In the cold of winter, Li Jing shuttled through the busy city streets as usual, returning to the hut where she and Wang Qiang lived together. She put down the heavy briefcase in her hand, unloaded the cold outside and the fatigue of the day, and finally could breathe a sigh of relief. Li Jing leaned deeply on the sofa, but her thoughts drifted to her warm mother's home thousands of miles away.
Li Jing is a gentle woman who has always loved her ordinary and stable life. Wang Qiang, her husband, is a cadre at a state-owned enterprise and is usually busy with his own work. Although their married life is uneventful, it is also full of bits and pieces of happiness in life.
As the Spring Festival approaches, Li Jing longs to return to her parents' home and reunite with her father Li Ming and mother Li Juan. Li Jing remembers that every time she came home, her mother would always enthusiastically prepare her favorite braised hairtail fish for her, and her father would walk around the village with her to reminisce about her childhood. That warmth and family affection are irreplaceable in this noisy city.
At dinner time, Li Jing and Wang Qiang sat around the dining table, and she proposed her wish to Wang Qiang.
"Husband, I want to go home and spend the New Year with my parents." Li Jing looked at Wang Qiang expectantly and said softly.
Wang Qiang frowned, looking a little helpless. He put down his chopsticks and replied in a deep voice: "Wife, you also know the situation on my side, it is impossible to have too much time to rest during the Spring Festival, and it is impossible for me to accompany you back." ”
Li Jing hurriedly explained: "I'm not asking you to accompany me back, it's just that I want to go back to see my mother and father, they are also old, and I miss them." ”
"But we're all married, and we should have our own lives. Besides, what should I do if you go? Isn't the Spring Festival supposed to be spent together by husband and wife? Wang Qiang's tone was a little reproachful.
"But my mother also said on the phone that she really wanted us to go back." Li Jing lowered her head, and she could feel that her expectations were slowly becoming insignificant.
Wang Qiang said: "I understand your feelings, but we also have to consider the actual situation. You go back alone, I stay here, what do my mother-in-law and father-in-law think of us? ”
Li Jing's heart was mixed, but she knew that what Wang Qiang said was not unreasonable. She bit her lip, thinking that it would be better to stop arguing.
After dinner, Li sat quietly by the window, looking at the faint lights outside the window. Her mood became more and more depressed, and homesickness surged in her heart like an undercurrent. The longing for home and the longing for her parents are eating away at her originally firm shell little by little.
This night, the air in the home seemed to get extra dull. Wang Qiang did not dig further into Li Jing's emotions, maybe his busy work had exhausted him, or maybe it was that men could never really understand the delicacy in women's hearts.
Li Jing didn't say anything more, just quietly thinking about how to find a little luck in herself this Spring Festival.
The Spring Festival is approaching, but the atmosphere in Wang Qiang and Li Jing's home is becoming more and more tense. The original peace and warmth were gradually replaced by Li Jing's desire to return to her parents' home. She tried to communicate with Wang Qiang many times, hoping to get his understanding, but every conversation seemed to end in Wang Qiang's displeasure and opposition.
"We're all adults, wife, we should have our own way of thinking about things." Wang Qiang said with a calm face, "Life after marriage should be a matter of two people, how do I think you haven't grown up yet, and you're still like a child." ”
Li Jing felt powerless, she didn't want to quarrel with Wang Qiang, but her deep attachment to her family made it difficult for her to let go. She tried to express her thoughts in a gentler tone: "I know, husband, of course we are a family, I just want to be able to accompany my parents during the Chinese New Year, you also know that they are old and have no one to take care of them." ”
"And what do you say I'll do?" Wang Qiang became more and more impatient in the face of Li Jing's insistence, "I can't be busy with work here, do I have to spend the Spring Festival alone?" ”
"I didn't say I wanted you to live alone, but I went to my mother's house for a few days and will be back soon." Li Jing's voice gradually became nervous.
Conversations between the two often end with Wang Qiang's anger and Li Jing's grievances. Li Jing began to realize that communication with Wang Qiang was becoming more and more difficult.
Finally, on an evening that had been endured for a long time, the tension between the two reached a breaking point. When Wang Qiang returned home that night, he saw that Li Jing was still sorting out his luggage, and he instantly felt a sense of betrayal. When his emotions were out of control, he couldn't help but ask loudly: "What are you doing here?" Really decided to ignore our home? ”
Li Jing was at a loss by Wang Qiang's questioning, and she nervously explained: "I just tidied up some clothes that I don't usually use and want to take them back to my parents' house......"
"Enough!" Wang Qiang interrupted Li Jing's words, anger had already made him lose his mind, "I won't allow you to go!" ”
The quarrel entered a fever pitch, and the emotions of both men were extremely intense. In a push, Wang Qiang missed, and a slap was crisp across Li Jing's cheek. This not only brought pain to Li Jing's body, but also caused great damage to her self-esteem and spirit.
Li Jing covered her face, her eyes full of tears and shock. This slap is not only a humiliation to her, but also a denial of all her family values and marital beliefs.
"Wang Qiang, how could I have thought that you would do such a thing to me!" Li Jing said in a trembling voice, and her heart gradually cooled down.
