It was an evening, shortly after dinner. Jiang Yinghan was bathing Mu Mu, Jin Chao was doing homework in his room, and Jin Qiang was cleaning up the dishes. Nothing special, just another ordinary day.
After watching Mu Mu climb into bed by herself, Jiang Yinghan walked into the kitchen. Jin Qiang had put the washed bowls in the cabinet but left some plates by the sink. Jiang Yinghan picked up the plates and confronted Jin Qiang, asking why he always left things half-done. Was he incapable of doing anything properly? Jin Qiang lost his temper too, telling her that if she thought he couldn’t do things right, they should get divorced so she could find someone who could.
Jin Chao wasn’t asleep. Through the door, he heard them getting out their household registry books, talking about going to the civil affairs bureau the next day for divorce.
He thought it was just another argument, like all their previous fights – that after a night’s sleep, they would continue their life together. But when he returned from school that day, he learned they had gotten divorced.
Thinking back now, what had triggered it?
Jin Chao told her in a deep voice: “A few plates.”
Jiang Mu could never have imagined that the catalyst for her parent’s divorce was merely a few plates. How could a man and woman who had gone through exploration, understanding, and adjustment, finally coming together despite countless difficulties, separate over a few plates?
Her chin sank into the pillow, her expression more complex than ever before. Jin Chao glanced at her, thinking of her earlier statement about not wanting to marry. Perhaps it wasn’t just a casual remark – her parents’ divorce had likely instilled in her a fear of marriage, something Jin Chao hadn’t considered before.
Back then, although he often worried that Jin Qiang and Jiang Yinghan might become physical in their anger, he was old enough to understand somewhat why they couldn’t get along and sometimes felt exhausted by their constant arguing.
But Jiang Mu had been young then. In her world, her parents’ divorce was as devastating as the sky falling – a reality she couldn’t bear at all.
This was also the first time Jin Chao realized the impact Jin Qiang and Jiang Yinghan’s divorce had had on Jiang Mu.
He wasn’t one to lecture people with long-winded reasoning, but seeing the girl before him caught in some sort of confusion, he bent one leg and began speaking: “There are no unfortunate marriages, but there are indeed many unfortunate couples. It’s not marriage that brings them disaster. If people truly want to defy fate, they can forge a smooth path even through steep mountains – it all depends on human effort.”
Jin Chao’s words suddenly reminded Jiang Mu of that time eating at the restaurant with her father. She had been surprised by Jin Qiang’s habit of eating raw garlic, because in her home with Jiang Yinghan, garlic only occasionally appeared as a seasoning in meat dishes, but they never ate it directly. Jin Qiang had naturally offered garlic to Jin Chao, showing it was a normal dietary habit in their life, but she didn’t like garlic, so Jin Chao had just held it without eating.
That small gesture of his, when Jiang Mu recalled it today, stirred many feelings.
How difficult must it have been for two people from completely different backgrounds to integrate into each other’s lives? Although she didn’t know exactly, she saw accommodation and tolerance in Jin Chao. Perhaps this was the human effort Jin Chao spoke of. If that night Jin Qiang had quietly put the plates back in the sink, would her parents still have divorced?
Perhaps the answer would still be the same – they both no longer wanted to make any effort to change for each other. Suddenly, it seemed Jiang Mu understood everything because she saw a different interpretation in Jin Chao – an interpretation of what it meant to be a partner.
She blinked gently and looked at him, blurting out: “Chao Chao, you’ll be a good husband in the future.”
Jin Chao was inexplicably praised by her, his lips curving slightly, his voice deep: “Whether someone’s a good husband or not, that’s for the wife to judge.”
As he finished, he turned to look at her. Jiang Mu’s heart skipped a beat. Jin Chao’s words made sense – from a sister’s position, she naturally couldn’t judge if he’d be a good husband. Yet she had boldly done so. Was he reminding her not to overstep?
Jiang Mu didn’t know, didn’t dare guess, but thinking about how he would eventually marry and have children, she felt an inexplicable fog lingering in her heart.
She mumbled: “Have you thought about when you want to get married?”
Jin Chao paused, lifting his head to unconsciously look somewhere in the room, silent for a moment: “Haven’t thought about it.”
Jiang Mu recalled some trivial memories and mused: “When I was little, once I saw you walking home from school with an older girl. I called to you from upstairs but you ignored me. I was so angry, kept thinking that if you got a girlfriend in the future, you’d never pay attention to me again.”
Jin Chao asked in surprise: “When was this?”
Jiang Mu yawned and said: “I must have been in second grade, you were already in junior high.”
