Text/Lan Chuyi
01
My mother’s name is Bai Jing, and my name is Bai Rui. Just by looking at the name, you can tell that I take my mother’s surname.
When I was a kid, I asked my dad several times, and he always said that it didn’t matter whose surname she took, as she would always be his daughter’s surname. Later, as I grew older, I felt that it was not as simple as he said.
My dad’s hometown is in the north. In that place where etiquette is very important, it is unbelievable for a child to take his mother’s surname, and he will be looked down upon.
I heard by chance that my father signed a "deed of sale" when he married my mother, one of which was to give up the right to bear the child's surname.
This made me feel uncomfortable for a long time. I felt that when he gave up the right to bear the surname, he gave up on me. Although he loves me as much as any other father, when I think of that "deed of sale," I look down on him a little.
It is said that my grandma’s family was well off at that time. My grandpa sold leather goods and later established a leather factory. The business was very prosperous. Due to physical reasons, my grandma only gave birth to a single seedling of my mother, so she naturally raised her as the apple of her eye.
My grandfather told my mother after she turned twenty that she would find an honest man to be her son-in-law. He can give his son-in-law 200,000, but the other party must agree to all the conditions he asks.
It was at this time that my father recommended himself as his son-in-law. It is said that my grandfather took a fancy to my father, who was handsome, and my father signed an "agreement" without hesitation. The contents of the agreement are always kept secret by others.
My mother didn’t say anything either. When I asked in a hurry, she would sneer and tell me to go away and stop asking around.
But I saw a hint of disdain in her smile. I think it is not honorable for a man to rush to eat soft food just for money.
This also proves why in this family, my father Lin Dachun is busy with everything, working hard and complaining, but he can never get enough.
02
Lin Dachun is a driver, a nanny, and an errand boy, but he is not the head of the family.
He is the "logistics manager" of the entire Bai family, and he spends his days doing nothing but trivial matters, while my mother, Bai Jing, is only responsible for dressing up smartly and following my grandfather, coming in and out like a white swan.
Between Bai Jing and Lin Dachun, there were rarely discussions, discussions, talking and laughing, and they even rarely quarreled. Their conversations were very simple, they either talked about me or about grandma and grandpa.
In my impression, the only quarrel between the two of them was because Lin Dachun hoped that Bai Jing would go back to visit with his grandmother in his hometown. Bai Jing refused, saying that the leather factory was in peak season and could not leave.
Lin Dachun begged her in a low voice. My mother was silent for a while and said: You haven't forgotten what you said at the beginning. Are you going to regret it?
Lin Dachun's eyes were red, and his tone suddenly rose: Bai Jing, don't you know what I have done over the years? You are too impersonal.
My mother exploded after hearing this. She cursed loudly, as if to say, he deserved it, and it was not for money...
So, from the time I was sensible, I knew that the relationship between Bai Jing and Lin Dachun was not good, and they were not like a normal couple at all. As for my deskmate Xia Lele's parents, when they are well, they will share an ice cream and fight with each other to bring down the whole alley, but the next day they will appear at the vegetable market with arms around each other.
I even guessed when Lin Dachun and Bai Jing would divorce. Will it be like what was shown on TV, the day I received the college admission notice?
I sneered at this assumption. I didn’t need them to stick together for me, and I didn’t want to be their excuse or shield.
If you love it, be vigorous, if you don’t love it, just be neat and tidy. I learned this very early on.I can't stand the half-dead, profit-based marriage between Lin Dachun and Bai Jing.
I can also see that they are almost at the end. Because one day I accidentally saw Lin Dachun writing a divorce agreement. Even though he wrote it for a long time, he still tore it up, so he probably had planned it.
03
At that time, I was facing the college entrance examination, and Lin Dachun took more careful care of my life.
My grandpa, who has always been capable, suddenly suffered from cerebral hemorrhage. The celebrity who dominated the limelight in a small town suddenly lay down on the bed and became a "waste" who couldn't live without others.
After my grandfather had the operation, his mind was still clear, but he couldn't accept the current situation and once went on a hunger strike.
Grandma was also so anxious that she fell ill. Bai Jing had to be busy with the tannery and taking care of two elderly people, and she soon couldn't hold it any longer.
At this time, the relatives of the Bai family were hiding far away, and no one came to help. Only Lin Dachun, like every time before, stood up.
