Chapter 206 Mingli's Self-Deprecation
In the blink of an eye, Gu Lin had already been in Shenzhen for a week.
For the past week, Tang Mingli took her around every day, and what she saw and heard almost overturned her understanding of the past thirty years. Every day she exclaimed that people could live like this.
Feeling that it was about time, Tang Mingli calmly asked her about her plans for the future after lunch that day.
"I……"
Gu Lin did have some ideas, but due to her personality, she subconsciously hesitated before speaking them aloud, wondering if her thoughts were right or wrong.
Tang Mingli looked at her with a smile, her eyes encouraging.
Gu Lin suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
She wasn't stupid; how could she not understand her cousin and his wife's efforts during this time?
"I want to stay here."
Gu Lin bravely spoke out her thoughts.
She wanted to stay here. Although she couldn't shine like Tang Mingmei in this city, she was sure she could survive.
For her now, as long as she can survive, life is not a dead end.
Tang Mingli nodded with satisfaction and asked more specific questions.
"What do you want to do?"
When asked what she wanted to do, Gu Lin blushed before she could even answer.
"I want to work at my cousin's factory, but I don't know if it's possible."
Before being laid off, she was a factory worker in a garment factory, and she was the best at operating the sewing machine. If it weren't for those troubles at home, she would definitely still be the most efficient worker in the factory.
However, one thing is one thing.
She believed she was capable of doing a good job, but her cousin and his wife had no obligation to give her a chance, so she was still a little uneasy after speaking out.
However, Tang Mingli's next words immediately put her at ease.
"sure."
Tang Mingli answered very decisively.
Even though her cousin wasn't home this time, and her cousin's wife hadn't discussed it with him, she was still able to give her such a decisive and firm affirmative answer. Gu Lin was moved and envious at the same time.
This is what a normal couple should be like, unlike her and Yang Tao, who never dare to make decisions without his consent, no matter how big or small the matter is.
After chatting for a while, Gu Lin only talked about working hard here and didn't mention anything about her and Yang Tao. Tang Mingli had no choice but to ask her about it.
"What about Yang Tao?"
Gu Lin deliberately avoided mentioning it. She had already made a decision about Yang Tao, but she knew that her cousin and his wife would definitely look down on this decision.
But now that her cousin-in-law has asked, she has no choice but to answer.
“Don’t divorce him, just keep at it. Sister-in-law, I know you don’t understand, but can you listen to me?” Gu Lin spoke the last sentence very quickly, afraid that Tang Mingli would get angry.
Tang Mingli wasn't angry, but she was indeed a little disappointed.
She nodded and listened to Gu Lin continue.
“Actually, I know very well that it’s over between us, that we can never be husband and wife again, and I have never thought about getting back together with him. The reason I’m not getting a divorce is that I really can’t get over this anger. As long as I don’t get a divorce, Yang Tao’s daughter and two children outside will never be able to see the light of day.”
Tang Mingli understood, but also mentioned another possibility.
"Have you ever thought that as long as you and Yang Tao are still legally married, if he does something bad outside, it will still affect you?"
Gu Lin hadn't expected this, but...
"Why would I, who's barefoot, be afraid of someone wearing shoes?"
Tang Mingli really couldn't refute that.
For Gu Lin now, she can truly be described as having nothing.
If she really feels that doing this makes her feel better, then so be it. There are many things that she needs to figure out for herself.
Although this approach might result in heavy losses on both sides, for Gu Lin, killing a thousand enemies is enough. As for considering her own future, that will likely only happen when she finds her purpose in life and decides to live a good life for herself.
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And so, Gu Lin settled down in Shenzhen.
However, at the end of summer vacation, she and Tang Mingli went back to Guangcheng together.
Firstly, he wanted to let his parents know his plans, and secondly, he wanted to see his son.
Gu Dazhi and his wife certainly didn't understand, and even somewhat resented Fu Ci and his wife for leading their daughter astray. But all they could do was not understand and complain; Fu Ci and Tang Mingli wouldn't take it to heart.
The Yang family's hatred for Gu Lin intensified, and they would utter the most offensive words imaginable. Fortunately, Gu Lin had changed and would no longer let such words hurt her.
What saddened her was the change in her son's attitude towards her.
It's unclear what the Yang family said to the child, but upon seeing his mother again after so long, he said many hurtful things.
They called her a bad woman, blamed her for causing her father to lose his job, blamed her for making their family look down on... The last sentence, "I hate you," made Gu Lin's tears, which she had been holding back, finally flow.
She glared at her in-laws and said, "You are parents yourselves, you know what it means to be a parent, how can you teach your child these things? What good does it do for the child to hate me?"
Yang's mother sneered: "When you reported the child's biological father, did you ever think about what good it would do for the child?"
"Making him hate his own mother will only harm him."
Yang Tao's parents reacted as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.
Although Gu Lin is the child's biological mother, to them, a daughter-in-law is an outsider. The grandson hates his mother, which in their eyes is just hating an outsider. What does it matter?
Gu Lin left the Yang family almost heartbroken.
Back at the Fu family home, her family members immediately noticed something was wrong with her. After asking her questions, they learned what had happened at the Yang family home.
Tang Mingli frowned as she listened, feeling that she had wasted her life having this son.
