Chapter 104 The puzzle is pieced together bit by bit.
“Then let’s wait for Xiaohu to come over,” Qin Yizhou said. “Sister Pang and her husband really don’t have that much money. They can grit their teeth for the sake of the child, but… after all, we’re the ones who asked them to come over.”
"That's why we said we'd cover the travel expenses, but Sister-in-law Pang insisted on paying half," Song Fenglan said. "We can afford the travel expenses. Sister-in-law Pang isn't one to take advantage of others; she's okay with a reasonable amount, but she doesn't like taking too much."
"Yes," Qin Yizhou replied.
“When we lived there, Fatty’s husband still had to send money back to their hometown every month,” Song Fenglan said. “Fatty was very frugal. Later, when the policy was relaxed a bit, Fatty was afraid that others would find out, so when she raised ducks in the backyard, she tied their beaks to prevent others from discovering that she was raising ducks. She said that raising chickens and ducks together would be too many and would be easy to be investigated. But there were several mouths to feed at home, and the children were growing, so she could only try it.”
At that time, Fatty asked Song Fenglan if she wanted to raise ducks, but Song Fenglan didn't. Song Fenglan had to work and take care of her children, so she didn't have time to feed ducks. It wouldn't be right to ask Madam Su to help feed the ducks; that would be too much trouble for Madam Su.
Don't tie them up; if the chickens and ducks can find their own food, that's fine.
“Sister Pang does it all for the children,” Song Fenglan said. “She also often does odd jobs to earn a little more money to supplement the family income.”
Song Fenglan thought that Fatty Sister-in-law was doing a great job. Being a housewife and doing odd jobs—what's the difference between that and working two jobs? You have to understand that housework is incredibly difficult. Fatty Sister-in-law had to wash everyone's clothes, cook, clean, and even grow the vegetables and fruits in the yard. She had to do so much, yet she still managed to find time to do odd jobs and earn extra money.
If Song Fenglan were to do those things, she would definitely not have time to do anything else.
When people learned that Zhang Xiaohu was going to the capital, they were all surprised. How did Zhang Xiaohu end up in the capital? When they found out that Qin Zihang had invited Zhang Xiaohu, some people even became envious.
Since the fat woman was making the call from a public phone booth, naturally others could hear her.
"That's the capital, and it's so far away from us. It takes a long time to get here by train."
"Song Fenglan is really good to Fatty Sister-in-law. Last time she went on a business trip, she brought so many things back to Fatty Sister-in-law's family. This time, she sent Fatty Sister-in-law's children to the capital to play."
"Sister Pang is so lucky to be neighbors with Song Fenglan."
...
Many people wanted their children to go to the capital, but they weren't familiar with Song Fenglan's family; their only connection was living in the same compound. They all knew Song Fenglan would never agree to let their children go to her home.
Fenglan has a job and can't possibly take care of so many children at once. Even in a different era, Song Fenglan would never agree to this.
When Fan Yani heard that Zhang Xiaohu from Fatty's family was going to the capital, she asked him about it when Fatty brought over some herbal jelly.
"I heard that Xiaohu is going to the capital. Is that true?" Fan Yani asked.
“It’s true. Fenglan asked Xiaohu to go over, saying that Xiaohu and Zihang could play together and see more of the capital’s scenery and universities.” Fat Sister said, “When I heard that, I thought it was a good idea. Fenglan also said she would pay for all the travel expenses and asked Xiaowen to go too. I told Xiaowen not to go, and to go instead. I will buy the outbound ticket, and she will buy the return ticket.”
“Sister Fenglan values scholars highly; she hopes everyone can be cultured.” Fan Yani wasn’t jealous; she knew Song Fenglan’s intention—Song Fenglan wanted Zhang Xiaohu to work harder.
The fat couple weren't very educated, and they couldn't help their child with homework; they were lacking in many ways. Song Fenglan had been the fat couple's neighbor for several years and had seen everything, which is why she decided to send Zhang Xiaohu to the capital.
"Sister Fenglan is really great," Fan Yani exclaimed.
“Yes,” said the plump woman. “I never expected her to say that. Xiao Hu went to the capital and stayed at Feng Lan’s house, saying that there was a spare room. I think it doesn’t matter whether there is a spare room or not. It’s fine for Xiao Hu to sleep with Zi Hang.”
