《Mr. Chen & Mrs. Cheng》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¡¾1¡¿ On March 12, National Treeplanting Day and Mr. Chen¡¯s birthday, they got married. Mr. Chen had decided on the wedding day. When he previously discussed things with Miss Cheng, he¡¯d said, ¡°We can¡¯t set it on Valentine¡¯s Day, nor can we set it on your birthday.¡± Miss Cheng had found it odd. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I need to give you a gift on our wedding anniversary. If it¡¯s on the same day as a holiday, I can only give you one gift for both holidays. You¡¯d lose out.¡± Miss Cheng pondered it over deeply before nodding her head. ¡°Then we can¡¯t set it on White Day either, or your birthday.¡± ¡°No, you can only choose between these two days,¡± Mr. Chen said. ¡°That way, you¡¯ll give one gift less to me and I¡¯ll help you save money. See how well I can run a household.¡± Miss Cheng rubbed his head in praise while Mr. Chen was delighted. On the day of the wedding, there was a little accident. According to tradition, Mr. Chen Youlin[1] should first pick up Miss Cheng Yiran[2] from her house, where he¡¯d be ridiculed and jeered at by her friends before piggybacking his bride down the stairs and onto the marriage car. As Mr. Chen finished being viciously oppressed by her friends until they let him through, he prepared to pick up his bride. However, the rusty lock that had hardly been oiled since Miss Cheng¡¯s youth decided to forsake its owner. They couldn¡¯t open the door. No matter how the person inside pushed and shoved, or the people outside pounded, poked, or pulled, the iron grille door stood stubbornly between the groom and bride like the Queen Mother of the West separating two lovers on the shores of life and death. The crowd had worked themselves up into a sweat as they kicked up a row and called for the lock company. Miss Cheng held her forehead inside the door and sighed, while Mr. Chen stubbornly turned on the key outside. ¡°Release my wife, let her go, ah, let her go! Give my wife back to me! Give her back, you bastard!¡± Only in stories would the male lead get a golden finger from the author. Reality didn¡¯t work like that. So no matter how much the male lead resented and struggled, all he could do was wait for the lock company¡¯s employee to let his wife out. Naturally, the wedding ceremony was delayed by an hour before proceeding as planned. Everyone who¡¯s gotten married in China knows that this was a laborious event. After busying themselves for a day before returning home, the new groom and bride took a shower, lay on the bed, and went into their respective dream worlds. On the morning of the second day, Miss Cheng woke up before Mr. Chen. She climbed off the bed and cooked a pot of porridge, cleaned up around the new house, and set the table before lifting up Mr. Chen¡¯s covers to kick him off the bed and wash up. When they were eating breakfast together, Cheng Yiran saw that Chen Youlin¡¯s hand was a little shaky. She took it for a look and found out that this idiot had used too much strength yesterday turning the key. He¡¯d actually rubbed a layer of his skin raw. With a sigh, she helped him stick on a band-aid before stroking his head again. ¡°I used up all the band-aids in the house on the first day of our marriage. Your task when you come home tonight is to buy a pack of band-aids as our reserve, understand?¡± Mr. Chen docilely nodded his head and went to work. ¡¾2¡¿ After getting married, Miss Cheng became Mrs. Cheng[3]. The well-behaved and kindhearted Mr. Chen never dared to bring Mrs. Cheng any trouble when he went home. However, today¡¯s rainy day broke that streak. Cheng Yiran looked at the soaking wet form of Chen Youlin holding a dog, her eyes like daggers digging into his flesh. ¡°What is this thing?¡± Hands on her hips, she blocked the way into the entrance hall, forbidding Mr. Chen from taking off his shoes and walking in. ¡°It¡¯s¡­a dog,¡± Mr. Chen replied meekly. Outside, the lightning and thunder threw Mrs. Cheng¡¯s mood into sharp relief as she glared. ¡°Don¡¯t I know it¡¯s a dog! I¡¯m asking why you brought it here? Both of us work during the day and our house is so small, how can we raise him?¡± Like the dog, Mr. Chen was looking at Mrs. Cheng. ¡°But don¡¯t you think he¡¯s very pitiful?¡± ¡°Awroo¡­¡± the dog chimed up in agreement. Mrs. Cheng kneaded her forehead. ¡°Chen Youlin, I say, you should think about the reality first.¡± ¡°He¡¯s very pitiful. Are you going to cast him aside?¡± Mr. Chen¡¯s face was all disappointment, his eyes shimmering brightly. ¡°I married a wife with a heart of stone.¡± ¡°Awroo.¡± Blue veins popped out on Mrs. Cheng¡¯s forehead as she gripped her slice, ready to hit him. But seeing Mr. Chen¡¯s eyes, her heart softened as she sighed. ¡°Fine, we can leave him here for the night. But we have to send him away first thing tomorrow morning.¡± Mr. Chen immediately took off his shoes and went inside the house, bringing the dog to the bathroom. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about temporarily taking him in first.¡± ¡°I said we¡¯re only keeping him here for now! Tomorrow, we¡¯re sending him away!¡± ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s still taking him in.