In this past one week, I've miraculously noticed that there has been some bizarre phenomena happening little by little inside my home. For example, there was a razor in the bathroom, a medical book in the bedroom, the instant noodles that disappears at night in the kitchen, and this weirdly-shaped bone on the dining table…..
When I saw that piece of bone so outwardly displayed on the table, I decided that I could no longer tolerate* this matter, if this keeps up, he's going to be able to successfully move his entire house over. With this thought in mind, I carried the bone and stormed in front of Jiang Chen who was typing some academic papers on his laptop. "What is this?" I threw the bone on the computer's desk.
(T/N: The idiom used was 'spare the rod and spoil the child' meaning if a parent refuses to discipline an unruly child (in this case Jiang Chen), that child will grow accustomed to getting his own ways)
He glanced sideways, then answered my question calmly and seriously, "Bone."
His state of being unfazed has tapered most of my anger but I still forced myself to assume an air of loftiness, "I know that it's fa bone, I mean, what is it doing on the dining table? You don't think I didn't notice you secretly moving some things over here!"
Jiang Chen's fingers left the keyboard, he turned his head on my direction, giving me a very innocent look, and said, "I didn't think so."
…….Eh, he……..didn't?
I felt that I was like a bulging balloon while Jiang Chen has a needle in his hands, reaching out to poke me, and my belly that was full of gas was letting out a screeching cry as it deflates to miles away.
As he noticed that I wasn't talking for a very long time, he just turned around to continue with what he's doing on the laptop, so I hurriedly said, "Then……then, how can you just leave this bone model lying around the dining table!"
Jiang Chen looked at the bone, furrowing his brows, then he looked at me, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this was the bone in the bone soup I made last night."
What happened yesterday was, I was suddenly craving for some pork bone soup with lotus roots. So I looked up the recipe online, and then went outside to buy the ingredients. I waited for Jiang Chen to come home from work, sweet talked him into reading the recipe, and sweet talked him again into cooking the soup. So to say, if the dogs could be trained, then men could also be trained, and besides……..okay, let's not mention it.
Jiang Chen cooked a big pot of soup. After eating our fills, there was still a lot of it left on the pot so I reheated it for breakfast this morning. Jiang Chen ate two bowls, then told me he'd go downstairs first and would just wait for me inside the car, so I hurriedly tried to finish eating the rest. When I was done, I looked at the big pieces of bones lying at the bottom of the pot. I was thinking if I don't chew them clean it would surely benefit our landlord's pet dog which keeps on barking loudly every time it catches sight of me coming home. However, I only managed to chew one bone clean when Jiang Chen's 'death chain call' came. He asked, "What are you dilly-dallying for? If you won't come down this instant, I will not send you to work ever again." I'm actually the type of person who shouldn't be rushed into doing something, lest I'd commit errors in a hundred and one ways once I get flustered. In a hurry, I cleared the table from the pot and bowls, afterwhich, Jiang Chen has already rushed upstairs to drag me out. Hence, the only bone which I chewed clean was left to dry on the dining table for the entire day. After attending to a myriad of daily affairs, I've long forgotten this brief episode that has occurred this morning, and as a result………
"Haha." I continuously let out a hollow laugh, "It seems like it."
I looked at him, his complexion doesn't look good at all, so I complimented him with a smiling face, "You can even recognise that it was the bone from last night, you……you're very familiar with these things."
Actually, I originally wanted to praise him with, "You’re really deserving of being called a doctor." But he just gave me a look as though I was an idiot babbling nonsense……..
Jiang Chen foolishly pursed his lips up, popping out a dimple in the process, and said, "Fortunately, I'm also very familiar with you."
When he was done saying it, he turned around and dealt with his papers. I sat on the bedside, trying so hard to remember — what was it did I originally wanted to compel him to confess his guilt for?
Because I couldn't remember it, I went behind Jiang Chen and placed my chin on his shoulder seemingly lost in my thoughts.
Jiang Chen tilted his head to the side, then suddenly kissed me on the cheek. After that, he ignored my existence.
I pulled on his ear, and asked without thinking it through, "They tire you out every day, how much salary do you get in a month?"
He pulled open the drawer of the computer's desk, took out his wallet, took out a bank card, and said, "The card for my salary."
"Eh?" I accepted it, and scratched my head in puzzlement, "I'm not an ATM, even though you’ve given me this card, I still won't be able to see how much money you get in a month."
