Chapter 4 (2)
Holding the plunger—the handle was designed to resemble an Oscar trophy, with a miniature figure standing in the middle, arms raised—Yu Shuang wondered why Sister Jia had suddenly given it to her. Did she know that Kang Long had once blocked the toilet with a hard stool while living here? Did Kang Long say so himself?
…
I've been thinking about it for a long time but still can't figure it out.
Okay. A plunger is a good thing. Give it a try. That used to be my mom's job.
Yu Shuang took the plunger and, like a warrior, went to the toilet and gave it a few sharp yanks. It worked. Next time it got clogged, no need to call management. After the trial, Yu Shuang took the plunger to the sink to flush.
She thought, no, this is the wash basin. She quickly lifted it up. But the faucet on the basin wasn't secure to begin with. The plunger hit it, and water gushed out from the connection. Yu Shuang hurried to stop it. The water splashed everywhere! It intensified, getting her face soaked!
Embarrassing!
Call the property management immediately.
The water rushed out, and then, from a few joints, it gushed out, making the entire bathroom feel like a fountain. The floor drain couldn't catch it. The living room wood floor was unfortunately soaked. The property management only came to turn off the main valve.
Yu Shuang temporarily escaped from the flood.
Post-disaster reconstruction work is very arduous. On the one hand, there is the reconstruction of the disaster area in their own home. On the other hand, the residents downstairs are asking for compensation - they spent a lot of money on the ceiling, and it was soaked by water, which is a huge loss. In the past, Shuang's mother was responsible for maintaining the relationship between neighbors. She wanted to know everyone in the several buildings in the community - square dancing downstairs was also a social activity. But after Shuang's mother left, Yu Shuang didn't know anyone and didn't want to know anyone. Kang Long raised this issue, saying that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Yu Shuang replied: "Why should I know them? I don't rely on them for food."
Something happened while Kanglong was living here. Before her mother passed away, Yu Shuang slept well, practically falling asleep as soon as she lay down. After her mother passed away, she suddenly became jittery, irritated by the slightest light or noise, making it difficult for her to fall asleep. She went to the hospital, and the doctor prescribed some oryzanol. Yu Shuang looked at the label and saw a note stating it was used for sedative sleep for menopausal symptoms.
Menopause? No, no, no, she refused to take it.
However, every evening after nine o'clock, a piano player in the building would make Yu Shuang irritated. He complained to the property management twice, and they were very friendly, saying they would immediately send the security captain to handle the matter. They asked which family it was, and Shuang said it was on the fourth floor. The third time he complained, the property management refused to handle the matter, insisting the owner would come with him to find the owner. The confrontation—the previous two times, they had wrongly accused good people—was unacceptable. Yu Shuang refused to go downstairs. Fortunately, Kang Long was there. He took action, searching each unit one by one. Finally, he found the "culprit" family in the second unit next door and had a thorough conversation with them.
Yu Shuang had a good sleep.
Because of this, she always felt she owed Kang Long something. She couldn't marry him, and he was hoarding her resources. So, after the concert, she decided to break up with Kang Long. Unexpectedly, Kang Long was willing to be her "love partner."
This time, Kang Long was the one who handled the communication with the downstairs household. He had installed the wooden floor and repaired the plumbing. Yu Shuang discovered that, despite his deeply hidden chauvinism, this man also had valuable qualities. At work, she was a superwoman; in life, she was a useless woman. Therefore, Kang Long was even more valuable.
Watching Kang Long tinkering with things on the floor, Yu Shuang was at a loss for words. She still had something else she wanted him to help her with. "Li Zi," she occasionally called him, "I'll go with you to your dad's house for the New Year."
"I went there a few days ago." Kang Long didn't look up. He had a mediocre relationship with his father. His father had a new family. He had nothing to do during the New Year holidays.
"Then I'll accompany you to visit your mother's grave." Yu Shuang was trying to show off. She didn't want to owe him anything. As lovers, there should be "equal exchange" and basic fairness.
"What's up?"
"Well..." Yu Shuang couldn't bring herself to speak. Before the Lunar New Year, she was going to visit her brother's place alone. In the past, when her mother was around, her brother would always come with his wife and children for the Lunar New Year celebrations. It was Yu Shuang's home turf. Now, with home now an away game, and her brother's father-in-law and mother-in-law stationed there, she instinctively felt something was amiss. Sending her brother to the big city wasn't practical either; she worried his wife and family would move. Yu Qing's job was unstable, and he'd be interested in pursuing a career in another city, but the family would be too much to carry. But having Yu Shuang as a place to stay would make all the difference. Having Kang Long accompany her would provide her with some support, and also show that she had a boyfriend, freeing her from the pressure of her parents and her sister-in-law to go on blind dates or have children. With someone by her side, she could stay a few days longer and explore the surrounding area to relax and unwind. After all, she and Kang Long were still together as a couple, and they needed to create opportunities to get to know each other and become close friends. Plus, being together during the Lunar New Year offered a sense of warmth. In Kang Long's words, "We're all orphans."
"Tell me what you want to say." Dr. Li Zi put down the tools in his hand.
"I have to go visit my brother during the New Year."
"I'll go with you," Kang Long replied immediately. That was tacit understanding. That was a man. Because of this straightforwardness, Yu Shuang felt she owed this man two favors. Before she even left for her brother's place, she was already thinking about how to repay him.
