Chapter 84 As Fu Ci said, in the days to come...
After being successfully comforted by Madam Fu, Mr. Fu's mood was lifted.
However, after putting that matter aside, he became a little worried again, "I came in with a dark face just now, I hope Mingli didn't notice anything?"
Madam Fu waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Don't worry, it won't happen. You're pretty much the same way all the time."
Only she, after decades of marriage, could see his flaws at a glance.
Old Master Fu's lips twitched, and he subconsciously wanted to refute, but he lacked the confidence to do so.
He shouldn't have asked that question.
However, what his wife said was indeed true. At lunchtime, his granddaughter-in-law acted as usual and did not mention at all why he had come back from outside with a dark face and entered the study.
This made Grandpa Fu feel relieved but also somewhat disappointed.
His status in this family is declining day by day.
Actually, he didn't understand Tang Mingli as well as Old Madam Fu. He didn't know that, given her personality, even if she sensed something was amiss, she wouldn't press for details unless she didn't want to talk about it. Unless the amiss might affect the stability of the Fu family.
After lunch, it's time for the old tradition—a midday nap.
Because of her exhaustion last night, Tang Mingli didn't wake up until after 4 p.m.
When I woke up, I found that my grandparents were not home, so I stayed in the study to practice calligraphy.
Since she truly fell in love with calligraphy, Tang Mingli loses track of time whenever she picks up a brush. Sure enough, when she finally puts down her brush and checks the time, she realizes it's almost time for her mother-in-law to get off work.
Time flies by so fast these days.
It's no wonder Fu Ci is racing against time; for someone as ambitious as him, there's just too much to do, and time is of the essence.
After sitting downstairs for a while, Mrs. Fu returned.
Tang Mingli thought to herself that she had guessed her mother-in-law would rush home as soon as she got off work today.
Fu Ci had been away from home for so long recently, and the person who missed him the most was his mother, his mother.
It's a pity that Fu Ci won't be able to come home for dinner today; my mother-in-law will probably be disappointed.
Seeing that Tang Mingli was the only one in the living room, still changing her shoes at the door, Fu's mother asked, "Why are you home alone?"
"Grandpa and Grandma went out, and Fu Ci hasn't come back yet."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Fu's mother paused, "Fu Ci isn't home resting today?"
Tang Mingli shook her head: "I left for work early this morning."
"This child..."
Fu's mother felt both sorry for him and helpless, not knowing what to say about her son, who was always working too hard.
A man with his personality needs a wife like Mingli. She needs to pull him back occasionally, otherwise he'll be spinning like a top.
Tang Mingli had no idea that just one sentence would make her mother-in-law admire her kindness.
She was thinking about how to tell her mother-in-law that Fu Ci wouldn't be coming home for dinner so as not to disappoint her too much.
Before she could even think of what to say, her mother-in-law said, "I don't think he'll be coming home for dinner tonight."
Although there are partners, they must have accumulated a lot of things to deal with after being away for so long.
Tang Mingli laughed; she really had a vivid imagination.
Although the mother-in-law was a little disappointed, no one knows a son better than his mother. Things that were expected wouldn't have too much of an impact.
She stepped forward and joked, "He's eating and drinking well outside, so we can't let him have his way at home. Let's eat more tonight."
"you're right."
That's what the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law said at the time, but when Fu Ci came back in the evening, they both asked him if he had eaten properly outside.
It's clear that he knows perfectly well that when someone is busy, how can they be in the mood for delicious food and drinks?
The care and concern from his family made Fu Ci feel incredibly warm.
Actually, he just ate a bowl of noodles that night, but not wanting his family to worry, he said he ate well.
Mrs. Fu pressed further, "Did you eat with your colleagues?"
Since each of them shared a bowl of noodles, it was considered eating together, so Fu Ci nodded.
Fu's mother's understanding was simple: when eating with colleagues, there's always a chance to eat two dishes.
Seeing everyone's worries and thinking about what he would be busy with next, Fu Ci still felt he should give his family a heads-up.
"I'll probably be busier from now on and won't be able to eat at home often."
Mrs. Fu said, "We understand. It's okay if we don't eat at home. Just make sure we eat well when we're out."
He looked at Tang Mingli halfway through his speech and realized that his wife's opinion was the most important.
Tang Mingli immediately understood what her mother-in-law meant and quickly said, "Mom is right."
After pausing for a moment, feeling that this was too perfunctory, he added, "No matter how busy you are, you must take good care of your health."
As Fu Ci said, he was indeed so busy in the days that he was almost never seen.
Given Tang Mingli's early-to-bed, late-to-rise schedule, she probably wouldn't have known he was home today if she hadn't occasionally woken up to find herself sleeping in his arms.
Just as she was getting used to this routine, Tang Mingli received a call from her aunt, Li Hong.
Tang Mingli then realized that time had flown by, and Tang Mingmei's daughter was almost a month old.
Since visiting Tang Mingmei at the Li family's house that time, there has been no news of her.
As for the Tang family, no news is usually good news.
However, today, over the phone, Li Hong complained about many things that had happened in the past month.
"...You have no idea how chaotic things are at the Li family's place. Li Baohua found an old man, which has infuriated her parents. They argue all the time, and your sister and the children haven't been able to get a proper rest."
"Was he very old?" Tang Mingli tried hard to recall the person she had seen on the bus that day.
Actually, he looks alright; he should be around thirty years old.
However, most men look young, so you can't judge them solely by their appearance.
Li Hong told her with a hint of schadenfreude, "That's right, she's almost thirty."
