After the meal, Teacher Hu invited Zhou Yu to go shopping, saying that with New Year approaching, they should see what else needed to be purchased. The two chatted on the street, from bound feet to elderly women with wrapped feet. Zhou Yu said her grandmother had bound feet, her toes completely deformed, requiring the smallest shoe size with cotton stuffing added.

Teacher Hu said what a coincidence—her old classmate’s grandmother did handicrafts, specifically making shoes for bound feet to sell. In the end, they didn’t go shopping at all, but instead went to her classmate’s grandmother’s house.

That grandmother was around eighty years old with perfect eyesight, sitting by the stove gripping an awl as her needle flew through the fabric. A cart in front of the door displayed all kinds of bound-feet shoes. The grandmother said the cotton stuffing inside the shoes was even warmer than what stores sold, and she had every size.

Zhou Yu selected one pair of cotton shoes and one pair of single-layer shoes. Teacher Hu said she could buy new styles for the single-layer ones after spring came, but Zhou Yu said they were all the same—in truth, she worried about life’s uncertainties and whether she could even wait until next spring.

On the road, she sent Sun Jingcheng a WeChat message: “Where are you?”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “I’ll be home in half an hour.”

She replied: “Waiting for you at home.”

The two had agreed to return to the family compound that evening.

After saying goodbye to Teacher Hu, she returned to the marital home. Five minutes after arriving home, Sun Jingcheng messaged her to come downstairs. In the car, the two chatted briefly. Zhou Yu said she had just gone shopping with a colleague and bought shoes for Grandmother. Sun Jingcheng instinctively wanted to ask: Then why didn’t you go back to the family compound first?

The place where they went shopping wasn’t far from the family compound, but he swallowed the words back down. Only at this moment did he realize that since getting married, Zhou Yu rarely returned to the family compound alone—it was always the two of them together.

Sun Jingcheng pulled her hand to his lips and blew warm air on it. “Was it cold shopping?”

Zhou Yu couldn’t be bothered with him, then reacted and said: “If you want to hold my hand, just say so…”

Sun Jingcheng laughed heartily.

Zhou Yu was also in a good mood, saying she had received her salary and should be the highest-paid among the young teachers. Sun Jingcheng asked: “Why among the young teachers?”

“The veteran teachers have seniority, several with twenty-some years of service.” Zhou Yu took out several shopping vouchers to show him. “Year-end benefits. Plus a notebook.”

“Good benefits!”

“I’ll give your mother two vouchers, my mother two vouchers, let them buy New Year goods.” Zhou Yu continued, taking out a jewelry box to show him. “These past two months our living expenses have been ample, so I bought your mother a gold bracelet, 38 grams.”

“Didn’t I tell you to buy one for your mother?”

“My mother doesn’t wear gold bracelets.”

“Are you indirectly saying my mother is vulgar?” Sun Jingcheng teased her.

“Vulgar is good—vulgar people are easily happy.” Zhou Yu looked at him and, feeling merciful, said: “Do you know why you always get scolded?”

Sun Jingcheng shook his head.

“Because you have low emotional intelligence, no perception, and you have a face that invites scolding.”

…

“Last week at dinner, Second Sister-in-law gave Mom a set of anti-wrinkle skincare products. Mom was feeling wonderful about it, and you said those things don’t work and won’t remove the wrinkles on Mom’s face.” Zhou Yu said: “With one sentence you offended two people. Mom wasn’t happy because of the skincare products themselves, but because they were a filial gift from her daughter-in-law. My buying Mom a gold bracelet follows the same principle.”

“At the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, Second Brother praised Mom for looking spirited and complimented the color of her dress. Mom was happy, and you said she was trying to look young, that the dress color was too youthful and didn’t suit her…”

“At the Winter Solstice dinner, Eldest Brother and Second Brother toasted Mom, thanking her for the hard work of taking care of the children, and saying she raised them well. Mom was moved to tears—it was a perfect family reunion moment of maternal kindness and filial piety—and you mentioned that Yanyan had thick nasal discharge crusted on her face…”

“Why does your sister ask you to come to the clinic together, and after confirming you’ve arrived, she saunters in an hour late?” Zhou Yu asked him.

Sun Jingcheng shook his head like a rattle drum.

“Because she calls you back first to absorb the firepower, so by the time she returns, Mom has no energy left to scold her.”

