If there were two women – one with an unblemished background and proper conduct but divorced once, and another with a rich romantic history, multiple intimate relationships, and still actively dating – which one would be more readily accepted by society?
Without Zeng Yu even speaking, Zhao Xunxun knew she would say without hesitation: the latter. Because the first is a divorced woman, while the second is an unmarried young woman – it’s that simple. It’s like the characters for “aunt” and “sister-in-law” – both have the female radical, represent the same generation, and could even be the same age, yet they evoke completely different feelings. “Aunt” feels light and delicate, while “sister-in-law” feels heavy and ambiguous, for the same reason. As they say, a heroine’s worth isn’t judged by her background, but whether she’s ever held a marriage certificate.
Of course, Zhao Xunxun and Zeng Yu weren’t aunt and sister-in-law – they were sisters, or more precisely, step-sisters without blood relation. When Zhao Xunxun was fourteen, her mother married Zeng Yu’s father. Zeng Yu, being five months older than Zhao Xunxun, became the elder sister. Another fourteen years had passed – Zhao Xunxun was now married with a stable marriage, while Zeng Yu remained single with many suitors.
Zhao Xunxun was content with her current life. Zeng Yu’s “divorced versus unmarried woman theory” only made her cherish her marriage more, or rather, she loved everything stable and secure. Master Qian said marriage was like a fortress – those outside want in, and those inside want out. But Zhao Xunxun wasn’t like that – once she entered, she had no intention of leaving. Her marriage to Xie Pingning was like an impenetrable wall. She lived within it, peaceful and quiet, hoping it would last forever.
But at 2 AM that night, Zeng Yu, who had been sweetly dreaming beside her boyfriend, suddenly received a call from Zhao Xunxun. The signal on the other end was weak, the tone hushed, with occasional echoes – likely from some corner resembling a bathroom. Trying not to wake the person beside her, Zeng Yu suppressed her urge to curse and said through gritted teeth: “You better be calling because your house is on fire, or you’re cornered by burglars who are after both your money and virtue!”
First, Zhao Xunxun lowered her voice and corrected her factual error: “Fire emergencies are 119, burglary is 110 – I wouldn’t call you for either of those situations.” She hesitated briefly, then quickly added before Zeng Yu could explode, “I think I might be getting divorced. Could you help me with something?”
It’s worth noting that although Zhao Xunxun and Zeng Yu were technically family and had lived under the same roof for many years, they weren’t close like sisters, not even friends. From the day they met, they disagreed on worldviews, life philosophy, values, and views on marriage. They never clicked, but since Zhao Xunxun had few friends, and even fewer reliable ones, Zeng Yu became her default confidante whenever something happened.
Zeng Yu could have refused, but her nosy nature meant she would criticize Zhao Xunxun’s “absurd” statements while curiously probing for more details, leading to their current dynamic. Similarly, Zhao Xunxun willingly served as Zeng Yu’s emotional dumping ground. When Zeng Yu poured out her vast romantic history and peculiar preferences, Zhao Xunxun not only accepted it silently but guaranteed absolute confidentiality. However, using this perfect dumping ground came with one condition – she couldn’t express her own opinions or feelings. With someone like Zhao Xunxun, if you mentioned having an itch, she could make you suspect you had a malignant tumor.
After Zhao Xunxun’s statement, Zeng Yu’s sleepiness vanished completely. She forgot it was 2 AM, forgot about the sleeping man beside her, and excitedly crouched on the bed to question further. She wanted to know what could make someone who so deeply loved marriage and defended her fortress suddenly contemplate divorce.
Indeed, Zhao Xunxun was calling from her bathroom, having waited until her husband Xie Pingning fell asleep. She told Zeng Yu that Xie Pingning had been acting strange lately – he left for work wearing a tie that completely clashed with his shirt, rushing back mid-day to change it; spent twice as long showering as usual, even putting the towel in the wrong place afterward; and before bed, he was checking flight schedules… These abnormalities proved something was on his mind, and not just anything ordinary. Perhaps someone was about to appear – someone he cared about enough to potentially threaten her marital stability.
After hearing this, Zeng Yu almost wanted to curse Zhao Xunxun’s entire family, but refrained considering the collateral damage. She hated herself for falling into another of Zhao Xunxun’s dark and absurd traps, especially at such an inconvenient hour.
