In the blink of an eye, it was mid-August.

Sun Jingcheng still hadn’t been able to find time to go to Mount Hua, so Zhou Yu shouldered her backpack and went out alone.

She didn’t go too far—she went to the seaside in the neighboring province. Although she’d always been afraid of water, she quite enjoyed listening to the sound of waves.

She stayed by the sea for two nights. During the day she watched the sunrise and went out to sea with fishermen, brought back seafood to cook and eat herself. At night she strolled alone along the seaside in the sea breeze. Walking for two hours at a time, extremely pleasant and quiet.

She was gradually understanding the beauty of solo travel.

The seaside at night was very lively. Some people were camping, and there were also bonfires organized by tour groups. She watched from afar, gathered her wind-blown hair with her hand, took out her phone to record a short video to send to Sun Jingcheng, and also told him, “I went out to sea with fishermen yesterday.” She’d nearly drowned in a swimming pool as a child and had been afraid of water ever since.

After sending the message, she headed toward the bonfire. A circle of people surrounded it singing and dancing. She originally wanted to stand to the side and watch quietly, but several young people waved at her and pulled her in to participate.

When Sun Jingcheng finished work and rushed over with his backpack, this was the pleasing scene he saw. Zhou Yu was laughing happily, holding hands with people dancing around the bonfire. Perhaps it was the atmosphere—she even performed a solo dance, and while dancing, a man joined her in a duet.

…

He stood there watching. He could guarantee that if he approached her right now, it would definitely not be a pleasant surprise but rather an intrusion. Thinking this, he circled around to a distant spot.

When they finished, the man who had danced with Zhou Yu seemed to ask for her WeChat, but she declined with a smile. At this moment, Sun Jingcheng replied to her message: “Not afraid of seawater anymore?”

Zhou Yu took her phone and came out of the crowd, replying to him: “Not afraid anymore.”

Sun Jingcheng saw the smile still on her face and asked her, “Are you having fun?”

Zhou Yu replied: “Pretty good.” Then asked him: “Have you eaten dinner?”

Sun Jingcheng originally typed: “Ate something casually…” Deleted it, re-edited: “Ate already.”

Zhou Yu sat down on the beach, replying to him: “I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. I’ll cook something delicious for you in the evening.”

Sun Jingcheng really wanted her to come back, but seeing her sitting there contentedly in the breeze, he said: “Rare to come out, play a few more days. I can just eat at Mom’s.”

Zhou Yu was quite satisfied and replied to him: “These two days are enough. Mom’s home alone and can’t manage taking care of Grandma by herself.”

Sun Jingcheng looked at the screen for a long time, then replied to her: “In the future during winter and summer breaks when I’m not free, you can go out and have fun by yourself.”

Zhou Yu replied: “Alright.”

Sun Jingcheng suddenly felt it was unfair—not just feeling unfair for Zhou Yu, but also for his mother and Eldest Sister-in-law and these women trapped in their families year-round. He used to go wherever he wanted, and whenever he came back home there was always delicious food. He’d never seriously acknowledged all that his mother sacrificed for the family, because her silent contributions day after day made him mistakenly believe these sacrifices were natural, were her maternal instinct as a mother.

He thought of his mother taking the high-speed train to Beijing to see Yuyi—that was her first time leaving the province in her life. When she came back, she kept exclaiming in amazement: That… that machine at the high-speed rail station is really advanced! Even saves the train ticket! Just scan your ID card and you’re through, just scan your ID card and you’re through!

Because of this statement, his sisters had laughed at her for quite a while. Now looking back, how cruel their laughter had been.

He explained all this in detail to Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu replied to him: “Let’s find a good season later and our whole family can take a road trip.”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “Great!” After replying, he looked toward Zhou Yu, not knowing what she was doing, and asked again: “What are you doing?”

Zhou Yu replied: “Playing with sand, burying my feet in a sand pit.”

