Tonight, another person with similarly complex and tangled thoughts, tossing and turning sleeplessly, was Sun Jingyue. At the dinner table he had refused that apartment—not for any other reason, but simply because he was the eldest brother, the eldest son.
At the dinner table his wife hadn’t said a word. On the way back she also hadn’t said a word. Not until they reached the parking spot did she have Yuyi take the younger son upstairs first, then turned to look at him resentfully, asking what right he had to refuse that apartment on behalf of the siblings?
She asked him—did he know that Yuyi had lied to her roommates, saying her father was the Public Security Bureau Chief? He was shocked. Because he was just a team captain.
His wife’s face was calm as she slowly said: “I’ve been to Yuyi’s dorm twice. Four people—two local students, another from Tianjin. Yuyi’s bed and study desk are the most neat and meticulous, so neat they’re completely out of place in the whole dorm. Those three classmates are much more casual—their desks have miscellaneous bottles and jars, study supplies are study supplies, high-end skincare products are high-end skincare products.”
“I searched my daughter’s desk for ages before finding her domestic skincare products in the most hidden location. I said it was noon, let me treat them to a meal. They were very happy, starting to get dressed and put on shoes, while our daughter squatted there slowly tying her shoelaces. Right then I changed my mind and took them to the best restaurant on campus. They casually recommended dishes to me, saying this was good, that was good. Our daughter also smiled, but didn’t say much, because she only eats at the regular cafeteria and doesn’t know the dishes here.”
“You can very casually say—live your own life, why compare with others?” His wife looked at him. “But Sun Jingyue… I have no way to tell our daughter, who’s at the vain age of just 19, to mind yourself and not compare with them.”
“I can even completely understand why, when others mistook you for the Public Security Bureau Chief, our daughter didn’t explain. Because… when Lin Jing casually gave me a necklace, I thought it was just an unremarkable four-leaf clover and wore it out, but when colleagues kept asking where I bought it, I learned it was called Van Cleef & Arpels, twenty to thirty thousand yuan for one. I quietly took it off right then, put it away to give to our daughter to wear.”
“Why do I work tirelessly in your family? Because I’m the eldest sister-in-law? It’s because of you—because among your siblings you have the most ordinary economic ability, and I’m also the most ordinary among our sisters-in-law! I don’t have Zhou Yu’s high salary, nor Lin Jing’s money-making ability… I most envy Lin Jing, always glamorous and beautiful, can feel at ease not cooking, casually giving a luxury item to a sister-in-law is enough. When others give charity, I have to be sensible and accept it, because whether I accept or not, I still have to do the work. So why not accept?”
“Right, right… I know what you’re going to say again—say behind closed doors live your own life, why compare with others? But they’re not others, they’re your own sisters, my sisters-in-law. Not neighbors, not people far away in the distance, but people with the closest relationship to us.”
“Actually I figured it out long ago—this is my life’s practice. I’m the eldest sister-in-law, also a police wife. I’ve accepted all these grievances. But we’re also parents. When you clearly know your abilities are limited and you need help, can you not be falsely noble, not put on your eldest son and big brother airs?”
When Sun Jingyue thought to this point, he turned over with such force that he fell directly off the sofa. He climbed back onto the sofa and saw messages on his phone by the pillow. Looking at each one, they were from the second, third, and fourth siblings sent one after another, all with one purpose: persuading him to accept the apartment, saying they didn’t need it.
He didn’t reply either, covering his eyes with half an arm to continue building up sleepiness. Before long the second brother called. The two had a brief chat on the balcony—the second brother said the same thing: think more about the children, think more about sister-in-law.
He could speak most honestly with the second brother, had the most resonance. Some things didn’t need saying—everything was understood without words. But talking with those younger siblings, he’d get anxious, and when anxious he’d want to curse. Just five or six years apart, yet such a huge generation gap. The two turned the topic to Sun Jingcheng, starting to openly and subtly mock him—fooling around all day, his company about to collapse! When it collapses his wife will run off! Then they talked about Sun Jingfei, saying her behavior was like a crude man, that she’d been trouble since childhood. The two were talking and talking… the second brother suddenly asked why Ke Yong hadn’t been seen during Spring Festival? Sun Jingyue also found it strange—had they had a conflict? The two muttered together, planning to extract information from the fourth sibling later—he’d definitely know for sure.
After hanging up, half of Sun Jingyue’s pent-up feelings dispersed. Moving his numb legs to stand up, he saw the person behind him and got scared half to death. Xu Weihua was wearing a white nightgown, standing at the balcony door without a sound.
