Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.
"You're back?" Wang Aiguo's somber voice came from the inner room.
Li Hongxia didn't answer. She walked to the table, poured herself a glass of cold water, and gulped it down. The icy liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach, but it couldn't extinguish the fire in her heart.
Wang Aiguo glanced at Li Hongxia's gloomy face and frowned impatiently.
"What's wrong now? Who upset you? You always have such a long face, who are you trying to impress?"
Li Hongxia retorted, dissatisfied, "What's wrong with me? I'd like to ask you, what am I getting out of following you?"
Wang Aiguo's face also darkened. "Li Hongxia, what's wrong with you? I've worked myself to the bone all day, and all I want when I get home is some peace and quiet. Can you please stop causing trouble for no reason?"
"I'm looking for trouble?" Li Hongxia sneered, her voice rising eight octaves. "Wang Aiguo, you better tell me clearly today, are we still going to live together or not?"
At this moment, the grievances and jealousy in her heart completely erupted.
"Look at Commander Lu, and look at you! He bought Su Wantang a TV! A nine-inch color TV! The only one of its kind in the whole compound! He treats his wife like a goddess, and what about you? What do you take me for? A maid or a punching bag?"
The word "television" acted as a fuse, instantly igniting Wang Aiguo's anger.
What bothered him most was Li Hongxia comparing him to Lu Linchuan.
"Television? Television!" He slammed his hand on the table, causing the enamel mug on it to jump up, smash to the ground, and shatter into pieces. "Is this all you think about all day? Comparison! All you know is how to compare yourself to others!"
His voice was urgent and loud, filled with anger and embarrassment at being hit where it hurt.
"What level is Lu Linchuan? What level am I? Didn't you know before you married me? How much is his monthly allowance? How much is mine? His family is well-off, but what about me? My parents are farmers who toil in the land. How could I afford to buy you a TV?"
"I don't care!" Li Hongxia was also provoked, tears welling up in her eyes. "I want a TV! If other families have one, we have to have one too! Otherwise, how can I hold my head up in this compound?"
"Look up?" Wang Aiguo laughed angrily, pointing at Li Hongxia's nose and cursing, "You have no shame? Do you know how much a TV costs? It costs more than half a year's salary for me! Don't our children need to go to school? Don't your parents need to send money? Are you trying to make a living?"
He grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, pacing back and forth in the room like a trapped wild beast.
"Let me tell you, Li Hongxia, don't even think about it! My family doesn't have the means!"
Li Hongxia's tears finally fell. She slumped onto the stool, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Wang Aiguo, you have no conscience... How could I have been so blind to fall for you..."
Her cries did not elicit any pity from Wang Aiguo; instead, they only made him more irritable.
He looked at the messy room, the puddle of water on the floor, and the unwashed dishes on the table, and his anger flared up even more.
"Cry, cry, cry! All you do is cry! What good does it do?"
Wang Aiguo pointed to the water stains on the ground, then to the bowls and chopsticks on the table, his tone full of disdain and impatience.
"Instead of wasting time watching TV, you should clean the house! Look at this floor, I don't even have room to step when I come home! And those dishes, they've been sitting here for ages and you haven't even washed them! You're always idling around, can't you do something productive?"
Li Hongxia clenched her fists.
They're both military wives, so why is there such a big difference?!
Jealousy took root and sprouted in my heart.
She absolutely cannot let Su Wantang get away with this! (This chapter has been read. Please click to continue reading the next chapter!)
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