The 99th Divorce

By the time Yu Lili reached home in the taxi, it was already past midnight. She took a shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, her phone notified her that it was the third day of the New Year.

It was the most important festival of the year. It revolved around reunions, and here she was, still alone.

Yu Lili lay sprawled across her bed on top of the covers. Fatigue overcame her. She felt the tiredness seep all the way into her bones. Even after closing her eyes for a long time, she was unable to fall asleep.

Her mind was too knotted up and preoccupied with too many things. It was in such a jumbled mess that Yu Lili didn’t even know where to start untangling her thoughts.

Ding! Dong!

Her cell phone chimed. Yu Lili stayed motionless on the bed for quite some time before picking up the phone. It was a text message from Shen Zhilie.

[Happy New Year. Are you asleep yet? If you’re still awake, please call me. Grandma can’t sleep from missing you.]

Yu Lili merely glanced at the message and ignored him. She switched off her phone and lay on the bed with her eyes closed.

Interestingly enough, after reading the text message, Yu Lili fell asleep like a baby.

In the middle of the night, around 3 or 4 a.m., the cold woke Yu Lili up. She threw the covers over herself and went back to sleep. When she awoke again, it was past noon.

Yu Lili washed up and changed her clothes. She applied a bit of light makeup to leave the house and was wearing her shoes when the doorbell rang.

She didn’t rush. She made sure her shoes were on comfortably before answering the door. It was a surprise guest.

Old Mrs. Shen took one look at Yu Lili, and her face burst out in a bright smile. Her old and haggard face transformed into one with childlike energy radiating forth. The wrinkles stacked to accommodate her smile. It was kindly and genial.

“Lili!” Old Mrs. Shen rush forward toward Yu Lili, but she tripped like a little child.

That action shocked the daylights out of Yu Lili and Shen Zhilie, who was standing behind. With a quick step forward, Shen Zhilie’s arms shot out to support his grandmother.

Yu Lili grabbed hold the old lady in her arms at the same moment. If the elderly lady had fallen in her home, there’d be no way for her to avoid any responsibility.

Fortunately, both the Yu Lili’s and Shen Zhilie’s arms were stable, so Old Mrs. Shen was securely caught. The two young people stood shell-shocked. The old lady, who was in a really good mood, burst out in laughter.

“Why are you here?” Yu Lili asked exasperatedly. In a somewhat upset tone she said, “Do you find it fun to suffer needlessly at your age? You jet-set all around. What if you were to fall ill because of that? Don’t you dare blame me when that happens!”

Being roared at this way, Old Mrs. Shen looked at Yu Lili with a blank look of ignorance on her face. On the other hand, Shen Zhilie, standing behind, gave Yu Lili a look of awe and admiration. He couldn’t help but give Yu Lili a mental thumbs-up.

This elderly matriarch may have been old and mentally unstable, but she was still the matriarch at home who received her due respect. Old Mrs. Shen was domineering and demanding at home. Even Shen Longyue wouldn’t dare to speak to her harshly, much less yell at her.

What a good yelling it was. It was liberating!

But, Yu Lili was now in for it. This old lady was particularly good at bearing grudges. She was now sure to give Yu Lili a taste of her sharp tongue, enough to send the girl running for the hills. Instead, something unexpected happened.

The old lady’s face suddenly fell with an inexplicable sense of hurt. She looked toward Yu Lili with the eyes of a little wounded puppy. Shen Zhilie had been on earth for 27 years, but this was the first time he’d witnessed his grandmother looking like that and with such a disposition!

What the devil?