Zhu Fanfan was dismissed with a few casual words from Grandma Da Mei, and Ye Shuhua slunk away. Grandma Da Mei angrily slammed the door shut, her footsteps making a loud noise, indicating that someone had come to her house. She was now waiting to see what would happen next.
Sure enough, Grandma Da Mei arrived shortly afterward, her face still showing anger. Zhu Fanfan took out some melon seeds and a water glass, knowing that Grandma Da Mei wasn't one to keep quiet; she had to let her anger out.
Perhaps because she didn't want to mention people she disliked, Lin Damei only said one sentence about her daughter-in-law complaining that she didn't help her. The rest of the time she was cursing. While cursing, she told everyone about her family affairs. After she finished, she was so angry that she cursed for an hour without repeating herself.
Fu Minghao and his companion exchanged glances, feeling that this was a family matter and shouldn't be resolved behind closed doors? As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public, and they didn't want to know, fearing that the more they knew, the more wary others would become.
Seeing their expressions, Lin Damei felt embarrassed: "I actually have a pretty good temper. I was just too angry this time, that's why I yelled at them."
Ye Shuhua heard the news from somewhere and thought that Fanfan's maternal grandfather was a high-ranking official in the Political Department. She wanted to get to know him and promote Ming Yunshan. She was completely dumbfounded. She didn't hear that Fanfan's maternal grandfather was from Shanghai. She only heard that he was in the Political Department. She came all the way here to make connections. Wasn't she afraid of being laughed at?
She only said one sentence: the Ye family is a bunch of good-for-nothings, whether they help them or not doesn't matter much. She then went to Yunshu's house again to see if she could persuade the whole Ye family to come down. She was scared away.
Tan Fuya comforted him, saying, "The child is grown up and has his own ideas. After all, you raised him yourself..."
Fu Minghao took the water glass from her: "Fuya, are you thirsty? Drink more water."
Tan Fuya wanted to say something, but Fu Minghao stopped her with a look. Even an upright official can't settle family disputes. It's better to just listen to these things and let it go. Analyzing them for others is easy to offend people. Besides, Lin Damei is obviously still angry and doesn't want to forgive. Wouldn't it be adding fuel to the fire if she tried to persuade her now?
Lin Damei knew what Fuya's sister-in-law wanted to say. She had heard these words of advice to let go so many times that she was tired of them. But she had been wronged. Why should she be expected to let go after she had been wronged and received an apology?
Lin Damei suddenly said, "Actually, my full name is Lin Xuemei, the Xuemei in the poem about plum blossoms: 'Plum blossoms and snow vie for spring, neither willing to yield, poets struggle to find words to describe them. Plum blossoms must concede three parts whiteness to snow, but snow loses a touch of fragrance to plum blossoms.'"
She finished speaking with a touch of nostalgia. It was the only poem she knew. The person said she was like a plum blossom that stands proudly and blooms in winter, possessing an indomitable spirit. The snow falling on the branches only enhances her beauty. The snow and plum blossom complement each other, creating a beautiful scene. There's no need for competition, just like her life. No matter what she encounters along the way, it will all become a scene in her memories, urging her to keep moving forward.
Before, her name was always Lin Daya. Even after she changed her name to Lin Xuemei, everyone still called her Daya. Later, after her strong protest, she changed her name to Lin Damei. Her household registration was Lin Xuemei. She has always been Lin Xuemei. It's just that people are used to calling her Lin Damei. She got used to it after calling her that so many times.
Tan Fuya said, "It is indeed a good name."
Lin Damei said proudly, "That's right. Sister Yan is very knowledgeable. When she named me, she said it was a good name and that it suited me very well."
After saying this, she became somewhat sad: "Before Sister Yan died, she entrusted Ming Yunshan to me and asked me to take good care of him. I did it. Now I have a clear conscience towards him. I have fulfilled Sister Yan's request. I know you all want to say that there is no need for so much fuss among family members. As long as the child you raised knows he is wrong, you should forgive him. But why should my grievances be buried? I have endured half my life and I don't want to die with regrets and a repressed life."
Sister Yan also said that once Ming Yunshan gets married, her responsibility will be over. If he is unfilial, she will pretend that she never raised him. It is better for her to live a good life. The world is not fair to women. They can't make decisions for others, but they can decide their own lives. When they have the ability, they should think more about themselves.
Fu Minghao remarked with a touch of melancholy: "Does the responsibility disappear once the children grow up?"
Lin Damei naturally agreed: "The children are married and have children, so they are adults. Their lives have begun. We, as parents, have done everything we can for them. Are we supposed to take care of them for the rest of their lives? How can we possibly take care of them all?"
When it's time to step back from a child's life, you have to let them grow on their own. If you keep controlling them, they'll never be able to wean themselves, and you'll have to face resentment later. Take that old lady from the Jiang family, for example. She may seem powerful now, but she'll get what's coming to her.
Tan Fuya disagreed: "That's a boy. If it were a girl, wouldn't we have to take care of her for the rest of our lives?"
Lin Damei disagreed even more: "Girls don't need to be cared about. Look at girls nowadays, which one spends the New Year at her parents' home? People still call her 'my little wife' or 'my woman.' Have you ever seen a man called 'my man'? They all just call him by his name. When she dies, she's buried in her husband's grave. Who would be buried in her parents' home?"
It's not that people are biased towards sons; it's because men and women are fundamentally different, and this has been the case since ancient times. No matter how progressive one's thinking becomes, things ingrained in one's bones are not so easy to change.
The Fu couple fell silent. They asked themselves honestly, and they had done everything they could for them, protecting them until they got married and had children. Just the fact that they welcomed the dawn of a new era in Shanghai, considering how many people died in the month before the liberation of Shanghai, was a blessing in itself.
Lin Damei sighed: "Girls are different from boys. They are more sensitive. If you treat them too well, they will get used to it and take you for granted that you will be their way out. That's why they are so unscrupulous and know what to say and do to make their parents soften. Daughters have their parents completely under their thumb."
Landlords often say that you can't overfeed a dog or treat a person too well. This applies to children as well. She was too good to Ming Yunshan, which is why he thought she would forgive him no matter what he did. Meanwhile, Yunshu was always neglected, but he was always the most filial and considerate.
I don't know what happened to the Fu family. Old Zhu only said that the four daughters of the Fu family were all unfilial and asked her to persuade the couple. How could she persuade people? She herself was confused about the children's affairs.
The conversation ended in silence, broken only by the clicking sounds of people cracking sunflower seeds.
Da Mei immediately snatched the sunflower seeds away: "Fanfan, if you want to eat them, tell Grandma Da Mei and I'll peel them for you. Don't break your little teeth."
Zhu Fanfan protested: "I'm almost three years old, I can crack sunflower seeds by myself."
Da Mei wouldn't listen: "We're counting by one year now, you're not even two yet. Don't listen to your grandpa saying you have to do everything yourself, that's just him being lazy."
Zhu Fanfan shook her head, saying that eating sunflower seeds is naturally more enjoyable when you crack them yourself.
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