Not only did Li Zhanye not remove his hands, he even pulled the fabric tighter around her. “With you this big here, it won’t fit unless I tuck them in properly.”
“Really?”
Zhou Wanning felt a bit suspicious.
Li Zhanye: “If you don’t believe me, then try putting it on yourself.”
They stared at each other for two seconds, and Zhou Wanning was the first to concede. She spread her hands open. “Fine then, you do it.”
Li Zhanye laughed. This little rabbit really knew how to hook a man, but he was happy to fall for her tricks.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re dressed properly.”
That’s what he said, but Li Zhanye’s hands only grew bolder and more teasing.
It wasn’t until Zhou Wanning started to show signs of impatience that Li Zhanye finally fastened her buttons.
Before leaving, he gave her a hard, lingering kiss. “You don’t need to worry about anything. Er Ya will come by in a bit. Wait for me to get back.”
After saying that, he ruffled Li Zhannan’s hair, a rare tenderness in his eyes. “You be good too. When your big brother gets back, I’ll bring you both some candy.”
Li Zhannan, for once, didn’t cling to him. Instead, he wrapped both arms tightly around Zhou Wanning. It was clear he genuinely liked her, which was a good thing.
After all, from now on, they would all be one family.
Not long after Li Zhanye left, Er Ya arrived. But she wasn’t alone—her mother, Wang Jinfeng, had come with her.
Before they even entered the yard, the wailing began.
“Oh heavens above! So what they said was all true. That damned Li Zhanye actually has a fiancée! Then why was he stringing our Er Ya along? How is our Er Ya supposed to live now?”
Hearing the shrill screaming, Li Zhannan was clearly frightened, pressing his whole body behind Zhou Wanning.
Zhou Wanning wanted to take Li Zhannan into the house first and hide him away, but the moment she tried to close the door, Li Zhannan went crazy, desperately pushing against the door to keep it open, crying and sobbing incoherently as if he’d been greatly traumatized.
With no other choice, she had to hold Li Zhannan, comforting him while keeping an eye on what was happening with Er Ya.
Er Ya was dragged into the yard by Wang Jinfeng, who had a firm grip on her ear. The girl, already frail and thin, looked like a withered leaf now—there wasn’t a trace of life left in her.
Zhou Wanning only glanced at Er Ya briefly before shifting her gaze to Wang Jinfeng. “If you have a problem with Li Zhanye, go talk to Li Zhanye about it.”
At the mention of Li Zhanye’s name, Wang Jinfeng visibly flinched in fear, but she quickly straightened her back, her beady little eyes darting around slyly. “This is a matter between women. Since he’s got a woman now, of course I’ll talk to his woman about it.”
Zhou Wanning didn’t want to engage. She turned to leave with Li Zhannan in her arms, but Wang Jinfeng blocked her path. “The whole village knows—ever since Li Zhanye came to our village, Er Ya has been running over here every day to take care of him and his little brother. Her reputation is already ruined. I don’t care what you say, you have to take responsibility for our Er Ya.”
Zhou Wanning had seen plenty of people like Wang Jinfeng. It was nothing more than trying to sell off her daughter for some money. As long as she remained unmoved, it would be Wang Jinfeng who got anxious.
Seeing that she couldn’t leave, Zhou Wanning sat down on the stone bench in the yard with Li Zhannan in her arms.
Outside the yard, a crowd of onlookers had gathered.
This was Li Zhanye’s territory, and after what happened earlier, they didn’t dare come inside. They could only crowd around the fence, gripping the rails and craning their necks to peek in.
Wang Jinfeng saw that Zhou Wanning remained so composed, and she grew anxious. She plopped herself down on the ground and began kicking and hitting Er Ya. “You shameless little wretch! You’ve disgraced the Wang family name completely!”
Turning around, she wailed to the onlookers, “Dear uncles and elders, please judge for me! Ever since Li Zhanye came, my innocent, pure daughter has been following him around, helping him take care of his child and cooking for him. And now he turns around and says he has a fiancée! Tell me, what is my daughter supposed to do?”
As she spoke, she pinched Er Ya viciously. “You dead girl, say something! Your brother is still counting on you to get him a wife. I’m telling you, if you don’t get money today, I’ll sell you to Old Man Li from the neighboring village tomorrow.”
It was only at the mention of Old Man Li that Er Ya showed some reaction. He was an old widower whose brother-in-law worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, giving his family considerable standing throughout the entire brigade.
Rumor had it that he’d injured himself down below in his early years, and he was notoriously cruel to his wives—he’d already beaten two to death. Any family with even a shred of conscience wouldn’t marry their daughter to him.
Er Ya wanted to say something, but when she caught sight of Li Zhannan, she couldn’t get a single word out. If it weren’t for Li Zhanye taking pity on her and letting her care for Li Zhannan in exchange for meals, she would have long been married off by her family for money.
She couldn’t repay his kindness with betrayal.
A look of resolve flashed in Er Ya’s eyes. She broke free from Wang Jinfeng and charged toward the big tree in the courtyard. If Wang Jinfeng hadn’t grabbed her ankle in time, she would have slammed right into it.
“You dead girl, you dare try to kill yourself! I’ll beat you to death, you worthless thing! I raised you all these years just so you could die without bringing in a single cent?”
“Enough!”
Zhou Wanning frowned at Wang Jinfeng. “You just want money, don’t you? I’ll negotiate with you.”
It wasn’t that she particularly pitied Er Ya—she simply needed a servant to do chores around here. Er Ya had a good nature and quick, capable hands; she was a fine choice.
Most importantly, Er Ya had feelings for Li Zhanye, even if those feelings were only gratitude.
From her interactions with Li Zhanye over the past two days, Zhou Wanning could tell he was a man with strong desires. Once they married, she might not be able to handle him alone. If the two of them had mutual interest, she wouldn’t mind elevating Er Ya’s position.
Better to prepare a woman for him now—one whose background she knew well and could easily control—than to have him seek someone outside later.
Hearing that Zhou Wanning was willing to pay, Wang Jinfeng immediately let go and beamed at her. “Oh, look at how you put it! What’s all this talk about money? I’m not selling my daughter. I just want Li Zhanye to take responsibility for our Er Ya.”
Zhou Wanning slowly extended one finger. “I’ll only give you one chance.”
Seeing her rise to leave, Wang Jinfeng panicked, afraid Er Ya would end up stuck on her hands. “100! I’ll take just 100, and the girl is yours.”
Zhou Wanning frowned. She only had 200 yuan on her in total. Spending half of it on this purchase made her hesitate.
Before she could speak, Wang Jinfeng added, “88! 88 is the lowest I’ll go. I spent no small amount raising this girl.”
“Fine, but we sign a deed of indenture first.”
The moment the words “indenture contract” were spoken, everyone began whispering among themselves. Selling one’s daughter wasn’t permitted, but it was an unspoken understanding—using one’s eldest daughter to secure a bride price for one’s son.
But an indenture contract was a different matter entirely. This was a classic case of improper conduct, something that would warrant being taken in for criticism and re-education.
All the onlookers turned their gazes toward Captain Luo Yao, who had been hiding at the back of the crowd, listening in on the commotion.
“Captain, this situation of hers should warrant being taken in for criticism and re-education, right?”
Luo Yao: “…”