Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.\n
Text Messages\nAlthough Papa Wang and Mama Wang had already relented, it was still nerve-wracking for the two of them when they returned to Wang Guangning’s family home once again.\n
Especially Zhang Lingyi — he was so nervous that he couldn’t keep his gaze steady. So when Mama Wang opened the door, Zhang Lingyi went blank and the words came tumbling out: “Ma, we’re home.”\n
Mama Wang: “……”\n
Though on the surface, she’d accepted the addition of a male daughter-in-law, she still needed time to completely accept this in her heart of hearts.\n
Zhang Lingyi also realized he had gone too far. In that moment, he understood why Wang Guangning had lost control of himself when he met his own mum and dad. And now, his smile was frozen on his face.\n
Wang Guangning’s mouth quirked. He pushed him into the flat and nodded at his mother: “Ma.”\n
Mama Wang didn’t say anything and led them into the flat. Papa Wang was the same way as when they had first arrived, sitting on the sofa watching TV. But there was a trace of stiffness in his expression — it was clear that he was still adjusting himself mentally.\n
“Pa.” Wang Guangning called out.\n
Papa Wang still held a cold expression: “Come over here and watch TV.”\n
Wang Guangning was relieved. At least no harsh words had been said. He was about to pull Zhang Lingyi over when, out of the blue, Papa Wang pointed at Zhang Lingyi and said: “What are you called?”\n
Wang Guangning: “……”\n
Zhang Lingyi gave a quick smile and replied: “Uncle, I’m called Zhang Lingyi.”\n
Papa Wang’s mouth quirked: “Your name sounds common. Write it down later. I’ll get someone to match it.” [i.e., to check the couple’s compatability]\n
Wang Guangning = = |||: “Pa, we’re already in what era?”\n
Papa Wang glared at Wang Guangning: “Cut the crap, just listen to me.”\n
Zhang Lingyi also laughed right away: “Yes, just listen to Uncle.”\n
Only then did Papa Wang waggle his eyebrows in satisfaction: “All right then. It’s Xiao Zhang, right — you go ahead and cook.”\n
Zhang Lingyi: “……”\n
Wang Guangning: “……”\n
Mama Wang stood awkwardly at the side and explained: *cough* “Dinner hasn’t been cooked yet. Xiao Zhang, come and cook with me.”\n
The real reason why they had called them back so urgently was to get Zhang Lingyi to come and cook.\n
As Wang Guangning sweated silently, Zhang Lingyi rejoiced — thankfully, he had a skill that Father-in-Law appreciated. And so, he fawningly stood at attention and declared: “No problem. Whatever Uncle wants to eat, I will cook right away.”\n
“OK~” Papa Wang actually gave this some serious thought: “One dish each of chicken, duck and fish. Boil one soup. And also a dish of green veggies.”\n
Mama Wang rolled her eyes on the spot: “Old man, easy for you to say [lit. just standing there and talking won’t give you a backache; i.e., easier said than done]. There’s only half a soy-sauce chicken left in the kitchen.”\n
Zhang Lingyi hurriedly cut in: “No problem, we’ll go out and buy the food.”\n
And so, the enthusiastic, newly appointed son-in-law (Wang Guangning hollering: “It’s daughter-in-law!”) went out to shop with the mother-in-law who was still getting used to the situation.\n
At the supermarket, Zhang Lingyi relied on the grocery-shopping experience he had accumulated over the years to conquer his mother-in-law’s heart.\n
“Auntie, this is the kind of fish to choose — the gills are still bright red, the body has a layer of moisture, the eyeballs protrude. This kind is fresher.”\n
At timely moments, Zhang Lingyi would show off his attainments in this area. But since he was facing an auntie with many years of experience in cooking and grocery-shopping, he had to give her opportunities to show off as well: “But Auntie, I’m not too good at choosing chicken — you’ll have to teach me.”\n
……\n
So it was that after a round of grocery shopping, Zhang Lingyi captured Mama Wang’s heart, and successfully ascended the throne to become ‘A Good Daughter-in-Law of China’.\n
After returning to Wang Guangning’s family home, Zhang Lingyi trotted out all of his skills, making minced chicken with white ‘wood ear’, caramelized roasted duck, fish boiled in clear soup, braised fish with cabbage, and even herbal chicken soup.\n
Papa Wang was very satisfied with the meal. He went as far as to open up a bottle of wine halfway through, and chatted a bit with Zhang Lingyi at the dining table, though it was simply to enquire about his family, work, and so on. Zhang Lingyi answered each question frankly.\n
After Papa Wang listened to it all, the burden in his heart was lifted at last. At least he had a clean family background, a proper job, and wasn’t a messed-up type of person. And so, he didn’t make things difficult for them anymore, and took the initiative to invite them to stay over for a night.\n
Zhang Lingyi and Wang Guangning were naturally delighted. However, Wang Guangning hadn’t returned home for a few years, so his room was in a bit of a mess with the belongings he had sent back from Taiwan placed haphazardly around. While Zhang Lingyi was washing up, he took the chance to clean up a little.\n
Actually, he didn’t have a lot of stuff. Before he left Taiwan, he’d given or thrown away what was unnecessary. He only sent back what he couldn’t bear to part with or was still useful, such as textbooks, certificates, and clothes, as well as some miscellaneous things.\n
Since it was rare for Wang Guangning to come home, he took a good look at these items as he cleaned up.\n
Before leaving, he’d been given a photo album by his classmates there — it was full of his memories from Taiwan. There was also a jar of wishing stars folded by a girl who liked him.\n
