Li Qiang pushed open the door tiredly, and the hour hand was already pointing to two o'clock in the morning. This month, his work has entered a high-pressure phase, and overtime has become the norm every day. He walked into the house lightly, but the scene that caught his eye suddenly made his mood fall to the bottom.
The room is dimly lit, her daughter's toys are scattered on the floor, unfolded clean clothes are stacked on the sofa, and snack packages and empty baby bottles are lined up on the coffee table. His wife, Zhao Ting, lay motionless on the sofa, as if she was sleeping deeply. The daughter's orange straw cup was poured aside, and a few wet marks were already visible on the carpet from the intermittent night light.
"Zhao Ting, Zhao Ting, why are you like this?" Li Qiang sighed weakly, lowered his voice and shouted, for fear of waking up his daughter.
Zhao Ting raised her head in a daze, her eyes not fully opened. "Huh? You're back......" As she spoke, she tried to sit up straight and yawned.
"Look at this house, I'll have to start tidying up as soon as I get back." Li Qiang said as he began to pick up the toys on the floor, "What did you do at home all day?" "
Zhao Ting rubbed her eyes, with helplessness in her voice, "Today's multi-head pen order is going to be issued, Xiaoli can't come, and the child can't take a nap, how can I have time to clean up?" "
"Can't you wait for me to come back?" Li Qiang stuffed the toy into the storage box and continued with a reproachful tone.
"I'm also tired, I'm busy all day long," Zhao Ting retorted aggrievedly, "You think it's easy to take care of children at home?" "
Their voices are small, but enough to wake up the little ones who are sleeping in the room. As they argued, the baby's cry was heard on the baby monitor. Li Qiang hesitated, turned around and walked towards his daughter's room.
"Okay, don't cry, little girl, daddy is here......" he comforted softly, carefully holding his daughter in his arms, coaxing and trying to put her to sleep again.
However, the baby's cry made Li Qiang's heart even heavier, and his pressure and Zhao Ting's hard work were all condensed in this small home. Looking at his sleeping daughter, he realized that this may not just be a simple housework problem, but a life trial that two parents who are just starting out in parenting are encountering.
"Zhao Ting's new order is very important, but the family also needs you." Li Qiang was about to continue, but was interrupted by Zhao Ting.
"Do you think I don't know? I try to balance every day, but ......" Zhao Ting looked at Li Qiang, loneliness and helplessness in her eyes, "I also need your support and understanding." "
The air was filled with dreary and oppression, and neither of them had anything to say, except for the steady breathing of babies coming slowly in the silence of the night, as if to remind them that home is a haven that needs to be cared for together.
Time flies like a white horse, and the quarrel between Li Qiang and Zhao Ting has not been alleviated because of that sleepless night. Li Qiang's pressure in the company is increasing, and projects follow one after another, often working overtime in a row. Zhao Ting's small business is also slowly improving, with more and more orders, and she spends almost all her free time taking care of it, while also taking care of her naughty and noisy little daughter.
One night covered with stars and moons, Li Qiang returned from overtime again, and when he opened the door, it was still a messy living room, his brows furrowed.
"Zhao Ting!" He couldn't help but raise his voice, the pressures of life making his temper even more irritable.
Zhao Ting's tired voice came from the living room, "What's the matter, Li Qiang?" I'm so busy today that I'm almost dizzy, how can I still have the strength to manage this. ”
Li Qiang felt that his anger was like a surging river, and he couldn't help but burst out, "Can you not be so selfish?" Think about me too, I'm tired like this and I'm going to have to clean up your mess when I come back! ”
"Selfish?!" Zhao Ting was also forced to be anxious, and retorted sharply, "I'm alone at home with children, and I have to take care of business, do you feel relaxed?!"
During the couple's argument, the daughter was woken up and began to cry. Hearing the child's cry, the quarrel between the two came to an abrupt end, and they looked at each other, realizing the consequences of losing control of their emotions.
Zhao Ting hurriedly ran to her daughter's room, she comforted her daughter softly, her voice was full of apologies, "Baby, I'm sorry, mom shouldn't be so loud, it scared you." ”
Li Qiang stood in the living room, his face guilty and helpless. He listened to Zhao Ting's voice coaxing the child, and softened his tense heartstrings a little.
A few days later, at a small family gathering, Zhao Ting's mother noticed the tension between the two. She asked Zhao Ting with concern, "What's wrong?" Do you and Li Qiang have any conflicts recently? ”
Zhao Ting's eyes were red, and she choked in a low voice, "Mom, we are all too tired, and we understand each other less and less." ”
Zhao Ting's mother pondered for a moment, and then turned to communicate with Li Qiang, "Xiao Li, I see that you and Tingting are not easy, shouldn't you sit down and have a good talk?" ”
Li Qiang was embarrassed and speechless, he was silent, not knowing what to do. Surrounded by their families, Li Qiang and Zhao Ting reluctantly communicated. The two didn't talk much, and their language was full of exhaustion and helplessness, but in the family atmosphere, their emotions slowly eased.
