The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 1 - 3

Chapter 1 - 3

Coming from a rural-urban fringe background, she had nevertheless acquired a thoroughly "cultured and well-mannered" demeanor.

Yu Jia admired her mother-in-law. Even so, a fierce, untamed streak remained; Liren's mother smoked and played mahjong. For many years since marrying Liren, Yu Jia and her mother-in-law had maintained a relationship governed by the principle of "you respect me an inch, I will respect you a foot."

It was just that in the beginning, Yu Jia had "married down" to Liren, so her mother-in-law treated her warmly. Later, when she failed to bear children for many years, her mother-in-law grew cold toward her. After Sisi was finally born, her mother-in-law shifted to a lukewarm attitude of neither hot nor cold. As Liren's official rank climbed step by step, her mother-in-law warmed up once again—toward her own son, that is. As for Yu Jia, she was treated with a coolness akin to plain boiled water with a tiny pinch of salt.

Yu Jia opened the door and entered the apartment. The main overhead light in the living room was off, illuminated only by a Philips energy-saving bulb. No one was there. Yu Jia slipped off her shoes and went to take a peek at her daughter's room. Sisi was fast asleep. Then she checked the master bedroom. Liren was sleeping soundly. Could they have left? Or had they never come at all, and Yu Yiyi had seen wrong? Yu Jia changed her clothes and walked toward the bathroom.

Pushing the door open, the sensor light flared blindingly bright, and her mother-in-law sat upon the flush toilet like a sculpted statue. Startled, Yu Jia gasped out a cry of "Mom," and hastily backed out. She had prepared herself the entire way from downstairs to upstairs, but when the moment arrived, she was still caught off guard. Steadying her nerves, she looked around the living room; everything that needed tidying had been tidied. Liren's mother arriving so suddenly should not have given anyone anything to pick on. She was a good housewife.

A moment later, her mother-in-law emerged from the bathroom.

Unable to hold her bladder any longer, Yu Jia said, "Mom, please have a seat," and hurried into the restroom. Liren's vomit-stained clothes had already been washed, and along with Sisi's trousers, socks, and her own bra, they were hanging on the bathroom drying rack, still dripping wet.

Her mother-in-law had taken over the chore for her.

Yu Jia felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment. She couldn't clearly explain why she had left her husband and daughter alone at home while she stayed out late. Yet since her mother-in-law didn't ask, she couldn't proactively offer an explanation either; doing so would only make her look more guilty. Her mother-in-law's arrival was abnormal. Why didn't she call in advance? Why didn't she let them go pick her up? What on earth had happened? Was it serious? Did she quarrel with Dad or something? How was Dad managing all by himself at home?

None of these questions could be asked. Since she had come, she had come. It was a fait accompli. Whether she accepted it or not, she had to accept it.

Yu Jia quickly washed her face and removed her light makeup; she didn't want her mother-in-law to notice that she had put on any cosmetics, especially lipstick. Her constructed persona was that of a plain, unadorned housewife. And in truth, she really was one. Her very first venture out for a bit of "fresh air" had run straight into the line of fire.

Liren's mother walked into the living room, stood still, and pointed toward the coffee table. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

Yu Jia hurriedly protested. She wanted her mother-in-law to sleep on the big bed. However, the apartment only had two bedrooms and a living room, with Sisi occupying the small second bedroom. With Liren sprawled across the master bedroom, there was obviously no way to have her mother-in-law share a bed with him.

To find a solution, Yu Jia offered, "I'll wake him up."

Liren's mother immediately stopped her. "No, no need. Liren works hard, and it was hard-won for him to get some sleep. The sofa can be opened up just fine. I'll sleep on the sofa. Go get some rest."

Her attitude was extremely resolute.

Yu Jia could not argue with her. She had no choice but to fetch two extra mattresses to cushion the sofa, lay out a new quilt, and fluff up a memory foam pillow. Her mother-in-law suffered from chronic constipation and poor sleep; she couldn't stand noise, couldn't bear light, was a very light sleeper, and had high demands regarding her pillow—which, of course, had risen in tandem with Liren's official promotions. In the past, she could casually pad it with an article of clothing, or use nothing at all, and still fall fast asleep lying flat on her back.

Lying in bed, Yu Jia found herself completely unable to drift off to sleep. A gentle sound of snoring drifted over from the side. She wanted to get up, yet dared not move.

She was dissatisfied with her own performance today. For all she knew, her mother-in-law had already docked a point from her in the mental ledger she kept hidden away in her heart. Yu Jia believed that in the long run, this would be detrimental to the deep affection between herself and Liren.

