Early Tuesday morning, Fang Muyang told Fei Ni not to go to the cafeteria for dinner after work, as they would have crabs to eat that evening.
When Fang Muyang went to the publishing house, he encountered Ling Yi. Ling Yi had always carried a layer of melancholy about her, which hadn't changed even after entering university and starting work. But today, she was brimming with joy. Ling Yi quietly told Fang Muyang that her father was likely to be reinstated to his position and asked about his own parents. Fang Muyang simply said he didn't know much. A few days earlier, he had mailed some traditional Chinese medicine to his parents, and this morning, he received a letter urging him to work hard. His correspondence with his parents was limited, and the few letters they exchanged only encouraged him to be a diligent cog in the machine, with no mention of anything else.
Ling Yi invited Fang Muyang to her home for a meal, as someone had gifted her family a basket of crabs. It was this basket of crabs that made Ling Yi sense a change—for the first time in many years, someone had taken the initiative to visit her home with a gift. It was a very good sign.
She had been in the early stages of getting to know a young man from the service bureau, but because of this sign, she completely lost interest in furthering their acquaintance.
When she realized she might no longer have to worry about survival, she rediscovered the merits in Fang Muyang.
Fang Muyang thanked Ling Yi for her kindness but explained that he had already made plans to have dinner with Fei Ni today and would visit her home another time.
The joy on Ling Yi's face faded. She forced a smile and said, "I see."
She tried her best to restrain her emotions and asked Fang Muyang in a relatively natural tone, "Do you two have anything in common?" She was very skeptical about how two people with different backgrounds and experiences could find things to talk about. She could understand why Fang Muyang had married Fei Ni before—Fei Ni came from a politically sound family, was good-looking (even if Ling Yi didn't like her, she had to admit Fei Ni wasn't unattractive), and had a formal job. Although she felt sorry for Fang Muyang, she had to admit that, from a practical standpoint, marrying Fei Ni was a good choice. What she couldn't understand was why Fei Ni was willing to marry Fang Muyang. His only notable quality was his painting skills, which could potentially yield practical benefits, but at the time of their marriage, those benefits were not yet visible—he didn't even have a formal job.
But if, she thought, if Fang Muyang's parents were to be reinstated, the situation would be completely different.
Fang Muyang smiled and said, "I didn't finish junior high, while she completed high school. I've been studying hard lately to improve my education so I can communicate with her better. Thank you for reminding me."
As soon as Fei Ni got off work, she rushed to the bathhouse. Any later, and she would have to wait for the next shift. Every time she was in the bathhouse, Fei Ni could get a comprehensive understanding of both major and minor happenings at the factory, as well as the latest life tips—from big news like changes in factory leadership to small things like methods for pickling radishes. Winter was approaching, and vegetables were scarce, with only stored Chinese cabbage and a few other options available. To have more vegetables to eat during winter, everyone employed various clever methods, one of which was pickling whatever vegetables could be bought on the market for preservation. Of course, in an environment with few unmarried young women, there were also occasional jokes about relationships mixed in.Fei Ni had always washed as quickly as possible to avoid such jokes. But today, she stayed in the bathroom a little longer than usual. She was somewhat afraid of seeing Fang Muyang—her period had ended, and if he made further demands, what should she do? She hadn’t yet thought of an effective way to refuse, but her mind drifted to the sounds from next door. Last Saturday’s situation had taught her that the soundproofing of cotton quilts was limited: they could block out the sound of the radio but couldn’t prevent the creaking of Wang Xiaoman’s bed from reaching her ears.
Not only did Fei Ni wash slowly, but she also walked more slowly than usual. Downstairs, she saw her own low cabinet, already assembled and coated with varnish, airing outside.
As soon as she entered, she heard Fang Muyang ask, "Why are you back so late today?"
Fei Ni casually replied, "There was something at the factory."
Her eyes fixed on Fang Muyang, doubting what she was seeing.
Fang Muyang was sitting in front of the piano, its lid open, tuning the instrument.
Fei Ni had always felt the piano was out of tune, but since it was her first piano, she had been tolerant of its flaws.
Fang Muyang’s ability to make furniture, cook abalone noodles, and steam egg custard had each surprised her a little, but none of them astonished her as much as the scene before her now. Just two days ago, when he played the piano, his fingers were still curled awkwardly—a posture she had never seen anyone else use. Whenever she showed even a hint of helplessness, Fang Muyang would stare into her eyes and ask if she thought he was stupid and didn’t want to teach him anymore. Of course, she would say no and act even more patient.
But now, this person who couldn’t even hold his hands correctly while playing was tuning her piano.
"Didn’t you say you couldn’t play the piano?"
Fang Muyang spoke earnestly, "I really wish I didn’t know how at all—that way, I could spend more time with you. Knowing a little has become a problem. I was afraid I wasn’t pretending well enough and you’d find out, losing a chance to be close to you."
He made himself sound so pitiful that Fei Ni lost any grounds to blame him.
"I know I didn’t pretend well, and you were too kind to expose me. In front of you, do I seem ridiculous?"
Fei Ni felt it necessary to correct his thinking. "No, I never thought you were ridiculous."
"I originally wanted to buy you a new piano, but I’m short on funds right now. I could only get you a used one. Use this for now, and I’ll replace it for you later."
Fei Ni quickly said, "This piano is already very good." She watched Fang Muyang for a while, then couldn’t help asking, "How do you know how to tune a piano?"
He had been sent to the countryside—it was plausible that he learned to make furniture there, but knowing how to tune a piano was truly beyond her expectations.
Fang Muyang smiled. "I only knew how to tune a violin before. As for the piano, I picked up a book on piano tuning from the recycling station a few days ago and learned it on the spot. But I can assure you, it shouldn’t be any more out of tune than before." He had bought the tools earlier, studied the book for a few days, and practiced tuning in his mind before daring to try it today.
"When did you find time to read?" Besides work and making furniture, he still made her egg custard every day. She couldn’t imagine when he had time to read.
"Guess."
At a time like this, he still wanted her to guess. Fei Ni didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh, unsure of what to say to him.Fang Muyang remembered the crabs still needed to be steamed, so he said to Fei Ni, "Wait a moment, I'll go steam the crabs first."
Fei Ni saw the prepared crabs in the basin. "Don't worry about it, I'll handle it. But you'll need to light the stove for me."
By the time Fang Muyang finished tuning the instrument, the crabs were done cooking.
Not only had Fang Muyang bought crabs, but he'd also purchased yellow wine and a packet of preserved plums.
Fang Muyang warmed the wine in hot water. Without asking if Fei Ni wanted any, he directly poured her a small half-cup.
"Try it. If you don't like it, I'll finish the rest."
Fei Ni took a sip. Since he had gone to such expense, of course she couldn't say it was bad. Moreover, she didn't want to leave her leftover wine for him to drink.
While shelling the crabs, Fei Ni accidentally pricked her finger due to her distracted state.
Fang Muyang saw this and pulled her finger to examine it. Fei Ni jerked back as if electrocuted, but he firmly held her hand. Only after confirming her finger was truly unharmed did he release it.
Fang Muyang looked into her eyes and said, "Leave this to me. If you really want something to do, go play a piece on the piano over there. I'll shell these for you."
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