Chapter 387
Wang Jiazhi returned home just in time to make dinner. She made Longjing shrimp, pepper shrimp and eight-treasure tofu.
He went back into the house and saw her lying on her stomach with her long hair draped down her back. Her daughter was brushing her hair. It was like an illustration in a fairy tale book, with a fairy combing Rapunzel's hair.
After he changed his clothes, his daughter asked him to lie down like that and brushed his hair with a brush. It was really comfortable.
My daughter is very smart. She also likes to comb the furry animals at home, but she never forgets to change the brush. However, Wang Jiazhi made a mistake once and used the brush she used to comb the furry animals to brush her hair and his hair, making both of them have the same hair.
The kitten sat on their backs, combing her hair, and then climbed on him to comb his hair.
Wang Jiazhi, drowsy, climbed onto his back with her eyes closed, resting her head in the crook of his neck. The kittens climbed onto her back, continuing to comb their hair. But on their mother's back, Daddy had to stretch out his hands. After a while, he put down the comb and, imitating his mother, rested his head in the crook of her neck. The three of them formed a stack of cats.
She closed her eyes and reached out her hand to run it through his hair, gently scratching it and pressing his scalp. This was a head massage technique she had invented. She also often rode on him and gave him a body massage, all using her own techniques. Recently, she suddenly remembered that her mother had also massaged her father in this way. It was truly amazing that this was inherited.
If they continued like this, they would all fall asleep. If they lay down directly after a day's work, they would feel less and less like to move. Wang Jiazhi remembered that the meal she had cooked was still in the kitchen and had not been eaten yet.
"Eat something?"
"OK."
Every time she came back, she would ask him this question, but he could always tell when she was cooking for him to eat and when she was just asking if he wanted to eat. If she cooked, he would eat even if he didn't want to.
"But I can't seem to get up." There were two people pressing on my back.
"I don't want to get up either."
She continued to act coquettishly for a while, thinking it was really comfortable to press on his back. Finally, she decided to get up.
He saw the dishes on the table: "Hmm?"
She smiled and said, "Except for the Longjing shrimp, I learned how to make all of these today."
She talked about going to Mrs. Xiao's house for dinner.
"Oh, the cook at home is just average at cooking your hometown dishes. I've never found anything suitable."
"I said no, I've done a good job. If you want to eat, I'll cook it myself. No matter how delicious the food outside is, it's still better to cook it yourself."
She moaned, resting her head on his shoulder, and said, "Don't you think the world is terrible? In novels and movies, they're all about love. Even if it doesn't end happily, at least they love and then stop loving. No matter how unfortunate a beautiful person is, there will always be some good comfort. But reality is so terrible. Many people never know what love is in their entire lives. Very beautiful and outstanding people spend their whole lives guarding someone who doesn't love them and is cruel to them, and just spend their whole lives like that."
"In fact, they don't realize as they go about their lives that most people's lives are boring and mediocre."
"Then you say that Mrs. Liao's daughter has lived a spectacular life, but a spectacular life is very miserable. It's better to live a boring and mediocre life."
"She hasn't had a spectacular or tragic life. There are many people who have suffered worse. Maybe she gradually became numb, accepted reality, and then lived her life like that."
Wang Jiazhi buried her head in his shoulder, wondering who had suffered more, herself or Mrs. Liao's daughter. She, of course. She was starving to death. Mrs. Liao's daughter had options, but she couldn't give up her status as a high-class lady to become a typist or secretary. She was actually comparing her own misery to that of a daughter of an official. She was truly overestimating herself.
He peeled some shrimp, dipped them in white pepper, and fed them to her. She slumped sleepily against his shoulder, eyes closed. He peeled a few shrimp and fed them to her, and she ate them with her eyes closed. The little girl brought some fruit, and he plucked the leaves off the strawberries and fed her more. After feeding her several, he turned his head and realized she seemed too sleepy to notice what she was eating. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
She whimpered, chewed a few times, and then let out an "ah." He actually fed her the strawberry leaves.
