Chapter 96: Those Who Cannot Return Home Inadvertently Form a Table for Reunion

Marriage vows are a conspiracy, gently swaying the love-struck men and women, leading people to mistakenly believe that one can only love one person in a lifetime. The reason so many married people still suffer is that after affairs, domestic violence, and sleeping in the same bed with different dreams, they still walk down a dead end within those vows. In their eyes, emotional breakdown is a family matter. As long as there is enough face, everything else can be tolerated, and the internal injuries they hold back are vented on those they cannot reach and look down upon.

The calendar flipped to the Lunar New Year, and Day and Night’s users exceeded two million.

Watching the backend data change from 1999999 to 2000000, Jian Zhaowen’s heartbeat quickened for a few seconds. Lei Zheng had already flown to New York to buy himself new hats and suits. The selfies seen on Weibo were all photos of him holding coffee and wearing sunglasses on the street, full of glib talk. Jian Zhaowen couldn’t go home because he was on duty, and Yu Zhimei forgot to buy train tickets, so she was also forced to stay in Shanghai for New Year’s Eve. The Westernized Shanghainese all went abroad for vacation, and out-of-town office workers also returned to their hometowns one after another, so those who stayed here enjoyed a smooth and quiet holiday. Without the sound of firecrackers, Yu Zhimei initially thought she would be uncomfortable on New Year’s Eve, but when she heard Little Ma say he wanted to gather everyone for the Eve, she suddenly felt that this New Year’s Eve might be the noisiest one since she became an adult.

But probably because she had enthusiastic friends, Yu Zhimei’s heart was still filled with anticipation and happiness.

The biggest news of the New Year was that Little Ma had a girlfriend. Beaming with joy, Little Ma wore a dark blue jacket and slicked back his hair. He came out of his house after having his New Year’s Eve dinner around four o’clock, insisting that Yu Zhimei drive to pick him up. Sure enough, stuffed in the back trunk were Chongming cake, stir-fried crab with rice cakes, mixed jellyfish, steamed codfish... all neatly packed in Lock & Lock containers and placed in tote bags, with kitchen paper carefully laid between each box. It had to be said that Little Ma was efficient and organized. Jian Zhaowen was a life idiot compared to him. To praise the hardworking Little Ma, Yu Zhimei walked behind him and didn’t forget to compliment him: “Little Ma, your jacket is quite handsome.”

“Right? It’s the same style as Julian Cheung’s! It’s just that the timing of the purchase wasn’t good. It was twelve hundred yuan cheaper after Singles’ Day. What’s the concept? I could have gotten you guys a new combination lock for that, damn it.”

There was no dining table for the New Year’s Eve dinner. Little Ma coaxed Jian Zhaowen into paying for a table. Jian Zhaowen, busy staring at the data, completed the online purchase in five minutes, had a table delivered, and assembled it with Little Ma. Jian Zhaowen, who originally had two living rooms, finally turned one of them into a dining room in his fifth year of renting. Looking at the dishes laid out on the table, Yu Zhimei’s eyes widened: “You had your parents... make the food?”

“They went to my grandpa’s for the New Year, and just cooked a little extra.”

“Then aren’t you going to see Grandpa?”

“I go every day. My grandpa has Alzheimer’s, his mind isn’t good but he’s physically strong. He even climbed over the wall of the nursing home himself. So for him, today isn’t New Year’s Eve. It’s just about whether the weather is good or not, and whether he can open the window and jump out.”

“Didn’t expect you to be quite filial.”

Little Ma said calmly: “So-so.”

Jian Zhaowen put on music upstairs, the volume quite loud, as if complaining about the Spring Festival Gala’s sound from the TV downstairs. Yu Zhimei guessed that Jian Zhaowen was annoyed by staring at the data, so she quietly went next door to feed the cats. It wasn’t until Ou Jinghe arrived with Spring Festival couplets and New Year’s goods that Yu Zhimei heard a sharp scream through the door: “Ma Minmin! You actually have a girlfriend!”

“What are you yelling for? Can’t I have a girlfriend?”