Zhao Ting's father interjected on the side, "Work is for a better life, but family harmony is also a part of life, isn't it?" ”
Li Qiang was deeply touched, and he began to reflect on whether he really ignored his family's feelings during this time. He looked at Zhao Ting, "I'...... I'll do my best to get home early and help you with the burden. ”
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Ting's eyes, and then turned to warmth, "I'm also... I will try to arrange the time so that the home can be more tidy and comfortable. ”
This family reunion didn't solve the problem between them right away, but it did ignite a spark of hope. From this day on, Li Qiang and Zhao Ting began to consciously adjust their state, trying to find a peaceful paradise for each other in their busy lives.
The moonlight in the early hours of that morning was particularly hazy, Li Qiang worked overtime to the extreme, and the moment he pushed the door open, he couldn't even take care of the threshold of the door, and accidentally hit his toe on the shoe cabinet at the door, and the severe pain made him almost cry out.
"Ouch!" Li Qiang couldn't help but let out a low roar, and he broke out in a cold sweat in pain.
Zhao Ting heard the sound and ran out of the study quickly, still holding a few pieces of printer paper in her hand. Seeing Li Qiang covering his feet, she hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?" You're ......."
"I hit the shoe cabinet, maybe my toe hurt." Li Qiang frowned, he tried to hide the pain, but the paleness of his face betrayed his strength.
Zhao Ting hurriedly helped him sit on the sofa, squatted down to check his feet, "I'll see, don't move." ”
The lit table lamp cast a warm light, and Zhao Ting carefully took off Li Qiang's shoes and socks, only to see that the toes were already red and swollen, and even blood leached out.
"You wait, I'll go get the first aid kit." She hurried into the bedroom and quickly took out the usual first-aid supplies at home.
Li Qiang looked at Zhao Ting's serious expression, and his heart fluctuated. The usual quarrels seemed to disappear with that gentle movement at this moment.
"Don't get too tight, be merciful." Li Qiang tried to break this sudden warmth in a relaxed tone.
Zhao Ting glanced at him angrily, "Don't break your mouth, bear with it." With that, she concentrated on disinfecting his wound and then carefully bandaged it with gauze.
On this peaceful night, a corner of Li Qiang's heart melted, and he exhaled a long breath, and his voice was full of unprecedented weakness, "Zhao Ting, I'm sorry." ”
When Zhao Ting heard these three words, the movements in her hands paused, and she looked up at him, "When you came back from overtime tonight, I happened to be thinking about our contradictions. ”
"Shouldn't we change something?" Li Qiang endured the pain and explored.
Zhao Ting nodded, "We should talk more and find a balance." I've just thought about it a lot, maybe I did neglect the management of the home. ”
"No, it's not just you," Li Qiang interrupted her, "I'm also at fault, I'm too focused on work and neglecting my family." ”
The eyes of the two met in the night, and the overlapping heart walls collapsed at this moment. Zhao Ting's eyes were slightly red, "We can try to do housework together, find parents to help take care of the children on weekends, and let's go out for a walk." ”
"Sounds good." There was a slight smile on the corner of Li Qiang's mouth, and the pain seemed to be alleviated a lot in this gentle atmosphere.
In this warm bandaging moment in the early morning, their hearts began to find resonance, the pain in the dark night is not only physical, but also psychological long-accumulated fatigue and dissatisfaction, and now, they are ready to walk out of this fog together, step towards the sun-drenched tomorrow.
Since that night's bandaging incident, the atmosphere between Li Qiang and Zhao Ting has quietly changed. They begin to realize that no matter how busy they are at work, family harmony and happiness are their most precious treasures.
"Tingting, I'll come back early today, how about we cook a good meal together?" One evening a month later, Li Qiang shouted to the kitchen as he took off his shoes.
Zhao Ting poked her head out of the kitchen and replied with a smile: "That's great, try your cooking skills today." "
Li Qiang walked into the kitchen and looked at his wife with a smile on his face, "I promise not to disappoint you, I have secretly practiced a lot this month." "
The two were busy in the kitchen, and the sounds of chopping and stir-frying were intertwined, and it seemed more harmonious than ever. Her daughter also helped, and although she was only given simple tasks, such as washing tomatoes, she enjoyed it and felt that she was also a little helper for adults.
After the meal, they sorted out the toys together in the living room, and each of them had a small task to which they were assigned. The daughter is responsible for putting the toys back in the toy box, Zhao Ting is responsible for wiping the dust off the tabletop, and Li Qiang is responsible for wiping the windows and floor.
"Look at our daughter, how orderly." Li Qiang watched his daughter clean up the toys with a clear eye, and couldn't help but say proudly.
Zhao Ting nodded with a smile, "Yes, it seems that our example has a good effect." ”
That night, Li Qiang took out the photo album that they had almost forgotten before, and the family of three sat around the sofa, looking at the past photos page by page, recalling every beautiful moment.
"I remember this is a picture of you when you were pregnant, and you were yelling about eating sour food every day." Li Qiang pointed to a photo of Zhao Ting with her cheeks puffed out and chuckled softly.
Zhao Ting pursed her lips, but she was also smiling, "Oh, it was really hard for you at that time, and you had to buy a few lemons every night." ”
Laughter echoed in the warm home, Li Qiang looked at Zhao Ting, and both of them had indescribable words and affection in their eyes. They have finally found a balance, and their home is no longer their busy station, but their shared haven.
Since then, they have valued each other's efforts and dedication even more, and the family's happiness has gradually increased from the outside in. They know that as long as their hearts are together, no matter how big the storm is, they can get through it together.
So, isn't this the happiness we have been pursuing?