Is a man a boy until he dies?
The little kitten witnessed the whole process and said, "Mommy, bunny."
The kitten likes to feed the rabbit at home with green leaves.
She only heard a few more "Ao" sounds and kissed him on the face, leaving a few greasy lip marks. The daughter was stunned by this and didn't know what was going on.
He laughed and said, "You sound like a little tiger when you call me that. Sure enough, the words our ancestors created always make sense."
She wiped the oil off his face with a hot towel and said, "Are you calling me a tigress?"
"It's a little tiger cub that looks like a kitten. The kind that's not scary."
Wang Jiazhi recalled a story from "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio." A wealthy merchant's son met a stunningly beautiful girl. They fell in love at first sight, their families were well-matched, and both parents were delighted, so they married. However, after the marriage, the girl developed a violent temper, beating her husband to death at the slightest displeasure. Unable to control her, her parents-in-law moved out. The man was left with a worse fate than a servant, working by day and sleeping on the floor beside his wife's bed at night, helping her with water and toileting. Because he was frightened by his wife, his sexual function was compromised, and she, in anger, refused to let him sleep in her bed. But then he met another stunning beauty outside, and his lust blinded him to the point of forgetting the "rouge tiger" on his couch at home, as the book says.
She thought the word "rouge tiger" was wonderful, a fierce yet stunning tigress. Just thinking about it made her look so handsome and domineering.
Especially later, when the man went to a brothel to meet a beautiful woman, his daughter-in-law dressed up as a man to catch the adulterer. The men's clothing was super heroic and particularly eye-catching.
She told him this story and added, "I particularly like the term 'rouge tiger'; it's so interesting and so appropriate."
He laughed and said, "That, too, leaves a deep impression on me. It was very interesting to read as a child. Later, his wife suddenly realizes that she was possessed by someone else. She feels extremely guilty and not only changes her overbearing and aggressive personality, but also helps her husband redeem his beloved woman as a concubine. After all, books are written by men, so they are not immune to such common practices."
"After she became gentle, she took off her husband's clothes and touched the scars all over his body. She said she was such a ruthless person in the past and how could she have beaten her husband like that."
Wang Jiazhi couldn't help laughing at this point. Clearly, after reading so many stories about the oppression and bullying of women, she couldn't help but find it amusing to see a man being subjected to such domestic violence. She knew she was being mean and should sympathize with the man who feared everything except a beautiful woman.
After Wang Jiazhi left, Mrs. Liao came over to play mahjong. In fact, she was afraid that her daughter would make a fool of herself at Mrs. Xiao's house and embarrass the family.
Mrs. Xiao, Ms. Qiao, Mrs. Liao, and Mrs. Liao's eldest daughter were playing cards. The second daughter was sitting behind her sister, and Mrs. Xiao's daughter was sitting behind her mother.
Ms. Qiao said, "I don't know if Mrs. Yi will be able to come back."
Mrs. Liao said, "Who knows? She's just stupid. Maybe she's lived in the countryside all her life. After all, she came from there. Why wouldn't she be uncomfortable going back?"
Mrs. Xiao said, "How can it be the same? After enjoying the prosperity of the city for so many years, how can she bear to go back? It's her own fault. She was confused when she was young, and she didn't speak or act in a clear way. She's still confused now that she's old. That group of people, once they become officials, they abandon the wives they married from the countryside, even if they have children, and marry someone else. Old Yi is really something. She doesn't even have a child, but he took her everywhere he went for so many years, spoiling her and making her unable to tolerate the slightest grievance."
Mrs. Liao said, "Every family has a few concubines. Even if there aren't any at home, there are always some outside." At this point, she sighed softly and continued, "Mr. Yi has been playing with a few concubines outside for so many years. He hasn't brought any of them home, and he doesn't have a small mansion, but she's still not satisfied. He just praised Mrs. Ma a few times, and she got angry. Now, he's let a wolf into the house and really added a concubine to his family."
