Cheng Su supported the drunken Qi Taiguo all the way home, and upon entering the room, she saw Mother Qi standing in front of their wardrobe, which puzzled her.
"Mom, what are you looking for?" Cheng Su asked, feeling a sudden weight on her hand as Qi Taiguo collapsed onto her shoulder. She quickly propped him up, "Hey, easy there."
Mother Qi was startled and her gaze shifted evasively, noticing that Taiguo was heavily intoxicated, she asked, "How did you manage to get so drunk?"
"A few friends came over to Second Uncle’s home, and we ended up drinking together. Mom, please keep an eye on him for a moment. I’m going to get a hot towel to wipe him down," said Cheng Su.
"Oh, okay, you go ahead!" Mother Qi agreed surprisingly compliantly, "And make him an egg sugar water drink, add some honey. It’s all in the kitchen, it’ll help sober him up."
Cheng Su felt somewhat puzzled, but didn’t dwell on it. She turned and left, not noticing the relieved look on Mother Qi’s face.
For the first time, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law worked seamlessly together to take care of Taiguo, both ending up sticky with sweat.
Looking outside at the sky, Cheng Su noted that it was evening. She decided to take a bath, thinking it would be too cold to bathe later at night. But when she opened her luggage, she felt that something was amiss.
The bag seemed quite disordered. They had just returned a couple of days before, and the luggage had hardly been touched, so why was it now in such a mess?
Thinking back to her mother-in-law being in the room earlier, Cheng Su furrowed her brows. Could it be that her mother-in-law had rummaged through their luggage?
She checked the contents of the bag. Nothing was missing, including some money—none was gone—it was just a bit more disordered, so she let it be.
But the possibility of her mother-in-law having gone through their bags made her uncomfortable. How could her mother-in-law not respect others’ privacy, simply rummaging through their things!
After Taiguo sobered up, his hands were mischievously roving over Cheng Su’s body.
Cheng Su joked, "When I came back today, Mom was in our room, not sure what she was looking for. My bag was all messed up."
Taiguo, with a dry mouth and bitter tongue, responded nonchalantly, "Perhaps she needed to take something?"
"What could she have needed from our luggage? It’s just clothes and such," Cheng Su muttered.
Taiguo was taken aback, "What do you mean by that? Did you lose something? From the bag, I took out clothes to change into today."
Was he implying that his mother, by going through the luggage, did something sneaky?
Taiguo’s brow furrowed, and he felt slightly displeased. Her words nearly accused his mother of being a thief.
"It’s nothing, perhaps I’m overthinking it. Let’s sleep, okay?" Cheng Su shrugged, not wanting to argue about it.
After all, there was no concrete evidence, and it wasn’t a big deal. With the New Year upon them, there was no need to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Tick-tock, the light was switched off, and Taiguo’s previously amorous intentions towards Cheng Su dissipated.
Mother Qi remained anxious until she saw the light go out in her son’s room, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.
"What’s been bothering you all evening?" Father Qi was curious.
"Bothered? That’s nonsense," Mother Qi replied, a bit uncomfortably, as she lay down.
Father Qi looked at her skeptically, "Deny it all you want, but you have been peeking into Taiguo’s room at least ten times tonight, looking as guilty as a thief."
Mother Qi’s face darkened, "Go away, go away! Stop talking nonsense about thieves and guilt during the New Year, let’s sleep!"
Father Qi watched her turn away, shook his head, and went to sleep. His wife had been getting increasingly enigmatic, making her all the more elusive.