Seeing her inexplicable attitude, Jin Chao lowered his head and smiled. Jiang Mu muttered: “I saw her several times. That sister would smile so happily at you. Let me tell you, after you left, she even came to our house and rang the doorbell looking for you!”
Jin Chao’s eyes held an amused light as he asked: “How did you respond?”
Jiang Mu rolled over and pouted: “See, you do remember.”
Jin Chao chided her: “Acting grown up when you’re still little.”
Jiang Mu immediately retorted: “I’m not little anymore.”
Jin Chao slowly stood up: “Right, wasn’t it someone who just said they were little? Anyway, in front of me, you’re like Sun Wukong’s disciple.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Know seventy-two transformations, sometimes big, sometimes small.”
Jiang Mu laughed: “Where are you going?”
Jin Chao turned back at the doorway to look at her: “Not leaving, just going out for a smoke.”
Only then did Jiang Mu relax.
Jin Chao sat alone in the living room checking his phone for a while. He knew Jiang Mu was already sleepy, but she would keep forcing herself to stay awake if he remained in the room, so he deliberately came out to sit for a while. When he felt enough time had passed, he went back to check on her.
She had indeed already closed her eyes and was lying motionless at the edge of the bed. Jin Chao walked to the bed and pushed her toward the inside. Jiang Mu murmured with closed eyes: “Brother…”
Jin Chao wasn’t sure if she was conscious. Jiang Mu hugged her pillow, slowly opening her eyes a crack: “I am indeed Jiang Mu, but I’m also your Jin Mu Mu. Happy New Year.”
With that, she closed her eyes again, but her words lingered like wisps of smoke in Jin Chao’s chest. He bent down to pull up her blanket, tucking in the corners. Just as he was about to straighten up, he glanced at her long eyelashes, still trembling slightly in sleep, as if she had suffered some great grievance.
This was probably her first time spending New Year’s away from her mother. Although she didn’t say it, she must have been sad inside. A strand of hair fell across her cheek, and Jin Chao reached up to tuck it behind her ear. Her lips held a soft pink glow, very tender. His fingers’ inadvertent touch made him pause for a moment, but it was only a moment before he withdrew his hand, unwilling to touch her again.
…
When Jiang Mu woke up, she already had two missed calls on her phone, both from Jin Chao. She called back, and the call connected quickly. She hurriedly jumped out of bed and said to him: “I fell asleep and didn’t hear it. Where are you now? At the garage? I’ll come right over. Dr. Li said there’s no one on duty after 4 PM, we need to hurry to the hospital.”
After her rapid-fire speech, Jin Chao only replied with two words: “Wear shoes.”
Jiang Mu held her phone up to look at it, then looked at her bare feet. She even suspected she might have accidentally started a video call – how else would Jin Chao know she had jumped out of bed without shoes?
She put on her shoes before hearing Jin Chao continue: “It takes at most half an hour to get there. We’ll make it in time. Take your time getting ready, eat something before coming out. I’m at the complex entrance.”
Jiang Mu had no idea when Jin Chao had left last night, yet he was already here. Although he told her not to rush, she still got ready and left as quickly as possible. The snow downstairs was still thick, but today she wore mid-calf Martin boots and a fashionable glossy patchwork coat with a waist-cinching design that made her look taller.
Her winter clothes had been packed by Jiang Yinghan before she came to Tonggang, but since Jiang Mu usually wore her school uniform, she hadn’t worn them yet. Thinking it was New Year’s, she had dressed up a bit. From a distance, she looked like a stylish young woman. Jin Chao merely glanced once before looking away, not even considering that the slender woman in the distance could be Jiang Mu.
Jiang Mu, however, spotted Jin Chao before even leaving the complex. He stood alone in the ice and snow wearing a long black down jacket for warmth, with footprints circling him. His tall, dark figure stood out starkly against the white snow, and she waved to him from far away.
Jin Chao turned to look at her again because of her gesture, only recognizing her when she came closer. He wasn’t sure if she had applied light makeup – her lips were glossy like cherries, her eyelashes were long and spirited, and her already smooth, delicate skin looked even more fair and translucent.
He had to acknowledge the truth in “how girls change at eighteen.” She had merely changed her appearance, and he had almost failed to recognize her. Used to seeing her in school uniforms and track pants, she seemed to have suddenly transformed from a student into an eye-catching young woman.
Jin Chao kept his hands in his pockets, giving her a subtle glance. Jiang Mu asked: “How long have you been here?”
“Came over when the call didn’t go through.”
