Sister-in-law was getting her mole removed at the second brother’s place and had heard some gossip about Sun Jingfei. In the evening Ke Yu came over for dinner then went to evening self-study, while the aunt and sister-in-law chatted in the kitchen as they washed dishes.
How would sister-in-law bring it up proactively? It was Sun Jingfei who first mentioned she was going to open a hot pot restaurant, asking if she wanted to join? Second brother would help with marketing later. Sister-in-law was very tempted after hearing this, but ultimately rationally refused. She understood Sun Jingfei meant to help her, but she refused only because she didn’t want to make the aunt-sister-in-law relationship too complicated. If things became unpleasant in the future, everyone’s position would be awkward.
Sun Jingfei was someone cold on the outside but warm-hearted, who didn’t think things through carefully, always only seeing the good side. So sister-in-law had to think more about potential conflicts. Right now living at the clinic she felt somewhat dependent on others, and living with her father-in-law had many inconveniences, but all of this was within her tolerance range. She was a light sleeper, often unable to sleep well because of the children’s noise, but she had no complaints at all. It was precisely because of these cousins’ companionship that Yuyan only occasionally asked where Dad went. If she lived alone with Yuyan, he would ask every single day, and over time, no one could stand it.
It couldn’t be denied that with mother-in-law helping to care for him, she was indeed much more relaxed. Two generations living together inevitably had friction, but the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both willing to accommodate and tolerate each other for the child’s sake. And as for herself, living at the clinic these past few months, watching the children’s noisy chaos, the talking and laughing at the dining table on weekends, her state of mind had also changed a lot, opened up a lot.
Nothing major happened—it was just those trivialities buried in daily life, those minor details, those things that seemed completely insignificant, bit by bit healing her shattered heart.
Mother Sun occasionally mentioned letting her take annual leave and learn from Zhou Yu to go out and have fun; at the dining table Sun Youping would also say a sentence, telling her to go see a movie on the weekend, to go out and around. She was always moved by these casual one or two sentences, and understood very well why everyone encouraged her to go out more.
And on weekends she also tried to go out, going alone to see a movie, to drink a cup of coffee, to sit on a bench in the park. And she’d sit for most of the day, not needing to think about anything, just watching the pecking pigeons.
She was very content with her current life situation. If she partnered with Sun Jingfei to run a hot pot restaurant and the two of them fell out in the future, all of this would be gone. So when Sun Jingfei proposed it, within just a few minutes she had sorted out the pros and cons, then refused.
Sun Jingfei also seemed to ask casually, and after being refused didn’t insist, turning the conversation to a few months ago when she accompanied Mother Sun to a wedding banquet and met that man at the dinner table. She said the two had been casually chatting for a few months, and if nothing else, they were quite compatible. She said he had connections in the commercial district and would help find a storefront for the hot pot restaurant later.
Sister-in-law was quite shocked, because Mother Sun had mentioned a while back, saying no wonder this man got divorced earlier—his parents weren’t easy to deal with, they loved to interfere too much in the young couple’s affairs. This kind of family would make married life difficult.
Sun Jingfei didn’t care—she wasn’t easy to deal with either, and besides, managing a marriage was too mentally exhausting, she didn’t have the patience to enter into marriage again. Then the two went to the balcony for some light drinking. Sun Jingfei asked her: “Sister-in-law, do you still miss big brother?”
Sister-in-law casually replied, “I do.”
Sun Jingfei said: “I do too.”
Then the two clinked glasses and drank without speaking.
After a while, sister-in-law worried again about her daughter’s romance, saying the other party’s family circumstances were ordinary, in an eighteenth-tier county town. Sun Jingfei said for someone with Yuyi’s personality just don’t interfere, let her date however she wants. She’s not the kind of naive, clueless girl with her head in the clouds about love. In the future her marriage partner will definitely be someone she’s weighed carefully in all aspects—completely no need to worry.
The more sister-in-law pondered these words, the more wrong they seemed—as if her daughter had such deep schemes? But she also knew Sun Jingfei spoke without thinking and didn’t hold it against her.