Xu Weihua was annoyed. “What are you crouching there for?”
Sun Jingyue reached out his hand. “Wife, give me a pull—my legs are numb, can’t get up.”
Xu Weihua pulled him up and went to the kitchen to cook instant noodles. Tonight with things on her mind, she hadn’t eaten much at the dinner table. Sun Jingyue beat her to turning on the stove, had her sit at the dining chair while he cooked for her. He even looked professional cutting ham, frying eggs, adding vegetables.
They cooked three packages of noodles total, the couple eating them completely clean with their heads pressed together. After finishing, Xu Weihua wiped her mouth and said to him: “If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I’ll ask Mom myself. Transfer the apartment to Yuyi first, later the siblings can split it. In the future when I work as a nanny for your family, I’ll feel comfortable inside too.”
“The way you’re talking…”
“What have you done at home?” Xu Weihua lowered her voice: “Our daughter’s composition even wrote about you—your three-step routine when coming home: change shoes, use toilet, sleep on sofa.”
“I’m just too tired…”
“I’m not tired?”
“So you’re just full and picking a fight with me?”
“I’m too lazy to fight with you. After fighting, life still goes on—what’s the point?”
“Wife is so reasonable!” Sun Jingyue gave a thumbs up.
“Among your siblings, the fourth is most considerate.” Xu Weihua chatted casually. “Zhou Yu just burned her hand cooking a dish, and he fought with the third sibling over it. Even if I worked myself to death, you’d never stand up for justice for me.”
“He’s just a silly boy…”
“Who knows, maybe he’s the most blessed. The couple doesn’t have big money, but they’re not burdened by small money either.” Xu Weihua was a bit envious. “Don’t look at how Zhou Yu is quietly reserved—as long as she wants to live life well, she won’t fail at it.”
“Lin Jing wanted Yuyi to get her eyebrows done at her place. Yuyi found it embarrassing, so Zhou Yu said she’d go together with her. No wonder Mom favors her most—whatever she says or does always makes people feel comfortable and at ease.”
“I don’t see Mom favoring her at all.” Sun Jingyue thought she was being oversensitive.
“As long as she goes to the kitchen, Mom immediately follows to help, afraid of tiring her out. I’m often busy in the kitchen for ages before Mom lends a hand. Mom’s mentality toward her is different—she teaches at a key high school, which invisibly makes people regard her highly.” Xu Weihua sighed deeply, self-deprecating. “Speaking of it, I’m also in the public security department, but I’m just a basic-level staff member at a counter processing certificates, and I have to be amiable and kind to the people…”
“Tomorrow let’s switch—you go solve cases, I’m willing to sit there being amiable and kind to the people.”
Xu Weihua ignored him and went back to the room to sleep.
Talking and laughing, quarreling and making noise—life still goes on.
The next day she went to the clinic. If the apartment was settled, when Yuyi wanted to study abroad later she’d have confidence. Two children—they needed at least one apartment as a foundation. But upstairs she touched here, busied herself there, and every time she was about to tentatively open her mouth, she could hear her own violently beating heart. In her whole life, she’d never asked anyone for things.
Just when she was hesitating, about to be driven to tears by this awkward situation, Sun Youping suddenly stood at the stairway and asked where Yuyi had gone. She quickly said she’d gone with Zhou Yu to Lin Jing’s place. Sun Youping told her to go with her grandmother to the housing authority tomorrow for the transfer.
Sun Mother also called from inside the room, asking where the property deed had gone.
Right at this moment—right at this moment—everything settled. She let out a long breath, her whole person becoming light. She sent a WeChat to Sun Jingyue: “Let’s go see a movie tonight.”
Sun Jingyue replied: “I’m afraid the bureau will be busy.”
She replied: “We’ll watch the late show.”
Sun Jingyue replied: “Okay wife, mwah mwah.”
Looking at the internet slang “mwah mwah,” she laughed aloud—he really tried hard.
Zhou Yu took Sun Yuyi to get her eyebrows done. When almost finished, Sun Jingcheng the little follower also came, saying to have someone help trim his eyebrows. After trimming his eyebrows, he had them help clean his face, saying he had blackheads on his nose. After cleaning, naturally he also got facial care, then chatted enthusiastically with the person and also got kidney maintenance.
So much fuss!
