The Daily Life and Crises of Marriage

At 39, Su Qing has turned her marriage into an “implicit contract.” She and Zhou Mingyu have been married for 11 years, have no children, and stopped having sex long ago. Because her right hand is prone to cracking, she never does housework. Washing dishes and feeding the cats are all left to her husband, who earns 95,000 yuan a month. The apartment they bought together is registered in her name, and he reliably gives her 35,000 yuan for household expenses every month. In return, she keeps their five cats sleek and well-fed. She is certain that “he can't leave this home.”

Their unconventional calm is punctured when her sister-in-law, Zhou Lin, takes up her cause: “He treats you so well, but you shouldn't take it for granted!” Even more unsettling is the citrus perfume on Zhou Mingyu's shirt when he comes home late. Xiaowen, a coffee-shop waitress in her early twenties, has become a crack in their marriage.

Su Qing doesn't panic. She shows up at the coffee shop with cans of cat food and lays her cards on the table for Xiaowen: “When he wanted to buy a 600,000-yuan watch, I told him to buy an apartment in my name instead. He hasn't missed a single household payment. He's never spent the night with you.”

When Zhou Mingyu comes home with imported hand cream and says, “It's over,” Su Qing is feeding the cats. “If you wanted a divorce, you wouldn't be rushing home every day.” That night, she takes the initiative and says, “I'll wear gloves and make noodles tomorrow.” She watches him washing dishes in the kitchen as the five cats rub against his legs. Their life may not have many sweet words, but he comes home and she runs the household. Eleven years of understanding and dependability have made their bond sturdier than any honeyed promises.