Li Xinyuan stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the bustling night view of the city. Although it was just the summer solstice, she felt a little chill when she first arrived, which may come from the confusion and apprehension of the unknown life in the depths of her soul. Tonight is a special day – she will move into a new home shared with her boyfriend Zhang Zifan and start their journey of life together.
"Mom, we're officially starting to live together today." Li Xinyuan dialed the phone at home, with excitement and anticipation in his voice.
"Really? Then your relationship with Xiaofan seems to be very stable. Li Yulan's words were full of concern and surprise.
Shortly after hanging up, the sound of a key turning was heard outside the door. A warm breath then poured into the room, "Xinyuan, do you think you need to add some greenery to your home?" Zhang Zifan proposed.
"Uh-huh! This can increase some vitality", Li Xinyuan's eyes lit up, imagining the vitality brought by the touch of fresh green in the room.
Back at home and furnishing the furniture, the heat in the kitchen and cooking battles followed. The complicated and complicated process of stir-frying seems to be a little organized under the cooperation of the two. The occasional oil star that accidentally splashes has also become one of the topics of laughter.
Leisure time after eating is always so precious – a good book or a relaxing movie night out next to the sofa is indispensable.
However, the small episodes of life also sound unexpected melodies from time to time: the shampoo has disappeared inexplicably, and the clothes on the floor that no one has picked up admit to be their own... These seemingly unimportant things are imperceptibly testing the habits and tolerance of two people.
"It's weird... Where should I put it? Li Xinyuan, who had not found any trace of the bottles and cans after rummaging in the bathroom for a while, shouted into the living room.
"Oh, didn't you still use it just now!" Zhang Zifan's voice floated from outside and turned into a string of unforgettable notes in the air.
Gradually, the night deepened, and in the daily quarrels that were not suitable for each other's identity changes, there were warm scenes of mutual concessions and apologies, "There are a lot of small things that happened today", Zhang Zifan said softly with apologies.
"It's not a big deal," she replied lightly, revealing the common expectations in everyone's hearts for the upcoming life, "Let's work together." ”
The voices of the surrounding neighbors greeting more and more permeated this small family, which was still trying to fit in; The pace of overtime to get home is getting heavier and heavier, but firm; From time to time, my mother calls me and quietly reminds me to be stronger and more independent...
When the two chairs sit opposite each other and find resonance between the two talking and laughing, the newly formed "we" in this world seem to be slowly moving forward on the road of slowly taking shape...
As the daily life of cohabitation is on track, many problems are gradually beginning to emerge. Zhang Zifan has become accustomed to throwing clothes and cups at will, often leaving tea stains on the table and no longer cleaning them immediately. However, Li Xinyuan has a different sensitivity to these trivial matters, and she began to feel a trace of exhaustion and dissatisfaction.
One afternoon, Li Xinyuan stood in the living room: "Husband, can you not throw away the clothes at home?" ”
Zhang Zifan shook his head with his mobile phone in his hand and replied, "Ouch, I know Xinyuan." ”
However, the situation after dinner the next night made Li Xinyuan even more helpless, "Do we always have to find a fixed place to put the table?" "The table in front of me has been occupied by a pile of books and miscellaneous items.
"I have a friend who might come over to play today," Zhang Zifan said without warning, "we can move things." ”
This kind of unchanging notice makes Li Xinyuan a little at a loss - as a future hostess, this sharing of her private space seems inevitable but also intense.
Finally, one night, Li Xinyuan, who was very tired from work, found that his small study was full of laughter and chatting after returning from overtime. The panicked comparison from Zhang Zifan's friends made her feel a little incredible.
Picked up the phone and dialed his mother who was far away, trying to find some comfort from her, "Mom... My husband's friend came to the house today..."
And her mother's words unexpectedly set off waves in her heart: "Be quiet, daughter, don't let people think we are annoying."
Soon after, at a family gathering, he stumbled upon an old photo of his mother while cleaning up old things. The youthful appearance on it looms, and the faded scenery reveals a lot of traces of time.
"It reminds me of a lot of things from before," interrupted her mother, who stood aside to take care of her.