Sun Jingfei followed the car ahead into the residential complex. After watching the two of them go upstairs, she looked at her WeChat messages. The message was from the lawyer, who said the evidence Sun Jingfei provided wasn’t strong enough and would also be questioned regarding its legality. Especially the recordings secretly made at home, which the other party could claim as invalid evidence on grounds of privacy violation.

Sun Jingfei called to discuss it. The other party said some behaviors themselves carry great controversy, so whether certain defenses are supported depends on the court. Based on current evidence, she had the advantage in property division, but the children had lived with their paternal grandparents for a long time, and the father-son relationship was harmonious. Whether considering the court or the children’s opinions, things were very unfavorable for her. The court wouldn’t award her the children just because she was the innocent party. She could only work hard to win the children’s preference.

Because it was a phone conversation, the lawyer spoke very formally and cautiously. Sun Jingfei felt this kind of conversation was pointless and arranged to meet in person next time. After hanging up, she saw the two of them walking out of the complex arm-in-arm. She turned around and slowly followed them. Seeing they were about to enter the market, she suddenly accelerated, the car body brushing past her husband as it charged forward. After turning a corner and merging into traffic, she lowered the window and adjusted the side mirror.

The car was one she had rented from a dealership. She changed cars every two or three days.

She pulled over and scrolled through the Sun family WeChat group. An hour ago, Mother Sun had posted in the group, telling everyone to report what they wanted to eat. Second Brother and his wife confidently ordered dishes. Eldest Sister-in-law said as usual she would come over in the afternoon to help. Zhou Yu gave her unchanging response of “anything is fine.” Only Eldest Brother and Fourth Brother hadn’t replied.

She privately messaged Sun Jingcheng: “Not coming back to the clinic tonight?”

After a long while, Sun Jingcheng replied: “Coming back.” Immediately after, she saw him report in the group: “Braised hairtail fish.”

Sure enough, Mother Sun sent him a twenty-second voice message: “Too late, I’ve already returned from the market. Am I your personal nanny? Supposed to wait by the vegetable stall until you finish your business before ordering…”

Sun Jingcheng directly threw an image into the group with text: “Mom, you’ve worked hard. I was just at the gold shop selecting your birthday gift for next week, so I didn’t have time to reply.”

…

Sun Jingfei felt like vomiting. She privately messaged him: “Did Zhou Yu teach you that?”

Sun Jingcheng didn’t bother responding to her.

The message where Mother Sun had scolded Sun Jingcheng showed “content withdrawn.” Soon after, she sent a text message: “Our home is right next to the market, I’ll go buy it in a bit. Besides braised hairtail fish, is there anything else you want to eat?”

Second Sister-in-law asked: “Mom, don’t you not know pinyin?”

Mother Sun replied: “Mom, I’m your son Jiaxing.”

…Everything was in chaos.

Sun Jingfei saw her opportunity had arrived and started typing: “Mom, I just got back from a business trip, I’m also coming back tonight. I want to eat shrimp and tofu, Chinese broccoli with beef…” preparing to send…

She saw that scolding-face Sun Jingcheng had sent another message: “Mom, I won’t trouble you anymore. Just the braised hairtail fish is complicated enough.”

Sun Jingfei deleted all the content she had typed. She privately messaged Sun Jingcheng: “Even Liu Neng isn’t as capable as you!”

At the dinner table, aside from Eldest Brother and Second Brother not coming, even Sun Jingcheng unusually didn’t show up. Sun Youping’s face looked unpleasant. Mother Sun looked at the table full of dishes she had carefully prepared and said quickly: “If everyone’s going to be too busy in the future, let’s just not gather.”

The three daughters-in-law said nothing.

Mother Sun was just regretting that her words were too rash when Sun Jingfei picked up: “If the men don’t come, we women can gather by ourselves.”

“Next time they shouldn’t come either—just us women and mother.” Mother Sun tried to walk back her words.

Sun Jingfei looked at Zhou Yu sitting across from her. “Didn’t Fourth Brother say he was coming?”

Zhou Yu said: “His phone isn’t connecting.”

Sun Jingfei took out her phone to call—the system indicated the call couldn’t be connected.

“Fourth Brother isn’t an unreliable person, he must have been held up by something.” Eldest Sister-in-law said.

