Chapter 178 (First Update) Girls grow up and...
That night, lying in bed, Tang Mingli, unusually, couldn't fall asleep.
Although she dared not repeat herself, she still couldn't hide it from Fu Ci, who knew her well.
Fu Ci simply turned on the bedside lamp and smiled at his wife.
Tang Mingli simply stopped pretending, propped her head up with one hand, and turned to look at him.
"I'm completely still now."
The implication was that even though she hadn't moved, he still knew she wasn't asleep.
Fu Ci gently ruffled her slightly messy hair and described the characteristics of her when she was asleep.
"Your breathing is heavier when you're asleep."
"Yeah?"
Tang Mingli couldn't verify this, since no one can know what they're like when they're asleep. However, she did know what Fu Ci was like when he was sound asleep; though she couldn't describe it, she just knew.
Living together for a long time, the two have unconsciously become intertwined with each other.
Tang Mingli couldn't help but smile, marveling at how amazing people are.
Although they are all independent individuals, they will inevitably be bound and influenced by someone.
Fu Ci guessed Tang Mingli's thoughts perfectly: "The thought of being away from your daughter for so many days makes you feel sad?"
Tang Mingli sighed: "I can't say I feel sad, I just feel reluctant to part with it."
This is the first time my daughter has been away from me for so many days since she was born, so she needs some time to adjust.
Now she understands better how much her husband misses their daughter, and says with heartache, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Caught off guard, Fu Ci instinctively hugged her and patted her back gently.
"Why don't you stay home to take care of the children, and I'll go with Mom?"
Tang Mingli shook her head: "Mom definitely hopes I can be with her."
Not to brag, but after so many years together, her mother-in-law probably relies on her more than her son. And she always feels that if a friend she hasn't contacted in twenty years suddenly contacts her again, it must be for something important, and she won't feel at ease unless she goes with them in person.
Fu Ci then suggested, "Why don't we have the nanny bring the child over?"
At least I can stay one more night.
However, Tang Mingli gently punched him in the chest, saying, "It's fine if adults can't sleep, but don't make the children sleep poorly too."
Did you think she hadn't thought of that? She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to sleep even more in front of her daughter.
Fu Ci laughed: "It seems you understand all the้็ (principles/reasons), so there's no point in me saying anything more. Why don't we just do something physically demanding and tire ourselves out?"
As he spoke, he pretended to do something to her.
Tang Mingli fell for it as expected, and quickly blocked him, her face turning red with embarrassment.
"That's twice tonight, aren't you tired enough?"
I'm already exhausted. If I get any more tired, I won't have the energy to drive tomorrow.
It's not like absence makes the heart grow fonder; even when we're together every day, we sometimes indulge ourselves on a whim. It's embarrassing to even think about it. We've been married for so many years, and our love has only grown stronger.
"Let's go to sleep. I can fall asleep eventually." Tang Mingli slipped away from her husband's grasp like an eel and obediently lay down.
Fu Ci didn't really intend to do anything to her. He smiled, turned off the light, and lay down.
In the darkness, Tang Mingli told herself that she would have to get used to it sooner or later.
The ultimate end point between people is separation.
Even for couples, or parents and children, the time they spend together is limited.
Perhaps she had calmed herself down, or perhaps she was just really tired, Tang Mingli slowly fell asleep.
After she fell asleep, Fu Ci held her hand, which was hidden under the covers, and also fell into a deep sleep.
-
The next day.
The Fu family's morning seemed to start earlier than usual; before seven o'clock, the entire family was gathered at the dining table, a rare occurrence.
Oh wait, Fu Yu is still sleeping.
After breakfast, Fu's mother and the others were about to go out.
Tang Mingli originally intended to leave while her daughter was asleep, so that she wouldn't feel bad if her daughter cried.
But when it came time to leave, I felt it would be even worse to just leave without saying goodbye to my daughter.
The child is very dependent on her, and would be devastated if he woke up from a nap and couldn't find his mother.
So she went upstairs to the second floor and gently woke her sleeping daughter.
