"Where did you get this inside information?"
"What about Xiao Zheng from the distribution department? You know him, right? His brother works at the Changning branch, and this matter was handled by the head of his brother's group. Old Cai practically knelt down and begged them not to tell the school. But her husband, Old Wang, was shameless, acting all high and mighty, completely unconcerned. Honestly."
"Was he caught in bed with someone else?"
"What?! No wonder he's a professor! He has absolutely no social experience. The Changning branch was cracking down on prostitution and arrested two prostitutes. To make a good impression, the prostitutes bit him out of the house. That country bumpkin actually left his phone number with them, even his home number. Did he want to do repeat business with them?"
"Old Wang can't be that stupid, can he? There's no evidence, so he's just going to deny everything. What can we do to him if there are witnesses but no physical evidence?"
"Exactly! A scholar is useless. He admitted it on the spot, as if he couldn't wait to be arrested. Not only did he say he knew the prostitute, but he also recounted the location, how long it lasted, and what was said. You have no idea how ridiculous it was! I heard from Xiao Zheng that he was only in bed for two minutes; most of the time he was giving speeches. That two minutes wasn't what the professor told him to say; it was what the prostitute told him to say. He kept arguing with her from an economic perspective that marriage is just long-term prostitution. Just imagine what kind of image he had of his wife. Old Cai was so shrewd all her life, but she ruined it all because of her stupid husband."
Lijuan recalled that Lao Cai had asked her suspiciously a couple of days ago, "Have you heard anything?", and concluded that it was true. Lijuan fell silent.
"Don't you dare ask her! She'll hate you." "Am I crazy?! Ask her about this? Does Lao Wang's workplace even know?" "It seems not. The Public Security Bureau promised to keep it a secret; how could they go back on their word?"
Lijuan walked back to her office, finding it difficult even to smile. She thought about how Sister Cai had listened to her endless complaints and offered her solace every day, and how she had been so oblivious, unaware of the heavy burden Sister Cai carried. Sister Cai could notice even a little swelling in her own eyes, yet she hadn't noticed the terrible thing that had happened to Sister Cai's family. She felt she had truly wasted nearly thirty years of her life.
Yaping felt he had changed, become... indescribable, less attentive to Lijuan's joys and sorrows. Sometimes, he even deliberately pretended to ignore them. Before, Yaping was afraid of Lijuan; this "afraid" could largely be interpreted as love and respect. Gradually, he discovered that this "afraid" resulted in Lijuan's obliviousness and lack of consideration for others, for example, watching TV with her legs up in front of Yaping's parents. When Lijuan was alone at home, Yaping quite liked this carefree demeanor, but in front of his elders, it made him feel ashamed. In Yaping's eyes, this attitude was disrespectful to his parents, showing no regard for them. As a wife, you can be charming, lazy, even occasionally promiscuous, but as a daughter-in-law, you must show caution, a junior's humility, a sense of trepidation, just like in front of your boss at work, to demonstrate your respect for elders.
"Don't you think your wife has no manners?" Ya Ping's mother once commented on Li Juan's habit of watching TV with her legs crossed. "She has no respect for the elderly at all. When I was young, let alone crossing my legs, even speaking a little loudly would get me a dirty look from my mother-in-law. These days, daughters-in-law are really something!"
Yaping had cautiously brought up this issue with Lijuan before, but perhaps his tone was too kind and his attitude not firm enough, which made Lijuan indifferent and not take it to heart at all. "It's my own home, I want to be comfortable. Watching TV with my knees together is so tiring! What's the difference between this and going to work?" Lijuan retorted with a single sentence.
"Why doesn't your wife know any manners?" Yaping's mother whispered in Yaping's ear again. Lijuan habitually bit off the lean meat and threw the fatty meat into Yaping's bowl, or took a bite of a biscuit and stuffed the rest into Yaping's mouth. Before his parents arrived, Yaping saw this as intimacy, but in front of his parents, Yaping felt that Lijuan was frivolous.
"You can't spoil her like this! Look at her, does she even have any self-respect anymore? She's all high and mighty. Women can't be pampered too much. If you spoil her like this, she won't behave herself in public. It'll be obvious she has no manners. Her mother didn't teach her, but we can't let her not. We don't accept that kind of behavior from her. Imagine if you took her out in front of your boss, and she threw half a piece of meat, still drooling, into your bowl. What would your boss think? That you, Yaping, are incompetent! A spineless coward at home, how can you expect them to use you at work?"
Yaping began to consciously observe Lijuan's behavior and planned to spend some time gradually correcting her. The future was long, and he wanted to mold Lijuan into a refined young lady, someone he could take out in public, someone who was presentable and capable. Although Yaping himself wasn't a VIP, he didn't want to wait for the right opportunity to arise, because then it would be too late.
First, he avoided Lijuan's bad habit of trying to hug his neck as soon as she entered the room, which was also considered improper behavior. Second, he tried to ignore Lijuan's requests, such as pouring water or handing her a towel. He didn't want to appear as just a waiter in Lijuan's eyes; he wanted to at least be seen as the head of the household. Then, he began to avoid intimacy with Lijuan. He felt that Lijuan was demanding too much; a woman, a woman not even thirty, was shameless and not at all like the shy, demure women described in books. He began to find the kind of intimate encounters, where they were both dressed neatly and had their hair meticulously combed, much more attractive. He hadn't tried it yet, but he planned that when the opportunity arose, he would push Lijuan, who was leaning in close, aside and take the initiative. Also, regarding positions, he couldn't let her always be on top of him.
