While An'an and I were talking, a white dove landed on the windowsill opposite the hospital bed. It took small steps to peek inside, then shook its feathers... I sighed, envying its freedom.
An'an filled a bowl of pork liver congee for me. I took it from her and it tasted familiar... When I was still living in "Shanshuijian", I often went to this congee shop to buy congee.
I said "thank you" to An'an.
She smiled at me and said, "Did you suffer a lot of grievances from that woman?"
"I've suffered a lot of grievances, but if I hadn't met her... I really don't know what it feels like to like someone. I might have just married a woman without really understanding what it's like, and then lived together for the rest of my life without really understanding what it's like."
After pausing for a moment, I smiled and said, "She's actually very good to me... Look, she bought these mangosteens, and she even tidied up my room... Otherwise, there wouldn't have been anywhere to put your porridge... She's really good to me, really very good."
"Why does this sound so heartbreaking to me?"
"I don't feel sad...it's fine."
I kept saying "It's fine," and then I imagined the scene of her going to buy me mangosteens: she followed the crowd, walking through the not-so-clean vegetable market; finally finding a fruit stall selling mangosteens, she squatted down and carefully selected the good ones...
This wasn't something she would do, but she did it because every single mangosteen she brought back looked good.
I quickly took a mangosteen out of the plastic bag and handed it to An'an, smiling, "Eat it...it's really sweet!"
But the moment An'an took the bag from my hands, my heart sank...
I didn't like this feeling of being subservient. I pulled a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and didn't want to say anything.
An'an seemed to sense the change in my mood. Instead of peeling the mangosteen, she changed the subject and said to me, "I went to the Women's Flower Bar you mentioned... I really liked it there... The proprietress is a very enthusiastic woman. She not only gave me a discount, but also sang a song especially for me!"
"Women who are unhappy in their hearts will like that place."
"I got a membership card there... I'll treat you to drinks once your leg is healed."
Are you encouraging me to get my leg healed quickly?
You seem pretty down!
I laughed, then squinted and took a deep drag of my cigarette...
After a brief silence, the ward door was pushed open again, and this time it was Chen Jin who came in, with my parents following behind him.
...
To my surprise, after the three of them entered the ward, they didn't speak to me first, but instead all focused their attention on An'an. An'an seemed particularly uncomfortable; she first looked at them, and then looked at me with a very puzzled expression.
I was also very confused; then, suddenly I remembered that I had once fabricated a story with them...
If a woman they've slept with happens to be here, they're bound to assume it's someone they've slept with.
There's really no way to explain this; we can only pray they don't say anything inappropriate.
I quickly said to An'an, "These are my parents and my friends."
An'an called out "Uncle, Auntie," and then nodded and smiled at Chen Jin... She was already very polite, but Lao Mi and my mother looked at her with no kindness at all.
An'an was extremely embarrassed. She whispered to me, "Did I disturb you?...I...I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
To avoid any misunderstanding, I knew I couldn't keep her, so I nodded and said, "Once I can walk again, I'll definitely treat you to a nice meal."
An An responded and then picked up her handbag and walked outside. Just as she was about to open the door, Lao Mi suddenly called out to her, saying, "Girl, let me give you a piece of advice: at such a young age, you must not go astray. One wrong step and you'll regret it for the rest of your life... especially interfering in other people's relationships, which will make you unable to hold your head up high for the rest of your life!"
An'an's face turned pale. She had been brought to Dali by some important person, and to put it bluntly, she was a mistress... Old Mi's words would definitely pierce her heart!
An'an stared at me, thinking I had told her story to someone else... but these were two completely unrelated things.
I wanted to explain that she had already left in a huff...
She must be extremely disappointed in me, feeling that she misjudged me and that I am an unreliable person.
...
Old Mi and my mom stared at me with grim faces. Chen Jin walked up to me and whispered in my ear, "You're something else... When you first told me, I was a little skeptical... Now that I've seen it with my own eyes... I really think you're amazing... This girl seems really nice. If it were me, I would make the same mistake... But aren't you being a little too blatant... Knowing your parents were coming, you still dared to bring her to the hospital?!... Are you trying to make her your official wife?"
I yelled angrily, "You're a damn troublemaker... Which eye of yours saw me having a relationship with someone?!"
Chen Jin replied, feeling wronged, "Didn't you tell us all of this yourself?"
"If another woman you don't know comes in later, will you also think she has something to do with me?"
“I know you want to protect her… but don’t you think about it? If it weren’t for your special relationship, who would come here to see you for no reason?”
I didn't know whether to be angry or laugh. I pointed at Chen Jin's nose and said, "Tell me yourself... has Nicole ever come here to see me? According to your bullshit logic, isn't Nicole also the woman I'm talking about? I'm happy about this, but are you happy about it?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
