Chapter 355

The situation gradually stabilized, and the confinement of high-ranking officials' families was lifted, but this boredom was exasperating. Most of them would just hang out at home playing cards, and if they wanted to buy something, they would have brokers bring jewelry, clothing, or other items. But some, feeling so bored that they would risk everything, would go out to see operas, go shopping, and even have affairs.

Mrs. Yi's family had been playing mahjong lively, but because of the incident, the game had been quiet for a few days. Now they can continue playing, and it's even more intense than before.

As soon as Lao Yi entered the door, he heard the sound of playing cards. He went upstairs and saw a mahjong table in the room where the people were playing cards. An empty room on the second floor was cleared out for another table.

He thought to himself, "I'm really going to die."

It has a sense of time running out and a carnival before the end of the world.

He put down his briefcase and went in, because Wang Jiazhi was among them. He had been partying with them every night these days, playing mahjong all night long. Here, they played mahjong for a whole day and an all-nighter. The next morning, everyone would go home after breakfast to catch up on some sleep, then play again at night, or they would recharge their batteries the next day and play mahjong for another whole day and an all-nighter. Some people simply slept at home, then continued playing mahjong after waking up, saving the hassle of traveling home. There were empty rooms everywhere anyway. That time, everyone was so motivated that they actually played for a whole day, an all-nighter, and a whole day. Even though Wang Jiazhi was the youngest, her perseverance in eating, drinking, and having fun was really not as good as the others. She made it to noon the next day and went back to sleep.

Mrs. Yi was so bold because she felt she was right. Old Yi rarely came home. He was so obsessed with the small mansion and didn't take her, his wife, seriously. So she deserved compensation for the injustice she had suffered. Anyway, he wouldn't come back to this house, so she couldn't get in his way no matter what she did.

My mother couldn't stand it any longer and reported it to him. She also thought to herself, "He's a country boy after all. He can't change his habit of loving this noisy and chaotic place."

Old Yi was originally going to take care of it, but he didn't expect Wang Jiazhi to join in. Not only was he unable to say anything, he also had to come back here.

During her confinement, Wang Jiazhi finished a new novel, but she didn't show it to him or even mention it to him. She wrote during the day, until two or three in the morning, when she cooked for him. She didn't write at night, so he assumed she had lost her inspiration and had stopped writing.

The novel tells the story of a beautiful and talented girl whose parents sell fried dough sticks on the street, and whose family is relatively poor. Despite her talent, she has been unable to get promoted due to her lack of connections. Seeing those less qualified than her rise steadily, she becomes discouraged by her own ambitions. One day, the bank president's daughter suddenly approaches her, mysteriously asking for her help. The daughter has miscalculated the date and agreed to two overlapping social events, both of which she cannot afford to miss. Seeing her beauty, she lends her some clothes and jewelry, asking her to help her attend one of the events.

The girls went there happily. It was a rare opportunity to wear beautiful clothes, expensive jewelry and experience a high society ball.

She never expected that she would fall in love with a rich young man at first sight at the ball. After several days of torture, she still did not confess the truth to him and continued to pretend to be a rich lady and date him.

To impersonate a young lady, she spent a fortune on high-end clothing and jewelry. For her partner's birthday, she even risked her life by selling blood at two different hospitals. But even that wasn't enough, so she resorted to borrowing money from everywhere, even resorting to loan sharks.

Later, this matter was discovered. Originally, the man liked her very much, thinking she was very talented and capable, nothing like those pampered canaries. But when he learned that she was just a poor girl, he suddenly realized that being the daughter of a poor family meant she had to endure hardships, and even if she wanted to be pampered, she had no such blessing.

The man never saw her again, but helped her pay off the money she owed. To that man, the money, which she could not pay back even if she spent all her money, was nothing.

Because of this incident, she became a laughing stock among her friends, family, and colleagues, and the bank fired her. For a long time, she was in a daze, waiting by the lake where they had been meeting, but she never saw him.

Later, someone told her that she was discovered because an old friend of that person's father had seen her once while on business. There were many clerks like her, and the man couldn't remember them all. But because she was so beautiful and talented, with such good manners and a very tactful approach to handling matters, the friend had a deep memory of her. Even after seeing her again after so long, he still remembered her, so he told the man that she wasn't a wealthy lady at all, but just a small clerk at the bank.

The girl was sad for a long time, and her parents scolded her for being crazy and dreaming about losing a good thing and bringing shame to herself.

For a moment, the girl thought it was all a dream. But when she woke up, reality couldn't return to how it was before. With her reputation ruined, she couldn't find work. To make a living, she took up comprador speculation, a profession rarely practiced by women, especially young ones.

