Chapter 3 3

Inside the public shower room, Xu Shanshan stared blankly at the pipes on the wall. The team had to fetch water from the pond, so this was the first time she'd heard of "tap water."

With a simple twist, water pours out, and with another twist, it shuts off. Hanging from the roof was a metal sheet, somewhat resembling a lotus pod. Water trickled down, flowing slowly along her hair and shoulders. Xu Shanshan closed her eyes, taking in the experience. Her moist eyelashes trembled slightly, her watery gaze filled with determination and ambition.

She must stay in Lin City.

Do whatever it takes!

At this moment, Xu Shanshan felt extremely comfortable. The tap water not only washed away the sour smell of sweat on her body, but also seemed to wash away all the social customs and gossip in her hometown.

Relaxed and free like never before.

After washing up, Xu Shanshan changed into the dress she'd received from the nearby city. The yellow polka-dot dress, cinched at the waist like a cheongsam, with three-quarter bell sleeves and a full skirt, added a touch of femininity. Paired with wedge-heeled sandals, Xu Shanshan looked even more beautiful than a lotus after rain.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Xu Shanshan couldn't recognize herself. She couldn't help but twist her body to look at her back. The hem of her skirt spread out slightly like a flower, and then fell gently.

Who sent the letter? How did he, he, know these dimensions?

It was as if he had measured it with his own hands.

The skirt I sent is beautiful and fits well, and the leather shoes also fit perfectly.

Could it really be Zhou Kai? After all, they had cuddled quite a bit in private.

Is he doing this because he wants to have two homes?

But Xu Shanshan still felt something was wrong.

She returned to the room with questions in mind. The receptionist at the guesthouse was stunned when she saw Xu Shanshan cleaned up.

The lesbian in front of her was too beautiful, with fair and tender skin, a tall figure, and a perfect figure. As a fellow female compatriot, she couldn't help but look at her again and again. And those eyes, just a quick glance at them, oh my, her heart couldn't help but thump.

Just now she was wondering why this female comrade was as dirty as a beggar, but now she understood after seeing her appearance.

With such outstanding looks, you have to disguise yourself well when going out, otherwise it will be too dangerous.

Despite the scrutiny from the front desk, Xu Shanshan returned to her room with a confident and calm demeanor. Only after she sat on the large bed in the guesthouse did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief, then returned the letter with a troubled expression.

It was a pity that she still couldn't figure out what was going on, so she simply lay down on the bed and wanted to have a good rest, but some things in the team kept popping up in her mind.

Their family was well-known throughout the commune. After all, they had five daughters, so who wouldn't laugh and tease them? Even when the sisters went out, people would pretend to be sympathetic and say, "What will you do when you get married without your brothers to support you?"

When she was little, Xu Shanshan would sneer back, "Brother? You're the one who eats and eats everything, and bullies others together?"

Thinking of the past, Xu Shanshan put the back of her hand on her eyes. Yes, her personality was not like this before.

When she was little, she was very similar to her fourth sister, Xu Ruyi. She would express her dissatisfaction strongly, argue with others, and even fight. Back then, she was even more aggressive and stronger than her fourth sister.

When her mother was bullied by Yang Dani, she even chased her for several miles with a sickle.

But what he got in the end was a slap from his father, silence from his mother, and comments from outsiders that he was ignorant and disobedient.

Later, when she reached puberty, the villagers shifted from being picky about her gender to her appearance. She grew increasingly beautiful, becoming renowned throughout the commune. Despite her family's poverty, where she barely had enough to eat, her figure continued to improve.

The villagers called her a vixen, saying that she would definitely seduce other people in the future, and asked her parents to keep an eye on her so that she wouldn't harm other good boys.

Her cousins ​​scolded her for walking with her chest puffed out and being shameless.

Her mother made her walk with her back bent, not allowed her to look people straight, and even not allowed her to smile at gay men.

As for her father, he assigned all the dirty and tiring work to her and would not give her any food until she finished it, in order to make her meet the villagers' standards of what a good girl should be.

Diligent, silent, filial, hardworking, never fights back or retaliates, this is the good girl in everyone's heart.

They trained Xu Shanshan's outspoken and aggressive personality like training a dog.

