During the meal, Sun Jingcheng went out to take two phone calls, returning with his expression unchanged to continue eating. At the table, Ke Yu asked Sun Yuyi with longing what university life was like. Sun Yuyi replied: “It’s okay, just that interpersonal relationships are far more complex than high school.”
“I think high school is already very complex.” Ke Yu said.
“High school’s social circle is narrow—people you’re not familiar with are still from within the province, there’s no discrimination.” Sun Yuyi said: “University has talented people from all corners of the country. You think high scores mean excellence, but others not only have high scores but are also multi-talented. You think rich people are all like the spoiled brats shown on TV, but they’re not only rich and talented but also well-informed.”
“Southerners think northerners are crude, northerners say southerners are pretentious weirdos. On the surface everyone is very polite and harmonious—fifty-six ethnic groups, one family—but actually there’s a lot of implicit discrimination.”
“What’s implicit discrimination?” Ke Yu asked.
“For example, Shanghai students only hang out with local students.” Sun Yuyi looked at him. “Behind this is unlimited superiority and implicit discrimination. They don’t regard any province as equal—only local students can stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”
“I’m not saying Shanghai students are bad—it would be the same in any province. Local students going to Shanghai would definitely only hang out with Shanghai students too. It’s the deeply rooted class consciousness behind this behavior. This fortress is very difficult to break…”
Zhou Yu and Sun Jingcheng didn’t respond—this was the younger siblings’ worry. They were at this stage—guidance was useless, they had to learn to accept and overcome it themselves. Sun Yuyi picked up food and continued: “This implicit discrimination has no malice either. Many people are unconscious about it, completely influenced by adults.”
“Then open discrimination would be better!” Ke Yu peeled sugar garlic for her.
“Exactly.” Sun Yuyi said while eating the sugar garlic: “If you really discriminated against me I’d feel better. I most dislike that kind of deliberately protecting my self-esteem with a sense of superiority—so fake it’s deadly. You’re fake, I’m fake, everyone’s fake together!”
“Me too!” Ke Yu agreed.
“You discriminate against me, I discriminate against you—tearing off the facade and ignoring each other would be so much better than forcing some value correctness, everyone being so hypocritical!”
“Exactly!”
Zhou Yu propped up her chin, wanting to laugh but not daring to—the ignorant young age was really interesting. Her gaze swept over and she saw Sun Jingcheng sitting across from her also looking at her.
The two looked at each other for a while. Sun Jingcheng glanced his head toward the door. Zhou Yu didn’t understand, picked up her chopsticks to eat. Sun Jingcheng kicked her under the table, then said: “You two take your time eating, I’m going to the restroom.”
Zhou Yu thought for a moment, also put down her chopsticks. “No rush, you two chat slowly.” After speaking, she also got up and went out.
The hotpot restaurant was on the fourth floor of the mall. Coming out, Zhou Yu saw the person sitting on the waiting seats by the door. She leaned against the railing and asked: “Finished eating?”
“Mm.” Sun Jingcheng responded lazily. Actually he’d barely eaten two bites—his palate had become picky, this place’s sesame sauce wasn’t good. While eating he’d wanted to complain—the sesame sauce had lumps in it, not pure at all. Thinking this, he saw the comment book at the door, walked over, flipped it open and wrote: Sesame sauce not pure, too fake.
Returning, he didn’t sit either, standing side by side with Zhou Yu leaning against the railing. Zhou Yu asked: “What did you write?”
“Praising him, five-star review.” Sun Jingcheng moved his neck and asked: “Was the massage he gave you comfortable?”
“Not bad. Pretty good technique.”
“Let’s go often in the future.”
“Forget it, second sister-in-law won’t dare host us anymore.”
“I’ll get a membership card, I’m not freeloading.”
“Okay.” Zhou Yu nodded.
Sun Jingcheng looked at her, wanting to touch her eyebrows.
“Don’t touch, they haven’t scabbed over yet.”
