Chapter 177 Tang Mingli knew Fu Ci was reliable, but she didn't expect...
In dealing with this matter, if Tang Mingli was rational, then Fu's mother was emotional.
Tang Mingli told her mother-in-law about all the potential risks she could think of. After listening, her mother-in-law remained silent for a long time, but still insisted on believing in her good friend.
“Xiujuan and I have known each other since we were little, she would never harm me.”
"I believe you too," Tang Mingli explained softly. "However, as the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. We also need to think about what to do if we really encounter the worst-case scenario."
Madam Fu also felt that Tang Mingli's concerns were thorough, saying, "Mingli is right. We've never been to that place and don't know much about it, so it's always good to be thorough. Besides, your sister hasn't been in contact for twenty years, so why would she suddenly contact you?"
This was exactly the question that Tang Mingli wanted to ask Madam Fu.
We haven't been in touch for twenty years, how come we suddenly contacted each other again?
Tang Mingli simply couldn't believe that he just wanted to see an old friend.
She felt there must be something else going on.
After thinking about this issue, Fu's mother also felt the same way.
I regret that I was too excited when I received the call and forgot to ask.
"What should we do now?" Fu's mother looked at her daughter-in-law with a helpless expression.
I promised Xiujuan I'd visit her; I can't just disappear without a trace.
Moreover, the last time they met was twenty years ago, and Fu's mother really missed her former best friend.
Tang Mingli could see that her mother-in-law was in distress, and she was so anxious that she was desperately trying to think of a solution.
Is there any way to check for potential dangers first?
Her first thought was to resign.
Tell Fu Ci about this, and he'll definitely have a way to handle it.
Upon hearing this, Madam Fu and her mother nodded repeatedly, as if they had grasped a lifeline.
Madam Fu: "Yes, discuss it with Fu Ci, he will definitely have a solution."
She was about to call him right now, but her mother stopped her.
"There's no rush. He's probably busy right now. Let's wait until he's free and calls back before we talk."
Anyway, Fu Ci calls home several times a day.
However, while saying he wasn't in a hurry, he kept glancing at the wall clock while waiting for the call to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, Tang Mingli was also pondering this strange connection.
When a friend she hadn't contacted for twenty years suddenly reached out and even offered to visit her, Tang Mingli couldn't help but think of the news reports she had read about the trafficking of women.
It wasn't that she wanted to assume malicious intent towards others, but there were just too many such cases, especially in an era when internet and transportation were not yet well-developed.
She asked her mother-in-law, "Mom, do you know who Aunt Xiujuan married back then?"
Fu's mother replied, "She is a distant cousin of hers."
Have you seen it?
"How could I not have seen her? When she got married, I wasn't married yet. I was the one who stayed with her the night before her wedding."
Tang Mingli responded with an "oh," feeling much relieved.
This at least rules out the possibility that Aunt Xiujuan was sold to the mountains.
Unable to figure it out, she decided to discuss it with Fu Ci before making a decision.
That day, the whole family waited anxiously for Fu Ci to call back.
Fu Ci himself was also stunned. When he called back today, he hadn't even realized what was happening before the call was answered, as if he had been sitting by the phone the whole time.
But how could that be? Since having their daughter, the whole family has only ever looked after her.
After a brief moment of surprise, Fu Ci, as always, asked about his daughter as soon as he opened his mouth.
Tang Mingli told him regretfully, "Our daughter is quite tired from playing today and is still sleeping."
How long have you been sleeping?
Tang Mingli glanced at the time and told her husband, "It's been almost two hours."
Fu Ci laughed and said, "Sleeping so much during the day, be careful you won't want to sleep at night."
Tang Mingli knew this might be the case, but when she went upstairs just now and saw her daughter sleeping so soundly, she couldn't bear it.
"It's okay, let my daughter sleep with me tonight."
She is still young and confident that she can outlast her daughter.
Fu Ci felt very sorry for her, as he couldn't bear to see his daughter and wife stay up all night, but he was far away in Shenzhen and there was nothing he could do.
