"Sister Shu? Are you home?" A familiar voice came from outside the house.
Jianshu, who was playing Candy Crush Saga offline to kill time, threw his phone into his space, put on a thick coat and went to open the door.
"Sister-in-law is here, come in quickly." Jian Shu's voice was so cold that it was floating when he came out of the warm room.
Wu Xiufang followed her, carrying a plate of melon seeds. She had a bright smile on her face, a smile that even the cold wind couldn't dispel. "We're out of soy sauce at home. It's so cold, and I'm too lazy to run to the supply and marketing cooperative, so I came to borrow some from you. It just so happened that Lao Zhao's family sent some melon seeds a few days ago, so I brought them over for you to try."
After entering the house, Jianshu instantly felt alive. He pulled her to sit on the sofa, and without any hesitation, he took two from his sister-in-law and tasted them. "Oh, they're still warm and taste good. I happened to be idle at home with nothing to do, so your sister-in-law sent them over to help me kill time. Later, sister-in-law, you can just pour some soy sauce in a bowl and take it back. Don't say whether it's a loan or not. Isn't that polite?"
"Okay." Wu Xiufang didn't hesitate to be polite. A little soy sauce wouldn't be worth it. "If you like these melon seeds, I'll ask Tiedan to send you some more early. I sent half a bag from my hometown. It's enough to last you for a long time."
"Okay, ten or twenty pounds is not too much, two or three pounds is not too little, give me as many as you can!" Jian Shu responded in one breath and said jokingly.
Wu Xiufang laughed out loud, "What about ten or twenty kilograms? Do you still want your tongue after eating it? Who was getting angry a while ago? Why, do you want to drink chrysanthemum tea every day again?" The last sentence was full of joking.
Jianshu felt a little embarrassed when his embarrassing story was brought up again. It was not easy to get over the fact that he got angry due to overeating and was laughed at by others.
But you can't blame her for this. Mutton is so delicious. Today we have mutton hotpot, tomorrow we have beef soup, and the day after tomorrow we have mutton soup with steamed buns. If the weather allowed, she would also like to have an outdoor barbecue. Plus, there is always a fireplace at home, so she will get a sore throat.
"Sister-in-law, you are making fun of me again!" Jian Shu refused, his face flushed.
"Then how many kilograms of melon seeds will your sister-in-law give you to apologize?"
Jian Shu pretended to agree after some reluctance, "Okay, I'll forgive you this time."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Master Shushu, for not holding a grudge and letting me go." Wu Xiufang also cooperated by clasping her hands together and bowing twice.
The two of them ate melon seeds and drank chrysanthemum tea while chatting about all kinds of gossip. Whose wife was about to give birth, who’s couple had a fight in the middle of the night, who’s child got beaten again… There was no news that Wu Xiufang didn’t know.
Jianshu listened with great interest, sighing from time to time.
Seeing her surprised by everything she heard, Wu Xiufang was a little amused. "Since you like listening to gossip so much, why not go out with me next time? You know much more than I do, and it's all firsthand information. You look so ignorant. This information is out of date. If you tell others about it, they won't be interested. But you are the only one who finds it so fresh."
"No, no, no?" Jian Shu shook his index finger. "Sister-in-law, you don't understand. I listen to gossip just to kill time. I don't care about things like how firsthand the information is. Besides, aren't you here, sister-in-law? I'll just listen to you later and not join in the fun."
It was just those family gossips, which she could just listen to afterwards. She was too lazy to waste time asking her to find out about it. After all, it wasn't like a top star had revealed some big news, so she couldn't muster much enthusiasm.
"You can also stay at home, unlike me, who gets bored staying at home. If I didn't have a big family to take care of, I would want to run outside every day..." Wu Xiufang couldn't help but sigh and compared herself to others.
"I think it's because you have a whole family to take care of every day, which makes you like to run away. If you were as free as me, eating, drinking and sleeping at home every day, you wouldn't just think about running away every day." Jianshu complained without reservation.
At home, I am bothered by all the family affairs. After a while, the child's pants are torn and he calls for mom. He is thirsty and hungry and he calls for mom. When he has nothing to do, he has to call for mom. Mom comes and goes every day. How can I not be annoyed and want to hide away outside to have some peace and quiet?
Wu Xiufang was stunned, then thought about it and said, "Now that you put it that way, it does make sense." She looked thoughtful.
"Right, sister-in-law? If it's my opinion, the kids are fighting too. You should just let go and stop controlling everything. It's so tiring!" Jian Shu perked up and couldn't help but encourage, "Why don't you just let them do their own things from now on? Wash their own clothes, wash their own dishes, and cook their own meals. They're grown ups now, so why would they keep calling for their mom all day?"
"If you ask me, a woman shouldn't just care about her husband and children. She should also take care of herself. Look at your face. It's all yellowed from working on the stove all day. You have to take care of yourself throughout your life. You can't wait until you're old and look back to realize that you've toiled all your life without ever enjoying anything, right?"
Wu Xiufang reached out and touched her face. Even without a mirror, she knew what she looked like. She looked at Jianshu's fair skin and felt a strange feeling in her heart.
Once upon a time, she was also so youthful and full of life. But when did it start to change?
After getting married, she had children one after another. At that time, she had not yet joined the army, so she was left alone to take care of the children at home. Her in-laws were unreliable. At night, when the children cried, she could only hold them and walk back and forth in the house to comfort them. She could not rest during the day either. She had to go to the fields and work.
At the beginning, she couldn't bear it. She couldn't comfort the child when he cried. She heard the child's voice become hoarse from crying. She had no choice but to cry with him. After crying, she had to cheer up. After all, life had to go on.
Later, the tears gradually faded. Lao Zhao was promoted, and she could join the army. The family reunited in the family compound, and when she had another child, there was someone to help her. The grievances of the past seemed to have faded.
But today she realized that it was not gone, but was hidden deep in her heart. It had been hidden for so long that she even deceived herself and pretended that those grievances had never happened.
But just pretending that something doesn’t exist doesn’t mean it really doesn’t exist. Time is the most real thing. It records everything and leaves deep traces.
When people accidentally turn the page one day, they suddenly realize that this is what they were like in the past.
It seems that I don’t recognize him anymore…
How did I become like this?
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