“Fenglan’s family is very wealthy, so their house must be very nice. Someone like her deserves to live in a good house,” Fan Yani said. “Fenglan is capable, and so are her family.”
"Not bad." The plump woman nodded. She enjoyed talking to Fan Yani. Fan Yani wasn't jealous of others, and she would even praise Song Fenglan. The plump woman could tell that Fan Yani's praise for Song Fenglan was genuine, not insincere.
Fatty Sister doesn't like those people who dislike someone but still speak well of that person. No matter how much someone tries to pretend, their eyes will easily betray them.
"By the way, has Li Hui contacted you again?" the plump woman asked.
“No,” Fan Yani said. “The Li family did call once. They wanted my older brother to take responsibility for Li Hui. Even if my brother and Li Hui couldn’t be together, they hoped my brother would arrange a job for Li Hui in Nancheng. My brother didn’t agree. If Li Hui came over, how would my brother and sister-in-law live their lives? Li Hui only thinks that my brother has feelings for her. Even if my brother doesn’t want to get back together with her, my sister-in-law will still feel uncomfortable. Why make life a mess for Li Hui?”
Fortunately, Guo Peng knew what to do without the Guo family having to say much. If Guo Peng had insisted on bringing Li Hui over, Fan Yani would have suspected that Guo Peng had something wrong with his head.
“Li Hui is such a disappointment,” the plump woman said. “She’s too proud and arrogant. In the beginning, she… she shouldn’t have taken the college entrance exam. You also took the exam, and you were also pregnant, but your pregnancy was more advanced and your condition was more stable, so you weren’t as emotional. But she is different.”
The woman thought that if Li Hui hadn't taken the college entrance exam and hadn't been so focused on achieving those titles, perhaps her first pregnancy could have been saved. If Li Hui and Guo Peng had a biological daughter, and Li Hui had eloped with someone else, Guo Peng wouldn't have been able to settle down so quickly. Of course, this was very unfair to Guo Peng; Li Hui could find other men whenever she wanted and come back whenever she wanted. After a while, Guo Peng, a grown man, naturally couldn't tolerate it.
“Once she has a child, she might focus her attention on the child and not necessarily look for another man,” the plump woman said.
“That’s not necessarily true. Some people just aren’t cut out for taking care of children. They might not even think about the children,” Fan Yani said. “They might use the children as a tool for their affair, making the children cover for them.”
“That…that’s really not good,” said the plump woman. “Children don’t understand much; they just do whatever adults tell them to do.”
“Yes, that’s why it’s better that Li Hui doesn’t have children,” Fan Yani said. “She can’t have children in her life, which is also because God doesn’t want her children to suffer.”
"Mm." The plump woman nodded.
The plump woman took the money and went back. Fan Yani watched her leave and thought that the plump woman was truly blessed. The plump woman didn't have much education, but she was very sincere, and her child had good character. No wonder Song Fenglan sent the plump woman's child to the capital.
Fan Yani wants to earn more money so that if her child wants to go to the capital, then they can go, and the whole family can travel together. However, they can't travel right now because they haven't earned enough money; they need to earn more.
Tang Lu was on vacation and went to the capital, but she didn't stay at the Tang family's house. Tang Lu took her luggage and first went to Aunt Song's house to see her.
Aunt Song did not keep Tang Lu, but said, "I've already told you, haven't I? I've made a will. If I'm gone, all these things will belong to the country."
“I know, you mentioned it before,” Tang Lu said. “I had a two-week vacation and hadn’t seen you in a long time, so I came back to visit. I haven’t gone back to the Tang family home yet; I plan to find a hotel to stay in and go back in a few days.”
“Go ahead,” said Aunt Song.
"..." Tang Lu was somewhat disappointed. She had brought her luggage, hoping that Aunt Song would let her stay.
Tang Lu carried her luggage to the living room door. She looked back and saw that Aunt Song was sitting there drinking tea.
Aunt Song didn't give Tang Lu much of a second glance. If Tang Lu were allowed to move in, the Tang family would start making trouble again. Aunt Song wouldn't give the Tang family a chance; she didn't need to play cat-and-mouse games. The Tang family was still coming over.
