Chapter 32: The Husband-Protecting Maniac During the Rainy Season

Lin Fei didn't ask any more questions, not because she was uninterested, but because she was suddenly afraid.

She's not good at offering comfort, always feeling that what she says is superficial and fails to touch the heart, appearing perfunctory, even though she's genuinely trying.

The restaurant for their New Year's Eve dinner was an old house restaurant in an old alley. They booked late and there were no seats left. When Song Jili found out, he simply lent them the You Ran Courtyard, which they could use at their leisure.

To avoid an awkward situation from happening again, we set up a mahjong table together.

Zhou Hui voluntarily gave up his place and stopped playing, instead serving tea and water to the side.

Husbands and wives cannot be each other's superiors and subordinates; Lin Fei and Liang Yanzhe sat down facing each other.

This proves once again that Liang Yanzhe's luck is really bad; Lin Fei has managed to get away with losing several times.

Because only high-ranking hands are allowed to be discarded by the player who wins, while other low-ranking hands can only be won by self-draw, Lin Fei earned 300 points in one go by discarding the winning hand.

"Brother, can you play properly? Don't let your wife win." Liang Yanyi frowned. Lin Fei was getting cards too fast, and Liang Yanzhe was feeding her cards. When she was about to call for a win, her hand wasn't even ready yet.

Liang Yanzhe twirled the tiles with one hand, paused for a moment, and said, "He's really playing well."

Liang Yanyi didn't believe it, because in the previous round he had blocked her win three times in a row, and then immediately played a card that Lin Fei was missing.

Zhou Hui walked behind Liang Yanzhe: "No rush, let me take a look."

After reading it, he fell into a brief silence.

"Brother, your hand... how come it's so bad?"

Is this why he never plays cards? His bad luck doesn't really fit the impression people have of him.

They thought that top students could count cards, and that with good luck they could win against three opponents, and even with bad luck they could break even.

Liang Yanzhe coughed awkwardly.

"Is the hand very loose?" Lin Fei picked up a card. "Loose cards can be used to make Thirteen Orphans. I wish I had that kind of luck."

Her best possible hand is seven pairs plus a "bottom of the sea" (a winning hand in the game).

"Self-draw, Thirteen Orphans." Ruan Huilin, who had been silent all along, spread out her tiles.

"Mom, you're amazing!" Lin Fei clapped excitedly.

Zhou Hui joined in the fun: "You're a true mahjong master!"

Their exaggerated tone made Ruan Huilin laugh out loud, which showed that she was in a good mood today.

“Actually… Xiaoze’s luck is like mine, so he can only do Thirteen Orphans, at least he can break even. Xiaoyi has really good luck. I remember when we were little, she would go to buy blind box gifts and she could always get the one she wanted.” Ruan Huilin rarely brought up the topic of the siblings.

“I understand, these are called two extremes,” Lin Fei prompted Zhou Hui to continue.

Zhou Hui: "Agreed. My wife helps me open all my blind boxes, and I can easily get the big hidden ones."

That topic is now closed.

Lin Fei and Zhou Hui exchanged glances, sensing that things were really tough for them.

Before setting off today, Lin Fei had a private chat with Zhou Hui, and the two reached an agreement to try their best to maintain a happy family atmosphere for the New Year's Eve dinner.

The manager knocked on the door and told them that the food was ready and asked if they wanted to use it later or serve it now.

"Now then," Liang Yanyi said calmly, standing up.

Lin Fei: "Wait a minute!"

Liang Yanyi looked at her, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. Don't think she hadn't seen through their little tricks; she really didn't want to deal with them anymore.

Zhou Hui's heart was in her throat; she wondered if they were going to have a fight.

I kept thinking about it and realized he hadn't done anything wrong. I just hoped he wouldn't be locked out of the house that night.

"Let's settle the money first." Lin Fei opened the points table. "Xiao Yi transferred 54 yuan to Mom and 200 yuan to me. Dr. Liang transferred 20 yuan to Mom and 70 yuan to me. I don't need to transfer any more money to Mom!"

Zhou Hui: ...

At this moment, all he could say was "6," truly worthy of Lin Fei.