“Back then I had my head in the clouds about love. Mom kept advising me, saying how Ke Yong looked at people with his eyes, how his words and actions weren’t upright… At that time I was crazy in love, how could I listen to any of this?” Sun Jingfei said: “Now looking back, from when we lived together before marriage, from his unwillingness to wear protection during sex, from his buying me morning-after pills without any guilt…” She stopped speaking.
“Mom always said back then, dating is dating, getting married and living life together is getting married and living life together—absolutely can’t treat them as the same thing. But I just wouldn’t believe it.” Sun Jingfei said slowly: “In my early years in the workplace, seeing some young girls treating love as more important than the sky, seeing it as sacred and pure and flawless, I knew this kind of person wouldn’t have a good marriage.”
“These past two years, people stopped talking about ethereal love and started being realistic, but still no one talks about the ‘person.’ Using Mom and Dad’s words: the person is the foundation of marriage. No one talks about the ‘person’s’ character, only about the accessories attached to them…” As she spoke she thought of herself, as if she had no qualifications to say these things either. She glanced at the time, downed the red wine in her glass in one gulp, picked up the bone soup she’d stewed for Ke Yu and went back.
Sister-in-law washed and put away the wine glass, knocked on the inner room door—the two children were lying on the bed looking at comics. Sun Yuyan looked up and asked her, “Mom, did you need me for something?”
Sister-in-law shook her head, smiled, “Nothing, keep reading.” Then she took out Sun Yuyan’s separate foot-washing basin, preparing to wash his feet later. Of all the children in this house only Sun Jiaxing had smelly feet. Usually Mother Sun didn’t pay attention to these things, washing all the socks together, and in the end passing it from one to another… all the children had somewhat smelly feet.
On the morning of the wedding anniversary, the old couple took the bus at six o’clock to a distant breakfast shop to drink tofu pudding. How far? So far that when Zhou Yu was on her morning run and saw the backs of an elderly couple holding hands ahead, and saw Mother Sun’s unique little silk scarf, she abruptly turned around and ran back. While running she kept looking back, confirming that old man was indeed her unsmiling father-in-law.
For some reason, she actually felt a bit mischievous, wanting to run over and say hello.
The old couple took the bus back contentedly. At the bus stop they first turned to the market, bought all kinds of vegetables, also bought a bunch of fresh lilies, carrying hands full of ingredients back. The ingredients were too heavy, the two walked a bit then rested a bit, sighing that this time they were truly old.
At home Mother Sun sat at the dining table trimming the lilies. Sun Youping poured her a glass of plain water, then inserted the lilies into the vase one by one. Mother Sun stretched her legs straight under the dining table, pointing her two feet and rotating her ankles in circles, chatting with sister-in-law who had been busy in the kitchen since four or five in the morning braising duck wings, duck heads, and chicken feet, saying she might as well go with Zhou Yu in the afternoon.
In the afternoon Zhou Yu was going to Beijing to enjoy autumn scenery. She had taken two days off, going for three days total. What sister-in-law was braising in the kitchen was for Zhou Yu to help bring to Yuyi. Yesterday when she asked Yuyi what she wanted to eat, Yuyi mentioned these things. Last time sister-in-law brought her a lot, and everyone in the dorm was thinking about it, constantly asking every few days when her mom was coming to visit again.
Today’s original plan was to gather in the evening, but thinking that if they gathered at noon Zhou Yu could go to Beijing in the afternoon, they simply changed it to noon. It wasn’t easy for working people to take time off. Zhou Yu had visibly lost a whole size these past two months, and so had her mom—their condition was clearly much worse than before. Having a bedridden elderly person at home was very mentally exhausting to care for.
Thinking of her grandmother, Mother Sun thought of herself, wondering what she herself would be like in the future. Last night the old couple discussed that in the future they wouldn’t count on these siblings for elderly care. When they got so old they couldn’t move they’d still have to go to a nursing home, and later the children could just visit frequently. Otherwise enduring days inside would be so unbearable.
“I won’t go. I’ll wait until Yuyi comes back for winter break, and we three women will go to Hainan for a few days.” Sister-in-law said with a smile.
“That’s really nice, Hainan is a good place, warm in winter.” Mother Sun agreed.
