Chapter 40 What's the matter?

Seeing Su Taotao so serious, it might not be a trivial matter. Fu Zhengtu's eyes sank and asked, "What is it?"

Su Taotao didn't beat around the bush and directly took out a letter from the drawer:

"Before I met you, I was dating someone in the city. Well, we weren't really dating, but we were childhood sweethearts and grew up together. Our parents had a good relationship, and we lived in the same alley. Everyone assumed that we would be a couple when we grew up, but we didn't expect to encounter the Down to the Countryside Movement, and we were assigned to two different places.

Not long after I went to the countryside, I married you despite my family's opposition. My family cut off contact with me, and they also cut off contact with him. Recently, I don't know how he got my contact information, but he found me again. He said something about me being treacherous and hoped to renew our relationship, but I didn't reply him.

I just think you have the right to know about this matter, and I don't want others to use this matter to make a fuss and sow discord between us. I thought about returning to the city before, but not to continue any previous relationship with him. Strictly speaking, our relationship started with love and ended with courtesy, so it can't be considered a previous relationship."

This statement is also a mixture of truth and falsehood based on the plot and the character of "Su Taotao". Su Taotao has no choice. It is impossible for her to cut off contact with her parents' family for her entire life. This incident is like a time bomb. If it is not defuse in time, it will cause new conflicts at any time.

Su Taotao did not lie about her childhood sweetheart. Nowadays, men and women are very cautious about each other, and Su's mother was very strict. The two of them had never even held hands. "Su Taotao" was good-looking, and many people liked her openly or secretly. She was the kind of princess who was ready to sell herself, enjoying others' flattery while not caring about them herself. Except for the time she met Fu Zhengtu and became obsessed with him, she had never let any man other than Fu Zhengtu touch her.

Su Taotao wanted to take advantage of the fact that there was no affection between the two of them, as these words would be easier to say, so she made it clear up front. If they accepted it, they would accept it, and if they didn't accept it, they wouldn't accept it. She had said it in advance, and no one could expect to settle the score with her later.

She would have to take him back to her parents' home one day, and these rumors would eventually reach his ears. Now that things had come to this, he might as well dismantle this time bomb himself.

Hearing Su Taotao say "I'll marry you despite my family's opposition and cut off all ties with them", Fu Zhengtu's eyes grew even darker. He still didn't know why she was so obsessed with marrying him. Actually, there was no point in bringing up the past. This marriage had already exceeded his expectations. She was a better wife than he had imagined, and it was he who had not done well enough.

Fu Zhengtu did not open the letter and put it back in her hand: "I understand."

Su Taotao thought he would ask something or say something, but he asked nothing and said nothing.

Su Taotao took back the letter and laughed at herself. She didn't know whether to say that he was mature and would not delve into the matter, or whether to say that she, as his wife, actually meant nothing to him. He might not be interested in her affairs at all, or it might be that they didn't matter to him at all.

Or maybe she doesn't need to explain at all, forget it, it doesn't matter.

She was overthinking it. She even went back to her parents' home with him. She was also worried that he would have some thoughts after hearing the rumors. In her last life, when love was free, she had searched for love for more than 20 years but had never found it. In this life, getting married blindly was even harder than winning the lottery.

What are you thinking about?

Forget it, just think of it as finding a high-quality legal sex partner and get by with it.

Su Taotao calmly turned around and put the letter away: "Let's go out for dinner." Then, she turned around and opened the door.

Fu Zhengtu felt that her aura seemed to have changed. She was still the same face that smiled before speaking, but her eyes were cold and distant.

This feeling continued until the end of dinner without any change. Fu Zhengtu also realized that this indifference and alienation was only directed at him. She was as warm and affectionate as ever to her son, and treated Zhou Linglan and Fu Yuanhang almost the same as usual.

After dinner, she was still thinking about the piece of meat that Uncle Fu had sent her. Before dinner, she asked Zhou Linglan to put it in brine to cook it, and now it was just the right time for Fu Zhengtu to take it to Cao Guohua.

Fu Zhengtu had no way to ask about Su Taotao's change, or he didn't know where to start, as he didn't really understand much about lesbians.

Fu Zhengtu went back to his room, picked up a few packs of cigarettes and a chess set, and knocked on the cowshed door.

Cao Guohua was already used to Su Taotao sending him things from time to time, so he opened the door without asking.

