"Have you said enough?" Gu Nuan’s mother finally spoke up, glaring at her husband, "They’re married already, what do you want to do? They’re going to have a baby, do you want them to get divorced? Do you want your grandchild to be fatherless?"
Her words hit the nail on the head. She didn’t start with any praise for her son-in-law, knowing Gu Nuan’s father wouldn’t be receptive at that moment. It was better to douse him with the cold water of reality and clear his mind.
Ordinary parents all think this way, reasoning and pleading, for the sake of their descendants, to just get by. After all, couples are like that, muddling along; you can’t expect too much.
Gu Nuan’s father understood all this, so when his wife threw that cold water on him, he was immediately left speechless.
He opened his mouth wanting to say something but couldn’t.
Seeing his father-in-law’s expression, Xiao Yebai suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt and heartache. If he were a father someday and heard that some man had taken his daughter away without his permission, wouldn’t he also feel heartbroken?
He actually liked his unsophisticated and straightforward father-in-law. He was the kind of man Xiao Yebai appreciated. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Gu Nuan’s father couldn’t accept it emotionally for the moment, but in front of so many people, could he just avoid it? Seemingly abruptly, he turned and walked outside.
Gu Nuan was about to get up when her mother grabbed her and said, "Don’t you know your father’s temper? Let him blow off some steam. In a while, he’ll realize he’s making an unreasonable fuss, and he’ll cool off on his own."
Indeed, that was just the kind of person Gu Nuan’s father was. When he got angry at home and nobody agreed with him, he would just go out for a stroll. Eventually, he would come to his senses and return home. The rest of the family would pretend nothing happened, so as to save his face, and he would then let it go, choosing to forget about it on his own.
Marriage is about gradually finding harmony through mutual concessions. Gu Nuan’s mother and father had maintained a peaceful coexistence over the years by giving each other this kind of space.
Xiao Yebai watched his father-in-law’s retreating figure and a flicker passed through his eyes.
In no time, Gu Nuan’s father walked out of the house, went downstairs, and squatted on the curb of the main road in front of the old building at the entrance to their home.
At that moment, Gu Nuan’s father didn’t know where to go, who to turn to. He really had no idea. Should he confide his troubles to an old friend? But he didn’t even know how to express this kind of trouble. It just seemed to him that young people nowadays, unlike their older generation, were too independent. They get married just like that, without even informing their parents first, completely neglecting the fact that parents have cherished and protected their children for so many years. The children don’t even consider their parents’ feelings, thinking their affairs don’t need to be shared with them.
Of course, when children grow up and their wings are strong, they must fly high.
This was exactly what Gu Nuan’s father felt bitter about. No wonder old folks say, daughters are like water splashed away, married off without a second thought for their parents. If his son were still alive, would he have done the same?
He didn’t want to think about it anymore.
Gu Nuan’s father felt in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, then remembered Gu Nuan’s mother had warned him not to smoke today because they had two guests who looked like patients, and smoking is harmful to their health. The cigarettes from his pocket had been locked away in the drawer by Gu Nuan’s mother.
With a taste of bitterness in his mouth, Gu Nuan’s father licked his lips. He gazed at the flow of traffic on the road, feeling utterly lost.
The Gu family lived in the old downtown area, in a part that had been forgotten, so almost everyone who had some money had moved to the newly built houses in the new district. This was mainly because the new district had better community management. In this old downtown area, with no community management, issues like garbage and security made living here less safe and comfortable. Only those without money were left behind, like abandoned trash, stranded here.