Chapter 151 Heart to Heart
When he returned home, Tao Nanfeng was "warmly" welcomed by the children.
Tao Tingzhi, Tao Tingyu and Xiang Taoran, three two-year-old children, had been separated from their mother for half a month for the first time. When they saw their mother coming in, they rushed over and hugged her thighs, bursting into tears of grievance.
After finally picking them up and coaxing them into submission, the whole yard was filled with joy.
Tao Nanfeng was very strong and picked up three children in one breath. The children huddled together, but they grinned with joy, and their clear and loud laughter could be heard from far away.
Liang Yinzhen put the carefully prepared meal on the table, took off her apron and brushed off the ashes on her body, looking at the children with eyes full of kindness and satisfaction: "When Nanfeng came back, the children were so happy that they went crazy."
Xiang Yongfu cut a bunch of grapes and placed them on the rattan table under the flower stand. He brought some cold tea and greeted Tao Shouxin with a smile: "Teacher Tao, you have worked hard. Are you hot? Eat two grapes from home and drink some tea first, and then take a rest to cool down before eating."
The loquat trees in the yard are tall and green, with bright yellow fruits hidden under the leaves. The grape racks are covered with vines and bunches of green and purple grapes are hanging on them. The peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and cabbages in the vegetable garden are growing well, and the cucumber and loofah racks against the wall are also bearing fruit.
The garden is full of fruits and vegetables, which looks festive.
Tao Shouxin stopped and looked around the courtyard, then let out a long sigh. It’s great to be home.
Although Kyoto is nice, it is not a place to live permanently. Back in Jiangcheng, I reunited with my family and felt relaxed from head to toe.
Tao Tingyu stretched out his little hand towards Tao Shouxin: "Grandpa, hug me!"
Tao Shouxin took Yu'er from Tao Nanfeng, smiling widely. Tingyu is well-behaved and sensible, very much like Tao Nanfeng when he was a child, and is the most favored by Tao Shouxin.
Seeing her sister being carried away by her grandfather, Zhizhi stretched out her little hand and pushed Tao Ran: "You, go find grandpa to hold you."
As the only grandson of the Xiang family, Xiang Taoran is the most loved by Xiang Yongfu. Xiang Yongfu knew that Zhizhi wanted to monopolize Tao Nanfeng, so he smiled and hugged Tao Ran.
Xiang Bei saw that his eldest daughter acted like a general, pushing her younger brothers and sisters away, while she hugged Tao Nanfeng's neck proudly declaring her sovereignty. He couldn't help but shook his head secretly. Zhizhi is so domineering, I don’t know who she looks like.
He strode forward and hugged Zhizhi: "Mom has been on the train for a whole day and night, she must be tired. Let her take a bath before you come to hold her."
Zhizhi reluctantly bent her body and grabbed her mother's collar with her little hands: "Mom smells good, I don't want to take a bath..."
Liang Yinzhen took out a set of home clothes and handed it to Tao Nanfeng, looking at her slightly messy hair with heartache: "It's not easy to go out, go take a shower and change into comfortable clothes."
She walked over to Tao Shouxin again and took Tao Tingyu: "Yu'er, be good, let your grandpa take a break, we will have dinner together later, okay?"
The children were brought up to be very sensible. Even though Zhizhi has a domineering personality, she knows how to care for her elders. Tao Nanfeng and Tao Shouxin went into the house to rest. After washing their hair and taking a shower, they changed into cotton and silk home clothes and slippers. The dust on their bodies was washed away and their fatigue disappeared.
Tao Shouxin was sitting in the main room, listening to the radio, waving a large palm-leaf fan, with Tao Tingzhi sitting on his lap. He smiled as he watched Zhizhi and Tao Ran playing the game of generals and soldiers in the corridor.
Zhizhi said, "Little soldier!"
Tao Ran: “Yes!”
Zhizhi: "Go forward and kill the enemy!"
Tao Ran: "Kill..."
The children were childish and cute, playing with full enthusiasm and seriousness, while the adults were laughing from ear to ear.
Although the weather is hot, Liang Yinzhen is not worried about the food getting cold, as warm food is more suitable for consumption. When Tao Nanfeng walked out of the house while wiping his hair, everyone stood up and sat around the eight-immortals table in the main room.
