Chapter 18

I love sweets, so to make up for his guilt and to please me, Li Kai started cooking many sweet dishes after I got off work: sweet and sour pork, sweet and sour meatballs, braised fish, braised pork ribs, and so on.

I would take a few symbolic bites, still not speaking, but the coldness on my face would lessen slightly.

Li Kai was thrilled. His appetite grew, and he thought this was the beginning of my forgiveness.

He gradually discovered that whenever we ate together, especially when he finished all the food, my attitude would improve.

The bruises and scrapes on his face and body slowly healed, but for some unknown reason, he started getting canker sores for no reason, which would come and go.

His insomnia also worsened. Even after increasing his melatonin dosage, it had little effect.

He would often sweat for no reason in the middle of the night and sometimes wake up with a start. Even with the air conditioning on at a constant temperature in the living room and bedroom, it didn’t help.

He also had recurring low-grade fevers.

Then, he started to become forgetful.

The first time I spoke to him after bringing up divorce was because he had forgotten to turn off the main gas valve in the kitchen.

He left his razor in the bathroom and couldn’t find it for ages, until I finally found it for him on the bathroom windowsill.

Another day, I came home from a night shift and, as I was unlocking the door, I realized Li Kai had only closed it, not locked it.

I called him immediately and yelled at him. He tried to argue back, but in the end, I heard him sigh and reply resignedly, “I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Later, I watched him come home with groceries. Not only did he not dare to show his anger, but he also tiptoed into the kitchen and started cooking.