On the Wedding Night, I Transmigrated to After the Divorce – Chapter 48
by Little PandaValentine’s Day Extra
A Belt to the Palm
February 28, 2023: 【I went to a bar with classmates without fyq’s permission and she hit my palm with a belt. She’s so fierce… She made me promise not to drink outside of her sight anymore. Alright, I’ll do as Mommy says. I don’t know why, but after she hit me, all I wanted was to hug her and be comforted by her, otherwise I’d feel so wronged.】—
“Jiejie, I was wrong, please don’t be angry…” The atmosphere in the car was heavy. The woman’s face, turned toward the window, was cold enough to frost over. The girl beside her took hold of the hand hanging by her skirt with both of hers, her voice a timid apology. Her cheeks were flushed, suffused with a hint of drunkenness. “Wife…”
She tried to get a reaction, but Fu Yunqing pulled her hand away for a second time—in all the time they’d known each other, Yu Yan had never seen her this angry. She was always so gentle, but when she was truly furious, she became so stern, so intimidating. Yu Yan was scared, unsettled. She bit her lip and her fingers helplessly clutched at the woman’s skirt. Her voice grew weaker. “Fu-jiejie…”
“Sit properly,” Fu Yunqing bit out. The girl started to say something, then fell silent, slowly letting go of her skirt and retreating to her own seat.
The drive took twenty minutes. When they stopped in the underground garage, Fu Yunqing pushed her door open before the driver could get out to help. Yu Yan scrambled to follow at her heels. Fu Yunqing walked quickly, and Yu Yan, who was used to a leisurely pace, had to jog to keep up. She followed her doggedly into the elevator.
There were only the two of them inside. Yu Yan stood beside her like a child who’d done something wrong, occasionally darting glances at her. She didn’t dare say a word in the face of her wife’s anger, though the alcohol was wearing off fast.
Fu Yunqing neither looked at nor acknowledged her. It wasn’t until they were out of the elevator and inside their home that she turned to scrutinize her. Yu Yan was pouting, the very picture of misery. The little black cat, who had been waiting by the door to greet its owners but had been ignored, pawed at her trouser leg, letting out a worried meow.
“Come here.” Perhaps it was Honey’s concern that pleaded her case, because Fu Yunqing’s tone softened slightly. Yu Yan walked over with her head down. Sensing that she was relenting, Yu Yan looked up and reached out to take her hand.
She had only tentatively touched her fingertips when Fu Yunqing refused the contact. Yu Yan pulled her hand back, appearing perfectly obedient.
She was an expert at making herself look pitiful, knowing exactly how to make Fu Yunqing’s heart soften for her and get away with things.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to a bar?” Fu Yunqing asked.
“Well, I just forgot… You said you’d be busy tonight, and I was afraid of bothering you, so, so I forgot.”
“I’d be busy, I’d be home late, so you just weren’t going to tell me? Did you think you could hide it from me?”
How is Fu Yunqing so smart? That was exactly what Yu Yan had been thinking. Her wife was going to be busy until midnight. She could sneak out to the bar, and when she got back, she’d immediately shower and go to bed. Her wife would never find out. She’d thought her plan was perfect, but she’d forgotten to keep an eye on her phone to answer her wife’s messages and calls. Fu Yunqing had called three times and she hadn’t answered. An hour later, she’d been caught and dragged home.
Humiliated and angry, yet unable to argue, she only felt more aggrieved now that she’d been exposed. She tried to turn the tables1. “Because jiejie never lets me go…”
Fu Yunqing’s brow furrowed. “So you went behind my back and didn’t answer your phone?”
“I didn’t ignore you on purpose, I accidentally put it on silent…”
Sneaking out to a bar, not answering her phone… When Fu Yunqing had found her, her friends were already dead drunk, and people were still forcing drinks on her. She was too young, with too little wariness toward others. She didn’t understand the wickedness of human nature, didn’t know how to protect herself, and had no idea how worried Fu Yunqing was. A wave of fear washed over Fu Yunqing. If she had arrived just a little later, what if Yu Yan had really gotten drunk and been led away by someone?