Sun Jingcheng also bent down to dig a sand pit, took off his shoes and socks, and placed his feet firmly inside. The two were separated by about a hundred meters—Zhou Yu sat in the light, Sun Jingcheng sat in the darkness.

Zhou Yu replied again: “I just danced by the bonfire. A very handsome man asked for my WeChat.”

Sun Jingcheng brushed the sand off his hands and replied to her: “And then?”

Zhou Yu replied: “I gave it to him.”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “Even if you gave it, I’m not afraid.”

Zhou Yu laughed out loud: “Ha… Don’t be too confident.”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “Daring to let you go out and have fun alone, I’m not afraid.”

Zhou Yu felt warm and replied to him: “Didn’t give it.”

Sun Jingcheng was very happy: “I knew it!”

Zhou Yu tousled her hair, simply lying down on the beach to reply: “Do you miss me?”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “Obviously.”

Zhou Yu replied: “Speak properly.”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “Miss you.”

Zhou Yu replied: “I miss you too.”

Sun Jingcheng watched her lying on the beach, contentedly called out: “Wife.”

Zhou Yu replied: “Mm.”

Sun Jingcheng called again: “Wife!”

Zhou Yu replied: “Mm!”

Sun Jingcheng called again: “Wife! Wife!”

Zhou Yu replied: “What’s wrong with you?”

Sun Jingcheng smiled and didn’t reply. Seeing Zhou Yu happy made him happier than being happy himself.

Zhou Yu got up and went to the seaside, held up her phone and recorded a very long segment of wave sounds for him. She didn’t say anything else, just this segment of wave sounds.

Sun Jingcheng listened quietly to the end, then replied to her: “Do you like traveling alone?”

Zhou Yu replied: “It’s actually pretty good.”

Sun Jingcheng replied: “In the future, we’ll travel together on holidays and weekends. You can go out by yourself during winter and summer breaks.”

Zhou Yu replied: “Alright.”

Sun Jingcheng instructed: “When going out alone, if you encounter danger, nothing else matters—staying alive is most important.” He didn’t spell out the implications.

Zhou Yu replied: “Understood.”

Sun Jingcheng maintained his distance watching her return to the hotel before going to a nearby guesthouse to book a room. Then the next day at dawn, he took a ride-share to the high-speed rail station.

The original plan was like this too—come keep her company for one night, then return to work early the next morning. But upon arriving, he discovered she didn’t need his company. Strangely, he didn’t feel particularly disappointed about this.

Sun Jingfei tagged Zhou Yu in the group chat early in the morning, asking when she’d be back. Zhou Yu said afternoon. She said then let’s gather in the evening—she’d gotten her divorce certificate and wanted to celebrate.

Mother Sun replied to her: “Look how proud you are. Still celebrating.”

Sun Jingfei didn’t care—she was going to celebrate. After sending the message, she rolled over on the bed, got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. While brushing her teeth, she unintentionally glanced at the messy bed. Thinking of Mother Sun saying when she got out of bed it looked like a dog leaving its den, she went to make the bed with her toothbrush still in her mouth, smoothing every edge and corner.

Over there, Ke Yu had gotten up early to work on practice tests. It had been too hot recently—he took advantage of the cool morning to study. During the day, Sun Jingfei chased him out to play soccer with classmates, saying the acne on his face was from being cooped up at home doing practice tests. Go out and exercise, sweat it out—it’s also good for growing taller.

Sun Jingfei made breakfast and called him. The two ate in silence at the table. After eating, Ke Yu packed some clothes—Ke Yong said he’d come pick him up at ten to go back to Grandpa’s house. After packing, he squatted on the balcony to wash clothes. One basin soaking socks, one basin for underwear—after rinsing, he scalded them with hot water. This was what Uncle had taught him.