¡± Mrs. Cheng gave a helpless sigh. She knew it¡¯d be nigh impossible to send this dog away tomorrow. The first dog they¡¯d ever adopted in their lives was called Meatball. Mrs. Cheng didn¡¯t like him very much in the beginning, but after a few more days, she was completely taken prisoner by the white and furry Meatball. It was Mr. Chen who raised the first complains. ¡°Let¡¯s send the dog away. Tonight, you put more meat in his bowl than mine for dinner.¡± Mrs. Cheng disapproved as she smacked away his hand and took the dog into her arms. ¡°Can¡¯t you get your own meat?¡± ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t even love me anymore,¡± Mr. Chen pretended to rub his tears away, but was spurned by Mrs. Cheng. ¡°Who was the one that said we should take him in because he was pitiful? As I see it now, none of your acting cute and pretending to be pitiful can compare to my Meatball. Move aside.¡± Mr. Chen clenched his teeth in hatred and regret, and the succeeding days in the household were filled with scenes of a man and dog vying for affection. Every time, Mr. Chen would suffer a crushing defeat. Of course, sometimes the pure and innocent dog still couldn¡¯t compare to the sinister man who sold his body in the middle of the night. ¡¾3¡¿ A gorgeous, multicolored sunset painted a beautiful scene for the weekend. Mrs. Cheng cleaned up the last of her documents, wondering how long it¡¯d been since she and Mr. Chen had a date. When she calculated the expenditures for the month, she decided that seeing a movie and eating a big meal out was still acceptable. Thus, she immediately tidied away her things and went to Mr. Chen¡¯s office. She didn¡¯t tell him what she was thinking because she planned to give him a pleasant surprise, but who knew that Mr. Chen would give her a fright, first? Cheng Yiran leaned against her car door. She saw a man and woman walk out from the elevator of the garage, the male supporting the female with an anxious expression. The woman laughed and pretended to say she was all right, but kept leaning in towards the man¡¯s chest. Cheng Yiran raised an eyebrow, feeling that her position had been publicly challenged. She dialed Chen Youlin¡¯s cell phone and watched as he fumbled to take the call. ¡°Where are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Yiran, I¡¯ve run into some trouble today and won¡¯t be able to come home for dinner. You¡­¡± Mr. Chen raised his head to see Mrs. Cheng looking at him, smiling yet not smiling. He suddenly sensed something amiss as his hand supporting the woman abruptly felt hot and uncomfortable. ¡°Oh, what kind of trouble? Tell me about it.¡± The voice on the phone reached his ears at the same time as Mrs. Cheng¡¯s own voice. Mr. Chen withdrew the hand supporting his female colleague and rubbed his head with a grin. ¡°Ahahah, it¡¯s just that, I accidentally tripped someone, so I was planning to help her home.¡± Mrs. Cheng nodded as her gaze settled on the female colleague. The latter suddenly understood the relationship between them and awkwardly straightened up, not daring to even raise her head. ¡°I¡­hiccup, there¡¯s no need to take the pains, it¡¯s the same if I call a taxi home, the same thing,¡± As soon as she finished, she nimbly fled the scene of the crime. Mrs. Cheng pretended not to understand. ¡°Hn, her feet are pretty agile.¡± Mr. Chen nodded in astonishment. ¡°Yeah, it was pretty serious before¡­¡± Mrs. Cheng gave him a sideways glance before snorting coldly and getting in the car. A crestfallen Mr. Chen went to sit in the driver¡¯s seat. The entire way, Mrs. Cheng only stared at the scenery without saying a word until Mr. Chen couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°How about we go to the supermarket?¡± ¡°What for?¡± That person¡¯s tone made Mr. Chen want to curl up and shiver. Nursing a grievance, he said, ¡°To buy a washboard so I can kneel on it at home¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we have a keyboard? Put it in a corner and kneel there for the night.¡± ¡°Can I kneel for half a night¡­? I have to sell my body and serve you for the first half.¡± Mrs. Cheng couldn¡¯t resist a laugh, though she still felt mad thinking of what had happened. Her hands gave Mr. Chen¡¯s arm a vicious pinch. ¡°This is for holding on so tightly! You¡¯re a man with no morals!¡± ¡°Hurts, it hurts. Yiran, I really did trip her. I was afraid I¡¯d hurt her, because then I¡¯d waste my time serving you, serving her instead¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lame argument!¡± Mrs. Cheng determined. ¡°Tonight I¡¯ll award you to Meatball. Go serve him, you¡¯re not allowed on my bed!¡± Mr. Chen had no choice but to sigh, but he was happy in his heart. He knew such a small case of eating vinegar[4] couldn¡¯t hurt the deep feelings between them. Occasionally, a show of jealousy or two could regulate feelings between husband and wife, allowing one to realize that the other still cared about them. Mr. Chen thought back to everything that had happened. Back when he was still chasing after Mrs. Cheng, she was still someone else¡¯s girlfriend. The vinegar he¡¯d ate back then was like acid corroding his bones to drip onto his intestines. But after his insides had been eaten up, the feelings left in hindsight were still hopelessly in love with Cheng Yiran. There was no helping it. Who told him to fall in love? -o- [1] Chen Youlin (³ÂÓÓÁÖ) ¨C Chen is a surname that means ¡°lay out, put on display, explain,¡± You is ¡°help, protect, bless,¡± Lin is ¡°forest, woods, grove.