To this day, Xu Shanshan still doesn't dare to be her true self.

But she knew clearly that no matter how fake her appearance was, the things in her bones remained unchanged.

However, those days when she was almost starved to death, scolded to death and beaten to death taught Xu Shanshan that if she wanted to live a good life, she had to escape.

From resistance to compromise, Xu Shanshan clearly realized how insignificant she was. She couldn't change the existing concepts and rules in the village, and she couldn't even convince her own parents.

A great man once said that women hold up half the sky, men and women alike.

This is just a loud slogan in the team.

When Xu Shanshan was about to give up on herself, the educated youth came to the countryside. Through them, Xu Shanshan realized how big the world outside was.

She wanted to be a dandelion scattered by the wind, taking root and sprouting in the distance, waiting to bloom.

Zhou Kai was the one among the educated youth who had the strongest desire to return to the city, and Xu Shanshan took a fancy to him.

She was naturally fake in front of Zhou Kai. All her words and actions were to please Zhou Kai. And during those years, she could clearly feel Zhou Kai's infatuation with her.

Zhou Kai even proposed to marry her more than once. He said he didn't want to take the college entrance examination anymore and just wanted to live a good life with her in the village.

It was Xu Shanshan herself who was unhappy.

What's the difference between an educated youth who stayed in the village and other young people? She wanted to leave the village and live in a big city.

It is to put aside the past and welcome the new life.

Moreover, how could Zhou Kai really be willing to stay in a place she wanted to escape from?

Even if you stay for a while, you will still feel unhappy in the future! Then everything will be her fault. A sentence like "for you" can put pressure on someone for a lifetime.

So she encouraged Zhou Kai to take the college entrance examination, and he finally returned to the city after taking it four times. When Zhou Kai received the admission letter, Xu Shanshan thought about getting married immediately, but she gave up in the end.

After all, she still didn't dare to put all her chips on men.

She was afraid that she would get married and be abandoned in the countryside like other girls.

In this way, she gained nothing but became an abandoned woman after a second marriage.

Therefore, not getting married is the way out she leaves for herself.

The older she got, the more she realized how beautiful she was. She didn't have a good family, a diploma, or outstanding skills or abilities.

If she wants to turn things around, what else can she rely on besides her beauty?

So her first marriage meant a lot to her.

Zhou Kai is obsessed with her, but she doesn't dare to trust him 100%.

She thought, her own parents weren't 100% trustworthy, let alone the man she'd been dating for several years? Sure enough, wasn't Zhou Kai, who was so infatuated with her, also getting married?

Thinking of Zhou Kai getting married, Xu Shanshan touched her chest. Strangely, she was not sad at all.

She wasn't even as sad as when Xu Fei snatched away the toothbrush given to her by her educated youth sister.

She felt more regretful and was thinking about what to do next.

First, I had to find out the situation with Zhou Kai. At least I had to make sure if Zhou Kai could be saved. If not, I had to figure out how to find another husband in Lin City.

She would rather die than make this trip in vain.

Xu Shanshan thought about it for a long time, until she was so hungry that she started to cry. She didn't want to spend money to eat out, but ate the boiled peanuts and corn she brought from home.

It’s hot and the peanuts and corn have changed slightly in taste over time, but it’s okay, they’re still edible.

She has been eating this kind of food since she was a child and has long been accustomed to it.

After filling her stomach, Xu Shanshan decided to go to the address in the letter to check it out first, so as to get a clear understanding of the situation and avoid delaying tomorrow's important business.

It was also a coincidence that she saw the man on the bus as soon as she left the guesthouse. This man was really tall, even taller than Zhou Kai.

Xu Shanshan touched her new skirt and glanced at her small leather shoes before she mustered up the courage to ask, "Comrade, do you know how to get to the Rainbow TV Factory's residential building?"

The moment he saw Xu Shanshan, Fang Zhiwen was stunned. His heart pounded, almost choking him. His wife's young, beautiful face struck him, shattering his boasts of rebirth.

He replied blankly, "I know him. I live there too. I'll take you there."

Xu Shanshan glanced at Fang Zhiwen and said inwardly with amusement, "He's so silly, so funny."