Tang Lu went out to find a hotel near her aunt Song's house. She didn't plan to visit the Tang family at this time; she intended to meet them before heading back to Nancheng.
Song Fenglan learned that Tang Lu had come from her third aunt, who told her when she came to visit Song Fenglan.
"She's staying at a hotel?" Song Fenglan asked, puzzled.
“Yes, she wants to stay in a hotel, so let her stay there,” Aunt Song said. “A self-inflicted injury ploy, do you think I haven’t seen it before? She said she wouldn’t go back because she was afraid her father and others would force her to get married. Tang Shaotao wanted Tang Lu to go on a blind date with a relative of his boss and to come back to the capital, but she didn’t come back.”
Aunt Song was most annoyed by the Tang family's actions. "Whether she gets married or not is her own business. I don't care."
“If you don’t want to get involved, then don’t,” Song Fenglan said. “The Tang family… they treat people like tools.”
Song Fenglan didn't want her third aunt to argue with the Tang family over Tang Lu's matter. If it was voluntary, that would be fine, but if it was forced, then so be it. Her third aunt had already sacrificed a lot for the Tang family, and the Tang family members were basically all ungrateful; not a single one of them was good.
“I didn’t soften my heart,” Aunt Song said. “Tang Lu said she wanted to keep me company, but I told her I’m not home every day. Now that she’s back in the capital, does that mean I have to stay home every day waiting for her to come over?”
Aunt Song deliberately chose this time to come to Song Fenglan's place to play, just to avoid Tang Lu.
"I'll go to your mother's place later." After thinking for a moment, Aunt Song felt it wasn't appropriate to come to Song Fenglan's place.
"You've arrived. Please sit here for a while," Song Fenglan said.
“Tang Lu is a pilot now, and you work with airplanes,” Aunt Song said. “It would be better if I went to your mother’s place.”
Aunt Song picked up her bag and went to Song's mother's side; she didn't want Tang Lu to have a reason to come to Song Fenglan's place.
"..." Song Fenglan did not expect her third aunt to say that. "Tang Lu probably won't come."
“That’s not necessarily true,” said Aunt Song. “The Tang family members are all untrustworthy.”
Tang Lu didn't come over because she ran into Tang Shaotao. Tang Lu had come to the capital and visited Aunt Song's place, which Tang Shaotao quickly found out about. Tang Shaotao frequently visited Aunt Song's door, and he even had people watch to see if anyone else went by, fearing that Aunt Song might secretly give things to someone else.
Aunt Song doesn't only have Tang Shaotao as a son; she has other children. Those children who aren't in the capital will call, and they might even come back to the capital to find Aunt Song. Tang Shaotao can't let them have the chance to take what Aunt Song has. Either no one should get what Aunt Song has, or as the eldest son, he, Tang Shaotao, should get more.
Tang Shaotao had his plans meticulously laid out. He had someone keep an eye on things, but he didn't pay them much money. If anything came up, people would tell him, and if it was valuable, he wouldn't let them speak for free.
Sure enough, Tang Shaotao knew that Tang Lu had returned, so he went straight to the hotel to find her.
"Tang Lu, go back!" Tang Shaotao said as soon as he saw Tang Lu. "Your home is in the capital. You're staying in a hotel instead of at home. Do you want people to laugh at our family?"
"I just want to be closer to Mom," Tang Lu said. "Are you asking me to go back so you can introduce me to someone?"
“My boss’s relative is already married, and they can’t keep waiting for you.” Tang Shaotao hasn’t found a more suitable candidate yet. If he does, he will still have Tang Lu go on blind dates so that she can make the most of her potential.
“I am a soldier,” Tang Lu said. “I need to submit a report to get married. You can’t force me to marry. If you force me, that’s a crime.”
“You…we also want you to have a good future. We’re all family. Do you have to be like this?” Tang Shaotao became even angrier when he saw Tang Lu’s tough attitude. “Do you think we’re trying to harm you? Why would we harm you? Would we be happy if you were unhappy? You’re also surnamed Tang. We all want the best for you.”
“If you want what’s best for me, then let me stay here,” Tang Lu said.
