Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Gu Yanran glanced at the dishes on the table and asked Ji Yan with a smile, “Did you tell Tang Tang I was coming, so she prepared such a lavish spread?”
Ji Yan glanced at Tang Tang, “Tang Tang’s cooking is always abundant. Let’s eat.”
Gu Yanran obediently took a bite of food, then suddenly sighed, “Looks like I need to learn to cook, otherwise what if my husband doesn’t like it?”
Tang Tang buried her head in her food and didn’t speak, so Ji Yan had to chime in, “Everyone has their own expertise. You invest a lot of energy in medicine, so naturally you can’t attend to other things.”
Gu Yanran nodded in agreement, “That’s true. If you want to stay home and be a wife and mother, you have to give up your career, but a woman’s life without a career is inevitably meaningless. It’s really a difficult choice.”
Tang Tang secretly rolled her eyes while shoveling rice into her mouth. Gu Yanran’s words were clearly meant for her, implying that staying home and being a wife and mother was meaningless! This woman is really something, coming to someone else’s turf to satirize them, how annoying!
Ji Yan disagreed with this, also worried that Tang Tang might misunderstand. “Actually, being a wife and mother at home is no easier than working. It’s also a sacrifice for the family, and it’s just as meaningful.”
Tang Tang was happy to hear Ji Yan’s words, but just as she was about to laugh, Gu Yanran’s words made her stop laughing. “You’re right, being a housewife is indeed very hard. You have to sacrifice your career, friends, and even your beauty. Not everyone can make that sacrifice. I wouldn’t dare. I’m afraid of being called a ‘yellow-faced woman[1]‘ by those boring members of society. So, people like Tang Tang are really admirable!”
Even Tang Tang, who was usually naive, was furious at these words. On the surface, it was praising her, but in reality, it meant that she had no career, no friends, and even no beauty, making her a ‘yellow-faced woman.’
You’re the ‘yellow-faced woman’!
Ugh, this person is so annoying. If she could, she really wouldn’t want her to live here, but she had no reason to kick her out.
Tang Tang finished her unappetizing dinner feeling resentful. Little did she know that the scene she saw after washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen would make her even more resentful.
Gu Yanran and Ji Yan sat on the sofa, one on each side, with Ji Xiaozhuo sandwiched between them. Gu Yanran was giving Ji Xiaozhuo a mental math problem. “Xiao Zhuo, listen carefully, what is 88 multiplied by 67?”
Ji Xiaozhuo answered without hesitation: “5896!”
“Wow, that’s impressive. Now I’ll make it harder.”
Ji Xiaozhuo waited for her to give him a problem without any fear, looking extremely confident.
“Listen carefully, what is 123 multiplied by 134?”
Ji Xiaozhuo thought for a second this time, then gave the answer: “16482!”
Gu Yanran gave Ji Xiaozhuo an encouraging kiss on the forehead, “Baby, you’re amazing! It seems your dad has passed on all his skills to you. Back in junior high, your dad could do five-digit multiplication mentally, and later in college he could do eight-digit multiplication mentally. You don’t know how amazing he was! It seems our Xiao Zhuo won’t be any less capable than your dad in the future.”
Ji Xiaozhuo looked at his dad with admiration, “Dad, you’re so amazing, when can I be as amazing as you?”
Ji Yan remained calm and patted the little guy’s head, “You’ll be able to keep up with Dad when you go to junior high.”
Ji Xiaozhuo immediately stretched out his little finger to count how many years he had left before junior high.
Ji Yanran smiled at Ji Yan, “Brother Ji Yan, it seems your high intelligence has been passed down to Xiao Zhuo. Xiao Zhuo might not be any less intelligent than you in the future.”
Ji Yan smiled, his gaze towards Ji Xiaozhuo carrying a hint of barely perceptible pride.
At this moment, the three people sitting on the sofa looked like a happy family of three, handsome men and beautiful women, an adorable child, filled with laughter. Tang Tang looked down at herself, wearing a gray tracksuit, an apron, and slippers, her hands still wet. Her appearance was ordinary, and her figure was terrible. Compared to the warm and cozy scene with the other three, she looked like a nanny.
