Work Text:
It was not a pleasant winter. The snow had confined your family indoors, and you would have spent some quality time together if not for the surprise workload that had virtually landed on your desk. Your back was hunched as you sent e-mails to your supervisors, counting the seconds that ticked by.
Zhongli was seated next to a fireplace with your child on his lap. You were in the opposite room with the door closed as you tried (with all your might) to focus on your job. But the walls were thin, and somehow you were half-thankful for this because your husband’s voice was a welcome distraction.
“I was 28 when I met your mother.”
You laughed. That was a lie. He was already in his 30s when you first met him.
“There was a tea shop that I had visited regularly. It’s closed now, but I have fond memories of that place. I first saw her there. She was charming. She was always holding a laptop... You could easily tell she worked hard. She would come in, order the usual, and then she would sit at the corner and begin to type away.” A short silence followed his recollection. “She still likes to sit at corners.”
You smiled to yourself, tucking strands of hair behind your ear as you continued to listen.
“I would sit closer and closer to her, just to see if she would notice me.”
You had heard about this when he first confessed to you. How he had thought that he could woo you by sitting a fair distance away from you.
“But she was always busy. Always. In her immersion, she did not have a good sense of awareness. Perhaps, that’s how I entered her life. By paying attention to her when she couldn’t pay attention to herself.”
You sipped your coffee and went back to typing. He continued his story.
“One day, she entered the tea shop as she usually did but she was not at her best. And before she could even make her way to the corner where she frequently sat, she had lost consciousness.”
You could hear your child gasp.
“I had the shop owner join me when I drove your mother to the hospital. She woke up about an hour after she was rushed to the emergency room. That was how I finally managed to introduce myself to her.
“Since the day we exchanged names, her importance only grew. Every moment I spent with her, she became more brilliant… more precious. If you’re wondering whether she stayed the same workaholic as she was before -- well, she did not. She learned to take breaks. Sometimes, I had to remind her.”
Now and then, he would still teach you how to manage your time. Zhongli valued rest. He believed it to be as important as work.
“I would take her to parks, to museums, or any place that would help her relax. She did the same, if not more, for me. She took me to places I never knew… She pulled me up mountains that overlooked the city and accompanied me to festivals that would burn everlasting images into my mind. She made me feel like I was invincible”.
You couldn’t control your smile at this. The love he had seeped into his voice, making his story more sentimental as he went along.
“Then came a time when I was sitting next to her on the balcony of this very house. It was a Sunday morning if I remember correctly. She was drinking a cup of tea. And she was solemn… peaceful.
“She looked so beautiful. Normally, she would be playing music to help ease her mind, but on that day, everything was simple and quiet. I went ahead and asked, ‘Is this fine with you?’”
“What do you mean?” you remembered asking.
“‘Is it fine for you to live this way? Lots of lazy mornings, or afternoons…You might get tired of this kind of life,’ I told her.” He stopped for a very brief moment. “But she smiled at me, and leaned into her chair. Then she took my hand in hers… And darling, that’s when I knew…”