Spring arrived quietly in 1973.
In the blink of an eye, Buling was already seven months pregnant. She had taken off her heavy winter clothes, and her belly had grown quite large.
That morning, as soon as Bu Ling arrived at the restaurant, she received an envious look from Wu Yuanyuan: "Ling, what have you been eating during your pregnancy? How come you haven't gained any weight at all?"
Buling glanced at her speechlessly: "Just eat normally." And to put it bluntly, "You might even eat a little better than me."
Wu Yuanyuan was completely stunned: "Then why am I so much fatter than you?"
"Maybe...maybe I'm just naturally thin?"
Wu Yuanyuan left the group chat with a long face, while Zhu Zhizhi looked at the two of them with envy and a somewhat dejected expression.
Bu Ling glanced at it, but didn't meddle. She walked behind the counter and sat down. "Sister Yuanyuan, are you about to give birth?"
"It'll be soon, it should be this month." Wu Yuanyuan was the kind of person who didn't hold grudges, and she immediately warmed up to Bu Ling again.
Sister Ma handed Bu Ling a glass of water: "Little Bu, have some water."
"Thank you, Sister Ma," Bu Ling said politely, then turned to Wu Yuanyuan and asked, "So, what about your work?"
"I'll have my mother-in-law come and take my place for two months," Wu Yuanyuan replied without hesitation, clearly having considered the matter.
"Ling, what about you? What did you do when you were born?"
"Oh, Aunt Fang said she'll come in my place." Bu Ling had already discussed this issue with her family.
The two chatted and laughed about everyday things, while on the other side, Sister Ma pulled Zhu Zhizhi to the backyard to give her some advice.
During this time, Bu Ling heard Zhu Zhizhi sobbing softly, but she chose to ignore it. Every family has its own troubles, and no one can live for another.
"Spirit, I think I hear..."
“No, you didn’t!” Bu Ling interrupted Wu Yuanyuan, then said earnestly, “Sister Yuanyuan, you can’t be a father-in-law if you’re not deaf and dumb.”
"Isn't that a bit inappropriate to say here?" Wu Yuanyuan understood what Bu Ling meant and continued along with her words.
Bling waved his hand dismissively: "As long as the meaning is there, that's enough."
As for Zhu Zhizhi, she had a winning hand. She was pampered by her family and protected by her brother. Although her husband's family had some minor issues, her husband was reasonable. Even so, she still managed to live such a miserable life. She could only look for the reasons within herself.
At first, Bu Ling would try to persuade and enlighten her, but later she became impatient.
Nothing else. If you're talking about big issues like domestic violence or marital conflicts, they can offer some advice, but every time Zhu Zhizhi is unhappy, it's about trivial matters.
Whether it's her mother-in-law subtly implying that she doesn't have children, her sister-in-law making sarcastic remarks about her figure, or a casual comment from her boyfriend, she can burst into tears.
This left Bu Ling speechless. All I can say is, Zhu Zhizhi was such a nice girl when she first came, how come she became so fragile after getting married?
Honestly, sometimes you shouldn't care too much about what others think. Just live your own life well. You're not a hundred-dollar bill, so why expect everyone to like you?
At noon, Zhu Zhizhi, with her eyes swollen from crying, went in and out serving dishes, while Bu Ling completely ignored her, not even asking a single question.
During a leisurely afternoon tea, Bu Ling sat to one side, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
"Hey, Xiao Bu, your man's here." Sister Ma suddenly nudged Bu Ling and pointed outside.
Buling looked over and, sure enough, it was Sangshen. She stood up, leaning on the table, and asked, "Sangshen? What brings you here at this hour?"
Upon hearing this, Sangshen waved the lunchbox in her hand: "Grandpa asked me to bring you fish soup."
"Didn't you go to work?" Bu Ling asked in surprise.
"Yes, but I went home to get something for my brother," Sangshen explained the whole story in one sentence.
He opened the lunchbox, revealing a milky white fish soup inside: "Sister Fang said this is crucian carp soup, the most nourishing, and you must drink it all."
"Sister Fang is so kind." Bu Ling was really hungry, so she didn't stand on ceremony and sipped the fish soup from the lunchbox.
During this time, Sangshen smiled and gazed at her tenderly.
Wu Yuanyuan, who was standing next to her, suddenly felt a little jealous, and Sister Ma was also extremely envious. Only Zhu Zhizhi, seeing this scene, had her eyes redden. Afraid of being discovered, she lowered her head and silently felt sad.
The mulberry came and went like a gust of wind, leaving behind only envy after delivering the fish soup.
In the following days, Sister Ma and the others discovered that it was not a coincidence that Xiao Bu's man came to deliver fish soup that day, but rather the beginning of something.
From that day on, Xiaobu's in-laws would bring her some food every afternoon, mostly soup, such as bone soup, chicken soup, fish soup, pork rib soup, etc., which made the female colleagues at the restaurant extremely envious.
That afternoon, Bu Ling had just finished her daily meatball and egg soup, handed the lunchbox to Aunt Fang, and watched her leave when Wu Yuanyuan suddenly said:
"Ling, do you know? Something happened to Grandma Shi?"
"Uh-huh?"
Bu Ling suddenly realized who Old Mrs. Shi was. Before she could even wipe her mouth, she looked at Wu Yuanyuan in surprise: "Something happened?"
“That’s right!” Wu Yuanyuan said, “It happened in the middle of last night. She lost her balance and fell while getting up in the middle of the night, hitting her head on the wall. She wasn’t discovered until this morning.”
"It was Hu Sigu who discovered it, actually." She sighed.
Bu Ling's eyes gleamed with the light of a bystander as he stared intently at Wu Yuanyuan.
Wu Yuanyuan gave her a knowing look.
Bling smiled back; she understood!
Judging from this, Ming Xiangru and her companion were undoubtedly involved in this matter.
Some time ago, the Ming Xiangru and Qin Wanqing families made a lot of moves, but Old Mrs. Shi was just tough; apart from looking a little haggard, she was perfectly fine.
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