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“Looking for trouble when there’s none.” Sun Jingcheng said to her. “Your eyebrows looked so good before.”
Zhou Yu ignored him.
Sun Jingcheng leaned on the railing looking down. There was a protective net on one level with a few scattered beverage bottles on it. He said this protective net was a败笔—it affected the aesthetics.
“Mainly it prevents people from falling down.” Zhou Yu said.
“How could anyone fall from this high?” Sun Jingcheng pointed to the protective railing that reached her chest.
“You’re so silly—it’s to prevent people from jumping down.” Zhou Yu said.
…
“My wife is so smart.” Sun Jingcheng praised.
“Should we go look around over there?” Zhou Yu pointed to a home textile store on the third floor.
“Okay.” Sun Jingcheng followed her down.
The two rode the escalator one after the other. Zhou Yu looked back—he was looking up at the decorations on the ceiling, then pointed and said: “Later let’s also install little stars on our bedroom ceiling.”
“So tacky.” Zhou Yu said.
“Didn’t you say tacky is good, easy to be happy.”
“You’re tacky enough already.”
“I’m tacky and proud of it.” Sun Jingcheng took pride in it.
Zhou Yu looked at his slender hands, pulled one over to compare with her own, then held it. Sun Jingcheng was like he’d discovered a new world, his voice so loud it made everyone on the escalator turn to look. “If you want to hold my hand just say so—who taught you to feint then grab…”
…
Zhou Yu brushed back nonexistent stray hairs, got off the escalator, headed straight for the home textile store, ignoring him completely.
After dinner they first sent Sun Yuyi home. She’d bought two satisfactory spring outfits—not expensive, around a thousand yuan. Sun Jingcheng wanted to pay, but she absolutely wouldn’t let him—she insisted on paying herself.
On the way back to the clinic, Sun Jingcheng talked about Sun Yuyi—before she was still a little kid, now in the blink of an eye she’d become a young woman. Ke Yu criticized him: “Uncle, you’re like my mom—everywhere you go you love to show off wealth.”
“When I want to secretly buy underwear myself, my mom takes them out and holds them up to my waist, then fights to pay.”
…
“It’s not like you don’t have earning ability…”
“But we have our own New Year’s money, we have the ability and right to buy things we like!” Ke Yu said: “Before I thought you understood us, that you were on our side, but actually you’re just like my parents—treating us as incompetent.”
“You always complain about grandma and grandpa, saying how they are this and that, but actually you’re the same as them—never treating us as equal persons. You’ve always been looking down on us from above!” After Ke Yu finished speaking, he angrily got out of the car.
Sun Jingcheng watched him return to the clinic, watched his room light turn on, said nothing.
Zhou Yu was quite optimistic, saying today’s youth were stronger than the previous generation—already beginning to demand personality equality, which was a good thing. Sun Jingcheng thought he’d been a bit too emotional lately.
Zhou Yu considered it carefully, saying he’d been a bit emotional since returning on the second day of New Year—probably discovered something he couldn’t bear. Having said this much, Sun Jingcheng still didn’t understand. Zhou Yu was about to spell it out when she saw Sun Youping come out from the clinic, standing by the roadside moving his limbs.
She took the bedding down, stood there chatting briefly with Sun Youping. Sun Youping looked past her at Sun Jingcheng who’d gotten out of the car with her, cleared his throat, turned and went back to the clinic.
Zhou Yu had a sudden idea. She went back to the car to get that set of plaid loungewear, went to Sun Youping’s consultation desk. “Dad, I was just shopping with Jingcheng and saw this loungewear that seemed suitable for you. I originally wanted to buy a plain one, but Jingcheng said you like large plaids.” As she spoke, she took it out to show him.
Sun Youping had no extra expression, pointing to one side. “Mm, put it there.”
Sun Jingcheng stood at the stairway, very disdainful of Zhou Yu’s behavior. The loungewear was clearly bought for him, but she turned around and regifted it. When she came over and the two went upstairs, he whispered: “Kiss-ass.”
