Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
My mother-in-law used to be a street official. Ever since my father-in-law suddenly passed away from a stroke, she has prided herself on having grasped the true meaning of life. She took an early retirement due to health reasons and spends over 300 days a year traveling across the country, enjoying life to the fullest.
She often quotes Xiao Shen Yang: "When you close your eyes and open them again, a day has passed. If you keep your eyes closed, this life will pass by." She believes that the greatest regret in life is when one passes away without having spent their money.
But there’s another kind of regret: "Living while your money is gone!"
Through the conversations between my mother-in-law and my wife, I learned that all the money I had saved was given to her mother by Jiang Xiaoli.
"One day, when I close my eyes like your father did, you won’t have the chance to honor me anymore. While I can still move and dance, I want to travel across mountains and rivers! By the way, give me another 100,000. I've almost finished my travels in the country; I'm planning to go abroad for a while!"
"Mom, I've been taking out Xiao Hu's monthly savings to give to you. How can you spend so much?"
"This is just the beginning! Your father and I gave you life, raised you with great effort, supported your education, helped you become a civil servant, and set you up in marriage... Was it easy for us? You are my daughter; if I don’t spend your money, whose should I spend?" The old lady argued passionately.
"Mom, it's true that you raised me, but since I started working until I got married, didn’t all my salary go to you? Now you're spending Xiao Hu's earnings? What would Xiao Hu think if he knew? When we got married, you and Dad didn’t contribute a single penny. You kept all of the 280,000 dowry that Xiao Hu gave you!" Jiang Xiaoli said somewhat displeased.
"Enough already! Why are you being so detailed with your mother? Hurry up and give me the money; I'm quite anxious! You must not be foolish about Xiao Hu; look at his situation! You need to plan for yourself! I really don’t understand why city kids are everywhere, yet you chose this rural bumpkin!"
"Mom, what are you saying? What's wrong with Xiao Hu? He was the one running around taking care of things when Dad was in the hospital and handling the funeral arrangements. My grandfather came from a rural background too; why do you have such prejudice against rural people?"
"I'm not discussing him anymore! By the way, Xiao Jia is back from abroad; he came looking for you at home. He’s still as handsome as ever. He mentioned he’s now a manager at a multinational company’s China office—very impressive. If he hadn’t gone abroad back then, how great would it have been if you two were together!"
"Mom!" Jiang Xiaoli's tone suddenly turned soft and shy. "We haven’t seen each other in years; why bring him up?"
"It’s been years since we last met; my daughter is still a beauty! Otherwise, why would he ask about you right away?" My mother-in-law sounded like an old matchmaker.
"With Xiao Hu's current situation... please don’t mention him anymore; it’s not good!"
"What’s good or bad? If something needs to be cut off, it should be done decisively; otherwise, it will leave hidden troubles. I wasn’t happy when you chose Xiao Hu in the first place. If it weren’t for your pregnancy being so advanced, how could my swan of a daughter waste her time on that frog?"
At 1.85 meters tall with an upright posture, how could I appear so unworthy in this old lady's eyes? She agreed to our marriage only because we had already "cooked our rice before it was raw."
A question arose in my mind: Who was this Jia person? Why had I never heard my wife mention him before?
The year I graduated from college, Jiang Xiaoli—the goddess in many boys' eyes—suddenly threw me an olive branch: she took the initiative to invite me to watch a movie. Surprised by her attention, I immediately treated her to a seafood dinner in return.
The developments that followed were faster than our high-speed trains. After just half a bottle of red wine, she was too drunk to walk. I offered to take her home, but she said her parents would scold her if they saw her like this. So, I booked a hotel for her, carried her upstairs, and settled her in. Just as I was about to leave, she said she was scared and wanted me to stay and talk with her.
I felt a mix of excitement and fear, intertwined with warmth and a fluttering heart. She asked me to lie next to her on the pillow and tell her the story of the Big Bad Wolf and the Little White Rabbit. When I reached the part where "the Big Bad Wolf opened his bloody mouth wide," she buried her head in my chest.
In that moment, surrounded by her fragrant hair and the softness and warmth of her body, I lost myself…
Before long, Jiang Xiaoli shyly approached me: "I have something!"
I was taken aback: "What is it? Show me!"
Her face turned red as she tossed me a pregnancy test stick showing a bright red line.
I felt both happy and anxious, gathering my courage to propose to her family. To my surprise, her parents, who worked in the system and had high expectations, actually agreed.
I eagerly accepted all the conditions her mother laid out regarding the betrothal gifts, wedding banquet, and housing…
I got married, spending most of my parents' life savings and leaving behind a lot of hardship. Less than seven months into the marriage, we welcomed our son, Mao Mao. He was born prematurely, which worried me greatly. But to my relief, he only spent three days in an incubator before coming out healthy and chubby.
Heaven had been too kind to me!
However, those moments had become beautiful memories.
As the afternoon approached closing time at work, Jiang Xiaoli called: "Honey, one of my friends is having a birthday tonight; I'll be home late."
This was my first time alone at home since our marriage, aside from business trips.
Having worries but no one to confide in was an excruciating torment. I idly opened the tablet that Jiang Xiaoli used for watching shows on the bedside table, only to see her WeChat messages popping up one after another as she was logged in simultaneously.
Comment 0 Comment Count