Although he's still a child, he's not at an age where he doesn't understand anything. His father had two sons with another woman; could he still be the only treasure in his father's and grandparents' hearts?
Sooner or later he will understand that the person who loves him most in this world is his own mother, yet he himself stabbed her in the back.
As it turns out, Tang Mingli was very wrong.
Realizing that he couldn't divorce Gu Lin anytime soon, Yang Tao, in a fit of despair, simply brought his mistress and son home.
Anyway, his reputation is already ruined, so let others say what they want. The whole family will stick to the same story: he and Gu Lin are divorced.
At first, the woman outside pretended to be kind and caring towards Gu Lin's son, even forgiving him for his mistakes, saying that all children make mistakes. But behind his back, she was whispering in her husband's ear, criticizing his naughtiness and shortcomings.
Such behavior naturally indulged the child's unruly behavior. Over time, even Yang Tao, the father, began to dislike it.
Although the grandparents feel sorry for their grandchildren, in their eyes, both the legitimate and illegitimate children are their precious grandchildren. What used to be a single source of affection is now divided into three parts, and not evenly. Furthermore, with the eldest grandson becoming increasingly unruly, the scales tip even further in favor of the two younger grandchildren.
In short, after a while, the eldest grandson of the Yang family found that he had suddenly fallen out of favor and become an outsider in the family.
But that's a story for another time.
After staying at the Fu family's house for a few days and adjusting her mood, Gu Lin got into Tang Mingli's car again and set off for Shenzhen.
This time, she was no longer confused.
On her second day in Shenzhen, Tang Mingli received a phone call from her mother-in-law.
As soon as Tang Mingli heard her mother-in-law say "hello," she knew something was wrong.
The mother-in-law's tone was extremely agitated.
Could something have happened?
Tang Mingli's heart jumped into her throat, and she hurriedly asked, "Mom, has something happened at home?"
If anything happens, she will drive back immediately.
The woman on the other end of the phone quickly denied it: "No, no."
After denying it, he added, "It's a good thing."
Hearing that it was good news, Tang Mingli was relieved and asked with a smile, "What good news?"
"I received a call from the journal editor. My article won an award, and they asked me to go to Beijing to receive it."
Fu's mother got excited again.
She's lived to this age and has never been to Beijing.
This news was also a wonderful surprise for Tang Mingli.
"Mom, you're amazing! You were born for this. You won an award after only writing for a short time."
Fu's mother was embarrassed by her daughter-in-law's praise and said shyly, "It's not a big prize."
"No matter what the award is, it's a huge affirmation. And an award that you have to go to Beijing to receive can't be anything small."
Tang Mingli's words were not meant to be biased because the other party was her mother-in-law; many writers have written for over a decade without ever winning an award.
Fu's mother was overjoyed, but there was one problem.
“I’ve never been to Beijing, and your dad probably won’t be free anytime soon. I’m afraid I’ll get lost.”
She has lived most of her life without ever traveling far on her own.
Beijing, in the hearts of many, is both a place they yearn for and the most distant place.
Fu's mother wanted to go to receive the award, but she was worried that she would get lost after getting off the train.
My in-laws do have the time, but they are getting old, and I don't know if they can withstand such a long journey.
In short, she was very confused. While sharing the good news with Tang Mingli, she subconsciously wanted to ask what to do.
Tang Mingli blurted out, "That's easy, I'll go with you."
Fu's mother's anxiety immediately subsided.
With her daughter-in-law by her side, she wasn't flustered.
However, this trip will definitely take many days. What will Fu Yu do?
Tang Mingli wasn't worried: "With her grandparents there and the nanny who raised her since she was little, there's nothing to worry about."
She wasn't really worried, though she was a little reluctant, but that reluctance was still within her acceptable range.
And she'd also really like to visit Beijing.
Although she is not old, she has a natural longing for the capital of her motherland.
That's how it was decided.
Because she had to accompany her mother-in-law to Beijing, Tang Mingli changed her original plan to stay in Shenzhen for a few days and prepared to return to Guangcheng tomorrow.
When Fu Ci returned home from get off work and heard the news, he was helpless but also very happy for his mother, exclaiming, "The women in our family are all so outstanding."
Tang Mingli dared not admit it and quickly distanced herself: "Grandma and Mom are both excellent and have achieved certain successes in their respective fields. As for me, besides spending money, I don't have anything to offer."
Fu Ci may disagree.
"Who said that? Your handwriting is beautiful, and you have your own unique insights into writing. You often help Mom review her articles."
"That's just..."
Tang Mingli didn't know what to say.
Her handwriting is beautiful, but we should also consider how many years she has practiced it, albeit in a rather unremarkable way.
This level of skill might be acceptable compared to ordinary people, but when compared to a calligrapher like my grandmother, the difference in skill becomes immediately apparent.
As for writing articles, that's because she read many novels, both long and short, in her past life and has gained some insights. But if you really asked her to think of something on her own, she really couldn't.
So what does this mean?
There's a feeling that I'm only half-baked at everything.
"Half-full of water?"
Upon hearing his wife's self-deprecating remarks, Fu Ci immediately sat up straight, his expression becoming serious.
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Author's Note: I'm giving away 50 red envelopes for this chapter as an apology for not updating yesterday. [Laughing and crying while covering face]
This will continue in the future. If there is a break in updates, I will send out 50 red envelopes when I update the next chapter.
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