This realization made Tang Tang very sad. She didn’t want to see this scene anymore, so she simply took off her apron and silently went into her room.
When Tang Tang was unhappy, she liked to do things. She took all the dirty clothes to the bathroom to wash, scrubbing with her hands, getting angrier and angrier with each wash. She wasn’t stupid; she could see that Gu Yanran had come here tonight specifically to provoke her. She’d seen this kind of tactic countless times in her past life, but she was still furious, extremely furious, because she cared about Ji Yan, yet she didn’t know what Ji Yan was thinking.
“Knock, knock, knock—” A sudden knock on the bathroom door pulled Tang Tang from her troubling thoughts.
“Tang Tang? Are you in there?” It was Ji Yan’s voice.
Tang Tang pouted and weakly hummed in response.
“Why were you in there for so long? What’s wrong?”
Tang Tang shook her head, then, remembering he couldn’t see her from outside, answered, “I was washing clothes, nothing.”
There was a moment of silence outside, then the door opened, and Ji Yan squatted down next to her. “Why didn’t you use the washing machine? How long will it take to wash so many clothes?”
Tang Tang continued scrubbing, “I’m used to hand washing, I’ve always done it by hand.”
Ji Yan was stunned. It was the first time he realized that she had always hand-washed her clothes. How much work did she have to do every day? Besides taking care of Ji Xiaozhuo, she had to buy groceries, cook, clean, and do laundry. In her spare time, she was either cooking or sewing, and she even had to soak his feet at night. She never had a moment of leisure.
Ji Yan felt a pang of unease. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up, saying, “Get up. I’ll wash the clothes; I’m strong.”
Tang Tang shook her head and tried to pull her away, “No need. This is the last wash. Just hang them up to dry. You should go out and entertain the guests. It’s not good to leave them hanging there.”
Ji Yan, however, half-pulled and half-carried Tang Tang to the side and began washing the clothes in the basin with great vigor. “Don’t be so polite with Yanran. She’ll make herself at home.”
The familiar tone in Ji Yan’s words and the way he treated Gu Yanran like one of his own made Tang Tang’s heart sink again. The wind howled, making her heart ache. For the first time, Tang Tang didn’t want to talk to Ji Yan. So she turned and left the bathroom, picked up the clothes she hadn’t finished, and curled up on the sofa in the bedroom, burying herself in her work. Then Ji Xiaozhuo, rubbing his sleepy eyes, rushed over and called her sweetly, “Mommy, I’m sleepy. Don’t do the clothes anymore, let’s go to sleep.”
Tang Tang snapped out of her reverie and saw that Ji Xiaozhuo had already showered and changed into her pajamas. She checked her phone; it was already 10:30. She hadn’t realized how late it was.
Tang Tang put down what she was doing and patted the little one’s head. “Mommy’s going to take a shower and then come out to sleep. You go to bed first.”
“Okay, Mommy, hurry up!” Ji Xiaozhuo climbed onto the bed with his chubby little legs and lay down obediently.
Tang Tang quickly took a shower. Afterward, she instinctively picked up the foot bath basin to prepare hot water for Ji Yan, but halfway through, she suddenly didn’t want to add any more. A little angry voice in her head screamed: Why do I have to cook for them when they’ve come all the way to my house to mock me! Why are they chatting happily like family while I have to do all this and that like a maid! I don’t want to be a maid.
Okay, Tang Tang admitted, she was upset because Gu Yanran had dragged Ji Yan into it, and tonight she wanted to be wilful.
Thinking this, Tang Tang poured out the water, walked out of the room empty-handed, and went straight to the other side of the bed to lie down. She hugged Ji Xiaozhuo and kissed his forehead. “Okay, baby, let’s go to sleep.”
Ji Xiaozhuo’s eyelids were almost closed, and he immediately fell asleep.
Tang Tang also closed her eyes and went to sleep, completely ignoring Ji Yan who was still reading.