Although she just glanced at him briefly, Fang Zhiwen couldn't help but raise his chest.

He had to let this woman see that he was much more handsome than Zhou Kai.

However, after just a moment, he regretted it again, feeling that he was so useless. Why couldn't he resist showing off when Xu Shanshan glanced at him?

Fang Zhiwen, ah Fang Zhiwen, you are no longer the poor creature you were in your previous life.

You are born again.

You don't need this woman's love anymore.

Thinking of this, Fang Zhiwen immediately acted aloof and only responded with "hmm" and "ah" to Xu Shanshan's questions.

Xu Shanshan didn't want to offend anyone, so she just kept silent.

It’s just strange, why does this man look even more unhappy?

Silence and awkwardness spread between the two of them. Fang Zhiwen was the first to lose his temper and said, "Those two buildings are the residential buildings for the Rainbow Television Factory."

"Did you see that house on the second floor, in the back? It has red wedding characters on the doors and windows. That's my childhood friend Zhou Kai's house. He's getting married tomorrow."

"His wife is quite impressive. She's an accountant at the TV factory, a regular employee, earning 38 yuan a month. Oh, and by the way, she'll be eligible for factory housing at the end of the year. They were so anxious to get married because they wanted a bigger house."

Xu Shanshan glanced at the man in surprise and thought to herself, "This man is very handsome, but I didn't expect him to be so talkative. Why would he say so much to a stranger like her?"

"Not at all defenseless?"

"But it did help her a lot. Haha, no wonder Zhou Kai wants to marry someone else, it turns out his fiancée is so good."

Xu Shanshan understood. Haha, it turns out that deep love and friendship cannot compare to a house.

But then I thought, if she were Zhou Kai, she would also choose the house.

It's human nature, there's nothing to be angry about.

Zhou Kai is just like her, a common person."

From this point of view, the possibility of her getting back together with Zhou Kai is very slim.

Then the focus tomorrow will not be Zhou Kai.

Fang Zhiwen carefully looked at the expression on Xu Shanshan's face. Seeing that she was neither crying nor angry, he was a little confused.

Is it because he is too sad and confused?

After all, we are husband and wife, so why not give some advice?

When Xu Shanshan came to her senses, she thanked Fang Zhiwen. Seeing someone from Zhou Kai's house coming downstairs, she quickly covered her face and ran back to the guesthouse.

......

Looking at Xu Shanshan's back, Fang Zhiwen felt a lump in his throat. He secretly said angrily, "Shanshan, are you so sad about Zhou Kai getting married?"

"Can't you just look up at me?"

"I'm so handsome!"

Zhou Kai's mother, Qian Fang, went downstairs to buy some sunflower seeds. She unexpectedly ran into Fang Zhiwen. She said with a smile, "Zhiwen, are you here to play with Zhou Kai?"

"Well, I heard he's getting married, so I came to see him." Fang Zhiwen said listlessly.

"Hey, welcome, welcome. Come on up, there are quite a few students here today."

......

Zhou Kai and Fang Zhiwen were classmates and both lived in the residential building of a TV factory. However, Fang Zhiwen's father was the factory director, while Zhou Kai's father was an ordinary worker.

Zhou Kai has four brothers and sisters, and Fang Zhiwen is the only son.

After Zhou Kai returned to the city, he could only sleep on the floor in the kitchen, but Fang Zhiwen still had a separate study room.

It can be said that Fang Zhiwen has never suffered any hardship or been bullied since he was a child.

At this time, the Zhou family's small house of 30 square meters was crowded with people. Zhou Kai was getting married tomorrow, and relatives and friends who lived far away came to his house to play a day in advance.

When they saw Fang Zhiwen, they warmly invited him into the house and gave him chairs to sit on.

Zhou Kai's father even personally brought him some hot water.

"Zhou Kai, congratulations. Liu Xin's name is on the allocated housing this time." Fang Zhiwen glanced at Zhou Kai and congratulated him while suppressing his nausea.

Zhou Kai's wife was overjoyed when she heard this and wanted to confirm with Fang Zhiwen again and again, but Zhou Kai's eldest brother quickly interrupted her and said, "Zhiwen may be lying."

