That night, Shi Jun was lost in thought and didn't know when he finally fell asleep.
When Shijun woke up, he saw that Shuhui was still fast asleep, with cigarette ash scattered on the sheets. He didn't wake him, thinking that he had already disturbed him yesterday and prevented him from sleeping well. Shijun got up and ate breakfast at the same table as Shuhui's parents and sister. Shijun asked her if she had passed her school entrance exam. Her mother smiled and said, "She passed."
"Your husband is really good." After finishing his meal, Shijun went to check on things, but there was still no sign of Shuhui. So he told Mrs. Xu that he had gone out early in the morning to Manzhen's house.
Upon arriving at the Gu family home, as usual, the lodger's old woman opened the door and let him in. Upstairs was quiet; Old Mrs. Gu was eating porridge alone in the front room. Seeing him, she smiled and said, "Oh, so early today! When did you arrive in Shanghai?" Ever since Manzhen's trip to Nanjing, her grandmother and mother believed their marriage was a done deal, with the rings as proof, so the old lady was particularly warm towards him. She called to the next room, "Manzhen, get up quickly! Guess who's here?" Shijun laughed, "Not up yet? Son." Shijun laughed, "Shuhui is just as lazy as you. He hadn't even started his business when I came out." Manzhen laughed, "Yes, he's just like me. We're all employees, unlike you bosses." Shijun laughed, "Are you cursing over there?" Manzhen chuckled from the other room. The old lady laughed, "Get up quickly! It's too much trouble shouting like this across the room."
After finishing her breakfast, the old lady tidied up the empty bowls on the table, stacking them together. She smiled at Shijun and said, "You say you're early? My children are even earlier than you; they've already gone out to watch ball games." Shijun asked, "Where's your aunt?" The old lady replied, "At Manzhen's sister's house. Her sister hasn't been feeling well these past few days, so she took her mother there. She stayed there last night and hasn't come back." Mentioning Manzhen's sister touched a nerve with Shijun, and a shadow immediately fell over his face.
The old lady took the dishes downstairs to wash them. Manzhen, in the inner room, dressed while talking to Shijun, asking how things were at home these past few days and if her nephew's illness had improved. Shijun forced a cheerful tone in his answers and also told her about Yipeng and Cuizhi's contract termination. Manzhen said, "It's really unexpected. We were having a happy meal together, who knew it would turn out like this?" Shijun laughed, "Ah, very dramatic." Manzhen said, "I think these people watch too many movies; sometimes they do things just for the sake of acting." Shijun laughed, "That's certainly true."
Manzhen washed her face and went to the front room to comb her hair. Shijun looked at her reflection in the mirror and suddenly said, "You and your sister don't look alike at all." Manzhen replied, "I don't think so either. But sometimes we don't look alike ourselves, but outsiders can tell we're family as soon as they see us." He remained silent. Manzhen glanced at him and smiled, "What? Has anyone said I look like my sister? Someone who knows your sister." Manzhen was startled and said, "Oh, no wonder he said he felt like he'd seen me somewhere before when he saw me!"
Shijun relayed to her everything his mother had told him. Manzhen listened, but felt a bit disgusted, because her father, such a seemingly respectable man, was actually a womanizer. After Shijun finished speaking, she asked, "So what did you say?" Shijun replied, "I simply denied that you had a sister." Manzhen's face showed a hint of disbelief. Shijun then said, "Actually, your sister's affairs have nothing to do with you. You went straight to office work after graduating from school. But explaining these things to them would never be clear in a lifetime, so it's better to just deny everything."
