Before evening, Jiang Jin drove her back. She got out carrying a cake and quickly walked back to the clinic. Nodding to the father and son busy at the consultation desk, she went straight upstairs.
Upstairs, Mother Sun was pontificating, saying nowadays when dating, the most reliable method was to look at both parties’ elders. If the other party’s elders were reasonable, refined people, the child wouldn’t be too bad. But if the other family’s relationships were a complete mess, then you had to observe this child more carefully, couldn’t blindly rush into marriage.
“Take Ke Yong—your father and I didn’t like him at all from the start. The way he looked at people wasn’t magnanimous…” As she spoke, Eldest Sister-in-law frantically signaled her with her eyes.
Mother Sun abruptly changed the subject. “Hey… didn’t Zhou Yu say she’d come back today?”
Eldest Sister-in-law responded, “The school issued a notice requiring all teachers and students to be in the province for fourteen days before school starts. She’ll definitely come back today.”
“Then perhaps she went to the family compound first?”
“Possibly.”
Sun Jingfei put the cake in the refrigerator, tied on an apron, and started helping cook, saying whatever works, not taking your bait.
Mother Sun struck first, saying it was really rare—buying a cake to celebrate a divorce! After saying this, she dropped a line, “I’m going to buy sesame oil.” She nimbly went downstairs. Her steps were too fast. Not watching carefully, she missed a step. Fortunately, she cleverly grabbed the railing and didn’t roll down. Then with lingering fear, she cursed at Sun Jingfei—damn you! Always appearing silently, scaring people to death!
Sun Jingfei efficiently cut meat, marinated meat, preparing to fry small crispy pork. Eldest Sister-in-law was selecting vegetables beside her. She couldn’t help making small talk with her, asking if splitting the assets fifty-fifty, could she swallow this anger?
“What can’t I swallow? Things that can be solved with money aren’t problems.” Sun Jingfei said, “We worked so hard to save Eldest Brother, didn’t he still leave just the same?”
Eldest Sister-in-law froze for a moment and didn’t make a sound.
Sun Jingfei sensed something was wrong and said again, “I didn’t mean anything by it. How can everything go smoothly? As long as Ke Yu is willing to stay with me, what does money matter?”
“For our marriage to reach this point, I definitely bear responsibility. Nothing more to say. Besides, if I take this matter with him to court, I won’t get anything good out of it either.”
“Why?” Eldest Sister-in-law didn’t understand.
“The lawyer said in my situation I could demand divorce damages, but wanting the man to leave with nothing is simply impossible.” Sun Jingfei said while cutting vegetables, “It would be too easy to destroy Ke Yong—just report him for prostitution when he’s at a hotel. I did do that at first, but the moment the call connected, I hung up.”
Eldest Sister-in-law was shocked and couldn’t speak for a long time.
Sun Jingfei looked at her. “I was afraid that in a desperate struggle, dragging myself in would be a small matter, but what if he became desperate and came to the clinic with a knife… the old and young, a whole houseful of people. I couldn’t take that gamble.”
Then she slowly talked about something from two years ago. “That day his sister asked to borrow money, saying she’d return it in a month. I said no problem, but even with a good relationship, you still need to write an IOU, right? He was driving at the time. We argued for a few sentences. Just then a car wanted to cut in line, and he crashed into that car! We were arguing about family matters, and he vented his anger by crashing into someone else’s car… After sixteen years of marriage, I don’t dare say I understand him.”
“These past two years my mentality has changed, especially after Eldest Brother left. My courage has gotten smaller and smaller.” Sun Jingfei said calmly, “Money lost can be earned back. Bringing a disaster into the family is the greater crime. Besides, I was indecisive about this divorce matter—I played a good hand badly.”