"Eat, eat."
Tao Nanfeng felt like the center of the family and felt warm in his heart. Xiangbei took the towel from her hand and skillfully helped her wipe the ends of her hair that were still dripping with water, his movements gentle and loving.
Sitting at the table, Liang Yinzhen served a bowl of duck and carrot soup in front of her: "Drink the soup first. This duck soup can clear heat and moisten the lungs. It's perfect for summer."
Tao Nanfeng lowered his head and took a sip. The aroma was rich and sweet, and he smiled and said, "My mother's cooking is still the best. Although Kyoto is the place where the emperor lives, the dishes she cooks... hehe."
Tao Shouxin laughed: "You, when did you become so picky?"
When he first tried cooking, he mixed the vegetables bought from the cafeteria and cooked them into one pot. Tao Nanfeng even praised it for being delicious. She praised things that tasted so bad, why is she being so picky about food now?
Liang Yinzhen said distressedly: "My child, you have suffered a lot out there. Going on business trips is supposed to be a man's job, but you are asked to run around everywhere. It's hard work."
Xiangbei was stunned and remained silent.
——Is my mother criticizing me by saying this?
The older generation believes that men should work outside and women should work inside, that men should work outside to earn money to support the family, while women should stay at home to do housework and raise children.
Liang Yinzhen didn't mean to stop Tao Nanfeng from working outside, she really felt sorry for her wife. Although Tao Nanfeng is promising, has been on TV and in newspapers, and is more capable than men, it is inconvenient for women to wash and clean when they are on business trips, so they are definitely more tired than men.
Upon hearing that his wife disliked the food in Kyoto, Liang Yinzhen put a bunch of vegetables into her bowl and spoke as she did so.
"This water spinach, tomato scrambled eggs, and green pepper and eggplant are all grown at home, and they are very sweet. You like fish, so you can eat more of this braised crucian carp with green onions. The steamed spareribs with rice flour are not spicy because the kids want to eat them. If you think it's not spicy enough, I've mixed some garlic chili sauce for you to dip in."
Every word and sentence is filled with deep care and love.
Tao Nanfeng nodded with a smile and started eating happily.
The children were two years old. There was a small square table in the main room. They sat upright at the table, eating their meals obediently with small spoons. Liang Yinzhen ate while paying attention to the children. Her time was busy and fulfilling, but she was full of energy and obviously enjoyed it.
After dinner, the sun had risen, so everyone went to the main room to rest and chat.
There is a ceiling fan installed in the main room, blowing loudly to drive away the summer heat.
Tao Shouxin briefly explained the bidding process, and everyone was excited.
Although Liang Yinzhen is a housewife, she is a woman of great wisdom and has experienced many storms. She said to Tao Shouxin: "This bidding is good and fair."
If it weren't for fair competition, with so many design companies in Kyoto, Tao Nanfeng would never have been able to participate in the Xicheng District Gymnasium project.
So what if you are so capable? In China, a society where personal connections are important, the complex web of relationships determines how far you can go. Especially in the infrastructure field, getting projects and tasks all depends on connections.
Tao Nanfeng was an outsider, and no matter how good his design plan was, it was impossible for him to break through the siege single-handedly, defeat the other nine design units, and successfully win the project.
Her success and fame are not only due to the help of Miao Jing and the final decision of Minister Zhong, but ultimately because the bidding system provides her with a fair competition platform.
Because of fairness, only truly excellent works can be selected.
It can be said that Tao Nanfeng felt the benefits brought by the reform and got the first reform dividend.
Tao Shouxin nodded: "Yes, the bidding system is good, and the country's reform ideas are very correct. Only with fair competition can the construction market be vibrant."
If one has to rely on connections to get projects and on treating and giving gifts to carry out projects, even if the construction market is liberalized, it will be stagnant.
The long-term planned economy has imprisoned people's minds, but now the country has obviously realized some problems and is ready to carry out reforms in all walks of life to promote the development of the market economy.
Tao Shouxin looked at Xiangbei and said, "Nanfeng has become a model of reform. This demonstration effect will continue for a long time. I can imagine that she will be very busy in the future. As her lover, have you ever thought about the future?"
Xiangbei fell into a long period of thinking.