Manzhen was silent for a moment before smiling faintly and saying, "Actually, my sister is married now. If I told your father the truth, maybe he wouldn't be so stubborn—and my sister is so wealthy now." Shijun said, "Well—my father isn't the kind of person who only cares about money. It's not a good idea to keep it from him like this. It's impossible to hide it from him. He'll just ask around in our alley." Shijun said, "I've thought of that too. I think it would be best to move. So I brought some money with me. Moving will cost a lot, won't it?" He took out two stacks of banknotes from his pocket and smiled, "This is what I saved up while I was in Shanghai." Manzhen looked at the money but didn't say anything. Shijun urged her, "Put it away first, don't let the old lady see it, she'll wonder what's going on." As he spoke, he pulled a newspaper from the table and covered the banknotes. Manzhen said, "So, will your father and my sister still see each other in the future?" Shi Jun paused for a moment and said, "We can see how things go later. For now, we have no choice but to—stop associating with her." Manzhen said, "How am I supposed to explain this to her?"
Shi Jun remained silent. He seemed to be engrossed in reading a newspaper on the table. Man Zhen said, "I can't hurt her any more. She has already sacrificed so much for us." Shi Jun said, "I've always felt very sympathetic towards your sister's background, but most people's views are different from ours. Sometimes, when you're living in society, you can't help but—" Man Zhen interrupted him before he could finish, "Sometimes you can't help but have some courage."
Shijun remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "I know you must think I'm too weak, ever since I resigned." Actually, a large part of his resignation was for her. He truly felt an unspeakable grievance.
Manzhen remained silent, so Shijun spoke again in a low voice, "I know you must be very disheartened by me." He thought to himself: You must be regretting it. You must be feeling regret now that you think of Mu Jin. Manzhen, however, knew nothing of this. She said, "I'm not disheartened, but I really hope you tell me the truth: do you still want to work? I don't think you're content to stay at home and live your whole life like your father." Shijun said, "My father is just a bit old-fashioned; he doesn't deserve to be looked down upon like this!" Manzhen said, "When did I look down on him? You're the one looking down on people! I don't think my sister has anything shameful about her. She's not wrong; it's this unreasonable society that has forced her to this state. If we're talking about immorality, I don't know who's more immoral, the client or the prostitute!"
Shijun felt she didn't have to be so harsh. He could only remain silent, sitting there in anguish that lasted on and on.
Manzhen suddenly took off the ring from her hand and placed it in front of him, saying with a wry smile, "It's not worth worrying about it like this." Something seemed off.
Shi Jun paused for a moment, then finally smiled and said, "What are you doing? You were just saying that other people were acting, now you want to experience acting too." Man Zhen didn't answer. Shi Jun saw her pale, tense face, and his expression slowly changed as well. He picked up the ring on the table and casually tossed it into the wastebasket.
He stood up, grabbed his coat hood with a clatter, and left. Trying to calm himself, he picked up a cup of tea from the table and gulped it down. But he still felt cold, as if his muscles had lost all control. As he left, he casually closed the door behind him, only to have it slam shut with a loud "bang!" That "bang!" sent a jolt through both him and Manzhen.
It was cold. A cup of hot tea was finished, but the empty glass still steamed, like a person breathing. In the chilly air, a few wisps of thin white smoke drifted from the glass. Manzhen stared blankly. The teacup he drank from was still warm, but he was long gone, never to return.
She burst into tears. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, she couldn't help but sob. She collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow, unable to breathe. She felt better than to suffocate; she just had to stifle the crying so her grandmother wouldn't hear.
Upon hearing this, they inevitably came to inquire and offer advice, for she simply couldn't bear it.
Fortunately, her grandmother was downstairs the whole time. Later, she heard her grandmother's footsteps coming upstairs, so she quickly pulled over a newspaper, intending to lie down in bed and read it, covering her face. As soon as she pulled the newspaper over, she saw two stacks of banknotes on the table. Her grandmother would have thought it strange, so she quickly stuffed the banknotes under her pillow.
Her grandmother came in and asked, "Why did Shijun leave?" Manzhen replied, "He had something to do." The old lady said, "He's not coming for dinner? I specially bought some meat for him. The old maid downstairs went to the market and I asked her to bring us a pound of meat. I'm grateful for her kindness! I also washed too much rice. If your mother doesn't come back now, she's unlikely to come back for dinner either."