"The second one is still lucky."

Although Liu Xin is older and is remarried with a son, she will soon have her own house.

It is such a great thing for a young couple to have their own house these days.

Everyone envied Zhou Kai and congratulated him, which made the smile on Zhou Kai's face more real. Although Xu Shanshan's voice and smile flashed in his mind from time to time, the real house made him more excited.

In the past half month since he returned to the city, he was really fed up with sleeping on the floor in the kitchen, and he was also fed up with the bullying and sarcasm from his sister-in-law and brother's wife.

No matter how good Shanshan is, she can't help him after all.

Although Linshi Normal School offered free tuition and a food allowance, it was barely enough to support him. He also inquired about the policies for marrying into a farming family, but it was too difficult.

There are too few quotas for rural-to-urban migration, and it is almost impossible to expect to change the household registration by getting married.

Without a work unit to accept them, food supply and public medical care were major problems. The most troublesome thing was that the children's household registration was in the countryside with their mother.

He really has no confidence that he can support the whole family by himself at that time.

Zhou Kai thought so, but his heart still ached terribly. Only the jealous and envious tone of his sister-in-law and the others could slightly make up for the pain and helplessness in his heart.

Fang Zhiwen felt sick when he saw the hypocritical Zhou Kai.

This bitch, Shanshan is married to me, but he still shows up from time to time to disgust me. I don't know what disgusting things he says, but every time he says that, Shanshan gets upset.

Fortunately, I was reborn.

He will never think of deceiving Shanshan again in this life.

In his previous life, this bitch also got married to Liu Xin, but at the same time he wrote letters to coax Shanshan. Later, Shanshan saved up money for half a year to go to the Linshi Normal University to see him, and only then did she know that he and Liu Xin were pregnant.

But even so, Shanshan didn't blame Zhou Kai.

Whenever Fang Zhiwen thought of this, he became extremely angry.

Shouldn't you use a big stick to deal with a heartless man like Zhou Kai? Why does Shanshan always have a smile on her face when she's with Zhou Kai? But when it comes to me, she either bites or kicks me.

I clearly want to give Shanshan happiness and want her to be happy all her life, but she always cries quietly.

She always has Zhou Kai in her heart.

Fang Zhiwen became angrier the more he thought about it.

After being reborn, he decided to stay away from this woman with bad eyesight. However, they were husband and wife after all, and he couldn't bear to see her being deceived by Zhou Kai.

Yes, that's right. Even if there is no love, there is always family affection between him and Shanshan.

......

Fang Zhiwen stayed for a while and then found an excuse to leave. He really couldn't stand Zhou Kai's pig-headed face and his fists were really itching to hit him.

When he got home, he slumped onto the sofa in a gloomy mood. Peng Yashu couldn't bear to see this and couldn't help but nag, "I see you're having such a good time. Go on a blind date for me tomorrow."

"What blind date? I have to attend Zhou Kai's wedding tomorrow."

"Look at you, you're the same age as Zhou Kai. Look at Zhou Kai, he lived in the countryside for so many years and even managed to get admitted back to the city. Now he's happily married. Why don't you learn from him?"

She and Lao Fang only had this one son, and they really took their time raising him.

"Mom, don't worry, I'll get the marriage certificate tomorrow."

Peng Shuya was delighted when she heard this. She sat down next to her son and asked curiously, "You little bastard, did you talk about it in private? No wonder you secretly put on your mother's perfume. Use less next time. It's too fragrant and it's irritating."

Fang Zhiwen turned his head away and didn't want to talk.

Peng Shuya said with a smile: "Oh, are you heartbroken?"

Fang Zhiwen was angry, "Mom, can you please hope for me to get better?"

"So what do you think is going on? If not, ask Mom. She'll give you some advice."

Fang Zhiwen thought about the mother-daughter relationship between his biological mother and Shanshan in his previous life, and felt that it was somewhat reliable: "It's just that she has someone in her heart."

"Son, I can't help you with that. I have no experience in stealing people's boyfriends. You can only ask your dad." Peng Shuya patted her son's shoulder, indicating that she could do nothing to help.

Fang Zhiwen was stunned. "? Old Fang has this ability?"