“How did you meet?” Walking over, Yu Zhimei saw Sister He chasing after Little Ma, trying to get the scoop. Since losing her identity as the boss lady of the dessert shop, she was hungry for neighborhood gossip. But Little Ma didn’t seem too pleased: “The gym coach introduced us, she’s also a student of a personal trainer. But after observing her for a few days, I’m not too satisfied yet, I’ll see.”

“Oh? How so?”

Little Ma was straightforward, probably because she hadn’t officially become his girlfriend yet: “She’s from out of town. She follows a few Weibo accounts that sell original replicas, and it seems like everything she wears is fake. Plus, she rents a place on Lantian Road, which is too far. Although she used to lead a team at Huawei and now goes to a personal trainer, which is quite ‘bourgeois,’ she was born in ‘87 after all, and ending up like this is just average.”

Sister He raised her eyebrows at Yu Zhimei twice: “Did you hear that? For Little Ma, it’s not a question of whether he’s attracted or not, the fundamental reason is that her conditions aren’t good enough for him.”

“I have four rental properties in Shanghai, why can’t I be picky?”

“Too materialistic. Jian Zhaowen would absolutely never say such a thing—” As she said this, Jian Zhaowen just came downstairs, and Sister He’s expression was as if she were back in the dessert shop: “Jian Zhaowen, here’s a multiple-choice question for you. Suppose you’re single and have good conditions, and you meet a girl you like, but her only flaw is that she’s poor. Would you be with her?”

Glancing at Yu Zhimei, Jian Zhaowen received a smiling signal from her. He said nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter, as long as I like her. I have my own money.”

“Did you hear that, Ma Minmin? You always say you don’t have a girlfriend, and your standards for dating are always to first measure the other person’s material conditions. How can you even talk about dating?”

“What dating? I want to get married. As long as the conditions are roughly right, we have a good impression of each other, and we get the marriage certificate, that’s it. Who has time to waste so much time? What’s the point of asking Jian Zhaowen? He’s the type to sell all his stocks and funds to start a business and burn money, his brain’s fried.”

The more Yu Zhimei heard this, the more something felt off. She frowned: “It sounds like you’re mocking me.”

“He got a good deal with you. You’re self-reliant, renting a place and earning money, not hanging all over him, and you even drift and have side hustles. If you don’t believe me, go look at the matchmaking market. Most girls are boring as hell, and when you ask about their hobbies, it’s all reading, traveling, and watching movies—isn’t that just a green tea b*tch?”

Jian Zhaowen was too lazy to listen to gossip. He sat at the table, crossed his legs, and peeled dried fruit: “It’s New Year’s, let’s talk about something else.”

The plates brought from IKEA were unwrapped by Yu Zhimei and piled in the sink. Little Ma took a look: “Oh my, the way you wash dishes, water splashes everywhere! The floor is all wet, put the plates lower! Forget it, you get away, I’ll wash them. Don’t get my floor wet, it’s expensive to repair the floor, damn it. Who would dare to marry you like this?”

The inexplicably confused Yu Zhimei was chased back to the living room and could only sit in front of the computer to play games. Her computer secretly stored GTA5 and Need for Speed. She would play a round in her spare time, the happiness roughly equivalent to a man’s hand-brewed coffee. Sister He wandered around the room and found it boring, so she sat beside Yu Zhimei and started chatting: “You’ve been running to Beijing a lot lately, isn’t Jian Zhaowen angry?” The focused Yu Zhimei shook her head, not mentioning Jian Zhaowen’s marriage proposal. Ou Jinghe, who wasn’t gossiping, returned to her憔悴 (qiáocuì - haggard) expression and said to herself, “I thought dating would be easy at my age, who knew Zheng Zeyan would be so difficult.”

