Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Mrs. Fu’s Plan
As it turns out, before he could even speak, Mrs. Fu unexpectedly took the initiative and suggested that he go play cards.
Mr. Fu was utterly taken aback, not anticipating that Mrs. Fu could change her mind so many times in such a short span of half an hour.
Mr. Fu stared intently at Mrs. Fu, listening as she suggested,
he go play cards, his eyes flashed with disbelief, and he was utterly shocked.
Then, Mr. Fu looked at Mrs. Fu, trying to discern some ulterior motive from her eyes.
This whole thing seemed wrong, very wrong.
Mrs. Fu had initiated, suggesting he go play cards.
No matter how he thought about it, the whole situation seemed fishy, and Mrs. Fu was probably harboring some ill intent.
Or perhaps she wanted to get him out of the way so she could do something wrong.
Others might not understand, but Mr. Fu knew his troublesome wife inside out.
Combining this with the glance Mrs. Fu gave Jiang Xin earlier, it was sure to be a bunch of schemes.
Mr. Fu thought it over and, to avoid a repeat of yesterday’s incident, which made the entire village gather in their yard to watch the drama,
he decided not to play cards today.
Later, he would inform his card-playing buddies that the morning session would be moved to the afternoon.
He planned to stay home all morning, keeping an eye on Mrs. Fu to see what unexpected thing she might do.
However, he couldn’t let Mrs. Fu know that he wasn’t going to play cards.
After all, Mrs. Fu was trying every trick in the book to get him out, clearly to guard against him, not wanting him to find out.
If he were at home, Mrs. Fu would definitely be restricted in her actions; she might even refrain from doing anything wrong to guard against him.
So, Mr. Fu, being a very clever man, decided he would outwardly agree with Mrs. Fu and say he was going to play cards.
Then halfway there, after reassuring Mrs. Fu, he’d inform his card friends and move the time to the afternoon.
After doing all this, he’d return home secretly to spy on Mrs. Fu and see what she really intended to do.
Mr. Fu wasn’t a fool, being well aware that after so many years of marriage,
Mrs. Fu never hid anything from him, whether it was what she did or the gossip about the neighbors.
Therefore, whatever it was that made Mrs. Fu so scheming, even willing to let him go out to play cards, must have been related to Jiang Xin.
This would explain Mrs. Fu’s abnormal behavior since, as the old saying goes, where there’s an anomaly, there’s bound to be mischief.
To ensure family harmony, preventing yesterday’s events from happening again, Mr. Fu suddenly realized he had to keep a close watch on Mrs. Fu to prevent her from doing something foolish and causing him trouble.
Otherwise, every time Mrs. Fu had a conflict with Jiang Xin and suffered, it would ultimately be him, this old man, bearing the brunt.
Yesterday, Mrs. Fu cried and whined for most of the night, kept talking about how she was wronged, and even wanted to wait for Fu Yu to return and divorce Jiang Xin.
Wasn’t this absurd?
Mr. Fu couldn’t let Mrs. Fu do such foolish things.
As the saying goes, it’s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a single marriage; although neither their son nor Jiang Xin was willing when they got married,
now that the marriage is done, what reason is there for a divorce? Being older, his thinking was more traditional.
He believed marriage wasn’t a trivial matter. Once married, it shouldn’t be easily dissolved, or it would become a joke.
Getting along well would be the best, and if they both disliked each other, with time and adjustment, it might just turn out okay.
Mr. Fu thought, back when he married Mrs. Fu, they also didn’t see eye to eye, but they managed to support each other for many decades, and life isn’t so bad now.
These young people are restless, plus Fu Yu isn’t even home. The couple doesn’t know each other well, but once Fu Yu comes back and they spend time together, feelings might develop.
So, this marriage definitely can’t be dissolved!
In any case, the first marriage is the one to treasure.
Although getting together after being divorced is also a way to live, often it’s all surface harmony hiding deeper discord. Living as long as they have, they’ve seen many examples in the village.
That’s why if Fu Yu ever wanted a divorce from Jiang Xin, Mr. Fu would be the first to disagree.
Even though he had little say in this household, as the man, ostensibly the head of the family, Mrs. Fu wouldn’t heed his opinions, but if Mr. Fu pressured Fu Yu, Fu Yu would still somewhat fear him.
Having thought this through, Mr. Fu decided to act as he had planned.
Unlike before, he didn’t confirm and ask Mrs. Fu repeatedly if he could go out to play cards.
Instead, he chose to play along, walking right into Mrs. Fu’s trap.
Mr. Fu’s plan was simple; he would go along with Mrs. Fu’s wishes and leave the house directly.
Then he’d see what mischief Mrs. Fu would come up with when he wasn’t home and catch her in the act without room for denial.
Mr. Fu remained expressionless, and to avoid arousing Mrs. Fu’s suspicion, he hesitated a bit like usual and then asked Mrs. Fu:
"Weren’t you against me going this morning? Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Could it be that you’re up to some mischief again?"
Mr. Fu said a few things to Mrs. Fu,
but in reality, there was hardly any sincerity in his words.
Moreover, Mr. Fu didn’t have to worry about Mrs. Fu not letting him out today.
Mr. Fu was just being polite to Mrs. Fu, and since she was intent on getting him out, she naturally wouldn’t obstruct him anymore.
Sure enough, Mr. Fu knew Mrs. Fu’s character all too well.
Just after he spoke, he saw Mrs. Fu’s face filled with impatience as she said:
"Get lost when I tell you to; why are you dawdling here and there?"
"Do you believe that if I change my mind in a bit, I won’t let you go play cards anymore?"
"Since I’ve already given the okay, you better scram quickly before I change my mind and never let you out to play cards again!"
As Mr. Fu was acting, Mrs. Fu was also putting on a show.
Hearing Mr. Fu’s words, Mrs. Fu pretended to be annoyed, urging him to leave quickly.
That way, she could sooner carry out her plan.