Four

Li Yuxi, with a heavy heart, turned off the engine of her car and stared blankly at the entrance to her home. She glanced at the car parked close to the garage and sighed, knowing her husband was back from his trip. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as her mind started to race with the different things she was bound to get from him once she stepped foot in the house.

"I'm sure he's sleeping," Li Yuxi said and placed her hand on her chest. She could feel how fast her heart was thumping behind her rib cage.

Li Yuxi sighed and grabbed the small leather bag on the passenger seat. She opened the door and got out of the car. The night was chilly and gave her a form of comfort over her heated self. She shut the door and locked it then walked toward the house. Upon getting to the front door, she stood for some time to prepare herself for whatever she was going to see.

Once she was calm, she pushed the door open and walked in. The house was dark and the only source of light was coming from the window. She closed the door and quickly walked toward the stairs across the room. As soon as she placed her foot on a step, the lights came on, startling her.

"Well, well, well. The Mrs returns." The voice of her husband sent fear down her body. "You should have stayed the night from wherever you are coming from."

Li Yuxi bit her lip and shut her eyes out of anxiety. She tightened her grip on the railing of the stairway and waited to find out if he would walk away but when a few seconds went by and he didn't, she opened her eyes and slowly turned around. She forced a smile on her face and walked up to her husband.

"Lee Qiang, you're back," she said and looked away when he wanted to make eye contact.

"Where have you been?"

His tone was stiff and cold, indicating that he was not in a good mood, which frightened Li Yuxi. She tightened her hold on her bag and gulped.

"I… I was at work," she replied.

"Tell me, Li Yuxi. Why is it that you always come back home so late at night? It's not as if you work at a great company that allows you to come home late," he said.

Li Yuxi chuckled. "I went to a site in the neighboring town. I am coming from there."

He scoffed. "Are you my wife or is your job your husband?"

The question made her heart sting as she knew what was about to come. She bit her tongue, as usual, to stop herself from lashing out at him.

"Did I marry you to please your job and those at your workplace?"

"Lee Qiang, I—"

Her husband raised his hand, cutting her off. She nodded and stood with her back straight.

"Do you realize how you embarrassed me today?" He asked and clutched his hair before running his fingers through them. "After my business trip, I brought home some business friends. I expected to see the woman I married at home. Yet, she wasn't. I got even more embarrassed when there was no food at home to serve my guests, nor were you around to serve them like the woman that you are."

Li Yuxi bit the insides of her lower lip as she fought against the tears that were about to spill. No matter how used she was to Lee Qiang's behavior, she would always get emotional.

"I'm sorry," she said and met his angry eyes. "You should have called me."

"Bullshit!" He barked. "I called you but you never answered. I called you again yet your number was switched off. Tell me, Li Yuxi. Do you enjoy shaming me? My friends mocked me for marrying a 21st-century wife who cares more about her useless job than her house!"

Li Yuxi continued to fight against the will to tell him a piece of her mind. She bit down more on her lip and looked away from his face.

"You always make me feel less of a man!" He yelled, making her flinch. "Well, you already shamed me before my friends but I hope you won't shame me before my parents. They will be arriving tomorrow for lunch."

Li Yuxi gasped. "Lunch? Lee Qiang, I won't be able to do it."

"Excuse me?"

"I have a very important business to attend to tomorrow afternoon. I have to be at a site tomorrow morning. This is very urgent, Lee Qiang. I can't miss it for anything. I'll ask the maid to help me cook lunch."

Lee Qiang stared at her for a few seconds before laughing. His reaction had Li Yuxi frowning in confusion as she never said anything funny. When he finished laughing, he wiped the edges of his eyes and sighed.

"You know, you should give that maid to me as a wife instead. She does more work at home than you'll ever do. If not because of your family's pathetic life, I wouldn't be stuck married to you," he said venomously and came closer.

Li Yuxi leaned away from his towering figure and squinted her eyes in fear. She raised her hands to her face to protect herself in case he did anything. Even though Lee Qiang had never hit her, she was always afraid whenever he was angry and close by.

"I will deal with you if by tomorrow, I find out you left this house so you can play with dirt," Lee Qiang threatened and brushed past her.

Li Yuxi exhaled in relief and hugged her bag. She pouted and allowed a single tear to roll down her cheek. She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand before turning around.

‡‡‡

Li Yuxi felt herself almost falling from her desk and flinched from her slumber. She blinked away the weight of sleep in her eyes and rubbed them before staring at the bright screen of her laptop. She propped her elbows on her desk and scratched her scalp tiredly.

"Ugh, how did I fall asleep?" She asked and eyed the scattered papers on the desk. Her eyes wandered toward her digital wristwatch on the table and gasped when she saw it was ten minutes past five.

At that, she sprinted up and packed up her documents into her leather bag before running out of her room. She went straight to the kitchen downstairs and started putting everything she needed to make lunch for her in-laws.

By the time she was done, the sun had risen and Lee Qiang had not woken up. After looking at the Tupperware full of vegetables, meat, and rice, she nodded and took out her phone from her pocket then dialed a number. As it rang, she kept her eyes on the entrance to the kitchen, praying that Lee Qiang didn't walk in.

"Hello, Mrs. Li Yuxi?"

Li Yuxi hummed. "Did you receive my text? Are you on the way already?"

"Yes, I am. I'm on the train now."

"Good. Remember what I said… come to my place on time, make lunch and leave as soon as possible. I will be back at midday, okay?"

Li Yuxi heard footsteps and ended the call. Lee Qiang strolled into the kitchen and paused at the sight of her.

"Well, you are doing your duties as a wife for once. Good job. Now, make me breakfast. I am hungry."

Li Yuxi glared at her husband when he went to the fridge. In her head, she wished she could run away and never return.

‡‡‡

Before her maid could come and after Lee Qiang had left the house, Li Yuxi followed suit. Her heart pounded behind her rib cage as she drove away. The many times she had snuck out of the house did nothing to ease her heartbeats each time she repeated the process.

When she arrived at the site, she happily took out her toolbox and jogged to the cleared land. She went over the tapes and passed some of her colleagues before stopping at a marked spot.

Li Yuxi beamed and fell on her knees then opened her box. She took out a brush and a small wooden shovel. She caressed the lump of soil before using the brush on it. Li Yuxi quickly put on a latex glove and grabbed her tools, ready to get to work.

Hours ticked by and she had made progress. Buried in the dark soil was a yellowish-white vase with an unreadable hanxi written on it. She traced the pads of her fingers against the writing in a hypnotical fashion. The hanxi felt rough under her fingers, which made her understand that it was carved into it.

"This is beautiful," she whispered. "This will be the greatest item for my collection."

Li Yuxi took off the right glove to feel the vase better. As her index finger touched the embedded writing, a part of it nipped the pad of her index finger and some of her blood smeared the vase. She hissed and took her hand away to look at the cut.

While she did, Li Yuxi could have sworn that she saw a bright red light flash on the spot her blood touched but didn't have the time to check when her name was called.

"Li Yuxi… your husband is here."