"Are you trying to use a self-inflicted injury ruse on Mom?" Tang Shaotao asked. "You want Mom to know that you have nothing to do with us, that you want to stay with Mom? Do you want what Mom has?"
Tang Shaotao's first concern was about Song San's family fortune. "You're a woman, you'll marry out of the family sooner or later, you..."
“I am a woman, that’s true. My surname is not Song, and neither are yours,” Tang Lu said. “I didn’t intend to fight for my mother’s property. My mother said she wanted to donate her property to the country, and I fully agree with that. I just wanted to see my mother; I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
"You...you didn't say that before," Tang Shaotao sneered. "Have you forgotten what you said when Mom was sent to the farm? Have you forgotten how you hid behind Dad and urged Mom to leave quickly?"
"..." Of course Tang Lu remembered, but that was all in the past. She had realized her past mistakes, and now she just wanted to spend more time with her mother. Why couldn't she?
"Do you think your mother can't see your true colors? You're surnamed Tang, so it's impossible for your mother to treat you well," Tang Shaotao said. "Fine, you can stay here and see if your mother will let you come in to live. If your mother is willing to let you in, you'd better remember that you're still surnamed Tang. Your mother's things should belong to us siblings. Back then, if it weren't for the national policy, your mother wouldn't have been sent to the farm, so why would your mother have donated her things to the country?"
Tang Shaotao thought that if Aunt Song could accept Tang Lu, that would be fine too. Once she opened a door, Aunt Song would forgive them all. Then, they could get a share of what Aunt Song had, and that would stop her from donating things to the country.
"Tang Lu, don't you think so?" Tang Shaotao said.
“That’s Mom’s stuff, not yours, and not mine,” Tang Lu said.
"Don't you want a dowry?" Tang Shaotao asked.
"I don't want to," Tang Lu said. "If a man marries me only for the dowry, I'd rather not get married. Brother, you shouldn't covet what Mom has. Since Mom said those things, it means she's made up her mind."
"Make up your mind?" Tang Shaotao didn't think so. "We can't give up until the very last moment. Mom might still change her mind."
"..." Tang Lu saw that she couldn't reason with Tang Shaotao, so she gave up and stopped talking.
“Even if you don’t go home, you still have to see your dad,” Tang Shaotao said. “If you go see your dad, your mom won’t blame you. It’s not that there’s a problem if you don’t go see your dad. Don’t forget, your dad raised you.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t see Dad, just not now. I’ll see him in a few days,” Tang Lu said.
Tang Shaotao looked at Tang Lu, and he seemed to understand Tang Lu's intention. Tang Lu wanted Song Sangugu to think that Tang Lu had a bad relationship with the Tang family.
“Then let’s wait a few days,” Tang Shaotao said. “I’ll go back and tell Dad first.”
After Tang Shaotao left, Tang Lu breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to say anything more to him. She told them she wasn't after what her mother had, but no one believed her; they all thought she was definitely planning to secretly swallow it.
How ridiculous!
These siblings are fighting over their mother's things, even though their mother has already said she can't give them anything, they still insist on fighting.
Tang Lu leaned against the wall; this was the Tang family home.
Tang Lu went to Aunt Song's house, only to find that Aunt Song was out and would be back late. The maid wouldn't let Tang Lu in, so Tang Lu had to go back to the hotel first.
Song Fenglan specially made some popsicles, homemade ones, mung bean popsicles, red bean popsicles, some simple popsicles.
"When Xiaohu arrives, you can eat together." Song Fenglan looked at Qin Zihang, who was looking at the refrigerator. Qin Zihang had just helped put things in the refrigerator.
“Mom’s popsicles are delicious,” Qin Zihang said. “When my friends came over, I offered them Mom’s popsicles, and they all said they were great. Then, they went back and asked their mom to make some, but she just bought some from outside and didn’t make them herself. I think Mom’s popsicle-making skills are pretty simple.”
“It looks simple, why don’t you try it yourself?” Song Fenglan said.
"I'll do it, I'll do it," Qin Zihang said. "Before Brother Xiaohu comes over, I'll try to see if I can do it well."