Wang Qiang looked at Li Jing's teary-eyed face, regret and self-blame welled up in his heart, but anger still made him stubborn, "I...... I didn't mean to, and you have to think about how I feel......"
Driven by emotion, Li Jing made a decision. She was so disappointed in the family that she didn't want to leave any more thoughts about the marriage. Wang Qiang's every rebuttal, every ridicule, and this slap became the reason why she insisted on leaving here. No matter how Wang Qiang explained, Li Jing's heart was already broken. That night, she silently called the real estate agent and decided to sell the home, even if it was contrary to her past insistence.
In this way, on the cold night before the arrival of the Spring Festival, the apricot blossoming home and the wedding photos hanging on the snow-white wall could no longer recall Li Jing's footsteps of turning around and leaving.
Li Jing held her suitcase tightly, and the tears in her eyes reflected the determination in her heart. The home, once full of laughter, is now empty and reverberating. In the face of all this, surprise and remorse appeared on Wang Qiang's face, he really couldn't believe that all this could have developed to such an irreversible point.
Wang Qiang recovered from the shock, and hurriedly walked towards Li Jing, with a pleading, "Wife, have you really decided?" Are you really going to leave me, from our home? ”
Li Jing was resolute and didn't look back, "Yes, I've already decided." Your slap not only hit me in the face, but also broke all my trust and dependence on this family. ”
"Jingjing, I know I'm doing it wrong, but are you really right to do it? We can sit down and have a good talk. Wang Qiang tried to grab Li Jing's arm, but she firmly shook her away.
At the same time, Li Jing has already started to contact the real estate agent, and the property she and Wang Qiang jointly have listed for sale. When Wang Qiang learned the news, he finally realized the seriousness of the problem and his mistake. The significance of this home to Li Jing goes far beyond a living space.
Wang Qiang sat alone on the sofa and was silent for a long time. His mind wandered in anger and self-blame, and finally he deeply reflected on himself, realized that he had ignored Li Jing's innermost desires and needs, and he also understood that as a husband, he should give his wife support and understanding.
After a whole night of contemplation, early the next morning, Wang Qiang made a decision. He stood in front of Li Jing and said solemnly: "Wife, I thought about it for a long time last night, and I realized my mistake. In marriage, I should be more concerned about your feelings than impose your expectations. If you want to go back to your parents' home for the New Year, I support you. And, I'll go with you, and we'll go back together. ”
Li Jing's face was surprised, and Wang Qiang's words seemed to be a ray of warm sunshine shining into her cold heart. "Are you sure?" She asked tentatively.
"Sure, I'm not just talking." Wang Qiang's eyes were full of firmness and sincerity, "I want to make up for the mistakes I made, I want our family to be harmonious, and I hope we can all be happy." ”
Wang Qiang stretched out his hand to Li Jing, which was a gesture of reconciliation and a promise to start anew. He had a gentle smile on his face, the first warm sunshine in their home since a slap in the face.
Li Jing responded to Wang Qiang's smile, and she felt a trace of warmth begin to spread in her heart. She knew that there might be still many problems to be resolved between them, but the reconciliation at this moment gave them the strength to move forward.
With Wang Qiang's sincere words and his reconciliation step, the family finally decided to return to their warm mother's home together. At that moment, the haze between Li Jing and Wang Qiang seemed to be dissolved by the warmth of that family affection.
The cold of winter is still there, but Wang Qiang's decision to go back to his parents' house with Li Jing for the New Year has injected a warm touch of warmth into this cold season. As the car pulls down a familiar country road, every change of scenery outside the window reminds them that the place they once thought they would never set foot in is now a solace for their souls.
Li Jing's parents greeted them in front of the door, and saw their daughter and son-in-law getting out of the car side by side, with smiles on their faces. "Wife, look, is that the apricot tree that your mother planted? It is full of flowers, as if to celebrate our arrival. Wang Qiang squeezed Li Jing's hand and said.
"yes, that's my mother's favorite apricot tree." Li Jing smiled at the corner of her eyes, and the turmoil in her heart began to calm down.
Although the situation at home is not as good as in previous years, Li Jing and Wang Qiang have learned a valuable lesson from this conflict, that is, how to better understand and respect each other.
Amid the firecrackers and laughter of the Spring Festival, Li Jing and Wang Qiang sat at the dining table, listening to the laughter and frolic of their families. The eyes of the two revealed unprecedented understanding and affection in the exchange. The Chinese New Year dinner has become extremely precious - it not only represents family reunion, but also symbolizes a new chapter in the relationship between the two.
After the meal, Wang Qiang and Li Jing walked together on the moonlit path, sharing their hearts and planting the seeds of mutual respect and communication in each other's hearts. "Wife, thank you for bringing me back here and making me feel the warmth of home." Wang Qiang said.
Li Jing snuggled up to Wang Qiang and felt the responsibility and growth from her husband. She looked at the starry sky in the distance, and the stars seemed to shimmer with hope for their future.
Facing the future, Li Jing and Wang Qiang both know that the road must be full of challenges. But they all realized that only through continuous understanding and support could their marriage be as hopeful and joyful, stable and harmonious, as this Spring Festival would be.