Drama Couple in the 80s

Chapter 1

In the middle of the night, He Cheng woke up to find his wife missing.

His sleep had been unusually uncomfortable, feeling restless all over. With eyes closed, he instinctively rolled and reached out beside him, only to discover that his warm, soft young wife was not there. Attempting to turn on the light, he groped around for what felt like ages but couldn't locate the switch.

Scanning both sides, it became clear his wife wasn't in bed. At this late hour, where could she have gone?

Last night, he'd worked overtime until 1 A.M., returning home past 2 A.M. During his shift, Jiang Ya called to complain, but amidst the overwhelming workload, his tone grew curt, leading to a brief argument. By the time he arrived home, Jiang Ya had already fallen asleep; he didn't dare disturb her and quickly went to bed himself.

Feeling somewhat frustrated, He Cheng wondered if his exhausted slumber made his wife upset enough to leave?

"Yaya?" He Cheng called out, yawning as he sat up. After fumbling unsuccessfully for the bedside lamp's switch, he reached for his phone instead and raised his voice, asking, "Wife, what are you doing?"

"What are you yelling about? So annoying! Can't a person get some sleep!" Suddenly, a man's voice echoed from the darkness.

Startled, He Cheng jolted wide awake—how could there be an unknown man in their house? Was it a break-in robbery? Scenes from various crime dramas flooded his mind. Panicking, he shouted immediately, "Who's there? Where's my wife? What have you done with her?"

"What wife? What do you mean 'wife'? You're crazy!"

"I'm warning you, the police station is only three minutes away!" He Cheng groped frantically along the wall for a light switch but couldn't find one. In his panic, he yelled, "Where's the light? Turn on the lights!"

With a scratch, someone lit a match and illuminated a lamp. Still unsettled, He Cheng squinted through the sudden brightness... An oil lamp?

For a moment, he couldn't distinguish reality from a dream; he had only ever seen such lamps in movies or on television. The person who lit the lamp had a thin, unfamiliar face, half-reclining on the opposite bed wrapped in a quilt. Despite scrutinizing him closely, He Cheng recognized no hint of familiarity.

"What's gotten into you?! Yelling and shouting in the middle of the night, giving me quite a scare." After lighting the oil lamp, the individual paused before grumbling sourly, "Listen, buddy, dreaming about marrying a wife—how wishful of you! Acting all lovestruck at this hour, I just don't get it. Haven't we already suffered enough embarrassment?"

Wooden rafters, whitewashed walls, two narrow wooden beds—the stiffness beneath him suddenly made sense. He Cheng glanced around; they were alone in the room, with no sign of Jiang Ya.

Confused, He Cheng opened his mouth hesitantly, asking, "Who are you?"

His question was genuine, yet the other person seemed to misinterpret it, snorting dismissively, "Yes, who am I indeed? Not my concern, right? You think I want to bother with you? Blame it on being your younger brother. Look at yourself, if not me, who else would care for you? No one bothers to spare you a thought."

He Cheng's initial shock began to subside, but he remained utterly bewildered. What was going on? It didn't feel like a dream—could it be some kind of prank?

So, he raised his voice and called out, "Ya-Ya, Ya-Ya?"

"What ducks or geese nonsense is this? Can't you just settle down?! Even sleep isn't peaceful with you around. The production brigade starts work early tomorrow morning, big brother stop causing trouble, or Mom will scold you again. I always have to defend you as it is. Listen to me, now go back to sleep quietly."