The conversation between the two men has since become complicated, and the story of the former family is revisited with a variety of memories and inevitable family memories.
The first emotional rift begins to manifest itself in the subtle differences that often occur in life, such as "do you know it" and "why are you like this", forming friction. Some details that are not valued in daily life begin to gather into a mountain and weigh on the original longing of the heart - the colorful days seem to fade away from the usual light, and become more and more gray in reality...
In the ticking bell, the home seems extraordinarily empty and quiet. Zhang Zifan worked until late and came home as always, accustomed to looking for that familiar but faint soul comfort.
"Husband, you're tired from work today, right?" Li Xinyuan tried his best to hide tiredness and anxiety in his voice.
There was a hint of forbearance on his face, "Hey... It's quite tiring," he paused for a moment, "really hurt."
By this time the string in her heart was tense—the room was almost silent, and her expectation was that they would be able to say a relaxing word to each other to temper the atmosphere—and she couldn't help frowning at the slightest comforting word.
In the middle of the night, after another fruitless quarrel, the two chose to calm down in silence. There was always a bit of coldness and loneliness in bed this night.
When he returned home the next afternoon, the atmosphere of indifference was still pervasive, "Don't wait for me to eat in the evening", his few words made people feel cold.
This ongoing situation has also attracted the attention of distant family members. The phone rings to break the ice, but it seems to add fuel to the fire:
"What's wrong, Xiaofan? I can see that your tone is not quite right", Li Yulan's warm voice came from afar.
"It's okay Mom... It's just a little tired. He tried to respond calmly, but with a feeling of helplessness.
All this is even more distressing and speechless in Li Xinyuan's eyes. She didn't seem to feel any pain in her hand that she accidentally injured while preparing food in the kitchen; She just looked out the window and wondered, "What will they think of us?" ”
The mother of the other party also expressed concern, "What happened to these two children?" The mother whispered to herself, but could not get an answer.
Many days have passed, and I haven't waited for the thoughts to pile up into a river, but I am drifting farther and farther away in the river of lack of communication and understanding. It seems that the darkness after returning from overtime every night is even more lonely and lonely; And without intimate warm words, life gradually loses its warm luster.
In the dead of night, the table lamp at home cast a warm halo, Zhang Zifan and Li Xinyuan sat on the sofa and had a long face-to-face conversation.
"My mother and I talked on the phone," Li Xinyuan said softly, "and she was worried about us." ”
"Yes, I also feel that my relationship with you is indeed a little stiff now." Zhang Zifan sighed and admitted.
The two were silent for a moment, and then he continued to speak, "We have so many problems before we get married..." The ending is self-evident.
But she interrupted his thoughts: "Marriage is not a means to end everything, but should be the beginning of a better understanding." ”
They began to look back on their cohabitation life in the past few months: the collision of pots and pans, the asynchronous working hours, the asynchronous integration of each other's circle of friends... Each and every one of them helped the two of them gradually get closer to their true feelings.
After some reflection and candid exchanges, a consensus was finally reached in the mild night: "If we want to be together, we must transcend these issues." ”
Over the weekend, the two families exchanged heartfelt messages on the phone. Zhang's mother's words made the two young people feel relieved: "Let the children's affairs be solved by themselves." And Li Yulan has a similar attitude: "As long as you have the same heart." ”
Eventually, that Friday night turned out to be unusual – the smell of food and laughter mingled from the kitchen. Little by little, their tacit understanding came back, "Shall we make a form for the division of household chores?" Zhang Zifan proposed.
"Okay! You also have to write down who cooks and washes the dishes every day! Li Xinyuan replied crisply.
The resolution tool is nothing but mutual trust and cooperation, and in addition to intimate communication, I also understand that maintaining the order of a home requires patient and meticulous pruning of branches like a garden.
When the morning sun shines through the cracks in the curtains and casts on the flowers on the windowsill, the peace and tranquility return to their hearts, "This flower is so beautiful", looking at the blooming flowers, the two of them said the same thing in unison—a symbol of sweet words that restored harmony. Every day, under the watering of love, new possibilities are opened...