Chapter 140 Extra 1

A bullock cart swayed along the bumpy path beside the edge of the field.

As the sun rises in the east and dawn breaks, a steady red glow slowly ascends from behind the mountains.

The Party Secretary took a couple of puffs of his pipe, squinted, patted the mud off his clothes, and slowly went to greet him.

"Are the people in the car from Old Zhao's family?"

The thin figure sitting in the car swayed slightly, her head wrapped in a scarf, obscuring half her face, and she nodded slightly.

Zhao Xiheng's eyes were swollen from crying, and now they were red and sore.

When she got out of the car and spoke to the Party Secretary, her voice was hoarse.

The secretary took two more puffs of his pipe. “Now that you’re back in the village, just forget about the past. The villagers have taken care of things for you. Hengya, you’ve finished high school, so work as a teacher at the village primary school for now, just to make a living and support your mother.”

Zhao Xiheng nodded, forcing a smile, "Thank you, Secretary."

"No need, no need, it's my duty." The secretary tapped his pipe on a stone, climbed onto the oxcart, and told the driver to head towards Zhao Xiheng's hometown.

When Lao Zhao became successful, he donated a lot of money to the village.

Zhao Xiheng's father is a coal mine owner with some assets, and the family lives a good life. Zhao Xiheng is a senior in high school this year, and normally she should go to university after finishing her exams in June.

But last month, a torrential rain caused a mine collapse, burying her father and more than a dozen workers.

The workers' medical expenses and funeral costs emptied their savings, forcing them to sell their houses.

Overwhelmed with grief, Zhao's mother fell seriously ill, adding insult to injury for the family. Now unable to stay in the hospital or afford medicine, and with no house and not a penny left, Zhao Xiheng had no choice but to take her only remaining relative back to her hometown.

The Party Secretary didn't mention her father's burial, afraid of making her feel even worse. He just pointed to the dilapidated mud-brick house and said, "Stay here for now. Someone will take you to the village school tomorrow morning."

When Zhao Xiheng saw that they had arrived at their destination, she took off the scarf on her head and couldn't help but tear up again.

Her beautiful, fair face was now fully revealed to the secretary. Her eyes were slightly red, like pear blossoms in the rain, making her look incredibly delicate. Her eyelashes were long and curled, and her eyes were big and round.

The secretary was taken aback. The girl was really pretty; he had never seen anyone as fair-skinned and beautiful as her at his age.

He absentmindedly lit another pouch of tobacco, saying, "Alright, stop delivering."

The girl is pretty. Even though her family is struggling, she can still marry into a good family and won't have to worry about the rest of her life.

He took two steps, then suddenly turned back, his face full of worry, and explained to Zhao Xiheng, "Girl, you have to understand our village. The money your father donated has been used to build bridges and roads, but the villagers still don't have much money in their pockets. It's hard enough to support a family just by farming. Don't blame us uncles for being unethical and not raising money for your mother's treatment." He sighed and added, "This illness is beyond our means to treat..."

Zhao Xiheng nodded with a blank face, indicating that she understood.

Zhao Xiheng helped her semi-conscious mother and placed her on the dilapidated earthen bed.

She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, then rolled up her sleeves, washed a rag, and wiped all the tattered tables, chairs, and benches. She then went to the yard, gathered grass, and used it to seal up the cracks in the walls.

She had been pampered since childhood and had never done these things before. She worked from morning till night and only managed to finish it.

Her slender, white fingers were cut into tiny knots by the grass, and even bending them was painful.

During this time, Zhao's mother woke up in a daze for a while, drank some warm rice soup, and then fell asleep again.

Zhao Xiheng slammed her hand on the table. Life had to go on. She would definitely raise the money for her mother's medicine. She taught at the village school for a month, which included three meals a day and a three-yuan subsidy each month. She saved it all up. Even if she couldn't afford to stay in the hospital, she could at least afford the medicine.

The rickety table creaked under her pounding.

Zhao Xiheng was so frightened that she quickly moved her hand away, not wanting to make things even worse for her already impoverished family.

There is only one primary school in the village, with a total of six grades and three teachers.

There was a principal, a vice-principal, and the newcomer Zhao Xiheng.

Zhao Xiheng went to report for duty with a pen and notebook. The principal assigned her teaching tasks and greeted her warmly with a handshake. He was quite pleased and said, "Comrade Zhao, it's great that you've come. Our school is short of teachers. The vice principal and I only have elementary school education, so the children's math and English lessons will depend on you from now on."

Teaching math and English to sixth graders suddenly felt like a daunting task, and her head felt like it was about to explode.

Seeing that she was preparing lessons, the principal said, "There's no rush to prepare lessons or teach. You should familiarize yourself with the environment first."

Zhao Xiheng was taken around the school and got a good feel for the environment.