¡± [2] Cheng Yiran (ñÎÒÀÈ») ¨C Cheng is a surname meaning ¡°rule, regulation, order,¡± Yiran means ¡°still, as before.¡± [3] Miss Chen became Mrs. Cheng ¨C traditionally speaking, Chinese wives don¡¯t change their surname after marriage. [4] eating vinegar (³Ô´×) ¨C chi cu, another word for jealousy, because being jealous is akin to the sour, burning sensation of eating (drinking) vinegar. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¡¾3¡¿ After Mr. Chen and Mrs. Cheng finished watching a movie that weekend, they came out of the theater and met a man. Though Cheng Yiran felt momentarily embarrassed, Chen Youlin was suddenly fired with with fighting spirit. He curved his eyes into a smile and politely offered a hand. ¡°Mr. Yi, long time no see.¡± Yi Nan[1] was Cheng Yiran¡¯s boyfriend of three years from college. Back then, Miss Cheng held deep feelings towards this man, deep enough that Mr. Chen still felt uneasy and threatened even now. Yi Nan politely shook hands with Chen Youlin before exchanging some common courtesies with Cheng Yiran. Afterwards, he bade his leave. Mrs. Cheng turned slightly back and she traced the minute form of Yi Nan¡¯s figure, before turning around to face Mr. Chen¡¯s probing eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Whoever told me to kneel on a washboard last time should kneel as well when we get back!¡± Mrs. Cheng stuck up two fingers. ¡°You made two mistakes with your words. First, you were the one who bought the washboard last time to kneel on it yourself; second, can you really bear to have me kneel?¡± Mr. Chen gave her a few huffy glares, only to see her expression turn smug. He resisted his temper with great difficulty as they went off to dinner. After they sat down in the restaurant, Mrs. Cheng ordered beefsteak, inciting Mr. Chen to comment. ¡°In the past, you never liked eating beefsteak from this restaurant. What¡¯s the occasion today?¡± Mrs. Cheng gave him a strange look. ¡°I just had an urge to try some, is there a problem?¡± ¡°None.¡± Mr. Cheng stuck his head behind the menu for a while, reading its contents before suddenly speaking up. ¡°I heard that Yi Nan really likes eating beefsteak.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so¡­wait a minute,¡± Mrs. Cheng pried away Mr. Chen¡¯s menu with a stern look. ¡°I say, Chen Youlin, you¡¯ve been acting difficulty ever since then. That happened a long time ago, so why do you still care about him?¡± You don¡¯t care because you¡¯ve never tried to steal a girl from him! These words circled the tip of Chen Youlin¡¯s tongue before he swallowed them back down. ¡°I don¡¯t care, I was just bringing something up. Cheng Yiran, what¡¯s with the big reaction?¡± He adopted a stern countenance as he hailed a nearby attendant. ¡°I want a serving of vinegar pickled cabbage.¡± The attendant pursed his lips. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry, but this is a western restaurant.¡± Cheng Yiran picked up the conversation. ¡°Give him some vinegar spaghetti or vinegar beefsteak, see how sore he is.¡± ¡ª After eating their meal, Chen Youlin was on the topic of Yi Nan all the way home. He made such a racket that Cheng Yiran grew vexed and gave him the cold shoulder. ¡°Are you secretly in love with him?! I still have his number, so why don¡¯t you call him and confess!¡± ¡°You have his number!¡± Mr. Chen¡¯s voice completely changed pitch. Mrs. Cheng grew impatient. ¡°That¡¯s not the point here!¡± ¡°Of course that¡¯s the point! My wife actually still has her ex-boyfriend¡¯s phone number!¡± ¡°He¡¯s just never bothered to change it, I was too lazy to delete him.¡± Chen Youlin clutched his head as if the sky was about to collapse. ¡°It¡¯s over, over! The first crisis of our marriage has the wife challenging the husband to a never-before-seen battle! I have to be calm be steady be brave against my foe, my wife belongs to me, my wife belongs to me, my wife belongs to me¡­¡± The veins on Cheng Yiran¡¯s forehead twitched as she rolled her eyes at him and turned to leave. Mr. Chen was quick to give chase. ¡°Are you running away from your crimes?¡± ¡°Chen Youlin, have you had enough yet? If you keep talking about this topic, I¡¯ll get angry. Once I¡¯m mad, I won¡¯t let you take a step into the bedroom.¡± Mr. Chen moved his lips before finally swallowing his words. He took two silent steps forward before a weak voice reached Mrs. Cheng¡¯s ears. ¡°You have his number, but you¡¯ve never contacted him, right?¡± Mrs. Cheng¡¯s footsteps paused. ¡°You haven¡¯t contacted him, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not allowed in the bedroom tonight!¡± ¡¾4¡¿ Mr. Chen stood stiffly outside the door. He wasn¡¯t willing to apologize, so all he did was shout. ¡°How long are you going to stay angry?