She kept muttering to herself, and Manzhen didn't respond, continuing to read her newspaper. Suddenly, she heard a "crunch," the sound of an elderly person's joints cracking. Her grandmother laboriously squatted down to sift through the wastepaper basket to light the coal stove. Manzhen grew anxious, remembering her ring in the wastepaper basket. She had initially thought it was possible Manzhen had seen it, but even as she was thinking this, Manzhen exclaimed, "Hey, isn't this your ring?"
"How did it fall into the wastepaper basket?" Manzhen had no choice but to sit up abruptly, laughing, "Oh dear, it must have been a piece of paper I threw away just now. This ring is too big, it just slipped off. Child, how could you be so careless? What if you lost it? Wouldn't people be angry? Look at you, acting like nothing happened!" She scolded her thoroughly, lifted her apron, wiped the dust off the ring, and handed it to her, which she couldn't refuse. Her grandmother added, "The yarn wrapped around it is all dirty. Take it off, and don't wear it anymore. Take it to the shop to have it tightened before wearing it again." Manzhen remembered the scene of Shijun tearing a piece of yarn from his tattered brown sweater and wrapping it around her ring. Thinking of it now, her heart felt like it was being pierced by a thousand arrows.
Her grandmother had gone downstairs to light the stove. Manzhen found a drawer that wasn't often opened and tossed the ring inside. But later, when she heard her mother return, she put the ring back on, because her mother was always very attentive to such places and would definitely ask if she was missing something. Her mother wasn't as easily evasive as her grandmother; after all, her grandmother was old.
As soon as Mrs. Gu returned, she said, "Our doorbell is broken. I was wondering why no one answered after ringing it for so long." The old lady said, "Shijun came by earlier and it was still working! He left again after a while. —Are you coming over for dinner later?" She was only thinking about that pound of meat. Manzhen said, "Not sure. Mom, is my sister feeling any better?" Mrs. Gu shook her head and sighed, "I think her illness is really bad. Didn't she say she had a stomach problem before? This time, I heard her say that it's not a stomach problem, but tuberculosis worms that have crawled into her intestines."
The old lady exclaimed, "Oh dear!" Manzhen was also stunned and said, "Is it intestinal tuberculosis?" Mrs. Gu whispered again, "The son-in-law is never home. He has the nerve to leave someone in the family so sick and not care at all!" The old lady also whispered, "Her illness is caused by anger!" Mrs. Gu said, "I feel sorry for her. She hasn't had a single comfortable day in her life. People say that three taels of gold bring four taels of fortune. Is this child really so unlucky?" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
The old lady went downstairs to cook, but Mrs. Gu stopped her and said, "Mom, I'll go cook."
The old lady said, "You should rest for a while—you just got back." Mrs. Gu sat down and said to Manzhen, "Your sister misses you a lot and keeps talking about you. Go see her when you have time. Oh, but Shijun is here these two days, so you can't get away." Manzhen said, "It's alright, I'm going to see my sister too." That's not good. He came all the way to Shanghai, and you're not even going to spend time with him. Go see your sister a few days later. Patients are always like this; whatever they want to eat or who they want to see, they want it all to be right in front of them; but once it's actually there, they might find it annoying. After sitting and chatting for a while, Mrs. Gu finally put on her apron and went downstairs to help the old lady cook. After dinner, there were several sheets to wash, which Mrs. Gu wanted to finish before the New Year. There were also many dirty clothes that couldn't be kept for the holiday. The old lady could only wash the smaller items. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law busied themselves with washing clothes after dinner. Manzhen was alone in the room, lost in thought. Mrs. Gu assumed she was waiting for Shijun. Actually, deep down, she probably still had a lingering expectation that he would come. Could it really be that he would never come again? She couldn't believe it. But if he did come, he must be conflicted. The doorbell rang, but no one answered. He probably thought it was intentional and would leave. It just so happened that the doorbell broke today of all times. This added another worry to Manzhen's mind.
