Chapter 12 Concern Leads to Confusion
The reason why Grandpa Fu and Grandma Fu went out today despite the wind and rain is because their grandniece Gu Lin's fiancé is coming to the Gu family for dinner.
Fu Caiping took the initiative to contact her elder brother, with whom she had not been in contact for several years, hoping that they could attend. The old man Fu could not refuse.
Tang Mingli originally wanted to go with them, although she didn't like going out on rainy days, she occasionally wanted to do her part for the family.
She felt she could accompany her grandparents to a relative's house for dinner, but Mr. and Mrs. Fu firmly refused.
Tang Mingli didn't delve into why, but the two elders naturally had their reasons for doing so.
Fortunately, Gu's home isn't too far away; it takes about half an hour by bus from the family compound.
This is also one of the advantages of cities not developing at a high speed, so that travel doesn't become a burden.
Mr. and Mrs. Fu left in the morning. They should have had lunch at the Gu family's house and then returned after sitting for a while. However, it is almost dinnertime now, and they have not yet returned home.
Tang Mingli felt a little worried and unconsciously walked to the window, wanting to see if they were outside.
The rain outside had lessened considerably, and there were more people heading home from get off work, but Tang Mingli wasn't the one she was hoping for.
She went to the kitchen again and said to her mother with some concern, "Mom, do you think something might have happened to Aunt Caiping's family?"
Otherwise, there's no other reason to explain why Grandpa and Grandma haven't come back yet.
Even the matriarch was unsure.
She's been married into the Fu family for so many years, and apart from the last two years when they lost contact, this aunt has caused quite a bit of trouble.
Tang Mingli continued to express her conjecture: "They wouldn't keep Grandpa and Grandma until after dinner before they go back, would they?"
Having dinner is fine, the problem is that if it's too late, there won't be any buses, and it will be troublesome to get back.
"No." Mrs. Fu was certain of this.
My father-in-law never eats dinner at other people's houses, even if they are relatives. This is a habit he developed during the impoverished years.
Since it doesn't work, let's wait and see.
Tang Mingli glanced at the time. If she still hadn't seen him in fifteen minutes, she would call to ask what was going on.
After figuring it out, she stayed in the kitchen to help her mother prepare dinner.
The two worked together seamlessly and got the job done quickly.
Not long after, there was another noise at the door.
The two, who were busy in the kitchen, came outside together and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Madam Fu and Grandpa Fu entering one after the other.
Fu's mother spoke with a rare hint of reproach: "Why are you so late coming back?"
Madam Fu smiled, her tone tinged with helplessness: "This matter is complicated, I'll tell you later."
Tang Mingli noticed that the two elders were a little tired, so she thoughtfully poured them a cup of hot tea.
Madam Fu took the cup and drank half of it in one gulp, letting out a long sigh of relief as if she had been thirsty for a long time.
Seeing that it wouldn't be time for dinner yet, Old Master Fu took his teacup and went into the study. His forlorn figure made Tang Mingli a little worried.
The two elders are at the Gu family home today; could something unpleasant have happened?
However, she knew she couldn't rush things. Since her grandmother had said she would find out later, she would know sooner or later.
Tang Mingli returned to the kitchen to continue helping out, and the two of them, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, worked together to prepare dinner.
It was even more obvious during dinner that Grandpa Fu wasn't in high spirits.
Not wanting the children to make wild guesses, Madam Fu simply recounted what had happened at the Gu family's house that day.
In short, the two elders met their niece Gu Lin's fiancé today. At first glance, they both thought the young man was quite nice. Tall, handsome, and his manner of speaking suggested he was educated. But as they talked, they gradually sensed something was amiss; this young man seemed to have ulterior motives.
Old Master Fu has been through thick and thin all his life, and he's always been good at judging people.
But this man is my niece's fiancé, and they're about to get married.
Amidst the contradictions and entanglements, they endured until the man left, and then stayed behind to talk extensively with the Gu family elders.
That's why I didn't pay attention to the time.
Although the Gu family's final attitude wasn't revealed, judging from the two elders' reactions, others could guess what was going on.
Madam Fu's smile vanished, replaced by worry. "What are we going to do? The couple is about to have their wedding banquet."
"That's right, that's why it's so worrying."
"Didn't the Gu family do any research on this person beforehand?"
At this point, Madam Fu couldn't help but sigh again.
"They said that Gu Lin was delayed by going to the countryside until this age, and she is still just an ordinary worker in a fan factory. She should be happy to find a handsome man with a good job. She shouldn't be picky."
These words were very unpleasant to hear, but Fu's mother didn't know how to refute them.
It is indeed difficult for women to find good partners as they get older.
For a moment, no one at the table spoke.
Grandpa Fu finished his meal without saying a word and put down his chopsticks.
"I'm stuffed."
After saying that, he took his thermos containing tea and went into the study.
Fu Cheng'an, as the son, was somewhat worried.
He knew that although his father hadn't been in contact with his sister's side for the past two years, he still cared about this relative and must be feeling very sad right now.
Perhaps she's already wondering if she made a mistake back then, and if Gu Lin hadn't gone to the countryside, could she have found someone better?
Still worried, he quickly finished the rice in his bowl and went to the study to have a heart-to-heart talk with his father.
As Fu's mother watched her husband's retreating figure, she comforted her mother-in-law, "That's good, let the father and son have a good talk."
