“Mom, where would I be wronged? I’m not at all.” Cheng Yu looked at Ren Caifeng’s bitter face and walked over to comfort her. “Didn’t I just chase Auntie away? As long as you don’t blame me for being thoughtless, that’s fine.”
“Mom doesn’t blame you!” Ren Caifeng had suffered no small amount of grievances at Liu Limei’s hands over the years, needless to say. And Cheng Yu had paid off their debts for them—just that loss of money alone was something she didn’t know how she could ever make up for.
“It’s all because Mom is useless, dragging you and Yanheng down.” Ren Caifeng thought of her sorrows and began sobbing.
Cheng Yu pulled her into the house and sat her down on a chair: “Mom, don’t say things like that. Who would willingly get sick for no reason? It’s because you worked so hard raising Yanheng all these years—you wore yourself out from overwork. You just take good care of your health. From now on, Yanheng and I will earn money together, and things will get better!”
Cheng Yu wasn’t just painting a fantasy for Ren Caifeng.
Given Xing Yanheng’s limited abilities, Cheng Yu didn’t dare hold out any hope for how well he might do out in the world.
If a person truly wanted to become wealthy and strong, they themselves were the most reliable!
Besides, even if Xing Yanheng did one day manage to stand on his own two feet, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t change his heart like that bastard He Zhou.
Cheng Yu would never entrust her life to a man again.
After she had comforted Ren Caifeng, she returned to her room to make plans.
…
Xing Yanheng was gone for eight days.
That evening, Cheng Yu was stitching a shoe sole in the room when she heard much more commotion in the courtyard than usual, so she went out to take a look.
A drunk man—who knew how much he’d had to drink—couldn’t even walk steadily. He was supporting himself against the wall, stopping at every step, staggering and swaying as he made his way toward her room.
“Who’s there?” Cheng Yu called out warily.
The drunk man lifted his head and grinned “heh heh” at her. And lo and behold—who else could it be but Xing Yanheng?
“How did you get back? And why did you drink so much?” Cheng Yu hurried over.
Before she even got close, a heavy smell of alcohol hit her nose.
“Wife.” Xing Yanheng was like a big crab as she dragged him sideways into the house.
Once inside, she brought him to the bedside and let go—he flopped down spread-eagle in a star shape.
“Wife, come here, let me have a good cuddle.”
“Cuddle your big head!” Cheng Yu grabbed his hand. It was covered in many small wounds, some quite deep with the flesh turned outward—clearly caused by some kind of friction or abrasion.
His clothes, at least, were fairly clean. He must have changed into fresh ones before coming home.
Not sure whether he had other injuries on his body, she simply unbuttoned his shirt to check.
But just as she started, Xing Yanheng grabbed her and pulled her down beneath him.
“Wife, I’ve been dying of missing you.”
Xing Yanheng’s breath was full of alcohol as he kissed her directly.
Cheng Yu didn’t actually mind—his smell wasn’t that strong—but she was annoyed that he’d come home dead drunk, unable to speak a single coherent word.
She endured a few of his sloppy kisses, then shoved him back.
“If you’re drunk, then behave yourself and go to sleep. Don’t even think about touching a single finger of mine!”
“No, there’s still one thing I haven’t done.” Xing Yanheng refused to give up. With his eyes half-closed in a daze, he fumbled to undo his pants.
Cheng Yu’s mouth twitched at the corners: “You—”
Before she could finish cursing, she saw Xing Yanheng pull a wad of Da Tuanjie bills from the inner pocket of his pants.
Just from looking, there had to be at least several dozen notes.
Cheng Yu froze, staring at the man’s silly grin as he held the money up to her like a treasure offering. She pressed her lips together, her feelings complicated.
This man—he wasn’t heartless after all.
“Wife, take it quick. Your man’s no good tonight—I’ll pamper you properly tomorrow.”
With that, Xing Yanheng rolled over and fell asleep, mumbling incoherently in his dreams.
Cheng Yu watched him for a few seconds, then got on the bed, straightened his body out, and after removing his clothes, confirmed there were no wounds on him. The worry in her heart settled.
Then she got off the bed, put on her shoes, filled a basin with some warm water from the thermos, and wet a towel to wipe his face and hands.
Most of the wounds on his hands were nearly healed, covered with calluses mixed in with the turned-out flesh—just looking at them made her hurt for him.
Cheng Yu pressed the towel over his hands for a while, and once the skin had softened, she gently picked the dirt out from inside.
She spent a good half hour on this task.
Xing Yanheng had completely fallen asleep by then. His snoring wasn’t loud, but his breathing was rapid.
Every now and then, he’d call out.
“Someone’s coming—hurry, don’t dawdle!”
“There’s a big one here, haha, it’s mine!”
“Wife, wife, let me kiss you…”
Hearing that last one, Cheng Yu was both exasperated and amused. She covered him with the blanket and patted his shoulder gently a few times to help him sleep more soundly.
Before going to bed, Cheng Yu put away the money he’d brought back. She counted it carefully twice—three thousand nine hundred yuan in total.
In this era, that number could rightly be called a small fortune!
This money couldn’t be kept at home—not only would it attract thieves, but spending it out in the open wouldn’t be appropriate either.
After all, the Xing family was notoriously poor in the village. Suddenly living a life of wealth would make people speculate about where the money came from, and it would bring disaster upon Xing Yanheng.
What should she do?
Cheng Yu thought it over and decided that starting tomorrow, she would deposit the money in batches.
A night passed.
Having an extra person beside her didn’t affect Cheng Yu’s sleep at all.
The next day, just as dawn broke, she was awakened by wandering hands. Opening her eyes, she met Xing Yanheng’s handsome face, which wore a lazy, mischievous grin. Even if she wasn’t actually angry, she had to put on a show.
She rolled over directly, giving the man her back.
Xing Yanheng leaned in eagerly, gently shaking her shoulder.
“Wife, are you mad because I didn’t pamper you last night?”
Cheng Yu’s face flushed bright red, and she sat up in embarrassment.
“Can’t you think about anything else besides that all day long?”
Xing Yanheng’s features were so handsome they looked as if painted with a brush. He curled his lips into a smile, so bewitching he seemed like a male spirit that had stepped out of a book.
He wrapped his arms around Cheng Yu, pressing her beneath him. His low voice carried a hint of playfulness, his breath drilling into her ear, making her itch uncontrollably.
“Isn’t that because I adore you? If it were anyone else, do you think I’d so much as touch a finger to her?”
“Ha, you say that like I’m the one getting the better deal here.” Cheng Yu rolled her eyes dramatically.
Xing Yanheng’s hands had already begun wandering over her body. His thin lips brushed across her cheek before landing on her lips. He was already aroused, his body temperature rising steadily, and he made sure to spread that heat to her as well.
“I’m the one getting the better deal, alright? My good wife, I’ve missed you so much. Let me kiss you.”
The man kissed her, giving Cheng Yu no chance to negotiate. Seizing the gaps when she tried to speak, his tongue claimed her mouth.
His large hands grew even bolder, igniting fires across her body. Soon, a blaze of passion burned through the room. The rising sun shone in through the window, casting its light upon the bed, where the atmosphere was thick with intimacy.