Chapter 211 Distance Makes Longing Grow Stronger
When Tang Mingli and her mother-in-law came out of Shenwu Gate, the sun had already set.
The setting sun casts its golden rays upon the red walls and yellow tiles, creating a beautiful interplay of light and shadow.
The ancient city gate remained majestic and solemn. For a moment, Tang Mingli felt somewhat dazed, as if she had truly experienced a blend of the past and present.
Hundreds of years—what a long time that is.
It is continuous; you and I are both grains of sand in the same long river of history.
Things have changed, people have changed. How insignificant humankind is.
After visiting the Forbidden City, Fu's mother was much more straightforward, saying, "The ancient imperial palace is actually quite small. I thought it would be much, much bigger."
These words made Tang Mingli laugh.
Actually, she felt the same way.
Having watched many Qing Dynasty dramas in my past life, I had a preconceived notion that the imperial palace was extremely large, which is why the emperor and his concubines always traveled in sedan chairs.
In fact, judging from the data, the Forbidden City is not small in terms of either land area or building area. It's just that I knew about the imperial palace from books beforehand, and I had too many preconceived notions in my mind.
"Especially the Imperial Garden, I never expected it to be so small, even smaller than the parks we usually go to."
Tang Mingli cannot deny this; the Imperial Garden was indeed the most unexpected.
TV dramas are all lies. In such a small imperial garden, it would be absurd for a concubine to have an affair with a guard.
Our ancestors were right: "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles." You have to see things for yourself to avoid being deceived.
-
It was already close to evening, and the two decided not to go anywhere else. Instead, they planned to stroll leisurely along the main street back to their hotel.
Throughout the journey, Mrs. Fu exclaimed countless times, "The streets of Beijing are so wide and clean, it doesn't look like anyone is around."
Tang Mingli decided to take her mother-in-law to stroll through the hutongs tomorrow so that she could see another side of Beijing.
Sure enough, the next day, after strolling through the alley, Fu's mother had new reflections.
The places where ordinary people live are the places where history is etched into human life.
A casual remark touched Tang Mingli's heart.
Ordinary people have to work very hard to live a good life, but in the long river of history, they are indeed just the background of the magnificent historical picture.
At this moment, the mother-in-law by my side is even more precious.
Life can be boring, but it becomes precious because of people who love themselves.
Tang Mingli took her mother-in-law's hand and smiled, "Mom, you've reached the point where you can speak with such philosophical insight."
"You're being cheeky, aren't you?" How could Fu's mother not know that her daughter-in-law was teasing her?
"Although, it's the truth, isn't it?"
"You know you can't win an argument with me, so you're going to hold a grudge, huh?"
"Alright, alright, Mom, you're destined to be an excellent writer, how can you be so easily flattered?"
Fu's mother: "..."
I gave up; I really couldn't win an argument with my daughter-in-law.
However, her daughter-in-law's words did make her genuinely happy.
After strolling through the hutongs, the two of them, as planned the night before, took a detour to the Capital Hotel—the venue for the awards ceremony that Fu's mother would be attending the next day.
It wasn't far from the Beijing Hotel where they were staying, but it still took ten to twenty minutes to walk there.
Before arriving at the Capital Hotel, Mrs. Fu was not nervous at all; she just had one thing on her mind that she needed to do.
But after that, the matter suddenly seemed to become more concrete, and she started to feel a little nervous.
"I wonder how many masters they invited."
Tang Mingli comforted her, "Mom, just think about it: no matter how many people you invite, there's a high probability you won't have any contact with them in the future."
Since we won't have any interaction, what's the point of talking about masters? After tomorrow, we'll still be strangers.
Thinking about it this way, I don't seem so nervous anymore.
Fu's mother smiled and said, "I'm so much older than you, so why do I not know as many principles as you young people?"
Tang Mingli joked, "The student surpasses the teacher, after all."
Fu's mother nodded deeply and sighed, "When we were young, the older generation always said that we had crossed more bridges than you had walked roads. But now that I'm old, I realize that our generation's knowledge is actually not as good as yours."
Just as Tang Mingli was about to explain, she heard her mother-in-law blurt out, "Times are progressing."
Only a good era can cultivate a new generation of outstanding young people.
Tang Mingli knew her mother-in-law was an open-minded and good mother-in-law, but she never expected to hear such words from her mouth one day.
Even the most enlightened elders tend to have a habit of relying on their age and seniority, but my mother-in-law so readily believes that she is inferior to the younger generation, and even proudly considers this a sign of progress.
With this level of awareness, she felt she was already at the master level.
"Mom, maybe some of your book fans will be among the people attending tomorrow."
"Are you kidding me?"
Mother Fu waved her hand, telling her daughter-in-law not to tease her.
Little did anyone know that Tang Mingli's half-joking remark would hit the nail on the head.
On the day of the award ceremony, Ms. Fu arrived on time.
The awards ceremony was held in a small banquet hall at the Capital Hotel.
