I will love you in my own way.
"Is Liu Peng's printing factory an empty factory?"
Xu Tangmian, heavily pregnant, paced back and forth in the office, looking puzzled: "So he's deliberately trying to go against us by asking for more money? I don't understand, where does he get so much money?"
As Yu Chunsheng listened to his wife's complaints, the image of Xu Zhilian's forced smile that he had seen in Beiping inexplicably popped into his mind.
In his previous life, he had only been searching for soap pods for a few minutes when the little clothes appeared out of thin air in the basin. He knew that someone had framed him, but at the time he couldn't figure out who had done it.
Later, Liu Xingyao also came to the farm, but not as a rural resident; he came to "report" the wrongdoing.
At the time, many people were reporting on Kong Lin, and he came with a pile of materials, threatening to expose his true colors at Peking University. When he was received by the relevant personnel, Liu Xingyao recounted a series of events, including how Kong Lin had been sending documents to China that were not available domestically during his time in the Soviet Union.
This was obviously a diversionary tactic. If he hadn't come here, even if his father had worked in the relevant position, he wouldn't have been able to see the Confucius Cemetery.
The two met briefly, given only two minutes by the guards. Upon their next meeting, Liu Xingyao subtly told Kong Lin that the local woman he had helped wash clothes with was now with Xu Zhilian.
Kong Lin ended up in this predicament because he helped that woman wash her clothes. As his friend, Xu Zhilian doesn't necessarily have to stand up for him like Liu Xingyao did; at least he could understand Kong Lin distancing himself from that situation. But being with that woman inevitably raises questions.
He had thought of it, and Liu Xingyao had thought of it too, but before Liu Xingyao could find out the truth and tell him, he hanged himself.
Yu Chunsheng tapped the table rhythmically with two fingers, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking at that moment.
Wang Youli stood in the office with his hands naturally folded, unsure whether to stay or leave.
Tired of standing, he scratched his forehead and chuckled twice. Only then did Yu Chunsheng notice Wang Youli standing in the office, and his expression froze: "You haven't left yet?"
Wang Youli was bewildered. "Huh? I was waiting for your orders!"
Yu Chunsheng was amused by him and waved his hand: "You should go back first. It's hard on you to make this trip on the first day of the Lunar New Year."
"Factory manager, what are you saying? You pay me to do things, and besides, we're all from the same factory. I can't let those swordsmen mess with our factory!"
After Wang Youli left, Yu Chunsheng got up and walked to his wife by the window, helping her to sit down in a chair. "You've been gone for so long, take a rest."
Xu Tangmian sat down, her eyes still fixed on the view outside the window. As she watched Wang Youli's bicycle figure grow smaller and smaller, she turned her gaze back to her husband in front of her.
Yu Chunsheng did not answer her question, presumably for his own reasons. As a couple, they should not have engaged in any deception; he probably didn't want her to worry.
But if she didn't say anything, leaving her to overthink would only make her more worried, so she might as well just make things clear. Xu Tangmian coughed twice and was about to ask when Yu Chunsheng bent down and picked up the thermos to add hot water for her.
He picked up the teacup, blew on it twice, and explained, "It's hot, blow on it before you drink."
That's quite thoughtful... Xu Tangmian was touched but also a little speechless. "I didn't want water. I wanted to ask you what you think about Liu Peng's matter?"
Yu Chunsheng didn't answer her directly. Instead, he pulled a stool over from the side with one hand while holding his teacup and sat down next to her. He asked her meaningfully, "I've never asked you before, what's your grandmother's name?"
"Liu Yufen," Xu Tangmian answered without hesitation, then frowned and asked, "Why are you asking about this?"
"Liu Yufen?" Yu Chunsheng clicked his tongue and asked again, "What about your grandparents' relationship?"
“My grandfather doted on my grandmother and never let her do any housework. After my father was born, he was very distressed and said he didn’t want any more children.”
"You're picking me?" Yu Chunsheng, who was lost in thought, suddenly realized and smiled as he reached out and stroked her belly. "We won't have any more after this one."
"Even if you want to have a child, we won't let you," Xu Tangmian chuckled. "The policy doesn't allow it."
Unless the first child is a daughter.
Yu Chunsheng had also thought of this, and said with a slight smile, "Even if the policy allows it, we won't have any more children after this one."
"Why?" Xu Tangmian grew up in a very happy family. Although she was an only child, she often envied those who had older brothers and sisters when she was a child.
"What if it's a daughter? Should we still not have another one?" Xu Tangmian asked him.
"A daughter is fine, she looks like you, isn't that great?" Yu Chunsheng said with a smile.
"I've heard that daughters resemble their fathers and sons resemble their mothers," Xu Tangmian said earnestly, recalling where she had heard this saying.
"Really? That's fine too. You look like me and you're not ugly." Yu Chunsheng got up and walked to the window to look at his reflection in the glass.
Yu Chunsheng was handsome, and Xu Tangmian never worried about her child's appearance. Whether it was out of approval of his looks or approval of her own, she had never been concerned about his appearance.
She leaned closer and asked him expectantly, "Do you prefer a boy or a girl?"