Every day, she would rise before dawn and walk to the stock exchange to wait for the market to open, squeezing in and out among the throng like sardines in a can. She wore coarse clothes, her hair tied up, and never dressed up, often appearing dusty and dusty. She would buy and stockpile anything she could find to make money, such as toothpaste, soap, towels, rubber, spare parts, and perfume, then wait for the right moment to sell. She would also find ways to borrow money to sell her goods to the gold and futures markets. She would often run all day, without eating or drinking, and return home hungry, falling asleep on her pillow. Or, like the other men in the trade, she would buy a few sesame cakes and a cup of tea and eat them as quickly as possible while standing or squatting.

Because I'm a woman, I faced a lot of ostracism and bullying from my peers when I first started. But I persevered, built a reputation, and gathered familiar partners. With some money in hand, I bought a bicycle, which saved me some energy.

She spent most of her time in the crowded, dirty wholesale market. When she earned a little money, she would clean it up and occasionally go shopping or eat. Returning to her old surroundings always felt strange and dreamlike. She would occasionally think of the story that changed her life, and that person, but it seemed so distant and unreal.

She can support herself and her parents, but she no longer has any desire to make friends or get married. It's not because she's still thinking about her ex, but because she no longer has the desire.

The story ends many years later, as the man's car passes a market, he happens to look out the window and sees a long-haired woman in similar attire, standing on tiptoe among a group of men in dusty, coarse linen clothes, bargaining with others. He thinks the woman is here to do business, too. Then he forgets the thought.

Ever since she said those words during the Chinese New Year, he knew that she had fallen into some of her old habits again, but she just kept it in her heart and was upset with him, not showing it. Sure enough, it turned out to be true.

Now that she is wasting her life like this with Mrs. Yi, he is really worried.

As soon as he showed up, a girl from the next room came over and called out, "Uncle Yi."

He smiled and nodded.

Although Mrs. Liao's daughter was already married, in his eyes, it was too inappropriate for a girl in her early twenties to spend her days and nights playing games like the middle-aged ladies. Although they really didn't have much to do.

Wang Jiazhi saw him coming and looked at him quietly.

Mrs. Ma said, "Mr. Yi is rarely seen."

He smiled and said nothing.

He seldom goes home anymore. Wang Jiazhi stays here day and night these days, so he doesn't leave even if he comes back.

Today, the people at their table are Wang Jiazhi, Mrs. Yi, Mrs. Ma and Ms. Qiao.

At the next table were Mrs. Liao, Mrs. Liang, Mrs. Liao's daughter, and Mrs. Xiao's daughter. It was actually taboo for mother and daughter to play cards together, but Mrs. Liao was afraid her daughter would lose her composure, so she stayed by her side.

He stayed there for a while, then went into the study and never left. Mrs. Yi also looked a little unhappy. Everyone could see that wherever Wang Jiazhi went, he would also go there. She had been preparing for this card game for many days, and he hadn't come back. Since Wang Jiazhi came a few days ago, he returned the same day.

The clock struck eleven, and he still hadn't come out. Wang Jiazhi thought about how lonely the child had been these past few days, and why he hadn't gone home to spend time with the child. He had to go back to see the child when he had time. But by the time he got back, the child was already asleep.

Grandma brought coffee and pastries. Ms. Qiao, sitting next to Wang Jiazhi, turned and noticed her pastries were different from hers. A green apple had been peeled into a bunny shape, a small orange had been half-peeled, and two orange peels had been shaped into pointed ears and inserted into the peeled orange segments, creating the look of a kitten. On another plate were peeled sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, ginkgo nuts, and figs, forming a small platter.

She looked at Wang Jiazhi and smiled bitterly.

Wang Jiazhi didn't pay attention to Ms. Qiao's expression, but only paid attention to the two plates.

Is he still asleep? It's so boring. Why don't he sleep a little longer when he has time?

Mrs. Liao's daughter came over at this time and said she wanted to try her luck over here. Mrs. Ma exchanged with her and went over there to play. Wang Jiazhi knew that she wanted to get away from Mrs. Liao. Wang Jiazhi didn't expect that Mrs. Liao's daughter would act like this.

Mrs. Liao's daughter and Ms. Qiao talked about a socialite who wore a very beautiful green dress to a ball a few days ago.

Mrs. Liao was taking a break and came over to chat.

Mrs. Liao said, "Half of her back is exposed. What a shame! It's totally immoral."

Wang Jiazhi thought to herself, "You've already cheated on a man, and you're still saying he's not dressed properly."

Mrs. Liao's daughter said, "Don't be such a country bumpkin. Foreigners in ancient times could expose their genitals, but how can wearing a suspender skirt be considered immoral?"

"Foreign devils are disrespectful. How can we learn bad things from them?"

