“Divorce him, divorce this irresponsible, heartless, promiscuous and abusive man. Why would you want to stay married to him?”
Seeing that her mother was still in a daze, Xiaoqian shot straight.
“What nonsense!” Jia Xiufang was taken aback. She was old and her children were grown. She was too old to get a divorce.
“Why would you want to stick with him? Did he earn money for you? Who was the one that actually worked in this laundry shop? It’s you! Did he ever provide you a stable home? You know perfectly well what happened between him and Qu Xue. He was nice to that woman, but treated you so terribly. You sacrificed so much for him, but Qu Xue is the one enjoying the fruit of your hard work. Is that fair?”
“Child, you can’t talk like that. This family must stay together! If I were to get a divorce, what is going to happen to you and your brother!”
Jia Xiufang was angry after listening to the daughter’s analysis.
She complained to her family, but her brothers advised that she stay with him for the children. This too suited her dependent personality.
“I’m an adult. That hedonistic son of yours is almost a young man too. We won’t become corrupted if you divorce him. Of course, that hedonistic son of yours is already corrupted even if you don’t get a divorce.”
In a family like this where the husband and wife’s relationship was almost nonexistent, they stayed married in fear of losing face. Children would be corrupted whether they choose to divorce or not.
Chen Lin was irresponsible, promiscuous, and never cared for the children. Jia Xiufang worked so hard to please the husband and did not have the time to take care of the children.
The hedonistic Chen Zilong who was addicted to internet games and Xiaoqian from previous life who got married cluelessly. All these are interrelated.
An unhealthy familial relationship may do more harm to the children than having divorced parents.
What Xiaoqian said to her mother made her speechless. Jia Xiufang was still reluctant to accept what the daughter had said.
For a woman her age, marriage was more important than anything else in the world. Her man was her everything, even if he was a useless man.
“Later tonight, when you are alone, think about it. Whether you need him in your life. How different would your life be without him. Don’t be afraid, be brave! The future is unknown, but nothing can be worse than now.”
“I will hit you if you continue! Your father is the backbone of this family, without him the home will collapse!”
“There are a set of twelve criterias that describes Dependent Personality Disorder, you presented four of the criterias. If you presented one more criteria, you would be diagnosed with Dependent Personality Disorder. And you have to see a psychologist.”
Dependent Personality Disorder(DPD) presents symptoms such as extreme lack of confidence and the difficulty to decide one’s own direction. They relied completely on others, they accepted everything and anything others say or do to them. They believed in others rather than believing themselves.
“What are you talking about now?”
“I said, you have a wonderful daughter. You don’t need to see a doctor. Mom, you’ll enjoy a better life in your later years.” Xiaoqian tapped on Jia Xiufang’s shoulder.
“Go and do your work, stop talking like an adult, you’re still a child!”
Xiaoqian did not expect her mother to understand the Dependent Personality Disorder that she mentioned. However, she planted the seeds of divorce in her mother, giving her mother the mental suggestion. Next she would personally push her mother to be independent and destroy the terrible father.
Chen Lin did not come home in the evening.
Jia Xiufang went to his usual mahjong place to have a look and he was not there.
“Qian’er, what if something happened to your father?” Jia Xiufang was worried.
“Nothing can happen to him, he has money, he has a woman to accompany him, don’t worry about him.”
“Stop talking nonsense, what woman!” Jia Xiufang was annoyed by what Xiaoqian said.
At night, Jia Xiufang laid on the double bed all by herself while the other side of the bed was vacant.
Actually this was rather normal, even if they were not fighting. Chen Lin would usually come home late. Sometimes they did not speak a word to each other all day.
Come to think of it, when he was home he spoke to Qu Xue more than speaking to her.
She closed her eyes and Xiaoqian’s words echoed in her head, “How different would your life be without him?”
How different would it be? If they got a divorce, she would have to wake up early in the morning and work in the laundry shop, without the sight of Chen Ling. Now, he was not there too, was he?
Without this man, what would be different? She would not have to endure the abuse, she could keep the money that she earned herself. It seemed like a good idea…
No no no. She could not think that way. The children needed their father. Jia Xiufang tried very hard to convince herself but she realized that she could not find a reason to stay married to the man.
It turns out, the home would be the same with or without Chen Lin.
However, the family could not collapse no matter what!
Jia Xiufang was afflicted with insomnia.
On the other side of the wall, Xiaoqian was standing by the window and listening to the insects singing.
The bastard father must still be in Q town. Based on his personality, he must be with Qu Xue. She must find a way to locate him and gather evidence of his infidelity. Then, think of a way to force him to get a divorce. There was no turning back even if her mother was sad. She will help her mother to move on.
She raised her head, looked at the stars and asked herself.
‘Isn’t it tiring to plot all these?’
Of course.
‘Would it be less tiring if I did not plot against them?’
It would be the same. If she did not plot against them, they would plot against her.
If she lived muddleheaded like her mother, it would only lead to a terrible death.
There were just too many undependable men in the world.
Yu Minglang may be strong and dependable, but Xiaoqian never thought about depending on him in her previous life. She would not do it in the present life too.
In their previous life, he was busy with work. Their relationship was too precious. It was so precious that she would not want to risk depreciating the good feelings he had for her. She did not trouble him with anything unnecessary. In their current life, they…
The neighbor was watching soap operas again. The end credit song was playing.
“If one of us had to cry, who would it be?
If one of us had to be wrong, who would it be?
You enjoy being alone, but I enjoy the company.
I waited till late night for your comfort, waited till my heart turned cold.
Who does my heart ache for?[1]”
Xiaoqian noticed the mountain of things with the corner of her eyes.
Yu Minglang bought all that for her.
She wondered what was silly Yu doing at this moment. Wondered if he was still troubled over the fact that she was only 18 years old.
Her OCD popped up again. Xiaoqian took the liquid hand soap that he bought for her to wash away the worries. No matter how hard she tried, she could not wash away the shadow of the handsome Minglang.
Who does my heart ache for?
Not far from where she was, someone else was afflicted by insomnia too.
Yu Minglang did not go to the office. He stood by a window and admired the moon. Even the moon looked like her face. The shadowy area of the moon was like the mesmerizing mole on her forehead, it created a hole in his heart. He was unable to let it go.
[1] Lyrics from a song sang by Carina Lau.