Yu Chunsheng was about to speak when he suddenly choked up, cautiously pointing with his eyes to her stomach, "Can it hear me?"
"Five months, maybe that'll be enough."
Just when Xu Tangmian thought that Yu Chunsheng was doing this because he was afraid that no matter which answer he gave, the baby in his belly was someone else, and he would settle accounts with him after the baby was born, she saw Yu Chunsheng approaching her with a relaxed expression.
He let out a long sigh, then lowered his head and pressed it against her stomach, saying, "I'm not afraid you'll hear me, you'd better be a girl. If you're a boy, you'll be in big trouble later."
...It seems their preferences are quite obvious.
She was quite satisfied with this aspect; Yu Chunsheng didn't have any preference for sons over daughters. Besides, even if he had already died once, was carrying on the family line really that important to him?
Since the topic had come up, Xu Tangmian's thoughts wandered again, and she asked him rather leisurely, "Have you thought about what to name the child?"
Yu Chunsheng's eyes lit up, and he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "I really hadn't thought about that. What about you? Do you have any ideas?"
"Yes, since I have nothing to do right now," Xu Tangmian answered honestly. "It's just that different surnames sound different when you call a name. Are you planning to use the surname Yu or Kong?"
Yu Chunsheng's eyes widened as if he had heard something incredible, and he said exaggeratedly, "Your surname is Xu and my surname is Yu. If the child's surname is Kong, people will think we are a blended family."
Xu Tangmian was amused by him, and after calming down, she took his hand and asked naturally, "I was just worried that you might have some thoughts, like having a child with the surname Kong, so that he could recognize his ancestors or something."
Yu Chunsheng didn't take it to heart. "Our ancestral graves were bombed during the war, so we don't need to pay attention to them. But," he changed the subject, "the surname Xu is not bad. But don't use a name like Xu Tongtong, it's too rustic, your current name sounds better."
Xu Tangmian kicked him in anger and teased him on purpose: "So you want my grandfather to carry on the family line."
“There are plenty of people with the surname Xu in the world, who said he would pass it down?” Yu Chunsheng knew she was joking, but he still looked disdainful.
He then asked, "Do you know how your grandmother, your grandfather, got together with your grandfather back then, whether she was a local from Beiping or somewhere else?"
Xu Tangmian is a simple person; she answers whatever people ask without hesitation. Although Yu Chunsheng's question was a bit off-topic, she still thought carefully before answering him: "No way... I seem to remember my dad or grandma saying that grandma used to herd sheep when she was little, and only after she and grandpa returned to the city did they have a better life."
Herding sheep? Yu Chunsheng thought for a moment. Since it was herding sheep, it must be in the countryside. Considering that she and Liu Peng had the same surname, as well as the common surnames in the nearby villages, his guess was almost certainly correct.
He rested his elbow on the table, propped his chin on his hand, and looked at Xu Tangmian with a faint, amused smile on his lips. He said narcissistically, "What would you think if I said that I felt your grandmother used to have feelings for me?"
Xu Tangmian's standard smile vanished abruptly, her lips twitching: "You didn't say that just because I said you wanted my grandfather to carry on the family line, did you?"
Yu Chunsheng frowned, his face showing undisguised worry: "What's wrong? Do you feel nauseous?"
"That's not entirely true..." Xu Tangmian stammered, her mind elsewhere, "You...you didn't..."
As husband and wife, Yu Chunsheng knew perfectly well what she was thinking with that brain full of color waste. He immediately denied it: "No, I don't even know her name. I only met her once."
"That's alright." Xu Tangmian shrugged and relaxed. "So what did you mean just now? You've met my grandmother before? What did she say to you?"
"I'm just guessing." Yu Chunsheng omitted the ending of the story from back then and only told her the story of when they first arrived at the farm. After listening to the end, Xu Tangmian nodded and said affirmatively, "That must be my grandmother. I remember my grandfather also mentioned this part."
"I didn't expect my grandfather to be so devoted." Xu Tangmian looked on with envy, then turned to Yu Chunsheng and gazed at him longingly: "Although my grandfather may not be a very good person, he was absolutely perfect when it came to my grandmother. Would you... treat me like my grandfather treated my grandmother?"
Yu Chunsheng was speechless for a moment, and his silence made Xu Tangmian feel a little uneasy.
Yu Chunsheng's original intention was that perhaps it was Xu Zhilian's love that made him add some negative thoughts he had accumulated over the years, which led him to finally have evil intentions and not hesitate to harm his former classmate.
Could he promise such love? Yu Chunsheng was naturally unwilling.
Seeing Xu Tangmian's tense face and flustered eyes, Yu Chunsheng belatedly realized that his silence had hurt her. He immediately stood up, bent down, hugged her, gently kissed her forehead, and then knelt on one knee to solemnly say:
"I will love you in my own way."
Xu Tangmian assumed that he still hated his grandfather and didn't want her to compare the two of them, so she said apologetically, "It's my fault, I... I won't ask that again."
"Don't overthink it." Yu Chunsheng smiled, rubbed her head, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and handed it to her. "It's not hot anymore, drink it."
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