Chapter 266 (Second Update) You really should tell your aunt...
How is a person's importance discovered?
Sometimes it happens after he leaves.
Tang Mingmei never imagined that her home would become so empty without her mother.
Her small apartment, about 80 square meters, used to feel cramped; it would fill up as soon as you put some things in it. But now, she feels the apartment is uncomfortably empty.
No matter where I go, my mother's voice always comes to mind.
Standing in the kitchen, I asked her what she wanted to eat; standing by the dining table, I called her to eat; standing on the balcony, I asked her why her clothes were so dirty; standing at the bedroom door, I asked her why she wasn't asleep yet...
In every corner, there is the figure of a mother.
She suddenly understood why her cousin wanted to bring her whole family to live in Shenzhen; indeed, only by changing the environment could she get out of her grief more quickly.
Tang Mingmei felt alright; she still had her father and daughter, and for their sake, she had to persevere no matter what. Her father and daughter were the ones who were truly heartbroken.
The father lost his mother who had been with him for most of his life, and the daughter lost her grandmother who had taken care of her since she was a child. What should they do?
Whenever she thinks about this, Tang Mingmei feels so heartbroken that she can hardly breathe.
Especially since my daughter is about to take the entrance exam for junior high school, she hasn't been able to study properly or even go to school these days.
She felt this couldn't go on; her daughter's life had just begun, and she had to get through this grief as soon as possible and get back on track.
So Tang Mingmei made a decision: she called her cousin to discuss the possibility of Tang Xin staying at their house before Tang Xin's entrance exam for junior high school.
Tang Mingli had no objections, but she also had concerns.
If Tang Xin were here, it would offer the adults some comfort.
Tang Mingmei felt it didn't matter to her, but her father might indeed have a significant influence.
So after hearing her cousin's words, she hesitated again and said to her cousin on the other end of the phone, "I'll think about it some more."
Tang Mingli advised, "Tang Xin is actually a very sensible child. You can open up to her about many things. For example, the things you're worried about now, perhaps you should talk to Tang Xin first and hear her opinion."
"Yes, you're right. Perhaps I should talk to Tang Xin first, instead of assuming that it would be better to let her leave this house temporarily," Tang Mingmei said belatedly.
After hanging up the phone, she looked towards her daughter's room.
What is the daughter doing in her room right now?
Tang Mingmei suddenly realized that instead of guessing here, she should just knock on the door.
Having figured it out, she got up and went to her daughter's door.
After knocking lightly on the door a few times, I heard my daughter respond from inside.
"Mom, is that you?"
"It's me."
A moment later, the door opened.
Tang Xin appeared at the door with red eyes, looking at her mother with worry in her eyes.
Tang Mingmei felt a sharp pain in her heart.
In this incident, the daughter was actually the one who suffered the most.
Having witnessed the entire incident, he still went to see his beloved grandmother.
She's only thirteen years old, how could she possibly bear that?
Tang Mingmei used almost all her strength to suppress the suffocating pain before she could speak in a calm tone: "Mom has something she wants to discuss with you."
Hearing that there was something to discuss, Tang Xin followed her mother to the living room.
After sitting down, Tang Mingmei shared her thoughts.
When Tang Xin heard that her mother wanted her to stay at her aunt's house for a while, her first reaction was to refuse.
"Mom, I know you're worried that staying in this house will make me think of Grandma all the time. But Mom, believe me, I've just been so sad these past few days that I've been wanting to lock myself in my room. Give me two more days, and I'll feel better. I'll try my best to do well on my middle school entrance exam. I promised Grandma I would get a score that would make her proud. So Mom, you have to be strong too, we both have to get better."
Hearing her daughter's words, Tang Mingmei could no longer hold back her tears, which fell like beads from a broken string.
Unbeknownst to them, Tang Jianguo, who was just a door away, also heard his granddaughter's words and wept bitterly.
It's really awful. I've been so focused on my own sadness and grief these past few days that I've completely forgotten about the child.
Starting tomorrow, he must first pull himself together.
With his wife gone, he's now the only one left to support his daughter.
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Seeing her uncle and cousin cheer up because of their niece, Tang Mingli sighed that this might be the meaning of the continuation of life.
Children are the future and the hope.
Not long after, the exam that marked the first major turning point in Tang Xin's life finally arrived.
When it actually arrived, neither adults nor children were anxious anymore.
Now that we've come this far, we should just do what needs to be done.
As Tang Xin emerged from the examination hall, she confidently told her mother and grandfather who had come to pick her up, "I think I performed very well and I should be able to get a good score."
Tang Mingmei was very happy, but she was also afraid that if she showed too much excitement, her child would be greatly disappointed if the final results were not ideal.
I could only suppress all my excitement and try to act nonchalant, saying, "I won't think about it too much after the exam. I'll just wait for the results."
Tang Xin nodded.
On her way home, Tang Xin asked her mother, "Mom, can I help you at the store this summer vacation?"
Without a second thought, Tang Mingmei refused, saying, "You're still a child. Your main tasks are studying and playing. Earning money is something for us adults."
Tang Jianguo chimed in, "Are you worried that we don't have money? Silly child, how could we not have money? Grandpa has a pension, and Mom's clothing store is doing so well."
"Mom, Grandpa, you've misunderstood," Tang Xin explained. "I just wanted to experience life. Besides, I'm not a little kid anymore; I'll be a middle school student soon."
