instead went to a restaurant for a meal.
After we had eaten and drunk our fill, we took her to a department store and bought her a lot of food and other necessities before heading back to the factory in the afterglow of the sun.
After a few months' absence, the factory had changed a lot.
One more production line was opened, and many more people were hired.
They returned just as the workers were leaving get off work, and the workers were bustling out of the workshop heading to the canteen for lunch.
This scene deeply moved Tang Mingli.
No wonder those who have experienced economic upswings say that you can tell whether the economy is going up or down just by looking at people's mental state.
None of these workers have a lifeless expression on their faces.
Whether middle-aged or young, everyone's face was beaming with a vibrant smile.
At that time, factory life offered virtually no entertainment.
There was no internet, no smartphones, not even a television. There were no entertainment venues in the factory either. The only pastime Tang Mingli could think of for the workers after get off work was probably chatting together.
But it seems no one complains that such a life is boring, nor does anyone say that such a life is a waste of life.
This made Tang Mingli wonder why, decades later, people would feel so desperate that their lives were filled with work.
Perhaps what makes people despair is not the busy work, nor the intense competition, but the fact that even after giving it their all, they still see no hope of change.
-
Upon returning to Fu Ci's residence, Tang Mingli immediately took a shower.
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, I felt much more refreshed.
Fu Ci wanted to hug her, but was stopped by Wu Qing.
Tang Mingli asked, "Do you still need to go to the office tonight?"
Fu Ci nodded.
The factory has been working overtime lately to rush orders, and he often stays up until 10 or 11 p.m.
Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Tang Mingli said, "Then I won't ask you to take a shower first, but I have already showered and changed into clean clothes. Since we are not at the same level of cleanliness now, let's keep some distance."
Fu Ci was both amused and exasperated by this reason, but he couldn't refute it.
Although I really wanted to hug her tightly, I could only respect that.
She said with a hint of resentment and grievance, "I'll stay with you a little longer before I go to work. I'll try to finish as soon as possible and come back early."
When I get back from work, I'm going to give her a big hug.
Tang Mingli nodded, agreeing with his approach.
"Oh, right." Fu Ci led her to the television, turned it on, and said with a smile, "I've already had the antenna set up, so you can watch it now."
Last time his wife came over, the TV screen was full of static because the antenna wasn't set up properly, so she couldn't watch TV. So after she left, Fu Ci found a technician to fix the antenna.
Tang Mingli was overjoyed to be able to watch TV.
"Great, then I can go back to watching the TV series I'm currently following. I was prepared not to see the finale."
She loved watching TV, and even decades later when smartphones were all the rage, Tang Mingli still enjoyed watching TV.
Looking at the time, Fu Ci knew he had to get back to work.
He pointed to the paper pasted next to the telephone and said to Tang Mingli, "That's my office phone number. You can call me directly if you need anything."
"Oh, and there's milk in the fridge, cookies in the drawer, and freshly boiled water in the kettle... If you don't like any of that, you can eat what we just bought from the department store."
Fu Ci looked around the room as he gave instructions, making sure he didn't forget anything.
Tang Mingli felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but hug him.
"Do you think I'm a child?"
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