All along, Xiangbei has been centered around Tao Nanfeng, and everything revolves around her.
If she wanted to continue her postgraduate studies, he would move the whole family to Jiangcheng and take care of her daily life.
If she wanted to start a company, he would buy a building and help her manage the company affairs;
While she was busy with her career, he stayed at home to take care of the children. She needed money, so he opened a cigarette factory to make money. She needed a stable rear, so he started a collective economy in Yuanhou Village...
Now his father-in-law asked him if he had thought about the future, and Xiangbei understood what he meant.
Tao Shouxin is worried that his daughter is growing up too fast, while Xiangbei is standing still and making no progress. The gap between the two is getting bigger and bigger. In the eyes of outsiders, they are not a good match and there will be conflicts in the future.
Kyoto is prosperous and the world outside is huge. Tao Shouxin is sincerely planning for his son-in-law.
Tao Shouxin said earnestly, "Xiangbei, you are a steady, generous and kind man, and I admire you very much. Husband and wife must grow together for this relationship to be stable. Nanfeng has now won the Kyoto project, and Miao Jing is working in the bidding office. There may be more Kyoto projects and foreign projects in the future. Nanfeng will definitely have to travel frequently. You, Nanfeng and I, we all believe that your love is stronger than gold, but... people's words are scary."
If everyone says that Xiangbei is not worthy of Tao Nanfeng, will Xiangbei feel inferior when the couple walks out together?
If everyone thinks it's a pity that Tao Nanfeng, who is educated and capable, married a small boss of a tobacco factory who didn't even graduate from high school, would Xiang Bei feel psychologically unbalanced?
Ever since meeting Miao Jing in Kyoto, Tao Shouxin has had a sense of crisis.
Tao Nanfeng was focused and had only the building in his eyes, but he couldn't resist the ideas of the people around him. Fan Zhicheng admires her and Miao Jing appreciates her. What will Xiangbei do if another like-minded fairy partner comes?
Xiangbei trusts Nanfeng, but Tao Shouxin feels that the crisis of marriage is often buried beneath these appearances. Trust can sometimes be destroyed by a small matter.
Three people can make a tiger, and rumors can kill people. Tao Shouxin must make this clear.
Xiangbei's expression turned solemn.
Liang Yinzhen also became nervous. Tao Nanfeng is Xiang Bei's wife, daughter-in-law, and mother of three children. She is the soul of this family. Now that Tao Nanfeng's business is getting bigger and bigger, would he feel like being a burden to Xiang Bei?
Liang Yinzhen had such concerns when she found Tao Nanfeng earlier. Tao Nanfeng is the daughter of a professor. She is well-educated, good-looking, and has a good personality. She is excellent in every way. Although Xiangbei is very good in the eyes of his mother, he is not worthy of Nanfeng in the eyes of outsiders.
When they proposed the marriage, Xiang Yongfu and Liang Yinzhen were very nervous, fearing that Tao Shouxin would not agree.
Fortunately, Tao Shouxin did not despise him and Tao Nanfeng really liked Xiangbei, so the two families became relatives and lived happily together.
And now, what if Tao Nanfeng stands higher and higher? Will all this change?
Liang Yinzhen stood up, her voice dry. She pushed Xiangbei and said, "I'll take care of the child. You and Nanfeng will work together. You have to help her all the time and don't let her suffer outside."
Tao Nanfeng raised his eyes and looked at his father steadily, pouting a little dissatisfiedly: "Dad, what are you talking about? Xiangbei and I are fine. No matter what others say, I only like him."
Tao Shouxin smiled bitterly and said, "Child, I know what I said today was a bit harsh, but honest advice hurts the ear, so you have to listen to me carefully."
Tao Nanfeng was afraid that Xiangbei could not bear these words, so he reached out his hand and interlocked his fingers with his, saying gently: "Don't worry, we will always be together."
It was as if a dye shop had opened in Xiangbei's heart, with red, blue, green, yellow, white, black...all kinds of colors.
There seemed to be colorful spots of light floating in front of his eyes, sometimes rising and sometimes sinking.
The world is changing, the south wind will change, and the north wind must also change!
The author has something to say:
Xiangbei understood Tao Shouxin's painstaking efforts.
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