The two first returned to the clinic to get things. Mother Sun and Sun Youping were gnawing on that half watermelon the children had scooped out. Sun Jingcheng took water from the fridge to drink and said nothing.
Actually, that half melon wasn’t scooped out by the children—it was when he came at noon, hot and thirsty, he’d taken a spoon and scooped it out himself. Since childhood, his sisters all ate watermelon this way—just take a spoon and dig out the heart.
On the way back to the new district, he sent Sun Jingfei a WeChat message, chatting about the watermelon matter. He said Mom and Dad were still the same as when they were little—always letting them eat the good stuff first. Only after they’d finished the good parts would the two of them start eating what was left.
Sun Jingfei didn’t reply to him for a long time.
Not because she was moved or had fallen into deep reflection, but because she was currently at a club dancing with former colleagues. After dancing, she came back and saw it, replying to him: “What’s up? I’m dancing right now. You want to come?”
…
Sun Jingcheng replied irritably: “Dance away. Hope you sprain your ankle.”
Sun Jingfei replied: “Why are you so petty?”
Sun Jingcheng ignored her, busy claiming credit with Zhou Yu: cleaned the living room, cleaned the bedroom, cleaned the kitchen too; mopped the floor, mopped the bathroom, even mopped the balcony.
Zhou Yu inspected it—very satisfied. She casually asked: “How come this time you’re not saying you did it to help me?”
Sun Jingcheng pretended not to hear and didn’t respond.
He’d taken an early high-speed train back. Originally he needed to handle work matters, but seeing the house was messy and worried Zhou Yu would be in a bad mood seeing it when she returned, he simply spent time tidying it up first. Naturally he didn’t mention going to the seaside last night. Nor did he mention it afterward.
Zhou Yu checked the fridge, making him a late-night snack from the available ingredients. Sun Jingcheng sang as he went to the balcony, collected a pile of clothes on the sofa, folding the bedding set while calling out, “Wife, I washed the bedding.”
“Amazing!” Zhou Yu praised him.
“I also washed the clothes.”
“Impressive!”
“Am I super capable!”
“Capable!”
“Guess why I’m so diligent?”
Zhou Yu was cutting green peppers. “Because you’re excellent!”
…
Sun Jingcheng temporarily ignored her insincerity, only saying: “Yanjing got divorced.”
“Divorced?” Zhou Yu was surprised. Yanjing was Sun Jingcheng’s childhood friend. Their couple’s relationship was very good—always harmonious, never bickering or arguing.
“Already got the divorce certificate.”
“Why?” Zhou Yu was too curious.
“Yanjing went on a five-day business trip. When he came back, his wife brought up divorce out of nowhere, attitude firm. Both sets of parents tried to persuade them—no use.”
“Did Yanjing cheat?”
“No. His wife seemed to suddenly… She said during those five days Yanjing was away on business, she was ecstatic. After work she’d watch movies, go shopping with friends, eat and chat. Every single day was full of hope and anticipation.”
…
Zhou Yu’s mouth hung open for a long time without saying a word.
At first, Sun Jingcheng also found it hard to believe. What kind of divorce reason was this? But yesterday at the seaside, seeing Zhou Yu’s happy and carefree smile, he suddenly understood.
After a long pause, Zhou Yu said slowly: “I also went crazy with happiness going out to play. Felt an unprecedented freedom and exhilaration…” As she spoke, she gestured like a fish. “Like a fish swimming in water.”
…
Sun Jingcheng gave in, saying to her, “You really know how to climb up the pole!”
Zhou Yu laughed loudly.
The two fooled around for a bit, then sat at the dining table eating their late-night snack. Zhou Yu planned, “From now on, run at six in the morning.” After saying this, she returned to the bathroom to wash up.
“Alright.” Sun Jingcheng scooped a large spoonful of shrimp fried rice to eat. After eating, he put on gloves to wash the pots and bowls, tidied the dining table, and picked up rice grains that had fallen on the floor. After everything was tidied up, he tied the garbage bag, carried it to throw in the large trash can in the hallway, came back and changed all the bags one by one, then went to wash up.
Zhou Yu came out of the shower to the living room, saw everything tidied up clean, and was instantly tickled, laughing as she fell back on the bed unable to get up.
Sun Jingcheng found it baffling. Lying on the yoga mat doing push-ups, he ignored her.
Zhou Yu said meaningfully: “Why didn’t it scare you to death!”
Sun Jingcheng didn’t understand. After finishing several sets of push-ups, he flipped and leaped onto the bed, acting like a fierce tiger pouncing on prey, fiercely pinning her down.