“Because of these things, you suspect he’ll divorce you? Couldn’t he have picked the wrong tie because of poor eyesight, or spent longer in the shower because of constipation?”
Zhao Xunxun replied, “No, he’s a man of routine. He’s never been this scattered and rushed before. I have a premonition something’s going to happen.”
“Your premonition? If your premonitions were accurate, the world would have ended many times over,” Zeng Yu responded without hesitation.
This time, Zhao Xunxun fell silent for a long while. Zeng Yu somewhat regretted her harsh tone – even if a stranger had shared such concerns, some comfort would have been appropriate. While she was organizing her thoughts, Zhao Xunxun spoke again, her tone suggesting she’d made a difficult decision after careful consideration.
“I have some secret savings that Pingning doesn’t know about. I want to transfer them to your account for safekeeping, just in case…” Just in case her husband changed his heart and left his discarded wife with nothing. Just in case after divorce, she was left with nothing, even her private savings seized by the guilty party. One second she was worried about her marriage, the next she was planning her escape route.
Zeng Yu had lost the will to argue and only asked, “Why am I the one keeping your money?”
Zhao Xunxun countered, “Who else could I ask? My mother?”
Zeng Yu considered this and had to admit it was a valid point.
Zhao Xunxun’s birth mother, Zeng Yu’s stepmother, was a middle-aged woman obsessed with pursuing and managing money. She played the stock market but didn’t understand what stocks were for even after carefully selecting a broker. She saved every penny in the bank but frequently misplaced her bankbooks. She would argue with vegetable vendors over ten cents for more than ten minutes, only to have her wallet stolen by a pickpocket during the argument.
Sometimes Zeng Yu believed everything existed for a reason. Perhaps it was precisely because Zhao Xunxun grew up with her mother that she went to the opposite extreme, full of paranoid consciousness. Over the years, Zeng Yu had kept many things for Zhao Xunxun: spare keys, backup keys to the safe containing other spare keys, copies of documents, insurance policy numbers, medical history copies, and various forms of funds. Zhao Xunxun needed to ensure that even if her life was destroyed, even if every trace of her existence was burned to ashes or buried under yellow sand, she could still survive. Zeng Yu believed that even if this backup base was destroyed, Zhao Xunxun would surely have other contingency plans elsewhere.
Zeng Yu said, “I can keep the money for you, but you’ll soon realize you’re just being paranoid.”
Zhao Xunxun seemed to laugh on the other end: “I hope more than anyone true.”
The next day, the person Zhao Xunxun had “sensed” indeed surfaced.
In the afternoon, just as she finished changing the bed sheets and ironing out the last wrinkle, she received a text message from Xie Pingning containing a flight number, arrival time, and a brief explanation: Aunt is coming back from Shanghai for a visit, let’s go pick her up together. Zhao Xunxun thought immediately that Zeng Yu would mock her mercilessly – she never expected the person he was picking up would be a relative. Though married to Xie Pingning for three years, she had no idea he had an aunt in Shanghai. But this made sense too – he never mentioned it, and she never asked.
Xie Pingning hated tardiness, and seeing time was tight, Zhao Xunxun didn’t dare delay. She changed clothes and rushed to the airport by taxi to meet her husband who would head there after work. At the meeting point, Xie Pingning had already arrived.
Zhao Xunxun asked, “It’s the weekend, restaurants might be hard to book. Should we reserve a table in advance?”
Xie Pingning said, “No need, Grandmother and my parents already booked a hotel, they’re just waiting for us to bring her over.”
Zhao Xunxun responded with an “Oh,” clearly the aunt’s visit wasn’t sudden breaking news – she was probably the only one in the family who didn’t know. She wasn’t angry though, for the same reason: he hadn’t mentioned it, she hadn’t asked, and since they didn’t live with his parents, not receiving the news was normal. There were too many things in this world; knowing one less thing meant one less worry.
The plane had landed, and the arrival announcement had repeated, but Zhao Xunxun couldn’t spot the aunt among the bustling crowd despite craning her neck, which seemed strange.