¡± His tone wasn¡¯t threatening at all, but filled with grievances and feigned courage. Mrs. Cheng was currently in the middle of her bad temper. She didn¡¯t even want to talk to him, but threw a pillow at his body. ¡°Go scram!¡± ¡°If I scram, will you stop being angry?!¡± Mr. Chen huffed. ¡°Scram!¡± Mrs. Cheng was too lazy to say any more. She pulled up the cover and prepared to go to sleep, but they were suddenly dragged away. Veins popped out all over her forehead as her eyes seethed with anger. She was about to drop all formalities and have an all-out lecture when she saw Mr. Chen spread the covers on the ground and lay on top of them. Then he rolled around before sitting up angrily. ¡°I scrammed[2]!¡± Mrs. Cheng really was absolutely stunned by his move. Just when she was lost and disordered, Mr. Chen shouted again. ¡°How many times do I have to scram before you stop being mad?!¡± There was only one more pillow left on Mrs. Cheng¡¯s bed, which she threw into Mr. Chen¡¯s lap. ¡°You better scram straight into the living room for me. Go fight with Meatball over the floor!¡± ¡°Then agree to stop being angry when you get up tomorrow morning!¡± Mrs. Cheng stared at him wordlessly. Mr. Chen set one pillow back on the bed before dragging the covers and hugging his own pillow as he walked to the living room. He was both resentful and aggrieved, but he¡¯d only taken a few steps before turning back. ¡°There¡¯s still covers in the wardrobe, you better get them out and cover yourself! Hmph! I¡¯m not going to say anything like the night¡¯s still chilly, or that I¡¯ll get distressed if my wife gets sick¡­¡± He mumbled to himself as he left, nagging like a broken record. His voice mingled with a few barks from Meatball, who seemed to be giving him the cold shoulder even as he laughed at this man¡­ Mrs. Cheng sighed deeply as she covered her face. How angry could she truly get against a fellow like him?! ¡ª After tossing and turning on the bed for over half an hour, Mrs. Cheng still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Finally, she put on some robes and quietly padded out. When she saw the man huddled up as a ball inside his covers on the ground, her heart softened. She knelt down and sighed. ¡°Really, you¡¯re a guy with no sense of self-preservation.¡± Afterwards, she jabbed his cheek. ¡°Are you a dog? You always know how to act cute.¡± On one side, Meatball opened his eyes and gave a soft awroo towards Mrs. Cheng, who quickly told him to hush with an index finger on her lip. Meatball calmed down, but she didn¡¯t get to move her hand before it was tightly grabbed by Mr. Chen. His eyes were brilliant as they stared at her. ¡°Wife, you¡¯re feeling distressed for me, right? Let me go to sleep on the bed.¡± Cheng Yiran rolled her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t we say I¡¯ll stop being angry when I wake up tomorrow?¡± Chen Youlin tugged on the corner of her clothes. ¡°I was wrong. I¡¯ll believe you next time.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t yell and shout at you next time, either.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Then can I go back into the room?¡± Mr. Chen sighed before Mrs. Cheng could reply. ¡°Since you won¡¯t agree after I¡¯ve said all that, I guess I¡¯ll stay in the living room.¡± Mrs. Cheng arched an eyebrow as she looked at him. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Mr. Chen lips curved into a smile. With a jerk, he pulled Mrs. Cheng beneath his body. ¡°Things with my wife.¡± ¡°Ah! Wait a¡­Chen Youlin, wait! Go back to the room, the bedroom ah, you jerk! Meatball¡­Meatball¡¯s watching¡­¡± ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t think I¡¯m clueless. He¡¯s done it multiple times with others outside. If I don¡¯t care about him, he shouldn¡¯t care about me.¡± In the end, the impatient Mr. Chen still didn¡¯t let Mrs. Cheng go back to the bedroom. The two of them did the deed directly on the sofa. At the critical point, Mr. Chen called her name over and over again, as if the two of them were joining into a single person. ¡°Yiran, Yiran, I love you.¡± To meet you, like you, and make love with you, to marry you and walk together through so much time, I still love you as much as when I first fell in love with you. When our hair turns white and we grow old, I¡¯ll still love you all the same. Lost in the fervent passions of her husband, she clutched his neck and gasped for breath by his ear. Her broken, hoarse voice was filled with feeling. ¡°I love you too.¡± To be ready and willing to face the unknown, stepping into marriage to replace the life she¡¯d grown used to, to accept another person into one¡¯s life and then live with them as companions until this life ended. She used her greatest courage and her greatest faith in exchange for the person she loved the most. ¡¾5¡¿ Mr. Chen¡¯s jealousy wasn¡¯t without basis. Mr. Chen could spend three days and three nights detailing the entire process of chasing after Mrs. Cheng. The things he¡¯d done were enough to fill a mug full of bitter tears. The simple reason lay in the fact that Mr. Chen was one year younger than Miss Cheng. They attended the same university and studied the same major in the same department, but Mr. Chen was just one grade lower than Miss Chen. Actually, Mr. Chen had held