Chapter 163 (Second Update) A lifetime spent worrying about others…
Yang Tao noticed that his wife looked worried again, and frowned in displeasure.
He couldn't speak to her like he did at home in front of so many people, so he had to come up with a way to get her to leave.
He thoughtfully suggested, "Mom and Grandma have been busy in the kitchen for a long time, would you like to go and help them?"
Having lived together for so many years, Gu Lin immediately understood her husband's true intentions.
They were afraid that if she stayed here any longer, the Fu family would discover something.
She felt bitter inside, but could only maintain a smile on her face.
He said to Tang Mingli beside him, "Sister-in-law, you two chat, I'll go see if my mom needs any help."
Tang Mingli nodded.
But how could she not see through Yang Tao's ulterior motives? She loathed him even more.
Yang Tao's hypocrisy reminded Tang Mingli of a fictional character she disliked very much—Yue Buqun.
Bah! Comparing him to Yue Buqun is an insult to Yue Buqun.
Even if Yue Buqun is a hypocrite, he is still a respectable leader of a sect.
Who is Yang Tao? He's just an employee of the Bureau of Commerce.
only……
Tang Mingli understood as well.
Admittedly, in this era, units like the Bureau of Commerce are extremely desirable. Even a low-level employee feels like they've entered the imperial court.
Sometimes I really feel that this world is unfair. How can someone like Yang Tao be so lucky?
He was born into a good family, had a great job that everyone envied, and married a wife who was always tolerant of him.
Yang Tao was unaware of Tang Mingli's thoughts and wanted to chat with her more about everyday things.
"Is my cousin still very busy lately?"
Tang Mingli: "There's never a time when I'm not busy."
"My cousin's business is getting bigger and bigger."
"That's right, they've already opened a second factory."
Tang Mingli was not modest and deliberately said things that would make Yang Tao jealous.
Sure enough, Yang Tao's lips twitched uncontrollably.
See? Even if you're already doing better than most people, you'll still be jealous of those who are doing even better.
However, Yang Tao, being a seasoned veteran, quickly adjusted and flattered, "With your talent, cousin, you'll succeed at anything."
Tang Mingli did not deny it, saying frankly: "Fu Ci is indeed very outstanding, and his thinking is very advanced."
"Oh?" Yang Tao thought he had finally found a topic to talk about and asked with great interest, "I wonder how advanced your thinking is, cousin?"
Tang Mingli smiled and said, "Even before the country implemented the one-child policy, he was already convinced that he would only have one child. Before the country promoted the idea that boys and girls are the same, he already felt that way."
These words were like two slaps to Yang Tao's face.
While chatting with Grandpa Fu and the others, Gu Dazhi, who was also keeping an eye on them, was afraid that Tang Mingli would embarrass her son-in-law, so he quickly took the initiative to speak.
“Fu Ci’s thinking is different from most of us. Most people still believe that having many children brings many blessings.”
Tang Mingli sighed inwardly.
Gu Lin's weakness in marriage cannot be entirely blamed on her. Her family all sided with her husband, as if afraid of neglecting this eligible bachelor.
Fortunately, the elders in the Fu family were on her side.
Madam Fu doted on Tang Mingli, and now that she was pregnant, how could she allow anyone to mistreat her?
“Dazhi, I’m not trying to criticize you, but you’re a Party member too. How can you still have such outdated ideas? Regardless of what you thought before, the country now advocates that each couple should only have one child. As a Party member, you should be the first to respond to the country’s call.”
Madam Fu elevated these words to such a high level that even if Gu Dazhi disagreed, he dared not show it.
But he was somewhat resentful.
They say it's the same whether you have a boy or a girl, but if Fu Ci wasn't a boy, let's see if he would still say that.
But he was also envious, because the other person only had one son, and the son only had one grandson, and both of them were so outstanding.
On the other hand, his mother had several children, but none of them were good.
He himself has also had several children, and now the only one he can have any hope for is Gu Lin, who married Yang Tao.
Sigh, if only there were no one-child policy. If Gu Lin had three or five children, the Yang family would definitely be satisfied.
Perhaps they both sensed something was wrong with each other, and the conversation fell into a brief silence.
Yang Tao was very dissatisfied with his father-in-law's talkativeness, feeling that it was because his father-in-law didn't know how to speak that the conversation had turned out this way.
Having a wife's family that's as incompetent as pigs is really annoying.
It's also their fault for not finding out more about the situation beforehand. They only knew that Gu Lin had a powerful maternal uncle, and since Gu Lin was indeed a good person, they hastily arranged this marriage.
Gu Lin went to the kitchen to help out and came out, just as she was about to call everyone to come up to eat, she noticed that the atmosphere seemed a little strange.