Then, Qin Zihang went to get the ingredients. He had to make mung bean soup himself, with sugar and honey, to make natural and healthy popsicles. After that, Qin Zihang didn't make mung bean popsicles because he thought his mung bean soup tasted pretty good. He had his parents drink the mung bean soup, and also invited his grandmother and others over to drink it.
To prevent the soup from running out for so many people, Qin Zihang cooked even more mung bean soup.
"..." Song Fenglan never expected this outcome.
"Delicious, delicious!" Aunt Song praised. "Our Hangbao is very capable."
"It's actually quite good," Song's mother nodded.
Qin Zihang also invited his eldest and second uncles over, the whole family, and made them drink the mung bean soup he cooked.
"It's not as icy as popsicles," Qin Zihang said. "It tastes really good after being chilled in the fridge for a while. My mung bean soup is just a tiny bit worse than Mom's, even though I followed her steps exactly. It was my first time making it all by myself. How was it?"
"Good, great," said Brother Song.
"Second Uncle, if you like it, drink more," Qin Zihang said. He had cooked so much mung bean soup, and he didn't want everyone to finish it all.
Actually, Qin Zihang's mung bean soup was pretty good; with those good ingredients, it wouldn't be too bad. It was the first time Qin Zihang had cooked so much mung bean soup, and he felt a great sense of accomplishment, wanting everyone to drink more.
Song Fenglan drank half a bowl and then stopped. She was going to eat a meal later and didn't think that just drinking mung bean soup would be enough.
"What else?" Qin Zihang looked at his mother. "Mom, do you want more?"
"No, thank you," Song Fenglan said. "I need to eat."
"Grandma, let me add some more for you."
"Brother, let me add some for you."
"Sister, let me add some for you."
...
When Qin Zihang saw that others had finished their bowls of mung bean soup, he thought of adding some more mung bean soup for them.
The others were quite considerate of Qin Zihang; they drank a lot of mung bean soup and only needed one refill. When Qin Zihang offered them more, they refused.
"It's almost time, we need to go back for dinner." Second Brother Song stood up, but when he sat down again, his stomach was full of water.
Song Erge obviously didn't want to continue drinking mung bean soup. Qin Zihang called everyone over to eat mung bean soup at the last minute, but the servants hadn't prepared much food, so everyone went to their own homes to eat.
Song Erge left with Cao Fang, and then Song's mother and the others also left one by one.
Qin Zihang looked at the remaining mung bean soup; there were still four or five bowls left. The servants had all drunk their soup, and no one really wanted any more.
"Mom," Qin Zihang said, "Why is there still so much?"
“Who told you to cook so much?” Song Fenglan said.
"I just thought it was easy to cook, so I cooked a lot. There are so many people in the family, they all need to drink it," Qin Zihang said.
"If it doesn't work, just put it in the refrigerator. It won't spoil that easily. Drink it later," Song Fenglan said.
As for inviting the Qin family to drink mung bean soup, or sending mung bean soup to Qin's father and mother, that's impossible.
Song Fenglan would rather throw away the mung bean soup than let Qin Zihang give it to the Qin family. Who did the Qin family think they were? They didn't deserve to eat the mung bean soup Qin Zihang cooked.
Qin Yizhou sat to the side. He didn't suggest giving the mung bean soup to his parents, as they didn't need it.
In fact, Qin's mother cooked some mung bean soup herself. Her precious grandson wanted to drink mung bean soup, so of course she had to cook mung bean soup for the child.
"The Song family is really heartless. Fenglan's aunt really let her grandson attend a bad middle school, and to this day, she hasn't let the child transfer schools." Qin's mother had long heard about Song's third aunt's actions, and she felt that Song's third aunt was not a qualified biological mother or a qualified grandmother.
How can a mother hold such grudges against her children? Besides, in those special times, such things were unavoidable. A mother should be understanding of her children and not think too badly of them.
Qin Li'an did not skip a grade and will be in his third year of junior high school next semester.
Qin Li'an's grades weren't good, and even tutoring didn't significantly improve them. His mother still wanted him to go to high school so he could go to university. If Qin Zihang could go to university, so could Qin Li'an.
Qin's father wanted Qin Li'an to join the army, but Qin Li'an couldn't stand the hardship and refused. Qin Li'an also thought he would be harassed, and then his father thought that Qin Li'an wouldn't pass the political background check, so it was better not to even think about it.
