Chapter 47 Not Going Back with Him

Chapter 47 Not Going Back with Him

For dinner, Su He still cooked chicken, but this time she made potato-braised chicken.

There were a few potatoes left from what the Fu family had delivered earlier, which were just enough for the dish.

The vegetables in the garden were thriving, and now they had more than enough homegrown greens to eat.

Fu Tinghua was remarkably helpful. During the two days he was home, no matter what Su He was doing, he would always help by her side instead of sitting idly like a lord, buying into that whole 'women's work' mentality.

It had to be said, the original owner had great taste.

A good man like Fu Tinghua was rare even in Su He’s previous era, let alone in this male-dominated era.

Now that the one-child policy was strictly enforced, most villagers would stop after two kids as long as they had a son.

But those who couldn’t bear a son would flee to remote mountain areas just to keep trying.

Why did Wu Yanhua, despite her dislike for Su He, never directly antagonize her? One reason was her personality—if Wu Yanhua were a mother-in-law in later times, she would genuinely be considered an excellent one.

Another reason was that Su He had given Fu Tinghua both a son and a daughter right away, securing the family lineage.

So no matter how much Wu Yanhua disliked Su He, she never humiliated her.

Afraid she might give in to her temper and bully Su He, she had Su He's family live separately.

Otherwise, at least half of Fu Tinghua’s 500 yuan would have ended up in Wu Yanhua’s pocket.

Of course, Fu Tinghua also gave money to his parents, though only 200 yuan.

He was no stranger to hardship himself, but he was never stingy when it came to providing for his wife, children, and parents.

During dinner, looking at the aromatic potato chicken on the table, Fu Tinghua couldn’t help but say, “Your cooking has improved a lot.”

Hearing his praise, Su He felt a little guilty but still replied, “I’ve got a picky palate. After returning to the countryside, I had to cook for myself, so of course I had to figure things out.”

This was true. Su He had been spoiled by her family since childhood and had eaten many delicious things, so she'd developed discerning tastes.

It could be said that in the past, the allowance Fu Tinghua gave her never stretched far enough because most of it was spent on food.

“Mm. I’m going back to the city tomorrow morning. Do you want to come?” Fu Tinghua asked again.

Going back tomorrow? Score.

Hearing this news, Su He could barely contain her grin.

Having Fu Tinghua living here with her was really inconvenient—she couldn’t freely access her inventory space.

Plus, she was planning to plant twenty more durian trees. With all those unused points, Su He couldn’t help but feel restless.

Now that Fu Tinghua was leaving, how could Su He not be happy?

Suppressing her joy, she put on a surprised look and said, “Ah? So soon?”

“Yes. This time, I’ll be promoted, so I need to go back early to oversee the handover.”

Fu Tinghua pretended not to notice the excitement in Su He’s eyes. He didn’t want to admit that the current Su He showed no trace of her former affection for him.

“Promoted? Congratulations,” Su He offered halfheartedly.

The two children were eating the chicken from their bowls, glancing at their dad and then at their mom, wondering why things felt so strange.

"I don’t want to go to the city. I want to stay in the countryside with Mom," Niu Niu said, having understood that Dad had asked Mom if she wanted to go to the city with him.

She didn’t want to go. If they went to the city, would Mom revert to how she used to be—not leaving the house, letting the home get messy, and neglecting them?

Their mother’s past self had left too strong a mark on the kids. Mom only got better after coming back to the village, so they believed she would stay good as long as she remained there.

Hearing Niu Niu’s words, Su He gave Fu Tinghua an awkward smile and said, "The kids don’t want to go back. We’ll stay in the village for now. When it’s time for them to go to school, we’ll have to return to the city."

Fu Tinghua already knew they wouldn’t want to go back with him and was just asking Su He what she thought.

But seeing how all three of them were so reluctant to return with him, he still felt a little disappointed.

This time back, Fu Tinghua could clearly sense that the two children were clinging more to their mom and paying him less mind.

However, Su He was really treating them well now, and since their birth, she had been the one mostly taking care of them. The way they clung to her showed how good she’d been.

The way it was before—when they didn’t cling to Su He—was what should have worried him. It would have meant that, in his absence, Su He hadn’t truly cared for them.

"Alright, you can stay here for now. I’ll visit when I have time," Fu Tinghua said before continuing his meal, letting the matter drop.

After the family finished dinner, they stopped by the Fu family home.

Since Fu Tinghua was returning to the city the next day, of course he had to say his goodbyes.

"Leaving tomorrow? Why so soon? We were planning to kill a pig for a proper send-off meal," Fu Dajun said with a frown.

"No need, Dad. Don’t let me keep you from your work," Fu Tinghua replied.

"Why so rushed? I haven’t even had a proper chat with you yet," Wu Yanhua said, looking at her youngest son with a pang.

Su He sensed they might have family matters to discuss privately, so she stood up, saying she’d check on the kids.

Watching Su He walk away, Fu Dajun asked, "Is Su He going back with you tomorrow?"

"She said she wants to stay here," Fu Tinghua answered.

Hearing this, Fu Dajun couldn’t help but frown. "Now that you’re back, she won’t even stay by your side to take care of you? That’s no way for married folks to be."

"Husband and wife should be together often to keep the spark alive."

As if suddenly remembering something, Fu Dajun glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before asking, "You’ve been away so long—haven’t taken up with someone else, have you?"

Fu Tinghua was both amused and exasperated by his father’s question. "Dad, what are you talking about? I’ve been out at the border post this past year. I hardly laid eyes on a woman—where would ‘someone else’ come from?"

"What about the hospital? Didn’t your director say he wanted to introduce his daughter to you?"

Wu Yanhua also watched her son, waiting for his answer.

In the past, she might have hoped for him to divorce Su He and remarry.

But now, seeing how Su He had changed for the better and how well the two children were being raised—rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed—she didn’t want any upheaval in her son’s family.

Folks their age put stock in steadiness. That director’s girl was raised soft—wouldn’t their family be punching above their weight if they married her?

And if that happened, wouldn’t her son just be like a man who marries into his wife’s family? In this day and age, that would get him nothing but sideways looks.

Most importantly, they were afraid their son would be marrying out of his league and end up being looked down upon.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry. As long as Su He is healthy and happy, I'll stay with her for the rest of my life," Fu Tinghua promised.

"That's good. Although Su He is a little heavy, she's visibly lost weight recently, and I think her facial features are quite nice too," Wu Yanhua chimed in.

Fu Tinghua didn't really care whether Su He was heavy or not, but if she hadn't manipulated him, he would never have married her in the first place.

Primarily because the original Su He was too bratty and spoiled - traits Fu Tinghua disliked.