Ji Yan, who was waiting for Tang Tang to soak his feet, was stunned to see her asleep. He stared at her for a long time, making sure she was really asleep, then he was a little confused.
She would soak his feet every night, and she never forgot, no matter how busy she was. Had she forgotten tonight? But something felt off. Ji Yan sat silently for a long time, unable to figure it out, so he turned off the light and went to sleep.
The next day, when Tang Tang woke up, Ji Yan and Gu Yanran were gone. It was obvious they had left together.
Tang Tang pouted, feeling quite unhappy. The guilt she felt for deliberately not soaking Ji Yan’s feet the night before immediately disappeared.
The regimental commander’s wife was bored at home alone, so she came over to chat with Tang Tang to pass the time. As they talked, the conversation turned to Gu Yanran. “I saw the military doctor from the General Headquarters leaving with your Ji Yan this morning. Did she stay at your house last night? Does she know your Ji Yan?”
Tang Tang explained their relationship, “Dr. Gu is Ji Yan’s childhood friend’s younger sister.”
The regimental commander’s wife suddenly realized and chuckled, joking, “So they grew up together! No wonder she has such high standards.”
“What do you mean by high standards?”
“Dr. Gu has high standards! She’s in charge of our annual physical examinations. She’s so young, yet she’s already the deputy director of the General Staff Headquarters. She’s capable, and most importantly, she’s beautiful. Countless young men in our unit like her. I heard she’s still single, and many wives want to introduce her to men, all of whom are very eligible, but she’s turned them all down. Apparently, having a brother like Ji Yan since childhood has raised her standards, so she doesn’t find most men appealing. Indeed, there are very few people here who can compare to Ji Yan.”
Tang Tang smiled, but inwardly she couldn’t laugh. Gu Yanran wasn’t just picky; she already had someone she liked. But she couldn’t say that, so Tang Tang changed the subject, asking the regimental commander’s wife another question, “Sister-in-law, do you know a battalion commander in our military region named Wen Changyi?”
“Wen Changyi?” The regimental commander’s wife asked, puzzled. “Why are you asking about him all of a sudden? He’s not in our regiment; he belongs to another one.”
“I don’t know him, but I know his daughter. Her name is Wen Nuo, right? That little girl is now classmates with Xiao Zhuo. My Xiao Zhuo keeps telling me that Wen Nuo isn’t eating enough, and he asks me to bring her food. That rascal is now telling me that Wen Nuo is being abused. I just remembered this and wanted to ask you.”
The regimental commander’s wife frowned slightly. “That girl is starving every day? Her stepmother wouldn’t dare to abuse her like that, would she?”
“Stepmother? What happened?”
“Not many people know about this, so please don’t tell anyone else. Wen Changyi divorced his first wife. The little girl’s biological mother remarried and moved far away, never to return. This new wife is his second wife, but her family background is quite different; they have some influence in the military. The two were lovers before, but the woman’s family disapproved because Wen Changyi’s family background was ordinary, and they forcibly broke them up. Later, through an introduction, Wen Changyi married the little girl’s biological mother. The two divorced when the little girl was only a little over a year old. Then his ex-wife came back to him, and the two got back together. His family finally agreed, and he remarried.”
Tang Tang understood; it was a story of two lovers who went through many twists and turns and ended up together again.
The regimental commander’s wife commented on the matter, “Actually, Wen Changyi has always only had his current wife in his heart. His ex-wife was probably just a casual marriage with no real feelings. But to be honest, she was very virtuous and filial; Wen Changyi’s parents liked her a lot. But they still divorced in the end. People just assumed it was due to incompatibility, but actually, his current wife came knocking on his door because her family is powerful, forcing his ex-wife to divorce and leave.”
Tang Tang’s heart sank. This story reminded her of Gu Yanran. Gu Yanran was also coming to her door now, and her family was powerful and influential. Was she also trying to force her to leave?
“So Wen Changyi just let his current wife pressure his ex-wife? After all, his ex-wife bore him children. Even if there’s no love, there should still be some affection. He can’t be so heartless.”