In contrast, Xie Pingning wasn’t anxious at all. He stood at Exit 3, intently watching the LCD screen above. Zhao Xunxun followed his gaze – it was a looping real estate advertisement, something Xie Pingning had never shown interest in before.
“Could Aunt have gotten lost inside? Should we call her?” Zhao Xunxun tentatively asked.
Xie Pingning turned to look at her, a subtle, peculiar expression flickering across his face. Looking at Xie Pingning, Zhao Xunxun had to admit her fortress not only had a solid foundation but also neat walls. Xie Pingning was the type who suited formal wear perfectly – some people in white shirts, black pants, and suits looked like real estate agents, but this rigid outfit on Xie Pingning was pleasing to the eye. He wasn’t strikingly handsome, but his features were exceptionally proper, as if crafted according to classical proportions, complemented by appropriate manners, sparse but precise speech, and a deep, gentle voice. Before transferring to the Health Bureau, he had been an ENT doctor for several years. Setting aside his medical skills, he easily gained patients’ trust during consultations because he gave off an impression of reliability and trustworthiness. Three years ago, when she first saw him, Zhao Xunxun couldn’t believe such a man would end up with her.
“No need, let’s wait a bit more. She’s always dawdling,” Xie Pingning answered.
Sure enough, before his words faded, he raised his chin slightly toward the front and said to Zhao Xunxun, “See, there she is.”
Zhao Xunxun saw a plump elderly lady with white hair and thought to herself that this aunt hadn’t aged as well as her mother-in-law. Just as she was about to approach with a welcoming smile, she realized Xie Pingning’s body language was pointing in a different direction.
He stepped past the elderly lady and took the luggage from a young woman beside her.
Could this be a cousin from the aunt’s family?
The elderly lady drifted away under Zhao Xunxun’s warm gaze as she heard her husband say softly to the young woman, “Why did you take so long? I thought you’d given me the wrong flight number.”
Zhao Xunxun’s worldview was once again severely shaken. She could imagine her expression now must be even more peculiar than Xie Pingning’s earlier one.
“Is this… Aunt?” she asked with a forced smile.
Xie Pingning nodded, “This is my grandfather’s brother’s daughter, Shao Jiaquan.”
The aunt then smiled while looking over Zhao Xunxun, “You must be Xunxun. Pingning’s taste is still as good as ever.”
This response had the proper senior relative’s air about it. If she had directly said, “So you’re my nephew’s wife,” Zhao Xunxun might have smashed her head against the airport hall wall. This woman called “aunt” appeared to be only twenty-five or twenty-six, several years younger than Zhao Xunxun, full of vitality, and strikingly beautiful.
Zhao Xunxun could only respond with a smile: “Yes, I’m Zhao Xunxun. I never imagined Aunt would be so young.”
The aunt said: “Actually, I’m six years younger than Pingning, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Although he’s unwilling, the generational hierarchy is what it is. Right, Pingning?”
Xie Pingning avoided answering and led Shao Jiaquan toward the exit. “Grandmother and the others are already at the hotel, waiting for you for dinner. They must be getting impatient.”
Shao Jiaquan stood still and said, “Oh no, I can’t leave yet. We discovered we were missing a piece of luggage when collecting our bags.”
“Luggage?” Xie Pingning glanced at the large suitcase in his hand, only then noticing she had used the word “we.”
Shao Jiaquan seemed to suddenly remember she’d forgotten to make an introduction. She turned back, took the hand of someone standing not far behind her, and said brightly to Xie Pingning and Zhao Xunxun: “This is my husband…”
Zhao Xunxun understood now – the distinguished Xie family visitor wasn’t just Aunt, but also Uncle-in-law!
The young man had been looking down at his phone earlier, and Zhao Xunxun hadn’t noticed him, assuming he was just another traveler. Now as he stood beside Shao Jiaquan, flashing a smile at his “nephew and wife,” Zhao Xunxun glanced at him, looked down, then suddenly looked up again. To her dismay, his gaze was still fixed on her, making her uncomfortable. Though everyone appreciates beauty, one shouldn’t covet a friend’s husband, let alone an uncle-in-law.
Beside her, Xie Pingning also seemed stunned for a moment before remembering his proper etiquette and nodding in acknowledgment.
