Zhao Yaoyao’s frail health had a well-documented track record throughout the entire village. Once, when she got into a fight with a villager who ended up slapping her, her nose started bleeding like an untamed water faucet, bleeding profusely without stop. The incident eventually went all the way to the county hospital. Unwilling to spend time in a jail cell, the other party paid over a hundred yuan in compensation, and only then was the matter settled.
Instead of paying her own medical bills at the hospital, the original body directly took that hundred yuan and handed it over to the scumbag. In the end, her family had to sell one of their pigs just to clear the hospital debt.
Sun Qing shouted, “Sit tight, we’re heading out!”
Along the way, the only sounds were Tian Hongmei and her neighbor chatting away.
After riding halfway, Zhao Yaoyao felt violently nauseous. This stretch of the road was even steeper than the one right outside the village exit. The roads now were unpaved dirt tracks, full of bumps and hollows, which made the tractor shake intensely. She quickly pressed her thumb against an acupoint in her palm, and the churning, sea-sick sensation in her stomach finally eased a little.
It seems I’ll need to find time to concoct some motion sickness medicine, or perhaps some self-defense poisons, she thought. At the word “poison,” her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Tian Hongmei, who was still chattering endlessly. If necessary, I’ll brew some mute-inducing poison to render these people who spew nonsense completely speechless.
After another half-hour of jolting, they finally arrived in the county town. Widow Sun parked the tractor in an open space and announced to everyone, “Get whatever shopping you need to do done as quickly as possible. We’ll meet back here in an hour, and I won’t wait for latecomers.”
With that, she left. Tian Hongmei spat fiercely at Widow Sun’s retreating back and cursed, “Such a shameless harlot, what’s she acting all high and mighty for? She can afford a tractor only because of men. Who knows how many men she had to sleep with to get it.”
Another person nodded in complete agreement, “Exactly! Just two days ago, I saw the village chief walking out of her room. That tractor used to be used for work in the village, and even after depreciation, it still cost thirteen hundred yuan when sold to her. A widowed woman like her—where on earth did she get that kind of money? She’s probably just here in the county town to pull off some shady business…”
Even after walking a considerable distance away, Zhao Yaoyao could still hear the two of them gossiping.
She turned her head and saw that Widow Sun hadn’t walked very far; she must have heard those two shameless remarks as well. Yet, Widow Sun didn’t even look back and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Truly a person of immense mental fortitude.
Walking through two streets, Zhao Yaoyao found the scumbag’s residence. His housing was allocated by his workplace, surrounded by his colleagues. She figured that if she went there to demand her money back, the scumbag wouldn’t dare blow the matter out of proportion.
She didn’t know the exact apartment number. Every time the scumbag asked her for money, he would meet her near a flower shop and have her older sister, Zhao Mingyuan, come pick it up. She managed to find this place today only by asking directions along the way.
Before she could take a closer look, a hand suddenly shot out, grabbed her arm, and yanked her into a nearby small grove of trees. She looked back, and the person pulling her was none other than her good-for-nothing sister.
“Er-yatou [Second girl], how did you find this place? What do you want?”
As Zhao Mingyuan spoke, she cast glances around to check if anyone was paying attention to their corner.
Staring at her without moving an inch, Zhao Yaoyao said in an eerie tone, “I’m here to bring you money. I was worried your living expenses weren’t enough, so I pooled some more together for you. Plus, I brought you a gift.”
She pulled the hairpin from her hair and waved it in front of Zhao Mingyuan’s face.
The moment Zhao Mingyuan saw the hairpin, an intense look of joy flashed in her eyes—the piece clearly looked expensive. She reached out to grab it, but Zhao Yaoyao quickly pulled it back, causing her to lunge into empty air. Zhao Mingyuan shot a fierce glare at Zhao Yaoyao.
“Sister, what do you mean by this?”
“If you don’t genuinely want it, then I won’t give it to you. Besides, as long as I fancy something, Baoshan will buy it for me anyway. It’s just that this hairpin looks quite expensive. If Baoshan buys it for me, he won’t have money left for meals. You know how picky Baoshan is; if there’s no food he likes, he simply won’t eat. Because of this, he even developed a severe stomach ulcer. Can you bear to watch him go hungry?”
She was speaking of Fan Baoshan—the very same sweetheart the original body was utterly devoted to.
He currently worked as a doctor at a public hospital, earning fifty yuan a month. It was a proper, iron-rice-bowl job.
Watching her finish her act with indifference, Zhao Yaoyao put on a infatuated look and said, “I’m giving you both the items and the money with all sincerity, but I haven’t seen Brother Baoshan for a long time now. I want to see him. There are too many eyes and ears here, so I can go home with you and wait for him to return. As long as I get to see him, this hairpin and the money in my hand can all be yours.”
Frowning, Zhao Mingyuan was unwilling at heart.
However, looking at the greedy desire welling up inside her eyes at the sight of the hairpin, she gritted her teeth and said, “Fine! I’ll take you home to wait for Baoshan to get off work. But you aren’t allowed to wander around, and you mustn’t talk nonsense when you see Baoshan. Whatever happened between you two is already in the past, understand?”
To get her hands on the hairpin—and to avoid losing this long-term meal ticket—she decided to endure it.
Nodding obediently, Zhao Yaoyao followed her up to the second floor.
Zhao Mingyuan stopped near the center, took out a key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The interior furnishing was quite simple. The front area served as a small living room, centered around a modest circular wooden table with a shoe cabinet nearby. There was no private bathroom or kitchen inside; those were located outside for public use.
The only bedroom was situated on the left side of the entrance, separated merely by a red curtain. When Zhao Mingyuan went inside to put her things away, Zhao Yaoyao glanced in. The space inside was also very cramped, featuring a wooden double bed pushed against the wall and a small wardrobe beside it.
While the apartment wasn’t very large, the couple owned few possessions, so it didn’t look overly cluttered.
“Just sit here and wait. Baoshan will be off work soon. When he gets back, make sure you keep your mouth shut about things you shouldn’t say,” Zhao Mingyuan pointed to a nearby stool and warned with a stern face.
Withdrawing her observing gaze, Zhao Yaoyao nodded with a docile expression and sat obediently in her seat, secretly calculating her plan to get the money back. Yet, her absent-minded, glassy stare looked like that of a love-struck fool in Zhao Mingyuan’s eyes.
Unable to resist, Zhao Mingyuan sneered derisively from the side, “Er-yatou, you might be pretty, and I may not match your looks, but do you know why Brother Baoshan chose me instead of you?”
“It’s because I’m healthy. I can bear children, work, and earn a living. But what about you? Aside from having a pretty face and a frail body, forget about working—even having children after marriage would be a problem.”
“Just one year into our marriage, I gave his family a big, chubby baby boy. Do you have any idea how overjoyed his parents were? They held him every day and wouldn’t let go, treating him like the apples of their eyes.”
“Isn’t the whole point of a man getting married to carry on the family line? Since you can’t even manage that, Brother Baoshan would never choose you. He has his difficulties, and you need to understand that. If you truly love him, you should help prepare a bit more money for him—that is what true, selfless love is all about.”