Sun Jingfei moved a dining chair to the guest bathroom to change the light bulb—it had burned out last night. Small tasks like changing light bulbs weren’t difficult for her. Years ago when she started working and didn’t want to live at home, she’d learned many life skills while renting. Things like unclogging toilets, changing light bulbs, drilling holes in walls—these tasks were all manageable. She’d just stepped onto the chair when Ke Yu told her to come down, taking the light bulb to figure out how to install it himself.

Sun Jingfei didn’t make a sound, didn’t tell him how to change it either, just stood there with her head tilted watching him change it, casually asking: “Want me to take you back?”

“No need. I’ll ride with Dad.”

“When you want to come back, I’ll pick you up.”

“Mm.” Ke Yu made an affirmative sound.

Sun Jingfei was silent for a while, then said: “I’m sorry.” She didn’t say what she was sorry for—she believed Ke Yu understood why she was saying sorry.

He finished changing the light bulb and came down, washed his hands, moved the dining chair back to its original position, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and changed shoes. Sun Jingfei saw his sneakers with the soles coming unglued and said she’d buy him a couple more pairs later.

“Don’t buy new ones yet. Just take them to get repaired.”

“Alright.” Sun Jingfei also changed shoes to accompany him out.

“I already bought the shoes for school online. The teacher requires Huili brand.”

“Alright.”

Mother and son went downstairs to wait for Ke Yong’s car at the entrance to the complex. It was hot—after waiting about five minutes, Ke Yu urged her, “Mom, you should go back.”

“No rush.”

“If you have nothing to do, there are two more pairs of sneakers in the shoe cabinet. Take them to get repaired together.” Ke Yu lifted his foot to demonstrate. “They’re all coming unglued here.”

“Sure.” Sun Jingfei naturally hooked her arm through his, asking him, “Want an ice-cold Coke?”

Ke Yu shook his head, touching the acne on his face. “Grandpa told me to drink less.”

Sun Jingfei looked at his slightly long hair. “When you come back, Mom will cut your hair.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Ke Yong’s car with its turn signal on in the distance, Sun Jingfei instructed him, “If you want to come back, call me anytime.”

“Oh.”

Sun Jingfei watched him get in the car. Only after the car disappeared did she turn back home. From the moment Ke Yu got in the car, he didn’t initiate conversation. Ke Yong would ask a question, he’d answer. If not asked, he wouldn’t speak.

Two months ago, Ke Yong had privately chatted with him, asking who he wanted to stay with, and gave a bunch of pretty words trying to win him over. The first half said no matter who he chose, he’d still be Dad’s most beloved son. The second half said if he stayed with Sun Jingfei, he was afraid her careless personality couldn’t take good care of him, ostensibly praising but actually criticizing, pointing out her many shortcomings…

Right then he’d gotten fed up and replied: “You say I’m your most beloved son, but you still went out and had a daughter!”

[You and Grandpa and Grandma all blame my mom, but clearly the one who made the mistake was you! The one who betrayed the family was you! From when you started the divorce agreement, my mom has never said a single bad word about you. It’s always been you making excuses and justifications for yourself! No matter how bad my mom is, she truly loves and cares for me! And you? You drive the luxury car my mom bought you, go out to keep a mistress and have a child, and still say I’m your most beloved son, still say my mom is failing everywhere? Don’t my aunt and uncle all ask my mom for discounts when buying houses? Don’t your leaders and colleagues also ask my mom for discounts when buying houses? None of you have the right to criticize my mom!]

What truly made Ke Yu explode and despair was that no matter who said his mother was failing, he wouldn’t be particularly sad, but it absolutely could not be his father!

Sun Jingfei went back upstairs to pack up the sneakers with unglued soles, asked Mother Sun about the shoe repair shop, grabbed the shoes and left. On the way she received a reply message. She glanced at it. After leaving the shoe repair shop, she headed to the nearby subway entrance.