“Even if he was held up, he would send a message, right?” Second Sister-in-law chimed in. “Fourth Brother has much more family responsibility than Second Brother. If something came up, he would say so.”

The atmosphere began to grow slightly tense. Sun Jingfei gripped her chopsticks and tapped them neatly on the table. “Let’s eat. He’s a grown man—this isn’t the first or second time he’s lost his phone.”

“When he gets back, we’ll scold him. Always so disorganized.” Mother Sun muttered.

“He’s not a child.” Sun Jingfei said: “Always scolding him for every little thing…”

“Jade must be carved to become valuable; people must be scolded to become capable.” Mother Sun lectured her. “Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you brought back a big speaker after not coming home for two months…”

Before coming back that evening, Sun Jingfei had made a quick trip to the electronics store to buy a large speaker, claiming she’d won it at the company’s annual party. Mother Sun was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling, praising her good luck.

Mother Sun loved doing square dancing. Last month, the lead dancer had asked everyone to chip in for a new large speaker, but few people were willing. Now that she could bring this large speaker, her status in the dance group would be completely different from before. Previously, she had no presence or voice in the group.

Mother Sun felt very aggrieved: “Before, I was the most looked down upon in the group. They always said I brought my grandson to dance…”

“Then just stop going.” Sun Jingfei said it lightly.

“That won’t do! It’s my only hobby.”

Mother and daughter chatted back and forth. The three daughters-in-law, considering Father-in-law was present, didn’t feel comfortable gossiping. Usually, Sun Youping would go downstairs to the clinic after eating, but this time his chopsticks lay flat across his bowl as he sat upright in his chair.

Eldest Sister-in-law understood what was happening and nudged Zhou Yu: “Waiting for Fourth Brother.”

Zhou Yu just smiled without saying anything.

Second Sister-in-law covered her mouth while picking her teeth. As long as Sun Youping didn’t get up, no one else could leave the table first.

Sun Jingfei looked at him and deliberately asked: “Dad, are you finished eating?”

Sun Youping didn’t respond to her, as usual.

Mother Sun urged him: “If you’re done eating, go downstairs to the clinic.”

“I’m waiting for soup.” Sun Youping said steadily.

“Today there’s just old duck soup, nothing else.” Mother Sun ladled with a spoon. “Only the bottom is left.”

Father Sun rinsed his mouth and went downstairs to the clinic.

“Dad is really interesting.” Sun Jingfei said with amusement: “Like someone from the old society…”

“Just eat your food.” Mother Sun urged her. “Call Fourth Brother again.”

Sun Jingcheng truly had been held up. On his way back after finishing his business, he encountered someone having a major epileptic seizure. He knew a bit about this condition and naturally couldn’t stand by. When the patient had the seizure, no family members were present. When the ambulance arrived, he was asked to come along to the hospital. As for where his phone was dropped during the process, he wasn’t very clear.

After returning to the clinic, he went directly to the prescription cabinet to get medicine to clean his wound. The shop assistant saw his injured finger and took over to help him treat it. “How did you get bitten?”

“Encountered someone having an epileptic seizure on the road, got bitten while clearing vomit from her mouth.” Sun Jingcheng said.

“That person was okay in the end?”

“No problem, she was fine once she got to the hospital.”

“There are so many bacteria in the mouth, you can’t be careless with the wound.” The assistant helped him with deep disinfection.

On the other side of the clinic, Sun Youping scooped coal ash from the stove while keeping his ears perked up. Sun Jingcheng held up the phone he’d just recovered and scanned to pay for the medicine.

The assistant said he was being too formal, paying for medicine from his own family’s shop. Sun Jingcheng didn’t respond, and after the wound was treated, he went upstairs. Sun Youping dumped the coal ash into the garbage cart by the roadside with a clang, his face looking unpleasant as he returned to the clinic.

The assistant pretended not to understand and acted extremely busy.

Upstairs, things had already gotten lively. Several people crowded around Ke Yu watching his trending video. The scene of Sun Jingcheng saving someone had been recorded, but everyone’s focus wasn’t on him saving the person, but rather that during the rescue process, he had consciously blocked the patient’s face, protecting the patient’s dignity. He had also shouted at passersby not to film.

Whether in the videos or photos that circulated, the patient was thoroughly covered with mosaics. Only the rescuer Sun Jingcheng’s face was visible.