She usually stood by the window watching him come, but today she didn't want to do that. She just sat in the room, leaning back, reading the newspaper, and looking at her fingernails. The sun's shadow was already slanting, but Shijun still hadn't come. He was so sullen, and she was sullen too—even if he came, she wouldn't open the door for him. But fate seemed to be playing a trick on her; no sooner had she made this decision than she heard a knock at the door. Her mother and grandmother were washing clothes in the bathroom, so they couldn't hear it. The maid downstairs must have gone out too, otherwise, she wouldn't have let the knocking go on and on. She would have to open the door herself; should she go or not? In that moment of hesitation, she realized it was the sound of chopping meat in the kitchen—she initially thought someone was knocking. She couldn't help but feel lost.
Her grandmother suddenly shouted from the other side, "Come and see, your mother has twisted her back." Manzhen rushed over and saw her mother leaning against the door, groaning.
Her grandmother said, "I don't know how she got so worked up." Manzhen said, "Mom, I've told you so many times, the sheets should still be sent outside to be washed." The old lady also said, "You're not good either, you're too greedy, you want to wash them all in one day. Because it's almost New Year's, if you don't wash them now, you'll have to wash them again during the New Year." Manzhen said, "Alright, alright, Mom, why don't you lie down and rest?" She helped her to lie down on the bed. The old lady said, "I think you should find a doctor specializing in traumatology to take a look, he can fix it." Mrs. Gu didn't want to spend the money, so she said, "It's alright, I'll be fine after a couple of days of rest." Manzhen frowned but didn't say anything, she took off her shoes, covered her with the quilt, and took a towel to dry her wet hand. Mrs. Gu listened attentively on the pillow and said, "Is someone knocking on the door?"
"How come you can't hear me, but I can?" Actually, Manzhen had already heard it, but she thought to herself that she might have misheard again, so she didn't say anything.
Mrs. Gu said, "Go and see." Just then, the guest came upstairs. The old lady went out to greet him, and as soon as she came out, she laughed loudly, "Oh, you've come! How are you?" The guest smiled and called out, "Grandma." The old lady smiled and said, "You've come at the right time. Your cousin's wife has twisted her back. Take a look at her." She then led him into the inner room. Mrs. Gu quickly propped herself up and sat up, wrapped in the quilt. The old lady said, "Don't move. Mu Jin isn't an outsider." Mu Jin asked and learned that she had twisted her back from washing too many clothes, so she said, "You can soak it in hot water. Do you have any turpentine at home? Just rub it in with some turpentine and it'll be fine." She poured Mu Jin a cup of tea.
Seeing Mu Jin, she couldn't help but think of how happy she was when he last visited. Only a month or two had passed; life is truly unpredictable. She felt a little lost again.
The old lady asked Mu Jin when he had arrived in Shanghai. Mu Jin smiled and said, "I've been here for over a week. I just haven't had time to come—" He then took out two wedding invitations and handed them over somewhat shyly. Mrs. Gu smiled and said, "Oh, you're inviting us to your wedding?" The old lady smiled and said, "Yes, it's time for you to get married!" Mrs. Gu asked, "Which family is the bride from?" Manzhen smiled and opened the invitations; the date was tomorrow, and the bride's surname was Chen. The old lady asked again, "Did you meet in your hometown?" Mu Jin smiled and said, "No. It was during my last trip to Shanghai that I stayed at a friend's house for two days, and he introduced us. We've been corresponding ever since." Manzhen couldn't help but think, "Meeting, corresponding, and then getting married, and so quickly, in less than two months—" She knew Mu Jin had experienced some kind of shock here last time, but she hadn't expected that meeting his sister later would also be a shock. She thought it was entirely because of her that he reacted so strongly, leading him to marry someone else so quickly. But in any case, it was a good thing, and she should be happy for him. However, today she happened to be preoccupied with something on her mind, and the more she tried to appear cheerful, the less she could smile. Not smiling wasn't an option either, and people didn't know she had other sad things on her mind, or they might even think she was upset because of his marriage.