The moment she stepped out of the car, Yu Shuang told Yu Rui that she would definitely participate less in gatherings like this in the future; they were meaningless.

Yu Shuang rubbed her stomach. "I didn't eat my fill."

Yu Rui asked her why she hadn't eaten.

Yu Shuang replied, "I got stuffed just listening to people talk."

Yu Rui knew she disliked listening to topics about romance, marriage, children, and raising a family. She could understand Shuang: with her mortgage paid off, a good job, and complete independence, there was no need to compromise herself just for the sake of getting married. Yet at the same time, she felt Yu Shuang was somewhat obstinate—or perhaps that her aversion to men was simply a self-protective measure stemming from her inability to win men's affection.

Yu Shuang didn't know how to dress up or how to play up her own advantages. She always styled herself like the most ordinary corporate worker, wearing large-lapeled coats, slipping into a pair of brown leather boots in winter, sporting medium-short hair, and wearing zero makeup. She had to admit that Yu Shuang possessed a naturally wonderful foundation with fair, lustrous skin, but Yu Rui believed that if she kept squandering it like this, it wouldn't hold up for many more years.

Even so, Yu Rui liked Yu Shuang because she posed no threat of competition, and Yu Shuang had quite a few outstanding men in her social circle who could all be listed as potential targets for her own scrutiny. Furthermore, Yu Shuang was generous; after every gathering, she would invite Yu Rui to stay at her place for a few days.

Once, when her landlord reclaimed an apartment, Yu Rui had temporarily been left without a place to stay, and it was Yu Shuang who generously took her in, providing her with a roof over her head to shield her from wind and rain.

Back then, Yu Shuang's mother had not yet come to take care of her daughter. Shuang's father had passed away a few years prior. Yu Shuang also had a younger brother named Yu Qing, who originally worked in the big city as well, but after getting married and complaining that the pressure was too high, he had relocated his entire family to a medium-sized city.

Yu Qing had married a small-town wife and fathered two children, and now the whole household lived off of him. Yu Shuang was furious enough to pop a gasket. With her in-laws entrenched at Yu Qing's place, Shuang's mother had no choice but to come and throw in her lot with her daughter.

Her arrival changed everything. She felt her daughter was in desperate need of her; although the apartment was large, it was an absolute mess. Yu Shuang couldn't take proper care of herself, possessed zero autonomy in her daily life, and was withering away the longer she lived. After Shuang's mother arrived, she turned the tide single-handedly. Yu Shuang's cheeks gradually grew full and rosy, and her life grew smoother and smoother. Yu Shuang didn't seem to be thinking about finding anyone anymore, either. The mother and daughter grew increasingly attached to each other, leaving zero room for a man in between them.

Yu Jia's mouth was full of her husband and children, Yu Meng loved to daydream about romance, and Yu Rui kept her lips tightly sealed, revealing nothing at all. Yet the moment Yu Shuang opened her mouth, it was always "my mom this" and "my mom that." Even though Shuang's mother rarely showed her face, she had been relentlessly drilled and coached by her daughter into a veritable celebrity. The mother and daughter shared a united front of bitter hatred toward the enemy, holding a deep disdain for any woman lacking career ambitions whenever the topic of Yu Qing's wife came up. Shuang's mother held an absolute abhorrence for housewives who lived off their husbands; whenever she mentioned her daughter-in-law, she always spoke in the tone of a professional storyteller: "She hasn't worked for seven years now—good grief!" When referring to her daughter-in-law's parents, it was always: "All sorts of chronic illnesses! Diabetes! Coronary heart disease! And not a single penny of a retirement pension!" She herself had a retirement pension and medical insurance, and though she took Danshen Dripping Pills long-term and occasionally swallowed Suxiaojiuxin Pills, she was determined never to burden her children. Shuang's mother acted as though she had never raised that son at all, abandoning him to become a matrilocal son-in-law for her in-laws. Since Yu Shuang brought her pride and honor, she found total fulfillment in having her daughter.

Arriving downstairs, Yu Rui turned her head and headed toward the 7-Eleven.

"What are you doing?"

"Can't go empty-handed." With Shuang's mother present, she had to show respect to elders.

"Such fussy etiquette! Get upstairs."

Yu Rui insisted for a moment longer, but Yu Shuang faked anger, forcing Yu Rui to surrender. The two of them headed upstairs.

"Auntie." Being well-mannered, Yu Rui nodded with a slight bow of her body.