If you get stuck at the political vetting stage, then forget about it.
The Tian family produced a spy, and that's a spy, not anything else. If it were anything else, the capitalists would have exonerated them, and the concept of class background wouldn't exist. No one would help Qin Li'an operate as a spy, not even if Qin Li'an's surname was Qin; his biological mother is Tian Keshu.
"Drink mung bean soup." Qin's mother served Qin Li'an a bowl of mung bean soup.
"Not cold enough." Qin Li'an frowned. "It wasn't chilled long enough. Grandma, could you cook it earlier next time? Don't always cook it just when we're about to drink it. And when you do cook it, you don't even put in more ice. We drink mung bean soup to cool off, not to make us sweat."
Qin's mother prepared food for her beloved grandson, but he was still not satisfied.
"I'll be more careful next time," Qin's mother could only say. "I'll add some more ice. There's not much ice left in the fridge..."
"Then just make ice cubes," Qin Li'an said. "There's a refrigerator, it's not like you can't make ice cubes. Grandma, are you stupid?"
"I... okay, I'll do it in a bit," Qin's mother said quickly.
You Yun watched as Qin's mother comforted Qin Li'an, remaining silent. You Yun thought it was good that Qin's mother didn't seem to dote on her grandson that much; she was truly afraid her own child would end up like Qin Li'an. Qin Li'an was ruined; he had no academic achievements, couldn't pass the political vetting to join the army, and couldn't work within the system.
You Yun was a little worried that when Qin Li'an grew up, he might still have to rely on his family instead of on his own.
However, You Yun was, after all, a stepmother, and she couldn't easily persuade Qin's mother or Qin's older brother. You Yun couldn't let others think she was a wicked stepmother; if she spoke up, Qin's mother wouldn't comply, and Qin Li'an would make a scene, then it would all be for nothing, and she would only get herself into trouble.
In the evening, Aunt Song finished her dinner and went home. Just as she reached the door, she heard Tang Lu's voice.
"Mom," Tang Lu said, "Have you eaten yet? I bought some xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)."
"I've already eaten. If you haven't, you can eat it yourself." Aunt Song San prepared to go inside.
Tang Lu followed behind Aunt Song, also wanting to go inside.
"You've seen me, you can go back now," said Aunt Song. "I need to rest for a while."
Aunt Song planned to watch TV for a while, then take a shower and maybe read a book. She didn't intend to sit with Tang Lu; there was nothing they would talk about if they did.
Tang Lu works as a pilot, flying fighter jets. She can't tell Aunt Song about the fighter jets, or even much about her colleagues. Aunt Song doesn't care to know about Tang Lu's career; the Tang family's business is about bringing glory to their ancestors. Aunt Song doesn't want Tang Lu to bring up the Tang family's affairs again; there's really nothing to say about the Tang family.
“Okay…” Tang Lu didn’t follow her inside; she withdrew her foot.
Tang Lu watched as Aunt Song went inside. Aunt Song took a few steps and then stopped. Tang Lu thought Aunt Song was going to let her in, and her eyes lit up, but then she realized that wasn't the case.
“If you want to see your dad, then go ahead. Don’t put on an act here,” Aunt Song said. “Don’t think about waiting until the last few days to see him, or not seeing him at all. Your little tricks are no match for me.”
Tang's father had raised Tang Lu and hadn't treated her too badly, so Aunt Song didn't think Tang Lu would ignore him. Since Tang Lu wanted to go find her father, she should go; why wait until the very end?
"..." Tang Lu didn't expect her own mother to know her innermost thoughts so easily.
Tang Lu couldn't help but wonder if someone had spoken to her mother about those things, or if someone had overheard her conversation with Tang Shaotao. But then she thought it didn't make sense. Aunt Song wouldn't have sent someone to watch them, and Tang Lu wasn't someone without vigilance. Tang Lu was a fighter pilot; she needed to be alert and physically fit.
"Mom..." Tang Lu opened her mouth, but didn't say anything else.
“I know the Tang family very well,” said Aunt Song. “You have too many bad traits.”
