Mini Theater Series Three: The Little Things That Make Us Happy
1.
After Lu Yin moved back from Italy, Lu Qiang was busy with freight shipments, while she rushed to find a job, all while taking care of their little princess. The focus of life shifted. Before, it had only been the two of them. Now, with elders above and a child below, it had been a long time since they’d had a world of just the two of them.
On Lu Yin’s birthday, Lu Qiang took her to a hot spring.
A private space. Looking out, there were no people in sight. Among lush green woods, only wisps of steam curled upward, as if they had fallen into some kind of fairyland.
When emotions ran high, they indulged without restraint. By the time they returned to the room, dusk had already sunk low.
Lu Yin was so tired she could barely open her eyes. He said by her ear, “Open your present.”
“What is it?”
She lifted her eyelids to look. In the middle of the bed sat a huge champagne-colored gift box. She lifted the lid, hooked a finger lightly under the fabric. Broken diamonds glittered, the skirt pure white, dazzlingly beautiful.
“A wedding dress?” It was a fitted style with a long trailing train. Only then did she realize that in all their years together, she had never once worn one for him.
He ordered, “Put it on for me.”
2.
The wedding, delayed by several years, was finally set in motion.
Qian Yuanqing took them back to Qian Shulin Village. All the aunts and relatives in the village rushed over to join the excitement.
Lu Yin held the little princess. Dressed fashionably, with big eyes and soft, tender skin, the child drew everyone’s attention. People came up one after another to pinch her little cheeks.
The little princess smiled until her eyes curved into crescents, irresistibly adorable. Some went even further, leaning in to plant a kiss directly on her.
Lu Qiang stood nearby, frowning the whole time.
At a countryside wedding, the running banquet would be laid out for three consecutive days.
On the second day, the princess wore a small pink face mask.
Someone asked, “What’s wrong with the child?”
Lu Qiang replied expressionlessly, “Caught a cold.”
3.
Just after winter passed, Lu Qiang took Lu Yin to the hospital. It happened to be Monday, and the elevator area was packed.
Lu Yin got in first, squeezed to the very back. The crowd kept pressing in, everyone trying to get upstairs earlier.
Lu Qiang turned, braced both arms, bending his back slightly, enclosing Lu Yin into a small safe corner.
His arms were long, giving her enough space to breathe and move.
Someone behind bumped into him. “Hey, move in a bit. People can’t get on from the back.”
Lu Qiang said, “There’s no space.”
The man said, “Have some public decency, okay? At least two people could stand in front of you. Pull your arms in.”
“Can’t.”
People near the door started murmuring. Lu Yin tugged his arm as well. “It’s fine, I’m okay.”
The man deliberately shoved him. “Why can’t you pull them in?”
“There’s a pregnant woman.”
Everyone looked over in unison. The woman in front of him had a well-proportioned figure, her lower abdomen flat, not looking pregnant at all.
Someone said, “You’re lying, right? How many months?”
“Twenty days.”
Everyone: “…” What an overreaction.
4.
After running around for several days, Lu Qiang had been negotiating cooperation with an out-of-province aquatic products company. Early in the morning, Lu Yin couldn’t bear to wake him, so she carried the little princess onto the big bed, gave a few simple instructions, and left with Qian Yuanqing for a prenatal checkup.
The two of them slept until late morning, woken by Da Long’s phone call. He had just returned from a business trip and wanted to gather everyone for a drink.
Lu Qiang originally planned to move it to the evening, but Genzi had to leave for another city that afternoon.
He turned his head to look at the little princess. She sucked her finger. “Daddy, my tummy is hungry!”
Lu Qiang simply carried the child along. The others, seeing this, had complaints in their hearts but didn’t dare voice them.
After teasing the princess for a bit, Genzi asked, “Ge, the alcohol’s all bought. Are we doing hot pot or barbecue?”
Lu Qiang instead asked the princess, “Chengcheng, what do you want to eat?”
“KFC,” she answered crisply.
Everyone: “…”
Half an hour later, in a corner of a fast-food restaurant, a group of grown men sat around. Lu Qiang, expressionless, fed the princess a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Usually Lu Yin didn’t let her eat this kind of thing, so the princess was so happy she waved her arms and legs.
The others forced smiles. Genzi patted his pocket. Inside, he still had a bottle of erguotou.
5.
When she was pregnant with Lu Che, Lu Yin gained nearly twenty jin. She cut her hair short, a few dark spots appeared on her cheeks. She didn’t dare look in the mirror, becoming extremely sensitive and lacking confidence.
One day, they went out.
Two young women walked toward them, dressed sexily.
Lu Yin looked at Lu Qiang and pinched him hard. “Your eyes are practically glued. Are they pretty?”
“Mm. Not bad.”
Lu Yin shook him off and walked ahead, ignoring him for two days.
Another time, during an evening walk in the neighborhood.
A beautiful woman sat on a bench. Lu Yin looked at Lu Qiang. “Is she pretty?”
He’d learned to be clever. “Ugly.”
