Chapter 13: Yue Lao
How many more blows will I have to endure tonight, Hang Liumei thought to herself. But she kept saying, "Why are you standing at the door? Come in, come in."
Xiaomai called out "Mom", and Mai Sui and the man behind her looked at Xiaomai. When they looked forward, they found Pu Zhihe.
Hang Liumei gathered everyone together and introduced them in a circle, like a reunion party. "Zhihe, this is Xiaomai's mother, Mai Sui, and this is her boyfriend—" Hang Liumei stumbled.
Mai Sui naturally continued, "Li Yuan is the Li Heyuan of the ancient Li Daoyuan. Just call him Little Li."
"Xiao Li, Xiao Li." Hang Liumei repeated it twice and felt something was wrong, but she just let it go.
As soon as Pu Zhihe stood behind her, she could smell the woody perfume on Mai Sui. Mai Sui's collarbone-straight hair, parted to the side, reflected the light. As men and women age, the most common thing they lose is their radiance—hair, skin, nails, and eyes all require extra care.
But if you overdo it, it can give off a tacky vibe. Mai Sui maintains it just right; she resembles the female lawyers and medical examiners in the Hong Kong dramas Pu Zhihe watched as a child.
Mai Sui also admired Pu Zhihe's natural, unadorned purity. Pu Zhihe had removed her makeup and was wearing a vintage sandy ramie-cotton shirt and wide-leg pants. She casually picked up an eyebrow pencil and pinned her hair back.
The group chatted back and forth, leaving Xiaomai aside. Just when the atmosphere was about to get tense, Xiaoli, with her thick eyebrows and big eyes, found a chance to interject: "Hello, Mai Xu. I often hear your mother talk about you. I'm your mother's friend." Xiaomai called him Uncle Xiaoli and then went back to the kitchen under the pretext of cooking.
Mai Sui handed the lutein eye protection tablets and deep-sea fish oil she brought to Hang Liumei. Xiao Li stood aside and called her "Auntie" all the time. These calls were so sweet that they touched her mother-in-law's heart. It was a pity that Hang Liumei was Mai Sui's ex-mother-in-law.
Hang Liumei hoped for the best for Mai Sui. They often say a son-in-law is only half as good as a son, but mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are often portrayed as natural enemies. Hang Liumei disagreed. She believed any conflict between them was always due to the husband's shortcomings. After all, they had lived together for over a decade, and Mai Sui was more than half a daughter to Hang Liumei. Their divorce wouldn't affect their relationship.
Hang Liumei had a hunch that this little Li was not worthy of her wheat ear.
When Pu Zhihe returned to the kitchen with the mentality that it had nothing to do with her, Xiaomai was pouring the beaten eggs into the pot and spreading the egg skin. There was a "sizzling" sound, which covered up the noise outside.
Pu Zhihe leaned against the counter, crossed her arms, observed Xiaomai's expression, and asked quietly, "Don't you want to go out and chat with them?"
Xiaomai stared at the pot and said, "They'll eventually get out. Let them have a good talk with grandma first. They were bringing someone to her anyway. Don't worry about me. When I was in high school, they were getting divorced and thought they were keeping it a secret, but I actually knew it all along. We're all adults, it's their freedom. I can accept Uncle Xiaoli, but my dad and grandma, on the other hand, might not."
The doorbell rang again.
Xiaomai ran out and paused in front of the door before pulling down the door handle. As soon as it opened a crack, the person outside pushed it open with force and rushed in.
"Mom? Mom! Mai Xu? Mai Xu! Why aren't either of you answering the phone?!"
The one who rushed in was naturally Dad Mai. Although he had an unshaven beard, he had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He looked like the knight in the TV dramas when I was a child, wearing a bamboo hat and sitting in the corner of a small restaurant with a pot of liquor and two plates of side dishes in front of him, and at the critical moment, he would use his chopsticks to cut the protagonist's throat and save him from danger.
Facing a room full of people, he wasn't embarrassed. His tone slowed down but his voice didn't drop. "You're all home? Is no one in our family on their phone? Two people losing contact at the same time is terrifying. I ran at least two red lights while speeding all the way here!"
"So it's you. No wonder Mom doesn't care about me." Dad Mai looked at Mai Sui, put his hands in his pockets, and said this as a greeting.
Hang Liumei secretly thanked God that her son, who had always been carefree, had finally done something serious. Why did he come at such a good time today? She brought him in, and as expected, he stretched out his hand to Xiao Li with a gloomy face: "Hello, I am Mai Sui's ex-husband and the father of your child, Jiang Yunyi."
"Hello, Teacher Jiang." Xiao Li was polite, fair-skinned, and stylish in his thin, smoky-gray glasses. Hang Liumei thought he looked like an actor from the TV series "The Bund." But standing side by side, Mai Sui and Jiang Yunyi were definitely a perfect match. She didn't know why her daughter-in-law had changed her personality and fallen for that type.