"Hurry up, I'm hungry and I want to eat." Before Ruan Huilin could speak, Lin Fei took her arm. "Mom, let's go see what's for dinner tonight."

Liang Yanzhe turned first, and Liang Yanyi had no choice but to follow suit.

The money transfer became the first WeChat message sent between the two siblings and Ruan Huilin.

"It's just for fun, no need." Ruan Huilin checked it several times but didn't open it.

Lin Fei: "Mom, please keep this. It's almost Chinese New Year. If you really feel bad about it, give us a small red envelope."

Ruan Huilin accepted it at Lin Fei's urging.

Zhou Hui was very talkative at the dinner table, and there was no worry about the conversation going cold during the meal.

During the meal, Ruan Huilin's assistant came over and handed over four red envelopes, which were obviously quite thick. She gave one to each person.

Lin Fei took the lead in saying auspicious words, and Zhou Hui was even more witty, praising Ruan Huilin until she couldn't stop smiling.

The two siblings calmly each said "Happy New Year".

After dinner, Ruan Huilin pulled Lin Fei into the small room next door and slipped a gold bracelet into her hand.

"It's too valuable! I can't accept it." Lin Fei put his hands behind his back.

Ruan Huilin smiled kindly: "I should have met you in the first place. It was my fault for not being polite enough. I'll make up for it today. You have to accept the meeting gift and the change of address fee."

Lin Fei noticed that the brother and sister both had gentle smiles, which was similar to Ruan Huilin. Ruan Huilin had beautiful eyes; when she wasn't smiling, she exuded an air of authority and nobility, and when she smiled, her eyes curved gently.

It looks like a cold frost, but when you taste it, you find it's sweet candy.

Yes, Liang Yanzhe is the same way, and he's quite sweet too.

"Then I... I'll take it." Lin Fei put it in his pocket without ceremony. "Thanks, Mom!"

"When I have time later..." Ruan Huilin asked uncertainly.

Lin Fei quickly replied, "You can find me anytime you want. You can also visit my shop when you have time. You've never been to Chunxi, have you? I'll take you to experience the local customs next time."

Ruan Huilin: "Xiao Ze...you won't mind, will you?"

“He is him, and I am me. Mom, if you are good to me, I will definitely be good to you.” Lin Fei has her own set of principles for dealing with things. She can’t just give someone a hard time for no reason. Besides, she doesn’t know what happened between the mother and son. Liang Yanzhe is not particularly against their interactions.

Let's see what happens if circumstances change. She doesn't like to ignore the present and worry unnecessarily, as that would betray true feelings and be a real loss.

Ruan Huilin's maternal love was reciprocated by Lin Fei, and she smiled even more happily.

"With your words of comfort, Mom is at ease."

-

On her way home, Lin Fei took out hand cream from the car's storage compartment, applied it evenly, and put on her gold bracelet.

"Is it pretty? My mom gave it to me; she said it was a gift for changing my address to her new mother."

“Accepting Mom’s gift doesn’t mean I’m not on your side. After all, I don’t know what happened between you. I will repay others for being kind to me.”

“I don’t mind.” Liang Yanzhe concealed the sadness in his eyes and smiled slightly. “Mom knows what she’s doing.”

Lin Fei was completely absorbed in admiring the gold bracelet. Although it was a plain band, the weight it bore on his wrist greatly satisfied the heart of a money-grubber.

Lin Fei ate too much at the New Year's Eve dinner and felt sleepy after taking a shower.

The Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV in the living room, and the room was warm enough. She held Shunshun and fell asleep without realizing it.

Liang Yanzhe had an emergency surgery and went to the hospital.

When she woke up, she was alone on the sofa, curled up on the blanket.

Zhou Hui called, and Lin Fei's last bit of drowsiness vanished.

"What's up? Want to watch the Spring Festival Gala together?" She was also starting to crave a late-night snack.

Zhou Hui said in a panic, "Sister-in-law, where are you? Can you come to the hospital? Xiao Yi secretly ate half a box of sleeping pills and now she needs her stomach pumped."

Lin Fei was so frightened that her whole body went cold. She threw off the covers, stood up, hurriedly put on a cotton coat, grabbed the spare key that Zhong Shuwen had given her, and rushed out of the house.

We sped towards the nearby Second Affiliated Hospital.

