No one at the shop knew that Wang Cheng and Mama Wang had quarreled. Guan Jiahe probably would not hear about it until he went home after work. Wang Cheng did not bring the emotions from that argument into the shop either. By the time he stood in front of the others, nothing showed on his face.
At the moment, however, Wang Cheng was in no mood to discuss the new shop. Yesterday, he had specifically told them they would not need to make deliveries today. Guan Jiahe had been pushed forward to ask what the plan was, and Wang Cheng told them they would not discuss the new shop today and that he would notify everyone another time. Seeing that he was not in high spirits, Guan Jiahe respected the decision. “Do we still need to go out and make deliveries?”
Not making deliveries meant losing the chance to earn extra money, but no one complained. They had expected this sooner or later. Wang Family Jam was selling so well that production would inevitably expand, and deliveries were not the only way to earn extra income. Besides, those side earnings were becoming harder to make anyway.
“No. I’ve already notified the jam factory. Just give them the customers’ information later. The four of you can watch the shop together today. If you have any connections, you can also help me keep an eye out for where it would be best to open the second jam shop,” Wang Cheng said. “All right, I’ll tell everyone.”
Wang Cheng stayed at the shop a while longer. An account book lay open in front of him, but his mind was clearly elsewhere and he kept drifting off. Half an hour later, he decided to go to the company to find Chu Yifeng. Before he could even leave the shop, however, Papa Wang called.
Papa Wang first asked where he was. Wang Cheng said he was at the shop. His father then lowered his voice and seemed to say something to someone nearby. After a moment, he finally asked what exactly had happened between Wang Cheng and Mama Wang.
Wang Cheng guessed Mama Wang was probably nearby, but he could hardly tell Papa Wang that his mother was furious because she had discovered he was involved with another man. If he said that, Papa Wang would not be speaking this calmly. He would probably charge straight over.
“Dad, help me talk Mom down a little.”
Papa Wang sighed. “Neither you nor your mother will say anything. How am I supposed to persuade her? Ever since you left this morning, she hasn’t said a word. I talk to her and she won’t answer. I really don’t understand the two of you.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I really can’t tell you right now. You’ll know in the future.” Wang Cheng was helpless too. Before they were exposed, he had imagined this possibility, but the reality was even worse than he expected. An iceberg could still melt. Faced with an iron mountain, he had no idea what to do.
“Chengcheng, you should come back. The knot in your mother’s heart is still something you need to untie yourself,” Papa Wang said.
“I know, Dad. I’ll come home tonight.”
Chu Yifeng called later to ask how things were going. Wang Cheng told him the thousand-year-old iron tree still had not bloomed and that comrades still had to keep working. After finally making it through the afternoon, Wang Cheng went home with his heart in knots.
Mama Wang might have been angry that he refused to listen, but she was not the kind of person who easily lost all reason. By then, she was already in the kitchen making dinner. Still, the sound of her chopping meat carried clearly through the house, broadcasting exactly how angry she remained.
After greeting Papa Wang, Wang Cheng went to the kitchen. Seeing Mama Wang’s back as she cooked, not as straight as usual, made guilt rise in his chest. At the end of the day, he was the one insisting on his own choice. He knew Mama Wang was acting this way because she thought it was for his good. A relationship between two men was not an easy road, and no parents wanted their son walking what they saw as a path with no future.
“Mom, let me help.” Wang Cheng forced a smile, walked into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and picked up the cucumber on the cutting board to slice it into strips.
Mama Wang did not respond.
Wang Cheng did not rush her. It was hardly his first time helping Mama Wang in the kitchen. He did not need instructions to keep up with her. If the dish needed a little salt, he would have the salt ready first and spoon some in. When she needed soy sauce, he reached for it before she did. When Mama Wang decided not to cook the cucumber after all, Wang Cheng calmly found a plate and put it away. He kept doing little things like this until Mama Wang finally lost patience.
“Get out. I don’t need your help.” Mama Wang’s tone was sharp, but she still refused to look at him and simply snatched the vinegar back from his hand. “All right. Then I’ll carry the rice out.” Wang Cheng did not push too hard. Melting Mama Wang’s thousand-year-old iron tree would require patience and perseverance, and those were two things he did have.
Mama Wang probably realized that even if she told him to leave, he would not listen, so she stopped speaking.
Wang Cheng made a victory sign in his heart. When he lifted the rice cooker to carry it out, he could clearly feel that it was heavy, definitely more than enough for only two people. He knew it. Mama Wang was hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. No matter how harshly she spoke, she still cared about him.
“Why are you smiling like that? Did you win your mother over?” Papa Wang leaned closer, glanced toward the kitchen door, and asked in a low voice. “Not yet.” Wang Cheng shrugged and smiled. “I just think the rice smells especially good today.”
Papa Wang immediately laughed and patted his son on the shoulder. “You’ve got a good eye, kid. Your father cooked the rice today.”
“…” Wang Cheng.
During dinner, Wang Cheng became even more attentive. Mama Wang still wore a cold expression, but at least she did not throw him out. Hadn’t she shouted that morning that if he had the guts, he should never come back? Yet now that he had returned, she had said nothing of the sort. Clearly, her heart had already softened a little.