Then, Tang Lu watched as Aunt Song went into the house, and she stood at the door for a while. More than ten minutes later, Tang Lu went back to the hotel.
Tang Lu ate the xiaolongbao one bite at a time. She had bought several xiaolongbao, originally intending to eat them with her mother.
That's true. When she returned to the capital, she went to see her mother, and her mother let her in. Her mother would never let her in again.
"It's delicious." Tang Lu said to herself. As she ate, her eyes were slightly red, and tears were about to flow from them.
Tang Lu raised her head, trying to hold back her tears. Even though she knew her mother would react this way, she was still heartbroken. She thought that because she had become a pilot, her mother would let her in—she had been in prison on her very first day back.
Tang Lu was overthinking things. Aunt Song letting her in when she returned was already a favor. Aunt Song couldn't keep giving Tang Lu face forever; too much face would lose its value.
Song Fenglan didn't know what was going on with her third aunt, but she could guess a little. Song Fenglan didn't have a good feeling about the Tang family, nor did she have a very good attitude towards Tang Lu. It was best for everyone to avoid seeing each other and speak as little as possible.
No one should offer anyone a way out; without a way out, there's only a bottomless abyss below.
Aunt Song spoke up, and Tang Lu didn't wait until the last few days before returning to Nancheng to see her father; she went the day after. Tang Lu bought some things to take back; it didn't feel like she was going home, but more like she was visiting relatives.
"You're back," Mr. Tang said calmly.
Previously, Mr. Tang was somewhat dissatisfied with Tang Lu. Tang Lu had already returned, but she didn't come home first; she was still staying in a hotel. After listening to Tang Shaotao's words, Mr. Tang felt that what Tang Shaotao said made a lot of sense. In their family, Aunt Song was most satisfied with Tang Lu, so Tang Lu should be allowed to pry open the door to Aunt Song's side.
“Yes, Mom said I can come back to see you first, and told me not to pretend,” Tang Lu said. “Mom is still so clear-headed.”
Tang Lu felt pathetic. Just because her surname was Tang, and because she was young and naive, she now had to face this situation. Tang Lu couldn't say it was her mother's fault; what fault could her mother have made? The fault lay with them.
"Didn't your mother let you in?" Mr. Tang asked.
"I went in and sat for a while on the first day I came back, but I didn't stay for dinner because my mom wouldn't let me," Tang Lu said.
Tang Lu said that on purpose, and that's the reality.
“If you think you can get through me to soften Mom’s heart, it won’t work,” Tang Lu said. “I said I wanted to stay in a hotel, and Mom let me go. She didn’t even think about me staying there. I actually stayed in a hotel, and she didn’t even frown. She could still go out and have fun.”
"Your mother..." Tang's father felt a headache coming on just thinking about Aunt Song.
Previously, Tang's father thought that Aunt Song was easy to fool, but now, Aunt Song's defenses and vigilance are too good. No matter what they do, Aunt Song does not believe them.
"Doesn't your mother think you look like a member of the Song family?" Tang's father asked.
“Even if I resemble someone from the Song family, I’m not a real member,” Tang Lu said. “Also, if you’re thinking of introducing me to someone, forget it. I’m a soldier, I…”
"Stop talking." Mr. Tang felt it was pointless; he had already heard Tang Shaotao say it.
Tang Lu was unwilling to go on blind dates or stay in the capital. Tang Lu had grown independent, and they could no longer force her.
Tang's father asked Tang Lu to stay at home for dinner, and at the dinner table he said, "If your mother doesn't want you to live there, then you should come back to live here."
"Okay." Tang Lu nodded. "I'll go get my luggage in a bit."
Tang Lu thought about it and realized it made sense. Staying at home was free, but staying in a hotel cost money. As long as her father and the others knew her identity and didn't force her to go on blind dates, there wouldn't be a problem. If they insisted on making her go on blind dates, she had ways to leave.
When Aunt Song learned that Tang Lu had moved back into the Tang family home, she thought to herself how fortunate she was that she hadn't been soft-hearted and hadn't let Tang Lu move in. Tang Lu was a member of the Tang family, and she would only side with them.
