I Would Count Money for You
My husband was about to leave for a trip south, so I went to his workplace to see him off.
My husband always has many social engagements, but I rarely accompany him unless it’s with his closest friends. Firstly, I am naturally shy and not very good at conversation. Secondly, I don’t like noisy environments. Lastly, there are too many things outside that pollute the senses.
Occasionally, when I do go out to eat, my husband always jokingly gives a public notice in advance: “My wife is not very talkative, she’s just here to eat. I hope you don’t mind!” So, I gain the freedom to avoid toasts, small talk, and other formalities. I just sit next to him, eat the food he picks for me, drink the soup he serves me, and then happily tug on his sleeve to go home.
Today, the people seeing him off were his closest brothers. These tall and sturdy brothers, just like in the past, exaggeratedly lined up to greet me, calling me “Little Sister-in-law,” as if I were a second wife. Knowing they were teasing, I just smiled.
During the meal, my husband, as always, took the fish I liked, picked out the bones, and put it on my plate, warning his brothers, “You guys don’t eat the fish, look how fat and strong you all are! Save it for my wife!” Seeing their innocent expressions, I laughed foolishly. One of the brothers sighed deeply, “Sister-in-law, look how he spoils you! I bet if this old man sold you, you’d still happily count the money for him!”
“I would count the money for him!” I said seriously, without any hint of sarcasm. Because no matter when, such gestures from my husband always deeply evoke gratitude and warmth in me. The impending separation made me reluctant. I felt tears creeping into my smile.
My old-fashioned demeanor was always so out of place.
The dining table fell silent. I lowered my head to eat the fish, but I could clearly feel my husband’s emotional response.
He reached out his warm hand and gently ruffled my hair…
When the dinner ended and we left the hotel, the sky was full of stars. It had been a long time since we had walked around the city together, due to living apart once again. We walked into the night hand in hand. The spring breeze was warm and tender.
With no one around, my husband crouched down and carried me on his back. The bright streetlights on the city ring road suddenly seemed full of tenderness and shyness. I saw the stars in the sky smiling.
Our son is almost seventeen now, and my husband is over forty, becoming the “old man” as his brothers called him. At such a time, passion should have burned out, leaving a life as calm as water. Yet, our love still flows deep and sweet.
Looking back to the days when I was pregnant, I never washed my hair or took a bath by myself. He always said I was too thin, and doing these things would be too exhausting.
My mother-in-law once said to my father-in-law, “Look how much our third son pampers his wife!” At such times, my husband would always pretend to be smart, “Mom, you don’t understand, I’m trading ten months of hard work for a lifetime of ease. It’s a great deal!”
Looking back to the early days of our small family, to ease our parents’ burden, the only thing we owned was a marriage certificate. Life was tough, but he never let a cloud cast over my sky. With his monthly salary of 72 yuan, he once spent 68 yuan on a trip just to buy me a skirt. I gently touched that beautiful skirt and asked, “Are we not going to manage our household?”
He patted my head and said, “A wife as beautiful as a flower deserves a life as beautiful as a flower! Managing the household is a man’s job; you don’t need to worry about it!” Once, in the middle of the month, with only five yuan left for the three of us, I asked, “What should we do?” He waved the money and laughed, “Of course, we’ll eat it all first!”
Looking back to his business trip to Luoyang, one evening, I called him, wanting to tell him: the willow trees were swaying gracefully, the sycamores had sprouted overnight, and the grass was pushing up ceaselessly…
Standing in the torrent of time, my heart was filled with panic… But on the phone, all I could do was shed endless tears. His two-month trip was cut in half because of that rainy phone call.
I said, my husband always seemed so composed, as if he had never panicked. My mother said, the rainy day you were unconscious, he held you, losing a shoe, and didn’t even notice.
I said, my husband was always full of sunshine, as if he never worried. My mother said, when you were in a coma, he sat silently by your bed, tears streaming down, and overnight, his beard grew dense.
I said, my husband was careless. My sister said, he picked out raisins for you, almost one by one.
I said, my husband always let me have my way. My mother-in-law said, at home, from childhood to adulthood, everyone let him have his way.
I said, my husband was very magnanimous and never argued with me. My mother-in-law said, in college, because his father read his mail, he stubbornly sat outside all night in protest.
In the blink of an eye, I’ve worked for nineteen years, and I’ve never participated in any company trips. In my eyes, all landscapes are the same; it’s the people you’re with that matter.
Without him, who would know when I wanted to drink water, when I needed a break, or what topics I wanted to discuss in front of which scenery?
In the blink of an eye, we’ve known each other for nineteen years. Throughout the rushing years, his open hand has always shielded me.
Maybe it couldn’t block all the rain and wind, but someone knew what kind of tears were of true joy and what kind of smile hid deep sorrow. Under this protective hand, I’ve never felt any grievance. My heart is sunny, and my memories are not damp.
Nineteen years of time, I haven’t counted the days and nights. Nineteen years of time, I haven’t detailed the hardships and touches. But I deeply, deeply understand that all of this is beyond the description and coverage of tangible words!
Those not-so-easy years never felt heavy to me. It was just that I was too young to understand the meticulousness behind my husband’s roughness, the depth behind his casualness, the hardships behind his smile. In the warm night breeze, holding my husband’s neck, gently brushing his smooth hair, listening to him recount stories he’d told a hundred times before, tears flowed like sparkling streams in the starlight.
Often, life needs to be reflected upon. Only through the retrospection of time can we truly appreciate the weight of affection and understand the preciousness of seemingly ordinary things. In this flashy and seductive age, the collapse of the edifice of marriage doesn’t stir a ripple in people’s hearts.
Whenever I think of this, I feel immensely relieved. In such a restless age, having these nineteen years is already a great luxury. Looking at this man who suffers hardships for the comfort of my son and me, who carries me while happily chattering in the night, I feel tenderness: How can I repay you, the one who loves and pampers me the most?
I want to tell him: if one day, you really decide to sell me, as your brothers joked, my dearest old man, I would be willing to count the money for you!
Really, I would!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
