Bullying The Sister-In-Law - Chapter 13.1

Su Zhiluo ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She couldn’t bear to see Liu Chengxu upset, nor did she want to face the oppressive atmosphere that would follow. For the time being, she suppressed the thought of leaving deep within her heart.

“Oh, right.” Su Zhiluo went to the living room and returned with a bag. She had bought a pile of assorted grain powders, oatmeal, and milk powder for her to nourish her body.

Su Zhiluo said, “Don’t skip breakfast. Look how thin you are. I’m worried you might get growing pains again, like before.”

In the second year of living with her, when Liu Chengxu was in her third year of junior high, her height shot up. Her legs would often cramp at night. At that time, her tuition was over ten thousand yuan per semester, and the two of them were truly poor. Liu Chengxu knew her sister-in-law had no money, so she endured it, only crying when the pain was unbearable. Su Zhiluo would wake up and rush her to the hospital in the middle of the night.

Their small electric scooter was bought after that incident, specifically to handle her various emergencies. At night, Su Zhiluo would massage her legs, and in the morning, Su Zhiluo rode the little scooter for the first time to take her to school. She wrapped her arms around Su Zhiluo’s waist, and her blown hair tickled Su Zhiluo’s nose. She felt a warm tingle and thought about how truly good Su Zhiluo was to her.

The growing pains, likewise, left their mark on her. She had pale red stretch marks on her calves and thighs. Su Zhiluo would scrimp and save for herself but bought calcium supplements and body lotion for Liu Chengxu, and whenever Su Zhiluo was on holiday, she would stew meat for her.

Su Zhiluo placed the items inside Liu Chengxu’s suitcase and said, “Do fewer part-time jobs this year. You’ve saved up two months of living expenses, and I’ve saved up a year’s worth for you. You don’t have to work so hard.”

Liu Chengxu watched quietly as her sister-in-law zipped up the suitcase and pushed it against the wall. The dim light fell upon the light blue sweater Su Zhiluo was wearing, highlighting the fine pilling on its surface.

The money Su Zhiluo had spent on her was already enough to buy a luxury brand sweater.

“Did you hear me?” Su Zhiluo asked.

Liu Chengxu nodded vigorously. “I heard you. I need to eat well and put on some weight.”

Sigh, it seemed the best strategy was too pretend not to notice.

Liu Chengxu didn’t show the slightest hint of sadness. “My evening review is at six tomorrow. I’ll probably head to school in the afternoon. Take good care of yourself at home.”

“Alright.” Su Zhiluo sat on the bed to give her space, and then walked into the bathroom.

The small room had poor soundproofing; the sound of the shower water was clearly audible, as if it were pouring over Su Zhiluo herself.

When the two of them were in the same room, a subtle, transgressive feeling always permeated the air.

Su Zhiluo swallowed her emotions and blindly reassured herself: Everything will be fine.

The school scheduled the start of the semester for Monday. Su Zhiluo had originally wanted to take the day off to see her off but ultimately grit her teeth and went to work early. Since Liu Chengxu was free in the morning, she meticulously cleaned the apartment, washed both their bed sheets, and labeled some duck eggs she had cured the week before with the dates they should be eaten. Around noon, she took the bus to the mall, bought a sweater and short boots for her sister-in-law, and made sure to remove the tags before returning home.

In the afternoon, she dragged her suitcase, carefully locked the door, and sent a message to her sister-in-law: Sis-in-law, if your family keeps harassing you, call me. I’ll come protect you. I absolutely won’t let them bully you.

Su Zhiluo replied quickly: Got it. You take care of yourself, and remember to eat.

Liu Chengxu arrived at school at three in the afternoon, first taking out her quilt to sun, then wiping down the dust from the upper and lower bunks of the dorm. By the time she finished making her bed, it was five in the evening. Meng Zhengyue texted her, suggesting they go for dinner.

She came down from her floor. Meng Zhengyue and Cha Baomei were talking. Cha Baomei turned her head to greet her. Liu Chengxu frowned and said, “Why is your face so much rounder?”

“My face is round?” Cha Baomei frantically covered her face. “Liu Chengxu, do you know how to talk…”

Meng Zhengyue pulled Cha Baomei. “Okay, okay.”

Cha Baomei grumbled, “Did you go home and cosplay Sister Daiyu?”

Liu Chengxu was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Cha Baomei: “Weak willow supporting the wind. I feel like you’re about to be blown away.”

Liu Chengxu put her hands in her pockets. “I had a cold for a while.”

The three went to the cafeteria together. During this time, Cha Baomei tugged at her waistband and said, “Ugh, there’s no way around it. I really gained weight. I ate too well over the New Year. My sister is about to start her internship, and as soon as she made money, she stocked the house with enough meat for the entire winter.” She sighed again. “My pants are too tight. My jeans are constantly squeezing my legs. It’s so annoying.”

Meng Zhengyue: “Isn’t your sister only in her third year of university?”

Cha Baomei: “She’s just too good.”

