Translator: 549690339
Yu Mingyiâs home was in Qiang City. He originally wanted his wife and their son, not yet two years old, Panpan, to live with him in the apartment provided by his employer. But his wife, Wang Xiaohong, disagreed.
Yu Mingyi had the means to have his wife and son live with him, but Wang Xiaohong didnât like the apartments offered by the employer. In Qiang City, just like his elder brother Yu Minglang, he had bought a two-story building from his eldest brother. Wang Xiaohong had her mother live with her. Moreover, in Qiang City, her job at her brother-in-lawâs company had excellent benefits and conditions. She wasnât willing to move.
So every time Yu Mingyi had time off, he would make the drive of over two hours to go home to see his wife and son.
A home, for many people, should be a warm and welcoming place to return to.
But each time he drove into the boundaries of Qiang City, Yu Mingyiâs heart would feel heavy. Each return felt more miserable than the previous one.
The Soup House with a private courtyard was a place where only the very rich resided.
The combined villas looked quite similar in appearance. Yu Mingyi could find his home even with his eyes closed. Not because he was too homesick, but as long as he could hear the chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, and cats all calling together, he knew where his home was.
His mother-in-law moved in from the countryside, and a large family lived in his house, raising a lot of poultry in the yard. His birth mother would sometimes come over to visit, but it became less frequent after she was chased and nipped by a large goose in the yard.
Yu Mingyi stood at the doorway, adjusting his mood, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
His brother-in-law, who also happened to be the clerk Wang Xiaobo, followed him in. Just as Yu Mingyi just stepped into the house, a feather duster whizzed toward him. He swerved to dodge it.
His wife sat on the sofa, crying hoarsely. His mother-in-law was calmly advising her from the side.
âXiaohong, stop crying. If you cry yourself sick, who else apart from your mother would care?â
âYu Mingyi, you are not a human!â Wang Xiaohong was sobbing, wiping her runny nose and tears.
Yi Mingyu had long grown accustomed to these noisy scenes. His eyes scanned the room and landed on his son, who sat in a baby stroller in the living room, crying at the top of his lungs. He walked straight over, picked his son up, and patted him gently.
âWhatâs the matter this time?â If Wang Xiaohong didnât make a fuss on his return, that would be the real surprise. He was used to it.
âYou cold-hearted man, while Iâm at home taking care of our child, youâre out there messing around with other women!â Wang Xiaohong aggressively took the tissues her mother handed her and blew her nose.
She spoke so loud that the baby in Yi Mingyuâs arms began to wrinkle his little brows. He hardly spoke any words at close to two years old. Yuri Mingyi had always been worried about his son and did not want to argue with Wang Xiaohong in front of him.
Based on years of marriage and experience, for every one word he spoke, Wang Xiaohong had at least ten words in retaliation. Over the years, he had learned to remain silent in the face of quarrels. When she was done crying and fussing, she would calm down.
Seeing Yu Mingyi not saying a word, heading upstairs with their son in his arms only made Wang Xiaohong wail louder. She continued to vent her grievances to her mother.
Yu Mingyi carried his son upstairs, into the bedroom and then gently shut the door behind them. This isolated the crying and nagging from downstairs. With his bony son in his arms, a gentle expression finally softened his austere face. Despite being almost two, his son was small and skinny compared to his peers, and responded sensitively to the smallest of things. He didnât say many words yet, but he knew a few very simple ones.
âDaddyâ¦â It was one of the few words his son knew. The boy was very attached to Yu Mingyi. Even though they didnât interact as often, the boy was always very happy to see him.
Yu Mingyi held him, gently patting his back, walking a few rounds in the room. The child nestled his tear-streaked face into his fatherâs chest and fell asleep.
Yu Mingyi placed his son back onto the bed and had just tucked him in when the door was abruptly kicked open, and Wang Xiaohong rushed in, tears streaming down her face.
âYu Mingyi, youâd better explain things to me today, or else weâre getting a divorce!â
Here we go again⦠Yu Mingyi glanced at his sleeping son, gently patting him twice before he turned to Wang Xiaohong saying, âLetâs talk outside.â
âWhy should I go outside?! This is my house!â Wang Xiaohong was still fuming.
âLetâs go.â Yu Mingyi rarely used a stern tone at home. Wang Xiaohong, knowing he was tolerant, continued to act out, but when she heard his displeasure she quietened, left the room, and Yu Mingyi looked at his sonâs thin face before finally getting up to leave.
After entering another room, Wang Xiaohong looked at Yu Mingyiâs expression considering his mood before continuing to speak.
âWhy are you so late? Didnât you say youâd be home by the morning?â
âSomething came up.â
âWhat could be so important? Going to see your collegiate mistress! Even giving her your phone number! Yu Mingyi, how have I wronged you? Why are you doing this? Youâre barely ever home, and havenât I kept my complaints to a minimum?â
âHave you really?â
Wang Xiaohong paused, she indeed hadnât stopped complaining, but that wasnât the point.
âHow long has it been going on with that woman? When did you meet her and how far have things progressed? If you donât tell me clearly today, Iâll go to your family. Iâll carry Panpan and let your father judge between us. Let him see that none of the men of the Yu family are good people!â
Wang Xiaohong went straight to the point; she tended to speak her mind when she got heated.
âDonât drag my family into this.â Yu Mingyi had grown immune to her fiery outbreaks. He usually turned a blind eye, as long as she didnât involve his family.
âWhatâs wrong with talking about your family? Yu Mingyi, your family members look down on me. You let them bully me, you also look down on me, so you go out looking for college girls.â
Wang Xiaohong felt wronged. Everyone envied her, thinking she had married into a wealthy family, but she felt she was always treading on eggshells. Her husband barely came home, and his family was of no help at all.
âMy mother spoke to me about it; your sisterâs education does not qualify her to work in the hospital. Itâs not about disrespecting you or anything, and could you stop imagining things about any college girl?â
Pointless conversations and arguments like these seemed to happen every so often.
âHow is her education not enough? Sheâs been in medical school for years, isnât your mother the vice president? Itâs just a word for her, so how come itâs not possible? She simply disrespects my family!â
âThatâs a hospital. It just underwent a reform this year, requiring that nurses must have a college degree. Your sister could continue her studies and test for a college level degree later on.â
Yu Mingyi wasnât a man skilled in explanations. For Wang Xiaohong, he always had a bit more patience. Not only because this woman was the one he insisted on marrying, despite objections, he felt a responsibility towards her.
Mostly because caring for Wang Xiaohong was a promise to his brother. The path he chose for himself, no matter how difficult, he decided to stick it out till the end..