Zhou Yu’s eyebrows were done long ago. Because she had to wait for Sun Jingcheng, she conveniently also got a massage. Sun Yuyi went to get a manicure. The technician’s technique was good—forty or fifty years old, clearly someone who made a living with this craft. Sun Jingcheng chatted warmly with her. The technician said she’d been in this trade for twenty-some years, even got a professional certificate in previous years, and now worked with certification—different from those wild amateurs outside.
…
Zhou Yu was almost asleep when fingers hanging on one side of the beauty bed were hooked. She opened her eyes—Sun Jingcheng on the adjacent bed was looking at her. No particular expression, very bland.
This morning he’d taken a call and gone out to discuss work. Just two or three hours later he returned—clearly it hadn’t gone well. Usually the two had reached some kind of consensus—not to discuss each other’s work, not to bring work emotions home. As for why not discuss it, Zhou Yu’s thinking was that discussing it was useless. Besides adding burden to the other person, it solved no substantive problems. Moreover, their work was different—even if they discussed it, they might not understand.
Sun Jingcheng didn’t have this habit—from childhood Sun Youping didn’t discuss work at home. After everyone married, at weekend family dinners, all the siblings also didn’t discuss it. The eldest’s work was confidential—absolutely impossible to discuss any case at the dinner table. If the second discussed, it was relatively happy matters, like opening another branch on which street. If the third discussed, it was about which development was opening, had great appreciation space for the future—if anyone wanted to buy, speak up to her.
In short… everyone solved their own troubles. Even if life wasn’t smooth, they rarely brought it up for discussion. Discussing—they discussed things that made people feel happy.
If anyone needed cash flow, needed connections and such help, they’d directly chat privately—without a word they could help you solve it. But those vague, intangible things—don’t mention them. Like Sun Jingcheng’s midlife crisis. Like life’s crossroads.
Zhou Yu could sense his frustration and confusion, but she was also powerless, could only hook a finger back in response. She liked Sun Jingcheng’s clear boundaries—work was work, life was life, absolutely not bringing work emotions into life. In this aspect she was far inferior to Sun Jingcheng. She suppressed emotions, thinking she showed nothing, thinking she’d digested them, but actually vented them in another twisted way.
Sun Jingcheng completely released them. Work pressure—he’d go climb mountains, exercise, play piano… had various ways to resolve it. In life he was very direct—whoever provoked him, he’d confront them. Matter to matter, person to person. You don’t let me feel good, you don’t get to feel good either.
Feng Yiqun said his nature was simple—to some degree this was true. Their three years of marriage, aside from conflicts between the two of them, she hadn’t suffered any unfair treatment.
After finishing the massage, Sun Jingcheng dragged her hand coming out. Sun Yuyi saw and felt embarrassed for a while. Zhou Yu pulled her hand free and glared at him. Sun Jingcheng was very innocent—where did I provoke you?
The three had come before lunch. Coming out now, the sun was setting at dusk. Sun Yuyi was about to start school and wanted Zhou Yu to help pick out two spring outfits. Zhou Yu told Sun Jingcheng to go back to the clinic for dinner while she and Yuyi went shopping.
Sun Jingcheng didn’t want to go back—he wanted to follow behind them shopping. Zhou Yu found him in the way. “Aren’t you busy with work?”
Sun Jingcheng looked at her. “You find me annoying?”
…
“‘Rejoicing today the red thread binds us, pearls paired with jade. Predicting future years white-haired forever together, osmanthus fragrant orchid sweet’… was everything written in your marriage certificate empty words?”
…
“Haven’t even reached white-haired old age yet, and you already find me annoying…”
“Follow along then… I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.” Zhou Yu quickly interrupted.
Sun Yuyi thought their bickering was so interesting, standing to the side giggling. Then Zhou Yu received a WeChat from Ke Yu—there was a problem he didn’t understand. She casually asked if he wanted to come out to eat, saying she was with Yuyi and they were planning to eat hotpot tonight. As soon as the voice message dropped, Sun Yuyi immediately messaged him: “Come by yourself. If you’re dragging tails, don’t come.”
Sun Jingcheng taught her: “You tell him, if he’s dragging tails we won’t eat at all.”
There were three tails at home. The youngest Sun Yuyan was four and a half, the middle one Sun Jiarui was seven, the oldest Sun Jiaxing was thirteen. Right at the most, most, most irritating ages. If they came, forget about eating.
Sure enough… when Ke Yu shook them off and escaped to join them, Sun Mother’s call came, scolding Sun Jingcheng for being worthless—what’s wrong with taking his nephew out for a meal? Making them cry their hearts out at home!