I took off my coat with Mi Cai and sat around the dining table with Ban Die and others. Wang Zheng opened a bottle of aged wine and poured some for all of us. Once Mom brought the cooked sausages to the table, we all raised our glasses and clinked them together.
The aged wine tasted great, and we all instinctively smacked our lips in appreciation. I put down my glass, first served a piece of sausage to Mi Cai, and then stuffed two slices into my own mouth. The chewy flavor made me savor again, but as I closed my eyes to enjoy, I was criticized by everyone for having no table manners!
I hurriedly served Mi Cai three more slices, gesturing for her to eat with me, but she replied, “Are you trying to make me as ill-mannered as you?”
“No, I just wanted to see if you could share hardships with me! After all, isn’t it said that when a woman marries a rooster, she follows the rooster, and when she marries a dog, she follows the dog!”
Mi Cai looked at Ban Die and Mom and said, “Uncle, Auntie, did you see that? This is Zhaoyang’s specialty—shifting crises. He always sounds so convincing, making it seem like if you don’t comply with him, you’re even more immoral!”
Ban Die and Mom looked at me with displeased expressions… They knew I had a thick skin, so they naturally chose to support Mi Cai! Unexpectedly, Mi Cai picked up those three slices of sausage and put them in her mouth. After enjoyingly finishing them, she added, “However, I really wish to eat more of the sausages made by Auntie on this occasion… They are just too delicious!”
Ban Die and Mom exchanged glances and smiled helplessly. Mom sighed, “These two kids are both mischievously naughty. I wonder how naughty our grandchild will be when they give us one!”
Ban Die joined in, “Naughtiness can be smart or mischievous. As long as our grandson doesn’t turn out like Zhaoyang, that’s fine!”
“Ban Die, although I am quite smart, you really don’t need to flatter me in such a roundabout way, and calling Mi Cai mischievous… this could affect family harmony!”
Mom extended her chopsticks and tapped me, “Just shut up… I see that you are the one who affects family harmony the most, always creating trouble out of nothing!”
I felt very embarrassed, but Mi Cai looked at me gleefully, as if she had found support in the family she was going to live with for the rest of her life, while I became the pitiful person at the bottom of the family hierarchy. But I didn’t mind, because this was exactly how my family was—we often regarded such little disputes as sources of joy. We all hoped Mi Cai could integrate into this family and gain happiness rarely experienced from family members.
…
The dinner went smoothly for the first half, but inevitably Mom asked me and Mi Cai, “Did you bring the household registration book back with you this time you returned to Suzhou?”
Mi Cai and I immediately put down our chopsticks, feeling hesitant at once, because we couldn’t lie. Even if Ban Die and Mom believed us, we would eventually have to show them the marriage certificate, which would expose the truth. But telling the truth would be a cruel reality for them…
Mi Cai gave me a look, indicating me to tell the truth…
After hesitating for a long time, I finally said, “The thing is this… When we went to Suzhou, Mi Cai’s mother had returned to China. She hoped I could marry into the Mi family and go to America with Mi Cai. Otherwise, she would not approve our marriage… Now we can’t get the household registration book or the residency certificate, so we can only wait and see if there’s any chance for a turn around!”
Ban Die and Mom’s expressions immediately became serious. Finally, Ban Die, who was always calm, asked, “Then what exactly is your plan?”
This time, Mi Cai answered. She said, “Uncle, Auntie, in this matter, Zhaoyang and I share the same view. First of all, personally, I cannot forgive my mother for what she did wrong in the past. Secondly, Zhaoyang is your only son. If he moves overseas to a place he doesn’t really want to go just to accommodate me, even if we achieve our goal, I still won’t feel comfortable inside… Most importantly, I really like the life we have now. Here, there is the warmth of family… In America, there are only machines, money, and an unavoidable social whirl. These are not what Zhaoyang and I are pursuing… Therefore, we will stay in Xuzhou, hold our wedding first, and there will be a way to get the marriage certificate eventually!”
Ban Die and Mom’s expressions finally relaxed a little. Mom said, “Yes, child… At this point, no one wants you two to separate. Although your father and I don’t want you to live in America, for your future… we are still willing…”
As she said this, Mom seemed to imagine the scene of us leaving. Her emotions immediately collapsed, and she stopped talking, only wiping her tears… I felt a pain in my heart. Once again, I saw the vulnerability of an ordinary family in this incident, so Yan Zhuomei’s strong demands left my family with no choice but to endure the pain and accept it… I felt hatred for such injustice, so my determination not to go to America became even firmer! After all, how could I bear to see Ban Die and Mom endure helpless and painful compromises?
…
After discussing this topic, the atmosphere at the dinner table never returned to its initial warmth. Even after dinner, when Li Xiaoyun and her husband invited us out for a walk, we declined. Mi Cai and I returned to our new home early. After washing up, we lay in bed looking at all the fresh items in the room…
After a long while, I finally asked Mi Cai with some anxiety, “If we insist on going against her wishes, what measures will your mother take to stop us from being together?”
Mi Cai shook her head in confusion and replied, “I don’t know… We can only hope she’s just trying to scare us!”
“Let’s make an assumption now. If you don’t go to America, what will happen to her businesses later?”
“They can be handed over to the government or inherited by my uncle’s son…”
“If the final outcome is really like this… Her whole life would have been quite meaningless!”
Mi Cai looked at me and asked, “So she isn’t just trying to scare us, right?”
I instinctively swallowed hard, and after a long pause, I replied, “…No matter what she thinks, I believe that we can now face everything together!”
“That’s not the problem for me, but… but I’m still worried about you. I always feel like I can persuade you and give you a lot of positive information… But just like the saying you often mention yourself, behind human nature lies the unpredictable change of the world… For me, your innermost thoughts are even more changeable than others!… This makes me feel scared!”
I stared at her with wide eyes. Gradually, the phrase “behind human nature lies the unpredictable change of the world” seemed to transform into a chain, tightly locking me. Looking back at myself, I realized that many things had already been chosen before I fully understood them, as if there was always an enigmatic force inside me driving me, making me unable to make decisions and choices based on self-understanding… At this moment, I seemed to see deep into my own heart, but I didn’t know what it would become in the next moment…
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