“Mom, how about we all go?” Sister-in-law asked.
“I can’t take planes. I don’t have that fortune in this lifetime. Last time when I went to Beijing with you on the high-speed rail, my heart was racing.” As she spoke the lilies were also trimmed, and Sun Youping had inserted them all. He conveniently wrapped the dead branches and leaves in newspaper and threw them in the trash.
Then he went back to the bathroom to wash his hands. Seeing liquid from the grandchildren’s urine splattered on the toilet seat, he knocked on the inner room door, asking which of them had just urinated.
Sun Jiarui scratched his face, looking at him bewildered, “Grandpa what’s wrong?”
Sun Youping beckoned him over, telling him to come to the bathroom, asking why he didn’t lift the toilet seat when urinating just now. He said he was too rushed and forgot, then conscientiously wiped it clean.
“Don’t forget next time, go back to your room.” Sun Youping said, bending down to get the toilet cleaner from the corner, then taking the toilet brush to scrub the toilet. After cleaning he came out, hands behind his back, looking at the center of the living room wall—at the newest family portrait hung just yesterday—where his eldest son in police uniform smiled at him with an imposing bearing.
Yesterday the fourth child had brought him a thick photo album, inside were all photos of family members from these years—everyday playing around, eating at the dining table, traveling outside, and also some birth photos and birthday photos of the grandchildren.
In earlier years the old couple had been thinking about these photos, taking them year after year, but no one went to have them printed. Sometimes when they wanted to look at them they had to enlarge the photos on their phones… They didn’t understand how to enlarge them either, often sliding two fingers back and forth on the screen, sliding for a long time without enlarging anything.
Last night the fourth child solemnly brought the album and family portrait, even beautifully packaged, saying it was a wedding anniversary gift for them. That night the couple sat at the head of the bed looking at photos for most of the night.
He stood here looking at the family portrait while Mother Sun watered flowers on the balcony, saying: “This afternoon let’s go sit at her grandmother’s place? See how her health is?”
“Let’s go sit.” Sun Youping responded. Probably there wouldn’t be much time left.
“How about telling the second child to just have two cooks come at noon, so everyone can rest.”
“Alright, I’ll give the second child a call.” Sun Youping sat at the dining table pouring water to drink. His hand wasn’t steady and a few drops splashed out. He looked at the water stain on the table surface and vigorously wrote the character for “love.”
Mother Sun came over and saw it, saying he was always improper, saying the fourth child was most like him—learned not a single good thing from him all day long. Her mouth grumbled this way, but her expression was completely different. She forcefully slapped his shoulder, “Go downstairs and open the door.”
Sister-in-law came out of the kitchen to drink water. Sun Youping with one big hand wiped away the character, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then went downstairs to open the clinic door.
After the meal Sun Jingcheng drove Zhou Yu to the high-speed rail station. Her mood was bright, humming a song in the car. Getting out she urged him to hurry back, saying parking wasn’t good here.
Sun Jingcheng just looked at her, not saying a word.
Zhou Yu suddenly laughed loudly, realizing her performance was excessive. She controlled the excitement on her face and said goodbye to him reluctantly. Saying it was only three days, when she came back she’d cook something delicious for him.
Sun Jingcheng asked her, “You didn’t forget anything, right?”
“No.” Zhou Yu indicated the backpack on her shoulder, “It’s all in there.”
“ID card?”
“Got it got it.”
“Power bank?”
“Got it got it.” Zhou Yu’s expression already showed she found him annoying.
Sun Jingcheng ignored her and directly pulled out the power bank she’d left at home, wanting to throw it in her face. Zhou Yu laughed heartily, took it and kept quiet with her tail between her legs.
Sun Jingcheng looked at her, “Have fun. I’ll take care of Grandma, don’t worry about home.”
Zhou Yu nodded, “Okay.”
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, laughing out loud with tacit understanding. Sun Jingcheng waved at her, “Go on, stop annoying me.”
Zhou Yu walked a few steps toward the security checkpoint, looked back at him, and made a big heart shape with her hands. Sun Jingcheng watched her leave, then continued back to the clinic to observe clinical practice.