Fu Yu, who hadn't had enough sleep, opened her eyes and saw her parents' faces, and almost reflexively smiled.
That radiant smile almost melted the hearts of Tang Mingli and Fu Cixin.
Tang Mingli touched her daughter's forehead and tried to explain to her.
"Sweetie, Mommy and Daddy are going on a long trip. Grandpa and Grandma will be with you for the next few days. Be good, okay?"
Fu Yu seemed to understand, but not quite.
Fu Ci also spoke softly: "Mom and Dad just have to go on a long trip, it's not that they don't want Xiaoyu."
Fu Yu hummed in response.
I don't know if the child understood or not, but let's just assume she did.
Tang Mingli started putting the child to sleep again.
I had just woken her up, and now I had to coax her back to sleep. Luckily, Fu Yu must have inherited her genes for being a good sleeper, because she was quickly put back to sleep.
-
Despite my reluctance, I finally stepped out of my home.
The car drove out of the compound, out of the city, and from the smooth cement road to the dusty dirt road.
At first, Fu's mother was able to chat with her son and daughter-in-law about her past with her friends, but as time went by, the car shook more and more, and her eyelids seemed to get heavier and heavier.
Finally succumbing to sleepiness, I sat in the back seat of the car and dozed off.
Seeing this, Tang Mingli lowered her voice to remind her husband, "Drive slower, Mom probably didn't sleep much last night."
Not just last night, but probably after receiving a call from a friend I haven't contacted in so many years, I haven't had a good night's sleep.
Since Fu's mother had fallen asleep, Tang Mingli and Fu Ci also stopped chatting.
After sleeping for about an hour, Fu's mother suddenly woke up and hurriedly asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
Tang Mingli smiled and said, "Mom, you've only been asleep for a little while. Look, we're still walking on this national highway."
Fu's mother felt disoriented after leaving Guangcheng, and she was completely disoriented, not knowing which national highway she was on.
But looking at the sun outside, I knew they had been out all morning and were still a day's journey from Xiujuan's house. Suddenly, I felt a pang of sadness at how she had managed all these years.
At noon, the three of them found a restaurant in a small town, had a simple meal, and then continued their journey.
In the evening, Fu Ci dared not go any further and stayed at a hotel in the county town.
Fu Ci told his mother that this place was now the county seat of the village where Aunt Xiujuan lived.
Before it got completely dark, the three of them strolled around the county town.
The more Fu's mother looked, the heavier her heart became.
If the county seat is so dilapidated, I can't imagine what the villages and towns below it are like.
Walking down the dilapidated street, Fu's mother said to her son and daughter-in-law in a heavy voice, "Actually, I had a feeling that Xiujuan's sudden contact with me this time must be for something."
It was precisely because of this premonition that she insisted on seeing Xiujuan.
She only thought about having something to do, but she never expected it would be entrusting her child to someone else.
The next day at noon, Fu's mother and her group entered the village where Wei Xiujuan lived.
Their appearance immediately caused a sensation. At this time, the villagers did not know who they were looking for, but were surprised that a car had driven into the village twice in this period of time.
Whose family has found a wealthy relative?
They found out when the car stopped in front of Wei Xiujuan's house, the poorest house in the whole village.
As soon as she got out of the car and saw the house in front of her, Fu's mother almost burst into tears.
Even when they went back to their childhood decades ago, they had never lived in such a dilapidated house.
Fu's mother couldn't understand why Xiujuan's parents had married her off to such a family back then.
The girl who came out to open the door looked to be about seven or eight years old. When she saw the car, she was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out.
Despite her shock, she still politely asked everyone, "Grandma, uncles and aunts, who are you looking for?"
When Fu's mother saw the little girl, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
This child is exactly like Xiujuan when she was a child.
The little girl was even more confused.
Upon seeing this, Tang Mingli quickly asked, "Hello, little friend, is this Wei Xiujuan's house?"
The little girl blurted out, "That's my grandma. Are you looking for my grandma?"
She seemed even more shocked.
The person who was dressed so nicely and drove here was actually looking for Grandma.
The little girl's lips drooped as she thought of her grandmother.
