This was Song Yunhua’s cleverness. She knew that Gu Yanzheng would always put his parents first. At this moment, only family could possibly pull back his gradually distancing heart. She always knew exactly what she should do.
Gu Yanzheng said nothing more and lowered his head to eat.
When going to the garage to get the car, Song Yunhua stood to the side without moving. They usually drove separately.
Because they had been squeezed on public transportation during their startup days, Song Yunhua bought a car as soon as they had money. She said she liked the feeling of being in control while driving and would not easily sit in someone else’s car unless absolutely necessary.
So, seeing that she had no intention of getting her car, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you driving today?”
She smiled faintly, “I’ll ride in your car today.” She then opened the rear car door and sat directly inside.
Gu Yanzheng was stunned again.
As he drove out of the garage, Song Yunhua suddenly said, “You’d better never think about divorce again. I won’t agree, not for a lifetime, never! I’d rather die!”
The car suddenly screeched to a halt with a sharp sound.
Gu Yanzheng’s face looked terrible, a hint of suppressed emotion crossing his features. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
In the back seat, Song Yunhua sat quietly, looking out the window, her expression calm, as if the hateful words had not come from her mouth.
Gu Yanzheng gritted his teeth and restarted the car.
The entire journey was silent.
Their home was not far from Gu’s parents’ place, about a 40-minute drive.
Gu Yanzheng had once offered to buy a new house for his parents, but they were nostalgic and unwilling to leave the home they’d lived in for twenty years, which was conveniently located in the school compound. Under their insistence, Gu Yanzheng had stopped pushing the matter.
Since they had called ahead, Gu’s parents were waiting at home. When they opened the door and handed over their things, Gu’s mother was surprised, “It’s not the weekend. Why aren’t you both working today?”
“Mom, we’ve been too busy recently and haven’t come to see you. I hope you don’t blame us!” Song Yunhua affectionately put her arm around the older woman’s shoulders. “We came today to accompany you!”
“We know you’re busy, we don’t blame you!” Gu’s mother was overjoyed. Their son and daughter-in-law were rarely seen, and their visits were always in a rush. Today, they unexpectedly came together, so how could the parents not be happy?
The three chatted in the living room, while Gu’s father sat alone working on a chess setup, looking happy despite pretending to be nonchalant.
Yanzheng smiled and walked over, “Dad, what are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? I’m playing chess,” the old man said without looking up.
Yanzheng sat down, “It’s not fun playing alone. How about I join you for a game?”
“You?” Gu’s father looked at him over his reading glasses, “You’re not my match!
“Ahem,” Yanzheng pursed his lips, “Don’t discourage the enthusiasm of the people! Haven’t you heard the saying ‘look at someone with new eyes after not seeing them for just three days’?”
The old man suddenly became interested, “Okay, I’ll play a game with my son!”
The two men began to set up the chess board. Gu’s mother began to inquire about their recent situation, and Song Yunhua answered without revealing any hint of abnormality in their marriage.
Suddenly, Gu Yunzhi declared “Checkmate!”, bringing the game to an end. “Hey, you little rascal!” The old man was stunned, “How did you checkmate me?”
Yunzhi chuckled, “Dad, how was that? Your son isn’t bad, right?”
“You really checkmated me?” Gu’s father looked incredulously at the chess board, “You’ve never beaten me before!”
Yunzhi just smiled without answering. “How about another game?”
“Bring it on, I don’t believe this old veteran can’t beat this young rookie!” The old man was suddenly energized.
Gu’s mother watched the father and son with a smile, then turned to her daughter-in-law, “While they play chess, let’s go prepare lunch!”
“Okay, Mom, I’ll help you!” Song Yunhua sweetly followed the older woman.
This was the usual routine, because she couldn’t cook, so every time they visited the in-laws, Gu’s mother cooked while she helped. After eating, she would conscientiously wash the dishes. In managing her relationship with her mother-in-law, Song Yunhua was quite competent. Despite her strong demeanor outside, in front of the elders, she always knew how to appear humble and win their affection. This was one reason why, after eight years of marriage, they hadn’t had children yet, and the older generation hadn’t blamed her. The other reason was the instructions left by her own mother before her death.
Gu’s mother was in an excellent mood, preparing a table full of delicious dishes. The fragrance wafted from the dining room. The old man took advantage of this moment to place a chess piece, “Haha, son, you lost!”
“Yes, Dad, I lost. Looks like the old ginger is still spicier!” Yunzhi played along.
“Good, let’s wash up and eat!” Gu’s father stood up, satisfied.
At the dinner table, the family gathered around. Gu’s mother gently asked, “Yunhua, when are you planning to have children?”
The smile on Song Yunhua’s lips froze. Yunzhi’s movement of eating also paused. No one spoke, and the air seemed to solidify instantly.
Dad Gu was stunned, looking at him strangely, “You’ve been married for quite a while now, so why are you asking me such a question?”
Yunzhi hesitated for a moment and said, “I have a very good colleague whose marriage is not happy. He has fallen in love with another girl, and they are very happy together. However, his wife does not agree to a divorce, and he asked me what he should do. Dad, what do you think he should do?”
Dad Gu looked at him thoughtfully and slowly said, “Do I know this colleague of yours?”
“No, you don’t!” Yunzhi was somewhat embarrassed, not expecting the old man to ask such a question.
“How is he unhappy?” Dad Gu asked.
Yunzhi hesitated and said, “They have no common language. He feels very oppressed when he’s with his wife…”
“Does his wife feel the same way?”
“It seems… not!”
“That’s it!” Dad Gu smiled slightly. “When two people are together, you can’t focus only on one person’s feelings. The reason he feels unhappy is that he hasn’t really wanted to manage this marriage properly. Actually, marriage is a massive project that requires two people, even two families, to fill the soil, add bricks, and lay tiles. So-called common language can actually be cultivated quite easily.”
Your mom came from a wealthy family and was somewhat bourgeois, while I’m very practical and don’t understand romance at all, so we also had no common language. After marriage, we had many conflicts, and your mom even threatened to divorce me. But look at us now – we’re living quite well. Through wind and rain for decades, we’ve supported each other and made it through. So feelings can be cultivated. For marriage, understanding, respect, tolerance, compromise, tenderness, diligence, and the ability to handle life are more important than love. Otherwise, those who are deeply in love and make passionate vows will quickly disappear and become worthless!
“Dad!” Yunzhi was deeply moved, having never thought that his usually rigid father would say such insightful words. Truly a professor, explaining things so thoroughly and with solid reasoning.
Song Yunhua pretended not to hear, smiling warmly at Gu’s father: “Dad, you’re back from a walk?”
Yunzhi sighed, walking over to Gu’s mother, “Mom, I have something to do, so I’ll leave first…”
“I’ll go with you!” Song Yunhua intercepted his words, taking her coat from the rack, “Dad, Mom, we’ll come see you again next time!”
