Third Sister liked him, and she should thank him for seeing her off that day. He spoke to her several times, but she only shook her head and nodded, always keeping her distance and not saying a word to him.
He remained calm throughout their subsequent encounters on the playground. He would greet her first, and she would respond with a nod or a smile. She knew that he was the person her third sister liked; her third sister had told her this secret a long time ago.
She hadn't expected that her third sister hadn't dated or gotten married after all these years of university. Maybe she was still waiting for him. She knew her third sister wasn't one to settle. She was independent, opinionated, stubborn, and determined. Once she set her mind on something, she wouldn't give up. So, no matter what kind of date it was, she couldn't show up for that weekend.
In the Jinshan Apartment, a tall, slender man lay lazily on the floor-to-ceiling sofa, his eyes half-closed, his face pale, his upper body and shoulders half-naked, the veins on his hands bulging, and a cold smile on his handsome face.
He tried hard to recall that girl from five years ago on the playground, with her flowing hair, delicate and pretty face, sitting alone on the grass, legs together, holding a thick book in her arms, reading for a whole day, so engrossed. He didn't know if he was attracted by her reading posture or infatuated with her face, but he couldn't forget her for a long time.
Seeing her listed as a first-prize winner in a city-level essay competition on the bulletin board several times, I began to look at her with new respect. After reading her award-winning work, I was amazed by her extraordinary talent. When she went on stage to accept the award, she was unsmiling and when asked to give a speech, she only said a cold "Thank you, thank you everyone." There was no impassioned speech, just a short thank you, and she slowly walked off the stage, disappearing into the crowd with a cool and aloof demeanor.
"How has she been all these years?" Countless thoughts swirled in my mind. Did she not receive the letter I sent her? I heard she got married. She actually got married... damn it...?
A headache and dizziness struck, and he stiffened numbly. He thought of this person, someone who had almost never spoken a word to him. He ignored her attempts to strike up a conversation with him, and now he even felt a trace of hatred towards her. Yes, he hated her. He was clearly a dazzling figure, an excellent student, the top student in his grade, a student that his teachers were proud of. Those unknown love letters filled his desk.
The only thing missing was her. She ignored him, showing him no respect. Yet, the flame in his heart never died out. He had asked himself many times if it was just a childish longing, a youthful obsession, and that time would make him forget her. He thought he was almost done forgetting, but then that name popped up again, pulling him back to his thoughts from five years ago. No… he couldn’t go on like this. He had to make peace with that shadow in his heart.
On her way home, Jiang Shuya passed by the Hexi Shopping Mall and bought some diapers and a few cans of rice cereal. These two items were too expensive, especially the diapers. She needed to go through a pack every few days, and each pack cost more than 100 yuan. After a month, the 1,000 yuan that Huang Minghao gave her was almost gone, and she simply didn't have any extra money to buy what she wanted.
He silently thought to himself that once he finished these two important tasks, it would be time to make money.
It was already evening when Jiang Shuya arrived home. Her mother-in-law had already prepared the meal and was holding the baby at the door, humming a nursery rhyme. Jiang Shuya put away the things she had bought.
She came over and took Bao'er, asking in confusion, "Why hasn't Dad come back yet at this hour?"
The mother-in-law shook her head, saying that no one answered the phone. Jiang Shuya picked up the phone and dialed, but no one answered either. Puzzled, the mother-in-law said angrily, "Let's eat first, we won't wait."
After dinner, Jiang Shuya bathed Bao'er and wanted to go to bed early. While changing her clothes, she saw her mother-in-law come upstairs, seemingly wanting to say something but then becoming embarrassed by her lack of money. "Mom, is something the matter?"
Jiang Shuya asked
"Oh, is that so? Xiaoya, I'm not working anymore, and the grapes aren't in season yet, so our food budget is tight this month. Could you send some money home for food? I'm worried we'll get tired of eating the vegetables we grow every day. We need to buy eggs, meat, and fish, right? You don't know how expensive food is until you're in charge of the household!"
The mother-in-law looked at Jiang Shuya in a consultative tone.
Jiang Shuya instantly understood that her mother-in-law probably thought she must have money, since she had just helped her pay off the money she owed her aunt. Logically, she should pay for the food expenses, as the family had agreed on it beforehand, and it was everyone's responsibility.
Huang Minghao returned the money, his father Huang Guohua used his salary for living expenses, he stayed home to take care of the child for two years, and the grape income went to his mother-in-law, since she did all the work of planting grapes. The 1000 yuan Huang Minghao gave him was almost entirely spent on Tang Bao'er. Thinking of this, Jiang Shuya secretly scoffed, and sat down, saying:
"Mom, where has all the money you've earned over the years gone? I've been living with you for over a year now, and you've been married for 25 years! When I married your son, Grandpa helped us borrow the dowry money, which Huang Minghao is still paying back. We borrowed part of the banquet expenses, and I helped pay back 5,500 yuan. The money we received as wedding gifts was already used to pay off debts. As for the upstairs renovation, I heard from my aunt that it only cost a little over 10,000 yuan. So, where has all your income from the past twenty years gone? And your son hasn't been given any special attention either!"
You went to a vocational high school, right? The nine years of compulsory education were free, weren't they? And your grandfather probably paid for most of the three years of vocational school tuition too!
Seeing so many questions being asked, the mother-in-law's eyes flashed with panic: "Food and drink at home cost money, how many mouths are there to feed? Social obligations also cost money, and you're sponging off your parents and still think you're right."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuya smiled and said, "You could learn from Old Mrs. Wang next door! Sell the vegetables you grow at home!"
“She’s disabled but she can manage, so you’re not any worse than her with your good arms and legs! You know the 1,000 yuan your son gives me every month, and it’s all spent on Tangbao, with nothing left. Logically speaking, even though everyone in this family has their own responsibilities, I should be the poorest one!”
Even if you stop working, you'll still have a quarter's worth of grape income.
After saying that, she pointed to the diapers she had just bought that day on the shelf.
However, upon hearing this, the mother-in-law instantly exploded like a firecracker: "You eat and drink our food in my house, and ever since you had Tangbao, you haven't given us a single penny for living expenses. You won't even pick up an oil bottle if it falls over, and you've never been asked to wash a single bowl. What's wrong with asking you for some living expenses? Why do you use diapers for Tangbao? Can't you get up a few more times at night? Anyway, you have nothing to do, so why use such expensive stuff?"
Liang Shuya didn't want to listen anymore, so she pushed the person out and slammed the door shut. Her mother-in-law muttered a few curses outside, lingered resentfully for a while, and then left dejectedly when she was ignored.
Jiang Shuya picked up her phone. She used to text Huang Minghao to vent her frustrations. Perhaps this wasn't the first time they'd had such a disagreement. Each time, she would naturally seek comfort from Huang Minghao and unconsciously open her phone to read the messages.
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