Chapter 5 Buying a TV
Wen Xiaoxiao opened the oil paper package.
Inside were three plump, white meat buns. She picked one up and ate it in small bites.
The meat is a perfect balance of lean and fatty, with a savory and delicious flavor.
Tears flowed silently into my mouth, mingling with the taste of the food, a bittersweet flavor, yet strangely comforting.
After eating one, she carefully wrapped the remaining two and put them in the cupboard.
Then tidy up the kitchen, put the pots and pans back in their places, and wipe the stove clean.
After doing all that, she took a change of clothes and went to the shower stall.
The newly replaced lock was very secure. She locked the door and let the warm water wash over her body.
When I came out, the courtyard was quiet, and the lights in the main house and the west wing were off.
She hurried back to the east wing, but Zhao Qingda had not yet returned.
She took off her coat, lay down, wrapped herself in a thin blanket, and waited with her eyes open.
After an unknown amount of time, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a thud, and Zhao Qingda's cursing voice broke the silence: "Damn it! What bad luck! A bunch of bastards..." He staggered into the house, bringing with him a stench of smoke and alcohol.
Seeing Wen Xiaoxiao with her back to him on the kang (a heated brick bed), he snorted and took off his shoes and clothes on his own.
"Hey!" he snapped, "Stop pretending to be dead! I'm back!"
Wen Xiaoxiao remained motionless, but involuntarily held her breath.
Seeing that she ignored him, Zhao Qingda's anger from losing money flared up. He suddenly bent down and flipped her over, blanket and all! The action was rough and showed no mercy.
Caught off guard, Wen Xiaoxiao exclaimed in surprise and instinctively pinched his arm.
"Ouch—!" Zhao Qingda winced in pain. "Wen Xiaoxiao! What the hell do you want?! You're giving me attitude, aren't you? You don't cook, you don't respond, and you act like you're going to die if I touch you!" His tone was full of irritability and impatience.
Wen Xiaoxiao looked at his face, which was so close to hers, and saw the scratches she had inflicted on him the night before.
"Get out!" Wen Xiaoxiao cursed in a low voice.
Zhao Qingda let go of his hand, cursed "This is boring," and got off the kang (a heated brick bed).
With nowhere to vent his anger, he spotted the enamel washbasin by the bed and kicked it!
"Clang—!"
With a piercing crash, the basin flew and hit the wall before rolling to the ground.
Zhao Qingda hastily wiped his face with the cold water from the vat, lay back down on the kang (a heated brick bed) still damp, and soon began snoring again.
Wen Xiaoxiao sat up and quietly put on her clothes in the dark.
She quietly got up, slipped on her shoes, pushed open the door, and walked into the yard.
The summer night breeze carried a coolness.
She walked to the stone bench under the old locust tree, sat down, and looked up at the moon in the sky.
The moon was round and bright, its gentle light casting a glow that enveloped her slender figure.
Behind the window of the main house, Zhao Fei hadn't been sleeping soundly at all.
He heard everything that was happening in the yard, including the loud thud of someone kicking a basin.
At that moment, he hid by the unlit window, looking through the glass at the motionless figure under the tree.
The moonlight, like water, clearly outlined Wen Xiaoxiao's features.
She was of average height, about 1.65 meters, and was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, slightly curled up.
The thin summer clothes clung to her body, vaguely revealing her full breasts and slender waist. Her legs, together under the stone bench, appeared long and shapely.
Her skin, under the moonlight, shimmered with a porcelain-like luster.
She sat there, gazing up at the moon, like an abandoned jade sculpture.
Zhao Fei felt as if something had struck him hard, causing a dull ache in his heart.
A strong impulse surged up.
He wanted to do something to ease her sadness.
She should smile, like before, with her eyes sparkling.
A thought suddenly popped into his head, "I should buy a TV. Color TVs are expensive, but a black and white one will do. I can put it... put it in my aunt's room. Maybe the noise and liveliness will cheer her up..."
The thought crossed Zhao Fei's mind, but immediately he was startled, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
What is he doing?
Start trying to figure out her preferences and find ways to make her happy?
This idea is too dangerous and too outrageous!
He is Zhao Qingda's cousin and Xiaoxiao's brother-in-law! That's all!
Zhao Fei pinched his thigh hard, forced himself to lie back on the kang (a heated brick bed), and closed his eyes.
But the silhouette of that tree in the moonlight seemed to be branded on his eyelids, impossible to shake off.
The next morning, Zhao Qingda left home earlier than usual.
As soon as he reached the parking spot at the entrance of the alley, he saw Wang Juan already waiting there, carrying a net bag containing two meat-filled sesame seed cakes wrapped in oil paper.
"Good morning, Master Zhao! Haven't eaten yet? Here, I bought this on my way." Wang Juan handed it over with a smile, her movements natural and familiar.
