“Well, if you don’t want to buy, we won’t buy!” Zhou Yuqian left the kitchen, feeling a bit embarrassed, thinking he was too nervous about being cut by a broken bowl while eating porridge, which led him to think of going with her to buy tableware.
As soon as Zhou Yuqian left, Lai Hui regretted her sharp words, knowing it would make her days harder if she offended him. After finishing her chores, she quickly brewed a pot of Longjing tea and brought it to his study. She didn’t expect this pot of tea to touch Zhou Yuqian deeply, leaving him staring at the closed door long after the tea had cooled. People are strange creatures; getting clothes, newspapers, coffee, breakfast, and tea were all things Lai Hui used to do frequently, but he never felt moved, only thinking that since he paid, he deserved these amenities. Since deciding to divorce Li Yueqin and moving to Nanling, Lai Hui’s meticulous attention to these small matters made him start to reflect. Comparing, Li Yueqin, before marrying him, was a star, used to the most luxurious lifestyle; if she cooked a meal, she would expect praise for a long time before feeling satisfied, so despite only entering the kitchen two or three times a year, her kitchenware had to be the top tier, as if to justify her ‘hard work’. However, Lai Hui, perhaps due to her humble origins, only cared about the food being good, not about the pomp or the need for fancy tableware. This was not entirely true, as Li Yueqin wasn’t born into luxury either. Maybe it was a personality difference; Lai Hui, though vain, wearing CHANEL and TIFFANY outside, could also be content at home, reading or doing chores. Li Yueqin, on the other hand, was too lazy to even cut her own nails, always going to the salon when they grew long. Reflecting on their failed marriage, he realized it was because both were too competitive. Before marriage, Li Yueqin had painted a beautiful picture of their future life together: “I’ll give you a home, cook for you, wash your clothes, and raise our children.” And he had promised, “I will cherish you and our child.” The reality was, after marriage, Li Yueqin did wash his clothes and cook, but only for a month. He couldn’t stand her laziness, thinking she was a fraud, and would scold her, but she always had excuses to counter him, leading to inevitable conflicts over time. A sudden thought struck him: perhaps he had never truly experienced marital life. If Ru Lai and Xie Jiayi got married, she would definitely cook and do laundry for him with all her heart. That would be true marriage, wouldn’t it? This thought made him very uncomfortable, even somewhat jealous! Because Ru Lai did all these for him only for money! Why couldn’t he have someone who would genuinely cook for him?
Chapter 13
Xie Jiayi’s parents originally worked in a state-owned enterprise, but after it went bankrupt, they made a living by doing odd jobs. Xie Jiayi had intended to bring his parents to enjoy life in City A, but they were simple, honest folk who had never seen much of the world, and having lived in a small town all their lives, they felt somewhat timid in a big city. Moreover, they were reluctant to leave their neighbors, so Xie Jiayi bought land and built a comfortable small villa in the town for them, hiring a housekeeper to take care of them. This time, he returned home without prior notice. When his mother saw him at the doorstep, she was so overjoyed she burst into tears, quickly pulling the housekeeper to the market to buy groceries. His father was a man of few words, and the house only became lively during meals.
“You could have called before coming back. Your room is now occupied by someone else; I haven’t tidied it up. Look…” His mother took a bite of rice, complaining that her son didn’t inform them of his return, and now someone else was living in his room, which was awkward to ask them to leave.
“I just decided to come and see you and dad on a whim. I’m only staying one night; any room will do. Is Xu Ya living here?” Xu Ya was the son of Xie Jiayi’s aunt; they were of similar age and quite close before Xu Ya went abroad.
“You know he doesn’t get along well with his father. Your dad and I live in this big house, and it’s wasteful to leave it empty, so we let him move in!” As his mother spoke, a slightly plump young man walked into the dining room, his hair neatly combed, with a round face, wearing a gray shirt, looking quite robust. He was twirling a keyring on his finger, making a “clink clink” sound. At the sight of Xie Jiayi, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. This was Xu Ya.
“Ah, on my way back, I wondered why the sun wasn’t setting. Turns out Jiayi has returned!”
“Oh, we were just talking about you. Sit down for dinner— Lan Lan, fetch a wine glass!” His mother pulled a chair next to Jiayi, inviting Xu Ya to sit. The little housekeeper brought a small glass, and Jiayi filled it with Maotai, handing it to Xu Ya.
“I’m also here on short notice; I’ll leave tomorrow!”
“You’re a busy man, unlike me. It’s rare for you to come back, so let’s have a few drinks with your uncle first, and then we’ll go out for a good time tonight!” Xu Ya downed his drink in one gulp, clearly accustomed to such social occasions. Jiayi finished his drink as well, feeling a sense of familiarity seeing Xu Ya, he patted his shoulder and said, “Yeah, let’s go to the old place tonight!”
The so-called old place was a dyke by the Yangtze River, made of cement with grass growing in the cracks. At night, one could sit or lie there, watching the red moon reflect on the river, listening to the “rumble” of passing ships, and observing the river’s endless flow, which had its own unique charm. Jiayi sat on the dyke, knees bent, opened a can of Tsingtao beer, his elbow resting on the cement, ignoring Xu Ya lying beside him, and started drinking on his own.
“Are you still working at the tax bureau?” Xu Ya, with his hands clasped behind his head, looking at the crescent moon in the sky, replied casually, “Yeah, it’s so damn depressing. I want to venture out. If I keep mixing with those people, who knows, one day you might have to send cigarettes to me in prison!”
Jiayi wasn’t very familiar with the internal workings of government departments, but he knew Xu Ya’s reckless nature, so he wouldn’t have an easy time there.
“That’s a secure job, something many people can’t even dream of. Think it through!”
“Whatever!” Xu Ya spat aside, then continued, “People really shouldn’t grow up. Remember when we three sat here, I was full of ambition, saying I’d go out to make big money, and you said you just wanted to go to college, come back with a secure job, and marry Ru Lai. I laughed at your lack of ambition back then, but now, it’s the other way around.”
The river wind felt slightly damp and cold on their faces. Xie Jiayi drank silently, watching the vast river reflecting the city’s colorful lights. The water flowed, but the lights remained. If only he and Ru Lai could be like those lights, unchanged by the passage of time.
“Have you seen Ru Lai lately?” he asked Xu Ya.
“She came back once in her sophomore year, in a hurry, because her aunt was sick. Haven’t seen her since. That woman has no conscience, breaking up with you and then avoiding me too.” Xu Ya’s words displeased Jiayi, who quickly retorted, “Aunt Yun is paralyzed!”
“When did that happen?” Xu Ya sat up abruptly, turning to Jiayi.
“Probably around the last time you saw her!” Xu Ya slapped his thigh, exclaiming, “She only said Aunt Yun was sick; I thought it was something minor like a cold, didn’t expect it was so serious. That girl didn’t say anything!”
Jiayi thought, Ru Lai didn’t even tell her own boyfriend, let alone you, Xu Ya.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Aunt Yun’s illness later?”