"Well, are you here to visit the elderly today? Stay for dinner. Sit down, don't stand." Dad Mai pressed his shoulders and laid him down on a stool. He turned and ordered his son, "Mai Xu, get out the red wine. Do you have any vegetables at home? If not, just fry two."
Mai Sui didn't want to see him lose his temper: "No more drinking, we have to drive soon. We've already eaten, so we'll just chat with Mom for a while and then leave."
Xiao Li put her hands on her shoulders and said gently, "It's okay, Sister Mai. I'll have a couple of drinks with Auntie and Big Brother. We can call a designated driver later."
"Okay, drink it then." Mai Sui took his hand off his shoulder, stood up and went to the kitchen again: "Mom and the others haven't had dinner yet, Xiaomai and I will cook together."
Xiao Li stroked her arm downwards, took her hand and coaxed her: "Your tenosynovitis is getting better, so you can't cook right now. I'll make whatever everyone wants. Auntie is old, and you have an upset stomach, so I'll make something easy to digest. Is hemp food okay? If I had known, I would have brought the braised chicken feet I made for you. Didn't you say you liked it last time? I made a new pot and am waiting to send it to you."
"Brother, where is the kitchen? Let me go. Sister Mai misses my aunt and the children, let her stay with them for a while." Xiao Li looked virtuous and decent. As she spoke, she unbuttoned her shirt cuffs and rolled up her sleeves.
Mai's father crossed his arms and watched him perform. He was pretending to be so smart. Everyone here knew Mai Sui better than he did. Not to be outdone, he took Mai Sui's arm and pulled her closer to him: "Do you have tendonitis? Are you feeling sick in your stomach? Did you see a doctor? What's wrong? Why didn't you tell your family?"
Mai Sui didn't want to act out a teenage movie in front of her teenage son. The wrinkles on the three of them combined were enough to write a calligraphy piece, and yet they were still arguing with each other. It was too inappropriate. She impatiently shook off their hands and walked away two steps. Mai's father followed her.
Xiao Li also wanted to follow, but was stopped by Hang Liumei, who asked him to tell her how he met Mai Sui.
"Why are you dragging others into this matter between us?" Dad Mai lowered his voice and asked close to Mai Sui.
"Who are you talking about?" Mai Sui turned his head and looked to the other side.
"Him, what do you think your son will think if you bring him here?"
"I told Xiaomai in advance, and I only brought Xiaoli here after he agreed. Any other questions?"
"Yes, what about me? Do you not care what I think at all?"
Dad Mai blurted out while staring at Mom Mai's face, his eyes sharp, and he tightened his grip on her hand. Mai Sui raised her other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, but this time she didn't answer, and Dad Mai didn't plan to wait for her response.
He lowered his voice: "Break up with him and remarry me."
Mai Sui looked up with an indifferent expression, but her tone was excited: "Are you crazy?"
"You don't love him. Mai Sui, I know you better than you know me. You made a mistake today by bringing him here and I caught you. Neither of us should try to deceive the other. Let's get remarried."
"You still don't understand why we got divorced, so how can we possibly get back together?"
When Xiaomai came out with two bowls of noodles, she saw her parents standing side by side, huddled together, and then they quickly separated like two frightened birds.
Mai Sui hugged her son and said, "Xiaomi, Mom has to go on a business trip tomorrow and has to get up early. You guys should have your meal. I will come back to see you and grandma." Then, ignoring Hang Liumei's attempts to keep her, she called Xiao Li to say goodbye and left.
Dad Mai's eyes were glued to Mai Sui's back until she walked out the door, but he stood still and refused to say goodbye.
Hang Liumei sent the person out gently, then turned around and changed her expression: "They say there is no coincidence in the world, and today is just right. You saw it, you saw it! Go ahead and worry, go ahead and regret it! It's too late!"
"Mom, today's situation is different from before. Let me handle it." After saying that, Dad Mai stopped talking, silently enduring Hang Liumei's resentment and brought the meal to her.
Hang Liumei glared at him, pulled out a stool in a huff, sat down, scooped up the noodles and ate them in big mouthfuls.
After dinner, Dad Mai quietly cleared the table and left a message before carrying the dishes into the kitchen: "Mom, let's not argue with each other today. Everything is my fault. This isn't over yet."
After saying that, he called Xiaomai: "Come on, Mai Xu, go in with Dad."
Pu Zhihe was also feeling a bit uncomfortable after being beaten by the three people's bitterness. Finally, after finishing the bitter meal, Hang Liumei called her away to sort out her work. She stepped on a stool and took down a pile of books and picture albums from the bookshelf. The two of them moved the books from the east to the west, and then carried the books from the west back to the east, rearranging them one by one.
