It was a summer evening, and the sky was still bright.
Lin Gantang waited for more than ten minutes before someone hastily rushed over.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. There were too many people on the subway and I couldn't squeeze in." Ye Qiuqiu sat down with a small bag, her delicate face beaded with sweat.
She took a tissue from her bag and wiped her sweat. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the mandarin duck hotpot. "Why did you decide to meet here?"
"Don't you like hotpot?" The dishes that she had ordered covered the table. Lin Gantang smiled and placed the prawn balls in front of her. "Who's going to take care of your dad since you suddenly came over?"
Ye Qiuqiu was Lin Gantang's high school deskmate. She came from an ordinary family and had excellent grades. On the other hand, Lin Gantang's grades and temper were the same - terrible.
Ye Qiuqiu took notes for her, allowed her to copy her homework, brought her food, and disinfected her wounds received from fighting.
She didn't expect anything, nor did she try to persuade her to change her rebelliousness.
Naturally, Ye Qiuqiu became Lin Gantang's only close friend in high school.
Ye Qiuqiu was supposed to come over on the day of Lin Gantang's wedding. However, the day before, Mr. Ye was bitten by a venomous snake and hospitalized for observation. Ye Qiuqiu's brother and sister-in-law were working outside and could not get away. Her mother had to take care of her grandson, so Ye Qiuqiu went back to take care of her father and did not attend the wedding.
"My dad was discharged from the hospital yesterday. You don't know it, but I saw the news of you running away from your wedding in the high school group chat and was shocked." Ye Qiuqiu took a sip of water and said, "You're amazing. I've only seen it on TV. The bride running away in her wedding dress for love. How cool!"
Lin Gantang was amused. "The TV is lying. At that time, I only felt my feet hurting. In dramas, the bride runs so beautifully from her wedding that she was probably wearing flat shoes."
"Hahaha." Ye Qiuqiu was tickled.
"Now, everyone asks me what's going on between Gu Zhichuan and me. It's quite annoying," Lin Gantang complained helplessly after she had finished laughing.
"They still need to ask what happened?" Ye Qiuqiu put the prawn balls into the spicy soup. "It must be his fault. You've liked him for so long. If he hadn't done something reprehensible, would you have left him?"
Ye Qiuqiu knew her too well.
That was why they could be good friends for life.
"Where are you staying now? I heard that your dad wants you to experience life." Ye Qiuqiu opened a bottle of sparkling water. "Do you have enough cash? I'll lend you some."
"You're not single now. There are many things you need to spend on after you get married; you don't have to bother about me." Lin Gantang did not touch her chopsticks and watched her happily eat the beef tripe. "You and your mother-in-law live together. There's no conflict, right?"
Ye Qiuqiu had married her boyfriend of four years the moment she graduated from university. Her boyfriend was from the neighboring H City. Ye Qiuqiu's hometown was a little far, in the south. After they got married, the two of them worked hard in H City.
"My husband is rather good to me, and my mother-in-law is also not bad. My husband also went to look after my father when he was hospitalized." Ye Qiuqiu's face was filled with happiness.
"Have you ever thought about buying a house and moving out?" Lin Gantang probed. "Everyone likes to live on their own now."
"I've thought about it, but I don't have enough money. I spent a lot on my wedding and just bought a car." Ye Qiuqiu stopped smiling. "Plus, my husband is an only child. I don't think the possibility of moving out is too high."
Lin Gantang thought of her previous life.
Ye Qiuqiu's husband was indeed very good to her, and the family was also very harmonious. However, ever since she gave birth, Ye Qiuqiu and her mother-in-law's views on raising children were at odds, and many habits in life could not be reconciled. Because of the large family living together, there was an increasing number of conflicts - small ones every three days and large ones every five days.
In order for the child to be able to breastfeed and for Ye Qiuqiu's husband to have a decent salary, Ye Qiuqiu resigned and stayed at home.
Just like all ordinary families around the world, life was inevitably filled with all kinds of trivial matters.
Ye Qiuqiu wasn't too lucky. She was crushed by the weight of these trivial matters, eventually divorcing.