Chapter 4 (10)
There is a terrace on the second floor with a glass ceiling.
To barbecue, the windows had to be opened. The men held them open while the women set up the barbecue grills. Since there were so many people, there were two grills on each side, with men and women separated. As the men grilled, they chatted loudly about everything. The women whispered among themselves.
Yu Meng hummed a little tune while grilling.
Yu Shuang asked: "Sister Meng, is there any good news?"
Yu Meng laughed and said, "How can there be any good thing? Divorced women, middle-aged at that, are the most vulnerable group." She was speaking in a sarcastic tone. She was feeling very proud.
The sisters all laughed.
Yu Meng realized that Sisi was there too and reminded her, "We have children today, so let's not talk about men today."
Yu Shuang sarcastically asked, "Aren't you uncomfortable?"
Yu Jia glanced at Yu Shuang, then at Yu Rui. Yu Qi lowered his head, busying himself with the barbecue. Yu Meng said, "I wish all the men in the world were dead, and women could rule the world, without so many worries."
Yu Rui continued, "If women ruled the world, there would probably be more problems."
Yu Meng said: "Women love peace."
Yu Jia then said, "Are all the fights in those palace fighting dramas between men?"
Yu Meng said: "That's because women don't have power."
Sisi interrupted, "It wouldn't be good if all men died out. We women would have to do all the work ourselves. It would be better for men to be our slaves."
"Di Sisi!" Yu Jia called softly, her daughter's mind was too active. "The last two strings!" Sisi held onto Aunt Meng, "Mom, didn't you say we should relax today?" Yu Jia said, "You've already relaxed enough! You're not acting like a girl!"
The war is about to break out.
Yu Rui quickly asked her sister Yu Qi to take Sisi inside to play. Only four women were left in the barbecue area.
Yu Meng sighed, "Oh, going back so many years, who would have thought that the four of us would be able to gather here today."
"Thanks to Shuang." Yu Rui said.
"Don't," Yu Shuang said quickly, "Thanks to Sister Jia."
Yu Jia corrected, "What's the point of asking for help? Just drink it!" She raised her beer glass.
Exhausted from the fun, the ladies decided to stay overnight at the villa and leave the next day. Yuan Kai had to go to work for something urgent. The two friends and Kang Long followed him in the car. Yu Jia was determined to leave, and the sisters' persuasion was useless.
The gathering was very successful, and she felt that she should strike while the iron was hot and rekindle her relationship with Li Ren.
Unexpectedly, Di Liren persuaded her to stay. "I'll take Sisi back, you can relax." He pretended to be concerned.
Having said that, Yu Jia had no choice but to give her husband face and go along with it.
Everyone was wearing a face mask. Yu Shuang was the exception. She was leaning over, playing with her phone. Yu Meng had brought a lot of cosmetics from Hong Kong and was distributing them to the sisters.
Yu Shuang only ordered a hydrating product and a bottle of butter. She gave away everything else. Yu Rui picked out a serum and two makeup products. She felt bad for asking for so much. Yu Qi couldn't usually afford big-name brands, but fortunately, she wore very little makeup. Yu Rui helped her get toner, cream, and sunscreen.
Yu Meng helped Yu Jia adjust the position of the facial mask and looked at him carefully, "Wow, you look at least ten years younger. The money was not wasted." Yu Jia smiled bitterly. He looked younger, but Li Ren turned a blind eye.
"When did you go to Hong Kong? Didn't you go to see your son?" Yu Jia asked.
Yu Meng blinked and smiled, "Can't you have a little private life?"
Yu Rui chimed in, "Sister Jia, there must be something wrong with Sister Meng."
"Really?" Yu Jia was nervous and grabbed Yu Meng's wrist.
Yu Meng was slightly impatient, thinking they were making a fuss. "What's the real deal? I've had this problem all the time. It all depends on the situation."
"Who's going with you?"
"A friend." Yu Meng said briefly.
"What kind of friend?" Yu Jia got to the bottom of it.
"Just ordinary friends." Yu Meng felt a little embarrassed.
"How old?" Yu Jia asked. This was a bit tactless.
"My elder sister," Yu Meng had to block it out. "Aren't you still going to ask where I'm from, what I do, how much I earn a month, whether I own a house, and whether I have a wife and children?" After a pause, "We're just ordinary friends. There's no need to make it so complicated. I don't want to think about anything right now. I'm just following my feelings."
She doesn't want to? Is it possible? Yu Rui pondered. But this is where Yu Meng's brilliance lies. Men fall for this.
"Be careful," Yu Jia warned. Very old-fashioned. Like a mother admonishing her daughter.