In the morning, the two went running. After running, they conveniently ate breakfast. On the way back, Zhou Yu chatted about Sun Jingfei’s situation, saying she’d handled the divorce well, maximizing consideration for Ke Yu’s feelings. Her tone unconsciously revealed some envy. She casually said: “Given your sister’s personality, handling it this way wasn’t easy.” After speaking, Sun Jingcheng lowered his head and kissed her.
Zhou Yu laughed and patted him. “What are you doing? There are people on the street.”
Sun Jingcheng said it was really good. He didn’t say what was good, just that everything was very good. At home, he showered, changed clothes for work. Before leaving, the two hugged. Zhou Yu said: “Have a good day at work.”
At the company, he received a group WeChat. Sun Jingfei sent: “Good morning, I came to help Mom cook breakfast.” Then there were several pictures—a rich, substantial sandwich, a glass of fresh milk, a fried egg sprinkled with a few black sesame seeds, a plate of boiled broccoli and fruit.
Sun Jingcheng instinctively asked: “Can Mom and Dad eat this?”
Sun Jingfei replied to him: “When we were in Mom’s belly, did I eat your emotional intelligence?” After saying this, she kicked that annoying pest out.
Mother Sun and Sun Youping dared not be angry nor speak, eating the sandwich tepidly, sipping the fresh milk like drinking poison. Early in the morning, Sun Jingfei had run over excitedly, saying she wanted to be filial, personally making a breakfast.
Their daughter was so filial, making… half-cooked fried eggs, half a plate of boiled broccoli, and a sandwich that leaked from the bottom when you bit the top… The couple looked at each other—just eat, don’t say much, it’s their daughter’s filial piety.
Sun Jingfei happily ate the boiled broccoli, saying it was good stuff, very high in vitamin C, with cancer prevention and anti-cancer effects.
The old couple struggled to bite the sandwich and said nothing.
Those three kids weren’t the type to suffer in silence. First Sun Jiaxing poked the broccoli with his chopstick tip, saying this was for feeding rabbits. Then Sun Jiarui said the fried egg wasn’t cooked, sticky and disgusting in the mouth. Later Sun Yuyan said the sauce flowing out of the sandwich… was very similar to the diarrhea he’d had that morning. Because these past two days he was having stomach troubles.
…
Sun Jingfei said nothing, just looked at them.
Mother Sun urged them, “Eat… eat, stop talking.”
She thought of two months ago when Sun Jingfei had the whim to take her to see a movie, called… what was it, “The Father”? Mainly about Alzheimer’s… dementia. She said this was about elderly people, she should enjoy watching it.
She didn’t enjoy it. After watching, she didn’t sleep well for three days.
Sun Jingfei didn’t care about them so much. After eating, she made plans with Zhou Yu to go shopping. Now in the family, she and Zhou Yu were the most idle. The malls were gradually putting out autumn clothes. She’d go look and buy two sets for Yuyi.
She hadn’t come back this summer vacation. After the rainstorm, she wanted to come back and see, but some areas had outbreaks again. These days, hearing Eldest Sister-in-law video call with her, asking why she hadn’t accepted the living expenses transferred to her, she said she still had some—wait until school starts.
This was the first time the sisters-in-law went shopping together. Zhou Yu also felt for the first time that her arms didn’t know where to go… When other people went shopping, they intimately hooked arms, but she and Sun Jingfei were one in front, one behind, like they weren’t familiar.
Thinking this, her arm was naturally hooked by Sun Jingfei, who said first they’d go get manicures together. Sun Jingfei did blingy big manicures. Zhou Yu, because school was starting soon, only got simple trimming and maintenance, didn’t add color.
After finishing their nails, the two continued shopping. Sun Jingfei bought two autumn outfits for Yuyi. Zhou Yu bought shoes for Yuyi and conveniently bought cufflinks for Sun Jingcheng.
After shipping the clothes and shoes by courier, the two went to eat Japanese food. Sun Jingfei ate while replying to WeChat. After a while, she showed Zhou Yu a photo, saying it was the fresh young meat currently pursuing her.
Good-looking, thick eyebrows, high nose bridge. Zhou Yu asked: “Looks like post-90s?”
“Born in ’95. Twelve years younger than me.” Sun Jingfei threw her a flirtatious glance.
…
After the meal, they didn’t shop anymore—nothing else to buy. Making plans with Eldest Sister-in-law, they prepared to go see Second Sister-in-law.
Second Sister-in-law’s complexion wasn’t bad, just her state was average. The four sisters-in-law sat at the medical aesthetics center all afternoon. In the evening, they made plans to go out for a buffet.
During the meal, Sun Jingfei showed each of them the fresh young meat’s photo. Eldest Sister-in-law scolded her for being old and indecent. Second Sister-in-law said he looked good, just didn’t know how his skills were.
