Zhen Lang parked his car in front of his parents and in-law’s home.
Gu Jing hugged Dou Dou and she felt no joy at the sight of Zhen Lang’s parents and her parents’ home.
Zhen Lang held Gu Jing’s shoulders. ‘Wait, why are you in a rush?’
‘What is it? Do you want to kiss me good bye?’ Gu Jing asked sarcastically.
‘If my wife volunteers to kiss me good bye then it’ll make me happy and scared,’ Zhen Lang said. He got out of the car and he opened the pa.s.senger door for his wife. ‘Wife welcome home.’
Gu Jing realised since she picked up a pen and signed her name on the marriage registration form, Zhen Lang’s smile never disappeared and it creeped her out of her mind.
Gu Jing only wanted to distance herself from Zhen Lang. She was determined to seize the first opportunity to flee.
‘Are you certain you want to go inside like this?’ Zhen Lang asked. He pointed at his and Gu Jing’s marriage doc.u.mentation inside a pink box. ‘You want my mum-in-law to see?’
Gu Jing’s shaky hand grabbed Zhen Lang’s shirt and she tucked the pink box inside one of the pockets of his jacket. ‘We’re a good sworn brother and sister pair. You need to be an honorable man so you can’t tell our parents.’
‘We can’t keep this kind of big news from our parents. It’s better if we directly tell our parents,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘No!’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing knew if her parents and Zhen Lang’s parents find out they were married then she could never leave Zhen Lang’s imprisonment. She wanted to wait for the day Zhen Lang regretted marrying her and he would give back her freedom.
‘About this, shouldn’t we prepare our parents mentally first? If we suddenly spring the news on them, I’m scared it’ll be hard for our parents to accept-’ Gu Jing said.
‘This is good news, not bad news. Why wouldn’t they accept it? It’ll make them happy,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘Didn’t you say you’ll listen to your wife? Then I don’t want you to tell our parents, because I want to tell our parents myself,’ Gu Jing said.
In that moment Gu Jing took advantage of her new status. ‘You can’t expose this news to them.’
Zhen Lang pouted his lips. ‘But wife, are you really not going to acknowledge my status?’
Gu Jing didn’t know who to cry to, because Zhen Lang sulked in front of her. She fumed and she glared at Zhen Lang. ‘I don’t care, you promise you’ll listen to me.’
‘Then there needs to be a set time frame. Three months! I’m only giving you three months to tell our parents. After three months if you don’t tell our parents then I will,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing exhaled gently and she nodded her head.
Gu Jing thought within three months she would find a way to force Zhen Lang to divorce her.
‘If I have to bear an injustice then shouldn’t you compensate me?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Zhen Lang inched closer to Gu Jing, and she hugged Dou Dou tighter.
‘What compensation do you want?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘We’re husband and wife. What else do you think I would want? Of course I want you to honor your wifely duties,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing took a deep breath. ‘Ok, later we’ll live together in the city.’
Zhen Lang kept silent and he waited for his wife to continue.
‘I’ll do all the housework ch.o.r.es that I know how to do,’ Gu Jing said. She was used to being threatened by Zhen Lang for years, and housework didn’t faze her anymore. ‘I’ll sweep the floors, clean the toilet and wash clothes.’
‘Apart from housework, what else will you do to compensate me?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘What else?’ Gu Jing asked. She contemplated for a while. ‘I’ll wake you up in the morning and I’ll make you coffee. I’ll pick you up after work, I won’t hit you, I won’t curse you and I won’t threaten you.’
‘Continue,’ Zhen Lang said.
Gu Jing’s head spun. She felt her suffering surpa.s.sed a maid’s suffering from an ancient dynasty period and she couldn’t believe Zhen Lang still wasn’t satisfied. ‘What else do you want? Do you want me to kneel at the front door and welcome you home?’
Zhen Lang smiled. ‘You don’t need to kneel at the front door to welcome me home. Think about it, we’re husband and wife. What other wifely duties are there?’
Gu Jing puffed her cheeks. ‘I already promised you everything. What else do you want?’
‘Do you actually think sweeping the floors and washing clothes are a wife’s main duties?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘What else is there?’ Gu Jing asked.
Zhen Lang lifted his wife’s chin. ‘I want to share the same bed and pillow with you. I want us to interlock like a fish’s scales and our bodies attached to each other, understand?’
Of course Gu Jing understood what a fish’s scales interlocking and what her body attached to Zhen Lang’s body meant. She never thought about her and Zhen Lang in bed together before. But she couldn’t deny Zhen Lang had a good body and it felt good to rub his body which was more comfortable than a pillow.
‘You’re truly twisted. We’re good friends. How can you think about this?’ Gu Jing asked.
‘I’m a man too. I’m a healthy young man who has natural manly urges,’ Zhen Lang said.
‘No. You’re not allowed to even think about this,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing carried Dou Dou toward her parents’ home and she didn’t glanced back at Zhen Lang.
Zhen Lang leaned against his car. He put his hand in one of his pants pockets and his hand fiddled with a box. But his eyes followed his wife and he smiled.
Zhen Lang waited until he couldn’t see his wife and Dou Dou before he locked his car and he followed his wife inside her parents’ home.
The moment Gu Jing carried Dou Dou into her parents’ home, her mum increased her frustrations.
‘I asked you to take Dou Dou to get vaccinated, but why did you run wild outside? Do you know what time it is?’ Mrs Gu asked.
