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In the end, Ye Fangfei bought an inside-out jacket for Old Lady Tang and a pair of blue cotton trousers. For Old Man Tang, she purchased a complete autumn outfit consisting of a Zhongshan suit. Although Old Lady Tang repeatedly insisted that they didn't need anything, seeing Ye Fangfei genuinely spend money on them made her smile linger.
Once they finished shopping, Ye Fangfei took Old Lady Tang for a stroll on the third floor. This floor featured larger items, such as the trendy three-in-one appliances and electric fans that were nowhere to be found back in their hometown.
After a quick tour, they returned to the first floor. Ye Fangfei then bought essentials like toilet paper, soap, and a clothes drying rack. Knowing that Old Man Tang enjoyed drinking, she even picked up a bottle of good liquor for him. Finally, she carried her bags to the state-run restaurant for a meal.
Old Lady Tang was apprehensive about spending money and insisted on going home instead. "Feifei, let's just eat at home. What do you want? I can make it for you. The food out here is so expensive; it’s not worth it at all. Besides, you already spent quite a bit on clothes for us old folks."
"You know, I kept saying no to buying anything just now, yet you still went ahead and bought it. We're both old; wearing such nice clothes feels like a waste. You should save that money for living expenses." Old Lady Tang couldn't help but complain again, though deep down she felt quite content.
"Mom, how can spending money on you and Dad be considered wasteful?" Ye Fangfei replied warmly. "You raised Tang Zhi and nurtured him so well; I should be grateful to you both. You're not young anymore; after working hard for half your lives, it's time for you to enjoy good food and clothing."
Ye Fangfei's words were persuasive, and soon Old Lady Tang found herself smiling brightly. She reflected on her life with her husband—just as the third daughter-in-law had said, they had indeed worked hard for half their lives. In their younger days, when the children were small, they toiled endlessly just to ensure there was enough food at home and that their kids wouldn’t go hungry.
As the children grew older, they had to worry about marrying them off and preparing dowries for their daughters.
After the grandchildren were born, they had to worry about their schooling, enduring days of hardship while reluctant to spend on themselves. If Ye Fangfei hadn’t mentioned it, Old Lady Tang wouldn’t have thought much about it; after all, everyone had gone through similar struggles.
But once Ye Fangfei brought it up, Old Lady Tang reflected on her and her husband’s life, realizing that indeed, they had endured quite a lot. The key issue was that everyone took their sacrifices for granted, showing no gratitude towards the elderly couple.
In this large family, only the newly married daughter-in-law of the third son felt sympathy for them. She bought them new clothes and good wine for Old Man Tang, even inviting her to dine at a state-run restaurant.
In Old Lady Tang's heart, Ye Fangfei's status was rising sharply. While she might not surpass her biological children, among the three daughters-in-law, Ye Fangfei had undoubtedly outpaced Liu Zhaodi and Zhang Man to become the top one.
Old Lady Tang no longer dismissed the idea of dining at the state-run restaurant. The third son's wife was right; at her age, what was wrong with going out for a meal? She had never been to a state-run restaurant before.
However, Old Lady Tang had made up her mind: since the third son's wife had bought them clothes and treated her to dinner, she couldn’t let Ye Fangfei bear all the expenses. They had returned home with most of their savings intact. Besides giving the third son three hundred yuan, they still had over a hundred yuan left.
When she got home later, she would secretly give fifty yuan to the third son's wife. The child was filial; their hearts were not made of stone.
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