Chapter 275 (First Update) Should the two old people have...?
Late spring of 1996.
What might be an ordinary morning for many is extraordinary for the Fu family.
After breakfast, the group went out in high spirits.
Downstairs, while waiting for Fu Ci to bring the car over, Madam Fu, feeling the sunshine today, couldn't help but sigh with prejudice, "The sunshine seems especially warm today."
Tang Mingli smiled, pursing her lips.
She didn't feel any difference, but it looked like it was going to be sunny today.
In a season where it rains twenty times a month, such weather is quite rare.
Sometimes it's just that mysterious; when people have good fortune, even the heavens seem to conspire to make things better.
Madam Fu liked her granddaughter-in-law's comment about "heaven's blessing".
It must have been a stroke of luck that she was able to meet Brother Shen again after decades.
The thought of seeing Brother Shen soon made Old Madam Fu unable to calm down.
Fortunately, Tang Mingli understood her feelings and responded to whatever she was rambling on about.
Not long after, Fu Ci's car arrived.
Tang Mingli helped her grandmother into the car, and then went around to the other side and got into the car herself.
Seeing this, Fu Chengan got into the passenger seat.
Today, besides Fu Yu who has to go to school, there is also Fu Yu's mother who has to take care of her. Everyone else accompanied her to the port of entry to wait for the old friend she hasn't seen for decades.
The car drove out of the residential area.
Madam Fu was in a good mood; looking out the car window, everything seemed pleasing to the eye.
"The trees seem greener than before."
Tang Mingli smiled and nodded.
Spring has arrived, and everything is lush and green.
"The road seems wider now."
Tang Mingli nodded again.
Perhaps because it was still early, there weren't many vehicles on the road, making the roads seem much wider.
Upon seeing those tall buildings again, Madam Fu suddenly asked Fu Ci curiously, "How much do you think Shenzhen is still lacking compared to Hong Kong?"
She still remembers the descriptions her grandson and granddaughter-in-law gave her of the metropolis of Hong Kong when they returned from Hong Kong years ago.
Skyscrapers stand tall, traffic flows like a river, a bustling and noisy place.
Fu Ci knew in his heart that it was far behind, but he did not answer his grandmother so bluntly. Instead, he said, "There is still a certain gap, but Shenzhen is making rapid progress. I believe that it will catch up with the prosperity of Hong Kong in the near future."
This future will probably be about twenty years from now.
Madam Fu was very convinced by her grandson's answer.
“Indeed, Shenzhen has changed a lot since two years ago.” He sighed softly. “Brother Shen hasn’t been back for so many years. If he saw how much the country has changed, he definitely wouldn’t be able to stay calm.”
Fu Ci told his grandmother, "You can see related news in the newspapers. Grandpa Shen probably knows about the development of the mainland."
"That's true." Madam Fu smiled; she had forgotten that she could still see the changes in her country on the news.
However, there is a difference between seeing it in the news and witnessing it firsthand.
After chatting with Brother Shen for a while, Madam Fu looked out the window again, glancing at the pedestrians on the sidewalk.
The pedestrians walked hurriedly, their expressions also hurried.
Then she thought of something and sighed, "It's been so long since I've had time to go out. I didn't expect there to be even more people rushing to work than we used to be."
Fu Ci said, "According to statistics from relevant national departments, there are more than three million migrant workers in Shenzhen."
"So many!" Old Madam Fu was shocked by the number.
After the war ended, most people stayed in their own places to work and live.
This has been the prevailing perception for decades, so how could one not be shocked to hear that there are over three million migrant workers in Shenzhen?
Madam Fu blurted out, "So many people? That's almost the number of people during the time when people migrated to Northeast China."
Although Tang Mingli didn't experience the migration to Northeast China, she knew about this history. But the number of people who migrated there was 30 to 40 million, ten times more than the current migrant population in Shenzhen.
However, she only learned about this period of history from television and wasn't entirely sure, so she could only ask Fu Ci, the only person who might know the exact details.
