Just like that, Chang Jia’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
The faint, cool touch of the air still lingered on his fingertips.
Lin Jianqiu’s words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the fire that had just kindled in Chang Jia’s heart.
Indeed, there was no one nearby—only a few blurry figures moving in the distance.
He looked at her, and the warmth he’d felt from seeing Lu Xiao and Su Tang was instantly extinguished, leaving him chilled to the bone.
All that remained was irritation, mixed with an indescribable, stifling feeling that detonated in his chest.
"Heh."
A short, cold laugh squeezed out of Chang Jia’s throat.
He pulled back his hand and, without another glance at her, turned and strode into the house.
Lin Jianqiu flinched at the sound of the door being thrown open, her eyes instinctively lifting.
Her husband’s posture radiated displeasure. He didn’t say a word, but his silence sent a wave of panic through Lin Jianqiu.
Her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her clothes as she hurried inside after him.
The room was dimly lit.
Chang Jia stood by the simple wooden table, his back to the door.
On the stove sat two freshly washed earthenware bowls, still beaded with water. A single drop fell to the floor with a soft PLINK.
The naless anger in Chang Jia’s heart blazed hotter, making his temples throb violently.
His mind was filled with the image of Lu Xiao and Su Tang walking away side by side. He kept seeing Lu Xiao’s hand resting so naturally on Su Tang’s waist, and the way Su Tang tilted her head to lean against his shoulder as she spoke.
’Why? On what grounds? Why is it that when I, Chang Jia, touch my own lawfully wedded wife, it’s treated like so shady, illicit affair?’
"’A husband is heaven’? A fine ’heaven’ this is!"
Chang Jia whirled around, his eyes locked on Lin Jianqiu, who had just shuffled over the threshold and now looked even more anxious.
"Does that an if I want to even touch a single one of your fingers, I have to first check the almanac and pick an auspicious day when no one is around?!"
His voice wasn’t loud, but it sounded as if it were being forced through gritted teeth.
Lin Jianqiu was terrified by the storm in his eyes. Her face grew paler, and her lips trembled. "I... I didn’t an... Brother Jia, listen to ..."
She scrambled to explain, wanting to cite the rules that were engraved in her very soul. ’A woman must observe propriety, especially in front of others...’
"Outsiders? Where did you see any outsiders!"
Chang Jia’s patience finally snapped. The resentnt and hurt that had been building for so long burst forth like a flash flood, completely washing away the dam of his reason.
He felt a wicked rage surge to his head, making his vision swim. All he wanted was to smash sothing.
Then his eyes fell upon the stovetop. The earthenware bowl closest to him beca the sole target for his rage.
"Propriety? I’ll give you propriety!"
Chang Jia practically roared as he swung his arm violently.
CRASH! The ear-splitting sound of shattering ceramic exploded in the cramped space.
The innocent earthenware bowl slamd against the hard floor, instantly shattering into smithereens.
Shards of ceramic flew in every direction like shrapnel, a few even landing at Lin Jianqiu’s feet.
Terrified, Lin Jianqiu let out a short cry. She stumbled, catching herself on the doorfra to keep from falling.
She stared at the jarring pile of shards on the floor, then snapped her head up to look at Chang Jia.
Her husband’s chest was heaving, the veins in his neck bulging.
Those eyes, usually filled with gentle smiles, now held only wounded anger and exhaustion.
He looked at her as if she were a stranger—one he could never get close to.
That look terrified Lin Jianqiu more than his shouting and the shattered bowl. A chill spread through her body, and she stood frozen to the spot, unable to move.
Chang Jia refused to look at her again, as if another glance would be torture.
He gasped for breath, then stord out into the gathering twilight without a backward glance.
The sound of his footsteps grew more and more distant, finally swallowed by the endless darkness.
Staring at the wreckage on the floor, Lin Jianqiu’s tears finally broke free, falling like pearls from a snapped string. They rolled down her cheeks in fat drops, splashing onto the cold, shattered ceramic.
’She didn’t know what she’d done wrong. She was only... only following the rules she had been taught her entire life.’
’Why was Brother Jia so angry? Why did he throw things? Why did his eyes hold so much pain when he looked at ?’
Chang Jia went straight to Lu Xiao’s house.
A few monts later, Lu Xiao ca out and was sowhat surprised to see Chang Jia.
’Why is he back so soon?’
"Chang Jia? What are you..."
"I’m feeling suffocated. I need a drink."
With that, Chang Jia walked inside.
Su Tang had gone next door to be with Mr. and Mrs. Lu.
The old couple planned to go back tomorrow, so Su Tang went to keep them company.
Lu Xiao had been planning to go over after his shower but ran into Chang Jia instead.
Chang Jia spotted the baijiu in the cabinet, took it out, and poured it into a cup.
The sharp scent of baijiu instantly filled the air.
"Drink with !"
Chang Jia slamd the bottle on the table and began to guzzle the liquor.
The harsh liquor seared his throat like a knife, sending him into a violent coughing fit that brought tears to his eyes. But he ignored the burn and took another large swig.
Lu Xiao’s brow furrowed. Seeing his friend so distraught and seemingly bent on self-destruction, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened.
He closed the door, walked to the table, and without touching the bottle, asked in a low voice, "Is this about your wife again?"
"’My wife?’"
Chang Jia slamd down the enal mug, splashing liquor onto the table.
He gave a smile that was uglier than a sob, his voice painfully hoarse and nasal. "What kind of husband am I? Huh? You tell , Lu Xiao!"
"Look at you! Look at you and Su Tang! You can hold her hand, put your arm around her whenever you want! But ?"
He thumped his chest, the sound dull and heavy.
The bloodshot veins in his eyes stood out even more as his voice suddenly climbed, thick with unrestrained sobs and hurt.
"I can’t even fucking touch her! Not outside! At ho... heh, at ho she avoids like the plague! I’m her husband! I’m not so filthy thing! I’m not a monster!"
Chang Jia grabbed the mug again and took another huge swig. His voice caught on a sob, and he looked utterly wretched.
He slamd the mug down, his body slumping in defeat. He rested his forehead on the cold edge of the table, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
His voice dropped, as if all his strength had been drained, leaving only endless fatigue and utter despair.
"In her heart... all she has is her set of damn rules... ’A husband is heaven’? So ’heaven’ I am... It’s beco a sin for to even touch my own wife... Lu Xiao, I’m a living person... I can fucking feel pain, too..."
That last sentence, laced with a broken sob, seed to float to the ground, yet its weight was enough to silence the entire room.
Lu Xiao watched his friend’s back, trembling with suppressed emotion as he huddled over the table. His own brow was knitted in a tight knot, and for a mont, he had no idea what to say.
’Lin Jianqiu is a victim, too. If it weren’t for those damnable traditions, she wouldn’t be like this.’
’But what good would it do to say any of that now?’
’She’s been taught those rules her entire life. There’s no way she could change overnight.’
Reviews
All reviews (0)