The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Night has fallen, and the crescent moon has appeared.

Ye Shu lay on the not-so-large sofa in the living room, covered with a quilt, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The sofa beneath me was old, and some of the springs were no longer behaving properly, making a creaking sound with the slightest movement, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet room.

Inside the room, An Suxue was already asleep.

In the evening, I don't know if it was the fever reducer that worked or the blessing of the canned peaches, but the fever finally broke.

However, a high fever left her extremely weak. She barely ate any dinner, only drank some porridge before falling asleep.

He originally intended to stay by the side, but since the inner room was where the women rested at night, he couldn't squeeze in there, so he could only return to the sofa to watch the moon.

Although his hometown is a small county town, the houses were built many years ago, and they are mostly single-story houses with dirt roads, making it very...dark at night.

Unlike in the city, where there is always light at night, with streetlights, shops, and residential buildings always having at least one light on.

Here, once the sun sets, only the half-full moon hangs silently in the sky, becoming the only source of light in this darkness.

A few years ago, a few streetlights were installed on the main road to the east, but they broke down every few days, whether due to wiring problems or some other reason. No one ever fixed them, and they eventually became just decorations.

But it's good that without the interference of artificial light, we can see the pure moonlight clearly.

Ye Shu remembers that the nights were just as dark when she was a child, and the stars were more numerous and brighter than they are now.

Moreover, only in such a quiet environment can those thoughts that were neglected during the day surface in one's mind.

He's really getting married.

I'm really going to marry all four of them.

This idea was deeply etched into his heart the moment Xia Qing personally agreed during the day.

What will marriage be like?

People online say that marriage is the grave of love, or something like that marriage is like a walled city; those outside want to get in, and those inside really know how to play... no, it's that those inside want to get out.

is that true?

Will my relationship with them really lead to a grave called marriage?

He rolled over, and the sofa beneath him creaked in perfect unison.

Looking at the moon outside the window, he pursed his lips.

Probably not.

I imagine married life will be much the same as it is now.

Every day, I listen to Xiao Nuan's reports, play around with Xia Qing, accept Zhi Qiu's teasing, and watch Xiao Xue blush...

During the day, everyone is busy doing what they need to do and what they want to do.

When we got home in the evening, we ate together and talked about what we had seen and heard that day.

They might argue over trivial matters, but they'll most likely compromise first, and then make up over a hug or a kiss.

Thinking of this, Ye Shu gave a satisfied, silly smile to the moon outside the window.

This kind of life sounds a bit chaotic, involving dealing with four very different wives.

But it is precisely because of them that every day is filled with different colors.

So how could it be a grave?

He turned over again, lying on his side facing outwards, his gaze unintentionally sweeping towards the five-drawer chest next to the door of the inner room.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the photo frame on the cabinet, allowing Ye Shu to clearly see her mother in the picture, her smile gentle as she quietly looked at her.

Ye Shu stared at the photo for a few seconds, then sat up, walked to the cabinet, picked up the frame, wiped the photo with her hand, and then sat back down on the sofa, looking down at the photo in her hands.

mom.

He said it to himself silently.

See that? Your future daughter-in-law. The one who's sick today is Xiaoxue, whom I told you about before. She's a little timid, but very well-behaved.

The one who was playing really wildly during the day was Xia Qing. The one from yesterday was Xiao Nuan; she's the smartest.

Sister Zhi Qiu... well, she hasn't come out yet, but you should be able to see her soon enough.

So, what do you think? Aren't they all pretty good? I'm quite satisfied, anyway.

As he thought to himself, he gently touched the glass in the photograph with his fingers.

I think I already mentioned these things to you last time, so repeating them again would be a bit long-winded, right?

He paused, took a deep breath, and cleared the tightness in his chest.

My dad and her parents have discussed it and they want us to get married soon. Maybe... it won't be too long, but the exact date hasn't been set yet, so don't worry.

Thinking of this, he bit his lower lip, held back for a long time, and finally asked the question in his heart.

When I get married... will you be able to come?

As soon as those words came out, tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and my heart felt sore and swollen, with a vague, aching pain.

He didn't know if that place really existed, or if his mother was busy there.

But he couldn't help it; he still asked himself like a child.

I don't know if you're busy over there; you probably have a lot to do. But... I still hope you can come. If possible... on that day, please put aside whatever work you have, take a day off, and come see me, okay?

Look at your son, dressed in a suit and tie, standing there looking all smug.

Look at your daughters-in-law...

The thought of this scene that could never be realized made Ye Shu's nose sting with tears.

He quickly lowered his head, forcing back the urge to cry, and managed to hold back his tears.

do not worry.

He continued to think to himself.

Don't worry about me not recognizing you when you arrive. I'm confident I can spot you at a glance. Don't believe me? Just try it. Stand next to me in the crowd, and see if I can find you instantly.

He deliberately acted like he was cheating, as if that would make the regret lessen.

But it was no use; the discomfort made his heart ache.

On weekdays, he has to work, live, and handle all sorts of things. He can carefully hide this longing in a corner of his heart and not think about her.

Only when it's late at night and he's all alone will he allow himself to touch her even slightly.

My eyes are getting hotter and hotter, and the photo in front of me is getting blurrier and blurrier.

Just then, perhaps because the moonlight shone on the glass of the photo frame and reflected onto the tears in her eyes, Ye Shu seemed to see a hazy white shadow appear on the sofa next to her out of the corner of her eye.

It looks like... a person sitting down.

Ye Shu's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't turn around to look immediately.

He dare not.

He feared it was just because of the tears in his eyes, and he feared that if he turned his head, the shadow would disappear instantly.

He didn't dare blink, remaining motionless in that position, his eyes fixed on the photo in his hands, only glancing cautiously at the blurry white figure beside him out of the corner of his eye.

I don't know how much time passed, but because I hadn't blinked for so long, tears were already streaming down my face.

Finally, he couldn't hold on any longer... not physically, but because of the tension in his heart.

He sighed again and slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he turned to look at his side.

Sure enough, there was nothing there.

Ye Shu lowered her head, looked at her mother's smile in the photo, casually wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and then got up and put the photo back on the cabinet.

Goodnight, Mom.