My wife had been exhausted these past few days. The hospital's accompanying bed was hard, and she had to keep an eye on me, her patient, throughout the night, leaving her severely sleep-deprived. So, after feeding me dinner, she went to bed early.
Afraid of accidentally bumping into me, she deliberately kept her distance, sleeping almost at the very edge of the bed.
I wanted to tell her not to be so cautious and to move closer to the center so she could stretch out and rest better. But as soon as she lay down, she started chatting with Liu Wei on her phone. Instantly, my anger flared up, and I couldn't be bothered to say anything. I simply closed my eyes, thinking, "Out of sight, out of mind."
By the time I was drowsy, my wife was still engrossed in her conversation with Liu Wei. I had no idea how they had so much to talk about. Feeling frustrated but unable to say anything, I just shut my eyes and decided to sleep, thinking, "Do whatever you want."
When I woke up the next day, the sun was already shining brightly. I couldn't check the time, but I estimated it must have been past ten o'clock.
My wife was still sound asleep beside me. On one hand, she had truly been worn out these days, and on the other, who knew how late she had stayed up chatting with Liu Wei the night before? My wife, who usually woke up early, had slept in until the sun was high in the sky.
I lay quietly, not disturbing her. Feeling jealous was one thing, but feeling sorry for her exhaustion was another—the two couldn't be mixed together.
It wasn't until noon that my wife slowly woke up. She checked her phone and gasped in surprise, hurriedly getting out of bed.
"Honey, why didn't you wake me? You must be starving. I'll change your bandages and make you something to eat right away," she said, hastily getting dressed while looking at me with guilt.
"Ah, some people were probably flirting with their sweetheart until dawn. How could they possibly remember a half-dead invalid like me?" I sighed, my words dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, don't be so sour, honey," my wife said as she walked over to me, leaned down, and kissed me on the cheek. Then, putting on a theatrical voice, she said, "My dear husband, please wait a moment. Your humble wife will now attend to your washing and bandaging."
With that, she covered her mouth and laughed as she left the room.
It was clear that my wife was in an unusually good mood today—she rarely acted like this.
About ten minutes later, she returned with a warm towel and a medical kit.
Kneeling by the bed, she carefully wiped my face and cleaned me up. Then, she opened the medical kit, gently unwrapped the bandages on my hand, disinfected the wound, applied new medication, and rewrapped it with a fresh bandage.
After tending to the external injury, she took out a handful of oral medications from the kit and helped me take them.
My wife's care for me could truly be described as meticulous.
"Honey, it's getting a bit late. Let's just have a simple lunch, and I'll prepare a big dinner for you tonight," my wife said before heading to the kitchen to get busy.
Soon after, she had everything ready and came in with the food, feeding me bite by bite.
"Seems like having a lover has really lifted your spirits. You look absolutely delighted," I muttered sourly between bites.
Seeing my expression, my wife laughed cheerfully and said, "Silly husband, you're the one who dragged me to see Brother Liu Wei, and now you're the one getting jealous. How come you're more changeable than a woman?"
Her words left me speechless. After all, it was me who suggested the wife-swapping idea, and I was the one who approached the Liu Wei couple. From start to finish, my wife had only gone along passively—so why was I feeling jealous?
Logically, that made sense, but the bitter jealousy swirling inside me was beyond my control, churning relentlessly in my heart.
I fell silent and quietly ate the food my wife fed me.
"Honey, get some rest first. I'm going out to buy groceries. If you need to use the bathroom, try to hold it—I'll be back soon," she said after finishing feeding me, then headed out.
Fortunately, there was a market right at the entrance of our residential area, so she returned before long. She asked if I needed to use the bathroom, and when I shook my head, she went straight to the kitchen to continue her preparations.
She worked from noon until the sun began to set before everything was ready, then helped me to the living room.
"Whoa, are we really going to finish all this food?"
The coffee table was laden with at least twenty different dishes, piled so high on the spacious surface that my eyes nearly popped out in shock.
I stared blankly at my wife and suddenly noticed something off. I hadn't paid attention earlier, but now I saw she was wearing light makeup and had changed into black stockings.
While she might wear makeup on weekends at home, she never wore stockings.
Her unusual behavior immediately put me on alert. Squinting, I asked, "This feast isn't for me, is it?"
Her face flushed slightly as she whispered, "Brother Liu and his wife are coming over."
"No wonder you've been in such a good mood today, cooking since noon—it's all to entertain your lover," I couldn't hold back the jealousy that had been simmering inside me and grumbled resentfully.
"Come on, honey, don't be so petty. Last week when we went to their place, didn't his wife prepare a whole table of dishes for us? Besides, don't you want to see his wife?" my wife reasoned.
I sat on the sofa without another word, inwardly grumbling, What good would seeing her do?
Without someone to help me, I couldn't even get out of bed—what could I possibly hope would happen?
"Honey, sit tight for a bit. I'm going downstairs to buy some liquor. We only have the cheap Erguotou you usually drink, which isn't suitable for guests," she said, changing her shoes and heading out on her own.
For some reason, seeing her so enthusiastic made me feel awful. Yet, every word she said was perfectly reasonable, leaving me unable to argue. It felt like a fire was burning in my chest, with no way to let it out.
Leaning back on the sofa with my eyes closed, I kept trying to mentally prepare myself, struggling to accept my wife's changes. But something felt off—though I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
My wife said she was going downstairs to buy some wine, but she was taking too long to return. I grew anxious waiting, yet without someone to support me, I couldn't even stand up. Helpless, I remained seated on the sofa.
Finally, the door opened, and to my surprise, my wife returned with Liu Wei and his wife.
"Honey, since it's Brother Liu and his wife's first time here and they couldn't find the way, I waited for them at the entrance of the neighborhood," my wife explained as soon as she stepped inside.
I didn't respond, just sat there quietly.
"Oh, look at that little face—seems like we're not welcome here," Tian Xiaomo said with a laugh as she changed her shoes and walked over.
I quickly forced a smile and said, "How could that be? I'm overjoyed that you came to visit me. Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"
"Sis came to see you, but as for Old Liu, who knows who he's really here to see," Tian Xiaomo remarked sarcastically as she sat down beside me.
"Don't talk nonsense. Of course, I'm here to see Liao Fan—and, well, to check in on your wife too," Liu Wei chuckled, settling onto the sofa.
My wife brought out bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen, handing them out while warmly urging everyone to eat. She opened the red wine she'd bought, poured glasses for everyone, and without a second thought, took a seat next to Liu Wei.
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