“Zhang Dafen’s boyfriend must be blind.”
My cousin was still fuming, complaining indignantly: “He’s a provincial government official, yet he can’t even tell good people from bad. How could he fall for someone like her?”
“You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Lin Xiyu agreed wholeheartedly: “Some people appear respectable on the surface, but are completely rotten inside.”
“You hit the nail on the head.”
My cousin deliberately raised her voice, shouting toward the west room: “This kind of two-faced woman would bring nothing but trouble to any family foolish enough to marry her. Whoever marries her is asking for misfortune.”
Her shout echoed throughout the entire courtyard.
“Liu Lei, what are you saying?”
Zhang Dafen charged out of the room angrily, pointing at her nose and yelling: “Say that again and I’ll tear your mouth apart!”
“Come on then, do it!”
This was exactly what my cousin wanted. She promptly rolled up her sleeves, ready for a fight.
“Dafen, forget it, don’t make a scene!”
Zhang Dafen’s older brother’s right eyelid kept twitching. He chased after her, frantically signaling with his eyes while pulling her back inside.
Inside the room, her boyfriend didn’t look pleased either, keeping his eyes downcast and remaining silent, lost in thought.
Zhang Dafen felt intimidated and didn’t dare cause more trouble, allowing her brother to drag her back inside.
“Hah! Don’t chicken out if you’ve got guts!”
My cousin lost her chance to show off, spat toward the west room, and looked utterly frustrated.
“Stop standing under that tree, you two.”
Aunt, afraid she might cause more trouble, called out from behind the west room’s curtain: “Both of you go outside and help your aunt watch the phone booth…”
“Alright!”
Lin Xiyu obediently agreed, grabbing her cousin’s hand and darting away.
Half an hour later, the negotiation between the two families finally concluded.
The Zhang family agreed to compensate Aunt with a new clay pot plus ten yuan for medical expenses.
Zhang Dafen’s boyfriend left with a dark, sullen expression, as if someone owed him a hundred silver dollars.
“Pah, finally they’re gone.”
My cousin spat in the phone booth, clapping her hands in celebration as if seeing off a plague.
“That guy doesn’t seem to have a good temper.”
Lin Xiyu expressed some concern: “After offending him, will he seek revenge later?”
“What’s there to fear?”
My cousin rolled up her sleeves, showing her feisty side: “In times like these, the tough fear the reckless, and the reckless fear the desperate. We’re just poor common folks with nothing to lose. At worst, we’ll fight him with our lives.”
“Fight who with your lives?”
A teasing laugh came from outside the phone booth, startling her.
“Gu Bin, what are you doing here?”
Hearing the voice, Lin Xiyu felt both surprised and delighted. Pushing the door open, she indeed saw the familiar figure riding a bicycle.
Gu Bin was still wearing his school uniform—a white short-sleeved T-shirt paired with loose dark blue sweatpants—looking exceptionally fresh and pleasing to the eye.
“What am I doing here?”
Gu Bin supported himself with one leg on the ground, leaned forward, and gave her a light knock on the head: “We agreed to contact each other by phone. I called over a dozen times but couldn’t get through.”
“Uh.”
Lin Xiyu felt embarrassed, covering her forehead and smiling awkwardly as she explained: “Sorry, something came up at home. The booth was unattended at noon.”
“What happened?”
Gu Bin glanced in the direction Zhang Dafen’s boyfriend had left, looking thoughtful.
“Well…”
Lin Xiyu hesitated, too embarrassed to explain.
“Xiyu, who is he?”
My cousin peeked through the door crack, her suggestive little eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.
“Classmate.”
Lin Xiyu seized the opportunity to change the subject: “We’re in the same class. He probably came to see me about the documentary…”