It took a while for her to react after looking at the tall and handsome man at the door, and she showed a happy expression: "Zhengtu?"

Fu Zhengtu nodded: "Uncle Cao, it's me."

Cao Guohua was obviously very happy and patted Fu Zhengtu on the shoulder affectionately: "It's good that you're back. Your mother and Xiao Su don't have to work so hard anymore."

"Sit down." Cao Guohua pointed to the only stool in the house, which was missing a leg and needed to be leaned against the doorstep.

Fu Zhengtu handed the things in his hand to him and sat down readily.

Cao Guohua didn't bother to be polite. He took it and looked at it. He left the chess set and took out a pack of cigarettes and threw it on the table. He was a little surprised to see the brined meat and asked Fu Zhengtu, "Why are you sending brined meat to us at this time?"

The meat had already been delivered once at dinner time.

Fu Zhengtu: "Borrowing flowers to pay respect to Buddha, that's what Xiao Su meant."

Xiao Su...

Fu Zhengtu then remembered that he seemed to have never called Su Taotao. In front of outsiders, Xiao Su seemed pretty good.

Cao Guohua did not continue to ask who he borrowed the flowers from. He knew Su Taotao's personality. If she dared to send them back, she would just throw them into the trash can. If there was something to eat, she would just eat it. There was no need to waste such a gift.

Cao Guohua put the things in the "kitchen" and after a while, brought over two bowls of tea.

"Take a taste, it's not bad. Thanks to your wife, I can drink good tea in this shabby place."

Su Taotao never mentioned the origin of her and Cao Guohua, and Fu Zhengtu didn't know about it. He thought she was instructed by Zhou Linglan to take care of Cao Guohua.

"You married a good wife, so you don't need to be away from home for several years."

Fu Zhengtu: “No more.”

Fu Zhengtu discovered that everyone who was familiar with Su Taotao praised her in different ways, whether it was her family, people in the state-owned hotel, and now even Cao Guohua.

Thinking of her cold and distant eyes, Fu Zhengtu didn't know how he had offended her.

Cao Guohua has already set up the chessboard: "I haven't played for many years, I don't know if I can still play, come on."

After that, he lit up another cigarette and took a deep puff: "I haven't smoked for many years."

As he said this, he pushed the cigarette to Fu Zhengtu.

Fu Zhengtu shook his head. He didn't have a smoking habit. He would only take a puff when he was particularly irritated. These packs of cigarettes were given to him by someone else, and he didn't want to smoke now.

Knowing that Fu Zhengtu didn't like small talk, the two of them played the whole game of chess in silence without saying another word.

In the end, Cao Guohua lost and said with emotion: "I have never beaten you once in all these years, and you didn't even give me a chance."

"How long do you plan to stay here?" Fu Zhengtu asked.

Cao Guohua lit another cigarette and shook his head: "I don't know, it's pretty good here."

Fu Zhengtu looked at him intently: "It wasn't your fault. Even if you want to atone for your sin, these many years are enough."

Cao Guohua lowered his eyes, his expression was gloomy and unclear, and finally shook his head: "Zhengtu, some things are not about right or wrong, but about the result. The bad result is caused by me, and I can't feel at ease. You don't need to persuade me. I will leave here when I figure it out."

Fu Zhengtu didn't say anything else.

Cao Guohua asked again: "When are you leaving?"

Fu Zhengtu: “The day after tomorrow.”

Cao Guohua was stunned for a moment: "So fast? Where are Xiao Su and Chen Chen?"

Fu Zhengtu: "They came with me. Xiaohang should also receive a more systematic education. Mother refused to go."

Cao Guohua comforted him: "That's OK. I'm still here. Nothing will go wrong."

The two played another game of chess, chatting casually. After the game, it was time for Fu Zhengtu to leave, but the chess pieces stayed behind.

It seemed like Fu Zhengtu said something during this trip, but it also seemed like he said nothing.

When I got home, Su Taotao had already turned off the lights and gone to bed.

The moonlight tonight was still very good. Fu Zhengtu could see Su Taotao's fair face and slightly wrinkled brows through the moonlight. She was not sleeping soundly and seemed very unhappy.

Fu Zhengtu couldn't help but think of Cao Guohua's last words: "Be nice to Xiao Su, she deserves it."

She deserves it.

But how should I treat her well?