Together Forever - Chapter 53
Volume 3, Chapter 53: Slice of Life (2)
The fracture, while sounding serious, ultimately required only rest.
Complete and utter rest.
The good news was that she passed the bar exam.
Shen Yao, determined to study abroad, wasn’t taking her internship seriously. After having her parents pull some strings to get her internship evaluation signed, she spent her senior year in Hunan with Cheng Yu. When Tong Yan told her about the fracture, Shen Yao’s first reaction had been to laugh. “Finally, an excuse to visit my future in-laws in Beijing!”
Then, as soon as winter break started, she rushed to Beijing.
After ten days, just before the Lunar New Year, she finally visited Tong Yan.
“Have some sympathy, will you?” Tong Yan said, lying on the sofa, flipping through TV channels. “I’ve been recuperating for almost a month! I still need three or four cushions to sit comfortably. And you’re not even offering any words of comfort, just using me as an excuse to visit your boyfriend.”
Shen Yao, peeling a tangerine, said, “Do Beijingers only eat tangerines, peanuts, and sunflower seeds in the winter? Whenever Cheng Yu and I visit someone’s home, that’s all they offer.”
“I think so… but I’m not sure.”
“You know, he made me wash dishes and clean his apartment, saying he wanted to impress his parents…” Shen Yao, a pampered Shanghai girl, sounded utterly defeated. “We have a housekeeper. He said most families don’t have housekeepers, especially in Beijing, and that women are expected to do all the housework and take care of the family.”
Tong Yan hummed, taking a tangerine segment from her. “That’s how it is in the north. Did you think everyone was like your mother, spending their days shopping and chatting? You haven’t even met a guy from northeast China yet… Be grateful.”
“What about you and Mei Ren Sha (Gu Pingsheng's nickname)?” Shen Yao asked, leaning closer.
“I cook, I do laundry…” Tong Yan considered for a moment, realizing she was actually quite a capable housewife. “I do most of the chores.”
“Then just be a stay-at-home wife! He’s back at work now. In a few years, when he’s a successful, high-powered lawyer, will he even care about your meager salary?”
Tong Yan looked at her, their faces close, just like when they used to whisper secrets in their dorm room. “My dream is to support him, so he can stay home and read, maybe teach a couple of classes if he feels like it.”
Shen Yao stared at her, wide-eyed. “You really intend to keep him as a… trophy husband?”
“I’m just afraid he won’t let me,” Tong Yan sighed. “I haven’t told you this before, but he’s not very healthy. When he was a doctor, he contracted an illness while treating a patient, and there have been… complications. He shouldn’t overwork himself.”
It was the first time she had confided in Shen Yao about this.
Perhaps it had been too long; she needed someone to talk to, to share her burdens.
Shen Yao hummed, then after a moment of silence, abruptly stood up, startling Tong Yan.
“When you grilled Zhou Qing Chen about the long-term effects of SARS, was it because of Teacher Gu?”
Tong Yan nodded.
Shen Yao began pacing around the living room, then sat back down on the sofa. “Yan Yan, have you ever considered… breaking up? Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”
“Of course not,” Tong Yan sat up as well, carefully leaning against the sofa to avoid putting pressure on her tailbone. “Shen Yao, you’re in Gu Pingsheng’s apartment. Choose your words carefully.”
She had been joking, but Shen Yao was serious.
“I still remember what Zhou Qing Chen said. What if Mei Ren Sha’s condition worsens? Heart failure, organ damage… What will you do? Be his nurse? And that’s not even the worst part. You’ll have to pay for his medical expenses, a never-ending stream of bills, selling your apartment, your car… What will you do when you have nothing left to sell? Sell yourself?”
“Why are you so pessimistic?” Tong Yan chuckled.
“I’m being realistic!” Shen Yao exclaimed. “This is serious! I’ve been staying with Cheng Yu at his parents’ place, and just noticing a few incompatible lifestyle habits has made me question whether I can spend my life with his family. And that’s just a possibility… You’re already living it! It’s just a matter of time before his condition worsens. It’s a bottomless pit, do you understand? And you’re willingly jumping in?”
Seeing Shen Yao’s agitation, Tong Yan waited for her to finish.
Shen Yao, seeing her silence, immediately backpedaled. “Of course, I’m being very practical. I’m sorry, Teacher Gu, for being so insensitive, considering he’s a lifesaver and all…” She then resumed her protective friend mode. “But you’re my best friend, and I have to be on your side.”
“Are you done?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, my turn,” Tong Yan said, pointing out the window. “We could face any number of disasters tomorrow: car accidents, fires, plane crashes… Who knows, I might get hit by a car as soon as I step outside. So, whatever might happen tomorrow won’t affect my decisions today.”
Shen Yao cursed, grabbing her arm. “Don’t jinx yourself, Tong Yan Wu Ji!”
