I thought what awaited me in the store was an impatient defense, maybe even a familiar thunderous outburst. On the way back, I rehearsed various reactions of Ao Chi when he saw me.
All wrong.
When I showed up in Unceasing's hall, Ao Chi was sitting by the sunniest window, reading the newspaper and stuffing his mouth with fragrant porridge.
His table was filled with all sorts of appetizing breakfast items, which were really colorful and mouth-watering.
Ao Chi has always loved to sleep in, so having him prepare breakfast is out of the question.
He seemed completely unaware of my presence, not even lifting his eyelids. The room was filled only with the sound of the newspaper being turned and the sound of him slurping porridge.
There were light footsteps behind me, and I turned to see a red cloud floating before me.
The "relative from the East China Sea" came in wearing the apron I use and carrying a plate of steaming buns. Her expression remained cautious, but the grievance was gone, replaced by a subtle hint of happy satisfaction.
I'm looking for my husband! She said Ao Chi is "her" husband.
A beautiful morning, a husband having breakfast while reading the paper, and a virtuous wife serving said breakfast. In my memory and habits, Ao Chi never read the newspaper, never woke up early, and had brunch. And at every mealtime, he would only see a greasy and frazzled me rushing out of the kitchen with a big wok and ladle, shouting: Hey pig! Get your ass over here![1] I have never looked clean and virtuous.
This is our married life, in the name of husband and wife.
Now, standing between the two of them, I suddenly felt like laughing. The scene before me was so good, with its simple and stark contrast, it squeezed me away from a certain place. Seeing me return, the woman stood still for a moment before lowering her head and floating past me.
I walked over, sat opposite Ao Chi, and casually grabbed a bun, taking a big bite. I smiled at Ao Chi's "relative" who stood there dumbfounded with her cherry mouth open, "Thanks! It tastes great."
"You're so rude," Ao Chi continued flipping through his newspaper, but it was obvious he was holding it upside down.
"She..." Ao Chi turned to look at the woman who dared not express her anger, "She's Dong'er, from the same clan as me. She was the daughter-in-law that my grandfather chose for me back then. That's all."
"Well... we've worshiped heaven and earth, and everyone in the East China Sea knows it," the woman named Dong'er added quietly.
Ao Chi didn't deny it, but gave her a cold look, then quickly finished his porridge in one go. This is the truth. Fate not only brought Zimiao to me but also brought Ao Chi's "first wife" as a free gift. So now, what am I?
Sorry, I really have no experience in dealing with this kind of incident. Even if I did, it would be for someone else. The same thing happening to someone else feels qualitatively different. My mind was blank. Only by eating continuously could I look more calm. That year, the appearance of Xuechang gave me a taste of what it means to have my insides burning, and today, the appearance of this dragon girl made me eat six or seven buns in one go.
"What are your plans?" I burped and kept smiling.
"I…no, the Dragon King has always hoped for Ao Chi to return to East China Sea, and he also intends to pass the position of Dragon King to Ao Chi," Dong'er looked at me timidly, "I made a big decision to quietly leave East China Sea and traverse mountains and rivers to find him. I..." she bit her lip, hesitating.
"You might as well say it straight. I respect every guest's right to speak," I emphasized the word "guest."
"I've been waiting for him for as many years as he left the East China Sea," Dong'er tightly clasped her hands, "I know he doesn't care about me, but I am still his wife."
Six buns, I'm sure to have indigestion. The man who is always as noisy as a crow is like a mute at this time. If he doesn't deny it, it's the truth. But I want to know his thoughts.
"Um... Miss Shaluo, we all know about you." Dong'er seemed afraid of my anger, "If you don't mind, you can come back to the East China Sea with us."
"Hahaha," I finally laughed, "Go to the East China Sea with you? Is Eastern and Western Palaces[2] also popular among the East China Sea Dragon Clan?"
"What's Eastern and Western Palaces?" Dong'er was puzzled.
"In that case, you've made your decision," I ignored her, stood up, and smiled brightly at Ao Chi, "Bon voyage."
God knows how much I want to smash all the remaining buns in his face!
"Thank you." He didn't even look up.
I still smashed them, and each bun was filled with resentment, surprise, confusion and sadness that I cannot resolve.
The plate fell to the floor and shattered.
"Brother Ao Chi..." Dong'er exclaimed, hastily taking out a handkerchief to wipe his face, while trying to comfort me, "Miss Shaluo, please don't be angry. I'll persuade Brother Ao Chi to agree to take you to East China Sea."