secret feelings for Miss Cheng long before enrolling in university. But at that time. Miss Cheng was already someone else¡¯s girlfriend, so Mr. Chen had been beating himself up since freshman year for disgraceful thoughts like making her his wife. But the more he beat himself up, the stronger his feelings grew. Finally, he turned to the dark side¡­ You had to chase after your own happiness. The mighty principle of snatching a woman for himself granted him an opportunity just when the senior Cheng Yiran was about to graduate¡­ In those day, Yiran had frequent falling-outs with her boyfriend Yi Nan. He wasn¡¯t to be blamed. It was natural that two anxious people on the eve of setting out on separate ways would generate some degree of friction together. After waging war for three years against all resistance, Mr. Chen had graduated to being ¡°good friends¡± with Miss Cheng. One Monday, Mr. Chen used their relationship as an excuse to ask Miss Cheng out for a meal. Afterwards, they two of them took a stroll on the dimly lit streets outside the campus grounds. Unfortunately, they happened to spot Yi Nan walking along with a career woman by his side. Miss Cheng¡¯s expression changed. She was prepared to confront him right then, but Mr. Chen managed to hold her back and pretended to be mysterious. ¡°Doing that isn¡¯t so good. Men still need to preserve some face.¡± Miss Cheng thought that the words made sense and decided to call him instead. ¡°Where are you?¡± Yi Nan gave a start. ¡°Mm, outside.¡± ¡°By yourself?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± ¡°Yi Nan, let¡¯s break up.¡± Miss Cheng hung up the phone and suddenly started crying. Mr. Chen took the chance to pull the heartbroken Miss Cheng into a park, where he bought her a beer and offered his shoulder to wipe her tears. Cheng Yiran cried as she drank, before finally coming to her senses to poke Chen Youlin¡¯s head. ¡°Why did you call me out for a meal today? Why did you ask me for a stroll today? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I hadn¡¯t seen a thing? Wouldn¡¯t it be best?!¡± Chen Youlin obediently accepted a few jabs before speaking. ¡°Mm, I have to admit that I¡¯m very happy seeing such a situation.¡± ¡°Are you a deviant? You like seeing girls cry?¡± ¡°I like seeing you disappointed in love,¡± Chen Youlin scratched his head. ¡°This way, I¡¯ll have a chance.¡± Cheng Yiran was stunned. She only recovered after a long while, spitting saliva as she asked, ¡°You¡­you couldn¡¯t be that¡­that whachamacallit, right?¡± Chen Youlin took a deep breath and shouted, ¡°Cheng Yiran, you¡¯re the one I like!¡± Cheng Yiran momentarily lost her senses and forgot all about the snot dribbling down her nose. Chen Youlin couldn¡¯t stand to watch, so he used his sleeve to wipe her face before hanging his head. ¡°I¡¯ve held it back for many years¡­before finally working up the nerve today. If you want to hit me, be gentle.¡± Of course Cheng Yiran didn¡¯t want to hit him. She only yelled at him all in a muddle. ¡°You men are all jerks. Whether it¡¯s one or two of you, every one¡¯s a jerk!¡± But soon enough, Cheng Yiran caught wind that Yi Nan gave Chen Youlin a good beating. We won¡¯t tire you out with tales of old scores between men and their woman, but from this it can be seen that Mr. Chen¡¯s feelings for Miss Cheng brought about a high degree of misery and hardships from the very start. As soon as he sensed something even slightly off about Mrs. Cheng, he¡¯d act like a spoiled child, rolling around and being cute in move after move until Mrs. Cheng obediently surrendered. But the ultimate results of this man who had fallen in love at first sight by accident was¨CMr. Chen happily ate his fill, Mrs. Cheng slept very comfortably, and Mr. Chen got seriously sick. That¡¯s right, after acting cute and engaging in excessive physical activity all night, he¡­got sick. In the words of Mrs. Cheng, it would be something like this: ¡®You useless guy!¡¯ ¡¾6¡¿ When Mrs. Cheng took Mr. Chen¡¯s temperature, he was 38.6 degrees[3]. Mr. Chen was in an uproar. ¡°Wife, wife, send me to the hospital. I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯m going to bur my wits silly. In the future you¡¯ll have no one to cook for you wash your clothes compete or for the washboard.¡± Cheng Yiran pinched Mr. Chen¡¯s arm. ¡°Are you made out of mud? Do you think you¡¯ll be burned to nothing?¡± Mr. Chen¡¯s eyes were filled with tears as he looked at Mrs. Cheng. ¡°I¡¯m made of chocolate, so I have a low melting point¡­¡± Mrs. Cheng sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just a Lin Daiyu, ah, a Lin Daiyu[4]. We¡¯re not as wealthy enough to spend as freely as the Jia estate[5]. What hospital? Can people still go to hospitals nowadays? I¡¯ll go down and buy you two antipyretic pills. Make the best of it and eat them. If your fever doesn¡¯t come down, I¡¯ll take you to for an infusion[6].¡± Mr. Chen dragged at the hem of her clothes. ¡°Come back soon.¡± Mrs. Cheng stubbornly refused to pity Mr. Chen, but started to run as soon as she was out the door. When Mr. Chen saw her leave, he didn¡¯t mope, but quietly lay on the bed to recuperate. After a while, Mr. Chen¡¯s hands began to itch for something to do. He called Mrs. Cheng and said, ¡°Wife, I want to eat tomato stew with spare ribs.