Wang Jiazhi felt amused. Wearing a halter dress was immoral, but almost all of them were cheating, and cheating was not immoral.

Wang Jiazhi recalled a plot from a novel: a woman and a wealthy young man have a child and want an abortion, but the man is irresponsible and helpless. The woman seduces a gangster and relies on him, claiming he can find someone to perform the abortion for her. When they arrive at the abortion center, the woman sees the doctor is a man and, like a chaste woman, refuses to have him perform the surgery and walks away.

Mrs. Yi also said, "People nowadays are too casual, revealing so much."

Mrs. Liang also expressed her approval. Mrs. Liao and Mrs. Xiao's daughter objected. The two elders and two children engaged in a heated debate. Mrs. Qiao gently supported the two girls, while the others watched without commenting.

Mrs. Xiao's daughter said, "Her butterfly shoulders are so beautiful, it would be so beautiful if they were exposed."

Mrs. Liao's daughter said, "That's right. Traditional clothes hide the beauty of the body too much. They cover the collarbone and shoulder blades completely."

Mrs. Yi and Mrs. Liang asked what butterfly shoulders were.

Ms. Qiao explained: "The shoulder blades are very beautiful, like the wings of a butterfly."

Mrs. Liao's daughter laughed and said, "You are so out of date. You don't even know what butterfly shoulders are."

Mrs. Liao scolded her daughter for being so rude.

Mrs. Liao's daughter asked Wang Jiazhi, "Do you know what butterfly shoulders are?"

Wang Jiazhi smiled but said nothing.

Mrs. Liao's daughter asked Mrs. Ma again, and Mrs. Ma smiled and said she didn't know either.

Wang Jiazhi glanced at Mrs. Ma out of the corner of her eye and expressed her doubt. Did she really not know what butterfly shoulders were?

Wang Jiazhi didn't know what butterfly shoulders were originally. He told her in his previous life.

That was when they first got together, and he wanted that.

She didn't want to be like that, so she said, "I don't want to be like this. I can't see you anymore."

He put one hand on her back, and put his arms around her, saying, "This is good, it will be better."

Although he was very violent the first time, it felt good, and she thought that was good enough. But the next time was simply... She forgot about it for a while and never did it again.

After trying it, it was just as he said, even better than last time, but it was a different feeling, and she also enjoyed his brutal and ravaging behavior.

Wang Jiazhi bit the green apple, which was fragrant and sour, and took the apple cider with ice cubes beside it. In the quiet night, she felt light-headed.

"You're much thinner than before."

She was immersed in it and suddenly woke up.

Compared to three years ago, I have lost at least ten pounds. After joining there, I just learned things during those few days. I only ate better during the three days I stayed in the hotel. I didn't eat and drink well to adjust my condition like I did in this life.

Old Wu had noticed her thinness and sallowness at the time, but he hadn't expected her to survive, so he hadn't bothered to consider it. Kuang Yumin only taught her the basics every day and hadn't considered this, and of course, he hadn't considered giving her some money beforehand to help her eat better, considering her lack of food and clothing. But he hadn't.

Whenever she fainted, the male classmates who were not close to her would buy soy milk and buns for her.

At that time, she was very afraid that he would think she was too thin and less attractive to him.

But then he added: "This makes the butterfly shoulders more beautiful."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"When you breathe, it's like a butterfly flapping its wings and flying."

"You're annoying, but I can't see it myself."

This is not bad. He holds her tightly against her and she feels safe.

Wang Jiazhi was still a young girl at the time, not as precocious as Lai Xiujin. She didn't know many terms. She also didn't know how to appreciate her own body. Especially after that nightmare, she felt unclean and uncomfortable with her body. He had told her all about it. He also said that her body was very soft; her collarbone and forehead were particularly beautiful; her eyelashes were like moth antennae; her legs were very long...

She felt so stupid. She only knew that she was tall and didn't realize that her legs were so long.

Seeing all these good things about her, of course he wanted to enjoy them more.

For example, that way you can directly see her butterfly shoulders fluttering, and that way you can better kiss her collarbone...

Late at night, the lights were on, and a room full of women, young and old, were chattering away, but she was alone, lost in thought, thinking about her past life.

Wang Jiazhi was feeling sleepy from the alcohol. It was then she realized why they were being served alcohol during an all-night mahjong game. Sure enough, she was the only one who had it. He must have asked her mother to put it next to her so she could drink it and go to sleep.

Grandma was now very dissatisfied with her, thinking that as expected, all women ended up in the same place after getting married, and Wang Jiazhi was now just like another Mrs. Yi.

When Wang Jiazhi returned home that morning, she saw her daughter sleeping with her arms around the kitten. She thought about what she had thought about yesterday: the little one also liked to sleep like this.