It hurt to hear that. Zimiao once said you should refine your "heart" at all times. Fine, I don't want to die without knowing why.
"Ao Chi," I took a deep breath, "If you say there's nothing, I'll believe it."
Silence, that damn silence.
"Miss Shaluo, don't worry. I'll talk to Brother Ao Chi again," Dong'er looked very sorry.
"I appreciate your kindness[3]." I wiped my hands, looking at this Mrs. First Wife, who doesn't have any temper but whose every word sets me off, "I don't share my toothbrush, gold, and man with anyone. That's my rule. Please remember to turn off the gas and lock the door when you leave. Goodbye!"
Storming out of Unceasing, I trotted all the way without looking back, not looking at the direction or the road. Until someone grabbed my arm.
"You're growing younger[4]," Zimiao sighed behind me, "when you smashed the buns in his face."
"Like you said, eat when you're hungry. I can't pretend I'm not angry when I am. Look at his ridiculous face. How I wish those buns were made of iron!" I raised my voice, venting at him. Anger is like a flood; once it starts, it's hard to control.
"I agree with that," Zimiao patted my head, "But what are you going to do next?"
"I..." How would I know what I'm going to do? I plopped down on the curb, watching the pedestrians passing by and the occasional strange looks thrown my way, feeling upset. It would be better not to be married. This thought has been scratching my mind.
I began to mock myself. Did I start running unceasing again? Thinking that ceasing forever is just a joke[5]?
"You haven't gone too far, and you still know the way back," Zimiao stood behind me, neither approaching nor leaving, just the right distance away.
"I'm not going back!" I pouted, resting my chin on my knees.
I act like a child only in front of him. Right now, I don't want to control my emotions. Left or right, go far or go back, I don't even want to think about it. It's annoying, just annoying. Bad mood, this tacky human thing grabbed me hard. At this moment, my phone rang.
I hung up, it rang again, I hung up again, it rang again, persistent like a haunting spirit.
"Hello?" I gave in.
"I've been dumped..." Jiu Jue's voice, long absent, trembled on the other end of the phone, his exaggerated sorrow almost bursting out of the receiver.
"Can I interpret that as I don't need to prepare a red packet?" I suddenly broke into a genuine and wicked grin, "That's really the best news I've heard today!"
"You heartless old witch!!" My phone vibrated artificially under his high-pitched voice. After hanging up, I stood up, turned around and shrugged at Zimiao, "It seems you have to see him. Right now, he needs friendship."
"What about yourself?" he asked with a smile.
"I need to calm down." I pulled at him, "Let's go and have a drink."
Zimiao just went along with me, letting me drag him forward.
Just as we took a few steps, the ground that had always been completely stable and safe suddenly shook. A force hit from the depths of the earth but was contained within a short distance. Unable to find an outlet, it grudgingly dispersed in all directions.
Such a disturbance seemed to be felt even by the ordinary humans around. A child of five or six years old holding his mother's hand, looked up and exclaimed, "Mommy, mommy, the ground is shaking! It's so scary!"
"Silly child, it's only that big car driving by just now, shaking the ground. Come on, don't stay under tall buildings," the mother comforted the child and walked briskly away. At the same time, there was another strange noise and uproar diagonally ahead—
A few hundred meters away, a third of a building under construction collapsed for no apparent reason. Looking at the safety nets and reinforced concrete that fell to the ground, people's exclamations mixed with rising dust rolled in.
"Goodness, was that an earthquake?"
"It seems so!"
"That's impossible, our city is not in an earthquake zone!"
"Who said it's not?! Go back and check for yourself. The cities near us all have a history of earthquakes! I've been wondering why our Wangchuan has never had an earthquake!"
"What are you talking about!"
Suspicions abounded at the scene of the incident. I looked down and saw a thin, inconspicuous crack extending forward from under my feet with no end in sight.
Footnotes:
[1] 喂猪了! 滚 出来! can also be translated as "Pig feeding time! Roll out!" The point is Shaluo calls Ao Chi a pig and is rude when calling him for a meal.
[2] 东西 宫 possibly refers to 东西宫略, a costume drama about two co-wives competing for the favor of King Chai. Shaluo is basically asking if polygamy is popular among the dragon clan.
[3] 心领 is a conventional reply to turn down an offer aka No, thank you.
[4] 逆生长: to regain one's youthful looks. In this case, regressing.
[5] It's a word play about Shaluo running her shop Unceasing and wandering non-stop. I hope I got it across.
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