“I kiss ass and I’m proud.” Zhou Yu said to him. “And you—horses see you and run far away.”
…
Going upstairs, they saw Sun Jingfei sitting on the sofa with a face mask on. Sun Jingcheng immediately took the bedding from Zhou Yu’s hands and called out: “Mom! Mom, where are you?”
“What is it?” Sun Mother responded from the bathroom.
“Come out quick and see what I bought for you!”
“Gold?”
…
Sun Mother came out. Sun Jingcheng had her look at the four-piece bedding set in his arms, praising the fabric, the texture, the pattern. Sun Mother was very happy—she’d wanted to buy it for ages but never had time. Her hands rubbed back and forth on the fabric. “Not cheap, right?”
Zhou Yu said: “Fifty percent off, original price twelve hundred.”
Sun Jingcheng glanced at her, forcefully swallowing back the words “new model, twelve hundred.”
“Oh my, that’s really a bargain!” Sun Mother couldn’t stop smiling. “Two months ago when your cousin got married, your aunt bought this kind of fabric for fifteen hundred, not a penny less—it pained her to death!”
“Little Yu is best at picking things—good fabric and a bargain!” Then she glanced at Sun Jingfei. “Not like some people who don’t know how to live—only buy expensive, not suitable!”
“Mom, am I roadside weeds? Nothing better to do than step on me?” Sun Jingfei was resigned.
…
Sun Jingcheng was very smug, asking: “Mom, which of the four children do you think is most filial?”
Sun Mother didn’t hesitate: “You two are the most filial!”
“I’ve seen men take credit for their wives, never seen one steal his wife’s credit.” Sun Jingfei was speechless.
“If you have the ability, you steal too.” Sun Jingcheng was shameless about it.
“Heh heh, heh heh.” Sun Jingfei laughed coldly.
“Stop being sarcastic—you always have the most fuss.” After Sun Mother finished with her, she carried the four-piece set back to the bedroom.
Zhou Yu also went to use the bathroom. When she came out, that pair of plastic siblings were stuck together again.
Zhou Yu called to her: “Sis, we arranged to take Ke Yu and Yuyi skiing the day after tomorrow.”
“Great, where?”
“Mount Song.”
“Okay.” Sun Jingfei said: “I’ve been busy with the new house these days and haven’t had time to take him out to play.”
Zhou Yu came out with Sun Jingcheng. Before getting in the car, Sun Jingcheng was curious, asking why she didn’t report the original price to Mom. He and Sun Jingfei were people who bought something for a hundred and reported five hundred. Whatever school materials the school asked them to buy, the siblings would double it when reporting. In elementary school, when somewhere had a flood and the teacher had everyone donate freely, the siblings went home, took two yuan, and donated fifty cents.
Zhou Yu casually said: “Reporting it cheap, your mom feels comfortable using it and is also happier—why not?”
Sun Jingcheng was stunned, admiringly said: “My wife is so good!”
Sun Youping watched their car leave, worked the late shift until ten o’clock, seeing no one, locked the door and went upstairs. Returning to the bedroom to wash up, he came out and sat on the bed’s edge to unwrap the plaid loungewear, about to put it on. Sun Mother said he hadn’t washed it yet. He didn’t care, saying new clothes were all clean.
Sun Mother took it to the balcony to shake it out, shaking the loose threads clean. Coming back, she used small scissors to remove the collar label, muttering that it was one size too large. Sun Youping didn’t care, saying it was pure cotton—wash it once and it would shrink.
The next day Zhou Yu also returned to the family compound. The weather was too nice—she brought out all the quilts from Feng Yiqun’s and grandma’s rooms, washing what needed washing, airing what needed airing, also unwrapping the two sets of bedding bought yesterday, washing everything together.
Because she washed too much at once and the balcony couldn’t fit everything, she took it to air in the community. Bed sheets on the rope between two trees, pillows on the fitness equipment—quite a spectacle.