Yu Meng was speechless.
Yu Jia then inquired about Haoyu and Zhengyu. Yu Meng pulled out her phone and scrolled through the photos. She looked at each one. In the selfie, Weng Yue was also there. Yu Jia wondered if this was the board friend.
"She wasn't the one who went to Hong Kong," Yu Meng blurted out. "She was drowned in America." She regretted it then, unable to continue. "Drowned?" Yu Rui thought it meant castration. She didn't understand what it meant.
Yu Mengshou brushed past the Hong Kong section. He showed photos of Yu Mengxiu's exhibition and said he had bought several paintings. One, a painting of butterflies and peonies, was said to be the work of a late Qing court painter.
Yu Rui was sharp-eyed and noticed a human figure in one of the photos. It was reflected in the stainless steel sculpture.
It was a man, standing behind Yu Meng, his hands behind his back.
Talented? !
Yu Rui wanted to take a closer look, but the photo had already been turned over.
It was him! She would recognize him even if he turned into ashes.
Yu Rui's heart was pounding. How could Zu Liangcai be in Sister Meng's photo? Could it be... Yu Rui didn't want to think about it further, but she had to.
Even lying in the guest room, Yu Rui was still thinking. Yu Qi saw her sister was lost in thought and asked her what was wrong. Yu Rui waved her hands and said it was nothing. Yuan Kai came back and greeted everyone in the room.
Yu Rui and Yu Qi shared a room, while Yu Meng and Yu Jia shared another.
Yu Shuang lives in a single room. She doesn't like sharing a room with others.
After Yu Meng finished her shower, she tried on bras with Yu Jia. She emphasized that they were all brand-name this time. None of the men could stand them.
Yu Jia was helpless. Even if she were to be gilded and smeared with honey, no one would care. Unable to resist Yu Meng's invitation, she put on the black outfit—the red one was too much for her. Her side breasts were bulging. Yu Jia felt uncomfortable. It didn't look good. She quickly took it off again and put on her middle-aged woman's outfit.
"Who am I going to wear this for?" Yu Jia sighed. He sighed for himself, and also for Yu Meng.
Yu Meng was stunned for a moment and said, "For yourself." After a few seconds, she added, "Isn't it natural for you to be beautiful? For so many years, you've sacrificed so much for the Di family, working hard, getting up early, working late, and making such a great contribution!" Yu Meng understood the truth, but Li Ren pretended not to understand. Yu Jia felt sad, but she still had to smile. She put on the mask of happiness.
After fiddling around for a while, the two of them went to bed. Yu Meng made an appointment with Yu Jia: it's her birthday next month, and Jia Jie must come.
Yu Jia said without hesitation, "I'll treat you and invite everyone to help you celebrate."
"Don't," Yu Meng waved her hand, "I'm just calling you, in a small group. I didn't tell anyone else."
The next morning, Yu Meng went to the airport to pick up Weng Yue. He left her alone when he left, and greeted her when he returned as an apology.
Shi Tongguang said he was coming to pick up Yu Rui, and he asked Yu Qi to answer the phone to confirm that the two sisters were together. Yu Rui understood that he was checking on her.
Yu Shuang was too tired from playing the day before and fell into a deep sleep, refusing to get up.
Bai Yuankai could only let her do as she pleased, "We are going out, remember to lock the door when you leave." Yu Shuang waved her hand.
Bai Yuankai wanted to visit the famous Kunqu opera artist Zhou Yifen. He had made several appointments, but the old lady was not in good health.
It will be a little better after the New Year.
Yuankai was learning the aria from "Chi Su" from the play "Yan Yun Ting" with her. Yu Jia wanted to go, too. She'd performed this aria before, but she hadn't quite grasped its quality. Zhou Yifen was a well-known figure in the industry, and now that she was older, she'd seen her less and less. But she'd been out all day yesterday and wasn't going home, and she was worried Li Ren would worry. Besides, going alone with Bai Yuankai would be a bit awkward.
Yu Rui saw that Jia Jie was in a dilemma, so she arranged for her sister Yu Qi to accompany her - Yu Qi was interested in classical things, and Yu Rui also wanted her to have more contact with Yuan Kai - she, Yu Rui, had no hope, but Xiao Qi might have a chance.
Yu Jia called home. Sisi said her father was working overtime. Seeing that there was still enough time, Yu Jia and Yu Qi got into Yuan Kai's car and the three of them went to Zhou's house.
Along the way, Yuan Kai and Yu Jia were talking enthusiastically about "Yan Yun Ting." Yu Qi, unable to get a word in, felt rather awkward. Seeing this, Yu Jia deliberately threw in the conversation, asking Yuan Kai to explain the content of the first act of "Chi Su."