Although it was the first time the event was held, the organizers were very well prepared, and the event was very orderly.
Fu's mother was led to a round table and sat down.
On the table were place cards bearing the names of the authors who came to attend the award ceremony.
Looking at the people sitting at the same table as her, Fu's mother didn't recognize any of them. She guessed that the people sitting at this table were probably writers like herself who weren't very famous, and her heart felt much more at ease.
Before long, people started arriving at her table, all of them much younger than her.
Especially the person sitting next to her was a young woman who looked to be only in her early twenties.
When Fu's mother saw her, only one word came to mind—a promising young woman.
The other person was clearly talkative, and after taking a seat, he greeted everyone in a natural and generous manner.
With her starting point, the initially quiet group at the table gradually became more lively.
The girl's gaze finally landed on the name card in front of Fu's mother. After seeing the name, she gasped in surprise and became excited.
"Teacher Wei! You're Teacher Wei?"
Fu's mother was slightly startled by her excited reaction.
"You...know me?"
The other person nodded, then shook their head frantically: "No, no, no, I don't know you. I've only read all the articles you've written."
Fu's mother was very surprised.
Could this reaction be considered a sign of being a fan of one's own book?
"Professor Wei, I really didn't expect to have the honor of sharing the stage with you at this awards ceremony. I'm so lucky, this trip was definitely worthwhile."
Touched by what she heard, Mrs. Fu asked with concern, "Where did you come from?"
"I am actually from Beijing, and I live in Dongcheng District."
Fu's mother has been in Beijing for two days. Although she doesn't know how big Dongcheng District is, she knows it's this area.
I was both amused and exasperated, yet I found the girl in front of me quite endearing.
The girl then asked, "Teacher Wei, you must be from Guangcheng, right? Did you come from Guangcheng this time?"
Mrs. Fu nodded: "Yes, my daughter-in-law came with me."
"That's quite far," the girl said, her eyes lighting up. "Since you've come all this way, why don't you stay here for a few more days? I'll be your tour guide."
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm afraid that won't work."
The girl belatedly realized her rudeness and regretted her intrusion. She assumed that Fu's mother must not be as leisurely as she was, and must be receiving numerous requests for articles from magazines and newspapers. She carefully explained her rudeness: "Teacher Wei, please don't mind. I really love your articles. You may not know, but I started writing because of your influence."
Fu's mother was shocked, never expecting that the stories she wrote after retirement could influence young people.
She quickly explained, "My granddaughter has to go to school, and my daughter-in-law must miss her child, so she can't stay outside for too long."
"I see." The girl breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again. "Then next time, Teacher Wei, if you have the chance to come to Beijing, you must give me the opportunity to be your tour guide."
"good."
The other party was so enthusiastic that Mrs. Fu really couldn't refuse.
Since there was an agreement, the two of them would definitely exchange contact information.
...
Meanwhile, Tang Mingli, whom Fu's mother thought missed her child, was strolling through the old alleys of Beijing, savoring traditional Beijing delicacies.
After drinking yogurt, eating fried cakes, and trying donkey rolls... I inevitably ate too much.
Putting down her chopsticks, Tang Mingli decided to be rational.
Life is long, and there will be many more opportunities to come to Beijing in the future. Don't make yourself sick by eating too much at once.
However, the kind proprietress knew that she was a tourist from out of town and subconsciously assumed that it was not easy for her to come all this way, so she strongly recommended douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) to her again.
"Won't you try our old Beijing-style douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)?"
Tang Mingli waved her hand.
Beijing-style fermented mung bean juice is a household name.
"Try it, it's really good."
Tang Mingli remained steadfast in her refusal.
She can't forget those videos she saw in her past life of people who were challenged to drink soy milk and ended up seriously losing their composure.
When we're out and about, we need to do things we're confident about.
I was really tired after eating so much and walking all morning.
Tang Mingli never shortchanged herself; after leaving the small restaurant, she immediately took a taxi back to the hotel.
Back at the hotel, I checked the time and figured my grandparents probably hadn't taken their afternoon nap yet, so I called home in Guangcheng first. After checking on them, I called Fu Ci.
She first called Fu Ci's dormitory at the garment factory, but no one answered after it rang for a long time, so she called his office instead.
Thinking that if no one answered at the office, I would have to try contacting them again that evening.
However, this time the call was answered after only two beeps.
Upon hearing her husband's voice, Tang Mingli subconsciously raised the corners of her mouth.
"Why aren't you resting?"
Fu Ci on the other end of the phone did the same thing; upon hearing his wife's voice, his previously expressionless face instantly broke into a smile.
There's been some trouble at the factory these past few days, and he's been extremely busy and stressed. He often works overtime until after 9 PM, not just at noon.
However, not wanting his wife to worry, he didn't mention these things, only saying, "You know, I rarely take afternoon naps."
That's true; taking a nap is her habit, and Tang Mingli didn't think much of it.
"Mom went to collect the award and hasn't come back yet?"
