Wen Zhihua managed to persuade Wang Baogen to cooperate because, since childhood, Wang Baogen had been jealous of Zhou Xiangyang the child of another family. To Wang Baogen, the idea of snatching Zhou Xiangyang’s fiancée away was thrilling beyond measure.
Wang Baogen was already twenty years old, yet his marriage prospects remained frustratingly bleak. It was not that he could not find a wife; rather, his mother Zha Jinhua had impossibly high standards, and looked down upon girls from ordinary families. Even Yu Zhaodi failed to meet her expectations. The few girls who did catch her eye, in turn, found her son beneath them. She could not secure a marriage into a family of higher standing, and even matches deemed suitable kept falling through. In the end, she reluctantly set her sights on Yu Zhaodi.
No matter how close Wen Zhihua and Zha Jinhua might be, Wen Zhihua had never wanted a son in law as plain and unimpressive as Wang Baogen. Yu Zhaodi, likewise, had no desire to marry him. Yet mother and daughter dared not offend the Wang family. Their plan had been to shift misfortune elsewhere, arranging an exchange of marriages. They had never imagined matters would come to this.
Wen Zhihua glared furiously at Yu Zhaozhao. It was this stepdaughter who had ruined everything. It was this malicious girl who had struck her unconscious and arranged for her to be found with Wang Baogen. Wen Zhihua burned with rage, yet she could not argue back. She held something in check, and kept glancing nervously toward Zha Jinhua. She could not mention the three hundred yuan or the bicycle ration coupon. If she did, Yu Zhaozhao would simply deny it, and the Wang family would demand repayment.
Deputy Director Wang stood whispering quietly with Zha Jinhua, and no one noticed Wen Zhihua’s shifting expression. Her heart swelled with bitterness. She had been utterly ruined by her stepdaughter this time.
The group proceeded to the neighborhood administration office, where they were told that leaders from both the Machinery Factory and Textile Factory would arrive shortly. Deputy Director Wang and Yu Jianshe exchanged a look. They immediately mobilized every connection they possessed to smooth the situation over. All parties were eager to turn a major scandal into a minor matter.
The engagement originally between Yu Zhaozhao and Zhou Xiangyang was officially presented as having been between Yu Zhaodi and Zhou Xiangyang. Yu Zhaozhao raised no objection to the re writing of history. Her only demands were that Yu Zhaodi’s work post be transferred to her, plus compensation of five hundred yuan. She would certainly not be sent down to the countryside.
When Yu Zhaozhao was four years old, Zhou Xiangyang’s mother had passed away unexpectedly. Claiming she could not manage the household, Wen Zhihua had persuaded Yu Jianshe to send the girl to the countryside to live with her aunt who was obsessed with romance and impractical fantasies. There, Yu Zhaozhao had been made to help care for younger children, climb onto stools to cook, catch insects to feed the chickens, gather pigweed, and work the fields. She had often gone hungry, lacked warm clothing, and endured beatings and scolding. Had the Zhou family not intervened, she might never have been brought back home.
Yu Zhaodi was in no position to produce five hundred yuan. The sum would have to come from Wen Zhihua and Yu Jianshe. At that moment, Zhou Xiangyang offered to provide another five hundred yuan in compensation to Yu Zhaozhao. His father gave his approval. Zhou Caixia tried to protest, but one sharp look from her father silenced her. Yu Zhaodi seethed with resentment that Zhou Xiangyang would willingly give Yu Zhaozhao five hundred yuan.
Wen Zhihua inwardly raged. Though she had succeeded in pairing her daughter with Zhou Xiangyang, the price had been far too high higher than she could possibly bear. The comfortable life she had built over years lay in ruins. Zha Jinhua said nothing further. Though her son’s condition enraged her, and she held Wen Zhihua and the entire Yu family responsible, she chose restraint. There would be other opportunities for vengeance; she need not ruin herself in the process.
Deputy Director Wang was even less inclined to pursue confrontation. He spoke up in defense of the Yu family, to Zha Jinhua’s visible frustration. When the factory leaders arrived, the agreed account of events allowed the matter to be settled quietly. Stepping out from the administration office, every face was grim, and many backs were damp with sweat.
Wang Baogen, though now simple minded, remained a party to the affair. Deputy Director Wang and Zha Jinhua were required to write self criticisms. Wen Zhihua was sentenced to six months of hard labor scooping manure. Zhou Caixia and Yu Zhaodi both spoke on behalf of Yu Yaozu, who went unpunished. Yu Zhaodi, however, was ordered to clean public toilets for three months. Zhou Caixia received a posting to the countryside, to depart the following month. Until then, she would work alongside Yu Zhaodi cleaning toilets. To Zhou Caixia, the news struck like a thunderbolt.