In the game, the car was still being chased madly by police cars. Yu Zhimei dodged left and right on the winding road, listening to Ou Jinghe list Zheng Zeyan’s shortcomings after they started dating. He also didn’t go home for the New Year. After refusing Ou Jinghe’s request to meet here, he hid in his room in Mengye Apartment listening to music. He abhorred the atmosphere of reunion and felt孤僻 (gūpì - unsociable) that gathering together was a social disaster. Moreover, the real him hated children. Even though he would say “plan” for Ou Jinghe’s sake, his face would change when he heard children crying in a restaurant. Ou Jinghe said, feeling a headache coming on: “Perhaps Jian Zhaowen didn’t realize when he designed Day and Night’s two-sided matching that even if some people find true love, they might not be able to bring that love into the sunlight. Otherwise, what they see might be moss grown from loneliness, unhealed scabs from injuries, and stains on the soul.”

After hearing this, Yu Zhimei glanced at Jian Zhaowen. He was holding his laptop, staring at the Spring Festival Gala. Northern children seemed unable to dislike the boring Spring Festival Gala from the bottom of their hearts. He sat cross-legged, shrinking into his chair. The laptop was initially open, but later he simply closed it. He would even giggle stupidly at the skits—skits that were originally pieced together from internet jokes successfully amused people, probably because of the joyful atmosphere left in their hearts from childhood. Ou Jinghe also followed her gaze and said with some disappointment, “It’s a pity that Zheng Zeyan doesn’t have this side of him. I really wish he could rely on me like a child, occasionally act spoiled with me, laugh when he wants to laugh. But he’s like a man who matured overnight. I really want to meet his mother again to inquire about his childhood.”

Not far away, Little Ma was still seriously washing dishes. Because the sink was low, he turned on the faucet very little, squeezed dish soap onto the sponge, and carefully scrubbed. It took him a long time to wash a single plate. Yu Zhimei looked at his back and felt somewhat emotional. What a delicate homemaker. Marrying Little Ma would probably exempt one from housework, but the time Little Ma spent on housework made him have no chance for a career. Thinking of this, her mind suddenly raced: “Jian Zhaowen told me before that we’d get married in the summer.”

Ou Jinghe “oh-yoed” softly, lowering her voice: “Yu Zhimei, this matter can’t be rushed.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“At least there has to be a proposal ring, and you have to get the three gold pieces, and remember to ask for gold bars as bride price, they hold their value. Also, inquire if Jian Zhaowen has a house in Beijing, otherwise it will be very difficult for the children’s household registration in the future. There are five categories and twelve types, and neither of you are Shanghainese. Roughly speaking, private kindergarten will cost millions a year.”

Yu Zhimei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Sister He, how are you any different from Little Ma?”

“I’m doing this for your own good.” Ou Jinghe let out a long breath: “Otherwise, why would I have gone to so much trouble to get the Bihu Tiandi house? Men can’t be relied on. When a woman has a house in her hands, she can still get the future she wants. You can say I’m realistic or snobbish, but this is based on the experience of getting married and divorced. If you consider the major event of marriage thoroughly, the rest of your life will be filled with dividends.”

“Getting married isn’t a big deal, it’s just—” Yu Zhimei kept losing the game and had drunk a bit too much: “I haven’t thought about what it feels like to get married. I just simply feel that marrying Jian Zhaowen... is okay.”

“No need to think about it. No one will truly be with anyone for a lifetime. It’s already very rare for people to foresee things within three years.” Sister He looked out the window, a graceful air about her eyes: “Marriage vows, ah, they are a conspiracy. They gently sway the love-struck men and women, leading people to mistakenly believe that one can only love one person in a lifetime. The reason so many married people still suffer is that after affairs, domestic violence, and sleeping in the same bed with different dreams, they still walk down a dead end within those vows. In their eyes, emotional breakdown is a family matter. As long as there is enough face, everything else can be tolerated, and the internal injuries they hold back are vented on those they cannot reach and look down upon. After entering Day and Night’s counseling area, I realized what a matter requiring much thought and deliberation marriage is. Young people would probably all retreat if they thought about it carefully.”

In the scene before leaving, Ou Jinghe didn’t mention a word. In the Night Zone, she accidentally saw a help message sent by her first love’s sister. Zheng Zeyan was the man she could never let go. Even though they had only maintained a physical relationship for several years, they would still meet when they needed each other, and then tacitly hurt each other to find satisfaction, as if they had telepathy. That help message might have had some embellishment, but out of jealousy, Ou Jinghe still clicked on the personal information—yes, the woman in the profile picture with heavy dark circles and a somewhat Junji Ito-esque smile was the woman she had met once in the Sichuan restaurant.

