Chapter 32 This is Old Tang's granddaughter
Even after the bus had traveled halfway through its journey, Fu Ci remained completely unaffected. Not only was he radiant, but his posture was also straighter than hers, who hadn't drunk a drop of alcohol. Only then did she begin to believe that he might genuinely not be drunk.
After I stopped worrying, sleepiness came over me.
Tang Mingli cheered herself up, thinking that she would be home in about half an hour and then get a good night's sleep.
Unlike decades later, very few people would doze off on a bus these days.
However, when she got home and saw a grandfather who was about the same age as Grandpa Fu sitting on the sofa, Tang Mingli knew that her plan to catch up on sleep would have to be put on hold.
I should have taken a nap on the bus.
This was a lesson learned. I told her that she should prioritize her own comfort, and that saving face is the least important thing.
Those who come to visit during the Chinese New Year, and are of this age, must be my comrades-in-arms.
Sure enough, just as Tang Mingli guessed that, Fu Ci whispered to her, "This is Grandpa's comrade-in-arms, he's called Grandpa Deng."
Then he called out, "Grandpa Deng, Happy New Year!"
After Fu Ci called for help, Tang Mingli smiled sweetly and then called out "Grandpa Deng."
It sounds strangely warm and familiar when I call out to it.
When Madam Fu saw them return, she was very happy and asked with concern, "Is it cold outside?"
This was naturally a question directed at Tang Mingli, so she gave Old Madam Fu a sweet smile and said, "It's not cold."
As she spoke, she and Fu Ci walked towards them one after the other, and then naturally sat down next to Old Madam Fu.
There were no seats left, so Fu Ci had to sit on another chair.
Grandpa Deng looked at Grandpa Fu and asked knowingly, "Is this Fu Ci's wife?"
Grandpa Fu nodded with a smile: "Yes, her name is Mingli, and she is Grandpa Tang's granddaughter."
"Oh?" Upon hearing that she was Grandpa Tang's granddaughter, Grandpa Deng was clearly surprised and excited, and the way he looked at Tang Mingli changed immediately.
He clearly knew Old Master Tang, and they even had some connection.
After looking around for a while, Grandpa Deng sighed, "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. We've grown old, and our children have grown up." He added at the end, "It seems that it was truly fate that your grandson married Grandpa Tang's granddaughter."
Hearing this, the Fu family could only smile; the reason for the marriage between the two families was something they couldn't tell anyone.
Grandpa Deng then said to Tang Mingli, "I also know your grandfather. If it weren't for that unfortunate coincidence that I was out of Guangcheng when you got married, I would definitely have attended your wedding."
Fu Ci knew what he meant by "something to do".
A few years ago, when Grandpa Deng's elderly mother was nearing the end of her life, she wanted to return to her roots, so Grandpa Deng accompanied her back to her rural hometown.
Perhaps because he was in a different mood after returning to his hometown, Mr. Deng's mother's condition improved. Seeing this, Mr. Deng decided to stay in his hometown.
I've returned to Guangcheng now; my mother must be gone.
The pain of separation by life and death is something no one can escape.
Judging from Grandpa Deng's expression, he must have gotten over it, so Fu Ci swallowed the words of comfort he wanted to say and quickly said, "We should be the ones visiting you."
Grandpa Deng watched him grow up, and he has always respected Grandpa Deng very much. Now that he's married, he should personally visit Grandpa Deng with his wife.
However, he didn't know that Old Master Deng had already returned to Guangcheng.
No, in the end, it was his negligence. Even if he couldn't contact Grandpa Deng in the countryside, he should have called the Deng family before the New Year to find out about Grandpa Deng's situation.
If we had known that Grandpa Deng was coming back, we should have visited him with Mingli before the New Year and formally introduced Mingli to him.
Grandpa Deng knew what Fu Ci was thinking, and jokingly said to Grandpa Fu, "In some ways, Fu Ci really does resemble you."
Grandpa Fu smiled.
After teasing Grandpa Fu, he said to Fu Ci, "Don't be as stubborn as your grandfather. Everything happens for a reason, so don't worry about who comes to visit whom. In this life, you don't have to be bound by those so-called grand principles of the world. You should always speak from the heart. Grandpa knows what you think, and that's enough."
For someone to say something like that, he must be a reasonable old man.
Tang Mingli smiled as she watched Fu Ci being teased.
He simply smiled and accepted Mr. Deng's teachings with equanimity.
"By the way, I was just talking to your grandparents, and you quit your job last year?" Grandpa Deng changed the subject.
It turned out they were talking about themselves. Fu Ci smiled, knowing that these three things about quitting his job would definitely be talked about by many people during this year's Spring Festival, and he was already mentally prepared.
He laughed and said, "Yes, I resigned in the first half of last year."
Grandpa Deng sighed, "It's the young people who have the guts and courage." Then, with a touch of self-deprecation, he frankly said, "If it were six months ago, I would definitely think you were being ridiculous. We are a socialist country, how dare you fantasize about doing business? But now that I've seen the country's new policies, I just want to say that you young people are indeed more farsighted than us old folks. Well done, kid, you're better than your grandpas."
Fu Ci dared not accept such high praise, and only said, "It's all because of the support of my family."
Grandpa Fu had just admitted to his old comrade-in-arms that he hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He quickly pulled himself away from his grandson's praise and said with a smile, "Mingli's support was the biggest; we could only say we didn't object."
