The Mystery of Revenge Read Online Free PDF

Yi-yun had told her she wanted to have a very rich and comfortable life in America without being overworked. Yi-yun was sure her mother just hated to see her only child leave home. She had shaken her head sadly when Yi-yun said she had been accepted at BostonUniversity.
    “Yes, I might be poor for the first few years, but I will have the life I want eventually,” she had told hermother.
    All her friends agreed with her. There was such a life outside China. From the magazines they read, there were elegant men and women in expensive suits and gowns, smoking cigarettes, sipping cocktails, and having fun everywhere. There were also oversized houses, beautiful gardens, and gorgeous cars. In truth, her friends were so envious of Yi-yun’s college acceptance that they bet among themselves to see how long it would take Yi-yun to succeed and live happily ever after. Yi-yun smiled triumphantly every time she thought of her old schoolmates while heading home from the malls, holding several shopping bags in herhands.
    Then, unexpectedly, she lost interest in her daily routine. As if the dream life suddenly flipped, she found herself sitting on the couch one day, staring at the empty walls without knowing what she should donext.
    Did she still want to go shopping? Where should she go after having been to the same stores so many times? Did she want to watch TV? The stories had lost their magic touches after she had followed them religiously for so long. How about reading a book? No, that would boreher.
    She had lost her contacts with the outside world when she quit school and working at the restaurant. The only friend she talked to was Ann, but Ann was always so busy that she hardly had time tochitchat.
    “What’s wrong, Yi-yun?” Ann called back after hearing a tearful message on her answeringmachine.
    “I don’t know,” Yi-yun said. She was already in bed, waiting for Fang Chen to come home. “It seems the color of my new life is fading,” she said, looking at the fingernails of her left hand. They were so beautiful. To occupy herself, she had applied a layer of soft blue polish to match her nightgown a few hoursago.
    “Did you guys have a fight?” Ann asked, alarmed.
    “No, we never fight,” Yi-yun said bitterly. “How can I fight with him when he’s never home? It’s already eleven o’clock, and I probably won’t see him tonight if I go to sleep rightnow.”
    “Are you upset because he’s hardlyhome?”
    “Not really. He hasn’t been at home through our entire marriage. It didn’t bother me before, and I’ve had such a good time by myself in last fewmonths.”
    “You are homesick,” Ann said confidently. When they were together, they often talked about their families and friends whom they had left behind. How much they missedthem!
    “Maybe it would be different if my parents were here,” Yi-yun said wistfully. It used to be so comforting when they were together. Her parents doted on her and always took good care of her. “I do miss my parents,” she said as tears welled up, “but that’s not what is making me miserable. Perhaps there’s something wrong with me that I don’t know about. I’m just sodepressed!”
    “I wish I could help,” Ann said apologetically after a few minutes. “But I have so much homework to do tonight. Can I call youtomorrow?”
    “Okay, sorry to bother you,” she saiddejectedly.
    “Don’t feel sorry. You know I love to talk to you. Get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll chat againtomorrow.”
    Ann called the next morning to check up on her between classes. Although it wasn’t Ann’s fault that she could only spare so little time with her, Yi-yun was upset. She burst into tears after Ann hung up thephone.
    “What’s wrong, honey?” Fang Chen rushed to her when he opened the door around noon. He came home every day for lunch, so he could see hiswife.
    “Everything,” she cried, trying to dry her tears that gushed down in a flood. “I think I’m dying