“Honestly, I’m… emotionally deprived. Anyone I can hold onto, you couldn’t pry me away with a crowbar,” she leaned against Shen Yao, nuzzling her shoulder. “If you were ever in his situation, I would gladly take care of you too. You don’t eat much anyway, as long as you’re not buying designer clothes and bags.”
Shen Yao patted her back. “You’re so good at emotional manipulation; you almost made me cry.”
Shen Yao had intended to wait for Gu Pingsheng to return before leaving, but after having dinner with Tong Yan and her grandmother, and still no sign of him by nine, she finally gave up, as Cheng Yu had called repeatedly. As she was leaving, she paused at the door and whispered, “Do your parents and grandmother know about Gu Pingsheng’s condition?”
“They don’t, and I don’t want them to know,” Tong Yan made a slashing motion with her hand. “Eliminate all obstacles before they become a problem.”
“Just you wait; you’ll be crying one day,” Shen Yao said, then quickly added, “I didn’t mean to jinx you!”
After seeing Shen Yao off, Tong Yan returned to the sofa, dozing off in front of the TV several times, before finally hearing the key turn in the lock.
Gu Pingsheng entered the apartment, turning on the lights, his hair and coat slightly damp. She took his hand and made him sit beside her. “Is it snowing outside? Heavily?”
“It wasn’t snowing heavily when I left the office, but by the time I reached Chang’an Avenue, it was a blizzard,” he said, his expression one of quiet enjoyment. “Is this your first time seeing snow in Beijing?” She touched his hair. “It’s damp. Go take a shower.”
“I saw snow in Beijing once, when I was five.”
“Five? You remember that clearly? I don’t remember anything from before I was six.”
He smiled. “My mother gave birth to me abroad. I was five when I first came to China, to meet my family. My grandmother was still alive then; she was always smiling. My grandfather, however, was very serious. I remember, it was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and it started snowing. My grandfather, for once, left his study and took me outside to build a snowman.”
She always dreaded hearing him talk about the past; his memories were always tinged with sadness, a pain she could almost feel herself. So, when he mentioned being born abroad, her heart ached, but thankfully, it was a happy memory.
She wanted to hear more, but it was late.
After his shower, Gu Pingsheng, his body radiating warmth, climbed into bed and put his arm around her. “Asleep?” The light was off, and she didn’t bother turning it on, carefully turning to face him, mindful of her injury.
Her movement answered his question.
He pulled her closer, and she straddled him, his hand cupping the back of her head as he leaned down and kissed her. She tentatively touched his lips with her tongue.
She had thought it was just a goodnight kiss, but his body felt hot, his intention clear… Without a word, their lips met, their tongues tangling, the kiss gradually softening into gentle, lingering caresses.
A comfortable, familiar intimacy.
Lost in the kiss, she felt him lift her slightly, and before she could react, he entered her. She gasped, then bit her lip, stifling the sound…
After a moment, she heard him chuckle softly. “Don’t move… Just relax…”
…
The next morning, too tired to cook, she went downstairs and bought jianbing, steamed buns, and soymilk.
The jianbing vendor recognized her. “It’s almost Lunar New Year; all the breakfast stalls will be closed for the holidays. You should stock up, or you’ll go hungry.”
“No cilantro, please,” Tong Yan said.
“Of course, of course,” the vendor chuckled. “I know, your husband doesn’t eat cilantro.”
“It’s not that he doesn’t like it,” Tong Yan sighed. “He says cilantro is hard to wash properly, so he avoids it, unless I wash it myself. He used to be a doctor, so he’s… particular about these things. He never opens the car windows, even in summer, so I rarely buy takeout; I always cook at home.”
She spoke with a hint of pride.
Back in the apartment, she wrote down the time she had spent outside on a small blackboard in the living room. Her daily bed rest was strictly timed, and she meticulously recorded her limited “free time” for Gu Pingsheng’s review.
It seemed like a hassle, but having a personal physician wasn't so bad.
“We’ll be in Beijing for New Year’s Day,” he whispered, his arms around her, his chin resting on her shoulder. “How about a vacation for the rest of the break?” She shrugged him off, turning around. “It’s a ten-day break! I’d rather sleep. Let’s not go anywhere.” He hummed thoughtfully. “We can find a nice hotel, sleep till sunset, then go to the beach and watch the moon. No activities, just relaxation.”
It actually sounded quite appealing.
As she was considering it, he said, “We’ll leave on the second day of the new year.” Tong Yan nodded, still pondering the idea, when he gently lifted her chin, and she instinctively looked up at him.
“Mrs. Gu, overthinking causes wrinkles.”
“You’re so domineering; you never give me a chance to refuse,” she chuckled. “But I like it, I like it very much.”
Just then, they heard the key turn in the lock. Her grandmother was back from her morning exercise. The door opened, and she saw two figures.
Her grandmother and her father.
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