Mrs. Xiao said, "Even adding a concubine is only natural. Old Yi should find someone to have a child. How can such a huge family fortune be given away to an outsider? The man he found is not bad either. He is well-mannered and respectful to her as the main wife. She really shouldn't make such a fuss."
Mrs. Liao said, "Wang Jiazhi is no pushover either. If she respected her, why would she have urged Mr. Yi to send his wife back to the countryside?"
Mrs. Xiao's daughter leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and said, "I think Wang Jiazhi is a good person. It shouldn't be her who instigated it. Uncle Yi probably couldn't stand it a long time ago. The ice is three feet thick and it didn't freeze overnight. The other woman just asked the second wife to help close the window, and the second wife made a scene, saying that she was treated as a servant. She took the second wife away to work as an official and left the main wife in her hometown. She only went back once every few years, and even then she didn't even visit her room. It didn't matter how small the matter was, but she could make such a fuss. She made trouble several times before she was sent away. But she was tolerated enough."
Mrs. Xiao said, "I think so. Everything else is fine, but her arrogant temper is so offensive."
Mrs. Liao's daughter continued, "Who says it isn't? She's afraid that others won't know how high-ranking her family is, and that everyone will fawn over her and flatter her. She's got to act like an official's wife, and she's always making sarcastic remarks and mocking people."
Mrs. Liao glared at her daughter. She now hated her eldest daughter very much. Everything she did and said was unpleasant to her and wrong.
"Why are you looking at me? What did I say?" Mrs. Liao's daughter complained, then continued, "One time she asked if the curtains at home were too flowery. She said they weren't, and she said people said the same curtain material was used by the *** family, and she thought since their house is similar to hers, if it works for them, it would probably work for her, too, so she bought them. She also said the color of your walls is similar to ours, so why not buy a few pieces? She was just waiting for someone to say, 'Only you can get a whole piece of imported stuff like this; where else can we find it?' She was showing off like crazy."
Mrs. Xiao laughed and said, "Speaking of ***, she always goes on about how powerful ***'s wife is. *** had a mistress outside, and his wife made a huge fuss, leaving him and his close associates injured. She keeps bringing up this matter. She means that Old Yi's official position is not as high as ***'s, and *** still makes a fuss about having a mistress outside. Compared to ***'s wife, she herself is quite virtuous and polite. Hey! It's important for people to know their own limitations."
Mrs. Liao's daughter quoted a line from Wang Jiazhi's novel and said, "Isn't this comparing heaven to earth?" In fact, she didn't know that Wang Jiazhi was quoting a line from "Sanyan Erpai".
Mrs. Liao said, "Who is that ***'s wife? Who is she? Her family is so poor that three generations of seven or eight people share one kang. That ***'s wife is a lady from a prominent family. *** was a poor student at the time, with a wife and children in the countryside. He broke up with his family for him and eloped. A rich lady condescended to follow him. *** couldn't be where he is today without his wife's support. Of course, he has the confidence to make such a fuss. What is she using to make such a fuss? Not only does she not behave herself, but she's also so arrogant. She'd be thankful if she was just sent back to the countryside and not divorced."
Mrs. Xiao said, "She really wasn't very generous in what she did. A legitimate wife is acting like she's competing for favors with a concubine. Mrs. Ma is a little frivolous, but as the head of the household, she should be tolerant. Competing with a fleeting love interest is more trouble than gain. If she didn't insist on venting her anger, why would there be a person named Wang Jiazhi?"
Mrs. Xiao's daughter said, "I think Wang Jiazhi is quite good. She has a very similar temperament to Uncle Yi. Even though Uncle Yi works in such an official position, he is usually very kind to everyone and is very gentle and polite. He also speaks in a way that people like to hear and never puts on airs. Unlike that guy, who is so high and mighty, he is even more majestic than her husband."