But before he could feel sorry for her for more than a few seconds, his wife threw him a new question.
After listening, Fu Ci also pursed his lips and pondered.
When the topic of Aunt Xiujuan came up again, he actually remembered her.
Although he was only ten years old that year, he clearly remembered that his mother came back from the hospital that day and excitedly told him that she had run into a good friend she hadn't seen in a long time.
He also said that he thought they would never have any contact again in this lifetime, but he didn't expect to meet him today. He exchanged phone numbers this time so that they can keep in touch in the future.
His mother was extremely happy that day, so when the person was mentioned again, he immediately remembered him.
That friend must be very important to my mother.
But he felt that his wife's concerns were very reasonable.
As the saying goes, people's hearts are unpredictable. My mother and Aunt Xiujuan hadn't been in contact for so many years. My mother didn't know what Aunt Xiujuan had gone through or what she had become.
Time changes so much that we cannot speculate about the present based solely on shared past experiences.
Fu Ci remained silent. Tang Mingli, on the other end of the phone, knew he was trying to find a solution, so she didn't urge him and waited patiently.
After a while, Fu Ci spoke again, saying to his wife and mother, "I'll go back in a few days. We'll decide what to do when I get back, okay?"
Fu's mother naturally had no objections.
Tang Mingli didn't either; in fact, she hoped that Fu Ci would have more time this time so he could accompany his mother-in-law to visit Aunt Xiujuan.
The Fu family all thought that Fu Ci meant three or four days, but they never expected it to be a week later.
Moreover, for the first time ever, Fu Ci didn't call home during those seven days.
I can't imagine how busy he's been these past few days that he hasn't made a single phone call home.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, Fu Ci had indeed lost a lot of weight.
Not only that, the car was also very dirty, which suggests that it had been driven around a lot these past few days.
The Fu family was heartbroken and immediately asked Zhang Guihua to make ginseng chicken soup to nourish Fu Ci.
Fu Ci touched his face, feeling somewhat helpless.
He hasn't been eating or sleeping well these past few days, but it's not enough to cause him to lose weight so quickly.
However, he didn't want to dwell on it. After sitting down, he asked his mother with a smile, "Mom, when do you want to go see Aunt Xiujuan?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Fu immediately became excited.
"You think there's no problem?"
Fu Ci smiled and nodded, honestly telling them, "Actually, I went to Aunt Xiujuan's village these past few days to learn about her situation."
Tang Mingli knew Fu Ci was reliable, but she didn't expect him to be this reliable, as he actually made a trip in advance.
She was completely relieved and said to her husband, "Now that it's confirmed, Mom can go whenever she wants. I can drive her there."
The daughter-in-law's seemingly ordinary words deeply moved Fu's mother.
She felt completely at ease; otherwise, she would have been constantly worried about how to find Xiujuan.
However, Fu Ci said, "Although I went to check it out beforehand, the place is indeed quite remote, and it's not safe to travel without a man by my side."
Fu Ci could not possibly feel at ease letting his wife and mother go there alone. He explained with a smile that the factory was not busy at the moment, and he had enough time to accompany them.
Since that's the case, Tang Mingli certainly wouldn't refuse.
With a promise in hand, I feel at ease.
Fu's mother couldn't help but tear up.
Actually, she had secretly complained about her husband during this time, as he was often not there when she needed him.
Fu Ci wanted to say something, but seeing that her mother was already moved to tears just because she knew she could go see Aunt Xiujuan, she swallowed back what she was about to say.
Alright, let's give them some breathing room.
He glanced at his slightly dirty trouser legs and said to his family, "I'm going upstairs to take a shower and change my clothes."
Mrs. Fu quickly said, "Go ahead, go ahead, a bath will make you feel better."
"Then... I'll go up too."
Tang Mingli smiled and stood up, then went upstairs with her husband one after the other.
She found Fu Ci a clean set of home clothes, then sat in the study reading a book while waiting for him to finish showering.
Fu Ci took a longer bath than usual; Tang Mingli read half a novel before she saw him finish and come out.