She sat on the long bench in the train car, staring at her toes for a while, then aimlessly observed the surrounding passengers. Seeing a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl whose pants were stained red with menstrual blood, she took off her thin shirt and reminded her to tie it around her waist. She didn’t care that she was left wearing only a camisole tank top with thin straps, indecently exposing the wide shoulder straps of her black bra.

Exiting the subway, she headed straight for the hotel with clear purpose, booked a room, sent out the room number, then went upstairs to the room. Twenty minutes later, Jiang Jin knocked on the door. She opened it, and her first words to him were: “I already showered. You shower.”

…

The two had been chatting on and off for about two months, no taboos, talking about everything. The chat content had no purpose—it wasn’t flirting, purely just nonsense to pass the time. She had her own way of dealing with the world. Whether she could open up to someone depended on whether she could expose her shortcomings in front of them. She had her principles and way of speaking in the workplace, but once she left the workplace, she didn’t want to waste mental energy on speaking. Especially in front of family—she said what she wanted, and if she said something wrong, she’d make amends. It was no big deal. She also knew her loose tongue wasn’t likable. Didn’t matter—her existence wasn’t meant to please anyone.

These past two days, she’d suddenly found some chemistry chatting with Jiang Jin. She said she’d gotten her divorce certificate and wanted to celebrate, asking if he wanted to have a round.

Jiang Jin asked her: “How long has it been since you did it?”

She replied: “At least ten months.”

Jiang Jin replied: “Three months ago for me.”

She asked: “Have a girlfriend?”

Jiang Jin replied: “No.”

She replied: “I’ll wait for you at the hotel.”

Then he came.

Jiang Jin went to shower. Sun Jingfei leaned against the window smoking. After finishing, seeing him come out, she stubbed out her cigarette and took off her clothes to get to the point. Jiang Jin stopped her. “Let me catch my breath first, have some water.”

“You drink.” Sun Jingfei let him drink.

…

Jiang Jin drank water, saw several boxes of condoms by the bed, and asked her, “You bought these?”

“I bought a few extra boxes. Pick whichever you like.”

…After a long pause, Jiang Jin replied to her, “You’re really thoughtful.”

Sun Jingfei urged him, “Hurry up and drink.”

…Jiang Jin unhurriedly screwed the cap back on. “You’ve really never done this before?”

“First time. I married my ex-husband when we were first loves.”

“If you have regrets, you can…”

“I don’t have regrets.” Sun Jingfei asked him back, “Do you have regrets?”

…

He put down the water in his hand, went over and wrapped his arm around her waist, wanting to create some lingering romantic atmosphere, but meeting her eyes like a fearless newborn calf, before he had time to regret, she kissed him fiercely.

—What kind of world!

Right when the dry kindling and raging fire were on the verge of ignition, Sun Jingfei felt a large rush of hot fluid inside her body, then heard Jiang Jin curse loudly.

Sun Jingfei also didn’t know she’d get her period at this moment. Her period was often irregular. She returned to the bathroom to shower, also waiting for Jiang Jin to buy sanitary pads and bring them up.

After he bought them and came up, she had everything cleaned up and came out of the bathroom, looking at the person sitting on the edge of the bed. “Wait until my period is over and we’ll make another date.”

…

“Alright.” Jiang Jin was also fired up, looking at her directly. “Come again when you’re clean.”

Nothing else to do—the two checked out and went to find food. On the way they chatted idly, first talking about Sun Jingfei’s son’s custody, then moving on to how Jiang Jin’s previous partners were all young, at least six or seven years younger than him.

The midday sun was scorching. Sun Jingfei shaded her forehead with one hand. “You like them young?”

“Preference, I suppose.”

Sun Jingfei made no comment.

Waiting at the traffic light, Jiang Jin looked down at her, saying she had a unique beauty. If she were to act, playing male roles would be more stunning than female roles. Her features were too upright and heroic, especially her eyes and brows.

Sun Jingfei said nothing, looked up at him, and asked: “Is that a compliment?”

“Of course.” Jiang Jin replied.