Eldest Sister-in-law fell silent, not responding for a moment. A few days ago, Lin Jing had chatted idly with her, also saying Sun Jingfei’s divorce was a good hand played terribly. She said if it were her, she could make Ke Yong leave with nothing. From the moment she caught him cheating, directly throw out the evidence, cut the Gordian knot—negotiate conditions while he still had some guilt was the best timing. Now the two had been tearing at each other for half a year. All affection and guilt were exhausted. At this point, what use was Sun Jingfei throwing out evidence? Then she said none of the Sun family would do—if your heart isn’t ruthless, you can’t accomplish great things.
Eldest Sister-in-law just listened. Everyone could be rational and objective about others’ affairs, commenting with authority. But when it came to themselves, it was just as messy. Otherwise, with Lin Jing’s personality, she would have taken the money and divorced long ago. How could she be separating and reconciling, tangled and entangled with Second?
Over there, Sun Jingfei tagged Zhou Yu in the group chat, asking if she’d come back. Zhou Yu replied, “At the family compound. I’ll come over in the evening.”
Sun Jingfei instructed her, “You handle the important things first. Remember to buy a bottle of red wine when you come back. I just forgot.”
Zhou Yu replied, “Alright.”
Sun Jingfei put down her phone, casually tied up her hair, and called to her, “Sister-in-law.”
Eldest Sister-in-law looked at her.
“Mom said last month someone introduced you to someone. Why didn’t you meet them?” Sun Jingfei said, “If you meet someone suitable, Eldest Brother would be willing for you to meet too.”
“Who does he think he is?” Eldest Sister-in-law threw the vegetables into the basin. “Left such a mess and walked away, and still wants to control me?”
“You should meet them. Not for anyone else, just for yourself.” Sun Jingfei said.
“I don’t have that inclination.” Eldest Sister-in-law said while washing vegetables, “The good ones don’t like me, the bad ones I don’t like. Being alone is so good—don’t have to serve anyone.”
“Being alone is indeed comfortable.” Sun Jingfei agreed.
“Do you have that inclination?” Eldest Sister-in-law looked at her.
“What inclination?”
“Remarriage.”
“Remarry my ass!” Sun Jingfei was enjoying herself. “Messing around alone is so comfortable—mess with one today, another tomorrow…”
Before she finished, Eldest Sister-in-law hit her shoulder. “You really speak without restraint, lawless.”
Sun Jingfei seriously replied to her, “I’ll introduce you to one later.”
Eldest Sister-in-law blushed and spat at her. “Old indecent thing!”
Sun Jingfei laughed loudly.
Eldest Sister-in-law couldn’t hold back and also laughed. “The forest is really big—all kinds of women exist! Messing around… playing with men… I can’t believe you can say it out loud.”
While the sisters-in-law were talking nonsense on this side, over there Mother Sun was carrying a jug of sesame oil and a large watermelon weighing about twenty-some pounds, walking and resting all the way back from the grain and oil market. The watermelon was heavy, straining her hands. They said it was from Ningxia—each one twenty to thirty pounds.
Mother Sun wiped the sweat from her forehead, hands on her hips, resting for a bit. This time she truly admitted she was old. Last year she could carry such a watermelon home in one breath. Now for half a mile she had to rest three or four times.
Sun Youping, coming out to use the public toilet, saw her and came over from afar. First taking the sesame oil from her hands, he said there was still watermelon in the fridge—why buy such a big one? Mother Sun said, “Third loves eating this melon. Last time he was clamoring to eat it. That half watermelon in the fridge—those kids scooped out all the heart.”
The old couple talked, each holding one side of the bag, working together to carry the watermelon home.
Upstairs, Sun Jingfei saw and said, “On such a hot day, why buy such a big watermelon?”
“I wanted to buy it.” Mother Sun found a large washbasin and soaked the watermelon in it.
“You’re also looking for trouble. Later when you’re exhausted, you’ll complain again. So heavy—I don’t know how you carried it back.” Sun Jingfei said.
Mother Sun only focused on soaking the watermelon and didn’t respond to her.
Zhou Yu arrived at the family compound at noon, just running into Feng Yiqun coming out to dump garbage. She wanted to take the large backpack from her shoulder. Zhou Yu shook her head. “Not heavy, just two sets of clothes.”