"Wasn't the total population of those who migrated to Northeast China around 30 to 40 million?"
Before Fu Ci could answer, Old Madam Fu was so shocked that her mouth dropped open.
"so much?"
But back then, Brother Shen talked to them about the migration to Northeast China, and he mentioned that there were more than three million people.
What was the original quote?
Oh no, this is bad, I can't remember.
“Mingli is right, that’s exactly right.”
Then, Fu Ci recounted many things he knew related to this period of history.
Gradually, he stirred up Madam Fu's memories, occasionally echoing with "That's right" or "Yes." Hearing this, Fu Ci couldn't help but ask his grandmother if she had experienced the migration to Northeast China.
Madam Fu then smiled and said, "Back then, your grandfather was chatting with Brother Shen once, and Brother Shen told him about his experience of venturing to Northeast China when he was a child."
Fu Ci was somewhat surprised: "Grandpa Shen traveled to Northeast China?"
"Of course they were! Their family was just one of the millions of families that ventured to Northeast China..." As her memories returned, Madam Fu recounted many stories of how Grandpa Shen's family had ventured to Northeast China. The hardships they endured could not be summarized in a few words from a history textbook.
Tang Mingli couldn't help but say, "Grandpa Shen had a tough time in the past."
"That's right." Madam Fu also agreed, but how many people didn't suffer back then?
Later, the fighting was even more unbearable.
Tang Mingli was surprised, but also had a feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
It's a distant history for her, but it happened to people she knows, so it's hard to describe how she feels.
However, after hearing what her grandmother said, she understood why her grandmother thought that there were more than three million people who had migrated to Northeast China.
She learned about this period of history from TV dramas, while Fu Ci learned it from books, so naturally she had a more comprehensive understanding. But for her grandmother, she had only heard about that particular period from other people.
During the conversation, the car slowly came to a stop.
Everyone turned their attention back to the front and realized they had arrived at a crossroads, where the light was red.
Perhaps they were delayed by waiting for the red light, but once the pedestrian light turned green, many people started running.
After reading it, Madam Fu sighed, "People nowadays rush to cross the road."
Tang Mingli laughed and said, "These people are rushing to work."
It was indeed visibly rushed, which reminded Madam Fu of her own time going to work.
Although they sometimes rushed to work, it wasn't like this.
She couldn't articulate the specifics clearly, and finally gave a vague assessment: "Without us, there would be no vitality."
Sometimes, while walking to work, they can't help but hum a little tune.
Tang Mingli understood what her grandmother meant.
These people rushing to work still seem full of energy to her, but have they already begun to change?
Fu Ci cut to the chase: "Grandma, back in your day, being late meant you'd just get a couple of scoldings, but these days, if you're late for work, you'll get your pay docked."
Upon hearing this, Tang Mingli suddenly realized what was going on.
No wonder, the difference between deducting money and not deducting money is the fundamental one.
Going to work is all about getting paid; if your salary is docked, it feels like having your flesh cut off.
Does the thought of potentially losing money make you feel relieved?
But compared to twenty years from now, things are still much better. At least people now still have the initiative and enthusiasm for going to work.
Twenty years later, the buses during rush hour will be mostly filled with soulless beasts of burden.
Tang Mingli jokingly asked her husband, "Do you think there will come a day when all people feel about going to work is 'having no choice'?"
Although he didn't understand why his wife asked that question, Fu Ci still gave an affirmative answer.
"Won't."
In his view, going to work is not just something you have to do.
In the past, people did whatever jobs were assigned by the government and were generally able to love what they did. Now, gradually, the power of choice lies with the individual; people can choose the work they want to do. So why are people increasingly losing their enthusiasm?
Therefore, Fu Ci thought it wouldn't happen.
Tang Mingli smiled, not finding anything wrong with her husband's logic.
yes.
As people gradually gain more control over their job choices, why would they become less enthusiastic about going to work?
Where is the problem?
What are the job duties? What are the passive circumstances after work?
