Chapter 151 He suddenly understood why the milk...
Mingli wasn't worried that Tang Mingmei would be afraid of them; it's just that, as the old saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose.
Now her life is getting better and better, and she has even opened a shop in such a good location, while Li Dazhu is still standing still.
In this rapidly changing era, standing still is tantamount to falling behind.
Who dares to say whether he'll be envious seeing his ex-wife doing so well, or whether he'll start pestering her again?
But as long as he hasn't done these things, you can only speculate. Thinking too much will only increase your anxiety. Just be mentally prepared.
After listening to what Tang Mingli said, Tang Mingmei fell silent for a few seconds.
“You’re right. Although I’m not afraid of the Li family, if they affect my business, then I’ll be the one who suffers.”
Better safe than sorry; she needs to come up with a solution.
-
As it turned out, Tang Mingli was right. Li Dazhu said he didn't regret it or care, but after finding out where Tang Mingmei's shop was, he held back for three days before finally unable to resist sneaking off to take a look.
Seeing this made him feel even worse.
Tang Mingmei is so different now than before.
Not only has she become more beautiful, but she also exudes a much gentler aura, and her way of dealing with people is completely different from before.
He knew people could change, but he didn't expect them to change this much.
To be honest, Tang Mingmei is more attractive than before.
Li Dazhu secretly watched from the shadows for an entire afternoon, and finally left dejectedly.
He suddenly couldn't understand why he had gotten a divorce in the first place.
Although Tang Mingmei can no longer have children, she is so beautiful. Even if she wanted to find someone to have a son, there was no need to rush. Why was he in such a hurry back then?
Li Dazhu was in a very difficult situation; he couldn't even eat dinner when he got home.
Li's mother immediately saw what was bothering him. Her eyes darted around, and she asked, "Dazhu, are you upset by what your sister said?"
Li Dazhu instinctively wanted to deny it, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't say a word.
He was feeling so pent up.
You can't show your unhappiness after the divorce in public, and you can't even catch your breath at home. Your family members seem to enjoy stabbing you in the heart even more than outsiders.
Silence is tacit agreement; Li's mother knew her son to some extent.
She then sighed and, unusually, said, "Actually, Mom also regrets it a little. I shouldn't have pushed Tang Mingmei so hard back then. She's still young, so it wouldn't matter if she had another child in a few years."
These words struck a chord with Li Dazhu, finally giving him an outlet for all the pent-up grievances and resentment he had been suppressing since the divorce.
He questioned his mother: "Why didn't you think this way back then?"
Li's mother honestly said, "At the time, I couldn't think straight, and Tang Mingmei's personality was too domineering. I just couldn't stand her. I really wished she had never stepped into our house."
That was an understatement; at the time, her disgust for Tang Mingmei was so intense that she truly wished she could disappear from the world.
However, despite her regret, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her thinking that way.
Few mothers-in-law truly like their daughters-in-law. Even if they eagerly anticipate their son marrying their daughter-in-law before the wedding, things change once she's in the family. They always see her flaws first. Especially after she has children, it seems like the daughter-in-law has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
Her attitude towards Tang Mingmei was just like the attitude of countless mothers-in-law towards their daughters-in-law; what did she do wrong?
Li Dazhu felt much the same way his mother did at the time.
After marrying Tang Mingmei, they argued every few days, and the atmosphere at home was tense.
While others look forward to going home after work, he feels suffocated at the thought of going home.
But even though it was more or less the same, Li Dazhu still blamed everything on his mother.
"If you had considered my feelings more back then, and put yourself in my shoes, you wouldn't have been so intolerant of Tang Mingmei. You have no idea..."
Li Dazhu blurted out that he had been secretly observing Tang Mingmei earlier that day.
Before her son could finish speaking, Li's mother asked, "Don't know what?"
"It's nothing." Li Dazhu wanted to say, "You have no idea how much Tang Mingmei has changed." But if he said that, wouldn't it reveal that he had secretly gone to see Tang Mingmei?
Li's mother sensed the impatience in her son's tone and sighed heavily.
Looking at the food on the table that was getting cold, he still advised, "Food is essential for life, you should eat something."
"I can't eat." Li Dazhu had no appetite at all when he saw that it was pickled vegetables again. He couldn't help but question his mother: "Is there no money to buy vegetables at home now? I feel like I'm covered in pickled vegetables every day."