The mere thought was agonizing. It was because she was so afraid of her getting hurt that she was so, so angry.
The pressure in the room dropped again. Fu Yunqing’s silence was what scared Yu Yan the most. The strain was becoming unbearable. “I was really wrong, it won’t happen again…”
“There’s a next time?”
Yu Yan rushed to correct herself. “No, no next time. Next time, I’ll definitely report2 to jiejie beforehand. Forgive me this once, okay?”
But Fu Yunqing wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
She didn’t seem to think she was wrong at all—only that she’d been careless enough to get caught. And she was already thinking about a next time, wasn’t she?
“Come here.”
Fu Yunqing walked toward the bedroom. Sensing that her jiejie hadn’t been placated, Yu Yan grew nervous again and obediently followed at her heels.
Meow~
Yu Yan trailed behind Fu Yunqing, and a little black cat trailed behind Yu Yan. Yu Yan looked at it and thought, Now’s not the time for pets. Your mommy is angry.
Fu Yunqing stopped, and the distracted Yu Yan almost bumped into her. As she came to a halt, Fu Yunqing took a belt from the wardrobe. Yu Yan froze.
“Hold out your hand,” Fu Yunqing said.
She knew Yu Yan’s nature. Without a little punishment, she would never properly remember the lesson.
“…”
“Hold out your hand.”
Fu Yunqing repeated herself. Shaken from her daze, Yu Yan didn’t dare disobey. She weakly held out both hands. She had a terrible fear of pain, and her face was already scrunched up in apprehension, her body instinctively wanting to flinch away.
There was no time to beg for mercy. The belt whipped down. A sharp smack of pain shot through her. Fu Yunqing had actually hit her. Yu Yan snatched her hand back. A numb, stinging sensation spread across her palm. Fu Yunqing hadn’t hit her hard—it didn’t really hurt that much, but… the feeling in Yu Yan’s heart was so strange.
“Hold it out,” Fu Yunqing said sternly.
She extended her hand again, and Fu Yunqing struck it once more. Suddenly, her nose tingled, and her eyes instantly turned red. Another strike followed, and the tears that had been welling in her eyes could no longer be held back, spilling down her cheeks.
Meow~ Honey, at her feet, began to paw at Fu Yunqing’s leg, meowing urgently at her, trying to stop her from hitting anyone.
Whimper… Yu Yan lowered her head, wiping her tears with one hand. The other, its palm red from the blows, remained outstretched. The arm she was using to wipe her eyes was trembling, and Fu Yunqing’s heart ached and quivered in sympathy.
She hadn’t expected her to cry… Had she hit her too hard?
Dropping the belt, Fu Yunqing reached out and pulled her into her arms. Enveloped by the woman, knowing she was about to be cherished, Yu Yan’s tears flowed even more freely, her shoulders trembling with sobs. Fu Yunqing stroked the back of her head, her voice softening. “You can’t drink outside of my sight anymore, do you understand? If you want to go to a bar, I’ll go with you. Don’t make me worry, okay?”
“Mhm,” she answered, her voice thick with tears. “I was wrong…”
“I was wrong, I’ll never sneak out to drink again, sob sob sob…”
How could she be crying like this? Why did she seem so wronged? Fu Yunqing’s heart, already softened, was filled with a dense, tingling pain. “Does your hand hurt?”
Yu Yan’s tears soaked the collar of her shirt, a damp stickiness clinging to her. She took Yu Yan’s punished hand and turned it over. Seeing the redness on the palm, she couldn’t bear it and rubbed it gently. “Alright, be good, darling. It’s okay now.”
Sob…
“There, there, be good…”
Fu Yunqing let her lean against her, stroking her back and murmuring soft comforts. Slowly, Yu Yan’s quiet sobs subsided, and she fell completely silent, still nestled dependently in her arms. Fu Yunqing gently rubbed her cheek against Yu Yan’s temple and sighed, savoring and cherishing the feeling of that moment.
She hadn’t expected Yu Yan to cry. The moment she cried, Fu Yunqing’s heart ached for her. But she also enjoyed the process of being able to comfort her, a feeling of stable happiness filling her. Fu Yunqing wanted to hold her like this forever and ever. But after a moment, Yu Yan pulled out of her embrace, saying she was going to take a shower.