"Oh? I didn't expect you to have such insight."
Grandpa Deng was genuinely surprised and looked at Tang Mingli again.
Even those of their age who have received education from the Party and the State still hold the prejudice that women with long hair are short-sighted.
Tang Mingli quickly said, "I just believe Fu Ci; I don't have any expertise in this area."
Her so-called insight is nothing more than her knowledge of the major historical trends. Fu Ci, on the other hand, is a native who truly has solid insights.
Tang Mingli's words made the three elders laugh again, a genuine, loving laugh towards their younger generation.
Grandpa Deng said, "Trusting one's husband is also a kind of wisdom."
Then he said to Fu Ci, "You have such a supportive wife, you should cherish her."
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was just a joke, but Fu Ci took it very seriously.
"I know, and I will definitely cherish it."
These words made the three elders laugh again, but this time it was a teasing laugh.
Fortunately, the three elders were not the type to tease young people, and the conversation then inevitably turned to the relevant policies on reform and opening up issued by the country last year.
The generation of Mr. Fu and Mr. Deng came through the flames of war and sacrificed their lives for the new China. Their feelings for the country are unparalleled by Fu Ci's generation.
No generation desires a better future for the country more than they do.
To put it bluntly, their lifelong wish is probably for the country to be peaceful, prosperous, and for the people to live a good life.
Such a great, lofty, and pure ideal cannot emerge without the right timing and circumstances.
Take Tang Mingli herself as an example. She was born in a peaceful era and has felt that life is constantly going on and on since she can remember.
When I was a student, I was focused on studying; after I started working, I was focused on work. I felt utterly exhausted and half-dead, with no emotional foundation left to cultivate a noble spirit of serving my country and family. At that time, I truly felt more and more that just being alive was a great thing.
Tang Mingli reflected on her actions.
This life is no longer as tiring as the last one, so I must not be so dejected again.
She wanted to be a good wife who supported her husband's dedication to modernization.
See, the overall perspective has improved.
While Tang Mingli and the others were chatting about the earth-shaking changes that would take place in China after the reform and opening up, Tang Mingmei finally left her parents' house.
It wasn't a pleasant departure.
The incident began when Li Dazhu discovered that his wife had secretly given New Year's money to the children on the same floor, giving each of them two gifts.
He couldn't make a scene because his parents-in-law were present, but his face darkened as soon as he said goodbye to them.
"I only found out today that you used to pretend to be rich when you were at your parents' house."
Tang Mingmei immediately understood why her husband was unhappy and why he was speaking in a sarcastic tone.
She wasn't ashamed at all and retorted confidently, "I'm using my own salary, it's none of your business."
These words made Li Dazhu even angrier. "We're husband and wife. Do we have to be so strict about money? If so, I won't hand over my salary every month from now on."
In reality, the so-called "handing over" meant giving Tang Mingmei twenty yuan every month.
Currently, only he and his sister Li Baohua have jobs in the family, and each of them has to give their parents twenty yuan a month for household expenses.
He was supposed to pay thirty, since he and his wife ate at home. But Li Dazhu felt that forty yuan was more than enough; what ordinary family could afford forty yuan a month for food?
At first, her younger sister objected when she saw that she was only willing to pay twenty, thinking that she should only pay ten.
Li Dazhu immediately started to recount the good deeds she had done.
"If it weren't for you, would I need to compensate others?"
Li Baohua knew she was in the wrong, so she thought it was okay to suffer a loss. If she really fell out with her family, it would be even harder for her to find a partner in the future.
Because he had to give his parents twenty yuan every month, and he also needed money for his own smoking and drinking, it was already quite good that he could give Tang Mingmei twenty yuan every month.
But Tang Mingmei was very disdainful and sneered, "Twenty yuan a month, and you have the nerve to say that?"
It's no wonder she was disgusted. In her previous life, although Fu Ci didn't give her his salary, he was very generous whenever she asked for money, never giving her less than a hundred.
However generous you are, it's never pleasant to ask someone for something. Although Li Dazhu didn't give much, he was proactive.
So she came to terms with it, but she still wouldn't let Li Dazhu off the hook, saying a few sarcastic things about his incompetence.
Li Dazhu had no idea what she was thinking. He only heard the contempt in her words, and he immediately lost his temper and started arguing with her.
Tang Mingmei was no slouch when it came to arguing, and in the end, Li Dazhu shut up in exasperation.
Tang Mingmei still felt wronged, and with red eyes, she accused, "You've changed. You didn't treat me like this before we got married."
Li Dazhu knew, of course, that he felt differently about her, but he wouldn't admit it.
Which man in the world doesn't have two different attitudes before and after marriage?
He's a man, and he understands men all too well. Once a man has his wife, he's not afraid of losing her, so no one will continue to cherish her.
Why are you still praising her? They're already married, does she dare to get a divorce?
In today's society, if a woman gets divorced, she'll be drowned in spit.
Li Dazhu knew this well, which is why he dared to be so unscrupulous after getting married.
The two boarded the bus with cold faces. Even though there were plenty of empty seats on the bus, they still sat far apart, one in front of the other.
Back at the Li family home, Li's mother, who had been waiting there, greeted them with a smile, looking at the things they were carrying and saying, "You're back? Let me see what good things you brought back."
Tang Mingmei was still angry with Li Dazhu, and when she heard her mother-in-law's words, which made her parents seem like easy targets, she immediately flew into a rage.
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