Sun Jingfei was tidying up the kitchen. Mother Sun packed the steamed buns into bags, then placed them in the freezer to be taken out and resteamed when they wanted to eat them.

Her mouth wasn’t idle either, praising Zhou Yu for being sensible, better than her own daughter.

Sun Jingfei curled her lips, too lazy to respond. Everyone was better than her.

Mother Sun sat in the dining chair rubbing her shoulders. “I had my eye on her early on, wanted to introduce her to your second brother, but their ages were too far apart.” As she spoke, she counted on her fingers, “Eleven years apart, almost a full cycle.”

…

“The fourth son is always running around without a trace, no proper form either. I didn’t even dare to think about it. Hey, who would have thought… Your Aunt Feng came to the door personally to propose, and in the end those two were like a turtle eyeing a mung bean—they really hit it off…” Mother Sun appeared quite proud. “Where can you find reason in that?”

“Mom, don’t praise her too much.” Sun Jingfei couldn’t listen anymore. “Zhou Yu is good, but she’s far from what you’re saying…”

“Anyway, she’s better than you!”

…

“Your Aunt Feng knows better than me how to raise children.” Mother Sun broke off a piece of bun and put it in her mouth. “From childhood she taught Zhou Yu to grow flowers, all delicate flowers. Back then life was hard, we could barely feed ourselves, who had the energy for flowers? At first I didn’t understand, but these years I’ve slowly come to realize—the more delicate the flower, the harder it is to grow, and it most tempers one’s temperament.”

“When she grew into a young lady, she always stood daintily behind your Aunt Feng. Floral print dress, red leather shoes, white lace-trimmed socks, dressed stylishly from head to toe…” The reason Mother Sun remembered so clearly was that at the time she’d also wanted to outfit Sun Jingfei the same way, but once she inquired about the price, she immediately gave up the idea.

During her teenage years, Sun Jingfei was a wild girl, constantly riding a bicycle bigger than herself back and forth. When she fell, she’d stick her bottom up, pat off the dust, and lift the bicycle back up. Whenever she saw Zhou Yu on the street, Zhou Yu would never stick her bottom up doing anything—she was very ladylike, even picking things up by squatting down sideways. For this, Mother Sun had even beaten Sun Jingfei once, forbidding her to wear skirts anymore, because every time she stuck her bottom up you could almost see her underwear.

Setting aside everything else, when it came to raising children, she most admired Feng Yiqun. Thinking of this, she brought up the old refrain—she still hadn’t properly educated Sun Jingcheng. If she hadn’t indulged his temperament when he was young, who knows, he might be a pianist now.

This time Sun Jingfei picked up the conversation, saying heartlessly, “The fourth son was born into the wrong family. Switch to an intellectual household where the parents could guide him, and he’d have made something of himself long ago. Even if he couldn’t become a pianist, he’d be somebody in the medical field.”

“Our family is just too ordinary, we buried his talent.” Sun Jingfei wrung out the cloth and wiped the range hood, speaking in absolutes. “When parents lack ability themselves, they can’t guide a precocious child to success. A poor family producing an exceptional child is just wishful thinking.”

“You think Zhou Yu has good upbringing, but that upbringing is in her bones. Didn’t you always sigh before, saying her maternal grandmother came from a distinguished family, and back then was forced by circumstances to marry her maternal grandfather, and her maternal grandfather was a servant in her family, right?”

Speaking of this, she thought of something else and said offhandedly, “Parents always complain their children aren’t successful, but maybe the children feel the parents held them back.”

Mother Sun ate her bun in silence, sipped her tea, then went back to her room to rest.

Only after Sun Jingfei finished everything did she realize Mother Sun had silently returned to the inner room. She tidied up the living room too, mopped the floor, and stood at the stairway calling out, “Dad, the upstairs floor was just mopped, come up later tonight.”

The clinic downstairs should be closing too.

Soon a staff member called her and handed her a bottle of diluted disinfectant, saying Sun Youping had instructed it, for her to use when mopping.

She had to mop all over again. After mopping and preparing to wash up and sleep, she saw the short video her son sent. He was holding a sparkler, setting them off on the street with several cousins.

Sun Jingfei smiled and replied, “Be safe, remember to wear a mask when you go out.”

Ke Yu replied, “Okay, Mom.”

Sun Youping also closed up and came upstairs to sleep. While changing into house clothes, he asked Mother Sun, “Did you drink your medicine?”

“Not yet.” Mother Sun propped up her pillow and sat leaning against it.

Sun Youping went out and heated two bags of Chinese medicine for insomnia. The old couple sat at the head of the bed drinking it. Seeing her eyelids were swollen, Sun Youping asked, “Did the third daughter upset you?”

The words rolled around on her tongue several times before Mother Sun suppressed the choking feeling and said, “She couldn’t upset me. I was just thinking about some trivial matters.”