Eldest Sister-in-law couldn’t listen anymore. She pulled Zhou Yu to get food, also taking the opportunity to chat with her about something. With school starting soon, her sister-in-law wanted to transfer her son to Zhou Yu’s school’s middle school division.
“His grades are average. If he relied on his own ability to test into your school, he’d probably be short by ten or twenty points.”
Zhou Yu agreed, “Sure, I’ll ask around for you tomorrow.”
Eldest Sister-in-law felt relieved. As long as Zhou Yu said this, basically there was no problem. She didn’t say anything too polite, only saying: “Thank you for the trouble.”
Zhou Yu smiled. “No problem.”
Zhou Yu’s school wasn’t outstanding among key schools, but it excelled in school atmosphere and learning environment. Sun Jiaxing’s grades weren’t good either. Originally Zhou Yu had arranged his enrollment. After entering, influenced by the learning atmosphere, out of 600 students in the whole grade, now he could rank in the top 300.
Among the kids in the family, except for Ke Yu who was good material, the rest were all scatter-brained.
To some extent, Zhou Yu agreed with Sun Jingfei’s educational philosophy—if a child isn’t cut out for studying, let them learn a survival skill, with the idea of establishing themselves in society, first solving basic survival problems. As the saying goes: if the east isn’t bright, the west will be.
After the four finished eating, they moved to a bar. The atmosphere called for it—they all drank a bit. Eldest Sister-in-law complained that nowadays men had also learned to be shrewd and slick, learned to flatter women along the grain, saying with pious mouths they were following the times, wanting to respect and cherish women, speaking so convincingly she was almost moved to tears. Saying this, she turned and spat fiercely. “Damned bastards, turn around and you hear their dirty obscene talk among men.”
“Nowadays, how many men truly respect women? They don’t even respect their own mothers—how will they respect you?” Second Sister-in-law said, “The rotten people now, if you dragged them to the Kaifeng Court’s dog-head guillotine, you couldn’t behead them all. Men and women are all the same.”
“Let’s go, go to the bathroom!” Sun Jingfei stood up.
No one went. Zhou Yu saw she was a bit unsteady and accompanied her. All three stalls in the women’s restroom were occupied. Sun Jingfei couldn’t wait—she was bursting. She looked at Zhou Yu, turned back to the booth to call the bold Second Sister-in-law to guard the men’s room door, then brazenly barged into the men’s room. Usually, whether at scenic areas or commercial centers, as long as the women’s room had a long queue and the men’s room had few people, she would definitely crash the men’s room.
After using the toilet, Second Sister-in-law jerked her chin at her, indicating the back door to chat about some private matters. She was really too uncomfortable. She talked about how a few months ago she and Second had divorced then remarried.
“That woman somehow got your second brother’s phone number, saying she’d given birth to a daughter for him twelve years ago… disgusted me completely!” Second Sister-in-law said through gritted teeth.
Sun Jingfei was dumbfounded. “Is it Second Brother’s?”
“Your second brother said no, said he’s clear about what he’s done. But that woman insisted it was your second brother’s.” Second Sister-in-law cursed her out, saying: “Your second brother said she recognized him when she went to the restaurant to eat.”
“Do a paternity test.”
“She keeps making excuses, finding reasons not to do it.”
“Then what’s the point? Clearly trying to extort!” Sun Jingfei said, “You and Second Brother should deal with her together first. Close the door later to discuss your issues.”
Second Sister-in-law fell silent, said nothing more. Saying more was useless. Divorcing but unwilling to accept it, moreover there were two children, and their feelings weren’t so simple that they could just separate. Before she didn’t feel anything, could still look at this matter rationally. But now after the induced abortion surgery, she found Sun Jinghui disagreeable everywhere.
Sun Jingfei borrowed two cigarettes from someone, stood there smoking with her, chatting about when she’d tracked Ke Yong before.
…
The four came out of the bar, standing at the entrance waiting for Sun Jingcheng and Second Brother. Eldest Sister-in-law asked how much it cost altogether. Sun Jingfei didn’t think much and casually reported it. Eldest Sister-in-law said nothing and directly transferred the money via WeChat.
Sun Jingfei wouldn’t accept it, saying whoever treats is the same!
Eldest Sister-in-law firmly gave it, saying the buffet was Second’s treat. As the eldest sister-in-law, she should treat for the drinks.
Sun Jingfei said nothing more and accepted the money.
Zhou Yu stared at the night in a daze. She suddenly thought of when she was little—seeing her father secretly holding hands with an auntie. She went home and naively told Feng Yiqun, and then things developed in an uncontrollable direction.
Eldest Sister-in-law held up her phone for a selfie, getting everyone in the shot, then sent it to Sun Yuyi: [Mommy went out drinking with your aunts, a bit tipsy, all is well, don’t worry.]