Jiang Mu smiled: “Why didn’t you come up to wake me?”
“It’s still early, you could catch up on sleep and still make it.”
Then he shifted his gaze toward the bus stop, gesturing for her to cross the street. Jiang Mu walked beside him and asked: “But aren’t you cold? Give me your hand.”
“Why?”
“Just give it to me.”
Jin Chao took his right hand out of his pocket, and Jiang Mu placed a small hand warmer in his palm. He gripped it tightly, and Jiang Mu took out another one, saying: “I have another one. This one’s for you.”
Jin Chao picked it up to look at it – it had an orange, oddly-shaped ugly duckling on it, with its hands clasped together shooting out a heart.
He clicked his tongue and said: “Still like cartoon patterns?”
He’d thought that such a grown girl would have more mature tastes by now, but it seemed she hadn’t changed much from childhood.
Jiang Mu jumped in front of him and protested: “You don’t understand, this is ‘Love You Duck.'”
She mimicked the duck’s pose, shooting a heart into the air with both hands, making Jin Chao’s lips curve upward. He asked: “What’s yours?”
Jiang Mu showed him the one from her pocket – the same ugly duckling, but with smoke coming from its behind. Jin Chao said: “Your duck isn’t very elegant.”
Jiang Mu burst out laughing: “See, I told you you wouldn’t understand. Mine is called ‘Go Duck It.'”
Jin Chao didn’t know where she got these strange expressions from. He looked down at the “Love You Duck” in his hand, finding it somewhat more appealing now, and put it in his pocket.
Jiang Mu asked: “Didn’t drive?”
“Snow’s too thick to drive. Besides, there’s no rush. The bus that goes there is a scenic route. Want to see?”
Jiang Mu grew interested: “Sure!”
Jin Chao walked beside her, his peripheral vision casually sweeping over her. Jiang Mu pressed her lips together in a smile and tilted her head to ask: “Does it look good?”
Though Jin Chao knew Jiang Mu was asking about her outfit, he deliberately raised his eyes and replied: “Yes, it looks good. You can see the pagoda of the Misty Temple.”
Jiang Mu puffed her cheeks in annoyance: “Brother, it’d be strange if you could find a girlfriend like this.”
Jin Chao just lowered his eyes and smiled.
Jiang Mu’s Martin boots had thick soles, and while waiting for the bus, she stomped up and down in the snow by the station, making crunching sounds with each step, unable to stay still for a moment.
Jin Chao quietly watched her play, silently moving a step to shield her whenever she was about to slip. When the bus came, there was a layer of ice on the steps as the door opened. Jin Chao stepped up first and extended his hand to Jiang Mu.
Jiang Mu looked at his large hand and placed hers in it. Jin Chao pulled her up and paid the fare, keeping her small hand firmly in his palm. The hand that should have been holding a pen had developed rough calluses from years of manual work. Whenever Jiang Mu felt his palm lines, she felt a twinge in her heart and reached out with her other hand to hold his as well.
Tonggang didn’t have a subway, and perhaps because of the snow, many people had chosen to take the bus for New Year’s visits today. The bus was quite crowded with no empty seats. Jin Chao led Jiang Mu to the back, and after they stopped, he looked down at her hands tightly holding his and gently pulled away, saying: “Really using me as a handrail?”
Jiang Mu awkwardly withdrew her hands to grab the actual handrail. An older woman in front of them overheard their conversation and smiled: “I’m getting off at the next stop, let your girlfriend have my seat.”
Jiang Mu’s expression grew even more awkward. While she was hesitating whether to explain to the woman, Jin Chao had already guided her to the seat and turned to the woman to say: “Thank you.”
For the next few stops, Jin Chao stood in front of her seat looking down at his phone while Jiang Mu sat stiffly. When they were little, she and Jin Chao always held hands wherever they went. If she let go on busy streets, Jin Chao would scold her, warning her about the dangers of running off.
She missed how she could stick close to him without worry when she was little. But the reality was that they had both grown up. The strange looks from people around them, the proper distance that should be maintained between men and women, all these social constraints stood between them, making Jiang Mu feel somewhat dejected.
After some time, the person behind her got off, and Jin Chao sat down there. Jiang Mu could see Jin Chao’s profile reflected in the window – he was still looking at his phone, his features refined and smooth, somewhat cold and handsome when silent. Yet this same person was someone she used to hug freely as a child.
She pressed her lips together. Jin Chao raised his head and locked his phone, his gaze meeting her eyes directly in the glass reflection, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he silently laughed at her guilt, hurriedly avoiding gaze.