Together Forever

Chapter 18.2

What Life Looks Like

Shen Yao was determined to go abroad, so naturally she did not put much heed on her internship. After she had her parents find a court to affix a stamp of verification on an internship evaluation form, she had begun enjoying a well-nurtured life during this fourth year of university, all the while spending it in Hunan, where she kept her boyfriend company.

Tong Yan had not expected that when she told Shen Yao about her fracture, Shen Yao's first reaction had been to guffaw. "Finally, I have an excuse to go to Beijing to meet my future father-in-law and mother-in-law!" And then shortly after the winter break had begun, she had hustled straight to Beijing.

After ten days had passed, she finally managed, before the start of the Lunar New Year celebrations, to make a visit to see Tong Yan.

"Have a bit of sympathy, okay?" Tong Yan lay belly-down on the couch, aimlessly flipping through television programs. "I've been recuperating for nearly a month. When I sit on a chair to eat, I need to put three or four foam seat cushions down, and it still hurts. You don't even think about comforting me; all you know is to use me as an excuse."

Shen Yao crouched beside the couch and peeled a mandarin orange for her. "Come wintertime, do you Beijing-ers just eat mandarin oranges, peanuts, and melon seeds? When I'm with Cheng Yu, no matter whose house we drop in on to visit, there are always these things."

"It seems so." Tong Yan thought about this for a moment. "But it seems not quite right, either."

"Do you know that he told me to wash dishes in his home and tidy up the place? He said it was to leave a good impression with his dad and mom ..." Being the delicate and helpless young Shanghai girl that she was, this form of torture had left Shen Yao feeling very defeated. "You know my family has a housekeeper who does all that stuff. He said that most families don't hire a housekeeper, especially in Beijing, where the girl does the housework and takes care of the entire family, old and young alike."

Giving an "mm-hmm" in response, Tong Yan took a segment of orange from her. "It's the custom of the North. Did you think everyone was like your mom, everyday just going shopping and chatting with people and stuff? You didn't even find yourself a guy from the Northeast[1] ... Just be content."

"Well what about you and Great Beauty Gu?" Shen Yao laid her head down beside Tong Yan's face and looked at her.

"I do the cooking, I do the laundry." Tong Yan mulled this over and discovered that she truly did meet the requirements. "It seems I do the majority of things."

"Then you should just be a full-time wife. Hasn't he already taken a job out in the real world? After a few years, when he's gotten by well and has become one of the big bosses, do you think he's even going to care about your puny salary?"

Sprawled on her stomach, Tong Yan also looked at her. It felt as if they had returned to the times when they were still in school and the two of them would squeeze onto same bed together, whispering face to face to one another. "My wish is that I can provide for him, to allow him to just stay home and read, or if he wants to, he can go teach a couple of classes at a school and that's it."

Shen Yao gawked wide-eyed at her. "You're really going to keep him like he's a beauty?"

"I'm just worried that he won't let me keep and provide for him." Tong Yan sighed, "I'll tell you something honest. His health is actually not very good. Back when he was doctor, he got sick because he was trying to save people, and that left some side effects. That's why it's not really suitable for him to get too tired out."

This was the first time she had ever mentioned this to Shen Yao. Perhaps it had simply been too long and she needed a place to let it all out, like a tree hollow that she could talk into, to just voice out everything in a jumble.