Tang Mingmei insisted, "Even if they go to junior high school, they are still children."
"Mom." Tang Xin felt a deep sense of helplessness. How could she explain it to them so that they would believe she really just wanted to experience life?
She thought she should ask her aunt for help, believing her aunt would understand her thoughts.
Tang Xin was a woman of action, and she immediately pulled her grandfather and mother to change their route and go to her aunt's house.
Tang Mingli is at home watching cartoons with her child.
Since that incident at the school gate, she has tried her best to accompany her child to do everything she wants to do.
Other children might recover from this accident after some time. But her and her cousin's child will likely carry this trauma for the rest of their lives.
This speck of dust landed on the children of the Tang and Fu families.
All she could do was try to minimize the harm and give her child enough courage to accept and face it.
But how can we do that?
Tang Mingli is still figuring things out.
Tang Mingli was surprised but mostly happy to see Tang Xin and her uncle and cousin arrive.
If someone is willing to go out and see people, that's all good.
What delighted her even more was Tang Xin; this child was much stronger than she had imagined.
She herself had not yet fully recovered from the grief of losing her grandmother, but she was already trying her best to help her mother and grandfather get out of their grief.
Otherwise, why would they have suggested helping out at a clothing store during the summer vacation?
The child is afraid that her mother will make her stay at their house like last year, so she wants to spend as much time with them as possible.
So when Tang Xin asked for her opinion, Tang Mingli naturally agreed.
Tang Mingmei, who usually listens to her cousin's opinions, was very vehement this time.
“You’ve never run a clothing store, so you don’t know what it’s like when a clothing store gets busy. When Xin’er was little, she helped us set up a stall, exposed to the wind and sun. When she got a little older, she stayed with us all day long in our tiny clothing store. Although she didn’t have to be exposed to the wind and sun anymore, while other children were playing in the park or going to the zoo, Xin’er’s only toy was that pile of clothes.”
Recalling the past, Tang Mingmei couldn't hold back her tears.
“She spent almost her entire childhood surrounded by piles of clothes. I remember a time when she had a persistent cough that wouldn't go away, and we saw several doctors but nothing worked. I was so worried. Luckily, we met a good doctor who told me it was probably caused by dust from new clothes. At that moment, I vowed that I would never let my child spend any more time surrounded by piles of clothes.”
These words were so heartbreaking that Mrs. Fu and her mother were moved to tears.
Tang Xin is such a pitiful child, it's heartbreaking.
Tang Mingli's eyes were also stinging with tears. She was annoyed that she hadn't thought things through. She had only considered Tang Xin's perspective and hadn't taken into account her cousin's feelings as a mother.
As a mother, how could she bear to let her child suffer unless she had no other choice?
She immediately apologized to her cousin: "It was indeed my oversight. Please calm down and we can discuss this further."
"There's nothing to discuss," Tang Mingmei said earnestly. "This really can't be discussed."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xin stomped her feet in frustration.
"Mom, why does my memory not match what you said? What did you mean by setting up a stall in the wind and sun? Although I don't remember the specifics, I do remember how happy I was when I went to set up the stall with you and Grandma, because I was exposed to a lot of fun things every day."
With so many vendors on the street, offering a wide variety of goods, especially those with connections who can always get their hands on some novelties they've never seen before.
It might sound unbelievable, but it's true that she saw so many strange and unusual things as a child that she seemed particularly knowledgeable among her classmates.
"And you said that the cough was caused by dust, but I'm too young and I'm prone to respiratory problems. Even if it's not dust on my clothes, it could be dust in the park, animal hair in the zoo, or even pollen from wildflowers by the roadside that could cause the cough."
“You are my mother, and you love me dearly, so you easily feel that everything you do is unfair to me and that I am pitiful. But from my perspective, these are all beautiful and precious experiences.”
Tang Xin's words left Tang Mingmei speechless and also healed the guilt that had been weighing on her heart for so long.
is that so?
What she felt was a debt of guilt, her daughter saw as a beautiful and precious experience.
"And this time, when I suggested helping out at the clothing store, besides feeling sorry for you and Grandpa, I really wanted to experience a different kind of summer vacation. I'm not a child anymore, and I really don't want to spend every summer vacation at home watching TV and occasionally going out shopping. That's too boring for me, and I want to experience something different. But you insist on thinking that it's such a pitiful and pathetic thing for me to help out at the clothing store, and I don't know what to do."
"Is that so?"
Tang Mingmei was truly dumbfounded.
Tang Xin answered her loudly, "That's right. Mom, don't think I'm suffering, okay? Actually, I'm very happy."
Tang Mingmei cried uncontrollably.
The guilt that had been building up for so many years has finally been released today.
After calming down, she felt very sorry for her cousin. The way she had spoken to her earlier was really venting her grief and anger on her.
Shame almost overwhelmed Tang Mingmei. She didn't even dare to look at Tang Mingli, and lowered her head to apologize softly: "Mingli, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that just now."
Before Tang Mingli could reply, Tang Xin spoke up first: "Mom, you really should apologize to Auntie."
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Author's Note: I don't know how wives with children manage to update daily. Today I helped take care of two kids all day. I didn't do much, the kids could play by themselves, but it really made it impossible to write anything. It's so frustrating.
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