He asked Bai Jing to concentrate on things in the factory, while he went to the hospital and home.
He asked the doctor to move his grandma and grandpa into the same ward. They came here before dawn in the morning with breakfast. He said that he didn't trust the nursing staff and would try to get them as early as possible. At noon, he hurried home to cook for me. After finishing the meal, he rushed back to the hospital to take care of me. He had to run four or five times a day.
During that time, Lin Dachun became visibly thinner, his skin became wrinkled, and his temples were covered with white hair. This makes him more like a little old man. In appearance, he and Bai Jing seem to be a generation apart.
I couldn’t help but feel sad when I saw it. Lin Dachun used to be a tall and handsome young man. The photos of him when he was young were no worse than the young man he is now.
Although I despise his humbleness, in my opinion he is still a bit useless and philistine. But he is my dad, and I still hope that he and Bai Jing can go on well.
It took three full months before my grandpa was discharged from the hospital and returned home to recuperate. In these three months, Lin Dachun lost twenty kilograms of meat.
Bai Jing also noticed his hard work. One night, she went to the kitchen for the first time and cooked several dishes for Lin Dachun. I took a few bites, and it was all sweet and sour, which was her favorite taste. Lin Dachun likes thick oily red sauce. In the past few years, he has always accommodated Bai Jing when cooking. How could she understand his taste?
Although they live under the same roof, they have not entered each other's hearts.
04
I couldn't help but sigh deeply. At that time, I was passionate about online novels, where the love was as passionate as fire and as pure as snow. People like Lin Dachun and Bai Jing have lived half their lives in vain.
If the two of them really can't get along, I think I can accept it. I support them in finding their own happiness. Why should they be strangers sharing the same bed? How sad.
I have been waiting for them to show off with me, but the epidemic came during my first year of college.
My school is at the center of the epidemic. During that time, Lin Dachun and Bai Jing called me like crazy and asked me to video report the situation every day.
And because of me, it is rare for them to be in the same frame. In the camera, Lin Dachun became darker and thinner, and Bai Jing also appeared tired. She said that the tannery factory has not withstood the impact of the epidemic, and she is about to be unable to survive, and she may not be able to survive in the future.
Lin Dachun scolded her for talking nonsense, saying that she was going to beg for food and treated him as a dead person.
Lin Dachun said in a rough voice, I know you have never regarded me as a man, I am a real man, a man. Bai Jing rolled her eyes.
Looking at it from here, I actually feel a little friendly. It was also the first time that I felt that they looked a bit like an ordinary couple.
Fortunately, the three of us are safe. However, my grandfather could not resist the recurrence of the disease. After another cerebral hemorrhage, he could not be rescued.
Bai Jing cried until her heart broke. Lin Dachun did not shed tears, nor did he comfort Bai Jing. He was busy with his grandfather's death, just like he was busy with housework and trivial matters in the past. He didn't speak and showed no expression.
Bai Jing said that he was cold-hearted, and his grandfather treated him kindly, but he didn't even shed a single tear.
05
Bai Jing slept in my bed that night when I saw my grandpa off. Perhaps sadness made her vulnerable, but she actually talked about many things from the past.
She said that when Lin Dachun came to the Bai family to marry into the family, it was for the 200,000 yuan. 200,000 at that time was a lot of money.
I asked why. Bai Jing sneered, "Why else? Your grandma's family was poor at that time, and your dad had a mute brother. Your grandma asked your dad to work early to make money in order to marry her mute son."
I can make money all the time, but I can never get enough of the big gift. It happened that there was a lot of rain that year, and a flash flood broke out in Grandma's village. No one was there, but all the houses were washed away. Grandma and her family had no place to settle down.
At that time, Lin Dachun was working in his grandfather's factory. His grandfather saw that he was a hard worker and something happened at home, so he wanted him to marry into the family, so he let him know and set the conditions for his marriage.
Lin Dachun really took the initiative and agreed.
I asked, what are the conditions?
Bai Jing sighed and said, what other conditions are there, the first is that the baby will take the mother's surname, and the second is that after getting married, he must serve the family well and not be involved in the factory affairs. He can't file for divorce first, otherwise he won't get a penny from the Bai family factory in the future.
