Fifty Summers

Taozi and his wife Xiaojuan visit her mother in the countryside for the holiday. The house is small, the walls are thin, and his mother-in-law is fifty, sharp-tongued, and not as settled as she pretends. What began on the wedding night resumes as soon as Xiaojuan leaves the room: a look, a closed door, a conversation that has to end before the neighbors notice. / Taozi tells himself it is only a holiday, but the visit has a way of rearranging the family. His wife is sleeping, the yard is dark, and his mother-in-law is already waiting for him.