Speaking of this, Li's mother became even more worried, her tone tinged with resentment as she said, "Your sister hasn't given any money to the family since she got married. The little allowance you give her each month is hardly enough. To earn some money for the family, your father has been working outside these past few days."
Li Dazhu then realized why he hadn't seen his father eating dinner at home for the past few days. He had assumed his father was deliberately staying out so late to avoid going home, but it turned out he was out working for someone.
Thinking of this, his resentment towards his parents lessened somewhat, but he still complained, "Knowing that the family was in trouble, you shouldn't have let Li Baohua get married so quickly."
Upon hearing this, Li's mother's eyes widened: "Your sister is almost an old maid..."
Ultimately, it's because his son has been stingy with money since the divorce; otherwise, if he had been given the same amount as before the divorce, it would have been enough to cover expenses.
But the son said that before it was just the two of them eating together, but now it's just him alone. In order to remarry as soon as possible, he also needs money to take care of himself and to go out and socialize more, all of which require money.
Li Dazhu didn't care whether Li Baohua became an old spinster or not. In her current state, it was better to let her stay at home as an old spinster, at least her salary could be spent on the family.
Now the responsibility of supporting his family and parents falls entirely on his shoulders, which is really frustrating to think about.
The more Li Dazhu thought about it, the less he had any appetite, and finally he simply threw down his chopsticks and went out the door.
I originally wanted to come out for some fresh air, but as soon as I got downstairs, I saw scenes that made me both envious and heartbroken.
Parents were playing with their children in the yard, and mothers were chasing after their toddlers with bowls in their hands to feed them... Every scene exuded happiness and reunion.
Some familiar neighbors greeted Li Dazhu with smiles, and after exchanging a few words, Li Dazhu fled as if he were escaping.
After walking a distance, he anxiously spat at a tree by the roadside, took out a cigarette to smoke, and found that there was only one left.
After thinking about it, he lit it anyway.
I bought this pack of cigarettes on my way home from get off work this morning, and I finished it so quickly. Is my nicotine addiction that strong?
Although he had been smoking for a long time, he wasn't a heavy smoker before. He would only smoke one cigarette occasionally when he was in a bad mood, and a pack of cigarettes could last him for several days.
However, his smoking addiction worsened after the divorce. He could deceive others but not himself, and he became increasingly irritable after the divorce.
As he was about to finish his cigarette, Li Dazhu realized he couldn't continue like this.
He took a few frantic drags, and the last cigarette was gone.
After throwing the cigarette butt on the ground, he stomped on it hard, as if he were stepping on something he hated.
He wants to change!
-
Li Dazhu's so-called change was that he wanted to win back Tang Mingmei, but he couldn't be as obvious as last time.
He planned to start with his daughter, consistently treating her well for a period of time, and only treating her well, so that Tang Mingmei wouldn't realize he had ulterior motives towards her.
Once she truly believes he wants to be a good father and lets down her guard, then gradually win her heart back.
He felt he still had an advantage, after all, he was the child's biological father.
Once she sees the changes in herself, perhaps out of a desire to give her child a complete family, she might be willing to reconcile with him.
Because of his caution, Li Dazhu thought things through carefully before taking action.
He observed for many days and figured out the general routine of Tang Mingmei's family.
In the morning, Tang Mingmei and her mother would usually open the shop with their child to do business. Around noon, Li Hong would go home to cook lunch, leaving for about two hours.
He wanted to make the most of these two hours with Tang Mingmei and the child.
That day, Li Dazhu bought toys and children's clothes, and went to the clothing store to find Tang Mingmei with high spirits.
On the way there, he mentally prepared what he would say when he met the person.
However, once inside the clothing store, before he could even begin to express himself, he was utterly devastated by what he saw before him.
Li Dazhu could hardly believe his eyes when the toy he was holding fell to the ground with a thud.
The sound of the impact startled the two people who were chatting.
Seeing the two of them turn their heads at the same time, Li Dazhu angrily asked, "What are you doing?"
Tang Mingmei was surprised by Li Dazhu's sudden appearance, and when she heard him question her in such a tone, she became furious.
What we do is none of your business.
"You, you..." Li Dazhu's face turned red with anger. He pointed at the two of them and finally said, "You two are a dog and a dog."
The moment he entered, he saw the two of them, heads close together, behaving intimately. He immediately felt as if he had been cuckolded, and anger overwhelmed him. All the thoughts he had before coming were forgotten; he only wanted to tear the two adulterers apart.
