Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Wang Surong carefully balanced two porcelain bowls, with several pairs of chopsticks resting on top, as she wobbled her way out of the kitchen, focusing intently on the rim of the bowls like an acrobat walking on a tightrope. The light rain fell around her as she hunched her back and made her way to the main hall.
Li Li spread a grin at Wang Surong's small figure, raising both hands into the air to gather strength. Suddenly, a piercing long whistle erupted from his throat, directly piercing Wang Surong's eardrum. She flinched, and with a loud crash, the porcelain bowls fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Li Li clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
"Ali, what are you doing!" At the table, Li Cheng dropped his chopsticks and scolded Li Li, who was behind the door. He then got up and walked over to Wang Surong to help her pick up the broken pieces of porcelain and toss them into an iron dustpan. "Mom, you too, how can you be so careless?"
Li Li chuckled foolishly and dashed back into the kitchen.
Li Weimin was bent over the cutting board, busy with a brightly feathered black-boned chicken that had been plucked clean. It lay there like a woman stripped of her clothes, bare and ready for slaughter.
Li Weimin raised his cleaver and brought it down hard on the chicken's neck. Tiny bits of meat mixed with scalding water splattered onto his front and face.
Wiping his face with his left hand, he momentarily lost focus and noticed Li Li standing beside him for who knows how long, staring blankly with a hint of heat in his gaze.
"What are you standing there for?" Following Li Li's gaze to his own front, he saw remnants of fat and meat clinging to his old sailor shirt. Aside from some mud spots, there was nothing else. "You fool, are you acting up again? Hurry up and get out of here; don't make a mess!"
Li Li's eyes flickered for a moment before he broke into a familiar clueless grin. He laughed and ran out of the kitchen into the main hall.
At the square table, everything was set. Wang Surong carried two stools out from the East Room. Li Li rushed forward to grab one and plopped down at the table without ceremony. He reached into the dish and grabbed a handful of pork belly, shoving it into his mouth while chewing loudly. Liu Wenyi frowned and nudged Li Cheng's shoulder. Wang Surong hurried over to pull Li Li away, mumbling, "This isn't where you eat; get down! I'll bring your stool over."
"Hey, Mom," Li Cheng stopped Wang Surong. "He might be hungry; let him eat a bit. There’s plenty of food on the table; just let him have this plate of meat."
Wang Surong hesitated for a moment before folding her arms and saying, "Fine," as she placed the plate of pork belly in front of Li Li and urged him, "Eat quickly."
Li Li then devoured it ravenously, soon having grease all over his mouth and exposing his gums, which made Liu Wenyi feel nauseous.
Is this really the silly younger brother that Li Cheng said looked better than any girl when he was little?
"The chicken is in the pot; it will be done soon. Let's eat first..." As Li Weimin stepped into the main hall while speaking, he saw Li Li sprawled over the table and his expression changed drastically. He strode forward angrily and yanked at Li Li's messy hair before throwing him to the ground. "Who told you to get on the table!"
Li Li fell to the ground with flailing arms, still holding half a mouthful of meat paste. He sobbed incoherently as he curled up into a ball, allowing his bony back to bear the brunt of Li Weimin's punches and kicks.
"Stop hitting him; you'll kill him!" Wang Surong stood by helplessly with her hands outstretched but dared not move an inch.
Li Li's cries pierced Liu Wenyi's heart; she reached under the table to tug at Li Cheng's shirt hem.
"Hey Dad, that's enough; I told him to get on the table," Li Cheng said after glancing at her before turning back to sit down and persuade.
As if given a dose of calming medicine, Li Weimin’s fury suddenly softened. He gasped for breath as he stopped attacking and stood there with hands on his hips while scolding Li Li on the ground. "Do you dare do this again in the future?"
Li Li buried her head between her arms and shook her head desperately, saying, "I won't dare anymore, I won't dare anymore."
"Get lost!"
Li Li rolled on the ground and staggered to her feet, stumbling into her little room in a disheveled manner.
As soon as Li Li left, the atmosphere became harmonious. Wang Surong helped Li Weimin set up the stools and served the bowls and chopsticks before finally sitting down in the last empty seat.
With good food and wine, both men and women present, and hosts and servants mingling, it was quite a lively scene.
In front of the Little Sun Kindergarten on Qinmin Road, Sun Bai took her son Li Ming's hand from the teacher's grasp and navigated through the bustling crowd outside the school gate. They reached the roadside, where she pulled out a white electric bike with red patterns from a row of e-bikes. She settled her son into the child seat on the back, fastened his seatbelt, mounted the bike, and leisurely headed towards Jinshui Community, three kilometers away.
"Mom," Li Ming tugged at Sun Bai's waist with his small hand shaking, "Mom, I want to eat Pizza Hut."
"Sure, today is my precious son's birthday; you can have whatever you want," Sun Bai slightly turned her head, keeping her eyes on the road as she said to Li Ming. "But Mom was in a hurry when we left and forgot to bring my wallet. Let's go back to get some money first, then I'll take you to eat, okay?"
"Okay—" Li Ming thought for a moment with his small white fingers on his lips. "Then let's call Dad to go eat together!"
Sun Bai fell silent. Li Ming only saw his mother's tall figure gradually shrink down as she turned her head forward. He felt that his mother disagreed and immediately puffed out his cheeks, saying pitifully, "I haven't seen Dad for several days; I miss him. You let him come with me to eat Pizza Hut!"
Indeed, it had been several days since he last saw him.
His husband had started a small company with limited business volume. In the past, he occasionally returned late, claiming he was meeting clients; this was understandable. However, in recent months, he had been coming home later and later, sometimes even not returning at all overnight. Just like these past few days—such a large house had seen no sign of him for several consecutive 24-hour periods; he hadn't even shown his face or made a phone call. It was always Sun Bai who held back her emotions while calculating his working hours or cautiously calling during lunch breaks or in the evening.
The conversations were nothing but a few lines:
"It's me."
"I know; what's up?"
"Are you coming home tonight?"
"No, I'm going out of town this afternoon to meet a client; it should take quite a while. I won't be back; I'll find a hotel there to catch some sleep. Make sure our son goes to bed early tonight; otherwise he won't have energy during the day."
Or: "No, my dad called me saying he's not feeling well; I'm going over to check on him. Don't wait for me."
Sun Bai had once called her father-in-law out of curiosity to check on him but found no flaws in his response; even his words were the same—just not feeling well—but he wouldn't say what exactly was wrong or how bad it was.
Did Sun Bai believe him? No.
But she had no way out; when a woman is left with only family, she has no choice but to surrender; all other paths had been sealed off by concrete and steel bars.
At the intersection, when the red light turned on, Sun Bai's electric bike was caught in traffic beside an Audi car that happened to be the same model as her husband's. She couldn't help but glance into the car window; sitting in the passenger seat was a woman with long hair cascading down her shoulders—graceful and beautiful—holding a lovely baby swaddled in her arms. Sun Bai's heart sank as she bent slightly forward unconsciously. The driver was a young man with a buzz cut who looked about the same age as the woman beside him; they were chatting and laughing like a loving couple.
Sun Bai felt her face flush with heat; she looked around to see if anyone noticed her actions and felt slightly embarrassed yet relieved at the same time. However, soon after, an overwhelming sense of despair surged within her chest.
Comment 0 Comment Count