My Husband’s Wife - Chapter 2
It was past noon when I woke up and Xue was long gone by then. Previously, I had always believed women were not supposed to wake up alone on their first night but I could not help how relieved his absence made me feel. Baths are amazing things, the one I took that morning pardon… that afternoon, made me feel ten times better. Though most of that feeling rapidly disappeared as I endeavored to keep a straight face while ignoring the giggles and titters that trailed me once I came downstairs.
It was a herculean effort not to blush, and I had a terrible suspicion that the whole house had heard my voice last night. It was something I definitely had to test and make sure of. It would be too embarrassing otherwise. And why, oh why did I have to wake up so late as if to announce to the world that my wedding night had been most ‘exhausting’. My cheeks threatened to flame again, I quickly curtailed my thoughts, after all, they weren’t helping matters.
Mother-in-law had left for the company and my husband was M.I.A., in addition, this week I was supposed to be on a honeymoon vacation. I was suddenly confronted with a lot of time in which to do nothing. I could go shopping but that seemed wrong to do alone, I could visit the company but I was aware that my presence so soon after the wedding festivities would be more of a deterrent to business than otherwise. I could visit my family …no, my husband was missing. I could call though and maybe just say I made a quick call while my husband was out and it would be assumed that he would be back soon.
The problem, of course, being that since it was a quick call it would only fill in 2 to 5 minutes of my blank schedule. Aha! I could cook! It seemed a daughter-in-law like thing to do. And it wouldn’t appear wrong. I could even go shopping for some groceries. It was relieving to have some idea of what to, something to avoid my thoughts wandering into dangerous waters. Waters like how I had just slept with a man who I had seen a grand total of three times including the day of my wedding. Or how I was now married to a man whose name and family antecedents I had only managed to properly memorize barely 48 hours ago. Or the reason why I had to get married to the aforesaid man, now that was really muddy water. The others were dangerous but at least they were the seas I needed to navigate, the last one was simply a hindrance.
My cooking skills like the rest of my housekeeping skills were right at the passable benchmark. That is to say, I wasn’t going to be wooing anyone over with dinner but the food would at the very least be edible. All things considered, I couldn’t serve a table of merely edible dishes, so I chose the best possible compromise and got the staff to also participate in the dinner preparations. That way, I, the daughter-in-law’s obligation dishes would take up half the menu and the old housekeeper’s delectable dishes would fill up the rest. This simultaneously took care of both the heart and taste buds. I had to say, I felt a bit clever and proud of myself.
The evening went well, though my husband was still missing, both Mother and I ignored that glaring fact to chitchat to and fro with no purpose. I was even complimented on my thoughtfulness for making dinner, while effusive remonstrations that I had not been brought in for such labor were given. After ignoring the elephant in the room till it could not be ignored, Mother roundly scolded the absentee groom, promising to make him suffer when he returned (the set of her eyes makes me believe she wasn’t just saying things for me to hear). I, on the other hand, dutifully fulfilled my role as a proper wife by pleading for leniency on his behalf.
As I navigated the party I wondered where my husband had taken off to. In spite of Mother’s repeated admonishments to him about standing together at this party and displaying a united front, I held no expectations of Xue Yuwen’s compliance. I would have to conquer this new world, the social scene in which the Xue family moved, on my own.
Attending such an event without my husband to accompany me barely a week after our wedding gave the impression of a shaky marriage Mother and I knew. This wasn’t what either of us would have liked or the scenario we preferred. But what could we do? My husband was determined to play the absentee role and who knew when his stance would change. I and Mother had both agreed that it wasn’t right to delay my debut while we waited for Xue Yuwen to have the time to accompany me. Unspoken between us was the knowledge that it was his inclination to do so that was the problem. After all, he also worked at Xue and he couldn’t possibly be busier than Mother who was President and Chairman of Xue Enterprise.
Imagine our pleasure and surprise when without prior warning Xue Yuwen had shown up to escort us. Though it seems that we had celebrated too soon, once we had crossed the threshold of the gala, Yuwen disappeared to parts unknown. No, I thought as I finally located my husband, rather than celebrating we should have been wary. Right now, Yuwen was shamelessly flirting with one of the organizers of this event. He was completely sporting an I’m single and unattached attitude.
I clenched my teeth then unclenched them. My debut was a very important concern of Mother’s. I could not let her be embarrassed at this party. I smiled softly at Yuwen then turned away to greet and socialize with the other guests. It would have been better if I had gone to his side to say a few words and converse a little with the woman who to all appearances might as well have been his date for the evening but a niggling feeling held me back. I could go over but there was no assurance he wouldn’t simply give me the cut direct which would considerably worsen the current situation. So, I smiled softly and then turned away.
It wasn’t as difficult as one would expect to smile, laugh and make pleasant conversation while one’s husband danced attendance on another woman within hearing distance. I won’t claim that I could barely recognize him, his face was too memorable, but the total number of hours we had been in each other’s presence had barely reached fifty. For all intents and purposes, we were still strangers just that we were married strangers.
Xue Yuwen was drunk and singing. From the vague image I had managed to construct of my husband, he was what the younger generation referred to as a party flirt. Thus, I suppose I could expect more of this sort of music, whether or not it was a drunk’s quirk. This was the very first thing I found to like about my husband- his voice. One could protest that I had previously noted his looks which could launch a thousand ships, but those were a hilt-less double-edged sword.
It’s kind of hard to really like something you know is going to keep you bloody and constantly bleeding. Our young master had a reputation as a playboy, all things being equal, I wouldn’t bet on that changing irrespective of his current marital status. What? You want to ask how that affects me when he is more or less still a stranger? Put away the perfume drenched coat of the man who took your maidenhead the previous week and you’ll instantly understand. A woman has her sensibilities after all. For now, I think it would be wise to go on the pill until I can be reasonably certain any child of mine would not have to suffer a hussy as a stepmother.
I knew I was throwing a quiet mental tantrum but it couldn’t be helped. Children from our union might end up with an evil or cruel stepmother but it wasn’t going to be a hussy. Xue Yuwen did not consort with hussies. For a young master with nothing much to recommend him except money, pots, and pots of money, he had conquered quite a number of beautiful and talented socialites or so the gossip sheets claim. I wondered what special characteristic he had to make him so fatal to women. Money wasn’t enough, sure he had a ton of it but almost all of his ex and current girlfriends were as far from poor as is a serial numbered Louis Vuitton bag. Suddenly, I was curious. I wanted to know what kind of man my husband was, is and would be. It was only the seventh day of my marriage.