Mrs. Xiao said, "She's quite sensible. Even though she's quiet, she has her own ideas. Last time Mrs. Ma started a fight, she pretended not to hear anything and just laughed it off. Mrs. Ma didn't make a fuss, but she ended up getting herself into trouble. She's smarter than the one in their family. If she really gets into a fight, it's not only beneath her dignity, but it's also likely to displease the man."
Wang Jiazhi's relatives were simple, and her family didn't enjoy socializing. She didn't understand the sudden socializing. She was naturally quiet and generous, not prone to arguments. She also learned about the ways of life from novels, movies, and her own historical reading.
History books say that the higher your position, the more humble you must be. The slightest bit of arrogance risks incurring hatred, and being overbearing is courting death. Take Yang Guozhong, for example. His arrogance offended so many people that he was practically chopped into pieces. Wei Qing, the emperor's brother-in-law and his own brother-in-law, rose to the rank of general, and the higher his rank, the more he acted like a grandson. In the end, the emperor couldn't find a reason to kill him, and he finally met a peaceful end. This is what wisdom is all about.
She saw that Lao Yi was very humble when interacting with others. This trick worked with men, and of course it worked with women too. Even if it didn't work, at least it wouldn't offend anyone.
When she was reading "Jin Ping Mei", she read that the main wife Wu Yueniang and the concubine Pan Jinlian were fighting for Li Ping'er's relics, causing a huge chaos. It was so outrageous that she felt ashamed and embarrassed even through the book.
A main wife was furious just because Ximen Qing gave Pan Jinlian a fur coat. She started cursing at the concubine, calling her a whore and a whore, in front of a group of outsiders. It was so indecent.
Mrs. Xiao's daughter said, "They actually look quite similar. Unlike Mrs. Yi, she looks older than Uncle Yi."
Mrs. Liao complained, "How can they look alike? Mrs. Yi is actually one or two years older than Mr. Yi."
Mrs. Liao's daughter thought for a moment and said, "So, they do look alike, and their facial shapes are similar, except that Wang Jiazhi has more flesh on her face."
Mrs. Liao said angrily, "What do you know?"
Mrs. Xiao quickly changed the subject to prevent the mother and daughter from arguing again.
After a while, Mrs. Liao's daughter sighed and said, "If you live like this, you might as well be Wang Jiazhi. At least she lives a happy life."
Mrs. Liao scolded him, "You vile bastard! What shameless words you are saying! You're not the wife of the first wife, but you're a thief."
Mrs. Liao's daughter laughed bitterly and said, "People like you, me, and Mrs. Yi, all wives of the first wives, live lives worse than those of a thief."
The night light shone on her bleak and dark yellow face. Except for her mother, everyone else looked at her with infinite sadness.
Wang Jiazhi recently wrote a new novel. It tells the story of a man, a demon catcher, who went to a house to help catch demons. He defeated a white tiger spirit and, on his way back, encountered the dying tiger. Moved by compassion, he carried the tiger home to care for it. The tiger recovered and transformed back into a human: a very fair and beautiful girl.
The girl had long been in love with him. His lineage's ancestral precepts forbade him from developing feelings for monsters, but he couldn't resist the girl's constant clinging, as he had originally liked her. Then, contrary to ancestral precepts, the two got married, had a child, and he became even more clingy than the girl.
Every year, the girl would transform into a tiger for a few days. When the man entered the house, he saw a large, furry white tiger lying on the bed, sleeping with its legs spread out. He called out, "Wife," and pounced on the tiger, hugging it and nuzzling it. The girl also liked to sleep on her mother's soft, white belly.
Even when she turned into a tiger, she still had to cook for them. At that time, there would inevitably be tiger hair in the food, and the family of three got used to it and ate it, and then they ate cat grass together.
One day not long after, Mrs. Liao's daughter called and excitedly discussed the novel she had just published. They talked endlessly for over an hour, and only interrupted her when she signaled to the little girl to tell her that she had something to say.
She didn't know that Mrs. Liao's daughter had no emotional support or even any hope, and the publication of a new novel by her favorite author was a great life support for her.
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