Fu Yunqing was worried. She cupped her face and gently wiped away the tear tracks. “Are you okay to shower? How much did you drink? Is your head still spinning?”
She mumbled quietly, “…I didn’t drink much. The alcohol wore off a long time ago.”
“Do you want me to help you wash?”
“No…” Yu Yan refused.
“Alright,” Fu Yunqing relented. “I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything. Don’t take too long, you hear?”
Yu Yan gave a muffled, “Mhm.”
After finding a change of pajamas for her and reminding her to watch the time, Fu Yunqing waited outside, taking a moment to comfort the little cat who’d just had a scare.
Meow~
Back then, Honey was not yet a year old and was at her clingiest. Her eyes were fixed on her mommy, meowing at her, though it was unclear what she was trying to express. Fu Yunqing was a little lost in thought. “Do you also think I was too fierce with jiejie?”
She began to feel a bit worried, and a bit regretful. Was hitting her palm too harsh a punishment? she wondered. She realized that Yanyan hadn’t been as warm and clingy as before, that there was a slight distance between them. Is she angry? Or does she really not like it when I treat her like that?
Fu Yunqing’s mind was in turmoil. She kept glancing toward the bathroom, and the longer the time stretched on, the more intense her remorse became.
But Yu Yan was considerate; she didn’t take long to come out.
She had changed into cartoon pajamas, her hair tied up in a bun. Her bangs were damp and a little messy. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were so beautiful. Fu Yunqing, who was holding the cat, looked up and met her gaze. For a moment, neither spoke.
Yu Yan walked right up to her. Fu Yunqing’s lips parted, just about to say something, when Yu Yan suddenly let out a soft whimper and threw herself into her arms.
She had initiated the approach, and Fu Yunqing caught her steadily. Yu Yan sat on her lap, curling up in her arms along with the cat. Fu Yunqing felt a sense of security and completeness. She stroked her warm back and bent down to ask softly, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Yan said plaintively, “I missed you.”
“Hm?”
Yu Yan leaned against her shoulder, her voice thick and nasal. “I was thinking of you the whole time I was showering.”
Fu Yunqing’s anxiety finally settled, replaced by a touch of bewilderment and a whole lot of tenderness. “How can you be thinking of me even while showering?”
“When I can’t see you, I just miss you…” Yu Yan shifted. “Hold me tighter.”
“Honey’s going to get squashed,” Fu Yunqing reminded her.
The sensible little cat knew not to get in the way of the grown-ups. Honey, on the verge of being flattened, leaped to one side, hopping onto the cat tree to lazily observe the reconciled pair.
Yu Yan had completely monopolized her Fu-jiejie, and was being endlessly indulged. Seeing that her eyes were still swollen, Fu Yunqing leaned down and kissed her eyelids. At that, her eyes grew moist again, tears welling up.
Fu Yunqing froze, then pressed her forehead against hers and closed her eyes. “…I went too far. I’m sorry, Yanyan.”
“Did it hurt a lot?”
“It didn’t hurt.” Fu Yunqing hadn’t used much force at all, so how much could it have hurt? Yu Yan couldn’t quite explain why she had cried so hard either. Maybe it was because her mother had never hit her, so she just wasn’t used to it.
She hadn’t been lying when she said she’d missed her in the shower. She really had missed her, missed her so much she wanted to cry, wanted to be held by her and treated gently like this. But even then, she still wanted to cry.
After being treated so fiercely, all she wanted to do was cry.
She looked up, meeting Fu Yunqing’s pupils, which reflected her own face. “I’m all fragrant now,” she said. “No more smell of alcohol.”
“Hm?”
“I want kisses.”
…
Footnotes
- 'To strike backward with a rake' (dǎo dǎ yī pá) is a Chinese idiom meaning to make a false countercharge, turning the tables to blame the accuser.
- 'Bàobèi' means to report for the record or check in with a superior. Here, it's used in a relationship context to mean informing one's partner of one's plans.
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