Wang Guangning smiled as he went through the things, and soon came to a mobile phone.\n
It turned out to be the phone he used when he was still at F Uni. After he went to Taiwan, he changed both his phone and his number. This particular phone had been tossed to a corner, and ended up being sent back along with his belongings.\n
Come to think of it, this phone had been a witness to that extraordinary agreement between him and Zhang Lingyi.\n
A most subtle feeling welled up in Wang Guangning as he tried to switch on the phone. As expected, it had run out of battery. He then rifled through his things for a good long while, before finally locating the charger and plugging it into the phone.\n
It could actually be switched on — Wang Guangning was thankful. The quality of this phone was great indeed.\n
Even so, it was pointless to switch on the phone. A phone and SIM card that hadn’t been used for four years — the number should have been invalid long ago.\n
But unexpectedly, not long after being switched on, the phone suddenly vibrated. A text message had been received. There was a short pause. Then, the phone vibrated again. Another text message.\n
Wang Guangning was stunned as he watched the phone continue to vibrate — and the text messages continued to stream in.\n
The vibrating continued for a long while, till Wang Guangning ended up tossing the phone onto the bed and watching the screen flash on and on. It took more than ten minutes for the phone to stop vibrating.\n
Only then did the befuddled Wang Guangning pick up the phone to take a look. A total of 423 text messages. He opened up the text message log — the same phone number filled the screen, repeating over and over again. It was the number that Zhang Lingyi had not changed for four years. Right then, a kind of sadness filled his heart. He took a light breath, and opened the first message:\n
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">Shoushou, recently, I’ve been compiling materials about going to Taiwan. If all goes well, I’ll be able to head there in half a year.
</blockquote>\nThe sending date was not long before he’d returned from Taiwan.\n
He opened the second message:\n
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">Shoushou, I’ve been self-studying Taiwanese recently, oh [a particle often used in Taiwanese Mandarin]. Though Taiwanese is hard to pick up, this young master has limitless talent and ability — I’ll definitely be able to conquer this language, wahaha!
</blockquote>\nThe third message:\n
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">Shoushou, today, a beauty in my company confessed to me. Though I rejected forthrightly and directly, but you have to realize from this that I’m a good-looking man who’s extremely popular. So, you have to come back quickly, in case there comes a day I can’t hold on anymore, and then you’ll have nowhere to cry to.
</blockquote>\nThe fourth message ……\n
The fifth message ……\n
……\n
The 25th message:\n
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">Fck, the phone ran out of money again. Shoushou, I helped you top up your phone with 200 dollars again. Now you owe me 1,400 altogether for the phone fees. Either you pay it back quickly, or use your body as payment! Yeah, Young Master doesn’t need that little bit of money, so why don’t you just use your body as payment.
</blockquote>\nIt was at this point that Wang Guangning could no longer tell apart the grief and heaviness gushing up within him. He exited from the text message log and checked the balance on his phone. It turned out there was still tens of dollars left.\n
Wang Guangning sat in a daze at the edge of the bed, until Zhang Lingyi walked into the room, rubbing dry his wet hair.\n
“What’s up, Shoushou?” Zhang Lingyi saw that Wang Guangning seemed out of sorts, and went to sit next to him.\n
Only then did Wang Guangning come back to his senses. He held up the phone in his hand and opened the text message log for him to see: “Didn’t you ever think that I’d already changed my number early on?”\n
Zhang Lingyi glimpsed at the text message log. He blushed right away, then sighed: “What to do? Other than this, I didn’t know how to contact you.”\n
In the four years he had lost him, it could be said that this number was his consolation. Whenever he heard the message that the number was expiring, he’d immediately top up the SIM card. No matter how many times the text messages were delivered to a phone that was switched off, as long as the number hadn’t been taken by someone else, it meant a sliver of hope to him.\n
“Since you’re back, just erase all the messages.” Zhang Lingyi thought of how he would send a message to the number every time he missed him, and how those messages contained plenty of mush and flirtation. Sending those messages then was because he had no other way to express how much he missed him, but recalling them now was just plain embarrassing. He reached out to grab the phone.\n
Wang Guangning was quick to defend the phone: “No way. I’m going to keep them, and go through them slowly whenever I have time.”\n
No need to read all the text messages at one go. It was like an unconventional way of keeping a memoir, recording the four years he didn’t get to participate in, those everyday moments of Zhang Lingyi. All of them deserved to be carefully savoured.\n
Wang Guangning scooted over and kissed Zhang Lingyi, smiling brightly: “The phone fees I owe you, I won’t return in cash. I’ll pay it with my person.”\n
Hearing this, Zhang Lingyi nodded: “Then, make it a lifelong mortgage!”