Zhao Qingda hesitated for a moment, then took the sesame seed cake, which was still hot to the touch. "This... how much is it? I'll give it to you." He pretended to take out his money.
Wang Juan waved her hand cheerfully and boarded the bus first, sitting down in the ticket seller's seat: "Oh, what's two sesame cakes worth! You're my boss, and I only get to eat if I keep the boss happy, right?"
As she spoke, she deftly began organizing her ticket holders and checking her coin purse, humming a cheerful tune as she spoke.
Zhao Qingda held the fragrant sesame seed cake in his hand, watching Wang Juan's brisk back. He took a bite of the cake and mumbled, "Thanks then." The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
In the afternoon, Li Yugu returned from outside, his face radiating a glimmer of hope.
She called Wen Xiaoxiao over and then called out to Zhao Qingda, who had just entered the house.
"I heard from Old Zhou's wife on the street today that there's an old Chinese medicine doctor on her family's side who specializes in treating women who can't conceive. He's incredibly effective! After taking a few doses of his medicine, many women have gotten pregnant." Li Yugu lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his excitement. "Qingda, Xiaoxiao, why don't you two take some time to go see him tomorrow?"
Zhao Qingda frowned upon hearing this and said impatiently, "What are you looking at! I'm very busy, I don't have time for that! Besides, who knows if it's useful or not?"
Wen Xiaoxiao's face turned pale instantly, and her nails dug into her palms.
She raised her head, her voice not loud, but unusually firm: "Mom, I'm not going. I'm not sick."
"You're not sick?" Zhao Qingda chuckled as if he'd heard a joke, glancing at her sideways. "You're not sick? Then why aren't you laying eggs? It's been two years; a hen brooding for two years should make some noise by now!"
These words pierced my heart like a knife.
Wen Xiaoxiao trembled all over, her eyes instantly reddening, and she glared at Zhao Qingda: "Say it again, you dare say it again!"
Zhao Qingda slammed his hand down: "What's wrong with me saying it again!"
"You bastard! What kind of filth are you spewing from your mouth!" Li Yugu was so angry that he raised his hand and slapped Zhao Qingda's arm. "Can't you speak like a human being? If you can't, then get out of here!"
Zhao Qingda stubbornly avoided his mother's hand, and was about to say something when Li Yugu pushed and shoved him out of the main room: "Get out! Just seeing you makes me feel sick!"
The courtyard was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Wen Xiaoxiao turned and rushed back to the east wing, slamming the door shut.
Zhao Fei returned home earlier than usual in the evening.
A square cardboard box was strapped to the back of his bicycle.
When they entered the hospital, Li Yugu was comforting Wen Xiaoxiao, whose eyes were red and swollen, while Yidi curiously circled around the cardboard box.
"Feizi, what's this?" Li Yugu asked.
Zhao Fei unloaded the box and wiped his sweat. "A TV... Let Yidi watch cartoons, so she won't keep running outside." As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over Wen Xiaoxiao.
Wen Xiaoxiao looked up at the cardboard box, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.
In those days, although televisions were no longer a rarity, they were still considered a major purchase for families like theirs.
Zhao Fei didn't install the TV in his own room.
He moved it directly to the west wing where Li Yugu lived, placed it on the cabinet against the wall, and connected the antenna.
At first, the screen was filled with dense static. After adjusting it for a while, figures and sounds gradually appeared. It was a TV series that was playing.
"Alright, that's fine for now." Zhao Fei dusted off his hands and said to Yi Di, "Don't get too close, it'll hurt your eyes."
His arrangement was reasonable; it was meant for the children to see, and it was convenient to keep it in the elderly person's room for them to take care of it.
Only he knew that he was afraid that if he put the TV in his room, Wen Xiaoxiao would feel embarrassed to come over.
If I put it in my aunt's room, it will feel much more natural for her to come and see it.
Sure enough, after dinner, Wen Xiaoxiao followed Li Yugu and Yidi into the west wing.
The small screen showed stories of joy and sorrow, and although the picture was sometimes filled with static and the sound was noisy, it was still very captivating.
Wen Xiaoxiao sat on the edge of the bed, initially just staring blankly, but gradually, she was also drawn into the plot and temporarily forgot her troubles.
Zhao Fei was in his room and could faintly hear the television playing from the other side of the room, as well as Yi Di's occasional excited questions.
He didn't go over; he just sat under the lamp, holding the ledger, but didn't turn a single page for a long time.
Only when the television stopped and he heard Li Yugu urging Yidi to go to sleep and Wen Xiaoxiao whispering goodbye did he raise his head and look out the window.
The moonlight was still very bright.
He saw Wen Xiaoxiao come out of the west wing, stand briefly in the courtyard, and seem to look up at the moon.
Then he slowly walked back to the east wing.
Her back view didn't seem as tense as it had been the night before.
Zhao Fei breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had gained a tiny bit of satisfaction.
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