"Grandma is lying in her room."
Perhaps hearing the commotion, Wei Xiujuan came out of her room. Before she could even ask her granddaughter what was going on, she froze on the spot when she saw who it was.
Fu's mother was also stunned.
Xiujuan looks much, much, much older than she did twenty years ago.
Although she's about the same age as me, she looks like she's in her sixties or seventies.
Finally, Wei Xiujuan was the first to come to her senses and quickly walked to the door.
"Yujuan, you actually came."
Even though she tried her best to restrain herself, it was still obvious that she was very excited.
Fu's mother forced a smile, "Yes, I promised to come see you, and I definitely will."
Thankfully she came; Xiujuan looked very unwell.
She really wanted to ask if she was sick, but she swallowed the question back down as her voice trembled.
Upon entering the house and seeing how shabby it was, Fu's mother felt heartbroken.
As Wei Xiujuan poured her water, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Xiujuan, why didn't you contact me sooner?"
Wei Xiujuan seemed unsurprised by the question. She calmly put down the teapot, sat down, and then said, "Yujuan, this matter cannot be explained in just a few words."
Back then, her parents threatened to kill themselves to force her to marry Zhao Dabao in order to repay their debt of gratitude. She was already dead in that life; she was just a walking corpse. So why would she take the initiative to contact her former friends?
She truly lived like a walking corpse for decades. If it weren't for her eldest granddaughter, she probably would never have contacted her friends again until her death.
It's not that I don't miss them, nor is it that the friendship we once shared was anything but genuine.
On the contrary, it was precisely because the feelings they once shared were so genuine that she couldn't bear to let her friend see her miserable life.
But looking at her granddaughter, who looked almost exactly like her when she was a child, Wei Xiujuan couldn't remain numb.
So she made a bold decision. One day, she got up before dawn, walked for more than two hours to reach the town, and dialed the phone number that her friend had left her twenty years ago.
Twenty years have passed, and she doesn't know if she can still get through on that phone.
She told herself to give it a try; if she could get through, it would be because God couldn't bear to see her eldest granddaughter in such a state.
Suppressing her heartache, Wei Xiujuan beckoned her eldest granddaughter to her side.
"Come on, call her Grandma."
The little girl obediently called out "Grandma".
Mrs. Fu quickly agreed and then smiled, "Your granddaughter is so big now, it's about time she started school."
Wei Xiujuan patted her granddaughter's head and told her to go outside and play before answering her friend's question.
"She's nine years old."
Nine years old... Fu's mother looked at the little girl's back.
She is thin and looks younger than her actual age.
Wei Xiujuan suddenly spoke up again: "She didn't go to school."
"Why isn't he in school? Is there no school in the village?" Fu's mother couldn't help but worry for her child.
In the city, someone this age would be in third grade.
However, Wei Xiujuan told her, "Many girls in the village don't go to school."
"Why? How can children not go to school?"
"Because people in the village believe that girls will marry into another family when they grow up, so it doesn't matter whether they study or not."
"How can they be the same? You can't read if you don't go to school."
Wei Xiujuan sneered: "That's what the people in this village think."
Even though she has lived here for decades, she still doesn't feel a sense of belonging.
Hearing this, Tang Mingli, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, couldn't help but interject: "Last year, our country promulgated the Compulsory Education Law, which clearly stipulates that school-age children must go to school. It is illegal to prevent children from going to school."
Wei Xiujuan continued to sneer, as if she had heard some great joke.
"The people here don't care about any laws. They only know that the children are their own. If they want their children to go to school, they can go to school; if they don't want their children to go to school, they can't go to school. Nobody has the right to interfere."
Tang Mingli suddenly felt powerless.
It's true that the strong fear the weak; in the face of this kind of theory, the law is just empty talk. Unless you arrest all the parents in the village who are preventing their children from going to school.
Fu's mother felt a similar sense of helplessness. She was about to persuade her friend to let the child go to school no matter what, but she heard her say, "I don't want my eldest granddaughter to be without a school to attend."
Mrs. Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That's right, this is the Wei Xiujuan she knows.
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