Old Fang enjoyed the breeze from the electric fan his unfilial son had sent over, temporarily losing his grounds to criticize him.
He only privately resolved to give the money directly to Fei Ni in the future, never letting it pass through Fang Muyang’s hands again.
The elderly couple took the initiative to propose meeting their in-laws. Previously, they had been staying at the guesthouse and hadn’t prepared any gifts, so it wasn’t convenient to meet. Now that the new house was settled and gifts were ready, it was time for the meeting. Old Fang asked Fang Muyang to discuss with Fei Ni and decide on a suitable day.
Fang Muyang carried the fan back home so Fei Ni could enjoy it too. Along with the fan, he brought back a bottle of traditional yogurt.
Fei Ni said, "Why did you buy another one? We still have several ceramic bottles to return."
"Return them all together. It’s not like we’re short on a few cents."
The two sat close together, enjoying the fan, their arms touching. Fei Ni drank the yogurt in front of the fan, occasionally offering the straw to Fang Muyang for a sip. Sometimes, before she could even offer it, he would lean in, and Fei Ni would push him away, saying, "Don’t crowd me, I’m hot."
Fang Muyang leaned in again, "You won’t be hot with the fan on."
"Could you buy another fan? To give to my parents."
"Sure."
Fei Ni then brought up her brother’s situation: "My brother isn’t making furniture for himself but to earn money. The house is too crowded, and he wants to move out and rent a place. His monthly salary is limited, and he just finished paying off the debts from his wedding, so he has no extra money for rent. That’s why he’s making furniture to cover the cost. I told him we have some money on hand that he can use anytime, but he refused, saying it’s for emergencies, not for poverty."
Her tone was tinged with worry. She knew how exhausting it was to make furniture after work. Back when Fang Muyang attended training classes during the day and made furniture at night, she hadn’t approved, but at least it was for their own home and took only a month at most. Her brother, however, seemed intent on making more than just a few pieces...
The Fei family’s so-called two rooms were actually one room divided by a partition. When the whole family lived there, they only hung a curtain in the inner section. After Fei Ting got married, the curtain was replaced by a door. But the space was limited, and the partition couldn’t be too thick—just a thin layer, far less soundproof than the walls in Fei Ni’s home. Fei Ting could have managed to live there, but the Fei parents were too considerate. At fixed times, they would go out for walks, and on Sundays, they would stay out almost the entire day to give their son and daughter-in-law plenty of private time. If the parents hadn’t been so thoughtful, Fei Ting might have continued living with them, but under these circumstances, he couldn’t bear to stay.
Fang Muyang, however, didn’t see it as a problem: "Let your brother have this place. He works at the hat factory and hasn’t been allocated housing, so it’s only right for him to move in. No one can say anything about it. We can rent a small courtyard outside. You can play whatever music you want and say whatever you want to me without worrying about disturbing others. I’ll even set up a small boiler for you so you can take hot showers every day in winter."
Fang Muyang had long wanted to move out. The place was too poorly soundproofed, and Fei Ni was too shy, always holding back. Even though he was married, he only got to enjoy married life one day a week. Besides, he needed a studio. In a room that served as a bedroom, dining room, and living room all in one, he often found it hard to work freely, not daring to use turpentine or linseed oil.Fei Ni took another sip of yogurt. "You’re thinking too optimistically. A small courtyard like the one you described would probably cost more than my entire monthly salary in rent."
"Didn’t the old man return a sum of money to you?"
"That still wouldn’t be enough for your extravagant plans—installing your own small boiler? You really know how to dream." Fang Muyang had indeed painted an appealing picture, and if Fei Ni had the money, she might have been tempted to follow through. But her monthly income was limited, and her most valuable asset was this apartment, which she had obtained with great difficulty. If her brother moved out of their parents’ home and rented a place elsewhere, Fei Ni would be willing to help cover his rent until he could secure his own housing. But this apartment—she couldn’t bear to part with it.
"I know what you’re worried about. Once I have the money, I’ll buy you a small courtyard house. I’ll put your name on the deed."
"How much would a small courtyard cost?"
"I’ve asked around. Some can be bought for less than ten thousand yuan."
Fei Ni couldn’t help but laugh. "You make it sound so easy. With my current salary, it would take over twenty years of saving every penny—without eating or drinking—to earn ten thousand yuan. Even if we combined our incomes and lived frugally, it would still take at least ten years to save that much."
"But I’m earning more from my writing now than before. Until we can afford to buy, we can always rent." Fang Muyang smiled. "And even if we really couldn’t afford the rent, we could always move back here. Outsiders might refuse to leave once they move in, but your brother isn’t that kind of person. At the very least, we’d save him some rent before moving back."
Fang Muyang didn’t actually intend for his brother-in-law to move in and then out again; he said it only to reassure Fei Ni, to show her that even in the worst-case scenario, they had a fallback. Though he didn’t consider it a real fallback—he was confident that even if he couldn’t buy a house, he could still afford the monthly rent.
"I trust my brother’s character completely. But if he really moved in, how could I ask him to leave? Besides, the apartment isn’t under my name. If my brother moved in, I wouldn’t have the right to tell him to move out." She only had the right to use this apartment as a factory worker. As long as she didn’t voluntarily move out, no one could force her to leave. But once she left, returning would be difficult. Her brother was different from others—if she truly needed the place, he would vacate it for her. But how could she bring herself to ask?
"Then you’ll just have to push me to work harder and earn more, so we never have to come back to this apartment."
