When I'm feeling lonely, the connection with a good friend brings me immense warmth.
Fang Huahua ran back to the phone booth, looked at the number and dialed it. She remembered this number; it belonged to Lei Feng's family.
"We haven't seen each other all year. Do you have time to meet during the first month of the lunar calendar?" Fang Yu's voice came through the receiver.
"Fang Yu, it's like you have a sixth sense for me. I'm taking tomorrow off; I'm exhausted these past few days."
“We’re on the same wavelength. You see, I came to find you while you were resting. So tomorrow you can sleep in, and I’ll pick you up. We’ll have lunch at my place.”
"Isn't it inappropriate during the first month of the lunar calendar?" Fang Huahua hesitated.
“We’re like family. It’s rare for you to have a day off and for me to be off work. Are you really going to buy food all by yourself? I feel really bad about it.”
"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'd like to meet you too."
"Don't mention it. There are so many people in my family, and we all need to cook. We don't need you! That's great. I haven't heard from Ms. Fang Huahua in a long time. I thought I'd get in touch with her, and it just so happens that you're not working."
"Yes, that's so nice, at least you're thinking of me." Fang Huahua felt a warm glow in her heart.
The next day, Fang Yu arrived at Fang Huahua's building at the agreed time on her scooter. Fang Huahua was already waiting for her there.
"What are you doing?" Fang Yu asked, looking at the red bag she was carrying.
"These red dates and a little snack are for you." Fang Huahua helped Fang Yu sit down behind her, supporting her shoulder.
"Are you coming to my house to wish me a Happy New Year? Do I have to give you lucky money?"
“I have a job now and I can earn money, so I don’t need to give it to anyone,” Fang Huahua said with a grin from the back.
"Don't be so foolish in the future. There's plenty of food at home for the New Year. Don't waste money," Fang Yu said as she started the car.
"Okay, okay, I won't take it anymore. Am I shameless for going to Lei Feng's house to eat with you?"
"That's my home too, okay?"
"Yes, yes, it's your home."
Lei Feng's father and Lei Feng themselves hadn't even started work yet; they were already cooking in the kitchen.
"Uncle Lei Feng, I've come to your house for dinner." Fang Huahua greeted him from the kitchen doorway.
“Okay, you don’t have to go to work. Fang Yu can come over for meals whenever she’s home,” Lei Feng’s dad said while cooking.
"Huahua, you guys go sit in the living room for a bit. Come over when you're done eating, there's cooking fumes here." Lei Feng was adding cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
"Fang Yu, you're so lucky. Are Lei Feng and his dad the ones cooking for you?"
“A few days ago, my mom was home, and she cooked with Lei Feng’s dad.”
"You're so lucky. Your mother loves you, your husband adores you, and your father-in-law seems like a very nice person too."
"Yes, he's a really nice person. How are things between you and Xiling?"
Fang Huahua sighed, "Fang Yu, I don't know what to do now?"
"What's wrong?" Fang Yu sat a little closer to Fang Huahua.
"Fang Yu, what will Lei Feng do if you call his cell phone and no one answers?"
"He's busy, he'll call back later."
"Hmm," Fang Huahua thought for a moment and then asked, "If you told Lei Feng you were tired, what would Lei Feng do?"
Fang Yu leaned back on the sofa, tilting her head, "Give me a back massage, massage my legs, and buy me some good food. He said eating something he likes will make him feel better."
Fang Huahua swallowed, feeling a pang of jealousy.
She told Teng Xiling that she was tired, but Teng Xiling seemed even more tired than her, saying, "I'm tired too! No one's not tired when they're working."
Lei Feng was also tired from work. In order to marry Fang Yu, he changed jobs and earned more money. His family also did their best to arrange the wedding for them.
Teng Xiling said he has no money right now, and his family doesn't have much money either. He's not getting engaged yet. They've been living together for so long, but he hasn't taken Huahua to her house, nor has he tried to earn more money to marry her.
But she was already in this situation with him. In the first year of junior high, Fang Shugen told Huahua that when someone was trying to set her up with someone, Huahua had thought about whether future men would look down on her if she broke up with Teng Xiling, how embarrassing it would be if others found out, and whether this was really the only way for her.
Looking at Hua Hua, who was lost in thought, Fang Yu called out, "Hua Hua, what's wrong?"
"I was thinking about something just now."
"What is it?"
"Dinner's ready," Lei Feng called out as he came over.
"Let's eat first, and we can chat here all afternoon." Fang Yu helped Hua Hua up.
"Fang Yu, Hua Hua, you two eat, I'll take it over first." Lei Feng's dad was picking up food from the thermos. "Ji Hong has been a little feverish these past few days, so I won't give her this spicy stuff."
"Dad, I'll take it over," Lei Feng said.
“I’ll deliver it. I went grocery shopping this morning and bought her some cooling tea. I’ll bring it over and tell her how to drink it.”
After dinner, with Hua Hua at home keeping Fang Yu company, Lei Feng went out to play. "Wife, I'm going out with my friends this afternoon and will be back before dinner."
"OK!"
Fang Yu led Fang Huahua to their room, "How about we just stay in the room this afternoon?"
"Agreed!"
Fang Yu closed the door, and the two leaned against the sofa chairs by the window.
"Huahua, what were you trying to say?"
Fang Huahua bit her lip. "I don't want to continue with Teng Xiling, but I've lived with him before, and everyone at the hotel knows that. If I look for someone else, I'll be looked down upon."
Why don't you want to be with him?
"After we got to know each other better, I felt that he didn't love me that much and wasn't very good to me."
After meeting Teng Xiling a few times, Fang Yu also felt that he wasn't treating Hua Hua well enough, but she couldn't tell her best friend, "I feel like your boyfriend doesn't love you."
Now that Hua Hua has spoken so frankly, Fang Yu wants to advise her to think things through.
"When did you start to think he didn't love you?"
“At first, I didn’t understand. I didn’t even know how to love myself, let alone love. I thought that was love, so I just got together with him without really knowing what it was. Later, I found out that he was having an affair with that beverage promoter. That promoter had big breasts and was wearing a shirt with the button in the middle of her chest looking like it was about to pop off. I felt so inferior at that time.”
Fang Yu listened quietly.
“That sales promoter was sent by the liquor company. He left after a while and only offered a few explanations. I felt that since we had been together, it wouldn’t be good to break up. Later, we lived together, and I even got pregnant and had an abortion. I just kept making mistakes like this. Now I think, if it weren’t for the fact that we had lived together, had an abortion, and had sex, I might be able to let go a little. But now so many things have happened.”
"Huahua, it may be immoral to advise someone to break up, but I want to tell you two terms: sunk cost and cutting your losses. Ultimately, you'll have to figure it out for yourself."
What does "sunk cost" mean?
"These are costs that have already been invested but cannot be recovered, such as money spent, time wasted, emotions invested, and things already done. You can't let these affect your current decisions. If you care about the things and efforts you've made and insist on not giving up, you will end up paying even more in the future."
Hua Hua covered her forehead with her hand. "If I had known this sooner, I wouldn't be in such an embarrassing and awkward situation now. Fang Yu, how did you know these words and things?"
"I read it in a book."
"Oh, studying is useful? I thought your mother taught you that."
Fang Yu smiled, "Of course studying is useful."
Fang Yu held Hua Hua's hand. "Hua Hua, talk to Xi Ling and see what he thinks. You're already together, so cherish it. But if it's really not good, there's no point in continuing just because you've already given something that can't be taken back. In the end, you'll only hurt yourself, and the hurt will only get deeper and deeper."
"Okay!" Fang Huahua nodded.
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