Lin Fei bumped into Liang Yanzhe in the emergency room lobby. Liang was wearing a dark green scrub suit under his white coat, and his hair was slightly damp, so he must have just finished surgery and rushed over.

Liang Yanzhe sought out the head of the emergency room on duty that day to understand the situation.

When Zhou Hui saw Lin Fei arrive, he anxiously grabbed her arm: "Will you be alright? Will you be alright? I just went to take a shower, how did I end up taking medicine!"

"What exactly happened?" Lin Fei asked coldly.

Zhou Hui stammered, "Xiao Yi has always had severe difficulty falling asleep and always keeps sleeping pills on hand. It must have been today... that upset her, so she impulsively ate too much."

The head of the emergency room arrived and told the family members to wait outside, as they were about to begin gastric lavage.

Lin Fei and Zhou Hui went out first, while Liang Yanzhe, worried, watched the director operate the equipment from the side.

In the hospital corridor.

Zhou Hui paced back and forth, chanting "God bless me" and "Bodhisattva bless me" repeatedly, reciting the names of all the gods in heaven.

"She doesn't have any other illnesses, does she?" Lin Fei asked cryptically.

Zhou Hui shook his head: "I accompanied her to see a psychologist, but no."

Lin Fei said indifferently, "I know. Stop turning around, sit still, you're getting annoyed."

The sensible Zhou Hui wandered around to another place, continuing to pray for the blessings of various gods.

Midnight has passed, and the new year has arrived.

The stomach lavage is not over yet.

The Spring Festival Gala was already being replayed on the LCD screen in the corridor when Liang Yanzhe came out of the emergency room.

"It's alright." He said with a serious expression, still not having recovered from his intense concentration.

Zhou Hui rushed in immediately to check the situation.

Liang Yanzhe walked over and sat down next to Lin Fei. He looked at her for a while without saying anything, then looked up and stared at the LCD screen with her.

The entire corridor was filled with the festive sounds of the Spring Festival Gala, creating a stark contrast with the atmosphere between them.

"Want to come to my office and take a nap?" Liang Yanzhe asked.

Lin Fei shook his head: "I slept before coming here. I'll sit for a while and wait for Xiao Yi to wake up before we talk."

"Are you cold?" He took her hand.

Lin Fei intertwined her fingers with his: "I'm fine. Are you hungry? Shall we go to the convenience store to get something to eat?"

Liang Yanzhe was visibly exhausted after finishing surgery and working all night.

"Let's go." He pulled her to her feet.

They ordered a bowl of oden and sat on a high stool by the bed.

Lin Fei kept putting food on Liang Yanzhe's plate, saying, "Eat more, you've worked hard."

"Is this... a reward?" he asked.

Lin Fei's temper was starting to get the better of him, and he pursed his lips and said, "What's there to reward me for? Tonight's events could have been avoided."

"Let's not talk about it anymore, let's eat." Liang Yanzhe avoided the sensitive topic.

After sitting for another hour, Liang Yanzhe returned to his office to change his clothes, intending to take Lin Fei back to reply first.

After watching him leave, Lin Fei quickly walked towards the emergency room.

She pushed open the ward door, and Zhou Hui, who was wringing out a towel, stopped what he was doing.

"Sister-in-law... haven't you gone back yet?" he stammered.

Lin Fei: "I'll just say a few words and then leave."

Zhou Hui had a bad feeling.

Liang Yanyi had already woken up. She was leaning against the headboard, her face pale and her expression listless. Her gaze fell on Lin Fei for less than two seconds before she looked away.

"Can you go out for a while?" Lin Fei asked Zhou Hui.

Zhou Hui hesitated: "Tonight..."

"Is it okay?" she asked forcefully.

"I'm fine," Liang Yanyi said to Zhou Hui. "Could you buy me some porridge?"

Zhou Hui stood there for a moment: "Okay, I'll be back in ten minutes."

After the door closed, Lin Fei walked to the bedside.

His words are very sharp.

Do you hate me?

Liang Yanyi didn't understand why she would ask that question, and slowly shook her head.

“But your behavior makes me think you’re dissatisfied with the New Year’s Eve dinner arrangements, so you’re retaliating by self-harming.” Lin Fei put his hands in his pockets and sat down.