Liu Chengxu asked, “You have another sister?”

Cha Baomei: “Yeah.”

Liu Chengxu: “Do you love your sister?”

Cha Baomei: “What kind of rubbish are you saying? If I don’t love my sister, should I love your little sharp tongue?”

The three entered the cafeteria together. Cha Baomei, having eaten too much meat, only bought some green vegetables. Meng Zhengyue and Liu Chengxu queued for small-dish meals. Meng Zhengyue quietly asked, “Are you feeling better?”

Liu Chengxu said, “I’m in the process of adjusting. Liking someone for too long requires time.”

Meng Zhengyue thought her decision to give up was a good thing. Love couldn’t be stubborn, and forcing a relationship that had no future was bad for everyone. She patted Liu Chengxu’s shoulder. “It’s good that you’ve thought it through. How long have you known her?”

“Since my first year of junior high,” Liu Chengxu replied.

She had liked her for a very long time. If she didn’t quit now, it would become a thorn in her heart.

When Su Zhiluo got off work in the evening, she stood alone in the living room for a long time. After Liu Chengxu left, the house immediately fell into silence. She became uncomfortable again, constantly raising her head to see if Liu Chengxu was around.

She picked up the thermos flask, and the water inside was still hot. There was a note pressed underneath it.

[Sis-in-law, I’m sorry. I was immature this winter and did a lot of ridiculous things. This semester, I’m going to work hard and aim to get the National Scholarship in my second year. I checked the student handbook, it’s 8,000 yuan—that’s a whole semester’s tuition!]

The reason the two of them always lived a constrained life was that Liu Chengxu’s parents were on the list of defaulters, making it impossible to get a poverty certificate. Furthermore, to apply for student loans, the co-borrower’s household registration needed to be in the city, which they didn’t meet either of these two criteria.

Su Zhiluo returned to her bedroom and saw the sweater and boots she had bought hanging in the closet. Liu Chengxu hadn’t left a note, but Su Zhiluo knew they were for her.

A mix of complex emotions surged up, leaving her unable to laugh or cry. She just held the black sweater, feeling distressed.

In the days that followed, the two of them tacitly reduced their communication frequency. Instead of talking for two hours every day like before, they changed to contacting each other only once a week.

Liu Chengxu and Meng Zhengyue also stopped performing at the wine bar and chose to take tutoring jobs instead. They spent the rest of their time studying in the library. University scholarships were very attractive to every student. The library was full of top students, all striving for the National Scholarship, so they naturally couldn’t slack off for a moment.

Liu Chengxu used dry academic study to numb herself, filling her brain with complex formulas. When she had free time, she went running. For a whole month, Liu Chengxu kept herself busy. She felt that she was controlling herself very well.

However, she knew better than anyone that she had only transitioned from avoiding thinking about Su Zhiluo to constantly being busy, making time fly by and eagerly anticipating the coming Saturday so she could call Su Zhiluo.

Liu Chengxu’s first period came relatively late. At the time, she was confused and helpless, her eyes red with shame. Su Zhiluo noticed immediately, gently led her into the bedroom, patiently taught her how to use a sanitary pad, carefully placed one for her, and brought a hot water bottle to warm her cold lower abdomen.

Whenever Liu Chengxu thought of Su Zhiluo, she ran. She ran so excessively that she would crouch on the ground, clutching her stomach and dry heaving. She was afraid of hyperventilating again, so she pulled up her collar, covering her mouth and muffling all her sounds.

No one told her.

Letting go of someone is as painful as saying you don’t love them.

She kept dying and being reborn, repeating the cycle, stagnant, all her efforts useless.

TV shows, movies, and even people around her portrayed breakups as easy and liberating, yet for her, it was a cataclysmic event, experiencing death over and over again.

Liu Chengxu crouched in the forest path on campus, hidden in the shadows, crying silently until she finished. She rubbed her eyes and returned to the dorm as if nothing had happened.

The coldest winter had clearly passed, yet she still felt cold all over. The chill seemed to seep out of her bones. No matter how bright the spring light was outside the window, it couldn’t disperse the layer of snow in her heart.

Two months passed. March 31st.

She saw Su Zhiluo downstairs at the dorm building. Su Zhiluo was holding a cake. Liu Chengxu was momentarily stunned.

In that first glance, she wasn’t surprised, just realized a truth: all her efforts were in vain.

She desperately suppressed the sourness in her heart, reached out to Su Zhiluo, and jumped up, shouting with a smile, “Sis-in-law.”

Su Zhiluo nodded when she heard the sound and called her name.

“Chengxu.”

That single sound nearly made Liu Chengxu cry.

Liu Chengxu pretended very well, walking to Su Zhiluo’s side with a smile, then feigning surprise. “Sis-in-law, why are you here today? Did you know it’s my birthday?”

“Could I forget that!” Su Zhiluo said with a smile.

Both acted as they had before. Su Zhiluo didn’t suspect anything. She took two tickets out of her pocket and said, “Chengxu, do you want to go see a movie?”