Then, he began to analyze Lijuan's psychology, starting a cat-and-mouse game. Before, he had always analyzed, the mouse actively offering itself, trying to please her when she was thirsty, offering her a glass of water, or becoming restless when she looked at him with desire. Now, he still analyzed, but remained still, waiting, watching her with a teasing gaze like a little mouse in a glass bottle, occasionally reaching out a paw to provoke her, enjoying this psychological advantage. Perhaps Lijuan didn't notice, but he could sense that the scales of life were shifting from one side to the other, even sometimes tilting slightly inward.
That day, Lijuan went to a women's goods store and bought a sexy nightgown that was partially hidden, with no buttons and only straps. She changed into it at home early and posed provocatively in front of the mirror, waiting for Yaping to come home.
After 11 o'clock, Yaping's heavy footsteps echoed outside the door as he went upstairs.
Lijuan hid behind the door, and as soon as she heard the sound of keys being fumbled outside, she quickly opened the door while chanting "thump thump thump," giving Yaping a bear hug. "Yaping, my darling, you're back!"
Yaping was pushed by Lijuan and slammed against the wall. Instead of putting his arm around Lijuan, he raised his hand upwards as if in surrender, saying, "Ouch, I'm falling, I'm falling."
"Are you tired? Are you hungry? I have some new Korean kimchi instant noodles at home, they look delicious."
"I'm not eating anymore. I'm tired and want to sleep."
Yaping went straight upstairs, threw her clothes at the door, and washed up.
When Yaping entered the bedroom, Lijuan was already lying on the bed in the Cleopatra pose she had planned beforehand, squinting at Yaping. However, Yaping didn't notice at all and said, "Move in a little. You're taking up the whole bed by yourself."
"Hmm," Lijuan hummed sweetly, "You're so annoying! You don't even look at me."
Yaping quickly turned around to look at Lijuan, then suddenly realized something was wrong. "Why all this erotic stuff? What's your intention?"
"What day is it today?" Lijuan asked, pinching Yaping's nose.
"What day is it?" Yaping immediately tensed up, carefully recalling every detail of the past. "It's not our wedding anniversary, it's not your birthday, it's not my birthday, it's not your parents' birthday, it's not the day we first met, and it's not the day we registered our marriage. Don't try to scam me! Don't tell me it's been a thousand days since we met, who can remember that? And don't tell me it's the day we first went to the movies together. Tell me honestly, what day is it today?"
"Oh my god!!!! You don't care about me at all!"
"I knew you'd say that next. I've installed so much of you that my memory is full and I can't fit it all in. Didn't you know that? You could have just reminded me!"
Don't you think it's particularly meaningful for me to dress like this?
"What's the point? Oh! I see! You're imitating Marilyn Monroe, aren't you? Is today Monroe's birthday?"
"You damned Li Yaping, do you believe I'll kill you with a knife?" Lijuan's voice was filled with hateful coquettishness as she grabbed Yaping's neck. "You're definitely doing this on purpose! You know my belly perfectly well, but you're pretending to be clueless. Today marks one month since my miscarriage. You haven't touched me for a whole month, and you haven't missed me at all? If you haven't missed me, then there's something wrong with you! Humph!"
"Oh dear! I'm so busy I'm confused. Being an official is no good! There are too many things to worry about, and when you're worrying about everything, you end up worrying about nothing yourself."
"You rascal! I was going to remind you yesterday, but you came back too late and I was half asleep, so I forgot. But it's alright, consider this a pleasant surprise. Come on, baby."
"Oh dear, let me prepare myself mentally and get myself emotional. I'm ashamed to be naked together like this all of a sudden."
"Pah! When have you ever not been naked in front of me? And now you're pretending to be a gentleman?"
"No, no, I'm not in the mood yet. I'm afraid you'll laugh at me. Let me take a shower and smell nice before I do it." "Go ahead! Want to do it together? I didn't dare when your parents were here."
"No need, we don't know what time it will be if we go together. I'll be right back. It's getting late, and I have to go to work tomorrow."
Lijuan lay on the bed, her heart pounding with anxiety; those 10 minutes felt like 10 hours.
Half an hour later, Yaping returned, yawning and looking exhausted. He lay down next to Lijuan and said, "My dear wife, please forgive me. I'm really too tired today. If you keep pushing me like this, I can only do a mediocre job. You're a woman, so you probably don't understand what it means to have the will but not the strength. My mind is full of things to do tomorrow, and I can't concentrate."
Lijuan's burning desire had nowhere to be extinguished; the work she had been preparing for all day had turned into a lukewarm, unfulfilled passion. She gave Yaping a look of utter resentment and said, "Then you should get some rest!"
"Baby, tomorrow. I'll come back early tomorrow and wait for you in bed, okay?" Yaping smiled as he fell asleep, not forgetting to kiss Lijuan's cheek.
In the early hours of the morning, as dawn was breaking, Yaping woke up, half-asleep, and smiled at the sleeping Lijuan with one corner of his mouth raised, before secretly groping around.
Lijuan snorted and turned her back, her expression one of subconscious rejection.
Yaping woke up and began to move slowly, watching Lijuan go from being fast asleep to slightly awake, and then unconsciously open her legs. Then, with a sense of conquering joy, Yaping leaped up and began to move slowly, gradually increasing the speed at Lijuan's gentle calls.
Chen Xiaofan, Lijuan's best friend before marriage, was one of the few loyal companions she could call anytime after marriage. With other people, if you tried to get close to them and ask them out shopping, the answer would be either "going to the movies with my husband that night" or "reading picture books to the kids." But Xiaofan, whenever you called, would always reply, "Sure! You name the time and place."
To call her loyal is a lie; she's got nothing better to do. At 18, a typical 18, she's always alone, and the only thing she seems to have is a lack of potential suitors. As for those who aren't considered potential suitors, she's always been indifferent to them.