Liang Yanyi said weakly, "I didn't, you're overthinking it."

“But that’s just how I think.” Lin Fei’s voice turned even colder. “You think hurting your own body is your problem, but what do your family members think? Liang Yanzhe was worried about you and kept running around in the emergency room after your surgery. Zhou Hui was anxiously pacing in the corridor because he was worried about you. As your closest people, what do they think? Their guilt will only be deeper than mine.”

"I really didn't mean that," Liang Yanyi retorted wearily.

Lin Fei: "Only a fool would try to get attention by self-harming."

Liang Yanyi's eyes gradually turned icy cold: "I didn't!"

Lin Fei: "Liang Yanyi, you may be capable of managing projects worth hundreds of millions, but you are terrible when it comes to your family. You are wasting the feelings of everyone who loves you."

"What do you know? What gives you the right to talk about me like that?" Liang Yanyi shed her usual composed demeanor, her words becoming childish.

“I know how painful it is to grow up without my parents, I know the pain of leaving them alone after they pass away, and I know the bittersweet tears my family sheds for me if something happens to me.” Lin Fei slightly raised his chin. “That’s why I look down on you. Everything you’ve done can’t hurt me, but it has hurt the people I care about. Shouldn’t you bear my accusations and anger?”

Liang Yanyi suddenly broke down, pushing away the water glass on the table: "Then what should I do? Who can forgive me and understand my pain?"

"You're only focused on your pain, caught in a whirlpool of emotions. Do you even understand what your soul desires?" Lin Fei softened her tone. "I was like that a while ago too. I hated my grandfather. To avoid settling in Hong Kong, I ran off to Shanghai after graduation. For the sake of a little self-respect, I sacrificed my health to endure it all, refusing to see him, refusing to answer his calls, and viciously thinking that I wouldn't see him even once before I died, because he didn't even visit my mother once before she died. I tried everything to get revenge on him, including hurting myself."

"And then...what happened next?" Liang Yanyi had always thought that someone as generous as Lin Fei wouldn't have any family troubles.

Lin Fei: "Later, Dr. Liang hoped that I could treat my emotions well and understand what they wanted. That morning, I went to the hospital to see my grandfather and told him all my thoughts, hoping to find a way for us to get along. Xiao Yi, once a relationship is broken, it is difficult to go back to the way it was before. If you want to reconcile, it means that the order between you needs to be rebuilt."

"You're still willing to rebuild?" Liang Yanyi said with a disappointed expression.

Lin Fei: "I still have feelings for him, which means I still care. It's not that I'm a saint, it's just that he didn't even know my thoughts before he suffered my anger. Why can't we talk about it openly? At least I tried my best in this relationship. Even if it ends badly in the future, I will be able to let go more quickly because I tried. I will think—it's really cool that I, a coward, had the courage to try."

Liang Yanyi looked at Lin Fei with a kind of infatuation.

How should I put it...?

She was like someone striving to shine in this absurd and dark world.

"I understand." Liang Yanyi lowered her head.

Lin Fei let out a long sigh of relief, and her words became bolder: "If you weren't Dr. Liang's biological sister, given what you did tonight, I might have slapped you across the face the moment I walked in."

Liang Yanyi's eyes widened, startled by her idea.

“I’m a bit protective of my own. If you can be a good little sister, I can slap the person who bullies you.” Lin Fei held Liang Yanyi’s hand. “If someone is good to you, don’t let them down.”

Liang Yanyi leaned her head on Lin Fei's shoulder and hugged her tightly.

Although no crying was heard, Lin Fei's shoulder was already wet.

Zhou Hui, who was outside the door, was deeply moved by what he heard.

Why are you standing outside the door?

The sudden appearance of Liang Yanzhe startled Zhou Hui back to tears.

"My sister-in-law is advising Xiao Yi not to go in yet." Zhou Hui pulled Liang Yanzhe away from the ward door.

Liang Yanzhe glanced at the closed door: "What did she say to you after she woke up?"

“I didn’t say anything, I just sat there in a daze,” Zhou Hui said sadly. “Luckily my sister-in-law came. I really didn’t know how to comfort Xiao Yi. Sometimes I feel like a failure.”

