3. Someone else's mother-in-law
Aranya was the destination of this short trip. Ding Xiaojuan had been eagerly waiting for that villa with a private beach for almost half a year.
A few days ago, the salesperson immediately informed her that a customer had cancelled their weekend reservation. Without hesitation, she booked the booking and then directly notified Yi Yi and He Miao.
"Prices are really high these days," Yi Yi couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the shared bill. Almost every weekend outing involved the three families going together, and the three boys had become an unbreakable "Three Young Masters of Beijing" trio. But every time Yi Yi saw the expenses, her heart would skip a beat. After all, Zhuang Jia's income growth had already slowed down, and when he renewed his contract this year, he was hinted that his salary at his level had reached its peak unless he was promoted. But his boss was about the same age as him, far from retirement age. Changing jobs? That wouldn't be easy for Zhuang Jia either.
A strange phenomenon in the workplace is that those who jump around often get promoted faster. A colleague at Zhuang Jia's company, who was once a level below him, jumped to another company and became his peer. Last year, he jumped back and was two levels above him. Meanwhile, Zhuang Jia stayed at his company for eight years, slowly accumulating seniority. Now, many people at higher levels in other companies are younger than him, leaving him in that awkward stage where promotion is difficult and leaving is even harder.
"Two nights, each family only pays a little over three thousand, it's not expensive," Ding Xiaojuan, who earns a high salary, said dismissively. "The key is that there's a private beach! That treehouse in Miyun costs fifteen thousand a night."
He Miao also said, "It's indeed not cheap, but it's not something we do every day. It's worth it to splurge occasionally, broaden the children's horizons, and allow the adults to completely relax."
"Being friends with two rich women is really stressful!" Yi Yi joked, only to be smacked on the head by the two of them. "You're the rich woman! Your whole family is rich!"
He Miao remembered something and said, "Oh right, same old routine, I'll hitch a ride with you. Our family's car is still stuck in the abyss of the license plate lottery."
"Still haven't won the lottery?" Ding Xiaojuan raised an eyebrow. "Your money must be getting moldy by now."
“Sigh…” He Miao sighed, “It’s my fault. I kept waiting for He Tian to take his driving test, but he kept putting it off. By the time I got my license, the lottery for license plates had already started. Five years have passed, when will I ever get one!” She added bitterly, “He still doesn’t have a driver’s license. He says he’s not interested in cars and that taking a taxi is fine.”
“They say a car is a man’s second wife,” Yi Yi thought of Zhuang Jia’s weekly car washes and meticulous maintenance, and a strange feeling welled up inside her. “It seems your He Tian only wants to pamper you.”
"Come on!" He Miao rolled her eyes. "I'm the second one. Games are his first lawfully wedded wife."
"Oh, so you've successfully become the mistress?" Three women nearing forty laughed unrestrainedly in the early summer evening, their eyes sparkling with light.
A trip, a best friend's rant, a brief escape from the mundane. A husband who is generally reliable, children who are healthy and lively, a house and a car, no worries about food or clothing... This is roughly the framework of happiness in life; as for the wrinkles inside, let's smooth them out for now.
Ding Xiaojuan brought another piece of good news with a beaming smile, "My husband will be transferred back next year!"
"Oh my, absence makes the heart grow fonder!" Yi Yi and He Miao teased in unison.
Ding Xiaojuan's smile faded slightly: "Who knows... I'm actually a little panicked. Before, when he came back, I thought he would leave soon, so I could just put up with what I didn't like. The time we spent together was precious, and I couldn't let trivial things ruin it. But when I think about spending the rest of my life together, I suddenly have a kind of fear... of having to readjust to each other all over again."
"You? You also have things you're afraid of?" He Miao asked, puzzled.
"You? You can endure that too?" Yi Yi asked, puzzled.
“Hey, I’m a woman after all!” Ding Xiaojuan protested.
"Really?!" the two exclaimed in unison again, their laughter growing louder.
Fortunately, she still had six months to slowly process this inexplicable fear. Ding Xiaojuan found her own fear both laughable and absurd; wasn't she an omnipotent superwoman?
The private beach on the weekend was perfect—sunshine, sand, and waves—it felt unreal. Three boys dug sandpits, built sandcastles, and ran wildly in the waves. One moment they were fighting over toys, and the next they were arm in arm, making up as if nothing had happened.