“You have insomnia precisely because you worry too much.” Sun Youping went to the bathroom to wash up, came back after a while, turned off the light, “Let’s sleep.”

Sun Jingcheng played for over half an hour before coming back. He’d worked up enough sweat and vented his feelings. On the way home he thought about how to communicate with Zhou Yu—they couldn’t keep arguing at the drop of a hat like before. Moreover, he noticed that every time they got in the car after gathering at the clinic, the two of them always argued without fail.

He wondered if they should change cars?

In the bedroom, Zhou Yu was leaning against the headboard reading. He glanced over, went to wash up first, then came out and sat on the edge of the bed saying, “I won’t tell my close friend to his face, but I’ll buy a new number to tell him. In any case, I won’t let him be kept in the dark like a fool.” He had his own principles. He believed that when everyone around knew but the person involved didn’t, that was the greatest harm and joke.

Zhou Yu closed her book. She wanted to say that buying a phone number requires real-name verification, and wanted to say that in marriage no one is a fool, but in the end she just nodded without saying anything.

Sun Jingcheng lay down in the other quilt, saying, “The hairtail was something I specifically told my mom to fry for you. If you don’t want to eat it, you can give it to me, but you can’t throw it away. That’s my mom’s thoughtfulness.”

Zhou Yu made an “mm” sound. “I didn’t throw it away, it’s all in the refrigerator.”

“You threw away a piece when we were arguing, wrapped in tissue paper.” Sun Jingcheng was particular about this.

Zhou Yu also lay back in her quilt, saying nothing.

At this very moment, as if through telepathy, Sun Jingcheng inexplicably sensed that she had softened, was no longer showing her claws and being aggressive. To verify this thought, he reached his hand into her quilt, intending to touch her hand, but unexpectedly touched something soft. Before he could react, she slapped his hand away.

He immediately burst into laughter, becoming happy, and even said that sleeping in a bra wasn’t good.

Zhou Yu glared at him, too lazy to deal with him.

Because her cheeks were flushed red, that glare appeared coquettish and charming, lacking any deterrent power whatsoever.

Sun Jingcheng gathered his courage and, propped on his pillow, popularized for her some tips on effectively preventing breast cancer. He was completely acting with a physician’s benevolence, adopting the posture of an expert giving a lecture, without any impropriety.

As he was educating her… he saw her hands somehow fiddle about, pulling out a black lace bra from under the covers and throwing it directly onto a chair to the side.

It didn’t land well… one cup on the chair, one cup hanging in mid-air… and that lace as thin as a cicada’s wing made him think of a dancing girl’s mask.

Sun Jingcheng stopped his educational lecture and shrank back into his quilt, wrapping himself tightly.

Zhou Yu turned off the main light, turned on the bedside lamp, wished him goodnight, and turned over to sleep.

Sun Jingcheng couldn’t sleep, kept looking at the back of her head. Her hair had a bit of natural curl, and at the nape of her neck there was a cluster of soft, delicate baby hairs. Thinking this, he reached up to touch them. Zhou Yu turned back to look at him, “Are you going to sleep or not?”

“Can’t sleep.” Sun Jingcheng answered honestly.

“If you can’t sleep, count sheep.”

“I’m counting the baby hairs on your nape…”

Zhou Yu turned to face him, preventing him from counting.

Sun Jingcheng humbly asked for instruction, “How did you take off your bra through your pajamas?”

“Want me to demonstrate once?” Zhou Yu looked at him.

“If it’s convenient for you.”

“It’s not convenient.”

…

Sun Jingcheng looked at her, and she looked back at him. The two just stared at each other like this. The atmosphere began to have a subtle change. Sun Jingcheng felt a bit at a loss and began to regret that he should have seized the opportunity just now. When she asked “Want me to demonstrate once?” he should have answered with a resounding “Yes!” instead of that nonsense: “If it’s convenient for you.”

Neither of them were highly lustful people. Before the divorce agreement, they were intimate about twice a week. Even when younger, he was the same. It wasn’t that his body was inadequate, but rather he instinctively disliked being controlled by physical desire, and often deliberately suppressed it.

He stretched one leg out from under his quilt and pressed it on top of hers. Zhou Yu reminded him, “You’ve crossed the boundary.” From the moment they agreed to divorce, they simultaneously ended their physical intimacy.

Sun Jingcheng acted as if he hadn’t heard, propping his head with one hand to look at her. “Women should get a physical exam at least once a year.”

“Our school organizes them.”

“The school won’t do. It needs to be that kind of thorough, comprehensive checkup.” Sun Jingcheng said, “Like breasts, cervix, endometrium, ovaries…”

“You understand gynecology too?”

“I know a bit about everything.”

“You’re really versatile.” Zhou Yu praised him.