"Don't overthink it. Mom remarried after returning to Jiangdu, and that's always been a knot in her heart." Liang Yanzhe patted his shoulder. "Xiao Yi... growing up has been tough for her. You've already done more than enough by staying by her side."

Zhou Hui was almost in tears.

The couple were so good at comforting people; no matter how big the trouble, listening to their words of comfort made me feel completely relieved.

Lin Fei came out of the ward and whispered to Zhou Hui, "Call Mom tomorrow and tell her that Xiao Yi has been admitted to the hospital."

"Huh? That's not a good idea." Zhou Hui waved his hand. "We can't provoke her any further at this time."

"Don't worry, I've asked Xiaoyi what she thinks. You tell Mom not to mention anything, just that you're here to check on Xiaoyi." Lin Fei took Liang Yanzhe's arm and led him outside.

Before leaving, they thoughtfully left Zhong Shuwen's car keys with them.

After arriving home, Lin Fei urged Liang Yanzhe to go back to his bedroom and take a shower and rest.

She was busy with the opening ceremony the day after tomorrow, confirming all the details.

Liang Yanzhe came out of the bathroom, put down her laptop, and patted the empty seat next to her: "Come to sleep."

He smiled and said, "You're making me very uneasy."

"I feel sorry for you after a night of surgery, how could that make you uneasy?" Lin Fei lay down on his own. "If you're not going to sleep, I will."

Liang Yanzhe lay down and turned off the lights in the room.

“Liang Sheng, could you tell me about Mom’s story?” Lin Fei explained, “I won’t ask about your affairs, nor about Xiao Yi’s.”

Liang Yanzhe turned to face her, placed his hand on her waist, and after a moment of thought, slowly said, "Mom was chosen by Grandma herself. She and Dad first met at their engagement banquet. They didn't like each other but still chose to get married. I was born in the first year after their marriage. After that, Dad's personality changed drastically. He kept a mistress and would beat Mom at the slightest provocation. In my memory, Mom had a very hard life. She could only see her grandparents once a year. Later, Grandma learned about Dad's evil deeds and scolded him once. After returning home, he treated Mom even worse. She wanted to... commit suicide, but unexpectedly found out she was pregnant."

He stopped. "Do you want to hear more?"

Lin Fei felt her hands and feet turn ice cold, unable to imagine that the kind and gentle woman who had treated her had once suffered such a tragic fate.

"Yes." She snuggled closer to him and hugged him tightly.

"After she became pregnant, her grandmother took her to live with her and took care of her, temporarily escaping her misery. Eight months later, Xiao Yi was born, and she moved back, only to find that her lover had moved into the house. She couldn't hold back her emotions any longer and exploded, but in the end, she was the only one who got hurt. She was diagnosed with postpartum depression, and Xiao Yi was taken to live with her grandmother." Liang Yanzhe paused for a few seconds. "Perhaps God also felt that my father had done too many heartless things. Three years later, he and his lover encountered a typhoon while on a sea trip. When they were pulled out of the water, their bodies had already swelled up. After my father passed away, my grandmother let my mother return to Jiangdu. After that, she would only go back to Gangdu once a year for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

He finished speaking and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "It's a terrible story, not suitable for listening to before bed."

Lin Fei was deeply shocked and couldn't imagine how the three of them had survived those hellish days.

"Sleep, don't think about it anymore, it's all in the past." Liang Yanzhe kissed her forehead. "I'm right here beside you."

Lin Fei obediently closed his eyes.

She opened her eyes just before falling asleep.

There is no description of him in the whole story, so what kind of suffering did he endure in the process?

I understand that his choice not to tell her was because he felt that no one could share his past pain.

She withdrew all her curiosity, not wanting to hurt him again.

-----------------------

Author's note: [shy] Dr. Liang's story... is even more tragic (covering his head with a pot). It's too heavy a matter and needs an opportunity to be spoken, and the emotions need to be warmed up again.

That's why Dr. Liang said that Fei Wen was the purest existence in an absurd world, and that his early life was absurd. I also quoted Camus in the very beginning of this article: "Absurdity rules the world, and love saves it."

[Starry eyes][Starry eyes] Still 66, love you all!