The regimental commander’s wife patted Tang Tang’s hand. “You’re still too young. You don’t understand that men’s hearts are biased. Whoever he loves is his own choice. If a man doesn’t love you, no matter how good you are to him, it’s useless. You can’t compare to the person he loves most.”
Tang Tang’s heart sank. Ji Yan didn’t love her either, so was it pointless to be good to him?
Tang Tang, unwilling to give up, said, “If you treat this man wholeheartedly, maybe he’ll fall in love with the one he has now.”
The regimental commander’s wife, however, didn’t believe it. “The desire for what you can’t have is always stirring. Men always remember their most cherished memories. No matter how good you are to him, he might not even notice, taking it all for granted. If you ask me, you can’t be too good to a man. You have to teach him a lesson when necessary, otherwise he won’t take you seriously.”
Tang Tang had heard Wen Wen say that although her father seemed very macho on the surface, he actually listened to her mother very much and was extremely good to her. If her mother got angry, he would be extremely anxious. Tang Tang was truly envious of the regimental commander’s wife and couldn’t help but ask, “Sister-in-law, how do you treat the regimental commander? Do you give him a hard time?”
The regimental commander’s wife laughed heartily, “Of course I do! Sometimes, if I’m too good to him, he gets too cocky, so I have to teach him a lesson. If I’m unhappy, I won’t do anything for him and will let him do it himself. I’ll ignore him and let him sit on the sidelines for a couple of days. That way, he’ll naturally submit to me and treat me even better than before.”
This was the first time Tang Tang had heard such words. Her nanny had never told her anything like this; her nanny had only said that she should serve her husband well.
The regimental commander’s wife truly treated Tang Tang like her own sister, so she spoke her mind freely. Right now, she said, “Tang Tang, I see you’re so good to Ji Yan, practically holding him in your hands. It’s good to love your husband, but you can’t always be so submissive and lower yourself too much, you know? Sometimes when you’re unhappy, it’s okay to show your temper a little. That’s actually good for the harmony of your relationship.”
Tang Tang thought about it and felt that what the regimental commander’s wife said made sense. It’s like the squeaky wheel gets the grease[2]; it seems she also needs to learn to show some backbone, otherwise she’ll probably end up like Wen Nuo’s mother.
She decided that until she was in a better mood, she wouldn’t massage his feet anymore; he could massage them himself.
So, when Ji Yan returned home that evening, he not only didn’t receive a greeting from Tang Tang, but also, like the night before, didn’t get a foot bath. After taking a shower, Tang Tang went straight to bed and closed her eyes to sleep, not even glancing at him.
Last night he thought she had forgotten, but tonight he was certain she hadn’t forgotten; she had deliberately refused to give him a foot bath.
Why the sudden change? Was she upset again? Hadn’t things been fine after receiving the gift?
Ji Yan scratched his head in frustration, thinking of having Ji Yue buy her some more things, but she didn’t seem to like them. She hadn’t used the clothes, shoes, bags, or cosmetics he sent, and last time she even told him not to send any more.
Forget it, better not send anything, lest she become even more upset.
For the next few days, Ji Yan didn’t receive Tang Tang’s warm welcome, which made him very uncomfortable. He directly asked Tang Tang what was wrong, but Tang Tang only said nothing was wrong and wouldn’t say anything more. This frustrated Ji Yan so much that he had to smoke two cigarettes in the office every day before going home. After finishing a pack, Ji Yan had to call for help again, but this time he didn’t call Gu Chang’an, but directly called Ji Yue.
Women understood women best.
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[1] It is a colloquial, derogatory, and pejorative term used to describe a married woman who is perceived as having lost her youth, charm, or physical attractiveness.
•The “yellow face” refers to a tired or pale complexion caused by aging, poor health, or the heavy, uncompensated burdens of household chores and raising children—traditionally implying she has neglected self-care, makeup, or pampering after marriage.
[2] People who speak up, complain, or make their needs known are the ones who receive help, resources, or attention.
