14. Refusal

"How much did you buy?" In the huge parking lot of the outlet mall, Yi Yi couldn't help but ask Zhuang Jia as he came over carrying three large shopping bags and dragging a brand-new carry-on suitcase.

“Not much.” Zhuang Jia’s face was flushed with satisfaction, and his tone was light. “Just two Boss suits, two Moncler down jackets, a few Burberry shirts, and a few Lululemon T-shirts and sweatpants. Oh, and this Tumi carry-on suitcase will come in handy.” He stood the suitcase up and patted it. “It’s much cheaper than in China. I’ve saved quite a bit.”

Yi Yi has never been interested in brand premiums. She simply doesn't understand why a down jacket should cost tens of thousands of yuan, let alone why it's worth spending a full five hours in a huge outlet mall for these "discounts." But she didn't say it directly; she just calmly reminded everyone, "Others have been waiting for you for several hours."

"Didn't we agree to meet at 5 o'clock and then go to the hotel?" Zhuang Jia was still immersed in the excitement of shopping and did not receive Yi Yi's displeasure. "I came back on time."

"The children were all tired from playing, so they went to sleep in the car at 3 o'clock," Yi Yi said indirectly.

"Isn't that great? We can continue playing once we get to the hotel." Zhuang Jia still didn't get it.

Yi Yi finally couldn't hold back any longer, stopped and looked at him, saying, "Do you know that everyone has been waiting for you for more than two hours?"

"Huh?" Zhuang Jia was stunned for a moment, then looked puzzled. "They finished shopping so early? That's not like them." In his mind, women should shop like him, not stopping until their legs were sore. At least Ding Xiaojuan and He Miao seemed to be people with strong spending power.

"Didn't you understand what I was saying?" Yi Yi took a deep breath, feeling that communicating with him was incredibly difficult.

"What do you mean?" Zhuang Jia frowned. "Didn't I come back at the agreed time? It's their business if they finish shopping early, why blame me? Besides, I didn't make them wait. They could have gone back to the hotel first, or gone to look around elsewhere." He also felt wronged, as he had clearly kept his promise.

"Couldn't you have come back a little earlier since everyone else has finished shopping?" Yi Yi felt that he didn't understand what it meant to "read the room" or "think of others."

"Why should I meet earlier?" Zhuang Jia's voice rose slightly; the empty parking lot made her voice exceptionally clear. "I did my research on this place beforehand, I know what to buy and how much time it will take. So I suggested meeting at five o'clock. If they think it's inappropriate, they can bring it up! Why should I change my plans for them?"

“And what about me?” Yi Yi looked at him and said, word by word, “You went shopping, and I was with the kids. They got tired and fell asleep in the car. I’m tired too.” Her meaning was clear: I put in extra work and energy.

Zhuang Jia blurted out, "So what?"

So what?

Three words, light and airy, like three icicles, instantly pierced Yi Yi's heart. All her suppressed weariness, her dissatisfaction with his lack of understanding, and her grievances about being "ignored" became so ridiculous and insignificant in the face of this rhetorical question.

She suddenly felt a chill run through her body, and even experienced some tinnitus. Zhuang Jia's familiar face before her now seemed strange and distant. All the years they had walked hand in hand, the days and nights of struggle together, the joy and hardship of bringing life into the world… in this moment, it was as if an invisible rift had abruptly separated them. She had always thought it was just a matter of slower pace, that they were still holding hands. Now she realized that hand might have already let go, but she hadn't realized it. They were already walking on different frequencies, separated not by a few steps, but by completely different perceptions and valuations of each other's contributions.

She silently shut her mouth, all the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, turning into a cold silence. She turned around, opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and stared straight ahead.

Zhuang Jia seemed to realize that her words had gone too far. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she just scratched her head in frustration, stuffed the shopping bags into the trunk, and got into the driver's seat.

The two didn't exchange a single word the entire way. The air inside the car was heavy and oppressive, with only the occasional mechanical beeping of the navigation system. In the back seat, Kai Kai and Gun Gun, exhausted from playing, were fast asleep, completely unaware of their parents' silent treatment in the front.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Yi Yi mechanically got out of the car and took her luggage. Zhuang Jia parked the car and came over, intending to take the backpack from her hand, but Yi Yi stepped aside and carried it herself, leading the still-growing Kai Kai towards the lobby.

He Miao and Gao Sheng were checking in at the lobby. Seeing them come in, He Miao smiled and waved, "You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you. The rooms have been assigned; the three families are on the same floor, so it'll be convenient for the kids to visit each other."

Yi Yi forced a smile: "I'm sorry to have taken up everyone's time."

"It's alright, it's alright. We're just out having fun, so feel free to do whatever you want." Ding Xiaojuan waved her hand. She glanced at the obviously awkward atmosphere between Yi Yi and Zhuang Jia, and then at the several obviously expensive shopping bags in Zhuang Jia's hands. She roughly understood what was going on, but wisely didn't ask any more questions.

Zhuang Jia also tried to regain her composure and said to the receptionist, "Please hurry up, the child is tired."

The receptionist was a Chinese girl. She looked at Zhuang Jia, then at Yi Yi, He Miao, and Ding Xiaojuan, smiled slyly, and asked Zhuang Jia in Chinese, "Sir, may I ask which one of you is your wife? These two ladies are very beautiful."

He Miao and Ding Xiaojuan immediately moved closer to Zhuang Jia and asked the receptionist with smiles, "What do you think?"

The receptionist made a face. Zhuang Jia quickly waved his hand and laughed, "My wife is here," he pointed to Yi Yi, who was standing a little distance away, looking down and tidying Kai Kai's clothes, "We're together, and their husbands are also over there doing their paperwork." He pointed to Gao Sheng, who was looking at a travel guide, and He Tian, ​​who was looking down at his phone.

After receiving the room keys, we agreed to meet in the lobby an hour later for dinner, and then everyone went back to their rooms.

Yi Yi led Kai Kai to the room first. As soon as Kai Kai entered, he jumped onto the bed: "Mommy, which room do they stay in? I'm going to find Gun Gun and Haha!"

"Wait a minute, change your shoes first." Yi Yi pulled him back.

At this moment, Zhuang Jia also came in. Seeing that Yi Yi and Kai Kai were already there, he said, "You're always rushing us. Look, everyone else hasn't come down yet. You have no sense of time at all."

As they were talking, Kai Kai ran into Haha in the hallway. The two boys cheered and dashed upstairs to find Gun Gun. Ding Xiaojuan and Gao Sheng came out of the elevator hand in hand. When they saw Yi Yi, Ding Xiaojuan greeted her with a smile: "So punctual?"

"Hmm." Yi Yi smiled, her gaze lingering for a moment on their clasped hands.

Gao Sheng smiled and said to Zhuang Jia, "You guys are really quick."

Just as Zhuang Jia was about to reply, Kai Kai and Haha came running down in a flurry, shouting as they ran, "Gun Gun is pooping! Uncle He said it will take another ten minutes!"

The adults laughed, and the children's noise eased the slightly somber atmosphere. Yi Yi's smile became more genuine, but when her gaze inadvertently swept over Zhuang Jia, the smile faded, replaced by a calm detachment.

The echo of "So what?" in her heart hadn't faded. It was like a rusty nail, driven into the softest part of her heart. She knew that pulling it out might tear her flesh and draw blood. But now, traveling in a foreign land, in front of her friends, she could only choose to temporarily ignore that lingering pain and play the role of an emotionally stable wife and mother.

But once that crack appears, it's hard to restore it to its original state.