There is one more thing. He can help his hometown and can return at any time, but our Bai family will not move around.
I can’t help but feel sorry for Lin Dachun. Is this clearly an unequal treaty? Why did he sign it? No wonder his relatives all said that what he signed was a "deed of sale."
My mother pouted and said, it’s not about money.
Then why did you marry him? You can refuse.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I asked my question, my mother actually shed tears. It took her a long time to calm down. In her memories, I finally understood why she had always been lukewarm towards Lin Dachun. Back then, she had a sweetheart who was talented and ambitious and wanted to make a career in a big city.
My grandfather refused to let his daughter go and tried every means to break up a couple. In the end, my first love decided to go away, and my mother, frustrated, obeyed my grandfather's arrangement.
A pair of resentful couples who have no feelings at all, and they are based on "transaction", so it would be strange if they can get better.
Bai Jing and I sighed at the same time. In this matter, it's hard to say who is right and who is wrong. My dad certainly has his own benefits when he signs an unequal agreement for money. But I can see what he has done for the Bai family and Bai Jing over the years. It is a real effort.
06
The epidemic dragged on for three years. It was not until I graduated and started looking for a job that the situation became better.
Bai Jing originally planned to let me run a small leather factory, but the factory was already struggling and eventually collapsed before 2023.
It has not been easy for Bai Jing to run the business for so many years, with a prosperous past and a declining present.
Faced with the decadence, she was powerless. It had no choice but to declare bankruptcy. After disposing of the equipment and factory buildings, we rented out the land, which was just enough to pay the workers severance pay .
When Bai Jing returned home, her whole body seemed to have been stripped of its muscles and bones, and she completely lost her former energy. One night, she told Lin Dachun, who was mopping the floor, that it was time to leave.
Lin Dachun paused, are you serious?
Bai Jing sneered: My dad is gone, and so is the factory. Lin Dachun, our family is of no use to you anymore. Have you been expecting me to say this for a long time?
Lin Dachun said nothing and continued to mop him.
I listened in the room, feeling very calm and sad. My home is really going to be gone. Despite countless mental preparations, when the day finally came, I couldn't help but feel sad.
I know that Lin Dachun may have prepared a divorce agreement a long time ago. Maybe he was really waiting for Bai Jingti.
The next day, the two of them really went to the Civil Affairs Bureau. As long as they survive the one-month cooling-off period of , they will really become irrelevant people.
At this time, the general situation is relaxed. Omicron began to spread rapidly, and news on Weibo were talking about how to deal with the post-epidemic era every day.
I have been admitted to Linshi's career program and started working. I can only go home once a month.
I called Bai Jing and asked her if she had stocked up on medicine. She seemed to be still in a depressed mood, and said nonchalantly that hoarding any medicine could mean life or death.
I asked Lin Dachun, he seems to have become very busy, and often hangs up without even saying a few words. He told me to busy myself and not worry about my family.
I'm actually worried about both of them.
07
On the 8th day of the cooling-off period, Bai Jing became infected. When I made a video call to her, she had a high fever, reaching 40 degrees. She was in a daze, couldn't speak clearly, and her face was burning red.
I asked where Lin Dachun was. She didn’t respond to me, but tears rolled down her cheeks.
I am very angry. Even if the divorce is about to happen, at this moment, a man should not leave a woman alone.
I immediately asked for leave and rushed back.
When the door opened, Lin Dachun saw me and his eyes widened in surprise. He asked slightly reproachfully: Bai Rui, why are you back? Don't come in and go back quickly. What if you get infected?
I’m angry, you don’t care about my mother, why don’t you let me care about you? You are so cruel!
I rushed in and pushed open the door of my mother's room. The scene in front of me surprised and amused me.
Ms. Bai Jing, who has always been elegant, was humming and humming with a towel on her head and my old cartoon pajamas. Lin Dachun came in with a bowl of canned yellow peaches.
Lin Dachun explained that your mother sweated a lot after taking antipyretics and had no choice but to change into her pajamas. I found out your old clothes and put them on for her.
After finishing speaking, he scooped up a spoonful of yellow peach and fed it to Bai Jing. Bai Jing turned her head and refused to eat. He actually stretched out his hand to straighten Bai Jing's face and patiently coaxed her to eat.
