As soon as Zhou Yu heard that Wang Hongmei wasn’t ordering her around to work, she immediately understood.
Wang Hongmei was probably planning to keep part of the meat Zhou Yu had bought for herself.
Enjoy it while you can, Zhou Yu thought to herself. Let’s see if you’re still in the mood to enjoy that meat and those bones tomorrow.
Not bothering to argue, she returned to her room to rest.
Meanwhile, on a secluded street in the county town, a figure carrying a large sack struggled forward.
It was none other than Zhao Ziming.
As he walked, he constantly scanned his surroundings, making sure no one was watching.
The black market wasn’t far ahead.
Most of the people bold enough to make money through illegal trading gathered there.
After walking for a short while, Zhao Ziming spotted someone ahead and immediately approached him.
The man was in his twenties, rough-looking, with a scar across his face. He was the very person Zhao Ziming had been dealing with over the past few days.
Although all their transactions had taken place at night, making it difficult to see each other’s faces clearly, they still recognized one another’s build.
The moment Zhao Ziming appeared, Scarface recognized him.
After glancing around, he lowered his voice and asked,
“Got all the goods I wanted?”
Zhao Ziming set down the sack.
“Everything’s here. I ran all over collecting it. You won’t find anyone with a more complete stock than mine.”
Scarface opened the bag and felt around inside.
He seemed very satisfied with the quality.
Then he pulled an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Zhao Ziming.
Zhao Ziming’s face lit up.
At last, he would have enough money for Rulan’s bride price and wedding banquet.
He quickly took the envelope.
But the moment he weighed it in his hand, he frowned.
“This isn’t the right amount. Didn’t we agree on full payment?”
“Full payment?” Scarface scoffed. “You’re obviously new to this. Everyone gets a deposit first. The rest is paid after the goods are sold.”
Zhao Ziming laughed in anger.
Did this guy really think he was some clueless fool?
This was a black-market deal.
Nobody knew anybody’s real identity.
If he accepted only a deposit now and waited for the remainder later, who knew whether he’d ever find this man again?
So that was it.
The man was trying to cheat him.
“No. Full payment tonight. Otherwise, take your money back, and I’ll find another buyer.”
Zhao Ziming stuffed the envelope back into the man’s hands, grabbed the sack, and turned to leave.
Realizing he had encountered someone tougher than expected, Scarface quickly blocked his path.
“Wait, brother. Let’s talk this through. How about we—”
Before he could finish, several flashlight beams suddenly swept across the street.
Instinctively, Zhao Ziming squinted against the light.
Scarface, however, had experience.
His expression changed instantly.
“Damn it! The cops are here! They’re cracking down on black-market profiteering!”
Zhao Ziming froze.
“What?!”
Footsteps thundered toward them from multiple directions.
Voices shouted for them to stop.
Scarface immediately turned and ran.
Zhao Ziming spun around to flee as well.
But Scarface, determined to save himself, suddenly shoved him.
Zhao Ziming stumbled and crashed to the ground.
Several men rushed forward and pinned him down.
Meanwhile, Scarface escaped into the darkness.
For a moment, Zhao Ziming sat there in shock.
When he finally realized what had happened, he began cursing furiously.
But by then, flashlights were shining directly into his face.
The men recognized him, handcuffed him, and it was already too late.
The color drained from Zhao Ziming’s face.
Back in Niuniu Village, Zhou Yu enjoyed a comfortable night’s sleep.
Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei, however, barely slept at all.
Zhao Ziming hadn’t come home.
“Old man, do you think something happened to Third Brother?” Wang Hongmei asked anxiously.
Zhao Changdong trusted his son completely.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Third Brother’s clever. How could anything happen to him? Maybe he made so much money that he needed extra time to sort everything out.”
Wang Hongmei relaxed a little after hearing that.
Just then, Zhou Yu came outside.
The moment they saw her, Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei immediately stopped talking.