Jiang Chen put on a very helpless look, "I'm handing over my salary okay? The PIN is the last six digits of your phone number."
"Why is my phone number your PIN?"
"I changed it just recently. You're so stupid, I was afraid you won't be able to remember."
"But why are you giving me the card for your salary?" My heart was caught in a struggle between wanting to take it and not taking it.
He said, "Because every day, you keep on harping about how expensive water and electricity are near my ear."
I unintentionally blurted out, "Then go back to your house."
Jiang Chen did not say anything, he only looked at me quietly.
I distressedly wanted to bite off my tongue, "I…….I mean as you've been living here with me these past few days, your place will…….will be covered in dust."
Cohabitation is no longer a big deal in this time and age, it's just that…….I just can't explain why. I totally feel that this is not good, probably because we haven't been given the stamp of approval by both of our parents. I always feel that anything we do, if we can't properly define the issue then we would never be able to talk it out intelligently. Well, I think this guy also has his shortcomings — his aloofness.
(T/N: She used a Confucian ideology/ proverb which is literally translated to, 'if the name isn't correct, then the language is not in accordance with the truth of things' meaning address things properly in order for arguments to be tenable.)
The corner of Jiang Chen's mouth lifted, "Sorry to bother you in minding the dust of my house."
I don't know what to say to that. For the lack of a better option, I quickly smiled pandering him, "You just continue with what you're doing." Then I submissively withdrew myself from the room. I scampered to the living room to watch the TV and put it on a very low volume. I didn't see much of what was going on inside, I simply perked up my ears, trying to listen to any sign of movement.
Around half an hour has already passed by, and then from the inside came the sound of a computer shutting down. In five minutes, Jiang Chen came out carrying his laptop bag, and declared, "I'm going home."
I stood up, chewing down on my lower lip, and said, "Drive carefully."
Jiang Chen's complexion darkened then blanched. There seems to be a raging inferno, burning in the depths of his eyes.
The door flew open with a loud crash, making me shrink down on my shoulders from the fright. Such big temper…….
I went over to close the door, leaning against it while counting the days since we got together again — it has actually been more than three months. From summer to fall, from turning on the air conditioner to turning it off for fall. Why didn't he mention about visiting my parents with me, make me explain things to my dad, or take me to their house, and make his mom humiliate me or something.
I was already imagining scenarios on what his mom would say if she saw me again. Right, it's going to be around the lines of why am I still haunting* them like this. Then, how should I answer her? Is it because your son is a great master at beckoning souls? Haha, it's just fantasy*.
(T/N: [1] The idiom used was "the soul of the deceased has not yet dispersed" and is commonly used with a negative connotation meaning, even if the 'bad' guys were already eliminated their influence still lingers. [2] The three-character idiom used was "managing the addiction" meaning doing some things to satisfy one's desires because one isn't able to achieve it.)
My butt has barely touched the couch when the doorbell rang. I scouted the outside from the peephole, Jiang Chen's face looked distorted, so cute.
As I opened the door, I announced in a loud voice, "Aren't you on your way home? What are you doing here? I already said I'm not going to take you in tonight."
I admit that I'm a little pleased with myself as it was seldom that Jiang Chen would humble himself and come back. Oh the proud Jiang Chen, the proud Jiang Chen.
But when I saw those two people behind him, the laughter that threatened to come out of me died, I opened my mouth to call them, chattering, "Mom, dad."
My dad has a black face, my mom was all smiles and pulled me along, "We so happened to bump into Little Jiang just now while we were downstairs, and asked him to come up too."
"Mom, why have you come here this late? Why didn't you give me a call first? I would have picked you guys up." I stole a glance at Jiang Chen, his expression can still be regarded as calm.
"It's your dad's fault, he insisted on coming over to see you. He also said not to let you pick us up as you're too busy with work. Who knew we were going to be stuck in the traffic for this long, making us arrive here this late."
Liar. I've watched our city's evening news, they even said that today's traffic condition was exceptionally good. Already so old yet they're still playing these surprise checks, truly shameless.
My mom dragged me along with her to the kitchen, "What are you in a daze for? Go pour a glass of water for your dad."
As soon as we entered the kitchen, my mom whispered to me, "Are there any men's stuff left inside your house? Quickly hide them away, don't let your dad catch sight of them."