She smiled at Mu Jin and said, "Are you planning to stay in Shanghai for a while after you get married?"
Mu Jin smiled and said, "I have to go back tomorrow." Seeing Manzhen again on the eve of his wedding, he had mixed feelings. He sat for a while and then wanted to leave, saying, "I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer, I have many things to do."
Manzhen smiled and said, "If you hadn't told us sooner, maybe we could have helped." Although her smile was so bright it made her cheeks ache, Mu Jin still felt something was off about her today. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying. He had noticed it as soon as he arrived. He hadn't seen Shijun today; had she and Shijun fallen out? — He couldn't think any further. He was getting married tomorrow, yet he was still concerned about other people's affairs; he didn't know what that meant.
He stood up, picked up his hat, and smiled, "Come early tomorrow." Mrs. Gu smiled and said, "I'll definitely come to congratulate you tomorrow." The old maid below called up, "Mrs. Gu, someone from your eldest daughter's family has arrived!" Manzhen was already disheartened, thinking Shijun would never come, but hearing it wasn't him, she was disappointed once again. Mrs. Gu was startled to hear it was someone from Manlu's family, guessing that Manlu's condition had worsened. She threw off the covers, put her feet on the floor to find her shoes, and said repeatedly, "Who is it? Tell him to come up." Manzhen went out and saw it was the Zhu family's chauffeur. The chauffeur came upstairs and stood outside the door, saying, "Madam, our mistress asked me to come and pick you up again." What is it?
Mrs. Gu said, "I'll go right now." Old Mrs. Gu asked, "Are you sure you can go?" Mrs. Gu replied, "I can." Manzhen said to the coachman, "Alright, you can get off now." Mrs. Gu then said to Manzhen, "You can come with me too." Manzhen responded and helped her slowly stand up. As she stood up, the pain in her spine was excruciating, making her feel nauseous and want to vomit, but she dared not groan out loud, afraid that others would stop her from going.
Mrs. Gu initially didn't want to tell Mu Jin much about Manlu's serious illness, especially since they were so happy about their upcoming wedding; wouldn't that be taboo? However, Old Mrs. Gu couldn't hold back and had already told him everything. Mu Jin asked what illness it was, and Mrs. Gu recounted it to him from the beginning, omitting how heartless and cruel Manlu's husband had been, disregarding her life and death. Thinking about Manlu's utter misery while Mu Jin was filled with joy, about to be a groom, she wondered how Manlu could be so unlucky—her mother's tears streamed down her face as she spoke.
Mu Jin had no words to comfort her, only saying, "Why did you suddenly become so ill?" Seeing Mrs. Gu crying, he suddenly realized that Manzhen's red eyes must also be due to the deep bond between siblings. He then felt his earlier guess was ridiculously absurd. They were about to visit the patient, and he was only taking up their time, so he quickly nodded to them and left. As he walked out the back door, he saw a brand-new car parked outside, presumably Manlu's. He glanced at it.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Gu and Manzhen got into the car and drove towards Hongqiao Road.
Mrs. Gu wiped away her tears and said, "I didn't want to say these things to Mu Jin just now." Manzhen said, "That's alright. But I think we shouldn't mention his marriage when we see my sister. She's sick and can't handle the shock." Mrs. Gu nodded in agreement.