There are only a dozen or so children scattered around the school. Now that it's the busy farming season, most of them have gone to help their families with farming. Only five students from the first and second grades are left, and they are playing on the playground during recess.

The teaching workload was reduced by more than half.

The villagers all sent their children here with the idea that as long as they could read a few words, they wouldn't be completely illiterate. This was especially true for first and second graders, who were too young to be left at school, so they didn't have to look after them.

"Our resources are limited. Each of the three teachers has two pieces of chalk per week. We bring them with us to class and try not to write on the blackboard if we can avoid it. That old blackboard is full of chalk dust." The principal gave detailed instructions on everything, and then added, "I don't know when this month's supplies will arrive."

Suddenly, a burst of exclamations came from the children on the playground, followed by the sound of rough horns.

The principal's expression became complicated.

"A car is coming?" Zhao Xiheng asked. It was quite novel to see a car in this place.

"They're here to deliver supplies to the school," the principal explained, his brow furrowing. "Comrade Zhao, come out with me in a bit and stand behind me. That vagrant driving the car is no good; don't let him bully you. Nobody in our village would want to be near him."

These days, people are generally honest and simple; everyone wears their emotions on their sleeve. The principal left with a long face.

There was a truck parked on the dirt road in front of the school gate, and someone was sitting inside.

Wei Li saw the principal and his men come out through the car window. He took the foxtail grass he was holding, rested his elbow on the window sill, leaned out, and muttered contemptuously, "Old dog."

The principal was so angry that his face turned red and swollen, but this little brat was the only one in the whole village who had a car, and the school would have to rely on him to transport things in the future, so he could only swallow his anger.

"Hurry up and move, or I'll move it for you!" Wei Li urged again, his chin slightly raised, his narrow eyes squinting, not looking at people directly, looking utterly despicable.

Zhao Xiheng discreetly observed the man. He was wearing dark green nylon overalls, his hair was rather long, and the bangs on his forehead almost covered his eyes. He had pale skin, a pointed chin, very red and thin lips, but very dark pupils. Coupled with his fierce aura, he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

As she sized up Wei Li, Wei Li couldn't help but glance at her as well.

The little girl is quite slender and fair-skinned; she looks like she's never done any housework, so she's quite pretty and delicate.

He unconsciously curved his lips slightly, his tongue swept across his canine teeth, and then bit the grass into his back teeth.

Zhao Xiheng caught his gaze, couldn't help but purse her lips, and went to help the principal move things.

He's a scoundrel; he can't resist eyeing pretty women.

Not only is he rude, but he's also a pervert.

After unloading the things, Wei Li drove away. Only then did the principal put his hands on his hips and spit on the ground, "Pah, you dog, you little bastard who was born of a mother but raised by one."

He pointed to the dusty path and said to Zhao Xiheng, "Little Zhao, let me tell you, this guy is a good-for-nothing scoundrel. You'd better stay far away from him. He's heartless and might hit you."

Zhao Xiheng stared wide-eyed in astonishment, "He hit people? He hit women?"

"He not only beats women, but he also beats children. He's vicious and cruel. The whole village, young and old, were raised by him, and he turned out to be an ungrateful wretch!"

Everyone in the village disliked Wei Li, even though he had a car and looked very impressive as he worked hard outside.

The village was only so big, and the news that Old Zhao's daughter had returned to her hometown to teach at the village school spread in no time, becoming the talk of the town.

"Hey, I heard that girl is pretty and graduated from high school. Doesn't your Tiezhu need a wife? Spend some money to marry her." A sturdy woman took a sip of water and said to the people around her. She was the village secretary's wife.

“I saw her, she’s not big-bottomed, not good at bearing children. And she’s spoiled, I don’t think she’s efficient at work. If she’s not good at work, what use is she if she can’t even give birth to a son?” Tie Zhu’s mother pouted.

"Don't say that, you'll learn by doing more work and being asked to do things."

Others agreed, and echoed their sentiments.

Tie Zhu's mother rolled her slanted eyes around, then smacked her lips with a hint of disdain. "Fine, but even if she marries, she'll have to wait until her mother dies. Otherwise, that girl will use our money to treat her mother's illness, and who can afford that?"

"Oh dear, Tiezhu's mother is so clever. Once her mother dies, she won't even need to pay a bride price."

Some older women, laughing and joking, decided the future fate of a complete stranger.

On the other side sat a plump woman, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, casually eating roasted soybeans from an aluminum box. As she listened to their conversation, her eyes narrowed, and she began to ponder.

Wei Li has been busy outside for several months, and will be staying in the village for the next two weeks.

He had delicious treats like brown sugar, sugar cubes, eggs, peach crisps, and baked fruit, which should have been very popular with the village children. However, they only dared to watch him from afar as he leaned against the bridge railing eating sugar and peach crisps, and no one dared to get close.

