The clock at home was tinkling, but Wang Qiang felt that time had stood still at that moment, and his mind drifted back to half a year ago. That night, he and Li Jing's roars almost shook the entire house. The photos on the shelves also trembled in the confrontation, as if they also felt the tension.
"Why don't you understand my struggle?" Wang Qiang's voice was full of anger and helplessness.
"How many times have I said it, your 'bitterness' is just an excuse!" Li Jing's retort was equally poignant.
In this way, they insisted on their own words, and no one was willing to back down, until Li Jing went out angrily and announced the temporary rest of this family.
After that night, Wang Qiang recalled his manic ridicule and uncalm rhetoric countless times, and originally thought it was just an ordinary quarrel, but unexpectedly triggered Li Jing's big move. She moved back to her parents' house, and since then, the two have been separated from the world, and Li Jing has never responded to Wang Qiang's phone calls and WeChat.
"She's really angry." Wang Qiang was talking to himself, ridiculing his wife, but in fact, his heart was constantly rippling.
Wang Qiang recalled the bits and pieces with Li Jing, they had planned the future together, and looked forward to growing old together, but all the sweetness turned into nothingness that night, and he suddenly felt that his stubbornness was so worthless.
Night after night, he stared alone into the empty room in a daze, and whenever this happened, he would subconsciously walk to the phone, but stop because of his pride. Wang Qiang understood that Li Jing's departure had broken the silence of their company, she had always loved the excitement and he was accustomed to silence, and now, this silence swallowed up his patience and courage.
"Someone may need to make up for it." He looked at the direction of Li Jing's departure, and the night outside the door was so solemn.
At this time, the phone rang, and Wang Qiang's heart was nervous, looking forward to the news of Li Jing. But at the moment of off-hooking, the voice of the father-in-law came from the opposite side, and the sound of "son-in-law" made people's hearts warm.
"Wang Qiang, should I find time to see your mother-in-law and me?" Father-in-law Li Ming's gentle tone was tinged with a hint of anticipation.
Wang Qiang hesitated for a moment, and after hanging up the phone, he made a decision. He knew that no matter what, he had to go there, not only because of respect for his father-in-law, but also because that was where the story with Li Jing began.
Wang Qiang stood in the empty dining room, the walls around him were originally decorated with the sweetness of the world of the two, but now only a pale blank remained. He picked up the slightly old coffee cup again, touched the lipstick traces that Li Jing had left, and his heart seemed to be touched by a soft cloth, a trace of warmth and pain intertwined.
The quarrel in his memory soon echoed in his ears, and the argument between him and Li Jing went from the living room to the kitchen. "You're always right, aren't you? What I said was all wrong? Wang Qiang suppressed the anger of being slighted, and there was a tremor in his voice.
"Wang Qiang, listen to me, not everything can be solved in your way!" Li Jing bit her lip, her eyes revealing determination.
They are at a stalemate, one refusing to bow their heads, the other unwilling to budge. That night finally ended with Wang Qiang sitting alone at the cold dining table while Li Jing turned around in tears.
This memory is like hot sand, buried in Wang Qiang's heart, and the more he wants to erase it, the more profound it becomes. He knew that what he should really do was to go to Li Jing's mother's house to find her, sit down and have a good talk, and maybe find the gentle and considerate self, the self that could make Li Jing laugh. But every time he thinks of Li Jing's appearance when he left that day, the man's self-esteem in his bones makes him stop, and pride is like an invisible wall, making him unable to see the world outside his true heart.
"My wife won't come back, if I don't go to her." Wang Qiang muttered to himself in front of the window of the restaurant, looking at the drizzly world outside, the thoughts and losses in his heart were like raindrops, hitting the heart lake drop by drop, causing ripples.
Endless thoughts gradually turned into habits with the passage of time, Wang Qiang no longer checked his mobile phone frequently, and no longer looked forward to Li Jing's news, because she seemed to have disappeared into this world. In the company of lonely alcohol, Wang Qiang borrowed wine to drown his sorrows in a hotel on the street corner. That night, he staggered to the elevator under the anesthesia of spirits, expecting to find a little solace in the night of the hotel.