Upon arriving at the Zhu family home, the eldest daughter, Abao, greeted them as if they were seeing family. She immediately began telling them about her son-in-law, how infuriating he was, having been missing for days and whom she had searched everywhere for, but to no avail. She chattered incessantly, gesturing wildly. Leading them into Manlu's room, she approached the bed and quietly called out, "Eldest Miss, Madam and Second Miss are here." Madam Gu whispered, "Don't wake her if she's asleep." Just then, Manlu slightly opened her eyes. Seeing her pale face and barely breathing, Madam Gu realized she hadn't been like this that morning and felt a pang of anxiety. She bent down and touched Manlu's forehead, asking, "How are you feeling right now?" Manlu closed her eyes again. Madam Gu could only stare at her blankly. Manzhen asked Abao in a low voice, "Has the doctor come yet?" Manlu spoke up, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, saying, "Yes, he came. He said tonight—we need to be especially careful—" Mrs. Gu thought to herself, judging from the doctor's tone, it was as if tonight was a critical moment. This doctor was too reckless; how could he say such things to the patient himself? But then she thought, she couldn't blame the doctor. Wasn't there a responsible person in the family? Who else could she tell if not her? Manzhen thought the same thing, and the mother and daughter exchanged a silent glance.
Manzhen reached out to help her mother, saying, "Mom, lean back on the sofa." Manlu, however, was very attentive and asked, "What's wrong, Mom?" Manzhen replied, "She twisted her waist just now."
Manlu, lying on the bed, looked up at her mother and said, "Actually, I knew you didn't need to come. With my second sister here, it's the same." Mrs. Gu said, "What's wrong with me? I just overexerted myself. I'll be fine after a rest." Manlu remained silent for a long time, finally saying, "You should go back later. If you get tired again, it will make me feel bad." Mrs. Gu thought: She's so sick herself, yet she still cares for me so much. At times like these, you can see a person's true heart. With a heart like hers, she shouldn't be a short-lived person." Thinking this, she felt a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes. Fortunately, Manlu had her eyes closed and didn't see it. Manzhen helped Mrs. Gu sit down with difficulty on the sofa. Abao brought in tea and turned on the light. With the light on, it felt like night was approaching. The critical moment the doctor had mentioned had arrived; they didn't know if they could get through it safely. Mrs. Gu and Manzhen sat under the light, both feeling somewhat lost.
Manzhen thought, "Although the conflict with Shijun this time was caused by my sister, it was actually because of his bad attitude. Lately, I've felt that there's been some distance between us in our thinking. So even if my sister dies, the problem still won't be solved." She repeatedly told herself that it wouldn't matter if her sister died, and then she began to doubt herself a little. Was she still hoping for her sister's death? Manzhen immediately felt that this thought was a sin, and she felt extremely ashamed.
Abao invited them to dinner, which was held in an informal restaurant upstairs, just the mother and daughter. Mrs. Gu asked, "Where's Zhaodi?" Abao replied, "She never sits at the table." Mrs. Gu insisted on inviting her to join them. Abao had no choice but to bring the child over. Mrs. Gu laughed, "This child, why haven't I seen her grow taller?" Abao smiled and said, "Yes, she was just this tall when she first came. Oh, say hello to Grandma! This is Second Aunt. Hey, greet people! You won't get any food if you don't greet people." Mrs. Gu laughed, "This child is just timid." Unconsciously, she sighed to herself, "Manlu is just not blessed in this kind of place!" With the thought of bringing good fortune to her daughter, she tried her best to entertain the child, busying herself with picking food for her, taking chicken liver out of the chicken soup, and putting it along with the "sewing kit" on top into Zhaodi's bowl, and said with a smile, "Eat a sewing kit, and you'll know how to do needlework when you're older." She added with a smile, "When your mother gets better, I'll ask her to bring you to our house to play. We have many uncles and aunts at home, and I'll ask them to play with you."
After the meal, Abao brought over a hot towel and said, "Miss said that she would have a car take Madam home after she finishes eating." Madam Gu laughed and said, "That child is just like that, she never changes. She always has the final say and won't listen to anything you say."