"Oh my, this must be Xiao Rui. Goodness me, why are you so pretty? Tsk tsk tsk, Shuang, you should take notes." Shuang's mother was an enthusiastic woman. Yu Rui felt embarrassed by the praise. Although her being pretty was a fact, being hyped up like this in the middle of the night, with Yu Shuang used as a foil no less, was truly inappropriate.

Yu Rui said, "Auntie, Shuang is pretty too; she just disdains dressing up."

Shuang's mother retorted, "That won't do, a girl has to dress up."

Impatient, Yu Shuang cut in, "Alright, stop talking. Is there anything to eat?"

"You didn't eat?" Shuang's mother was astonished. She followed them into the kitchen and bustled about, serving up two bowls of noodles. With plain noodles as the base, a chunk of braised pig's trotter rested on top, encircled and garnished with a few sprigs of green vegetables.

Though Yu Rui was already completely full, she couldn't resist the kind hospitality and had no choice but to accompany Yu Shuang in eating a small portion.

Upon the very first bite, it tasted like their hometown—infinitely more thoughtful and comforting than any restaurant dish.

"How is it?" Shuang's mother asked. Yu Rui nodded and looked at Shuang beside her, who was devouring her food without lifting her head. Suddenly, Yu Rui felt a twinge of envy toward Yu Shuang. A motherless child is a pitiful thing; her own mother had passed away early, and after her father remarried, though she and her younger sister could attend school normally, they always carried an intense sense of wandering rootlessness in their hearts.

Compared to Yu Shuang, Yu Rui's desire to get ahead and make something of herself was far stronger, yet lacking the intellectual capacity to test into a prestigious key university, she had no choice but to take a slanted path and enter the acting profession.

Yet the moment that bite of pig's trotter touched her tongue, Yu Rui truly understood why Yu Shuang had stubbornly refused to "grow up." Her mother took care of her to an utterly complete, comfortable degree. And it wasn't just about food. After eating came bathing, with the bathwater drawn to perfection.

Yu Rui was even startled by Yu Shuang's undergarments: bright pink, embroidered with little pigs.

"Your taste?" Rui asked.

"My mom bought them," Shuang replied.

In her mother's eyes, she was still a little princess. Her only responsibility was to go out and earn money; everything else in the household was completely handled by her mother. They didn't go straight to sleep after bathing. Shuang's mother helped both Shuang and Rui blow-dry their hair. While Rui applied a series of facial creams, Shuang's mother told Shuang, "Take notes," before pulling Yu Rui over. "You teach her."

Smiling, Yu Rui broke down the steps one by one, explaining them in meticulous detail. Yu Shuang interrupted, "Mom, you're making a fuss over nothing. I didn't wear makeup, so naturally I don't need all those steps. Just cleansing, toner, night cream, OK." Resigned, Shuang's mother said to Rui, "She always wants to take shortcuts. She just wants to be lazy and save trouble. Fine, while I'm around, I'll take care of it for her. But what's going to happen when I'm not here anymore? How will she manage?"

Such a blessed daughter. Yu Rui even felt a trace of jealousy toward Shuang. Shuang's innocence, generosity, casual disposition, and complete lack of guard all stemmed from Shuang's mother. Shuang's mother was the medium and bridge connecting Shuang to the real world. Shuang's mother was her manager.

Shuang was overprotected.

While they were talking, Shuang's mother had already made the beds and tucked a warm water bottle into the bedding for both Shuang and Rui, taking them out right before bedtime. This way, the temperature inside the blankets was just right—neither too cold nor too hot. The daughters were about to get into bed to rest. Shuang's mother sighed to Rui, "I truly have no idea what kind of man she'll ever find." Knowing her mother was about to start nagging again, Yu Shuang pulled the quilt up and covered her head.

Shuang's mother smiled helplessly and winked at Rui. Understanding the signal, Yu Rui gave Shuang's mother an OK gesture. Having accepted the commission, she would help Shuang keep an eye out for men—though in truth, men were never lacking around Shuang; she simply had no need for them.

The night grew deep.

Yu Rui shared a bed with Shuang tonight. Hearing her mother leave, Shuang poked her neck out and shouted, "Mom! Medicine! Did you take your medicine?" Shuang's mother called out an acknowledgment in response. Yu Rui lay flat and straight, meticulously absorbing the warmth of someone else's home.

Within minutes, just as she wanted to exchange a few private whispers with Shuang, she turned her head only to find that Yu Shuang had already drifted off, emitting the soft sounds of light snoring.