Chi Yin sensed Wei Chengan’s skepticism, realizing he believed she was only asking for a divorce because she was angry.
It was no wonder he felt that way.
Wei Chengliang, that piece of trash, was an excellent actor. In public, he was gentle and refined, the kind of good husband everyone praised. Only she, having lived a second life, knew exactly how hypocritical and vicious the man before her truly was.
Thinking of the painful memories from her past life, hatred surged in Chi Yin’s heart, and the expression on her face gradually hardened. "My reason for wanting a divorce is not a fleeting fit of temper, nor is it merely 'incompatible personalities'! I have absolutely no feelings for him. I am disgusted by him—disgusted to my very core. I am going to divorce him, no one can stop me, and if the agreement fails, I will take it to court!"
Wei Chengan studied Chi Yin intently, complex emotions also roiling within him. "If you want to leave, then leave. Once you’re free, you can find someone better."
*Find someone else?* She would rather stay single for the rest of her life than ever be with someone whose moral boundaries were so blurred again. Marriage was a graveyard; it stripped away all disguises in no time. A long marriage could be heaven, but it could just as easily be hell. Since she had finally managed to break free, why would she ever let herself fall back in?
At that moment, Xixi ran in, tugging at the hem of Wei Chengan’s shirt and pouting, "Uncle, are there any more candies? I’m so hungry, I want more."
Wanwan followed, taking small, hurried steps, her little face scrunched up. "Mommy, I’m so hungry."
Only then did it dawn on Chi Yin that she had forgotten to cook lunch; it was already past one in the afternoon. She noticed there was about half a mu of land in the backyard filled with various vegetables. The landlord had left behind pots, pans, and bowls. Now, all they lacked was a staple food.
Just as Chi Yin was about to suggest taking the children to buy some cornmeal, she saw Wei Chengan take each child by the hand and say gently, "Let’s go. Come with Uncle to buy cornmeal, and we’ll let Mommy stay here to cook the vegetables while she waits for us."
Xixi’s little eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands incessantly. "Okay! Okay!"
Wanwan looked at Chi Yin for approval, and upon seeing her mother nod, she beamed.
Chi Yin returned to the bedroom, walked to the bedside, and knelt to push aside the clutter piled under the bed, revealing a half-broken brick. She lifted the brick and took out the crumpled banknotes hidden beneath. In the late eighties, the state-set price for cornmeal was twenty cents per jin. Figuring that one yuan could buy three kilograms, she pulled out a single one-yuan note and hid the rest of the money back exactly as it was.
Clutching the money, she stepped outside only to find the area empty; Wei Chengan had already taken the two children far away.
While tidying the kitchen, Chi Yin heard a commotion. She poked her head out and saw Wei Chengan walking back with the two children, followed by a woman riding a tricycle.
"Mommy, we’re back! Look at all the things we bought!"
Xixi and Wanwan excitedly pulled their hands away from Wei Chengan’s and sprinted toward the kitchen, pushing and pulling until they dragged Chi Yin outside.
The tricycle was packed to the brim. Wei Chengan gestured for the woman to unload the items: a twenty-jin sack of cornmeal, a thirty-jin woven bag of rice, a cardboard box containing thirty fresh eggs (weighing about three jin), a barrel of oil, a bag of salt, and MSG. There was also a large paper bag filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, facial soap, and other basic daily necessities.
Chi Yin was stunned. "So many things... how much did this cost?"
Wei Chengan smiled at her. "I didn't waste any money. It’s all food and things we need."
"This must be your wife, right?" The woman, who wasn't very old, mistakenly assumed that Chi Yin and Wei Chengan were a married couple living together. She showered Chi Yin with praise. "Sister, you really found a good husband. He even picked out the best quality feminine hygiene products."
*What?*
He even bought feminine hygiene products? Her brother-in-law was certainly thoughtful! But as far as she knew, a single pack of feminine products in the late eighties cost fifty cents—the equivalent of three days’ wages for an average worker.
*This—how much must this have cost!*
After unloading the goods, the woman rode off on her tricycle.
Humans are like iron and food is like steel; as long as one is living, one cannot do without firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Without offering much explanation, Wei Chengan picked up the twenty-jin bag of cornmeal in his left hand and the thirty-jin bag of rice in his right and walked toward the kitchen.
After setting the items down, Wei Chengan straightened his back, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said to Chi Yin, "This is enough to last us a month."
A month? They wouldn't finish it in a month; in her estimation, it would take at least three months. They would have to eat hard, or it would go moldy if left too long. Now that the grain and daily necessities were stocked, once she found the time to till the backyard with a hoe and plant new vegetable seeds, the three of them wouldn’t have to worry about food or drink.
But every bag of grain represented money. She only had two yuan and fifty cents on her. Even if she split the cost with Wei Chengan, she couldn't afford her half.
Noticing Chi Yin’s troubled expression, Wei Chengan said gently, "These only cost ten yuan in total. Once you finish your training course and start earning money, you can just pay me back five yuan."
"It couldn't have been just ten yuan, right?" Chi Yin was skeptical.
Wei Chengan moved the daily necessities into the living room and turned back to say, "Don’t worry about the cost. Just pay me back five yuan once you’re earning money. My cooking is terrible; from now on, you can be in charge of all three meals, and since I’m busy with work all day, you can handle the cleaning. By my calculations, I’m actually coming out ahead!"
Chi Yin understood that Wei Chengan was genuinely trying to save her money, so she stopped being overly polite and said earnestly, "Alright, I'll take care of all the meals from now on. Don’t you dare step in, or I’ll feel guilty."
And so, it was happily decided.
Chi Yin collected herself and busied herself in the kitchen. She made pumpkin corn cakes, stir-fried potatoes with chicken, and scrambled eggs. The sweet, savory aroma drifted through the screen window and out into the courtyard. Xixi and Wanwan, who had been chasing each other around, twitched their little noses and turned their heads in unison toward the kitchen.
"It smells so good!" Xixi’s eyes went wide.
Wanwan took small, quick steps, pulling Xixi toward the kitchen. The two little ones stood on their tiptoes, clinging to the windowsill, straining their little heads to peek inside. They swallowed repeatedly and licked their lips—a pair of little gluttons.
Wei Chengan finished organizing the new supplies, and as the fragrant aroma reached him, he followed the scent to the kitchen. He saw Chi Yin smiling as she handed two freshly cooked cakes to the two little gluttons outside the window, saying softly, "It's a little hot, okay?"
The children took eager bites, their mouths full of flavor, mumbling indistinctly, "Mommy! So delicious! Mommy, I love you, Mommy!"
Wei Chengan watched this scene, feeling an inexplicable sense of contentment.