Fei Ni simply smiled. Though she wanted to help her brother, she didn’t see this as a practical solution. Even now, with Fang Muyang’s income surpassing hers, this apartment remained as important to her as ever.
Fang Muyang didn’t press the matter further and instead brought up the topic of their parents meeting.
"Let’s make it this Sunday, then. I’ll stop by my parents’ place after work tomorrow and let them know." Fei Ni’s parents had long been prepared to meet the Fang family, knowing they had returned.
The weather was sweltering, so Fei Ni didn’t sleep on the bed but laid out a cool mat on the floor. Fang Muyang joined her there.
By this time, Beethoven had been fully rehabilitated. There was no need to hang quilts for secrecy when listening to his music—they could openly open the windows and let the sound drift out.Fei Ni lay sideways on the mat reading a book, her mind preoccupied with housing matters. Her summer nightgown was a loose, sleeveless white dress. Fang Muyang insisted on using her back as a canvas, placing paper over it and sketching with a pencil, with a thin booklet beneath the paper serving as a cushion. Fei Ni’s back remained taut and straight; she could vaguely discern what he was drawing from the sensations on her skin.
Fang Muyang claimed the fan’s noise disturbed his drawing, so Fei Ni had turned it off before he started. The room was only stirred by a faint breeze from outside. Though he complained about the fan’s sound, he showed no annoyance at the cicadas’ chirping.
Fei Ni had already washed herself clean and temporarily forgotten the heat, but with Fang Muyang so close on such a sweltering day, a fine layer of sweat formed on the tip of her nose.
"Can’t you just draw at the table?"
"No inspiration at the table—I can’t draw there. Just hold on a little longer. Read to me from the book, what’s it about?"
"Multitasking isn’t good."
It was more than just multitasking—music was also playing from the record player.
Nevertheless, Fei Ni read aloud, knowing that silence would only lead to something else.
She endured one moment after another until Fang Muyang finally finished his drawing.
Fei Ni showed no curiosity about his artwork.
The window was open, and mosquitoes drifted in.
Fei Ni slipped on her sandals, closed the window, and went to look for mosquito coils.
But there were none left at home.
Fang Muyang said, "Let me apply some floral water for you."
He poured the floral water into his palm and gently rubbed it on Fei Ni, his fingers trailing from her neck downward.
Fei Ni couldn’t stand his touch. "I’ll do it myself."
"Let me help you. Or how about you help me in return?"
Fei Ni didn’t oblige him. "Never mind me, just apply some to yourself."
"I’ll skip it. That way, the mosquitoes will come for me, and you’ll be safer."
After a while, Fei Ni spoke again, "Can you hurry up?"
"I’m afraid if I go too fast, I might miss some spots."
"Don’t be like this." Fei Ni turned away, avoiding his gaze, and bit her lip. "It’s only Friday."
"Since when does applying floral water have to wait until Saturday?"
They had done other things on Fridays too, and more than once.
"I’d really like to hear what you sound like when you cry out."
Fei Ni’s earlier wash before bed was wasted—now she was covered in a fresh layer of sweat, strands of hair clinging to her forehead. She felt both hot and embarrassed. "Go cry out yourself."
"What do you want to hear me say? I’ll say it for you."
Fei Ni ignored him. Dealing with someone so thick-skinned, she had no other recourse.
"Shameless."
Fang Muyang showed her with his actions that worse was yet to come.
When she woke in the morning, Fei Ni found her body covered with marks from the mat—stripes everywhere. The previous night, Fang Muyang had held her and rolled with her on the mat countless times. The marks wouldn’t fade immediately. Fang Muyang pressed his fingers against them and said apologetically, "Tonight, I’ll spread a thin blanket over the mat so this won’t happen."
"There won’t be anything tonight."
Fang Muyang only smiled.
After work on Saturday, Fei Ni bought pine nut sausage, barbecued pork, and a bottle of orange soda to take to her parents’ house. She informed them about the meeting between both families the next day. She also brought three hundred yuan—enough to cover a year’s rent for two small rooms, with plenty to spare. As for what would happen after a year, Fei Ni believed they would find another solution.Old Fei was cooking in the corridor. As soon as he saw Fei Ni, he called out to the room, "Quickly cut up the watermelon that's chilling in the bucket. Our daughter is back."
The moment Fei Ni stepped inside, she once again felt how small the home was. It hadn't been as noticeable before when the inner room had a curtain, but now that it had been replaced with a wooden door, the cramped feeling was even more pronounced.
Lin Mei was working at the sewing machine and smiled at Fei Ni when she saw her return.
"Where's my brother?"
"He went to his classmate's house. One of his classmates is getting married and asked your brother to help make some furniture. Honestly, I think this classmate of his is a bit much—he's had your brother over helping every day lately. It's not like your brother doesn't have a job; after a full day's work, he still has to go make furniture for him, and he doesn't get back until late at night, completely exhausted. The moment his head hits the pillow, he's out like a light. Why can't this guy just hire a carpenter?"
Fei Ni's lips parted twice, but in the end, she closed them. Exposing her brother's lie now would only lead to a pointless argument.
Sister Mei asked again, "Have your in-laws sorted out their housing situation?"
"Yes, it's settled."
"You must have a lot of things to buy since you just got back. I still have some industrial vouchers here. My parents have been wanting to buy a television set, but they couldn't get a Television Ticket. Since the ticket isn't of any use for now, you can take it."
"No need. Their furniture is pretty much all set up already."
"That was fast. My colleague's uncle has been back for half a year, and his family of four is still struggling to get a single small room. It's really good that your in-laws, just the two of them, get to live in one room."
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