‘I…’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing resented she couldn’t say anything to defend herself. But her heart was moved to see the worry look on her mum’s face, except she realised her mum worried about Dou Dou when her mum lifted Dou Dou from her arms.
‘Dou Dou be good, let your great-aunt look at where the doctor injected the vaccine on you. Does it still hurt?’ Mrs Gu said.
Gu Jing felt her mum’s words sounded like a heartless cold wind that blew away her moved heart.
‘Mum, why didn’t you ask me if I’m ok?’ Gu Jing asked. She felt she sounded like a child who competed for her mum’s affections. ‘Aren’t you worried if I was robbed or a.s.saulted?’
‘Robbed?’ Mrs Gu asked. She stroked Dou Dou’s face and she didn’t glance once at her daughter. ‘Who can defeat you in a fight? Why would someone a.s.sault you? Even if they have eyes that can see they wouldn’t take notice of your looks and target you.’
Gu Jing felt like her suspected adoptive mum’s words knocked out her self-esteem. She silently took off her shoes and she absorbed herself in self-pity on the sofa.
If Gu Jing knew the reception her mum would give her at home then she wouldn’t visit her parents’ home. She felt it was better to stay in the city, take photos and eat. Even if she had to live together with Zhen Lang, it was better than living in her parents’ home because at least Zhen Lang cooked her delicious dishes.
Gu Jing heard someone pressed the front door bell. She jumped off the sofa and she walked to the front door. She opened the front door and she saw the jinx who received a new status as her husband.
‘Why are you here?’ Gu Jing asked softly.
Gu Jing put up her guard. She wanted to close the front door and lock her new husband outside.
Zhen Lang pushed the front door open. ‘Did you buy a new phone?’
Gu Jing shook her head. Since the lake incident she was too busy to buy a new phone in the city. When she visited her parents’ home she cooped herself inside her parents’ home so she forgot to buy a new phone.
Zhen Lang waved a box in front of his wife’s face. ‘I bought you a new phone. Do you want to take a look?’
Gu Jing saw the photo of the phone on the box and her eyes lit up. ‘Give it to me and let me see.’
Zhen Lang moved the box back and forth between his wife’s cheeks until she lost her balance and fell onto his chest, because she couldn’t grab the box in his hands.
Gu Jing finally stole the box from Zhen Lang but she was too happy to notice he wrapped an arm around her waist.
‘Let’s go inside and you can inspect your new phone, ok?’ Zhen Lang whispered in his wife’s ear.
‘Um,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing opened the box and she took out her new phone.
Zhen Lang closed the front door and he dragged his wife to the sofa.
On the sofa Zhen Lang watched his wife happily fiddle with her new phone. ‘You were drooling while you watched me read the newspaper, is it this phone that made you drool?’
‘Um. I wanted to buy this phone in the city, but I took work leave to visit my parents and I didn’t get to buy it earlier. It’s your fault my phone broke so it’s only right if you replace my phone that you broke,’ Gu Jing said.
Gu Jing focused on her new phone that she didn’t realise she sat on Zhen Lang’s lap and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
‘Ok,’ Zhen Lang said.
Zhen Lang propped his chin on his wife’s shoulder and he helped her inspect her new phone.
‘But…’ Gu Jing said. She turned her head to face Zhen Lang and she looked suspiciously at him. ‘Let me see your new phone.’
‘I don’t have a new phone,’ Zhen Lang denied.
‘Give it to me,’ Gu Jing said. She pulled Zhen Lang’s shirt out of his pants and she searched his body. ‘I’m certain you’re hiding your new phone. I’ve known you for many years and I understand you best.’
Zhen Lang let his wife searched his body. ‘Is that true?’
After a while Gu Jing took out Zhen Lang’s new phone that he hid in his shirt pocket and she laughed triumphantly. ‘I knew you hid your new phone from me.’
‘What are you looking at?’ Zhen Lang asked.
Zhen Lang customized his phone number caller ID on his wife’s sim card.
‘I’m looking at you for daring to keep a silver phone for yourself and giving a black phone to me,’ Gu Jing said. She scoffed and she quickly took out Zhen Lang’s phone battery. ‘Switch. I want the silver phone and you can have the black phone.’
Zhen Lang laughed helplessly. ‘Ok, let’s switch. But after we switch phones, you need to forgive me.’
Zhen Lang wanted his wife to forgive him for trapping her for two days to marry him. But his oblivious wife focused on taking out his sim card and putting it into the black phone. Then she inserted her sim card into the silver phone.
‘Are you going to reward me?’ Zhen Lang asked.
‘Reward?’ Gu Jing asked.
Gu Jing lifted her head and she cried out loud enough for her mum to hear her in the kitchen. ‘Mum, tonight’s Zhen Lang is eating dinner here. Save the chicken legs for him.’
‘Lang Lang’s here? Did you update the family birth records yet?’ Mrs Gu asked loudly from the kitchen.
Zhen Lang laughed cryptically. ‘It’s updated.’
‘Then little girl, put it back in my bedroom for me,’ Mrs Gu said loudly.
Zhen Lang’s wife put her family birth record back inside her parents’ bedroom. Whilst he sat on the sofa and he looked at the photo he set as the black phone’s screen display. The photo he set was of a young beautiful woman’s hand covered half of her naked chest, her startled eyes matched the innocence of her snow white bare back and her short hair above her shoulders showed off her sensual slender neck.
Zhen Lang looked in the direction of his wife’s parent’s bedroom and he whispered lovingly. ‘Wife, I know you best. You always want to compete with me.’
End of Chapter Forty