Madam Fu nodded, but remained worried.
Tang Mingli wanted to offer some words of comfort, but she didn't know how to put it in the right way.
The Gu family felt that Gu Lin's time in the countryside had been wasted, and that she was lucky to have found such a partner. But would she have necessarily found someone better if she hadn't gone to the countryside? And would finding someone better guarantee happiness?
not necessarily.
People always place their hopes on the future, but forget that life is unpredictable.
So many people went to the countryside, and many returned to the city at the age of twenty-seven, twenty-eight, or even thirty, and some of them still lived well.
The Gu family was wrong to blame everything on the rural assignments.
Grandparents should understand this principle, but their concern has led them astray.
Tang Mingli could think of many words of advice, but the problem was that as a junior, she was really not suitable to preach such profound principles to her elders.
After dinner, the three women went to the television.
The TV series I'm watching has started airing, but I don't feel like watching it as usual tonight. Even Tang Mingli isn't enjoying it very much.
Watching TV is more fun when you have someone to discuss the plot with.
Coincidentally, the TV series aired a scene where a couple was arguing.
Tang Mingli had a flash of inspiration and realized that the time had come, so she spoke at the right moment.
"It seems that no matter who you marry, there will always be some messy situations and mutual complaints."
Fu's mother thought she was talking about a TV series, so she nodded and started chatting with Tang Mingli: "That's right, I never thought these two would turn out like this. They had such a good relationship before they got married."
"The other couple was quite surprising. They didn't like each other at first, but their relationship got better and better after they got married. So you can't predict marriage; how it turns out depends on yourself." Tang Mingli actually wanted to say more directly that it wouldn't matter who she married.
Fortunately, her words were not in vain, and after hearing them, Madam Fu suddenly realized something.
Today, when the Gu family asked for their opinions, they said everything they should and shouldn't have said.
The Gu family is satisfied with this partner, but they still resent their parents for not helping them back then, and no amount of arguing will change their minds.
Even if they interfered in Gu Lin's marriage this time, and she finds someone better in every way in the future, how can married life be without its ups and downs? Take herself for example, she's been married for decades, and even though she considers her relationship with her husband good, she's still had times when she regretted getting married. And if things don't go well then, she might even blame them.
Everyone has their own destiny, and no one else can interfere with it.
I'll have a good talk with the old man before bed, and I believe he'll be able to come to terms with it.
After figuring it out, Madam Fu's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a lot, and she praised Tang Mingli: "I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, would see things more clearly than this old woman."
Tang Mingli said embarrassedly, "It has nothing to do with age; it's just that I, as an outsider, have a clearer perspective."
Having overcome this mental hurdle, Madam Fu thought of another question and asked Tang Mingli with some concern, "Don't you and Fu Ci have some minor conflicts?"
Otherwise, how could I have these feelings?
Tang Mingli knew that as long as she spoke, people would definitely associate it with that.
She pretended to be taken aback and quickly said, "No, you all know Fu Ci better than I do. How could he have a conflict with me?"
Favoritism is human nature, and Madam Fu and her mother were no exception. In their hearts, Fu Ci was good, and they wouldn't treat their wives like other men would.
However, Tang Mingli was speaking from the heart. Fu Ci is a generous, tolerant, and highly capable boss, and so far they have had absolutely no conflicts.
After resolving this matter, Tang Mingli remembered that she hadn't told her grandparents, aunt, and cousin about their visit, so she did.
After hearing this, Madam Fu said, "It really is a coincidence."
Since they were so thoughtful, but none of them were home, they asked Tang Mingli if she needed to go to her uncle's house to offer her congratulations sometime.
Tang Mingli instinctively wanted to say no, but then she thought it was only natural, so she said, "I'm not sure either, we'll see when the time comes."
When she talked about her cousin, she remembered something else.
Fortunately, my father and grandfather are not home right now, so it's the perfect time to ask my mother-in-law and grandmother.
Will Grandpa be unhappy about Fu Ci helping my cousin return to the city?
As soon as she heard this, Madam Fu knew what she was thinking. She must have thought of her husband refusing to give Gu Lin special treatment back then. She laughed and said to her, "How could that be? The situation is different now than it was back then."
Back then, the "Down to the Countryside Movement" was a policy advocated by the central government, and even the children of leaders had to set an example.
If you set this precedent for millions of young people, is it fair to others?
Things are different now. The return of educated youth to the city is a major trend, and Fu Ci was just doing a favor.
Hearing this, Tang Mingli felt relieved.
No, actually I wasn't that worried.
Since Fu Ci is offering his help, he must have considered everything carefully.
Having let go of their inner conflicts, the three women were finally able to focus on watching the last episode of the TV series.
After watching TV, Tang Mingli returned to the second floor.
Seeing the calligraphy practice book that I had spread out in the afternoon but hadn't written a single character, and thinking that I wasn't sleepy at the moment, I decided to write a few characters before going to bed.
However, as soon as I picked up the pen, I started yawning one after another.
Okay, reading and writing are hypnotic.
In this life, she was able to live without forcing herself, so naturally she would not stop forcing herself. Thus, she put down her pen and went back to her room to rest.
Practice makes perfect; it takes time and effort to achieve results. Calligraphy and painting are not things that can be mastered through hard work alone.
-
Unlike Tang Mingli's slow and deliberate approach, Tang Mingmei is now extremely anxious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com