Tang Mingli was speechless for a moment.
It seems this man doesn't look young, but rather old.
However, she didn't think thirty was a big age. Old Li Baohua was in his twenties, so it wasn't unusual for him to have a partner who was almost thirty.
Being six or seven years older is perfectly normal, isn't it?
However, after hearing what Li Hong said next, Tang Mingli roughly understood why Li Baohua's parents were so opposed.
To paraphrase a phrase people used to say four or five years ago, this person comes from a bad family background.
Both parents were teachers, and the family had even lived in a cowshed.
Tang Mingli laughed when she heard this, because she could tell that not only the Li family thought this way, but her aunt also thought so in her tone.
“It’s been several years already, and the wronged person has been exonerated. Why are we still using things from the past to judge a person and his background?”
"That's not how it works. Someone who lived in a cowshed lived in a cowshed."
Tang Mingli didn't want to argue with her, so she simply changed the subject: "You didn't call today just to talk about this, did you?"
"Of course not." Li Hong denied it, but then, thinking that the phone bill was not cheap, she got back to the main point, "In short, because of Li Baohua's matter, things were in chaos at the Li family's place, and they almost didn't have the heart to hold a full moon celebration for their daughter."
"Da Niu?" Upon hearing this name, Tang Mingli couldn't help but raise her voice.
Li Hong thought she didn't understand, so she explained, "It's your sister's daughter."
Tang Mingli sighed, "Why did you choose this name?"
“Da Niu is her nickname. It was originally her formal name, given by your sister’s father-in-law, but your sister disagreed, so we’ll just use it as her nickname for now.”
"So that's how it is."
If this happened decades later, it would be an ordinary thing, but Tang Mingli still looked at Tang Mingmei with new respect after hearing it.
He's going to try to get a nice name for his daughter, so it seems he still cares about her.
Li Hong continued, "But it's alright. Although Li Fei and Gou Tiao from the Li family are bothered by the fact that your sister gave birth to a daughter, she is still the Li family's first granddaughter. If they don't hold a full-month celebration, the neighbors will definitely laugh at them."
"It's fine," Tang Mingli replied dismissively.
Li Hong told her the date of the full moon celebration and expressed her hope that she and Fu Ci could attend.
"I'm afraid Fu Ci won't do. He's too busy. Lately, he's been so busy that he only comes home at night to sleep, and you can't see him at all during the day."
"So busy?" Li Hong asked, somewhat incredulous.
Tang Mingli understood, but regardless of whether she believed it or not, she simply hummed in agreement, "Very busy."
"Alright then." Li Hong was somewhat disappointed. "If Fu Ci can't come, you absolutely must come."
Tang Mingli agreed.
She's an idle person who doesn't work and spends all her time at home eating and sleeping, so she really can't find a reason not to go.
"Then it's settled. I'll hang up now. I need to go to your sister's place to help her prepare for her baby's one-month celebration."
After hanging up the phone, Tang Mingli walked to the calendar and folded a corner of the page with the date Li Hong had mentioned.
It will be soon.
When Madam Fu returned from chatting outside, she heard that Tang Mingli was going to a baby's one-month celebration and immediately reminded her, "Then you should prepare a one-month celebration gift."
Is there such a saying?
Tang Mingli thought that giving a decent red envelope would be enough.
"You are the child's aunt, and the only one at that. It would be more appropriate to prepare a presentable gift for the child."
"That's true."
Only two words touched Tang Mingli's heart.
At the suggestion and with the accompaniment of Madam Fu, Tang Mingli specially went to the store to pick out a pair of silver bracelets for the child.
At this time, this is considered a very respectable gift.
Soon, the day arrived for the baby's one-month celebration.
Tang Mingli arrived at the Li family's house right on time.
The moment she took out the gift, Tang Mingmei's eyes reddened. The other strangers in the room also suddenly stopped and stared at the silver bracelet that Tang Mingli handed over.
"Thank you, you're so kind." Tang Mingli took the table. She, who had never wanted to be inferior to Tang Mingli, almost choked up when she spoke.
Tang Mingli pretended not to notice and laughed, "Quickly put it on the child and let him try it on."
Tang Mingmei put it on the child as instructed.
The child seemed to notice something on his leg, kicked his fair little leg, laughed happily, and babbled.
Tang Mingli's heart melted at the sight of it, and she felt that the gift was well worth the purchase.
After delivering the gift, Tang Mingli stayed for a while before leaving the small room.
She was somewhat relieved to see the child again after more than twenty days, and found that Tang Mingmei was taking good care of him.
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Soon, the banquet will begin.
Tang Mingli and her other relatives came downstairs one after another.
The banquet was held in the courtyard downstairs in the tenement building, but it was obvious that the courtyard had not been cleaned beforehand.
We invited quite a few relatives and friends, but we didn't borrow enough tables and chairs, so each table had to seat fifteen or sixteen people.
Tang Mingli had anticipated that hosting a full moon celebration at home might be inconvenient in various ways, but she didn't expect it to be this inconvenient.
That was bad enough, but Tang Mingli was arranged to sit at the same table as a group of women.
This group of people acted like starving ghosts, grabbing their chopsticks as soon as the dishes were served. Some dishes stuck to their chopsticks, so some people put their chopsticks in their mouths to lick them before picking up food.
Tang Mingli lost her appetite completely after seeing this and simply stopped eating.
But then an older woman saw her put down her chopsticks and asked, "What's wrong? You don't like the food?"
And coincidentally, just as she was saying this, Li Baohua, the host, happened to be passing by with a plate of food.
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