Outside the state-run restaurant.
Shen Qingyun glared at the scrawny, sleazy man in front of her, her delicate brows tightly knit. Impatiently, she said, “I’ll say this one more time. The engagement and the dowry were arranged by Shen Zhigao and Sun Lanzhi. I am not their daughter. If you want a wife, go to Shen Zhigao. Don’t bother me.”
Ma Daqiang’s eyes, like a venomous snake, clung to Shen Qingyun’s exquisite little face. How had he never noticed that this girl was so beautiful?
“I don’t care about that! All I know is that Shen Zhigao promised you would marry me, so you have to! You’re coming with me!”
Ma Daqiang reached for Shen Qingyun’s wrist, trying to drag her away.
Shen Qingyun stepped back and evaded him. Her eyes, delicate and beautiful, gradually turned icy. “I understand. You wait here.”
Ma Daqiang smirked, waving his hand. “Hurry up! I still have a pile of dirty laundry at home to wash.”
“Wait and see.”
Shen Qingyun turned back and found a waiter, whispering a few words. The waiter nodded and handed over some items.
At the entrance, Ma Daqiang heard the commotion and turned impatiently. “Why is it taking so long? Ah—hot! Hot!”
A tub of boiling water poured over him. Ma Daqiang clutched his face, screaming sharply. Once the burning sensation on his skin subsided, a rain of sticks landed on him, and he writhed in pain across the ground.
Shen Qingyun struck him over a dozen times before stopping. “You wouldn’t listen when I tried to talk to you nicely, so I had to do it. You’re despicable, huh? Get lost! If you dare harass me again, next time it won’t just be your face getting scalded—I’ll make sure you can’t even be a man.”
Her eyes were icy cold. Ma Daqiang felt a tightening below and stammered, “Y-you just wait!” before scrambling away in terror.
Shen Qingyun returned the broom and glanced at the wet, steamy floor. Embarrassed, she said, “Where’s the mop? Should I clean up before leaving?”
The waiter, looking at her stunning face, blushed and waved frantically, insisting it wasn’t necessary.
Nearby, Lu Siyuan stared blankly. “Old Zou, did you see that? That girl is fierce!” Thinking of the scalding hot water, he winced for her.
“No way. Even if we only saw her back, as beautiful as she is… she’s not suitable for us. Too… independent.”
Zou Zhanyang, however, said, “I quite like her personality.”
Shen Qingyun walked across two streets to the supply and marketing cooperative, heading straight for the clothing section. The clothing area was divided into fabric and ready-made sections. In the fabric section, you had to pick the cloth yourself and have someone make it, or visit a nearby tailor.
The ready-made section was simpler: racks with clothes, some displayed on stands, some on walls, and some folded in storage cabinets. Most were dark colors, and there were only three or four styles. Shen Qingyun glanced at them, feeling uninterested—they weren’t even as good as what she was wearing.
She remembered the department store was nearby, about a ten-minute walk.
The department store was seven stories high and much larger than the cooperative, with a much richer clothing selection. Shen Qingyun eagerly picked clothes until her remaining funds were nearly gone, only stopping when she had her fill.
Towns didn’t have department stores, let alone these beautiful clothes. Shen Qingyun was even more determined not to be sent down.
When she finished, she stepped out of the department store, already wearing her new outfit.
She wore a light pink beret, her plaited hair neatly draped over her left shoulder. Her knee-length dress matched the beret, with a sailor collar and a row of pearl-colored buttons from neckline to hem. The slightly loose fit was cinched sharply at the waist, outlining a waist that seemed impossible to grasp.
The outfit was casual yet elegant, elegant yet playful. Shen Qingyun smiled in satisfaction.
The surroundings had quietly fallen silent. Subtle gazes were fixed on her, one in particular sharp and predatory, like a leopard’s, locking onto her fleeting figure. When the woman disappeared from sight, a sense of loss arose.
A jeep was parked on the side of the road. Lu Siyuan jumped into the passenger seat, panicked. “Old Zou, drive! This document must be delivered in five minutes. Once I finish, I’ll thank you properly. A brother never lies!”
Zou Zhanyang’s gaze left the rearview mirror briefly, giving a curt “hmph.”
“What’s wrong? You seem distracted,” Lu Siyuan muttered.
Zou Zhanyang said nothing. His dark eyes deepened.
Just past one in the afternoon, Shen Xinwei hurried out and arrived early at the city park entrance. She looked around, waiting anxiously, and finally saw Shen Qingyun.
Dressed in new clothes and styled fashionably, Shen Qingyun’s beauty seemed doubled, almost radiant in the sunlight. Shen Xinwei, jealous, muttered bitterly, “Not bad. How much did that cost?”
“About ninety,” Shen Qingyun said, brushing back a stray strand of hair, revealing her graceful profile.
Xinwei forced herself not to roll her eyes. Ninety? She remembered Bai Yue only gave a hundred in total. Already spent in half a day?
Thinking that Zhou Weiguo only received a twenty-odd allowance per month, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of schadenfreude.
“Let’s go.”
The city park had been expanded from a small scenic spot for public leisure. The meeting point for the match was by the artificial lake, about a fifteen-minute walk.
Passing a sculpture of a great man, a broad plaza, and artificial rock formations, Xinwei suddenly clutched her stomach. “Ah, my stomach hurts. Maybe I ate something bad.”
She pointed to the opposite side. “There’s the meeting spot. You go first. I’ll catch up.”
Without waiting for a reply, she dashed off.
Shen Xinwei ran so far that Shen Qingyun was out of sight. Bent over, gasping for breath, sweat rolling down her dark-yellow skin like dripping mulberries, she looked utterly disheveled.
Wiping her face casually, a smile broke out. That useless Zhou Weiguo could go to Shen Qingyun. Without Qingyun as an obstacle, she would enjoy a happy courtship with the Shen family in Minghua Village and later inherit everything in the city.
Thinking of Bai Yue’s inheritance, greed flashed in Xinwei’s eyes.
Zhou Weiguo, in his military uniform, stood straight like a young poplar swaying in the wind, attracting glances from female onlookers. Bold girls tried to flirt, all failed.
Now, another girl approached him, failing, but didn’t leave. She stepped forward pitifully. “Comrade soldier, can you help me? The city park is huge. I’m lost. Can you escort me out?”
Zhou Weiguo checked the time. With less than five minutes to two, he said, “Sorry, I have something to do.”
The girl was persistent. “Aren’t you a soldier? Shouldn’t you protect the people, serve them wholeheartedly, solve their problems? I need help now!”
Zhou Weiguo paused, then started walking out. “Follow me.”
The girl smirked confidently at those around her and hurried after him.
Lu Siyuan clicked his tongue in amazement. “Zhou Weiguo is decent, capable, but too soft-hearted. This guy’s going to get into trouble eventually.”
He glanced at Zou Zhanyang. Some would suffer from drought, some from flood. He had brought Zou Zhanyang to the park deliberately. Many eager girls approached, but every time, one glance from Old Zou, and they shrank like mice seeing a cat.
At this rate, Zou Zhanyang’s reputation as the “military camp’s permanent resident” wouldn’t change anytime soon.