During the school holidays, Yu Qi stayed at school until she received a call from her older sister, Yu Rui, and set off for the big city. With their parents gone, wherever her sister was, that was home. In fact, it was Yu Rui who had supported her studies for so many years. Yu Qi was simpler, thanks to Yu Shuang's protection. However, despite her family's difficult circumstances, she was still more mature than her peers. She was even more reserved than Yu Rui. Yu Rui spoke when necessary and kept silent when not. Yu Qi, on the other hand, rarely shared her feelings. Fortunately, over the years, the two sisters had a tacit understanding and shared many things, thus strengthening their close bond and loyalty. Yu Qi loved literature, initially reading Sanmao and later Zhang Ailing. She feared she and her sister would end up like Manzhen and Manlu in "Half a Lifelong Romance." From that year on, she no longer wanted her sister's money, preferring to work part-time to earn more and avoid causing trouble for her sister. Rumors abound in the entertainment industry. Yu Qi learned that her sister had basically retired from the entertainment industry and had found a man to settle down, and she was happy for her sister from the bottom of her heart.
Yu Rui didn't plan to let her sister live "at home" and had booked a hotel room long ago.
She didn't want her sister to observe her and Shi Tongguang's life closely. She and her sister could be close, but not with Shi Tongguang between them.
When Tongguang found out, he said, "You guys stay here, I'm going home."
Back to his own home. His parents'.
Yu Rui insisted that she didn't need it, saying that the room was already reserved and that she wouldn't be staying for more than a few days. However, as soon as they met, Shi Tongguang opened his mouth and Yu Rui felt uncomfortable. "Beautiful, like sister, like sister. Beautiful," Shi Tongguang praised.
Honestly, the Yu sisters had heard this kind of compliment countless times since childhood, and they'd rather hear something else. Or maybe they should just stop saying all that nonsense, as it would seem frivolous. Just saying she was beautiful. And then what? Only being beautiful? How could that be?
Shi Tongguang's second words made Yu Rui even more furious. "What a good name! One word for sweet, the other for heart. He must be born sweetheart."
Yu Rui scolded, "Can you read? The character for tongue has a "自" next to it. It has nothing to do with sweet."
Shi Tongguang admitted his mistake and smiled it off.
He did a good job of welcoming her. He treated her to a feast of delicacies. His sister's arrival was a big deal. Yu Rui only had this one sister, this one family member.
Yu Qi called him brother-in-law. Shi Tongguang accepted it naturally, as if he and Yu Rui were destined to be husband and wife.
A cosmetic surgery hospital. After lying down several times, Yu Jia bounced back up, sat up, and tried to get off the examination bed. She couldn't, fearing the needle prick. Yu Meng encouraged her, "You can't see it, it's just like an ant bite." The doctor smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's safe." Yu Meng continued, "Is beauty treatment any different from eating? You can skip meals, but beauty is essential. With advances in medicine, why not enjoy the fruits of that progress? Look at those celebrities: before they became famous, they were average, but after they became famous, they became increasingly beautiful. Why? They've got the money! They're at ease. Don't you want your husband, Di, to be impressed? You deserve to celebrate the New Year with some splendor." Yu Jia wanted to say that it wasn't cheap, but in front of the doctor, she felt it was too embarrassing to say that. Luckily, her year-end bonus had arrived early, and she considered it a reward for her hard work—much like how she used to have to go to the barber shop every New Year. Now a city dweller, she needed to keep up with the pace and enjoy the city's standards. She closed her eyes and let him do the manipulation. When she woke up, her skin seemed to be better. Yu Meng immediately congratulated her. Yu Jia looked in the mirror and said, "It seems that there is no change." Yu Meng smiled and said, "Even the magic pill needs to be digested. Follow the doctor's instructions when you go back." Yu Jia took careful notes.
After a while, Sisi was the first to notice. Mother and daughter were both in the bathroom. Sisi tapped her mother's brow, "Mom, move." Yu Jia did indeed try to move. Not good. She couldn't move much. Sisi chuckled and pointed near her cheekbone, "Move again."
Yu Jia looked in the mirror and smiled. A beautiful woman.
Smiling with one's face but not with his eyes.
"How much did it cost?" Sisi asked. They were all women. All the women in the world belonged to one country. There were no secrets.
"Don't tell your dad." Yu Jia was worried about this. She just wanted him to see the end result. A beautiful one. The process of transformation, the transformation into a butterfly, could be ignored.
Sisi said, "Mom, I've already told you that when I go to college, the first thing I'm going to do is get my nose done."
"Are you crazy?!" Yu Jia almost dropped the lotion bottle in her hand. "What's wrong with this nose? It's just like your dad. I, your mom, was attracted to your dad's nose."
"Too short."
"You're not short at all." Yu Jia reached out and pinched her daughter's nose.
"The nose is too big, it's a bulbous nose."
"I tell you, don't even think about it! You are so young, you are naturally beautiful. When I was your age, I didn't know what makeup was. I just put on some clam oil cream and I still looked good. You even have plastic surgery. Your nose bridge is short? How can that be justified? Oh, you have to make it look like a screen. Aren't you afraid of it blocking your eyes? Can't you see the right side from the left?" Yu Jia criticized in one breath.
"You can deal with me, but not me? I'll go talk to Dad."
"The ages are different!" Yu Jia shouted, "Go and tell him, and see if your dad won't peel you. I won't save you..."
Sisi snorted, looked at her mother in the mirror, rolled her eyes at her, and muttered to herself as if casting a spell, "You're smiling on the outside, but not on the inside. You're smiling on the inside, but not on the inside..."
Yu Jia raised the comb to hit her, but Sisi ran away.
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