Rebirth in 1986: Unforgettable Regrets
Chapter 174: Not Appropriate

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Not Appropriate

Uncle Mo:

I have been so busy with the clothing factory recently that I haven’t had the chance to write to you. How is your leg injury healing?

...

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Tang Yue.

The sheet of letter paper had a lot of blank space left on it. Aside from the initial greeting, the rest of the brief letter was all about business matters related to the clothing factory.

The next day, Tang Yue enveloped the letter and sent it off.

Mingyue Clothing Factory.

Tang Mingli had just secured a few orders in Yishi, and with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, he took a day off to return to Qianjin Village.

Qianjin Village was where he had grown up. After getting into Wangjiang First Middle School, he was full of pride and ambition. However, failing to get into university made him embarrassed to return to Qianjin Village.

Thus, after graduating from high school, Tang Mingli mostly stayed in the county. He would visit only during the three major holidays, and sometimes he wouldn’t even make it back for Dragon Boat or Mid-Autumn Festival.

Perhaps his mood had changed because Tang Mingli felt particularly good about returning to the village this time around.

Granny Tang was busy in the vegetable garden. When she saw Tang Mingli standing there with a pair of frog-eye sunglasses, her heart leapt with joy, and she asked hastily, "Mingli, you’re back? Have you eaten?"

"Mom, it’s only ten o’clock. What’s there to eat?" Tang Mingli replied with a smile, taking over Granny Tang’s tools and helping her with the work.

Granny Tang chuckled and said, "Alright, I’ll make some of your favorite dishes in a while."

Granny Tang lowered her head and began to think about what dishes to make for lunch. She had bought some fresh meat the day before, which she was cooling in the well water. It could be taken out and stir-fried; in the vegetable garden, there were green beans, edamame, and cucumbers.

"Oh, by the way, how come you’re back?" Granny Tang asked after a delayed realization.

"Mom, I came back today because there’s something I want to talk to you about." The more Tang Mingli thought about what he was about to say, the more serious his expression became.

Granny Tang’s heart thumped with anxiety and she asked, "Mingli, don’t tell me there’s been a problem with the clothing factory where you work, and they don’t want you anymore?"

Caught off guard while he was figuring out how to break the news, Tang Mingli looked at Granny Tang’s worried gaze and couldn’t help but give a wry smile, "Mom, the clothing factory is doing just fine. Why wouldn’t they want me?"

"Ahem."

Tang Mingli cleared his throat, unable to tell Granny Tang the truth. Deep down, he felt a twinge of guilt.

This clothing factory was his own. If Granny Tang knew that he had taken out a loan of a hundred thousand yuan to run the clothing factory, wouldn’t she berate him to no end and almost want to kick him out of the house?

"Oh." Granny Tang felt much relieved to hear that it wasn’t about the clothing factory not wanting him, and she asked, "Then what’s this matter you’re hesitating to talk about? You didn’t do something wrong, did you?"

Granny Tang’s suspicious gaze wandered over Tang Mingli.

Tang Mingli’s face turned noticeably darker. What, in Granny Tang’s eyes, was he really so unreliable?

"Mom, don’t overthink it. It’s just that... I’ve started seeing someone and I’m planning to ask for her hand during the Mid-Autumn Festival." Fearing Granny Tang would worry further, Tang Mingli quickly blurted it out.

When Granny Tang heard that he had started seeing someone, her sunken eyes lit up immediately. She excitedly said, "You’ve got a girlfriend? Where is the girl from? How old is she? When did you two start dating?"

Granny Tang’s questions were like bombs, one after another, being thrown at Tang Mingli.

Tang Mingli didn’t even know which question to answer first.

"Mom, you ask so many questions at once, I don’t even know which to reply to first," said Tang Mingli, then he explained: "Her name is Wei Jiajia, she’s twenty-one years old, and we started dating in spring."

"Oh, so you’re going to ask for her hand during the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Granny Tang’s eyes twirled, and suddenly, she grabbed Tang Mingli’s hand excitedly and asked, "Mingli, does that mean I’m going to have a grandchild?"

"Pfft!"

Tang Mingli’s hand hurt from Granny Tang’s grip, and as he heard her words, his handsome face turned red, and he quickly denied, "Mom, you’re thinking too much; Jiajia and I are just dating, there’s nothing... like you’re imagining."

"I thought you were in such a rush because..." Granny Tang felt a slight disappointment when she knew there was nothing, but it wasn’t very noticeable. She waved her hand and said, "It’s fine, it’s fine. Marriage comes eventually, and asking for her hand is a good thing. But, where is she from?"

"Uh, from the Provincial City, Jiang City," Tang Mingli just finished speaking.

Granny Tang looked at Tang Mingli with a strange expression.

Tang Mingli felt uneasy under Granny Tang’s gaze and couldn’t help but ask, "Mom, what do you mean by looking at me like that?"

"What does that girl do?" asked Granny Tang.

Tang Mingli replied, "I met her when I went to the Provincial City for supplies; she owns a children’s clothing wholesale store."

After hearing this, Granny Tang didn’t smile; instead, she stared at Tang Mingli and asked seriously, "Mingli, don’t lie to Mom, is it that the girl is not very good-looking? Or, is there something... not right with her health?"

Tang Mingli: ...

"Mingli, although Mom is eager for you to get married, you can’t just choose anyone," Granny Tang said, thinking he was silent because she hit the nail on the head.

Otherwise, how could a girl from the Provincial City who even owns a clothing store take a liking to Mingli?

"Mom, you’re overthinking it," Tang Mingli couldn’t help but rebut: "Jiajia is very pretty, she has deep dimples, and when she smiles, it’s so sweet, really beautiful. Also, she’s very healthy, with no issues whatsoever."

"Is that so?" Granny Tang elongated her words, still thinking Tang Mingli was trying to cover up something, and she earnestly said, "Mingli, I am your mother, you don’t need to lie to me, there’s no need to appease me."

Tang Mingli thought Granny Tang was going to believe him, but who knew that Granny Tang would react this way; Tang Mingli felt like he was going crazy. He became even more earnest and said, "Mom, precisely because you are my mother, why would I lie to you? And, this kind of thing, it can’t be lied about at all. Mom, don’t you believe in your son’s charm?"

Tang Mingli took off his sunglasses and looked seriously at Granny Tang.

Granny Tang was half-convinced.

Eventually, after much talking, Tang Mingli finally made Granny Tang believe his words.

Granny Tang was extremely curious about the future daughter-in-law, urging Tang Mingli to hurry up and marry her.

Even about what was needed for the marriage proposal, Granny Tang gave advice on everything.

"For your first visit to her house, do you need a matchmaker?" Granny Tang felt something was off, as traditionally, there was parental consent and the word of a matchmaker. Nowadays, even though most people find their partners themselves, isn’t a matchmaker still necessary?

So, Granny Tang had a hard time deciding on the choice of a matchmaker.

Although there were people in Qianjin Village, standing them next to the future in-laws felt inadequate; after all, they were from Provincial City.