This is a question that resonates deeply with Tang Mingli, who has worked as a corporate slave.
When the light turned green, the people in the car didn't continue the conversation.
As they got closer to the border, the number of vehicles on the road increased, forcing Fu Ci to focus his attention on driving.
-
We arrived at our destination with more than an hour to spare before the agreed time.
Fu Ci suggested that his grandmother wait in the car while he went to the border to wait.
However, Madam Fu was too eager to sit still and firmly refused.
"I'm not so old that I can't stand for even a short while."
Fu Ci knew, of course, but there was still more than an hour left.
He tried to persuade his grandmother, but failed.
This stalemate isn't going to work, so Tang Mingli suggested, "Let's go and wait together. Maybe Grandpa Shen is also very anxious and will leave early."
That casual remark actually hit the nail on the head.
Not long after they arrived, Fu Ci saw his friend coming from the other side of the border.
He was accompanied by an elderly man with white hair and a young man.
The white-haired old man must be Mr. Shen.
After not seeing each other for decades, Madam Fu recognized the old friend at a glance, and her hands and feet trembled with excitement.
On the other side, Fu Ci's friend also saw Fu Ci and turned to say something to the old man next to him. The old man froze and stared blankly in Fu Ci's direction for a long time.
After being separated for half a year, the two elderly people, both in their nineties, gazed at each other from afar across the clearly defined dividing line.
...
"Grandpa, it's time to go."
The young man next to Grandpa Shen gently reminded him, who was standing there motionless.
He then came to his senses and hurriedly passed through the checkpoint.
However, he soon slowed down.
Previously, he had been eagerly anticipating this meeting. But now that the person he was going to meet was right in front of him, he felt timid.
People say that one feels timid when nearing home, but it turns out that one can also feel timid when meeting friends one hasn't seen in a long time.
In the end, it was Old Madam Fu who spoke first.
"Brother Shen."
That one word, "Brother Shen," brought the two of them back to decades ago.
Back then, they were all young, and amidst the flying shells, they were full of passion, dreaming about the future and what it would be like when they grew old.
At that time, they probably never imagined they would live to a ripe old age.
Now, they are truly old.
Old Master Shen wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, looked at Fu Cheng'an and Fu Ci beside Old Madam Fu, and asked, "Are these your children?"
Madam Fu immediately introduced them to him: "This is my son, this is my grandson, and this is my granddaughter-in-law."
Everyone being introduced greeted politely.
Looking at the handsome Fu Ci, Old Master Shen smiled with satisfaction, then pointed to the young man beside him and said, "This is my grandson, Shen Jian."
Shen Jian immediately greeted everyone: "Hello, Grandma, hello, both uncles, hello, aunt."
Despite being well-behaved and polite, she was criticized by Grandpa Fu after she finished speaking.
"They should be called elder brother and elder sister-in-law."
Although Shen Jian looks much younger than Fu Ci and Tang Mingli, that's the correct way to address them according to seniority.
Shen Jian felt a little embarrassed and addressed him as "elder brother" and "elder sister-in-law" again.
Only then was Old Master Shen satisfied. He looked at Fu Ci again and accurately guessed his name.
"Are you called Fuchi?"
Fu Ci only heard the same sound, smiled faintly and nodded.
He didn't think much of it, assuming that his friend had told him his name.
But Tang Mingli noticed Grandpa Shen's choice of words.
If they already knew Fu Ci's name from someone else, they wouldn't have asked if it was his name; they would have directly asked who he was.
Chen Jian, Fu Ci… Tang Mingli suddenly thought of something as she muttered their names together.
Could the two elderly people have made some kind of agreement about naming their child back then? Could Mr. Shen be referring to "holding"?
The more I think about it, the more likely it seems.
The reason she married Fu Ci was because her grandfather had arranged a marriage between them when they were children.
Could the names of the two generations of grandsons really be derived from the word 'persistence'?
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Author's note: [Laughing and crying while covering face] I will try my best to make up for the two chapters on the 21st as well.
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