The dim light in the elevator outlines Wang Qiang's lonely figure. He leaned against the corner, staring at the rising number of floors with drunken eyes, his heart full of longing for Li Jing and resentment towards himself. Just as the elevator was about to rise to the last floor, the door slowly opened, and a familiar figure appeared in his field of vision.
"Li Jing?" Wang Qiang's voice was weak and uncertain, as if he was afraid that everything was his illusion.
Li Jing stood at the elevator door, and her appearance was like a coincidence of fate. Her slightly panicked appearance was in sharp contrast to Wang Qiang's drunken state. But under this kind of staring, the anger and grievances in their hearts are replaced by nervous emotions, ready to explode at any time.
"Why are you here?" Li Jing's voice trembled, and her eyes were already moist. This "husband" is full of complex emotions, which are both questioning and concerning.
"I... I just wanted to come and relax. Wang Qiang struggled to find the right words, and his voice revealed a hint of guilt, "Wife, I thought I would never see you again." ”
The two of them stood in the elevator like this, and the distance between them seemed to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers. Not only the smell of alcohol was permeating them, but also the thoughts and pain in their hearts. The pent-up emotions that had been building up for days were like a powerful force that defeated each other's defenses.
"I thought you were going to continue to be angry and stop coming to me." Li Jing's tears finally burst out of her eyes, and there was resentment and relief in her voice, "You know, I'm waiting for you every day, even if it's an apology or a greeting." ”
"I was wrong, I should have come to you sooner." Wang Qiang was relieved, and finally said the words that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time.
When the elevator door was about to close, Wang Qiang suddenly stretched out a trembling hand and grabbed Li Jing, and the distance between them melted at this moment. In apprehension and anticipation, Wang Qiang finally broke the barrier in his heart and hugged Li Jing tightly.
Emotions were surging like a tidal wave, and they embraced each other in silence, and all worries and misunderstandings seemed to disappear with this hug.
The reunion in the elevator that night became a turning point between Wang Qiang and Li Jing. The elevator slowly climbs, like their relationship, slowly heating up, willing to change for each other and start over. The space around them became warmer, the walls of their hearts gradually collapsed, and the tears of the two melted into each other in choking and persistence.
"I thought I could hold on alone, but without you... I'm really nothing. Wang Qiang's voice sounded softly in Li Jing's ears, full of sincerity and regret.
"Husband, I also thought I wouldn't look back, but during this time I realized that life without you was too difficult." Li Jing responded, her voice gentle and true.
It turned out that Li Jing didn't really let go of this relationship, after she returned to her parents' house, she looked for Wang Qiang's figure through the gap in the window every night, praying for him to appear at the door, all she was looking forward to was a hug, a "sorry". And Wang Qiang also understood in reviewing and regretting over and over again that they still cared about each other, self-esteem and stubbornness blocked each other's communication, and now, he cherishes the wife in front of him who is willing to start over with him.
The elevator finally reached the floor of the room, and the moment the two stepped into the room, it was as if they had stepped into a new world. They sat on the edge of the bed, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder.
"Let's try again, wife." Wang Qiang plucked Li Jing's tears and said softly.
"We can overcome all odds, as long as we are together." Li Jing snuggled on Wang Qiang's shoulder and replied confidently.
That night, they didn't have much language, just a simple and direct exchange. They shared their inner doubts and thoughts with each other, and shared the growth and changes that everyone has been silently experiencing in the past six months. They decided not to let the misunderstandings and conflicts of the past affect each other, and to face the challenges of the future together, because Wang Qiang and Li Jing both understand that true love requires tolerance and communication.
When the night sky gradually brightened and the city lights began to dim, Wang Qiang and Li Jing hugged in the faint light and fell asleep. They know that there is still a long way to go, but as long as two people support each other, then every step will be firm and warm. This night, like a new chapter in their relationship, inspired each other to regain the deep affection that was lost in the daily trivialities.