But Zhou Yu could tell at a glance that they were worried about Zhao Ziming.
Suppressing a smile, she deliberately asked,
“Dad, Mom, why aren’t you heading out to work yet? Waiting for someone?”
“No one!” they denied almost reflexively.
“We’re just preparing to go to your parents’ house with the bride price for your sister. We still need to discuss the banquet and what needs to be prepared.”
“Well, wouldn’t Third Brother need to be there?” Zhou Yu asked. “Where is he?”
The couple awkwardly coughed.
“He’ll be back soon.”
Afraid she would continue asking questions, Wang Hongmei immediately ordered Zhou Yu to do some chores.
Since Zhou Yu wanted to stay in the courtyard to watch the drama unfold anyway, she didn’t refuse.
She slowly swept the yard while watching Zhao Changdong and Wang Hongmei wait confidently for Zhao Ziming’s return.
At the Zhou household, they were also waiting for the Zhao family to arrive with the bride price.
Zhou Dajun and Li Juying had prepared tea and snacks early that morning for their guests.
They even bragged about it to their neighbors.
Meanwhile, Zhou Rulan waited expectantly in her room.
Word spread quickly.
Soon, half the village knew about it and gathered outside the Zhou house to watch the excitement.
The news even reached the educated-youth compound.
“Have you heard? Teacher Zhao is supposed to bring the bride price to Zhou Rulan’s house today. Hundreds of yuan, plus the Three Turns and One Ring!”
“What? That’s so much! Isn’t Zhou Rulan a widow? This is her second marriage. Why would Teacher Zhao pay such a huge bride price?”
“Who knows? I saw her yesterday, and she looked unbelievably pleased with herself.”
Several female educated youths gathered together and chatted excitedly.
Before long, someone emerged from inside with a dark expression.
“Have you said enough? Aren’t you going to work?”
The person was Meng Jiaru.
She came from a good family and was generous with money, so few people in the compound wanted to offend her.
The women immediately fell silent.
Only then did Meng Jiaru return inside.
But the more she thought about it, the sadder she became.
Eventually, tears began to fall.
She had originally planned to ask Zhao Ziming to accompany her to the county town sometime in the next few days.
But she had never been able to find him.
Then suddenly, before she knew it, he was already preparing to deliver the bride price to the Zhou family.
After today, Zhao Ziming and Zhou Rulan would practically be officially engaged.
How could she possibly compete then?
Was she, a well-educated young woman, supposed to fight over a man with another woman?
Inside the room, Meng Jiaru felt miserable.
Outside, the other female educated youths couldn’t help whispering.
“Anyone can tell Meng Jiaru likes Teacher Zhao. After today, she’ll have no chance at all.”
“If you ask me, Meng Jiaru is better than Zhou Rulan in every way. How did Teacher Zhao end up falling for Zhou Rulan?”
“Maybe Zhou Rulan is especially good at seducing men.”
“Could be. She’s already been married once, so she probably knows all the tricks.”
Hearing bits and pieces of the conversation, Meng Jiaru felt even worse.
Meanwhile, at home, several of Zhou Rulan’s close friends came to visit her.
They expressed envy that she was about to marry into the Zhao family again.
The attention made Zhou Rulan feel especially proud.
But unexpectedly, noon arrived.
Still, no one from the Zhao family had shown up.
“Why aren’t they here yet? Wasn’t today supposed to be the engagement visit?”
“They should be. Didn’t Rulan say Zhao Ziming already promised?”
“Could she have been lying?”
The girls whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing at Zhou Rulan with teasing, mocking smiles.
Unable to sit still any longer, Zhou Rulan was about to react when Zhou Dajun and Li Juying entered the room first.
The neighbors outside had already started making sarcastic remarks while enjoying the spectacle.
Both parents looked visibly embarrassed.
“Rulan,” Zhou Dajun asked, “you’re absolutely sure you remembered correctly? The Zhao family was supposed to come today with the bride price?”