¡± After the other end answered, Mr. Chen hung up, but he was quick to call her a few minutes later. ¡°Wife, I want to eat sweet and sour spare ribs.¡± The other side answered in the affirmative again. Satisfied, Mr. Chen hung up. A few more minutes passed before he called for a third time, but got a stern lecture before he had any chance to speak. When her tirade was done, Mrs. Cheng still asked in a huff, ¡°What else do you want to eat?¡± ¡°I¡­saw your purse on the living room table. Did you bring any money with you?¡± Silence reigned on the other end of the line before Mr. Chen was thoroughly cursed at again. Mr. Chen had a healthy body, so his fever abated soon after eating the medicine. Towards evening, Mrs. Cheng brushed his forehead and found out it had returned to normal temperature. She gave a relieved exhale from her heart and stroked his hair. ¡°Next time I get sick, I¡¯m going to give my all and bother you so you can repay me.¡± Mr. Chen nuzzled beneath her touch and grinned. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s best if you torment me as much as you can. I like being tormented by you. I want you to keeping tormenting me for the rest of my life.¡± Though they¡¯d been married for awhile, Mrs. Cheng still felt her face turn red at these words. She gave a light cough before changing the topic. ¡°Chen Youlin, will you turn bald in the future?¡± Mrs. Cheng poked the top of Mr. Chen¡¯s head. ¡°Your hair is longer on the left side, enough for the grease to shift to the right.¡± ¡°Will you mind if I¡¯m bald?¡± Mrs. Cheng considered the question. ¡°I probably won¡¯t. I¡¯ll give you my hair to use as a wig. As long as I¡¯m not bald, you won¡¯t be bald, either.¡± ¡°Wife! I¡¯m really touched! Kiss me, kiss me once!¡± ¡°Move aside, you still have the virus inside your body. Don¡¯t touch me!¡± -o- [1] Yi Nan (Ò×ÄÏ) ¨C Yi is a surname that means ¡°easy, amiable, change,¡± Nan means ¡°south.¡± [2] I scrammed (ÎÒ¹öÁË) ¨C wo gun le, in Chinese, the word for ¡°scram¡± is the same as the word for ¡°to roll.¡± [3] 38.6 degrees ¨C about 101 degrees Fahrenheit [4] Lin Daiyu (ÁÖ÷ìÓñ) ¨C one of the titular female characters in the Chinese classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber, prone to being sickly and apt to cry. More info in Wikipedia article here.[5] Jia estate (¼Ö¸®) ¨C the rich family who took Lin Daiyu in, and the focal point for Dream of the Red Chamber.[6] infusion (ÊäÒº) ¨C shuye, a type of hospital treatment where the patient is linked up to an IV drip to get their medicine. Rather common treatment in China. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¡¾7¡¿ When Mrs. Cheng opened up her online shopping cart, she was surprised to find the items inside missing. After standing astounded for a while, she suddenly remembered reading on the microblogs about a husband who¡¯d bought all the things in his wife¡¯s online shopping cart as a wedding anniversary gift. Mrs. Cheng¡¯s face turned red¡­could it be that Chen Youlin was finally going to get romantic? But when she turned around to see the snoring man laying spread-eagle on the bed, she realized that idea wasn¡¯t realistic. Mrs. Cheng narrowed her eyes and mused, did this guy think I bought too many things and left them all out? At this, Mrs. Cheng couldn¡¯t keep still anymore. She climbed onto the bed and pinched Mr. Cheng¡¯s butt. ¡°Chen Youlin! Did you do something bad again?¡± The sleepy Mr. Chen turned over from the pain, groggily issuing a reply. ¡°I¡¯m a good person.¡± Mrs. Cheng kept pinching his butt. ¡°Why did the things in my shopping cart disappear! Did you take them out?!¡± ¡°Ng¡­¡± Mr. Chen impatiently rubbed his pillow as he avoided her hand. ¡°I bought them.¡± Cheng Yiran gave a start. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I bought them, mhmm¡­¡± Cheng Yiran fell silent as she quietly lay by Mr. Chen¡¯s side, leaning against his back with a mournful tone. ¡°There were lots of things inside that I just wanted a look at. Why did you buy them? It¡¯s a waste of money.¡± After a while, she rubbed Mr. Chen¡¯s back with an extremely sweet smile. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see such romantic cells in your body. I don¡¯t regret marrying you.¡± A few days later, the express mail delivered some items that Mrs. Cheng happily opened up before her expression fell. ¡°What are these?¡± Mr. Chen was lying on the sofa watching TV when he swept his eyes over to reply. ¡°The things from your online shopping cart.¡± Mrs. Cheng took the items out one by one. A necktie, suit, and leather shoes¨Cthese were all men¡¯s items, making Mrs. Cheng rather confused. ¡°But why are they all men¡¯s things? Where are my clothes? My shoes?¡± Mr. Chen munched on beef jerky as he mumbled out a reply, ¡°I know you women like to look at things you don¡¯t have, but a lot of things you never end up buying. There were so many things in your shopping cart that I only picked a few useful things and bought those. Ah, it¡¯s still my wife who treats me well. You put in so many things there for my sake, so nice.