Cheng Su finished marking the last day of September on the calendar and cheered inside; barring any surprises, Qi Taiguo would be back in the next few days.
Excitedly, she cleaned the house from top to bottom, taking advantage of the crisp autumn weather. She washed and dried the bedding, made everything neat, and bought fresh flowers to adorn the house, making it bright and clean, ready for the manās return at any time.
Compared to Cheng Suās excitement, Hualing felt that something was a bit off these days. No, to be precise, it was Chen Shouwang who was off.
Who knows what happened, but he seemed dazed every day, sometimes needing to be called three or four times before he responded, as if heād lost his soul.
"Are you hiding something from me? You seem so absent-minded all the time. Did something happen?" Hualing asked him.
Chen Shouwangās heart skipped a few beats, but he forced a smile and said, "What could possibly happen? Youāre overthinking!"
"You say nothingās wrong, but you act so mysterious all the time." Hualing looked skeptical and, after thinking for a while, asked, "Is something going on back home? Do you need money? I have some here."
Chen Shouwang felt a pang of guilt and shame, kissed her quickly, and said, "Really, thereās nothing wrong." But in his heart, he felt dejected and uneasy.
How come just when things were going so well with Hualing, Liu Li ended up pregnant? She called almost every day, and he was nearly at his witās end.
Looking at Hualingās profile, Chen Shouwang made a silent decision; this thing had to be resolved, and he could only let go of one.
Thinking of this, Chen Shouwang said to her, "Today Iām going out for dinner with a comrade, you donāt need to wait for me to eat, Iāll be back later."
Hualing didnāt suspect anything and nodded.
After leaving the unit, Chen Shouwang went straight to the small tavern. When he saw the tavernās flag, he no longer felt the past joy and peace, replaced instead by heaviness.
Liu Li was delighted by his arrival, but her smile froze after hearing what Chen Shouwang had to say.
"Iām sorry," Chen Shouwang lowered his head and said, "We really canāt keep the child. You choose a day, and Iāll go to the hospital with you."
Liu Liās tears flowed long and hard, a chilling sensation creeping into her heart.
"But, I love you," she tried to awaken the conscience in Chen Shouwang, saying, "You said you wanted to be a father, that was why I..."
"I did want that, but I never thought he would be illegitimate."
"Then just get a divorce; you said you and her donāt get along, that you spend every day fighting, itās pointless to live like that, you said youād divorce her!" Liu Li cried.
Chen Shouwang pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Liu Li cried for a while, seeing that he remained silent, and said, "Say something!"
"Iām the one letting you down. But, she wonāt agree to a divorce." Chen Shouwang spoke painfully.
"You never actually confronted her, did you?" Liu Li asked, biting her lip.
Chen Shouwang lowered his head.
Liu Li stared at him for a long time, then said, "I understand. I will go to the hospital."
Chen Shouwang lifted his head, opened his mouth wanting to say something, but upon seeing Liu Liās despairing expression, he couldnāt find the words, only saying, "Iāll have the money ready, donāt worry."
"Alright!"
"Then, Iām leaving now!" Chen Shouwang stood up.
Liu Li said nothing; he touched her shoulder as he passed, apologized once more, and left the small tavern.
This place, probably he would never come again.
Inside the tavern, there were no more sounds of crying, just peace. Chen Shouwang paused, but resolutely turned and left, not knowing this was just the calm before the storm.