So he hadn’t known about this new relative either. Still, Zhao Xunxun admired his composure. Instead of asking when Aunt had found an uncle-in-law, he looked at Shao Jiaquan and asked, “Can the luggage be found right away?”
Shao Jiaquan said, “Probably not. The airline workers likely misrouted it during boarding. We need to stay and file a report.”
Xie Pingning checked his watch. “I’ll go with you to ask. We should try to get back quickly. Knowing you’re coming back, Elder Cousin’s family came up from the county, but his son has school tomorrow, so they need to leave after dinner. Great-aunt also came from far away – everyone wanted to see you since it’s been so long, hoping for a family gathering.”
“I know,” Shao Jiaquan looked equally anxious. “But we already asked – the person handling lost luggage claims went on dinner break. We’ll probably have to wait a while for them to return. We can’t just abandon the luggage, can we?”
The silent uncle-in-law finally spoke up. He patted Shao Jiaquan’s shoulder, “Why don’t you go ahead? I can wait here. It’s not right to keep the whole family waiting. Besides, it’s my luggage anyway.”
“No way, how could I leave you here alone?” Shao Jiaquan leaned her head on his shoulder, rejecting the idea without hesitation.
The man hugged her back, smiling, “Silly, we’ll have plenty of time together. What’s a short while apart?”
Zhao Xunxun and Xie Pingning both felt somewhat awkward witnessing such intimate affection. Xie Pingning cleared his throat and suggested a compromise.
“How about this – Xunxun, I’ll take Jiaquan back first. Could you stay and keep… him company while he handles the luggage? I’ll try to come back to you both as soon as possible. If you finish early, you can take a taxi – you know where the hotel is, right?”
“Ah? Oh!” Zhao Xunxun could only agree.
The young uncle-in-law smiled, “I’m a grown man, I don’t need company. Besides, I’ve lived in G City for several years…”
Xie Pingning interrupted him, “You’re our guest. We can’t just leave you here alone. I’m sorry – if half the family weren’t leaving tonight, we wouldn’t be in such a rush.”
Shao Jiaquan still seemed reluctant, but eager to see her family, and without a better solution, she reluctantly gave some instructions before hurriedly leaving with Xie Pingning.
After their figures disappeared through the doors, only Zhao Xunxun and the newly-met uncle-in-law remained. Not knowing what to say first, she simply smiled, and he smiled back with a shrug. Zhao Xunxun thought to herself, what kind of situation was this? Was she the only one who found it strange? Even out of courtesy, wouldn’t it make more sense for her, as the “nephew’s wife,” to accompany Aunt to the dinner while Xie Pingning stayed to help her uncle-in-law with the lost luggage claim? At least that would avoid two strangers facing each other awkwardly, especially when one was an oddly-positioned elder relative. This didn’t seem like something the reliable Xie Pingning would do. Unfortunately, Zhao Xunxun was accustomed to accepting and obeying Xie Pingning’s decisions – challenging his decisions wasn’t her strong suit. Perhaps Xie Pingning thought only he and Shao Jiaquan rushing back would constitute a proper family reunion, which made some sense, but it didn’t change the current awkward atmosphere.
“Um… Uncle, you must be tired from your journey. Should we wait at a nearby tea house?” Zhao Xunxun asked, forcing down her discomfort.
He burst out laughing, “When you call me uncle, it makes my hair stand on end. What’s Jiaquan playing at, acting like an elder? Her father is just your husband’s grandfather’s distant cousin, beyond five generations removed. They just visit often because they have few relatives. Don’t call her aunt anymore – look how pleased she is with herself.”
“Oh…” Zhao Xunxun responded blankly.
“Xunxun, I’m sorry you had to stay behind to keep me company.” Though he wouldn’t let her call him uncle, his use of “Xunxun” was quite warm and familiar. Zhao Xunxun wanted to say she felt awkward too but couldn’t bring herself to say it, instead laughing dryly, “Oh no, we’re family, no need for formalities.”
“Jiaquan and I aren’t married yet, we just plan to be!” Zhao Xunxun choked, not knowing how to respond. Uncle- no, young man, why are you telling me this?