Tang Mingli joked, "Don't tell me you haven't showered for days."
Fu Ci smiled and said, "It hasn't been several days, but I definitely didn't wash last night."
Last night I stayed at a guesthouse in the town, and the conditions weren't very good.
As he spoke, he walked over to his wife, pulled her up from the chair, sat down himself, and then lifted her onto his lap.
Tang Mingli casually put her arm around his neck, but instead of talking about love, she asked him about serious matters.
“You’ve already been to Aunt Xiujuan’s village, so you probably know her current situation, right?”
Fu Ci knew that his wife would be the first to ask this question than anyone else.
He nodded, and having no reservations about his wife, he spoke frankly: "She's not doing very well."
Tang Mingli had this suspicion.
In the 1980s, remote mountain villages were a place where "hard times" were the norm.
But she was still worried that it might be much worse than she thought.
Fu Ci did not deny it; instead, he nodded solemnly.
In reality, the villagers in that village didn't live a good life; they still lived in mud-brick houses. The fruits, eggs, and meat they ate every day were things they could only afford to eat during festivals like the New Year.
He always knew that the country was still very poor and the people were still far from living a good life.
But witnessing it firsthand this time still had a significant impact on him.
That was a world he had never seen before in his entire life.
Tang Mingli was much calmer than Fu Ci, after all, she was also from the lower class in her previous life.
She was a little worried because her mother-in-law had a special affection for that Aunt Xiujuan, and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear seeing her life like this over the decades.
Fu Ci said, "That's what I was worried about too, so I didn't dare to say it just now."
But you can hide it for a while, but not forever; your mother will find out sooner or later.
Tang Mingli then asked another question: "After your trip, do you know why Aunt Xiujuan suddenly contacted your mother and suddenly wanted to meet her?"
Fu Ci shook his head: "I didn't dare to ask."
No outsiders have been to that place for ten years. If you were to inquire about it rashly, the news would surely spread throughout the entire village very quickly.
“That’s true.” Tang Mingli nodded. “I’m afraid the news has already spread even without asking around.”
Fu Ci was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
It's quite abrupt for an outsider to drive into the village; the villagers are probably already talking about it.
If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off just asking about Aunt Xiujuan's family situation.
The two were in the study worrying that their mother might be saddened if she knew that Aunt Xiujuan was not doing well, little did they know that their mother was already prepared.
She's not stupid. In the countryside, working from dawn till dusk, how could life not be hard?
Fu's mother only hoped that although Xiujuan's life was hard, the man she married would treat her well and the children would be filial to her.
-
Dinner, at the dining table.
Fu Ci asked his mother if there would be any problems leaving tomorrow.
"Tomorrow? You just got back, you should rest for a day or two first."
Although Fu's mother also hoped to meet Xiujuan soon, she ultimately felt sorry for her son.
Fu Ci replied, "I'm not tired."
Driving wasn't tiring for him; a night's rest was enough.
"Really?" Mrs. Fu asked, still somewhat skeptical.
Tang Mingli believed it, simply because she was also the kind of person who didn't feel tired while driving.
Aunt Xiujuan's house is quite far away; it takes two days to drive there by myself. A round trip takes four days just by traveling.
Although Fu Ci said that there was nothing much going on at the factory during this period, he couldn't stay away for too long.
In addition, her mother-in-law was probably also very anxious, so she insisted on leaving tomorrow.
Both her son and daughter-in-law suggested leaving tomorrow, and Fu's mother was tempted.
But then she thought of her granddaughter.
"What should we do about Xiaoyu?"
Madam Fu and Mr. Fu were in perfect sync and expressed their opinions in unison.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"We're here to keep an eye on things, so don't worry."
Tang Mingli also said, "Xiaoyu can eat complementary foods and drink formula now, so it's okay for me to leave for a few days."
He looked at his daughter as he spoke.
The daughter, unaware that her parents were going on a long trip, gave her mother a sweet smile.
Tang Mingli suddenly felt a lump in her throat for no apparent reason.
My daughter might be fine being away for a few days, but I don't think she'll be.
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