Grandma, who was sunbathing while listening to people chat, saw her own bed sheets and was startled, wrapping her bound feet and running home. When she saw the three large red envelopes safe and sound under the mattress, she locked the door, wet her fingertip with saliva, and began counting over and over.
She counted repeatedly for half an hour, then confirmed the number written on the wall: 7620, not a penny off—only then did she feel at ease. Thinking this money here really made her uneasy, she pulled out the only smallest denomination—a 20-yuan note—from inside to put in her pocket, hiding the rest in a different location.
Coming out of the room, she quietly slipped the 20 yuan to Zhou Yu, repeatedly emphasizing: Don’t tell your brother! This is all the money I have left! If you ask for more there won’t be any!
Zhou Yu solemnly accepted it, tears of gratitude streaming down.
The old woman was very satisfied, had her go buy hawthorn candy, instructing her to nibble a little at a time, a little at a time, never taking big bites.
By evening she’d made the beds, her whole person exhausted and collapsed on the sofa. Feng Yiqun was cooking very laborious dishes in the kitchen—refined and delicate, just a few chopsticks’ worth per plate, eating seven or eight plates still wouldn’t fill you up. Usually at the clinic it was big dishes—braised pork ribs, stewed chicken, steamed fish, boiled meat… anyway, no matter what dish, solidly a big plate with a sprig of cilantro garnishing the top.
Sun Jingcheng smelled it and also came, saying he hadn’t eaten well at lunch, just gnawed on a piece of dry bread. Zhou Yu didn’t believe him—maybe thirty years ago there was dry bread, but nowadays there really wasn’t—it was all soft and delicious.
Sun Jingcheng thought she was being contrary, didn’t talk to her, went straight to the kitchen. Zhou Yu listened to the laughter in the kitchen—if you didn’t know better, you’d think they were biological mother and son.
After a while Sun Jingcheng went down to buy vinegar. Feng Yiqun said gently: “Can’t you also manage it well?”
Zhou Yu said nothing.
She really admired Feng Yiqun’s state of mind. No matter how twisted she was herself, whether ignoring her or disregarding her, Feng Yiqun was always calm, using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.
At the dinner table, Sun Jingcheng chatted with Feng Yiqun, saying he’d seen a bathtub—small size, would fit perfectly in the bathroom, convenient for grandma to bathe in the future. Feng Yiqun smiled and said perfect, she didn’t need to bother looking herself. Zhou Yu finished eating, put down her chopsticks and went to sit on the sofa.
At night when they got home, Sun Jingcheng muttered, saying what’s there to be twisted about between mother and daughter—clearly caring about her, yet putting on a sour face doing this and that…
Zhou Yu looked at him. “Who are you?”
Sun Jingcheng stared at her, swallowed all his words, grabbed his racket and went downstairs.
Zhou Yu stood for a while, then also went back to the bedroom to change clothes, heading to the gym to practice dance. When the venue closed, the two arrived home one after the other. Sun Jingcheng went to shower, Zhou Yu went to cook a late-night snack.
When the snack was ready, Sun Jingcheng had already laid down reading, preparing to sleep.
Zhou Yu stood at the door looking at him. “Hey, I made chicken noodle soup.”
“I just brushed my teeth.” Sun Jingcheng focused on his book.
Seeing her turn to leave, Sun Jingcheng threw off the covers and got out of bed, shuffling in his slippers out, asking her: “Zhou Yu, who am I?”
Zhou Yu pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
“I’m your husband!”
Sun Jingcheng said it forcefully and clearly, then served himself a bowl of noodles and sat down to eat.
He’d originally wanted to say a lot—say how self-contradictory and split she was, say she was the one who said quarreling hurt feelings, but conversely she was also the one who wouldn’t speak properly. But after going down to play ball and working up a sweat, he’d completely forgotten all these words he wanted to rebut her with.