“…” Zhao Xunxun didn’t know what to call him anymore. She pointed at the duty office with a pained expression. “I’ll go see if the staff has returned.”
He cheerfully followed her, seemingly seeing through her thoughts.
“Why don’t you call me by my name?”
Zhao Xunxun thought, how would I know your name? Then she suddenly remembered that Shao Jiaquan had introduced him when they first met, but she and Xie Pingning had been so shocked by this sudden uncle-in-law that they barely heard anything afterward. Fortunately, the person who had created this awkward situation helped resolve it.
He moved in front of her with a half-smile and said concisely: “Chi Cheng.”
“Nice name,” Zhao Xunxun replied after a deliberate pause, trying to show sincerity.
Then came the response that increased her discomfort.
“How is it nice?” he asked, appearing completely serious.
“Um…” Zhao Xunxun nearly bit through her lip. “Galloping across the land, very impressive.”
“Too bad it’s not those characters.”
“Chi Cheng, with ‘city’ and ‘pool,’ that’s nice too.”
“Not that ‘cheng’ either.” She was reminded of being caught daydreaming in chemistry class years ago, unable to answer the teacher’s question.
Should she say she didn’t care which “chi” or “cheng” it was unless she was “chi cheng” (overly full from eating)?
But she was Zhao Xunxun, raised to be polite, well-behaved, and considerate – the good child Zhao Xunxun.
“Then which ‘cheng’ is it?” she asked, studious and humble.
Without warning, he grabbed her hand, opened her palm, and traced characters with his finger.
“This ‘cheng’!” Unfortunately, Zhao Xunxun was so shocked by his sudden action that she only remembered the ticklish feeling in her palm, completely missing the strokes his fingertip traced.
“Three-water radical plus the ‘Deng’ from mountain climbing,” he explained with a smile. If he’d just said that earlier, they could have avoided all the previous wordplay and gesturing. She said wearily, “Oh, the ‘cheng’ from Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs.”
“I’d be more grateful if you’d said the ‘cheng’ from ‘clear and pure,'” he said, hands in his pockets, tilting his head with a smile that was indeed clear and pure. Youth is wonderful, and good looks are advantageous. Zhao Xunxun forgave him for the sake of that face – what uncle-in-law? He looked about the same age as Shao Jiaquan, just a kid. Of course, this forgiveness lasted only until he spoke again.
“Zhao Xunxun, why are you called Zhao Xunxun?”
“Because it flows well.”
“Does it? Xunxun, Xunxun, what does it mean? Is it the ‘xun’ from seeking, or the ‘xun’ from sturgeon?”
“The ‘xun’ from ‘octogenarian’!” Zhao Xunxun replied, barely audible.
“That character is rarely used in names, is it because…”
“It’s because my parents almost lost me at the hospital when I was born. They had a hard time finding me, but using the character for ‘seek’ in a name would be even stranger, so they just picked a homophone, and that’s why I’m called Zhao Xunxun.” She quickly ended the topic with the truth, though she rarely shared this story with others.
Fortunately, the duty staff finally returned from their meal, and Zhao Xunxun joyfully rushed toward them, completing the lost luggage claim with high enthusiasm and a delighted heart.
On the way back, Zhao Xunxun pretended to sleep in the taxi’s front seat. As they approached the restaurant and headed toward the Xie family’s private room, Chi Cheng, who hadn’t spoken for a while, apologized to her.
“I’m sorry. I just felt it would be awkward for two strangers to wait there in silence, so I talked more than usual. I meant to lighten the mood, but it backfired and annoyed you. My fault.” He looked down at her, appearing both guilty and innocent. His reasoning made sense, and for a moment, Zhao Xunxun felt she had been petty. Feeling her previous behavior had been excessive, she quickly tried to make amends.
“I wasn’t annoyed, just tired,” she explained.
Chi Cheng nodded: “If my partner left me to deal with some inexplicable relative, especially a stranger of the opposite sex, I might feel tired too.”
Pointing out an awkward truth is even more awkward than the truth itself. Zhao Xunxun’s face immediately reddened.
“That’s not it, it’s not because of you.”
“Oh, then is it because of your husband?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
This time Zhao Xunxun looked at him once but didn’t speak. Soon the server opened the private room door before them, revealing a table full of relatives.