Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Everyone’s Back
There’s a saying, what is it called?
“Dig your own grave!”
Gu Beihuai had never anticipated that his curiosity would leave him caught between a rock and a hard place.
He obediently watched Tang Chuxia demonstrate what “crying and laughing at the same time” truly meant.
After the whole process finished, Gu Beihuai felt he would never be able to look at Tang Chuxia the same way again.
Her ingenious use was kind of…
Tang Chuxia didn’t care what Gu Beihuai thought, she declared, “How about that? Doesn’t it make you feel even happier!”
Actually, there wasn’t a need to insist on letting him know all these things.
He always felt that something bad was going to happen, but that was just his personal speculation.
The couple’s playful antics went uninterrupted, but soon it was Madam Tang’s birthday, and Tang Chuxia was busy preparing the house and greeting relatives who came over.
Birthdays that are multiples of nine, especially for those older than thirty, are particularly significant.
It’s said to signify a life stage.
It’s a bit of a metaphysical concept.
Whether it made sense or not, Tang Chuxia was going to help Madam Tang celebrate properly, as it was a chance to show filial piety.
Tang Jianbing was also busy helping out.
Once all the preparations were complete, the guests began to arrive one after another.
Because for birthdays like these, gifts weren’t required; it was all about personal sentiment. It was good to bring a gift if one could afford it, but some would just come to eat without bringing anything.
It was about bringing blessings to Madam Tang, all requiring a warm and welcoming face.
What surprised Tang Chuxia was that at Madam Tang’s birthday banquet, many people she didn’t recognize came, people not found in the original host’s memories, likely friends from Madam Tang’s younger days.
Sure enough, someone mentioned they were schoolmates of Madam Tang.
Tang Chuxia mused that without Father Tang holding her back, Madam Tang’s life must have been carefree.
The atmosphere finally reached its liveliest when Xue Zhanyi arrived.
Tang Chuxia sat next to Gu Beihuai, “What gift did you prepare?”
Gu Beihuai mysteriously replied, “I won’t tell you!”
Tang Chuxia: …So childish.
But what if I’m really curious?
Never mind what Gu Beihuai prepared, even Tang Chuxia’s gift was highly anticipated.
Before the feast began, Madam Tang thanked everyone, and finally someone shouted, “What did your son-in-law give you?”
Sons-in-law are said to be like half a son to their fathers-in-law, and the same goes for mothers-in-law.
Indeed, Madam Tang still didn’t know what Gu Beihuai would gift her, but as long as he gave something, there wouldn’t be any issue. She wasn’t the kind of mother-in-law fixated on material things.
“A washboard, a new one!”
When Gu Beihuai brought out the washboard, Father Tang’s expression darkened.
So this son-in-law was trying to ingratiate himself with the mother-in-law, but at the expense of his father-in-law?
Isn’t that a bit too harsh?
Everyone was amused by Gu Beihuai’s gift, and even Tang Chuxia was taken aback, with a look of astonishment.
She gazed at Gu Beihuai with eyes filled with wonder.
The key was that Gu Beihuai didn’t think there was anything wrong at all.
He proudly said, “Aunt Lan, you might think this is just a washboard, but it’s carved from jade, it will never wear out!”
To please his mother-in-law at the expense of his father-in-law, Gu Beihuai was still too naive.
The festivities were too much, and Tang Chuxia felt some sympathy for Father Tang.
Days like these were probably a rare occurrence for him.
Regardless of what Tang Chuxia thought, Madam Tang appreciated Gu Beihuai’s agreeability.
Father Tang nearly chased after Gu Beihuai in a fury, which was just too exasperating.
“You can’t just laugh at my expense, what gift have you prepared?”
Gu Beihuai stood beside Tang Chuxia, face full of curiosity. The most update n0vels are published on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝
Tang Chuxia simply wouldn’t tell her.
The gift for Madam Tang, after much consideration by Tang Chuxia, was ultimately decided to be a travelogue.
After Madam Tang retired, she could use it as a guide for her travels, and Tang Chuxia had even provided a certain amount of funds for each destination.
This was definitely an indulgence others couldn’t enjoy.
Leaving aside whether the gift was expensive or not, considering the thoughtfulness, probably very few people could match it.
Madam Tang was naturally moved, but she didn’t plan to make it public because she didn’t want Father Tang to know about her plans, as she had yet to decide whether to go on her own or with him.
Madam Tang’s birthday was a joyous affair with many guests.
Once the birthday celebration was over, Tang Chuxia could finally relax and focus on preparing for school.
Tang Jianbing also decided to accept the offer from the factory to study abroad.
This was a significant matter, and Tang Chuxia called all three brothers.
The three brothers were of course going to see Tang Jianbing off, because who knew what could happen abroad—it was better to gather together.
It just so happened that their return coincided with around the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
Tang Chuxia looked at the date on the calendar and fell into an eerie silence.
She was contemplating something.
If anything really did happen on that day, with all her brothers at home, Father Tang and Madam Tang should be able to cope, right?
Tang Chuxia wasn’t sure, but she instinctively hoped that the Tang Family wouldn’t suffer too much.
Time flew, and on the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, the eldest brother and sister-in-law came home first.
Then the second brother and the third brother arrived.
That day, the Tang Family was incredibly lively, even more so than on Madam Tang’s birthday.
Madam Tang was very happy, always smiling.
It was evident how much the presence of the children affected their elders.
“Third Brother, I want to ask you something, why haven’t you let me go out recently?”
Tang Chuxia leaned into Tang Jianzheng, curious.
Tang Jianzheng tapped Tang Chuxia’s forehead, “Do you really not know?”
His rhetorical question was well used, causing Tang Chuxia to roll her eyes. If she knew, would she have asked him?
The key point was that tomorrow was the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and Tang Chuxia was wondering if she could really be in danger.
“I just want to make sure you’re okay,” said Jianzheng.
“I’m not going to let you go out, I’m going to keep you here,” said Jianzheng.
“I’m not going to let you go out, I’m going to keep you here,” said Jianzheng.
Tang Chuxia sighed, feeling that living comfortably in this world like a salted fish just wasn’t that easy.
“Third Brother, what do you think, if I died, would they still pay attention to our family?”
Tang Chuxia said offhandedly, resulting in a slap on the back from Tang Jianzheng.
“Ptui, ptui, ptui—don’t talk like that!”