Chapter 115: Growing Old Without Contact

Tang Xin smiled and said, "Mother, I want to hear stories about Brother Lisheng when he was a child. Could you tell me some?"

Fang was delighted and decided to tell them slowly. Her husband and their children were her entire world, the anchor of her existence. She remembered every detail of her eldest son’s life, the one she was so proud of. She told her daughter-in-law to go wash her face first so they could chat while eating. There were simply too many stories; Fang feared a whole morning wouldn't be enough.

In truth, Lisheng’s childhood was typical for a sensible boy. By the age of four or five, he was already helping his older sister with chores. As he grew, he helped his parents carry water and work in the fields. When he was just a teenager, he began working in the fields alongside his father, earning a full adult's share of work points. Later, his intelligence led him to learn how to drive, and at fifteen or sixteen, he was selected for the transport team, spending his days traveling and working hard. Thinking of this, Fang felt a pang of sympathy for her eldest son.

During the two years when the family faced hardship, her husband had withered with worry. Fang knew well that if it hadn't been for their capable son, her husband would never have survived those dark times. The family of eight owed their survival to him.

Tang Xin, understanding Fang's maternal heart, comforted her: "They say that after enduring the bitterest of hardships, one can rise above the rest. Mother, don't worry. Lisheng’s career will surely thrive. You and Father will have a good life following him." She added, "In the future, when we move to the city for work, you and Father will come to live with us."

Fang was stunned. She was used to her younger daughter, Liyue, constantly talking about marrying a city man and moving away, but she had never truly believed it possible. Yet, hearing it from her daughter-in-law, Fang didn't find the words arrogant. For some reason, she felt that her son and daughter-in-law might actually achieve it. She began to daydream, though the elderly couple had never left the home they had lived in their entire lives.

Would they even get used to life in the city? Fang smiled at herself for being as foolish as a child. With so many city-bred educated youth being sent down to the countryside, how could humble peasants like them ever expect to move into the city? Still, many people found success in the city but refused to let their parents in the countryside even visit for a meal. That Tang Xin would speak such sincere words warmed Fang’s heart.

As the two women ate and chatted, they laughed over the trivialities of household life. Tang Xin realized her mother-in-law was a woman of refined taste; even the hardships she described were turned into humorous anecdotes. Looking at the garden, filled not just with vegetables but also flowers and trees, Tang Xin could see that Fang had been an elegant young woman once.

"Mother," Tang Xin said, "when we buy a large house with a garden in the city, you can tend to your flowers every day." Fang was truly struck. Would that day really come?

By the time they finished breakfast, the sun was high in the sky, and it was nearly time for lunch. Fang felt truly happy; she had laughed more in this one morning than in the past several days.

"Oh my, we've talked so much! You must be thirsty, Mother. Let me brew you some flower tea." Tang Xin had gathered the flowers the previous year, drying them after a simple process. She added a touch of honey—a precious find—to the tea. She insisted on brewing it for them both, knowing the honey was good for the skin and health. Fang, however, insisted on doing it herself, telling Tang Xin to rest.

Just as the tea was ready, a visitor arrived.

It was Fang’s sister-in-law, the wife of her husband's brother. In the past, the family had stayed together, and the two brothers were close. But the wives were different; the second sister-in-law, Li, had never liked Fang. She envied Fang’s background as a former landowner's daughter and resented that she had been protected from the worst of the hardships. When the family fell on hard times, Li had pressured her husband to split the household. She had been certain that the eldest brother was useless and burdened by too many children. She hadn't expected Lisheng to learn to drive and prosper.

Worst of all, since Lisheng married a city girl, the eldest family's life had only improved, with the enticing scents of good food often wafting from their courtyard. Li had long forgotten her past declarations about splitting the family and now frequently came over, hoping to get a share of their good fortune.

As soon as Li entered, her sharp eyes spotted the teapot in Fang’s hand. Seeing her, Fang quickly told Tang Xin to take the pot into the room. Li was furious, feeling that her sister-in-law was hiding treasures from her. She conveniently forgot that the two families had been estranged for years. Fang wasn't being stingy; she simply knew that if Li got a taste of the honeyed tea, she would drink it all and likely demand more to take home, using her status as an elder. Having lived alongside her for years, Fang knew her character all too well.