Tang Mingli said, "No, we still need to eat after the awards ceremony, so it might not be that quick."
Where did you go by yourself today?
Tang Mingli teased him, "Couldn't you have spent the whole day alone in the hotel?"
She clearly underestimated Fu Ci's understanding of her.
Fu Ci laughed and said, "Unless the weather is bad, it's impossible."
He has been paying attention to the weather forecast in Beijing these past few days, and it has all been good weather.
Tang Mingli, feeling seen through, laughed out loud, "This is really boring. It seems like you can guess everything about me."
Fu Cichun took this as a compliment, but he admitted that he still had some shortcomings.
"It's not like I can guess everything. For example, I can't guess where you'll go if you're traveling alone."
Tang Mingli laughed and said, "Actually, we didn't go anywhere to play. We just wandered around the nearby alleys and tried some Beijing snacks."
"You're stuffed, aren't you?"
Fu Ci hit the nail on the head.
Tang Mingli shouted again, "This is boring, this is boring! You can guess everything I want to say."
Fu Ci chuckled softly, genuinely concerned that she had eaten too much.
"If you feel too uncomfortable, take some digestive pills."
Tang Mingli had to defend herself: "Although I have a sweet tooth, I didn't eat that much. I just increased my stomach capacity a little more than usual."
On this point, Fu Ci naturally trusted his wife.
He was reassured that she always took good care of herself.
After chatting for a while, Tang Mingli felt sleepy and said to her husband, "I need to take a nap."
When it comes to sleeping with his wife, Fu Ci simply cannot trust her.
She said the fluctuation range could be huge.
However, I still felt sorry for her being tired and reminded her to make sure to lock the door.
Tang Mingli nodded in agreement, reassuring her husband.
Rounding up, it's practically like living in front of Tiananmen Square. Is there any safer place in all of China?
I've been sleeping exceptionally well these past few days, and I really should thank my friend Fu Ci.
However, after these past few days, she realized that she probably wouldn't have a chance to express her gratitude, and she had to give Fu the opportunity to repay the favor.
Fu Ci couldn't bear to delay any longer, but before hanging up the phone, he couldn't help but say the words that had been weighing on his heart.
"I miss you."
He misses her, he misses her terribly.
Since he came to Shenzhen to start his business, he and his wife have been separated for long periods of time. His longing for her is like the air around him, something he doesn't usually notice, but it's always there.
However, after she went to Beijing, the vast distance made her longing for him grow stronger day by day.
Day after day, my longing to see my wife has grown as intense as the blazing sun over Shenzhen right now.
Tang Mingli's consciousness was already becoming hazy, but she still heard her husband's words, which were as simple as they could possibly be.
He said he missed her.
Or should we take a detour to Shenzhen on our way back?
Okay, let's discuss it when my mother-in-law gets back.
...
Fu's mother didn't return until after 3 p.m., just as Tang Mingli had woken up.
Judging from the constant smile on her mother-in-law's face, today's awards ceremony must have been very enjoyable.
Although she already knew what award she had won, Tang Mingli still held the trophy in her hands and examined it for a long time, unable to put it down.
As she put down the trophy, Tang Mingli casually asked, "Mom, were there many people who won awards?"
After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Fu said, somewhat unsure, "It shouldn't be too many. There were probably more than sixty people who came, and about ten of them won awards."
Tang Mingli affirmed, "That's definitely not much."
It's certainly not a prize like dividing pork.
"Yeah?"
With her daughter-in-law's affirmation, Fu's mother was even happier and shared some interesting stories from the awards ceremony with her.
"You know what? Today I met a reader who likes my articles. She said that it was because of my articles that she was inspired to write. We chatted a lot and exchanged contact information."
At this point, Mrs. Fu was somewhat embarrassed.
Tang Mingli, however, was excited. "Maybe she came even if she didn't win an award this time, just hoping to run into you."
As her daughter-in-law had predicted, Fu's mother nodded shyly.
"That's true."
The girl told the organizers that she really liked Teacher Wei Yujuan and hoped to see her. Unexpectedly, the organizers thoughtfully arranged for them to sit at the same table.
In Fu's mother's opinion, meeting this girl at the awards ceremony was almost as important as winning the award itself.
No, the inspiration that girl gave her was greater than the award itself.
That girl made Fu's mother truly realize the value of the stories she wrote.
After returning to Guangcheng, she must work even harder in her creative endeavors.
When talking about returning to Guangcheng, Tang Mingli also mentioned her idea of taking a detour through Shenzhen.
She was too embarrassed to say that Fu Ci missed her, so she said that she wanted to see Fu Ci.
Looking at her daughter-in-law, who was unusually shy, Fu's mother smiled and scolded, "You can make the decision on such a small matter. There's no need to consult me." Then, she deliberately sighed jokingly, "It's not just you who misses your husband; I miss my son too."
Tang Mingli's ears turned red, a rare occurrence.
Just kidding, she won't deny it anyway.
She really did want to resign.
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