Chapter 102: The Effect She Wanted

Tang Xin handed each of several children a candy, and they were delighted.

Though during the New Year there was no shortage of pastry and sweets, even village goods could not compare with the gifts sent from the provincial capital by her sister-in-law.

Li Xihua did not show her joy as openly as her younger sister did, but in her heart she was just as pleased, saying it was only an old quilted cotton coat.

In fact, that piece of clothing was not much worse than the new one she had had made years ago.

Since the year she married, her mother had made her an entirely new outfit from head to toe, and in all these years she had hardly worn anything decent.

After some polite greetings, Mrs. Fang asked what Tang Xin’s parents had written in their letter.

She had no wish to pry into her daughter-in-law’s private affairs; it was just ordinary gossip, and she had no intention of forcing an answer.

Yet Tang Xin, suddenly resolving to do so, decided to speak openly to her mother-in-law.

She had already made up her mind to sever ties with her father, so there was no need to maintain his good image in her husband’s house any longer; she could not reveal everything at once.

Still, dropping a few remarks in front of her mother-in-law to tarnish that scoundrel’s good reputation was necessary.

“You mean your parents have treated you kindly and never looked down on us,” Mrs. Fang said, smiling broadly.
“I know my mother is kind to me. My father—”

“What’s wrong with your father?” Mrs. Fang asked automatically, then noticed the daughter-in-law’s face had lost some of its brightness.

She regretted it immediately; this was none of her business, and she ought not to have asked so much. She wanted to make amends, but she did not know what to say.

Yet Tang Xin did not appear to mind and replied, “My father is a particular man. He doesn’t share many things with us. And besides, he is always busy with work, so he barely involves himself with my mother and me.”

Mrs. Fang nodded in agreement. “That’s true. A man must earn a living, but a woman managing a whole household is busy too.”

So they did not talk much further. Tang Xin then said she was going to the commune to call her mother.

Of course Li Sheng went with her; as a son-in-law, he should personally speak with his mother-in-law.

Though Tang Xin’s words were vague, Mrs. Fang understood the drift. Her own father was the kind of man who did all the outside work and did nothing at home.

Even without big matters to handle, there was still relentless work every day inside and out.
If a man does not help, relying on a mother-in-law alone is truly exhausting.

Li Zhirong was much the same sort of man. Fortunately, though he was not a talker, he did not do less housework.

Compared with him, the girl’s father looked all the worse, and Mrs. Fang’s earlier good impression of him faded greatly.

She had no idea this was exactly the reaction Tang Xin had hoped for.

When Mrs. Fang asked her to mention a little more personally to her mother in her reply, it was true that a woman running a large household was never having an easy time.

Tang Xin nodded quickly. Her mother-in-law was kind and good-hearted, and she believed she would later get along well with her own mother.

The next day, Li Sheng borrowed a bicycle and took his wife to the commune to make the call.

The call was placed directly to Tang’s father’s office, where Tang’s mother happened to be, and the two answered together.

Strangely enough, Tang’s mother had written the time in her letter as the planned hour of the call—set after the New Year at her husband’s office.
The letter arrived late, yet Tang Xin received it before the appointed time.

So she remained confident: between her and her mother there was enough deep bond for things to go smoothly, just as she had hoped.

Tang’s father had been in a bad mood lately, especially after learning that his daughter and son-in-law were calling him without inviting Meng Jia.

His annoyance only deepened, but he also knew he must not lose face before the son-in-law, so he did not say a word and handed the receiver to his wife.

Before she could even begin speaking, as soon as she heard his daughter’s voice, Tang’s mother began to choke with tears.

“Mother, please don’t cry. Don’t worry—I’m doing well here.”
Tang Xin insisted again and again, trying to comfort her mother.

She told her that the man she had married was a good one and that her father-in-law and mother-in-law had all been kind to her.

Fearing her mother might not believe her, she asked Li Sheng to speak to her as well.

But Li Sheng was usually talkative only with his wife; in front of others he was silent as a post.

By a twist of fate, that only seemed to endear him all the more to Tang’s mother.

She liked a young man who did real work and spoke little. At first, when her daughter had insisted on marrying in the countryside and she worried that her daughter might be wronged, she had been resentful.

Now that she learned her daughter had truly married a worthy man, she was naturally happy.

Yet happiness did not make easy conversation any easier between mother-in-law and son-in-law, and Li Sheng was not a man skilled at dealing with women.

They did not exchange many words; in the end Li Sheng ended with, “Mother, don’t worry. I will care for Tang Xin well.”

“Don’t worry?”
A mother, no matter how proud, always frets for her child’s whole life. How could she ever truly set her heart at ease?

Still, compared with before the call, her mood was much better.

To be honest, she had passed an unhappy New Year, always finding excuses to refuse everything.

Then, when the holiday came, Old Tang insisted he must not let a benefactor feel ignored, could not leave that poor orphaned widow pitiably alone, and forcedly brought Mother Meng into the house for the New Year.

Outwardly, there was nothing improper between the two; it was ordinary companionship, so no one could really accuse them of anything else.

Tang’s mother blamed herself, thinking perhaps she was not generous enough; that old woman had repelled her again and again.

So when she received her daughter’s call, she nearly could not hold back and almost cried in front of her.

Yet she said nothing, lest she worry Tang Xin.

Suddenly, from the other end, she heard her daughter’s words:

“Mom, I know your days are not good now. Don’t worry—I will come back and rescue you.”

Tang said it so quickly that if her mother had not been listening closely, she might have missed it. Then, as if changing tone, Tang Xin cheerfully spoke of ordinary happy moments from daily life.

Though gentle and enduring, Tang’s mother was not foolish. After so many years, she was no fool, so she asked no questions; she simply began talking with her daughter in return.

Though full of doubt, she at least regained a little hope for life.

At least her daughter had become more sensible than before.

Before, it had seemed as if her mind had been snared, and she treated Meng Jia as her one true friend. Even though her mother noticed the uneasy undercurrent between the two women, she could not bring herself to speak of it in front of her daughter.

That child Tang was so innocent and good-hearted that her mother could not bear to change her.

But now her daughter had changed of her own will and grown much more mature. Tang’s mother was, of course, happy.

She was convinced it was Li Sheng—the man herself had taken as a son-in-law—who had changed her daughter, and her regard for him only improved.