Afterward, Wang Cheng poured tea, brought water, massaged her shoulders, and generally played the part of an embarrassingly eager flatterer. Mama Wang still refused to give him a pleasant expression. She did not openly lose her temper, but she treated him as though he were invisible. Papa Wang could not bear watching and occasionally tried to put in a good word for his son, only to fall silent the moment Mama Wang glared at him. By the time the news broadcast ended, Wang Cheng saw she still had not budged and reluctantly gave up trying to earn favor for the moment. He went upstairs to collect clothes from the balcony and get ready to wash up. When he came out afterward, Mama Wang was standing outside with a grave expression. He had no idea how long she had been waiting. “Mom, why are you standing here?”
“I have something to say to you.”
The moment Wang Cheng heard that, he knew the confrontation had finally come. He glanced toward the staircase.
“No need to look. Your father went out.” Mama Wang saw through him instantly. If Papa Wang were home, she would never have come directly to confront her son. Mother and son shared an unspoken agreement that they did not want Papa Wang to know yet. As for the long term, however, they were clearly thinking very differently.
Wang Cheng led Mama Wang into his room and turned to face her. “Mom, what did you want to say?”
“Promise me you’ll stop seeing Mr. Chu. Then the two of us can go back to how we were before. I can pretend this never happened, and I won’t tell your father.” Mama Wang went straight to the point. She had never liked beating around the bush, especially with family.
Hesitation appeared on Wang Cheng’s face.
Seeing that, Mama Wang brought out another emotional attack. “If you still recognize me as your mother, then break things off with him completely. Mom is doing this for your own good. I don’t want people pointing fingers at you for the rest of your life. Relationships between men don’t have good outcomes. You should know that too. Society isn’t very accepting of homosexuality. Mutual love is important, yes, but you still have to think about reality. If you stay with him, you won’t be able to have children.”
Wang Cheng wanted to say he had never particularly wanted children in the first place, but this was clearly not the time for that. Still, he was not the kind of person who would abandon someone he loved because Mama Wang said a few things. If he did, then his feelings for Chu Yifeng would be far too cheap. “Mom, I know you’re saying this because you care about me. I don’t want to make things difficult for you either. But Chu Yifeng and I are serious. I’ve thought about everything you just said…”
“I don’t want to hear that. What couple doesn’t think they’re serious when they’re dating? Even married couples can divorce. How long can ‘serious’ really last? Once social pressure hits, plenty of couples who swore they couldn’t live without each other break up the next moment, let alone two men.” Mama Wang cut him off. Every word landed sharply as she stared straight at him, and her analysis was not entirely unreasonable. “I don’t care how much you like Chu Yifeng or how much he likes you. I only want you to promise me you won’t have anything more to do with him. Can you agree to this one request from your mother?”
Wang Cheng felt helpless. Mama Wang was not listening to any explanation, which meant there was no way to continue the discussion. But he could also see how determined she was. Convincing her really would be harder than climbing to heaven. After thinking for a moment, he decided on a temporary compromise. “All right. I can promise that I won’t meet him for the time being.”
There would always be another way later.
Mama Wang frowned. She clearly disliked the words for the time being, which sounded like he was brushing her off. But she also knew she could not push her son too hard. He might look obedient on the surface, but at heart he was just like his elder brother, extremely opinionated and determined to make his own decisions.
And so mother and son reached a temporary agreement.
Mama Wang did not realize Wang Cheng had slipped a small loophole into his wording. He had promised not to meet Chu Yifeng for the time being. He had never said they could not talk on the phone. So once Wang Cheng returned to his room, he immediately called Chu Yifeng.
“Boss Chu, let me tell you some good news.” The moment Chu Yifeng heard the word good, he knew it deserved quotation marks. He asked calmly, “What good news?”
“I just promised my mom I won’t meet you for a while. So for now, we can only talk on the phone, and she can’t know about it. That’s the general state of the battlefield. If we want to get over this high wall, comrade, we still need to work hard.”
“A secret affair?” Chu Yifeng was not particularly surprised. What had to come would come eventually. Mama Wang had always struck him as a rather strong-willed woman, so forcing Wang Cheng to make a promise was perfectly believable.
“No. More secret than a secret affair.” People having a secret affair could at least sneak around and meet each other.
Chu Yifeng slowly asked, “For how long?”
“Hard to say. Mom will probably keep me under her nose for a while.” Wang Cheng understood his mother well. A verbal promise could be trusted, but he still had to prove it through his actions. Otherwise, he would lose credibility with her later. She might even confine him at home. Wang Cheng absolutely believed Mama Wang was capable of doing something like that.
After saying it aloud, even Wang Cheng fell silent.
“It’s not as though there’s no way.” Boss Chu was apparently prepared to struggle a little for the sake of seeing his lover. Wang Cheng had given Chu Yifeng his first time, and in a sense Chu Yifeng had given Wang Cheng his as well. He had lived this long without ever having a secret affair. If anyone who knew him heard about this, they would not believe a single word of it. Yet both of them seemed perfectly happy to put up with the situation.
“What way?” Wang Cheng asked. Chu Yifeng said, “You can’t stay in Guanjia Village forever. The jam factory and the shop both need you. Sooner or later you’ll have an excuse to come out.”
Chu Yifeng did not need to explain the rest. Wang Cheng understood immediately. In other words, there would always be opportunities for them to sneak off and meet. Thinking about it that way, their situation did not seem quite as tragic as the Cowherd and Weaver Girl. Unfortunately, Wang Cheng would soon learn he had been far too optimistic.