Zhuang Jia and He Tian were kept running around by the children: one moment they were asked to lie down for "sand therapy" and be buried up to their heads; the next they were asked to go into the sea as "human-powered sailboats" and carry the children to splash around in the shallow water; one moment they were playing football with them, the next they were playing frisbee... The two men, who usually sat in the office, were exhausted and complained endlessly by the energetic "beasts".
The women watched with satisfaction under the parasols. Ding Xiaojuan's mother-in-law, who had wanted to help, was also pulled over: "Let the men do what men do, we 'Four Beauties' can have a good drink!"
The mother-in-law happily joined in: "As a 'veteran beauty,' one cup isn't enough, I need at least three!" The atmosphere instantly became lively, with juice replacing alcohol, and gossip and laughter flying everywhere.
Just as the children's batteries were about to run out and they started throwing tantrums, the women appeared in time to "rescue" the fathers from the brink of collapse. Grandma Ding Xiaojuan easily managed to get the three children to sleep after their baths and stories, leaving the parents completely alone. She then went back to her room to binge-watch TV shows, demonstrating a mastery of the art of "graceful withdrawal."
Yi Yi said, "Your mother-in-law is really amazing! She knows how to handle things so well!"
"neither haughty nor humble."
"Capable of both movement and stillness."
"Aren't you envious?" Ding Xiaojuan raised an eyebrow, with a hint of showing off.
"No way," He Miao retorted stubbornly, while kicking He Tian, who was looking down at his phone again, "Hey, can you stop playing?" He Tian snapped out of his daze, put away his phone, and chuckled good-naturedly, "Okay, okay."
"Old He has such a good temper!" Ding Xiaojuan and Yi Yi smiled at each other.
“He doesn’t care about anything. If he gets any worse, I’ll divorce him immediately.” He Miao rolled her eyes at him.
He Tian fawned like a slave, "Wife is right, wife can't divorce me!" Then he chuckled a few times and reached for his phone, only to be glared at back by He Miao.
Afterwards, Zhuang Jia said to Yi Yi in private, "Why is Lao He so... cowardly? He's completely controlled by He Miao."
“That’s their way of getting along,” Yi Yi explained. “Don’t be fooled by He Miao’s loud and domineering manner in public. She manages Lao He’s affairs perfectly well in private. Gun Gun is like her youngest son, and Lao He is like her eldest son.”
"So you're still breastfeeding?" Zhuang Jia's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible contempt.
“You can’t say that,” Yi Yi said anxiously, whether to defend He Tian or not to make her friend look down on him, “He’s probably just used to this kind of relationship. But when it comes to family responsibilities, He Tian is very responsible.”
"Is being able to make money considered being responsible?" Zhuang Jia subconsciously compared his income with He Tian's, and that vague sense of imbalance in his heart resurfaced.
“It’s quite important,” Yi Yi continued, oblivious to Zhuang Jia’s displeasure. “Besides, he doesn’t just play games for fun. He works for the game company, and he plays games to think about design and experience. He’s a company veteran, even though he doesn’t own many shares. The major shareholder brought him in because he was hardworking and reliable. Sometimes, honesty is a blessing and an asset.”
This impartial description will resonate differently with different listeners.
In Yi Yi's opinion, although He Miao and He Tian are very different in appearance, they are a match made in heaven and complement each other perfectly. He Tian only cares about his work but also dotes on He Miao, while He Miao seems loud and boisterous but is actually very good at managing a household; one is tolerant and the other is down-to-earth, making them a rare and wonderful couple.
However, to Zhuang Jia, it sounded like a silent spur and comparison. The vague displeasure in his heart, unable to find an outlet, fermented into a sense of irritability, but he didn't know who to vent it on or how to vent it.
Seeing He Tian still grinning after being "dealt with" by He Miao, Ding Xiaojuan protested with a laugh, "That's too much! It's immoral to show off your love in front of a lonely person like me!"
He Miao deliberately teased her: "Everyone says we're showing off our love, how can we care about morality?"
Tonight, she wants to video chat with him, immediately.
She picked up her phone, and almost simultaneously, the screen lit up, the ringtone sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
Her heart skipped a beat: What a coincidence? Could it be that they are telepathically connected?
The name that appeared on the screen was not "Promotion".
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