Time flew by, and the day arrived for Zhang Xiaohu's arrival in the capital. Qin Zihang and Qin Yizhou went to pick him up. Zhang Xiaohu recognized Qin Zihang immediately and waved to him.
"Brother Zihang, Brother Zihang." Zhang Xiaohu waved.
If Zhang Xiaohu hadn't been carrying some things, he would have rushed to Qin Zihang and hugged him.
“Brother Zihang,” Zhang Xiaohu said.
Before Zhang Xiaohu could reach Qin Zihang, Qin Yizhou went over to help Zhang Xiaohu carry his things.
"Brother Xiaohu." Qin Zihang gave Zhang Xiaohu a big hug.
"Let's go back first," Qin Yizhou said. "There are so many people here."
“Yes, let’s go back first,” Qin Zihang said. “We’ll take a car back.”
Zhang Xiaohu got into the car with Qin Zihang. While in the car, Zhang Xiaohu kept telling Qin Zihang that his mother had told him to be careful.
“Before I came, my mother gave me a lot of instructions, fearing that I would be abducted on the train,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “There have been cases of people being abducted in our area. My mother said I must be careful, not to trust those people, and not to get off the train until the final stop.”
“Your mother is right.” Qin Zihang nodded. “When I travel by train with my mother, she used to tie me with a rope so she wouldn’t lose me.”
“Your mother is good to you,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “Your mother is good to me too.”
"Mom has prepared a room for you, you can stay there," Qin Zihang said. "Mom has also hired a tutor for me, you can study with him."
"Okay, okay." Zhang Xiaohu is no longer as averse to studying as he was when he was a child. Now he wants to study more so that he can go to university in the capital in the future.
Looking out the window at the buildings, Zhang Xiaohu felt that the capital city was vastly different from the southern city. The roads in the capital were much wider, and there were many more cars on them.
When the car stopped in front of the house, Zhang Xiaohu got out and saw the detached villa in front of him. He asked, "Zihang, which floor do you live on? How many families live here? Do you play with their children?"
“I live on the second floor. There’s only one family in this building,” Qin Zihang said. “They’re all from my family. My maternal grandparents and uncles live next door. They have their own houses. Come on, I’ll take you inside.”
Zhang Xiaohu went in with Qin Zihang. Song Fenglan was working overtime at the research institute today and wasn't home.
Qin Yizhou carried the luggage into the living room. Zhang Xiaohu took a few steps, then remembered the luggage again.
"Uncle." Zhang Xiaohu was a little embarrassed. He should have been carrying the luggage himself, but it turned out that Zihang's father was carrying it.
"Let me take you to your room first," Qin Yizhou said. "Put your luggage in the room, you can take a hot shower, and then come and eat."
"Okay." Zhang Xiaohu nodded.
"I'll take you there." Qin Zihang led Zhang Xiaohu to the second floor. "Your room is next to mine. If you want to sleep in the same room as me, that's fine too. You can call me anytime if you need anything. Do you need to use the bathroom? The bathroom is outside, next door."
Qin Zihang wanted to show Zhang Xiaohu around the house. The small villa was quite spacious, and the rooms were also large. When Zhang Xiaohu entered the room, he found that it was much better than his own room. The curtains, the table, the wardrobe... everything was so much better.
“You have so many things in your house,” Zhang Xiaohu said. “I don’t have this much stuff at home. My table is old and has scratches on it. It’s not as nice as yours. Your lamp is also beautiful, and your wardrobe is gorgeous.”
"You can go back when school is about to start," Qin Zihang said. "You can stay here for a while, and we'll study and play together. I also know a lot of friends, and you can play with them too. My older brother and sister are great, and I'll take you to see them."
At the research institute, the director called a meeting. A serious incident had occurred: a spy had stolen documents. The spy took some less important documents, but fortunately, those were recovered. The main reason the spy couldn't steal core information was that they hadn't entered the core area.
"If you see any suspicious individuals, report to me immediately, and I'll have the relevant departments handle it." The director looked at Song Fenglan and said, "Engineer Song, be careful lately, and pay attention to safety when commuting to and from get off work. Everyone else, be careful too. Don't think that just because you're not important or don't know enough, you can recklessly leak information to them. If you leak a little, and someone else leaks a bit, they can piece together the puzzle bit by bit!"
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