And her relationship with Zheng Zeyan had been very tense recently, seemingly returning to the state when they had just met. Apart from craving each other’s bodies, they spent the rest of the time in silence. The passionate love she had expected wasn’t supposed to be like this. Intuition reminded her that perhaps this was Zheng Zeyan’s usual pretense, having never truly been in love. After acting like a good person for a few days, he was finally starting to show his unease. And she wasn’t going to be outdone—a woman who wanted to be loved was too lazy to coax such a man.

“Do you want to go to Jian Zhaowen’s for the New Year?”

“No, it’s not interesting. I’ll just listen to rock music and work out at home. The whole night will pass.”

“Boring. Shouldn’t we gather together even more during the New Year?”

“People who are used to being poor look forward to the New Year. This is just a long holiday, no different from a regular weekend.”

“How come I just realized you have so little zest for life? Oh, probably all the zest is used on doing dirty things with women.”

“Is that so? If you really think I’m so lifeless, you can probably marry someone else. I’ll continue to be your ‘fuck buddy,’ just like your husband before. Maybe you only truly love me when you’re having an affair.”

“Don’t try to excuse yourself. There are other women around you, so you can’t wait to push me away again so you can openly embrace others and then put the blame on me. Anyway, you’re not the one who betrayed first.”

“Don’t think you can coerce me with such words. Just because I divorced for you, you think you can guess my past? Look in the mirror and ask yourself, where do you get the right—a selfish woman like you doesn’t deserve me ruining my reputation for you.”

Just thinking about this conversation made Ou Jinghe breathless with anger. She had once been obsessed with this kind of Zheng Zeyan: cunning, fierce, cold, unforgiving... Now she only felt he was excessive. And now that things had come to this, she felt like she had entered the Colosseum from the audience seats, facing a charging bull, not yet having figured out how to wave the red flag in her hand.

Little Ma flicked off his rubber gloves, carefully wiped the plates, and placed them on the table. Looking at the three people huddled in the living room, his face flushed red: “My God. How can each of you be lazier than the last? The table is already set here, and you’re actually watching the Spring Festival Gala and playing games, not even knowing to wipe the table and set out the wine glasses! Do you have no concept of housework at all?!”

The table was full of dishes and wine, the air conditioner was turned up to a warm temperature, and the room was suddenly filled with the atmosphere of the New Year. Ou Jinghe took out the Spring Festival couplets from her tote bag, pasted them on all five doors from the first to the second floor, and then carefully hung lanterns on Jian Zhaowen’s balcony—she didn’t care, even if they were used to being poor, she was going to have a prosperous New Year. Yu Zhimei lost her last race in Need for Speed right at the finish line. Jian Zhaowen stood beside her for a long time holding the corkscrew and red wine, sighing regretfully: “Yu Zhimei, I thought you were a drifting expert.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Ou Jinghe looked nervously at the door—who could it be at this hour? Besides the man she had angered and humiliated, there wouldn’t be anyone else. But when the door opened, her immense anticipation fell flat. Standing there, dragging a large suitcase and covered in travel dust, was Shi Rui. She smiled wanly at the room: “Everyone’s here? Could you let me spend the New Year here?”

The few people looked at each other, then let her into the room. The warm air fogged up Shi Rui’s glasses—this New Year’s Eve was very cold. Shi Rui opened her suitcase and took out half a box of local specialties: “I didn’t come empty-handed. This is pork knuckle and sausage I brought from my husband’s hometown, and some kvass. You can try it if you don’t mind...”

Coming back to Shanghai on New Year’s Eve definitely had a reason. The few people saw through it but didn’t say anything, busying themselves pushing Shi Rui’s suitcase into a corner. Only Ou Jinghe stood at the door, staring blankly at the reunion dinner in the room. He had decided to leave her hanging for the night.

She stood for a long time, then suddenly heard a voice behind her. Ou Jinghe almost instantly opened the door. Zheng Zeyan walked into the room with his hands in his pockets: “Am I late?”