While Lin Dachun was washing dishes in the kitchen, I walked over and asked, aren't you two going to divorce? Why do you still care about her? I thought...
You thought your father and I were the ruthless and unjust person, right?
Hey, I was wrong, Dad. Come on, tell me, what do you think?
Lin Dachun turned red in a rare moment. He said that he had no idea and he always respected Bai Jing's opinion. If she wants to leave, then leave. Before she left, he was still her husband, so he couldn't ignore her.
I admit, what Lin Dachun said was quite manly.
Bai Jing was seriously ill this time, and it took more than ten days to fully recover. Lin Dachun, however, had nothing to do. Apart from losing his appetite for two days and having an occasional cough, he was almost alive and kicking, busy in and out every day.
He even had to tell me sarcastically, "Look, my Lin family's genes are great. I have a lot of ejaculation, so he is fine, and so is my daughter who inherited his genes."
The one-month cooling off period is coming soon.Bai Jing once quietly told me that she planned to leave this house to Lin Dachun, and she would move to her grandpa's old house to be with her grandma.
I know that she still remembers Lin Dachun's efforts. It would be a lie to say that she has no emotion at all.
08
After they agreed to go through the divorce procedures when the time came, Lin Dachun suddenly became seriously ill. He first felt weak, dizzy, and his body temperature rose. His coughing at night made the door panels shake. What's even worse is that he started to feel tightness in his chest.
Bai Jing, who was sleeping in another room, heard that something was wrong with his cough, so she ran over and immediately called 120.
Lin Dachun calmed down a bit at this time and laughed at Bai Jing's fuss. He climbed into the 120 car by himself, but his condition progressed faster than we expected. When he arrived at the hospital, he could no longer get out of the car.
Bai Jing was frightened and called me and asked me to come back quickly.
Lin Dachun was quickly sent to the intensive care unit.
When I arrived, Bai Jing seemed to have a backbone all of a sudden. She repeatedly said, why did Lao Lin suffer from "white lungs"? We are so unlucky.
I quickly reassured her, don’t scare yourself, even if ’s lungs are infected , it can be cured.
html Three people have already entered the intensive care unit. There is no use staying outside. I asked Bai Jing to go home and rest. She said she wouldn't leave, and said she couldn't sleep even when she got home, so she might as well stay with me.
I know she didn’t mean what she said. She was worried about Lin Dachun inside and did not dare to go home.
At night, other patients’ families were chatting in the corridor. Some people say, what a big flu, this virus is very powerful, I heard that many people can't survive it, and the funeral parlor is too busy...
Bai Jing suddenly cried, she squeezed my hand tightly, and her body couldn't stop shaking. I hugged her and she trembled harder in my arms.
At this moment, I suddenly understood that Bai Jing must have feelings for Lin Dachun. At a critical moment, her nervousness and anxiety cannot deceive others.
Lin Dachun stayed in the intensive care unit until the fourth day, and his condition began to improve. He can already speak and is in good spirits, and his family members can talk on the phone inside.
09
That night, I asked Bai Jing to go home and rest. Lin Dachun and I talked a lot.
I told him about Bai Jing’s performance, and he became excited after hearing it. He laughed and said that I am not a fan of and .
Lin Dachun said that the first time he saw Bai Jing in the leather factory, he was fascinated by her beauty. He thought he would never have a chance in his life, but he never expected that my grandfather would offer conditions to find a son-in-law.
He was in urgent need of money at that time, but he also really liked Bai Jing. Otherwise, no one would be happy for a grown man to sign such an "agreement". He said that because of this matter, he could not hold his head high in his hometown village for many years.
However, he thinks it is worth it. Bai Jing is a very good woman. Although she had never been to his house again except for her wedding appearance, she had never been stingy with her husband's family and her mute brother-in-law.
Lin Dachun also said that the agreement my grandfather asked him to sign was indeed a bit insulting, but it did relieve his worries and gave him the goddess of his dreams.
What he has done over the years is what he should do and he did it willingly. There is no unfairness here, and no one owes anyone anything between relatives.
html As soon as it was light up for three days, Bai Jing came. She held the microphone and didn't say a few words, her eyes became wet again.
Inside the glass window, Lin Dachun looked here and smiled.
For a moment, I couldn’t hold back my tears.I know it’s great that my home is still there!
2023, may we all become better!
- END -
