Li Yuemei had originally planned to go back home, but when she arrived, her mother and her brother and sister-in-law were about to leave with their things. Li's mother said, "You're newly married. What's the point of going back home for two or three days? You shouldn't go now. We'll come back and bring your grandmother over for a few days. Then you can come and visit."
Thinking of Lao Liang's behavior, Li Yuemei blushed deeply and turned to leave. But as soon as she reached the door, she saw Lao Liang and Qi Zhifang, and quickly hid herself. After they went inside, she stood there dumbfounded, listening to the low, lewd, and nauseating sounds coming from inside, as if in self-torture, listening until the very end. She had sensed a change in Lao Liang lately; otherwise, he wouldn't have given himself to her so hastily yesterday. Today, with confirmation, she felt a sudden sense of relief.
She didn't have the courage to push open the door and ask, because she knew that once she went in, the answer she would get wouldn't be the one she wanted to know. On the contrary, she was very glad that she had given herself to Lao Liang yesterday and was able to get their marriage certificate.
Old Liang is right. The advantage of marrying a woman like this is that you don't have to worry about her betraying you or leaving you, because she will desperately cling to the man she thinks is the sky. She treats the man as the sky, so how could she let him leave? Wouldn't that be like the sky falling down?
After the sounds inside stopped, a while later, Qi Zhifang's languid, sensual voice was heard saying, "Am I better or is she better?" This was exactly what Li Yuemei wanted to know, and she also wanted to know Lao Liang's answer.
Old Liang said in a low voice, "She's my wife. We've already wronged her enough, Zhifang. I'm really scared."
Qi Zhifang's voice, barely containing her anger, came through: "Are you scared or regretful? I've seen through you. You'll only ever be with Li Yuemei for the rest of your life!"
"Zhifang, you..."
"Don't stop me. Anyway, I've already said this is the last time. From now on, let's pretend we don't know each other."
She heard the rustling sound of clothes being put on inside. For some reason, Li Yuemei felt a sense of comfort in this situation. It was Qi Zhifang who was being shameless and insisted on being with Lao Liang. Lao Liang had always felt guilty towards her, so she hated Qi Zhifang even more for this.
Li Yuemei wiped away her tears, pushed the door open, and said, "Old Liang, why did you lock the door?"
After listening for more than thirty seconds, Lao Liang said, "I was asleep, why are you here?"
Li Yuemei, suppressing her sobs, tried to remain calm as she said, "Oh, then take your time getting dressed, don't rush. I'll go outside and buy some steamed buns; we'll have something to eat tonight."
"Okay, slow down!" Li Yuemei quickly ran away. You might ask why she didn't barge in and make a scene? Why couldn't she embarrass Qi Zhifang and Lao Liang in such a situation? Perhaps this was the attitude of women of that era. Even today, many women would have the same approach. Her husband was about to be transferred and promoted; if she made a scene, Qi Zhifang would lose face, but Lao Liang's political career would also be ruined. This was how she preserved face for everyone.
I bought six meat buns and, calculating the time, went back to find Lao Liang already dressed and the windows open. Turning around, I saw Li Yuemei with red eyes and said somewhat awkwardly, "Didn't you say you were going back to Tongzhou? Why did you come back by yourself? Please sit down."
Li Yuemei put the buns down, and Lao Liang shook the thermos and said with a smile, "Well, we're out of hot water. I'll go boil some. Eat first if you're hungry."
He went to the kitchen and lit the stove, staring blankly at it.
"Why?"
Faced with these unexpected questions, Lao Liang remained silent. Li Yuemei repeated, "Why? Why her? Don't you know her reputation?"
Old Liang pushed up his glasses, turned around, and said, "You know?"
Li Yuemei silently shed tears. "I was outside the door the moment you came in. I listened to you finish what you were doing. Do you know why I didn't shout or make a fuss?"
Old Liang closed his eyes, sighed, and said, "I'm sorry for making you sad!"
Li Yuemei persistently asked, "She's better than me, isn't she? Yes, she's so flirtatious, she's been with several men, she can get two of them by name, how can I compare to her?"
When Lao Liang walked over to shake her hand, she dodged it. Lao Liang whispered, "Don't say that. You'd better be better than her, otherwise I wouldn't choose to marry you."
Li Yuemei snorted, "I'm better than him, so why did you still cheat on him? Why did you do that kind of thing with such a filthy woman?"
Old Liang squatted down, clutching his hair with both hands. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so weak-willed. Every time I saw her, I was reminded of my ex-wife, that woman who was always cheating. At first, I really wanted to treat her like my ex-wife and take revenge on her. But then I suddenly remembered that I have you now, and I should settle down and live a peaceful life. But she keeps getting closer to me." He slowly stood up and looked straight at Li Yuemei, saying, "Let's break up. I'm not good enough for you."
Li Yuemei was stunned, then grabbed his hand frantically, "What did you say? You want to break up with me? Are you crazy? We just got married, we just got married today, and you want to break up with me? No, I don't want to break up! Lao Liang, please don't abandon me! Please don't contact him anymore! Let's live a good life together, okay? Let's pretend this never happened, okay?"
I'm afraid you'll feel bad about it, and I'm afraid of hurting you!
"No, no, I heard everything. She's shameless, she made the first move. You already rejected her."
"But my refusal wasn't firm enough..."
Li Yuemei was afraid of hearing the word "divorce" again. Although she knew that the more flies swarming around, the more rotten the meat was, the more palatable it still seemed. So, she impatiently kissed Lao Liang.
Old Liang then pulled her into his arms, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, and whispered, "I hate betrayal the most, but I'm the one who did it. I don't want you to hate me, so let me hate myself instead!"
"No, no, I beg you!" Li Yuemei cried miserably. Old Liang gently kissed her, picked her up and put her on the bed, then rolled over and pressed himself against her, and a new round began.
Afterwards, he kissed away the tears from Li Yuemei's eyes. After Li Yuemei turned her body away, that meaningful smile reappeared on his lips.
They got up and filled the water tank, then ate their steamed buns in silence. After the meal, Lao Liang meticulously boiled water for washing up, even bringing Li Yuemei water to wash her feet with such care and elegance. After taking off Li Yuemei's shoes and socks, he put her feet in the basin, straightened up, and said earnestly to Li Yuemei, "Yuemei, I've thought it through. To put your mind at ease, after the banquet, I'll go directly to the Materials Bureau to report for duty and won't be working at the steel plant anymore. Will you feel at ease then?"
Li Yuemei lowered her head and remained silent. Old Liang hugged her and said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Thank you for thinking of me this time. I will never let you down in this life."
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