Tang Mingmei felt the same way when she heard those three words.
Fortunately, she remained rational and suppressed her surging anger, saying to the man next to her, "I'm sorry, it might not be convenient today. How about we talk another day?"
Fang was reasonable and even had a rough idea of who the man who had suddenly appeared was.
It's highly likely to be her ex-husband.
It's unbelievable that Tang Mingmei had such a husband before; no wonder it ended in divorce.
The man wanted to leave, but Li Dazhu wouldn't let him go, determined to find out what their relationship was.
The man explained good-naturedly, "Mingmei and I are friends."
"Friends?" Li Dazhu sneered. "Would friends be like this, heads touching, cheeks pressed together?"
The man, still good-natured, explained, "It might be the angle that caused you to misunderstand; we don't do what you're saying."
"Do you think I'm stupid? I saw it with my own eyes, and you're telling me it's a misunderstanding." Li Dazhu was so angry that he tried to grab her collar, but Tang Mingmei pushed him away.
"Li Dazhu, what's wrong with you?"
Tang Mingmei sternly stopped him and shoved him hard.
Li Dazhu was fat, and she had to use almost all her strength to push him away.
After speaking to Li Dazhu, she said to the man, "I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing. You should go back now, we can talk another day."
The man clearly understood that staying would only cause trouble for Tang Mingmei, so he nodded and left the clothing store.
It wasn't that I was afraid of Li Dazhu. Although he looked big and had a bad temper, he was someone who exercised regularly, and I didn't think I would lose if we really fought.
However, since the other party was Tang Mingmei's ex-husband and the biological father of her child, he didn't want his actions to cause them trouble.
Only Li Dazhu and Tang Mingmei remained in the clothing store.
Li Dazhu glared angrily at Tang Mingmei, and Tang Mingmei gave him the same look.
She didn't want to ask him why he came here; she just wanted him to get lost.
Li Dazhu laughed angrily: "You've found someone new, so you're even more an eyesore to me now, huh?"
Tang Mingmei didn't want to argue with him, so she simply said to annoy him, "Yeah, since you know you're in the way, you should just leave."
Upon receiving a positive reply, Li Dazhu became even angrier.
"Tang Mingmei, you're having an affair with another man, have you no shame?"
"How am I shameless? I'm single now and I'm entitled to contact any single person of the opposite sex."
"You, you, you shameless!" Li Dazhu repeated the same words.
Tang Mingmei truly felt that she couldn't communicate with this person.
"Li Dazhu, while I still have some sense, you'd better get out of here, or I won't be polite."
Li Dazhu laughed: "How can you not be polite?"
"How could I not be polite?" Tang Mingmei smiled, turned and walked to the cashier, opened the drawer and took out a knife.
Li Dazhu's expression changed drastically. "You crazy woman, how could you hide such a thing?"
Seeing Li Dazhu's frightened look, Tang Mingmei deliberately waved her hand.
"To tell you the truth, this knife is my tool for self-defense, and I'm very skilled at using it."
Tang Mingmei's words are absolutely true.
As her stall business grew, she needed to carry some self-defense tools with her large sums of money when picking up goods. So when she saw this knife at a stall, she bought it without hesitation.
She threatened Li Dazhu: "You'd better get out of here right now, or else..."
As she spoke, she brandished her knife once more.
Li Dazhu took a step back in fright. "What else?"
Tang Mingmei said, "Naturally, it's a stab."
The fierce look on his face made Li Dazhu's heart tremble.
"Tang Mingmei, how did you become so terrifying?"
"none of your business."
“How can it not be my business? You are the mother of my child, and that will never change.”
When the undeniable fact that he was the child's father was mentioned, Tang Mingmei lost control.
It's all her fault; that's why her child is so unlucky to have such a father.
She raised the knife and stabbed at Li Dazhu, cursing, "You bastard!"
Li Dazhu didn't expect her to actually attack him, and he was so frightened that he turned around and ran away.
"You're crazy, Tang Mingmei, you're a madwoman."
These words were spoken to Tang Mingmei, but also to himself.
How could he think Tang Mingmei had changed?
He's just as crazy as before.
He must be crazy to think she's changed.
Even if a crazy woman like that is good at making money, living with her would be suffocating.
Forget it, I should just hurry up and find a partner.
Seeing that the person had run away, Tang Mingmei stopped chasing. She played with the dagger in her hand and suddenly stabbed it into her palm.