Sun Jingcheng nodded, accepting it. “I’ve been versatile since childhood.” After saying this, he scratched his face and looked at her. “Did you secretly have a crush on me?”

…

Zhou Yu was too lazy to deal with him.

“I trust my intuition.” Sun Jingcheng was very certain. Because occasionally the way Zhou Yu looked at him gave him a very strong feeling.

Zhou Yu ignored him, closing her eyes to sleep.

“Just admit it, what’s the big deal? I had a crush on my music teacher when I was twelve or thirteen.”

“You really matured early.” Zhou Yu responded.

“Early maturity is early maturity.” Sun Jingcheng tugged at her. “Just admit it, I won’t laugh at you…”

“Admit what?”

“Admit you had a crush on me.”

“What’s there to hide about having a crush on you?” Zhou Yu said, “I’m someone who dares to love, dare to hate, dare to act and take responsibility. I used to have a crush on your close friend, but I really never had a crush on you.”

…

“You’re so boring.” Sun Jingcheng pulled back his leg, ignoring her.

“You’re really petty.” Zhou Yu said to him, “I just never had a crush on you, and you’re already angry?”

“I’m not angry.” Sun Jingcheng refuted, “I just think you’re boring.”

“You’re just too confident.” Zhou Yu wouldn’t let it go. “When you were in college, you kept shoulder-length hair. You thought you were so literary and artistic, but looking at it now, it was greasy as hell.”

“In my heart, you’re just a greasy young man.”

“Fine, so you never had a crush on me, but you have to stomp me into the ground?” Sun Jingcheng got angry. “What did I do to you?”

“If I’m so greasy, so unlikeable to you, why did you marry me?”

“You asked me first.”

“How could I have been so desperate?” Sun Jingcheng cursed himself. “I was just so pent up my balls hurt!” After saying this, he pressed his entire body on top of hers.

Zhou Yu pushed him, but he held her and played dead.

After a little while, Zhou Yu said, “You’re crushing me to death.”

Sun Jingcheng made no sound. He detected the indulgence in her tone. He quietly held her, feeling her with his heart, never having felt their hearts so close before. Even though two minutes ago they were still bickering.

His heart filled with gratitude, and he softly called her, “Wife.”

“Mm.” Zhou Yu responded.

He lifted his head to look at her. “You deliberately seduced me.”

“Who seduced you?” Zhou Yu refuted.

“Why did you take off your bra?”

“You said it’s bad for breasts.”

“Bullshit! You deliberately seduced me.” Sun Jingcheng was absolutely certain.

Zhou Yu didn’t look at him, closing her eyes to sleep.

“Wife.” Sun Jingcheng called again.

“What.” Zhou Yu opened her eyes.

This time Sun Jingcheng didn’t speak again. His hand naturally reached into the covers, first kneading her chest, then sliding downward. When he touched the sanitary pad, he cursed out loud.

Zhou Yu laughed triumphantly.

Sun Jingcheng looked at her through gritted teeth, pretending to viciously bite her, calling her a little bastard.

Zhou Yu laughed uncontrollably, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt to sleep. Sun Jingcheng wouldn’t relent, threw back her quilt and directly pressed on top of her, rubbing back and forth for quite a while before lying back down properly, then pulling her hand over to help him.

Zhou Yu cursed him as obscene.

Sun Jingcheng admitted it frankly—he was indeed obscene. Then he placed her other hand on his chest, having her press hard to check if there were any lumps inside, saying men also had the risk of breast cancer.

On New Year’s Eve, that bastard Sun Jingcheng deceived her, saying their family took a group photo once every three years, each time with a different theme, and this year’s theme was Republican era style.

That morning she spent a full hour getting ready, found the qipao from when they got married, wore a knee-length down jacket over it, and followed Sun Jingcheng, who claimed to be dressed as a warlord young marshal, to the clinic.

When she got there and looked, eldest brother was in a full police uniform, eldest sister-in-law in a cashmere coat; second brother in a full suit, second sister-in-law in a mink coat; Sun Jingfei was the most outstanding, wrapped in Mother Sun’s maroon down jacket, saying for photos, just make a gesture of it. But actually when taking photos she also changed into her most presentable clothes.

Only Sun Youping and Mother Sun were the most dignified, wearing the glossy mink coats that second son had bought them, sitting in the grand armchairs in the front row. On either side stood four grandchildren, in order: Yiyi and Yuyan, the sister and brother; Jiaxing and Jiarui, the brothers.

The row behind was the daughters-in-law and daughter: Xu Weihua, Lin Jing, Zhou Yu, Sun Jingfei; the last row was the sons: Sun Jingyue, Sun Jinghui, Sun Jingcheng.

The background was “Sun Youping Clinic” and the large Chinese parasol tree in front of the door. On the clinic wall was posted the address plate: 159 South Xingfu Li Street.

This was the most complete Sun family photo ever taken.

In total—thirteen people.