Dad Mai was working in the kitchen with Xiaomai, busy as a slump. He stopped to light a cigarette and said, "Son, I haven't looked for you in the past few years since your mother and I divorced. No matter who this man is today or what happens between them, your mother will remarry me."
Xiaomai was completely bewildered. He didn't understand the relationship between his parents. They had been inseparable for a while, but then things changed. He didn't have any stepparents in his life, just Uncle Xiaoli. Even he was surprised at how quickly he accepted the situation. When his mother had told him the news, Xiaomai had hoped she could pursue her own happiness.
"Dad, maybe my mom really wants to move on." Xiaomai tied the garbage bag tightly.
"Impossible!" Dad Mai shoved the dishes into the cabinet with a clang. "We're getting a divorce but not leaving home. Although we didn't say it explicitly, we were both angry at the time and it was irrational to get a divorce. Your grandparents have been in poor health and have had a lot of things to do in the past two years, and your mom has been busy with work, so it's been delayed. I still love your mom, and she still loves me. That's all you need to know."
Xiaomai took out the dishes he had cleaned, wiped off the water stains one by one and put them away.
Dad Mai sprayed detergent on the stove and wiped it vigorously. "Dad didn't want to drag you, a kid, into this, but your mom won't reply to my messages. She told you she had a boyfriend before, and you never told me. When I rushed in today, I wished I hadn't seen her! But if it weren't for what happened today, I don't know how long I would have been kept in the dark."
Dad Mai suddenly stopped talking, covered his eyes and stood there, as if crying. Xiaomai tore off a piece of kitchen paper and handed it to him, but Dad Mai didn't take it. He sniffed and put his hand down, his eyes clearly red.
"I'm fine. That bag is full of leftovers. It's going to attract cockroaches now that the weather is warm. Take it downstairs and throw it away."
After Xiaomai left, Mai's father's tears fell on the stove, and he picked up the paper his son had just pulled out to wipe them clean.
Pu Zhihe and Hang Liumei heard Dad Mai blowing his nose loudly outside. Hang Liumei handed Pu Zhihe a book and said, "Your uncle made a fool of himself. He was upset today because of something he did not like. Let him be. If you don't cherish someone when you should, this is what will happen in the end."
"I'm also responsible for this. The conditions for childbirth in Dunhuang were very poor. The child suffered, and so did I. There were no good schools there when he was born, so we had to send him away from us at a young age. I hoped he would go to school well, but in the end, he didn't study well, and his family wasn't complete, leaving him with regrets. After he started his own family, he was too obsessed. Even though the relationship was good, it still ended up in divorce. I guess it's what people often say, 'Deep love doesn't last long.'"
Hang Liumei sighed and sat down on the stool. She took Pu Zhihe's hand and lowered her voice to discuss, "You heard it too, right? He still has feelings for Xiaomai's mother. So grandma wants to ask you for a favor. You're young and have a lot of ideas. Do you think we can join forces to help your uncle get his wife back?"
This turn of events caught Pu Zhihe off guard. Seeing that she was still hesitating, Hang Liumei immediately added, "Of course, your uncle's offense was definitely not a matter of principle. Their fate is also bizarre. I'll explain it to you slowly later. Anyway, we are the upright ones, playing supporting roles. In the end, we all have to listen to God. Just think of it as helping me, and Xiaomai as well."
Pu Zhihe nodded and put his other hand on the back of Hang Liumei's hand. The two of them put their hands on top of each other and formed an alliance.
After saying that, they continued to work. Hang Liumei took a 16-page "Mural Art Copy Collection" and handed it to Pu Zhihe. A smile finally appeared on her face. She named their secret mission "Operation Yue Lao".
A torn corner of paper appeared from the book. Pu Zhihe took it out and saw that it was an old painting of "Water Moon Guanyin".
She unfolded the painting and handed it to Hang Liumei, who was overjoyed. She stood up from her chair and took it, slapping her head several times and said excitedly, "This is the painting that Sister Xiuchun and I didn't finish back then! When we went to Yulin Grottoes that year, I painted this Bodhisattva, and Sister Xiuchun painted this Dragon Girl who was paying homage. I was the one who guided her! This painting has been lost for more than ten years. It turns out that it was stuffed into this book. My brain is really useless. I don't know what I was thinking at the time. How could I just stuff it in like that!"
Pu Zhihe asked whether this painting should be completed and added to the exhibition.
Add more? No, I can't finish the painting. Hang Liumei felt deflated, as if she had been overjoyed. She sat down and stared at the painting for a long time, then folded it up and asked Pu Zhihe to put it back in the book.
"Teacher Hang, is there something wrong with the painting? Is there anything that can't be added?"
"Zhihe, it's the same old saying. If you don't manage it well, even the best relationship will fall apart."
Dad Mai shed a tear. Hang Liumei sent her heartbroken son away, took the book back to the bedroom and rested.
It was an ordinary night, but many people couldn't sleep.
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