She remained expressionless, showing no signs of pain whatsoever, and her hand, which should have been pierced by the dagger, was perfectly fine.
When I picked it up again, I discovered that the dagger had somehow retracted into the handle.
Press that inconspicuous switch again, and the dagger pops out its handle.
This is a dagger that can be freely extended and retracted by a switch.
When Tang Mingmei first saw it, she immediately realized that the dagger was very useful and perfect for scaring people.
I never expected that I would use it today when I was picking up goods, something I hadn't needed all those times.
She spat in the direction where Li Dazhu's figure was no longer visible, and muttered to herself, "I knew you were a coward."
To deal with someone like Li Dazhu, you have to be even fiercer and more ruthless than him, and more willing to go all out.
It's unlikely that a cornered dog would do something like that to a coward like this.
Even if he were truly driven to the brink of despair, he would probably only think about clinging to life, rather than dying together with you.
However, Tang Mingmei dared not gamble on this.
She wasn't trying to drive anyone to despair, as long as they didn't appear in front of her.
-
July arrived before we knew it.
This summer has been dry, and the scorching sun hangs in the sky like a fireball every day.
Tang Mingli hasn't left her house for three days.
The reason it's only three days is because of calligraphy lessons.
If she doesn't have to go to class, she feels she could stay indoors for a month.
No, you can stay indoors all summer.
It's so hot this summer.
The thought of having to go to class again tomorrow made Tang Mingli frown.
Judging from the weather outside, it's highly unlikely that tomorrow will be cloudy.
If only I had a driver's license, I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable going out in this kind of weather.
When will individuals be allowed to freely take driving tests?
Tang Mingli felt utterly powerless at the thought, so she simply slumped onto the sofa.
Seeing this, Madam Fu assumed she was tired from practicing calligraphy and smiled, "Have you been working too hard practicing calligraphy lately? Why don't you stew some bird's nest for her to drink?"
Tang Mingli shook her head: "Practicing calligraphy isn't hard, but looking at the scorching sun outside is quite frightening."
As she spoke, she touched her face and asked, "Grandma, am I darker?"
Madam Fu examined her carefully, and finally frowned slightly.
It really is a bit dark.
However, not wanting to upset her granddaughter-in-law, she told a white lie.
"Even after the checkup, her face is still so beautiful."
Of course Tang Mingli was happy to be praised for her beauty, and she touched her cheek with delight.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it, but I always feel like he looks a bit dark."
Madam Fu comforted her, "It's alright, you'll just get a little tanned in the summer and your skin will lighten back to normal in the winter."
"That's true."
This skin is naturally fair; as long as it's not exposed to the sun for extended periods, it will quickly return to its original fair color.
I just don't know when Fu Ci will come back, and I don't want him to see how dark I look.
Just as I was thinking that, the phone in the living room rang.
Tang Mingli thought that Fu Ci and she were on the same wavelength, and that's why he called her when she thought of him. So she took the initiative to get up and answer the phone.
However, she regretted it as soon as she heard Du's voice on the other end of the phone.
“…Aunt Caiping…I haven’t had lunch yet, I’ll eat in a bit…Oh, no, I’ve been pretty free lately…Hey, I’ll let Grandma answer the phone.”
Tang Mingli gave a few perfunctory replies, then immediately looked to Old Madam Fu for help.
Madam Fu immediately gestured for her to hand over the phone.
Taking the phone, Madam Fu said in a calm tone, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're calling again to complain."
Fu Caiping, on the other end of the phone, was speechless for a moment, and replied after a beat: "Sister-in-law, you are my own sister-in-law. If I don't cry to you, who else can I cry to?"
Madam Fu couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Tell me, what do you want to cry about this time?"
"It's all because of Gu Lin..."
Before Fu Caiping could speak, Old Madam Fu bluntly said, "Divorce."
"What?" Fu Caiping was stunned and murmured, "Sister-in-law, it didn't really come to the point of divorce."
"Then let's not divorce and live a good life together."
"But I can't live like this anymore."
"Divorce. If you can't live together anymore, get a divorce decisively."
"It's not serious enough to warrant divorce."
"Then let's live our lives well."
"But this life is frustrating."
"divorce."
...
The conversation fell into a vicious cycle, with Old Madam Fu repeatedly using the phrases "divorce" and "live a good life."
Fu Caiping couldn't continue the conversation and angrily hung up the phone.
Madam Fu breathed a sigh of relief and said into the microphone with a hint of smugness, "I don't believe I can't deal with you."
