Chapter 35: Idle and Gluttonous

"But later on, I heard from neighbors that Chang Junchao brought home two more girlfriends, but his parents didn't seem to fancy either of them."

Wang Hongzhen recalled as she spoke, "Grandma Wang, who lived right across the hall from them, said that Deng Qingrong and her husband had very high standards. They were determined to find a daughter-in-law who was beautiful, wealthy, and obedient.

"Grandma Wang happened to have a granddaughter in her early twenties at the time. The old woman doted on her granddaughter, so I suppose when she heard those things, she couldn't help but think of her own granddaughter, and she really didn't like it.

"Grandma Wang even chatted about it with other elderly women downstairs, saying that Deng Qingrong shouldn't have such unrealistic expectations, not even in her wildest dreams. She said that her son, Chang Junchao, was just an average-looking man with unremarkable education and an ordinary job. Even if a girl who was beautiful and from a good family really did exist, it wouldn't be his turn to have her."

"So, when Deng Qingrong lived in your neighborhood, she was actually still holding out hope that her son would find a girlfriend with good circumstances?" Ning Shuyi asked to clarify.

Wang Hongzhen nodded. "Yes, she definitely revealed that sentiment; otherwise, Grandma Wang and the others wouldn't have gossiped about it like that. Actually, everyone had a pretty good impression of Chang Junchao himself. They thought he was honest and very reliable. But, setting aside the fact that no matter how reliable he was, he was still just an average person with no outstanding qualities, even if he were as handsome as a TV star with a high-level job and education, having a mother like that would still be like jumping into a fire pit for whoever married him."

After saying this, Wang Hongzhen reflected on her own situation and seemed a bit embarrassed. "I'm someone who hasn't crawled out of a fire pit myself, but even if Chang Junchao didn't have the same issues as my husband, with his mother around, it would still be a lost cause."

"Wasn't Deng Qingrong a housewife who stayed home to cook and take care of her husband and son?" Ning Shuyi asked.

Wang Hongzhen, likely finding Ning Shuyi's description absurd compared to her own observations, couldn't help but laugh. The laughter tugged at the injuries on her face, making her expression twitch.

"Deng Qingrong?!" She shook her head. "Next to our place, there was a family living on the first floor. They used to run a restaurant, but when they got older and found it too tiring, they transferred it to someone else and opened a delicatessen at home. They made deli food right there, and they had a light-up sign hanging in the window; if someone wanted to buy something, they’d ring a bell at the window. The food was actually quite good, but the price wasn't cheap either. We didn't usually splurge on it, though my husband would buy some occasionally when he wanted to have a drink at home.

"Deng Qingrong, however, was a regular customer there; she bought food every few days. I remember after she left, I heard neighbors gossiping that in their family, the son did the grocery shopping, the son did the cooking, and the husband was the one working to earn money. Deng Qingrong herself did nothing. She always said that she had already done her duty to her husband and his family by giving them a son. 'A woman marries to have clothes to wear and food to eat,' plus the idea of raising a son to provide for one's old age—she felt she had suffered enough in the past and it was now time for her to enjoy life."

"So, with Chang Junchao working, buying groceries, cooking, taking care of the household, and tending to his parents—including caring for his father after he was severely injured—did he show any resentment or dissatisfaction after his mother left? From your perspective as a bystander, how was the relationship between mother and son?"

"It was quite good," Wang Hongzhen answered firmly. "My impression of Chang Junchao was that he was honest, exceptionally honest. When his parents were home, he would go to work, come home, and busy himself with everything. I never saw him show any sign of unhappiness. He was a man of few words, but because he had been a bit dull since I first met him, I can't even say if that was a reflection of his mood. Later, when his father was injured and bedridden, and Deng Qingrong left with her luggage, I didn't see any sign of unhappiness from Chang Junchao either."

After a pause, Wang Hongzhen added, "Though, come to think of it, while I’m grateful he came upstairs that one time to try and stop my husband from hitting me, he really was a bit strange. It felt like, other than that first time I saw him bring a girlfriend home, he was never particularly emotional. His parents disapproved and ruined his relationship? He remained calm. He had to work and come home to serve his parents? He remained calm. His father was severely injured and needed constant care, and at that critical moment, his mother abandoned the family and ran off? He remained calm. Even later, when his father died and his mother returned, and the two of them packed their things and moved away, he was still calm. It felt like... like... I don't know how to describe it."

"Like a puppet?" Ning Shuyi suggested.

"Yes! Officer Ning, that’s the perfect description! I wanted to say a puppet, but my mind just went blank and I couldn't think of the word!" Wang Hongzhen nodded repeatedly. "He seemed like a very good person, but it was as if... he had no emotions or feelings at all."

Ning Shuyi frowned slightly, suppressing her curiosity, and asked, "During those years they lived downstairs, did they have conflicts with anyone else? When Deng Qingrong left and later returned, did she move out immediately, or did she stay for a while?"

"There weren't really any major conflicts, though the one with my family was probably the biggest, since I confronted her directly because I thought she was sowing discord, and we had a spat. Most others just didn't like her behavior, but there weren't any direct confrontations. Even though Deng Qingrong wasn't likable, or was perhaps a bit annoying, she didn't really get in anyone's way. People didn't like her, but it wasn't worth holding a grudge over."

Wang Hongzhen recalled the timing of their departure. "When Deng Qingrong came back, her husband had been dead for about two or three months, I don't remember exactly. When she first returned, she didn't seem to have any intention of moving; it was as if her husband were still alive. But the problem was that the neighbors had all seen what happened—her husband was injured, and she immediately ran away without ever coming back once. He was severely injured, and we often saw Chang Junchao buying adult diapers and things for bedridden patients, but Deng Qingrong never returned. If I remember correctly, Chang Junchao handled his father’s funeral all by himself; Deng Qingrong didn't show up."