Chapter 233 Don't Play Tricks

She had barely stepped into the courtyard, her steps unsteady, when she plastered a fake smile on her face, her eyes narrowed with a sneer, and her tone was light and sarcastic: "Oh, Xiuli, matchmaking money is really hard to earn! In the past year, I've introduced you to eight or nine young men, and what's the result? Not a single one has worked out! You've practically picked out all the boys in our village. If this keeps up, I'm afraid you won't even find a leftover one!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiuli flew into a rage, her teeth itching with anger, and her chest throbbing as if it would burst out of her chest.

She stood up abruptly, glaring at him, and retorted without backing down, "Aunt Li! Are the people you introduced to me even human? Think about it! The first one gambled away all his money, the second one is over thirty and still sponging off his parents, and the last one couldn't even afford to eat, yet I had to pay for his dowry! What kind of trash are these! You dare call yourself a matchmaker? You're clearly just here to rip me off!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Li's smile vanished instantly. Her brows furrowed, her eyes turned cold, and her tone became harsh.

She slammed the cloth bag on the table and raised her voice, "Xiuli, I'm saying this for your own good! You need to consider your family's circumstances. You're picky about who you marry, but do you think they're picky about you too? Do you think you're some city princess with a degree and a job, that everyone's fighting to marry you? Wake up!"

"Don't just look down on other people's sons. Aren't there any good ones in our village? Look at the village chief's son! He has a stable income, a house, and he's not bad-looking! He's looking for girls from the city who have jobs, savings, or education—good, respectable families. And you? You don't even qualify for any of those things. You didn't even finish junior high, your family is so poor you can't even afford to eat, and your two younger brothers rely on you for support—tell me, why would anyone marry you?"

Zhou Xiuli gritted her teeth and clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.

Her heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.

But she refused to bow her head or accept her fate.

She knew that she could never marry a poor man in the village and live a life of toiling in the fields, exploited for her entire life.

She was unwilling to accept this, and even more unwilling to be sold off by her parents like merchandise.

So, taking advantage of the moment when her parents were working in the fields and not paying attention to her, she gritted her teeth, picked up a small bundle, and slipped out of the house without looking back.

Tears streamed down my face, soaking my collar.

She ran desperately, across muddy paths and past the old locust tree at the village entrance, almost losing one of her shoes in the process, her feet burning with pain.

Finally, she rushed to the gate of Zhou Nuli's factory, collapsed to the ground, and cried uncontrollably.

Old Wang, the security guard at the gate, already knew her. When he saw her coming again, he rolled his eyes and looked annoyed.

He raised his hand to stop her, his tone firm: "Why do you keep coming here? You're always blocking the factory, disrupting order! If you keep causing trouble, I'll really have to call security! Don't think I won't!"

Zhou Xiuli sniffled and pleaded with him, her voice choked with sobs, "Uncle Wang, I'll just wait a little while, just to see him, to say a few words, please..."

I'm really at my wit's end..."

The security guard ignored her completely, turning his head away and muttering, "Everyone has their difficulties. This factory isn't your backyard!"

When the security guards heard that she had come again, they didn't even respond, just waved their hands and said, "Ignore her, leave her alone, she'll leave when she gets bored."

So Zhou Xiuli stood alone in the cold wind, her back against the icy iron gate, her hands red with cold and her lips purple.

She dared not leave, nor dared she sit, and just stood there, waiting and waiting, from the first light of dawn until the sun rose high in the sky, and then until the sunset painted half the sky red, and then the sky gradually darkened.

Zhou Nuli lived in the factory and never went to the factory gate after work; he would go straight to the staff canteen.

He led a regular life, spoke little, avoided trouble, and never chatted with others.

He knew very well that some people would only cause trouble if he met them.

Therefore, his avoidance of Zhou Xiuli was not out of heartlessness, but out of fear.

But that day, he was sitting in the corner of the canteen, holding a cold steamed bun in his hand, taking bites one by one, when he suddenly heard his coworker at the same table whisper, "Hey, someone else is here. It's Zhou Xiuli. She's shivering from the cold. She's been waiting all day."

"She also sent a message saying... she has something urgent to discuss and insists on seeing you."

Zhou Nuli was startled, and the steamed bun in his hand fell into the lunchbox with a "thud," splashing soup all over him.

He suddenly stood up, not bothering to wipe himself, grabbed his coat and rushed out, forgetting even his lunchbox, running all the way out of the cafeteria.

He saw her from afar.

Zhou Xiuli huddled in the corner, her hair disheveled by the wind, her face covered in red marks from the cold, her nose tip purple, and her eyes red and swollen, as if she had been crying all day.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her breath drifted away in wisps in the cold wind.

"Oh My God!"

Zhou Nuli's heart clenched, and he rushed to her, his voice trembling: "It's so windy, and you're just sitting there like an idiot? Aren't you cold? Do you want to catch a cold?!"

His instinct was to pull her up and take her into the factory to avoid the storm.

But security guard Lao Wang immediately stepped forward, blocking the way with his outstretched arm: "Zhou Nuli! Have you forgotten what Factory Director Zhou said? Family members and outsiders are not allowed to enter the factory! That's the rule, don't make things difficult for me!"

Zhou Nuli opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back.

He knew that saying anything more would be useless.

The factory has rules that no one can be an exception to.

He didn't dare to argue back, nor did he dare to force his way in. He could only lower his voice and change his words: "Uncle Wang, I... I don't want to take her inside. I'm going in to get something. She can wait outside. If she doesn't go in, she can just stand here, okay?"

The security guard snorted and waved his hand: "Go and come back quickly, don't try anything funny."

Zhou Nuli turned around and ran back to his dormitory, burying himself in his bed and rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for money.

He turned his pockets inside out, borrowed a dozen yuan from his roommate, and stuffed all the loose bills and coins into his pocket, clutching them tightly as if afraid of losing them.

He didn't have time to change his clothes; he just threw on his coat and rushed outside.

When I came out, it was completely dark.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow light on Zhou Xiuli's face; she remained motionless in the same spot.

The wind was howling, she was sniffling, tears streaming down her face, her shoulders trembling like a withered leaf that could be blown away at any moment.

"Big brother..." she saw him, her voice trembling so much it was almost inaudible, "My family... they're forcing me to marry..."

Those people… can't even afford a decent pair of shoes, they swear constantly, and they're always threatening to beat their wives… They… clearly think I'm taking up space and eating their food! They see me as a burden and want to get rid of me as soon as possible!”

“I work hard doing odd jobs outside, and I send most of my monthly earnings home! All my food coupons and cloth coupons are given to my two younger brothers! I can't even afford to buy myself a new piece of clothing... But what did I get in return? Not a word of thanks, not a shred of love!”