¡± Mrs. Cheng turned expressionlessly to stare at Mr. Chen. ¡°What standards were you using to pick them? How do you know these things would definitely be useful, rather than something I was just looking at?¡± ¡°Because my wife loves me!¡± ¡°Go die!¡± Cheng Yiran threw the clothes atop Chen Yulin¡¯s body. ¡°Tonight, you can sleep on your own with Meatball!¡± ¡°Aye? Why are you mad, wifey? I¡¯ll scram for you again, all right? I¡¯ll act cute!¡± ¡°Ahhh! Why did I marry a wretch like you?!¡± ¡¾8¡¿ Today Mrs. Cheng got mad at the office and went home in a bad temper. Mr. Chen had yet to return, so she began to clean up the house and make dinner. ¡°Wife!¡± Mr. Chen opened the door and started shouting in the entrance hall before he even took off his shoes. ¡°There¡¯s good news!¡± Mrs. Cheng tied her apron as she walked out of the kitchen with slice in hand, not caring in the least. ¡°What, you picked up some gold?¡± ¡°That¡¯s poor taste,¡± Mr. Chen was in high spirits as he spread out the poster album in his hands. ¡°The photography studio by our neighborhood is having a promotion.¡± Mrs. Cheng¡¯s reply was placid. ¡°Oh, they¡¯ll take artistic shots of our dog for free? We can take advantage of it with our Meatball.¡± Mr. Chen was rather wounded, and indignantly tossed his briefcase on the sofa, scaring the snoring Meatball into trembling as he stared as his male owner. His owner pursed his lips and huffed, ¡°You only have Meatball in your eyes!¡± Mrs. Cheng raised an eyebrow. ¡°Or else what, then? You can try rolling over on the ground and play cute. Oh, I almost forgot, you know how to do that too.¡± So speaking, she went back to her business in the kitchen. Mr. Chen¡¯s face turned green with anger as he sat on the couch feeling stifled. Seeing that no one was coming to comfort him, he adjusted his feelings and groveled his way to the kitchens, watching Mrs. Cheng as her back bustled about. ¡°You don¡¯t love me anymore, you won¡¯t even come comfort me,¡± he faulted her. Mrs. Cheng didn¡¯t even turn around. ¡°I love you. Bring the bowls and chopsticks over, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Mr. Chen felt even more discomfited by Mrs. Cheng¡¯s attitude, and walked over to stick to her shadow. ¡°You don¡¯t love me anymore! You¡¯re not even taking me seriously!¡± ¡°Have you made enough of a fuss? If you¡¯re not getting the utensils, go clean up the table.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ignoring me! You treat me so coldly!¡± Mr. Chen¡¯s lip trembled. ¡°Cheng Yiran, you betrayed me.¡± Vexed and annoyed, Mrs. Cheng turned off the fire and spun around with a cold look. ¡°Do you believe me when I say I¡¯ll make Meatball lick all the meat dishes before feeding them to you?¡± Chen Youlin squinted at the steaming stir-fried meat with green peppers, sucking in a breath as he stuck out his chest. Then he turned to take out the bowls and chopsticks and walked briskly out of the kitchen. ¡°Wife, the table¡¯s been arranged. Hurry over, I¡¯m starving to death.¡± ¡ª After he filled his stomach, Mr. Chen placed the photography studio pamphlet on the table and pointed out a certain activity listed on the paper for Mrs. Cheng to see. ¡°What? Searching for memories from a previous life?¡± Mrs. Cheng pouted. ¡°Did we know each other in a previous life? Why don¡¯t I remember anything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, ah, that¡¯s why. You have to find your memories from a previous life,¡± Mr. Chen said with interest. ¡°They say that before the artistic shoot, they¡¯ll be a scriptwriter to give us a play for the two of us to act out. Then they¡¯ll record it and take photographs. Doesn¡¯t it sound like lots of fun?¡± Mrs. Cheng dropped her head as she picked at her good. ¡°Not going, I don¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°I already signed us up!¡± ¡°Well then! Chen Youlin, you¡¯re wasting money again!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mr. Chen fell silent for a while, feeling grieved as he rubbed at the promotional pamphlet and muttered to himself. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for our second wedding anniversary. Recently, you¡¯ve been busy with work, so didn¡¯t I finally find a way for you to rest a bit? If you won¡¯t go¡­if you won¡¯t go, then forget it. I¡¯ll go find my previous life¡¯s memories on my own. 50 years later, when you flip through the photos with me, you¡¯ll only see my single solitary self, on my own¡­¡± Mrs. Cheng kneaded her forehead. ¡°All right, all right, I¡¯ll listen to what you say.¡± ¡¾9¡¿ On the day of the photography session, Mrs. Cheng was speechless as she wore a school uniform from the 80s. ¡°Chen Youlin, can you let me roast this previous life?¡± Mr. Chen objected. ¡°These clothes aren¡¯t bad, they suit you and I very well.¡± ¡°The clothes aren¡¯t the point! If I came from the 80s in my previous life, that means we only dated for a few years at most before we died. The two of us ought to be as old as our parents but died in our prime. Did we die for love or kill off each other last time¡­¡± Mr. Chen looked off into the distance. ¡°Maybe we had a very short but poignant love story.