I was scared out of my wits, there wasn’t enough time as I zoomed towards the bedroom, and towards the closet, sweeping all of Jiang Chen's clothes into a bag, and tucking it under the bed. Afterwards, I zoomed towards the restroom, picked Jiang Chen's toothbrush, towel, razor, etcetera, and swept them all into a plastic bucket, used a basin to cover it up, and shoved it under the sink. Then I remembered Jiang Chen's clothes that were still hanging in the balcony. If I were to go to the balcony, I must walk through the living room. How can I bring them inside when my dad was just sitting right there beside Jiang Chen? I was so anxious that I ended up scratching my head and stomping my feet not knowing what to do.
Hence, I could only go back to the kitchen to ask my mom who was looking for the tea leaves to brew some tea. She said despicably, "Bring your clothes inside, throw Little Jiang's clothes downstairs."
Sure enough……..the older the ginger, the spicier it gets*. (T/N: The older, the wiser)
I let out a hollow laugh as I walked towards the balcony under my dad's skeptical gaze, "Mom told me I should bring the clothes in at night, otherwise they would be dampened by the dew……"
After getting the clothes, I dreaded how to carefully consider the direction from which I must throw them down. It was just too dark, and my place was situated too high. I'm not too sure if these clothes would hit anyone on the head, more than anything else, if it's the briefs, that would really be so embarrassing……..
Maybe because I've been dawdling in the balcony for a really long time, the people inside has already started chatting. I heard deep voices talking in lowered volumes, it seems like my dad and Jiang Chen were the ones talking. I hid myself and ducked down beside the balcony door to eavesdrop.
"You broke up with Xiaoxi for such a long time, if you love her, why didn't you try to look for her?" My dad's voice carried a hint of suppressed anger and a hint of pretending to be imposing.
Dad! That's very nice of you to ask.
Jiang Chen's voice was really low. Unfortunately, I lived in a slum housing wherein the units has no soundproofing, so I heard every single word very clearly. He said, "Uncle, you were once young too, young people tend to act rashly in a fit of pique."
My dad let out a snort, "Your fit of pique sure lasted a long time."
"It's no more than being piqued by Xiaoxi."
"Since you felt piqued, how did the two of you reconcile?" It was my mother's voice, indeed compared to the other two, she seemed to have her qi moved to her dantian* so much more. (T/N: 'dantian' which is a location at your pubic region is considered to be where one's qi/vital energy originates; often singers/practitioners of martial arts or qigong/people who play wind instruments are required to have their qi moved to that region to be more steady/composed)
"When uncle was hospitalized, Xiaoxi gave me a call. Then, we got in touch."
"In other words, our family's Xiaoxi reached out to you first?" My dad asked.
"No. Actually, I pretended to call her number by mistake. I originally thought that if I pretended to call her several times by mistake, she would return the call. I just didn't expect to run into the matter with you by chance."
"Does Xiaoxi know?"
"Does not know."
"Why didn't you tell her?"
"I felt piqued."
I was having mixed emotions as of the moment. Piqued, piqued. You were really piqued by this little sister…….
My mom was in bouts of laughter, but my dad still persevered, "You're so fond of trying to get even with Xiaoxi, later on she won't be allowed to live. I can't hand her over to you, besides, your family isn't any good."
"Uncle, please be reassured, I have a sense of propriety and will not make Xiaoxi go through difficulties, I will take good care of her. I will also deal with my parents."
"Hmph! No one relies on the mouth alone." To be honest, the tone of my dad's words sounded like he was being deliberately provocative.
"So how does uncle hope that I can prove it to all of you?" The way Jiang Chen spoke was cordial and unperturbed. I highly suspect that it comes from dealing with a lot of the patients' family members.
"You should confess to Xiaoxi the matter regarding making the phone call first." My dad said.
"That's it?" Jiang Chen sounded very confused. In fact, I also felt very confused……
"Yes!" My dad replied with resolute and decisiveness, having no sense of shame.
"But Xiaoxi has been standing on the balcony, listening for a long time." Jiang Chen replied, seemingly a little perplexed.
I quickly threw Jiang Chen's clothes downstairs and sauntered to the living room carrying my clothes, "Hehe, the air on the balcony is good, standing up is also good for the legs and feet……."
BTW, there's a whole side story about that day when Jiang Chen pretended to call her. 😂