Qi Taiguo sat on the stone slabs under the eaves, holding a cigarette in his hand, staring into the vast swirling snowflakes in a daze.
Suddenly, his shoulder was pushed by someone. Looking up, it was Cheng Su.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she said, "Why are you sitting out here in the cold wind? Either go back to your family’s home or come inside to sleep."
Qi Taiguo said, "I won’t go back," and pulled her down beside him. "Keep me company for a while, will you?"
"It’s still snowing, I don’t want to freeze to death out here," Cheng Su sniffled.
Qi Taiguo pulled her into his embrace, wrapping her with his coat and body, and said, "You’re not cold now, are you?"
Indeed, it was quite warm.
Cheng Su cozily settled into his arms and said, "Don’t think that because of this, I’ll go back home with you. I’ve said it, I’m staying with my parents these days."
"Alright," Qi Taiguo’s chin rested on her head as he asked, "Susu, are you really mad at me, blaming me?"
Cheng Su stiffened a bit, slightly bowing her head, "Why bring this up now?"
"Your father scolded me rightly. I failed to protect you, leaving you isolated and unsupported in our family. I just thought that they were nothing serious, that little disagreements are common in every family. I thought, I imagined that keeping the peace was enough. You’re so strong, so independent, so confident, I thought, you could handle it," Qi Taiguo spoke somberly.
But his father-in-law’s reprimanding made him recollect the past half year, Cheng Su’s compromises and avoidance, up to her outburst today. Was it because she was driven into a corner with no way out?
There’s a saying, ’When forbearance is exhausted, there’s no need to endure any further.’ Was that the case for Cheng Su?
"In my mind, once you married into the family, you became a part of the Qi family, my person, not an outsider. But my father-in-law’s words have confused me. In the eyes of our family, do you only count as an outsider? Susu, I don’t understand," Qi Taiguo pressed his face against her neck and said, "I don’t understand, you’re my wife, and in the future, you’ll bear the Qi family name when entering the ancestral grave. How could you be an outsider?"
He was straightforward, with low emotional intelligence, holding on to one principle. He didn’t bend or understand the heart of a woman, so how could he understand?
He didn’t understand, so she would teach him.
Cheng Su wiped the tear from the corner of her eye and said, "Qi Taiguo, I married you, and I’m your wife. But in the eyes of your mother and the others, I’ll always be an outsider who invaded your family. Even if I give birth to children in the future, deep down, they’ll only truly accept the grandchild as their own, not me. Don’t say it’s not like this. This is the old generation’s way of thinking, just like how a married daughter is seen as someone belonging to another family, someone who can only return to her parents’ house as a visiting ’daughter-in-law.’"
"You say once married, a daughter becomes a ’daughter-in-law,’ and at the in-laws, not being cherished and seen as an outsider, what else can a woman rely on besides her husband? If he doesn’t stand by her side, doesn’t that leave the woman isolated and alone?" Cheng Su continued, "You ask me to yield everywhere, that ’good enough’ is enough, but am I really that spoiled and headstrong? Isn’t it she who provoked me? Everyone is an independent individual; I have my thoughts and temper and was also raised by parents. I endure for your sake and because it hasn’t yet touched my principles and bottom line. But once it does, Qi Taiguo, I’m sorry, even if it means divorcing you, I will not endure any further."
Qi Taiguo’s body shuddered, and he hugged her tightly, "I’m sorry, from now on, please teach me more!"
Cheng Su bowed her head, murmuring, "I ask for nothing more than for you not to leave me feeling cold and hopeless."