Yuan Kai smiled and said, "The heroine is Xiao Xifen, the daughter of the Privy Councilor. Later, due to attacks from political enemies, Xifen is forced to feign madness to avoid disaster. She seeks help from Zhuge Liang, an expert in divination, but Zhuge believes she is truly insane. This interplay of complaint and rejection, of sadness and anger, makes this play a mixture of joy and sorrow, with both grandeur and wickedness."
Visit Mr. Zhou.
The teacher was in good spirits that day. After a few pleasantries and inquiries about Yu Jia and Yu Qi's progress, he began teaching the clapping of "Yan Yun Ting." He walked through the piece once, then explained in detail each note. Yuan Kai took notes, while Yu Jia silently compared notes in his mind. A master is a master; a simple instruction suddenly opened his mind.
Yu Qi didn't quite understand what he was saying, and just stared at Yuan Kai's profile. She only hated herself for being too inexperienced and too young to be able to resonate harmoniously with Bai Yuankai.
After a while, Yuan Kai and Yu Jia took a test song. As they sang, Yu Jia unconsciously became immersed in the situation, thinking of Xiao Xifen and then herself. She couldn't help but feel sad and choked up. Yu Qi thought Jia Jie was too absorbed. But Yuan Kai had a vague sense of something was amiss. In fact, from the moment he first met Yu Jia and Li Ren at the villa, he had sensed that the couple seemed to be estranged. However, in front of Mr. Zhou and Yu Qi, Yuan Kai couldn't ask any more questions.
Just let her hide in the play and feel sad and angry.
"It moved me." Yuan Kai smiled and cheered after the song ended. Mr. Zhou was a sophisticated man, and at his age, he had long since stopped caring about matters of the heart. The others discussed the music some more. Yuan Kai then took the two ladies and said goodbye.
Send Yu Xi away first, then send Yu Jia away.
When there were only two people in the car, Yuan Kai said, "Are you okay?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Yu Jia said repeatedly. She regretted her loss of composure.
"I was too busy having fun yesterday and didn't treat you well enough."
“No, no, no…it has nothing to do with you…” Yu Jia waved his hands, but this was tantamount to admitting that he was really crying during the song.
"If you have any difficulties, don't be polite to me," said Bai Yuankai.
"It's really okay." Yu Jia said, "It's just that Xiao Xifen... is so pitiful..." She smiled awkwardly.
I had no choice but to direct the problem to the ancients.
When Yu Qi got home, Yu Rui asked her how she had been having fun. Shi Tongguang had gone out to meet a client, leaving Yu Rui alone in the room.
"Good."
"Is it the song or the person who's good?" Yu Rui smiled. In front of Yu Qi, she was the elder sister.
Yu Qi was startled and said coquettishly, "Sister——"
"You're still hiding something from me."
"no……"
Yu Rui grabbed her sister's hand. "I want you to see the world and interact with more talented people, so you don't get fooled by those young boys in school and get hurt." Yu Qi said nothing. She had a crush on Bai Yuankai. But the two of them were destined to be even more unlikely. They didn't live in the same city. She could sense that Yuankai treated her like a little sister.
"In two years, if your sister and I are still here, you will come too," Yu Rui imagined helplessly, "How much can happen in two years?" After a pause, she continued, "People are smart nowadays, and men have learned to be realistic. Between a pretty woman with no money and a rich woman who is not pretty, eight out of ten men will choose the latter. Beauty cannot be used to make a living, so people want stability when marrying a wife." She added, "Except for extremely rich people, wealthy ones." Yu Rui had not met many truly wealthy people - wealthy people need a strong alliance even more.
Hearing this theory, Yu Qi worried about her sister. Shi Tongguang was only "modestly wealthy," and he couldn't escape reality. And after a year, Yu Qi understood her sister's dilemma—he hadn't even brought her to meet his parents. She immediately said, "Sister, choose whoever you like. You're still so young. Don't worry about me. After I graduate and find a job, I'll be independent. You can find someone you like."
Yu Qi was a little incoherent.
In the past, Yu Rui always said it was for her sister. That was because she was somewhat unwilling to face herself. She had experienced handsome poor people before, Huang Qi being an example.
It's really inappropriate. A poor couple has many sorrows.
However, hiding behind the excuse of caring about her sister could at least alleviate some of the guilt of "disdaining the poor and loving the rich." She hadn't yet evolved to Yu Meng's level.
Yu Rui wanted to call Liangcai, but after thinking about it for a while, she felt that it was not the right time.
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