¡± ¡°¡­forget it,¡± Mrs. Cheng felt powerless as she dropped her gaze to study the script, only to twitch. ¡°This¡­was this script custom tailored for us?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°A story from the 80s between the son of a wealthy entrepreneur and a daughter from a great feudal family¡­you¡¯re sure that China was just starting reforms and opening up to the outside world then? You¡¯re sure that young ladies from large feudal families still existed then? You¡¯re sure that the brain of the scriptwriter who wrote this¡­¡± Mrs. Cheng paused, before changing her words to something more affable, ¡°Hasn¡¯t had their head crushed by a door before?¡± Mr. Chen was firm. ¡°It¡¯s much better than today¡¯s drama series, right? Anyways, we¡¯re only recording a few minutes¡¯ worth of footage. The rest are just photos, so it¡¯s no problem.¡± Mrs. Cheng sighed, while Mr. Chen held her hand and pinched her cheeks. ¡°Smile a bit, nothing else is important. The main point today is to make you happy. If you¡¯re not happy then it¡¯ll waste all of my efforts.¡± Mrs. Cheng remained silent for a while before her expression relaxed. The video was only three minutes long to explain the background of the story, while the rest of the time was reserved for taking photographs. As the film started rolling, Mr. Chen stood with his back to Mrs. Cheng and assumed a callous and merciless pose. ¡°Let¡¯s break up.¡± When he spoke, Mrs. Cheng had yet to get into her role. She narrowed her eyes. ¡°What did you say?¡± Mr. Chen maintained his merciless visage. ¡°Let¡¯s break up.¡± Mrs. Cheng crossed her arms. ¡°Sure, you can pack up your luggage when we get gone.¡± Mr. Chen was stunned. ¡°Wait, wifey, that¡¯s not how the script goes! And also, when I say ¡®breaking up¡¯ to you, how can you agree so easily? You¡¯re not even a little reluctant! That¡¯s not right!¡± Mrs. Cheng was furious. ¡°You didn¡¯t even read what the script was about! Is that right? Chen Youlin, you dare talk about breaking up to me when we¡¯re supposed to be dating?¡± ¡°These are things that happened in our last life. Maybe I dared to back then!¡± ¡°You dare!¡± Mrs. Cheng¡¯s eyes widened. Mr. Chen hung his head. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t.¡± When the photography studio staff saw that things weren¡¯t going well, they came over to coax the couple. Mrs. Cheng clutched her hair before asking for a break and walked over to sit on the lawn beneath a banyan tree. Alone, she looked up at the white clouds in the sky, her thoughts unclear. Mr. Chen stuck up his lip, face filled with grievances as he looked towards Mrs. Cheng¡¯s back. He too, clutched at his hair before shuffling over. ¡°Wifey¡­if you don¡¯t want to shoot it, then we¡¯ll go back, all right?¡± So speaking, he went to sit by Mrs. Cheng¡¯s side, only to see that her eyes were already closed. Her head nodded forwards again and again, a clear sign that she couldn¡¯t resist her own sleepiness. Mr. Chen saw the dark circles beneath her eyes and felt a twinge of distress. These days, Mrs. Cheng had been busy with work and didn¡¯t get to rest well. He wanted to bring her out to play because she was in a bad mood, but forgot that what she needed the most now was a good rest. Chen Youlin quietly sat by her side and rested Cheng Yiran¡¯s head against his shoulder so she could lean there for a good nap. In the end, their quest to find their past lives only left an image of Mrs. Cheng leaning on Mr. Chen¡¯s shoulder for a nap. But years afterwards, Mr. Chen would always remember that the sunlight streaming through the boughs of the banyan tree had been very warm. The skies behind the white clouds were very blue, and the burden leaning against his shoulder kept his heart calm, steady, and incomparably happy. Mr. Chen felt that the happiness of a ¡°previous life¡± was way too far away. No matter how much he strove to chase it, he¡¯d never catch it. But the happiness of a ¡°future¡± was quite within reach. Because he knew, as long as he held on to the present, the future would always be happy. ¡¾10¡¿ The days went by until it was night on New Year¡¯s Eve again. Mrs. Cheng and Mr. Chen stuck nondescript couplets on their door that they had written themselves. The first line read: Sour, sweet, bitter, hot, joyful, anger, grief[1] while the second read: Vegetables, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea[2].Finally, there was the horizontal scroll above the door that flanked the two couplets, bearing the inscription: Without one, it¡¯s no life. The two of them looked at the couplets and burst into silly giggles for a long time. ¡°Another year¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± It¡¯s yet another year. I¡¯m very lucky to have you by my side. [ the end ] -o- [1] Sour, sweet, bitter, hot, joyful, anger, grief (ËáÌð¿àÀ±Ï²Å­°§) ¨C suan tian ku la is an idiom for the joys and sorrows of life, xi represents its various happiness, nu its various instances of anger, and ai its instances of grief. [2] egetables, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea (²ËÃ×ÓÍÑν´´×²è) ¨C Cai and Mi represents staple foods and grain, You yan jiang cu is an idiom for the trivia of everyday life, and cha is the tea that¡¯s often found accompanying all parts of life.