And the rescuer was currently sitting at the table eating the leftover food his wife had reheated for him. His mother looked at him with a kind, benevolent smile on her face.

Sun Jingfei gestured to Ke Yu, having him take the phone downstairs to show Grandfather. Then she plopped down on the sofa. “These internet users are quite decent too.”

“Don’t get too comfortable sitting there—can’t you see your eldest sister-in-law and Zhou Yu are in the kitchen?” Mother Sun said to her.

“Eldest Sister-in-law, do you need help in the kitchen?” Sun Jingfei called out.

“No need, everything’s already washed.” Eldest Sister-in-law replied.

Mother Sun poked her with her fingertip, saying in a low voice: “You’re just like Second Sister-in-law.”

Second Sister-in-law had left half an hour earlier, saying she had booked Mom’s birthday banquet for next week at the most impressive hotel in the city. Mother Sun said her second son’s restaurant would be fine, but Second Sister-in-law said the family restaurant wasn’t classy enough.

Sun Jingcheng’s hand was injured, so he ate with his pinky finger raised. Sun Jingfei couldn’t stand watching and told him that was enough.

Downstairs, Ke Yu came running up the stairs, holding up his phone and shouting: “Uncle, Uncle, someone’s calling for your wife to propose to you.”

Sun Jingcheng took it to look at the comments section. Some people said he was at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, most likely unmarried. Some praised his appearance as absolutely amazing, with an upright and incorruptible face. Some asked for his WeChat, asking to date him.

Sun Jingcheng looked in the mirror. He was often praised for having regular features, but had never been described as upright and incorruptible or absolutely amazing. He asked Ke Yu: “What does ‘absolutely amazing’ mean?”

“It means too amazing! So good-looking!” Ke Yu tried hard to explain.

…

In the living room, Sun Jingfei gave Eldest Sister-in-law a gold bracelet and Zhou Yu a designer handbag. Zhou Yu had recently helped Ke Yu with tutoring, and she didn’t have anything else good to give. As for Eldest Sister-in-law, that was just a casual purchase—it wouldn’t look good to only give something to Zhou Yu. As for Second Sister-in-law, she didn’t buy anything. Second Sister-in-law was picky, and if she bought something unsatisfactory, she wouldn’t appreciate it anyway.

In the car on the way home, Zhou Yu placed the bag to one side and said sincerely: “It’s really good to have money.”

“If you like it, just buy it. It’s not like we can’t afford it.” Sun Jingcheng said.

“I’m not talking about the bag, I’m talking about… you wouldn’t understand even if I explained.” Zhou Yu couldn’t be bothered to tell him.

“How do you know I won’t understand?”

“Stop arguing with me.”

“You’re the one not speaking properly again.” Sun Jingcheng said to her. “Always with the sarcasm.”

“Is it any of your business?”

“You have a split personality and unpredictable moods. When you get upset outside, you come home and take it out on me. You just bully the weak and act tough at home!”

“Good self-awareness—you are weak.” Zhou Yu responded halfheartedly.

“You’re the weak one!”

“What’s wrong with you? You’re the one who said you were weak.” Zhou Yu looked at him.

“Is that what I meant? I meant weak as in bullying the weak and fearing the strong!”

Zhou Yu looked at him like he was an idiot and praised: “You’re Optimus Prime, you’re hard twenty-four hours a day.”

“I’m a man, I’m a man, I won’t stoop to her level, I won’t stoop to her level.” Sun Jingcheng exhaled and muttered to himself.

“This person is really something.” Zhou Yu was speechless.

The two of them calmed down and neither spoke again. By the time they got home and were changing shoes, Zhou Yu said: “What I meant was that having money means you can do whatever you want.”

“The ultimate purpose of having money is being able to do whatever you want.” Sun Jingcheng said.

Zhou Yu pushed him over in one motion. “From now on, I’ll also learn from Second Sister-in-law and your sister—not doing any housework, just using gifts to handle people.”

“Mom says you’re busy with work and doesn’t ask you to help…”

“Can’t you understand polite talk?” Zhou Yu said to him. “Let your mom busy herself alone in the kitchen while I, as the daughter-in-law, sit there watching TV?”

“In your home, isn’t it always your mom who’s busy while you sit there watching TV…”

“Are you asking for it! You already said that’s my home and my mom!” Zhou Yu scolded him with a ferocious expression.