“Yaozu, wait for me.”
Zhou Caixia’s father was beside himself with fury, declaring he wished he had no such daughter. Zhou Xiangyang did not so much as cast a glance at Zhou Caixia or the Yu family. Zha Jinhua bit back harsh words, merely tugging Deputy Director Wang’s sleeve and saying, “Let us go.”
“Fine.”
Before departing, Deputy Director Wang glanced once at Yu Yaozu a look of profound, unreadable complexity. Wen Zhihua’s heart seemed to skip a beat. Only when Deputy Director Wang had left did she breathe a tentative sigh of relief. Yet the thought of what had happened between herself and Wang Baogen, and the prospect of facing Yu Jianshe, made her scalp prickle with dread.
Yu Zhaozhao caught that glance and paused. What had it meant? Was Deputy Director Wang planning to take vengeance upon Yu Yaozu because of what had befallen Wang Baogen? And Wen Zhihua’s manner had been distinctly off.
“Zhaozhao, for now matters rest thus but this is not the end. Your stepmother will not let this lie. And the resentment pent up within the Wang family may well turn first against you. In the days ahead, keep yourself safe. Let their two households exhaust one another in conflict. Meanwhile, I shall uncover what secrets the Wang family holds.”
“Xiangyang, did you notice? Something seems amiss between Wen Zhihua and Deputy Director Wang.” Yu Zhaozhao voiced the suspicion taking root in her mind. It might be mere fancy. After all that had happened, the Wangs ought to hate the Yus with every fiber of their being. Zha Jinhua certainly did even while cooperating to suppress the affair at the police station, she had uttered not a word in the Yu family’s favor. Yet Deputy Director Wang had spoken on their behalf on behalf of Wen Zhihua and her children and pressed the matter no further.
“It is not impossible. Wen Zhihua and Zha Jinhua have known one another since youth. Proof is hard to come by. Yu Yaozu resembles Wen Zhihua, yet bears no likeness to Deputy Director Wang nor, indeed, to your father. Resemblance may run through the mother’s side, and we cannot build conclusions upon speculation alone. If Yaozu’s birth holds secrets, in time they will surely emerge. Zhaozhao, do not weigh upon this. After today, there can be no reconciliation between your father and your stepmother. As for work and your own future, I shall help you seek opportunities wherever I may.”
Speaking those words, Zhou Xiangyang felt as though his heart were being torn asunder. Yu Zhaozhao sighed. Zhou Xiangyang stood tall, broad and straight backed, with fine features and a gentle, steadfast nature. He truly cared for her.
Wen Zhihua, Yu Zhaodi, Yu Yaozu, Zhou Caixia and the Wang family. Damn them all.
Upon returning to the courtyard where they lived, they found neighbors gathered in waiting. Yu Zhaozhao wore a look of quiet dejection, and every gaze that fell upon her brimmed with sympathy.
“Poor child. How hard life must be without a mother. Even a betrothal arranged since infancy could be stolen away by scheming.”
“Wen Zhihua is a wicked stepmother. Unspeakable.”
“As the mother is, so is the daughter. They say Yaozu was born prematurely but who can say for certain? Perhaps the affair began while Zhaozhao’s own mother still lived. Why else would a woman marry within three months of a death, and bear a child so soon thereafter?”
“Such claims are without proof. Yet of this there is no doubt: Wen Zhihua and her daughter are thoroughly wicked.”
“And how does Wen Zhihua dare show her face here, after what happened with Wang Baogen?”
“They say Wang Baogen has lost his wits entirely.”
Voices rose and fell in a clamor of whispers. Apart from Yu Zhaozhao, everyone including Zhou Xiangyang felt as though they stood exposed in utter shame.
Within the hour, official notices arrived from the neighborhood administration and both factories, listing punishments. Wen Zhihua was dismissed from her post at the Textile Factory. Yu Zhaodi’s temporary employment was likewise terminated. Her face paled, yet she quickly reasoned that since her work post had already been signed over to Yu Zhaozhao, its loss was no longer her concern. A flicker of satisfaction stirred within her.
To Wen Zhihua, the news struck like lightning. She had been sustained only by sheer resolve. Now, her breath failed her. She swayed, and collapsed unconscious to the ground.