She looked at her husband with some unease, and sure enough, she saw that although he still had a smile on his face, it didn't reach his eyes.
My heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that someone said something unpleasant?
But she didn't dare ask, nor did she have the courage to say anything to ease the atmosphere. She could only timidly call everyone to the table to eat.
It was Fu Caiping's birthday, so the meal was quite lavish.
At the dinner table, Madam Fu handed over the gift she had prepared.
Fu Caiping was unwilling to accept such an expensive gift and quickly said, "I just want to have a simple birthday celebration."
Madam Fu anticipated that her sister-in-law, being proud and arrogant, would definitely refuse.
He simply slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and said with a smile, "I'm just giving you a simple gift, so please accept it."
One of Fu Caiping's daughters also said, "Mom, please don't refuse your aunt's offer."
Fu Caiping stopped arguing and looked down at the gleaming gold bracelet on her wrist, feeling incredibly happy.
Even if you get old, who doesn't love these precious and exquisite things?
Besides, this thing can be stored for a long time, so even after I'm gone, it's good to leave it to my children...
Thinking about all this, Fu Caiping felt somewhat sad.
Worried about losing composure during such a joyous occasion, she quickly stopped herself from thinking and said to the old lady and old man Fu, "Thank you, elder brother and sister-in-law, for spending so much on my birthday."
Grandpa Fu simply gave a habitual hum.
Fu Laofu laughed and said, "What's the big deal about spending money? We're all family."
The word "family" brought back the tears that Fu Caiping had just suppressed, and she choked out, "Sister-in-law."
For some reason, Madam Fu was suddenly very moved.
They might have been infected.
After the meal, Gu Lin, worried about her son, left with Yang Tao after sitting for a while.
When they arrived at the bus stop, Yang Tao, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly spoke up: "Your cousin's grandma is quite generous."
He could tell that the pair of gold bracelets were solid, each weighing several tens of grams, and not cheap. In any case, with his salary, he definitely couldn't afford such expensive gold bracelets.
Yang Tao didn't think an old man could have much money. Even if Mr. Fu held a high position of power before retiring, and even if Mrs. Fu had a respectable job before retiring, he still didn't think they could have saved much money.
He naturally assumed that the reason why Madam Fu could be so generous was because Fu Ci was making money.
I'm so jealous! He's so successful in his career after retiring from his job.
He glanced at his wife and suddenly had an idea.
But it's not good to say this outside; I'll discuss it with my wife when I get home tonight.
Gu Lin didn't know what her husband was thinking, but she felt uneasy from that glance just now.
-
Meanwhile, Fu Caiping's children, who had come to celebrate her birthday, also returned home one after another, with the Fu family being the last to leave.
Fu Caiping reluctantly saw her off at the bus stop, holding the old lady's hand and saying, "Sister-in-law, I'm very happy today."
Madam Fu smiled and said, "As long as you're happy."
Fu's mother added, "If you're happy, you can celebrate next year too."
"Next year?" Fu Caiping's smile froze, and she said weakly, "Let's talk about next year next year."
At this moment, the Fu family did not realize that there was anything wrong with what she said.
Next year is indeed still a long way off, and it's perfectly fine to decide then.
Until a month later.
A month after Fu Caiping's birthday, Madam Fu received a call from Gu Dazhi, informing her that her sister-in-law was seriously ill and hospitalized.
Upon hearing this news, Madam Fu was completely stunned.
She murmured to Tang Mingli beside her, "How could this happen? She was perfectly fine on her birthday, how could she suddenly become so seriously ill?"
Tang Mingli's heart sank at this news.
Perhaps, it was because my great-aunt knew that her health was failing that she suddenly wanted to celebrate her birthday and see all her family members under the guise of it.
Tang Mingli comforted the distraught Madam Fu, saying, "How you got sick is no longer important; what's important is how to treat it."
Madam Fu regained her composure after hearing this and nodded, saying, "You're right. The important thing now is to get proper treatment."
She was going to the hospital to see what was wrong with her sister-in-law.
Tang Mingli understood her eagerness, but she was really worried about her going alone, so she said she would go too.
Without a second thought, Madam Fu refused: "No, you're pregnant. You should avoid going to places like hospitals if you can avoid it."
Hospitals are places for treating illnesses, and all sorts of germs can be found there.
Tang Mingli clearly understood this principle, but how could she leave her grandmother alone?
Grandpa went out for a walk, and I don't know where he is now.
In her anxiety, Zhang Guihua stepped forward.
"I'll go with you."
With Zhang Guihua by her side, Tang Mingli felt more at ease.
-
When Madam Fu and Zhang Guihua arrived at the hospital, they saw Fu Caiping, who was hospitalized.