“Ugly and you’re still staring so intently.” Lu Yin tossed her head and twisted her hips as she walked home by herself.
Later, they went to the mall to pick out a crib for Lu Che.
It was already late autumn, but the girls were still dressed in flamboyant, eye-catching outfits.
Lu Yin looked at Lu Qiang. “What are you looking at?”
“I wasn’t looking,” he replied on reflex.
Lu Yin took a breath. “Do you even know what I’m asking? And you still say you weren’t looking?”
Lu Qiang: “……”
Watching her storm off in anger, Lu Qiang ground his teeth. This life was practically unlivable. He let out a cold laugh. He didn’t want to endure it anymore, thinking viciously that no matter whether her body was convenient or not, tonight he would deal with her harshly, no negotiation.
6.
Lu Yin’s work got on track. At the start of the year, she represented the design department and went to another province for a week of training. By coincidence, Qian Yuanqing hadn’t returned from her hometown, so the two little ones were left entirely in Lu Qiang’s care.
On Lu Yin’s second day away, she received a text from him: When are you coming back?
She replied: Sunday! What’s wrong?
He said: Nothing.
Lu Yin looked at the screen, thought for a moment, then asked again: Are the two babies behaving?
After quite a while, Lu Qiang sent only one word: Behaving.
Five days later, the training ended early. Lu Yin booked a flight, eager to return home. The moment she opened the door, she thought she had walked into a garbage processing site. The air was foul, clutter covered the floor, and a headache hit her instantly.
She finally understood why the babies had been “behaving.”
Cheche was playing happily. He had smeared paint all over the white walls, his whole body splashed with colors, nearly putting it into his mouth.
She had just steadied her breath when the princess came bouncing out of the room, dragging a pair of high heels. Her face was painted like a little ghost. Her new cosmetics had been picked apart by the princess, completely unusable.
Lu Yin glared at Lu Qiang. “Do you want to explain?”
Lu Qiang struck first. “Travel less in the future. How many men have you seen stay home to take care of kids?”
“……”
7.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Che was four years old. Mischievous, he lifted a little girl’s skirt at kindergarten, scaring her into loud sobs as she ran to tell the teacher.
Lu Qiang couldn’t hold back and beat him to tears right there on the road.
Driving home, Lu Yin held Cheche, heart aching. She pulled down his pants to look. Several bright red handprints marked his backside.
She snapped, “Is he even your son?”
Lu Qiang shot her a glance. “Wouldn’t you know?”
Lu Yin pressed her lips together. “What if you hurt him? Can’t you be gentler?”
“If I’m gentle, he won’t remember.” Lu Qiang gripped the steering wheel, muttering, “He’s barely this big and already so perverted. No idea who he takes after for this bad habit.”
Lu Yin gave a light snort and shot it back, “Wouldn’t you know?”
Lu Qiang: “……” After a moment, he hooked his little finger against his forehead.
8.
One night, after showering, Lu Qiang stood naked in front of the mirror.
Lu Yin: “What are you looking at?”
His muscles were taut, still firm and strong. “Am I getting old?”
Lu Yin looked him over. “Why are you suddenly asking that?”
He tilted his head, touching his chin as he faced the mirror. “Your daughter called me ‘old dad’ today.”
“……”
9.
Lu Che’s kindergarten organized a parent-child activity. The task was to make a cake.
Lu Yin had prepared the cake base in advance. Cream and molds were laid out on the table. Once the teacher announced the start, the room became bustling with activity.
Lu Qiang wore a sour expression but had no choice except to cooperate. “What am I doing?”
Lu Yin flipped through a reference book and directed, “Spread the cream on the cake base first.”
“Where’s the cake base?”
“On the table.”
“It’s not here.”
“It’s right there on the table.”
“Look for yourself.” He nudged her arm.
Lu Yin lifted her eyes and froze. In broad daylight, it was like something supernatural had happened. The cake base had vanished without a trace.
The two searched for a long time. Suddenly, little Lu Che beside them let out a full belch. His belly was round, crumbs of cake still clinging to the corners of his mouth.
Lu Qiang, Lu Yin: “……”
Later, for their improper attitude toward the parent-child activity, they were called into the teacher’s office and lectured for quite a while.
10.
Lu Che caused trouble at school, and Lu Qiang planned to teach him a harsh lesson. He bolted into Qian Yuanqing’s room, jumped onto the bed, and hid behind her.
“Grandma, my dad says he’s going to break my legs,” he said, his voice trembling.
Qian Yuanqing slowly gathered her hair, glanced at the man standing in the doorway, and let out a cold snort.
Lu Qiang pointed at him. “You little brat, come out.”
Lu Che was on the verge of tears. “Grandma, Grandma, hurry and save me.”
“It’s fine.” Qian Yuanqing patted the back of his hand and said slowly, “I’m not dead yet. It’s not his turn.”
Lu Qiang: “……”
He stood there for a moment, took a breath. “If you’ve got the guts, stay in there and never come out.”
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