Wei Li often strolled around the river and mountains when he had nothing to do. He could see women washing clothes while they told dirty jokes.

Every evening after school, Zhao Xiheng would awkwardly carry a bucket to the river to fetch water.

Wei Li stood on the bridge, watching her as if she were a joke.

She's so spoiled, she can't even fetch water.

Sometimes I'd throw a piece of candy at her and it'd hit her on the head.

Zhao Xiheng was furious. She wanted nothing more than to pull him down and slap him twice, but she knew she couldn't beat him in a fight, so she could only glare at him angrily and leave quickly.

Wei Li scoffed, "They don't appreciate kindness." They won't even take a piece of candy.

He drives a car and has plenty of money, so he doesn't feel bad about throwing away candy.

She may be clumsy, but beautiful people are pleasing to the eye no matter what they do, and Wei Li watched her fetch water every day to relieve his boredom.

Wei Li stood at the bridgehead with a handful of melon seeds in his pocket. It was already dark, and he hadn't seen Zhao Xiheng come to fetch water.

His face went from sunny to cloudy, then from cloudy to black, and finally became frighteningly black.

Fine, you'll avoid him, huh? Who cares even look at her now? Does she really think she's some kind of hot commodity?

He tossed the salted melon seeds from his pocket onto the ground, and the eyes of the children peering out from under the bridge lit up.

Wei Li smiled at them, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and then crushed the melon seeds on the ground with his foot.

The village barefoot doctor looked at Zhao Xiheng with a worried expression. "This requires going to a big hospital in the provincial capital. If you ask me, then..." He left his meaning unsaid.

Let's live as long as we can.

This is a disease of the rich; how can the poor afford to treat it?

This afternoon, Zhao's mother's condition suddenly worsened, and she developed a high fever. Zhao Xiheng hurriedly called the village doctor to come and see her, but everyone shook their heads.

This must be sent to a hospital in the provincial capital.

Zhao Xiheng gritted her teeth. No, this illness must be treated! She wouldn't give up as long as there was even the slightest hope.

But the coldness of human relationships and the fickleness of the world were fully revealed at this moment, and who would be willing to lend her money?

She walked through half the village, and as soon as everyone saw it was her, they hid away.

Zhao Xiheng returned home dejectedly and saw a plump woman standing at the door with a basket of eggs on her arm.

"You're back? Perfect timing, your auntie needs to chat with you about something."

"Come in and chat, Aunt Liu." It was rare for someone to be willing to talk to her at this time, so Zhao Xiheng forced a smile and tried to appear as enthusiastic as possible. Aunt Liu was considered to be quite well-off in the village; her family was pig butchers and they ate meat almost every day.

“It’s not a good time to talk about this with your mother at home.” The woman pulled her to sit under the elm tree.

"Look, you're eighteen now, just the right age to get married. My son is twenty this year..." Aunt Liu got straight to the point.

Zhao Xiheng remained silent, her head bowed, her fingers twirling around the small grass growing under the tree.

The legal marriage age in China is 20 for men and 18 for women, so she is eligible to get married. However, Aunt Liu's son is mentally challenged, and his mental capacity is that of a ten-year-old child.

No wonder she was still willing to associate with him at a time like this; she had this in mind all along.

In the past, if Zhao Xiheng had lost her temper, she would have kicked her out long ago. Who would she have insulted?!

“I’ll give you 88.88 yuan as a bride price, to make it auspicious. You’re short of money for your mother’s medical treatment, right? This money is…” Aunt Liu looked her over. “If you don’t think it’s right, then it’s 99.99 yuan.”

Zhao Xiheng felt both angry and defeated; she truly needed money right now…

A large sum of money is needed to treat my mother's illness.

Aunt Liu saw that she was still not satisfied, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Let me tell you the truth. All the old women in our village are waiting for your mother to die so they can get a beautiful wife like you without spending a penny. A wife without a family is not strong enough and can be manipulated by them."

Our family is wealthy, so you won't be mistreated after you marry into our family. Your aunt and uncle are both honest people, and they only have one son. They'll treat you like their own daughter after you marry into our family.

"If you think it's too little, we'll settle for one cent! That's the most we can offer; no one gets that much for a wedding."

Zhao Xiheng's hands were clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms, barely feeling the pain. Her eyes were fixed on the distance, completely lost in thought.

It took her a while to find her voice. When she opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse, as if it came from outer space. Her mind was blank, and she didn't know if she was speaking.

"Two hundred, I want two hundred..."

Aunt Liu looked hesitant, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, "Then..."

"I'll give you two thousand." Her words were interrupted.

Wei Li emerged from behind the tree, staring at Zhao Xiheng with his dark pupils, and repeated, "Two thousand."