CHAPTER 227: 217 MOM AND I WENT TO THE LAND OF FIREWORKS.

Tian Sangsang calmly bid farewell to that man and quietly tucked the manuscript back into her space on the way back.

Jiang Jinghuai had already returned, resting with his hands behind his head on the sofa, eyes closed.

Upon hearing the sound, his long, narrow eyes slowly opened.

"Dad!" Meng Shuyan exclaimed excitedly, spreading his arms to go to his father’s side.

Tian Sangsang carried him over to sit beside Jiang Jinghuai.

As she approached, her scent was not as pure as before; it was mixed with various other smells, including perfume, tobacco, and alcohol. These changes might be unnoticed by an ordinary person, but Jiang Jinghuai, being trained, immediately sensed something was off.

He furrowed his brow slightly without changing his expression: "Where did you guys go?"

Tian Sangsang looked at him and explained, "Yanyan’s medicine is almost finished, so I went to buy some more, and then we just wandered around a bit."

"Around?"

"Yeah, just around... wandering." Tian Sangsang pulled a wry smile, feeling embarrassed, "After all, coming from the countryside, I’m curious about everything. Without knowing more, I’m afraid I won’t keep up with the times. As a military wife, I have to be always aware of my mindset as a military wife, being an up-to-date one."

"No need to belittle yourself," Jiang Jinghuai raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "You even write novels."

"Ahem... Novels have different genres, don’t they? Mine belongs to the rustic genre, which is quite different from serious literature."

Jiang Jinghuai didn’t agree or disagree, his gaze stayed on her face.

"Then I’ll go brew the medicine." Tian Sangsang didn’t feel guilty at all as she smiled and walked to the kitchen with the Chinese medicine in hand.

Once inside the kitchen, Tian Sangsang leaned against the wall, listening nervously to the sounds outside. Not hearing anything, she exhaled lightly in relief.

"Yanyan, does your foot feel better?" Jiang Jinghuai sat upright, lightly placing his hand on Meng Shuyan’s foot, his gaze filled with affection.

"Much better, Dad, I can feel it now," Meng Shuyan looked up and replied.

"When it gets better, Dad will take you for a run."

"Okay!" The little guy was very excited.

"Did you have fun going out with your mom today?"

"Yes!" Meng Shuyan nodded eagerly.

"Where did you guys go?"

"..."

Meng Shuyan’s little eyes wandered, after a moment’s thought, he said, "Wherever mom went, I went."

"Oh." Jiang Jinghuai picked up the newspaper: "Dad will read you a story."

Meng Shuyan listened to his dad’s deep, pleasant voice, glancing at his side profile, hesitating.

"Do you have something you want to say to Dad?" Jiang Jinghuai’s eyes remained on the newspaper, unmoving.

Wow, so sharp, seeing through it at once.

Holding his worries, Meng Shuyan looked at him expectantly, in a soft voice: "Dad, can I lie?"

"No."

Meng Shuyan’s little heart felt pierced, anxious, and his face flushed red.

"Actually, today, I went with mom to... to that..."

Jiang Jinghuai put down the newspaper, looking at the small figure beside him, his son’s head was hanging low.

"Mom took me to that... place of indulgence," he whispered.

"A place of indulgence?"

"... Dance hall," whispered.

Jiang Jinghuai curled his lips knowingly, as expected.

"Dad, please don’t tell Mom, I promised her I wouldn’t tell you." Meng Shuyan was conflicted. Now he hadn’t lied to Dad, but he had lied to Mom. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

"Alright." Jiang Jinghuai chuckled lightly, holding his small body, placing a hand on his head: "In the future, feel free to tell Dad if there’s anything, no need to keep it bottled up."

Really?

"Dad won’t harm you guys." Jiang Jinghuai said earnestly, "By the way... what did you do at the dance hall?"

"Danced."

Danced, huh? Jiang Jinghuai tapped his index finger a few times, a mental image of that woman in a dance dress dancing suddenly appeared in his mind ==

This was a reassuring image.

"Time to eat." While the medicine brewed, Tian Sangsang also cooked a meal. As she brought the dishes to the dining table, she always felt a gaze following her.

Tian Sangsang returned the look, "Is something wrong?"

Jiang Jinghuai’s dark eyes gleamed, "Nothing." This figure and complexion, still very reassuring.

Yet, how come she seemed a bit fairer each day?

Meng Shuyan didn’t dare to look at her, burying his head in his father’s embrace.

After dinner, Tian Sangsang went back to the study room to brainstorm. In her memory, "Desire" came out in 1990, even became a nationwide craze back then. There was a saying illustrating its popularity, "The whole nation mourns for Liu Huifang, the whole nation curses Wang Husheng, the masses all sigh at Song Dacheng." This wasn’t to say how good it was, but that under favorable conditions, "Desire" became a hit and held a milestone significance as popular literature. It could be said that before "Desire," directors making TV dramas would more or less incorporate their personalities, artistic ideals, and style, which only gathered a like-minded audience, limiting its reach. However, popular literature is more accessible, and "Desire" was something meant for the common people, promoting traditional Chinese values, praising truth, kindness, and beauty, where justice eventually triumphs over evil...

Unlike Hong Kong dramas or previous mainland dramas, before "Desire," the social values were no longer singular, becoming diverse and nihilistic, leaving people puzzled and anxious, without a guiding principle. This drama provided them with a guiding core. Even future family ethics dramas can trace their origins back to "Desire."

Tian Sangsang’s deep impression of "Desire" was largely because of a singer she liked, Mao Amin. Mao Amin’s voice was one she loved very much, ethereal and grand, possessing a beautiful style. Thus, whenever Mao Amin sang, she could immediately recognize it was her. Tian Sangsang also had a teenage memory of "Journey to the West Sequel," which was a drama she found captivatingly imaginative and boldly unique in its plot and visuals. Upon reflection now, it could finally be accurately described as being bizarre; it also contained much reflection on human nature. Mao Amin’s ending song "Longing" left a lasting impression on her. Whereas past dramas dared to be bold and creative, today’s dramas tend to stick to formulas, don’t they? Starting with a child being born, who must have either a deceased father or mother, a mysterious background; or two children becoming betrothed in the first episode, with the story starting eighteen years later...

Li Yibai’s choice of "Desire," ten years in advance, didn’t seem like a great timing. Didn’t they know the social background was different?

Given that, Tian Sangsang picked up her pen in deep thought, considering which TV series or movies from the 1980s could be watched?

After a bit of thought, Tian Sangsang decided to focus on "Lushan Love," which was considered a fashionable love story of that era. Although not particularly profound in meaning, it was a good practice for Zhao Chun. She got to work immediately, finding the movie in her space to watch while pondering over and writing the script.