However, after not seeing her for a month, she had lost a lot of weight and looked completely lifeless.
When Madam Fu saw her sister-in-law like this, her nose tingled and tears welled up in her eyes.
Fu Caiping seemed to have been mentally prepared and was not surprised by her sister-in-law's arrival.
Seeing her sister-in-law shed tears, she instead said optimistically, "No one can avoid birth, aging, sickness, and death. Sister-in-law, do you think my age would be considered long-lived in the past?"
"What are you saying? Do you think family members would complain about living a long life?"
Madam Fu sat down, looked at her sister-in-law, and asked, "Why did you suddenly fall ill? What did the doctor say?"
Fu Caiping looked at Old Madam Fu, weighing in her mind whether or not to tell the truth.
I want to tell the truth, since I can't hide my illness for long anyway. But I'm worried that my older brother and sister-in-law are too old to handle the shock.
But she didn't know that the more silent she remained, the worse Madam Fu would feel, and the more she would suspect that this illness might be serious.
Madam Fu said, "If you don't tell me, I'll ask the doctor; he'll know just the same way."
Fu Caiping sighed and said, "Sister-in-law, the doctor said it's a terminal illness, and she doesn't have many days left to live."
Upon hearing this, Madam Fu felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Terminal illness?
How could it be a terminal illness?
My sister-in-law rarely even catches a cold.
"Could it be a misdiagnosis? Let's go to another hospital for another checkup."
Fu Caiping knew that such a thing was hard for people to accept at first.
Wasn't that her reaction when she learned she had a terminal illness?
I've always been in good health, how could I possibly have a terminal illness?
She didn't believe it, so she had a more detailed examination done, but the result was still the same.
However, even the hardest things to accept will eventually become acceptable.
She told her sister-in-law, "The military hospital is already a very good hospital. What hospital in Guangcheng is better than it?"
"If this doesn't work, let's go to Beijing."
"At my age, can I still afford to go through all that trouble?"
This question really stumped Madam Fu.
Fu Caiping is so weak right now, and going to Beijing is so far away, it's very likely she really can't handle the strain.
But she really found it hard to accept. No matter how unlikable her sister-in-law was, she never thought it would turn out like this.
Madam Fu could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
She hadn't cried like this in many years.
Seeing this, Fu Caiping also became anxious: "Sister-in-law, you're already so old. If you ruin your eyes from crying, my brother will definitely blame me."
"Even in your condition, you still care whether your older brother blames you or not."
“I still care, after all…” Fu Caiping paused here and sighed, “I only have one brother.”
Thinking of her elder brother, Fu Caiping was also worried about whether he could bear the news of his serious illness.
She could only ask her sister-in-law to try and comfort her brother.
Madam Fu cried, "You two siblings are really hard to talk about. You both care about each other, but you're always arguing with each other."
Fu Caiping chuckled: "Otherwise, how could we say we're siblings? We have the same personality."
Madam Fu really couldn't refute this point.
"Your older brother isn't home today, so he doesn't know about this news yet."
Fu Caiping had a sudden thought and said, "Why don't we just not tell him?"
Madam Fu glared at her: "You call yourself my brother? You even kept my illness a secret."
We definitely can't keep it from him; we should tell his wife and ask her to think of a solution.
Even if it can't be cured completely, it's good to live a little longer.
Thinking of that inevitable ending, Old Madam Fu was extremely distressed.
Fu Caiping comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't be sad. Actually, I'm not afraid, and I have no regrets. There's just one thing I can't let go of."
Madam Fu asked, "What is it?"
"It's Gu Lin, I'm really worried about her."
Gu Lin was raised by Fu Caiping from a young age, and she looks very much like Fu Caiping herself when she was young. Fu Caiping has a very special feeling for this granddaughter.
When it came to Gu Lin's current situation, Madam Fu wanted to say that her family should bear half the responsibility, but seeing Fu Caiping like this, she couldn't bring herself to say it.
In fact, Fu Caiping knew this too, and said with a wry smile, "Sister-in-law, I know that Gu Lin's current situation is inseparable from me and the Gu family."
“You know, I thought a lot after I found out I was sick. I was thinking, if I had known how wronged Gu Lin was before she had her child, and supported her in getting a divorce, would she have been reborn?”
"I thought, even if she had a child, if she were more assertive in front of the Yang family and not always afraid of this or that, wouldn't she be less likely to wrong herself like this?"
Madam Fu almost said "That's right," but she couldn't bring herself to say it; she couldn't bring herself to stab her sister-in-law in the heart.
"I've been thinking about something for a long time: it seems like I've never lived for myself in my life. I've spent my whole life worrying about others. Was it worth it?"
Is it worth it?
Madam Fu was stumped again.
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