This chat pattern was something she figured out after answering countless calls from Fu Caiping.
She was really too lazy to spout any grand principles, analyze any situations, or even think of any solutions.
If someone chooses to stay in the mud, no one can help them.
Gu Lin's marriage, while seemingly unbearable, doesn't quite seem to have reached that point.
At least her in-laws didn't go too far; they just wanted to persuade her to compromise.
But Mingli is right, killing someone with a dull knife is the most painful.
Gu Lin's in-laws' actions will ultimately lead to only two outcomes: either compromise or being driven mad.
But is Gu Lin willing to compromise?
Or rather, are they willing to compromise?
Thinking about all this, Madam Fu still felt somewhat sad.
Is there any way to do this?
She had tried to express her opinions to them frankly, but they wouldn't listen to anything she said and just kept complaining.
What can complaining change?
She's not a bodhisattva; what power could she possibly have to help someone escape suffering when she hears them complaining?
Madam Fu sighed, "In fact, many people's marriages are like Gu Lin's; they are like being killed by a dull knife. Cutting and cutting little by little, it goes on for a lifetime."
Tang Mingli completely agreed with her grandmother's analogy.
Yes, many marriages in this world are nothing more than being slowly cut with a dull knife.
It hurts, but it feels like I'm not going to die.
Just endure it, and a lifetime will pass.
It's not until one's hair turns white and life is almost over that one realizes that this dull knife has already cut one's body to pieces, and only then does one regret that it would have been better to just cut it cleanly.
But this dull knife isn't just the husband and his family; the wife's family also plays a part.
Thinking about all this, Tang Mingli felt incredibly fortunate to have married into a family like the Fu family.
Deeply moved, she leaned towards Madam Fu and said with emotion, "Grandma, you are all so kind. I really love you all so much."
Hearing this, Old Madam Fu's heart softened, and she patted the back of her hand affectionately.
"Silly child, you are good too."
Tang Mingli shook her head: "You guys are the really good ones."
It was precisely because they were so good that she later became so good.
As the grandfather and grandson were filled with emotion, the phone rang again.
The two of them simultaneously had the same guess: Could it be that Fu Caiping called again?
Without hesitation, Madam Fu took the microphone first.
"Hello."
"grandmother."
Fu Ci's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.
Madam Fu immediately changed her tone and asked happily, "Ah Ci, where are you? Are you in your office or on a business trip?"
Fu Ci said, "I just got back from outside, and I'm in the office now."
"Oh, is it hot in Shenzhen? It's sunny here in Guangzhou every day."
"It's hot here in Shenzhen, the sun is shining every day."
"Oh, so you go out a lot, have you gotten a tan?"
On the other end of the phone, Fu Ci subconsciously looked out the window, trying to see his face clearly in the reflection.
But how could that be?
So he could only guess and reply, "It's probably from getting a tan."
Madam Fu responded with an "oh" again, and was even happier: "It's good that it's dark."
After saying that, he probably realized it sounded a bit abrupt, so he quickly added, "Black spots are healthy."
Fu Ci smiled and didn't refute, "Grandma, you're right."
Madam Fu smiled as she looked at Tang Mingli, who was peeking over. She knew whose voice Fu Ci most wanted to hear when he made this call, and she made way for her.
"Okay, Mingli is right next to me, I'll let her answer the phone."
Fu Ci chuckled again on the other end of the phone.
This time, the smile was much more genuine.
Tang Mingli took the microphone and said hello.
Fu Ci's voice immediately softened on the other end of the phone as she said softly, "Grandma said it's very sunny in Guangcheng. Have you been going out lately?"
Tang Mingli deliberately feigned a bitter smile and said, "How could that be? My grandma and I signed up for calligraphy classes. We have to go to class twice a week."
When are classes held?
"morning."
"That's better, it wasn't so sunny in the morning."
"It's almost noon when school ends, but it's still very hot."
“Uh…” Fu Ci hadn’t expected that.
Tang Mingli continued, "I've gotten a tan."
Fu Ci asked, "You've gotten much darker?"
“I think there are quite a lot, but Grandma says they’re not dark.”
There was something she didn't say: she felt that her grandmother had long viewed her through tinted glasses, only seeing the good in her.
Fu Ci laughed when he heard his wife's words on the other end of the phone.
He suddenly understood why his grandmother had asked him so abruptly if he had gotten darker, and even said it was good that he was darker.
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