Chapter 7 The Unrestrained Wang Juan
The next day, just as dawn broke, Zhao Fei rode his old bicycle back to the courtyard house, covered in morning dew and exhausted.
They happened to see Zhao Qingda starting his car and preparing to drive off.
"Qingda," Zhao Fei called out to him, his voice a little hoarse.
Zhao Qingda rolled down the car window: "Brother, you're just back?"
"Yes, they had a litter of pigs." Zhao Fei paused, then added, "Drive carefully on the road, don't be reckless."
"Don't worry!" Zhao Qingda readily agreed, waved his hand, and the car sputtered out of the alley.
Zhao Fei returned to the room, collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
I stayed up all night watching the sow give birth, and I was completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.
I slept until the sun was high in the sky before being awakened by the faint sound of voices outside the window.
He got up, his head still felt heavy, and took a cold shower in the shower room before he felt a little better.
At noon, Wen Xiaoxiao made cold noodles.
The noodles, rinsed in water, are refreshing and chewy. Topped with fried sauce, cucumber strips, bean sprouts, and toon sprouts, and then garnished with a spoonful of minced garlic and drizzled with vinegar, they make a delicious and refreshing summer dish.
Li Yugu called out, "Feizi! Are you up yet? Come and eat some noodles!"
Zhao Fei put on his undershirt and went over.
A small dining table was set up under the shade of a locust tree, and Yidi was already slurping her food.
Wen Xiaoxiao kept her head down, stirring the noodles in her bowl, without looking at him.
"Aunt Xiaoxiao's noodles are the best!" Zhao Yidi suddenly looked up, blinked her big eyes, and said, "Auntie, I wish you were my mom."
With a "crack," the sound of Li Yugu's chopsticks falling onto the table was heard.
The courtyard fell silent instantly, with only the chirping of cicadas remaining.
Zhao Fei paused, his hand still holding the noodles he was putting into his mouth.
Wen Xiaoxiao froze, her hands still moving as she mixed the noodles.
Li Yugu was the first to react. He quickly picked up his chopsticks, gently tapped Yi Di on the head, and forced a smile to smooth things over: "Auntie is also a mother! Eat your noodles!"
Zhao Fei's face darkened, and his voice was stern: "Yi Di, don't talk while you're eating."
His eyes quickly swept over Wen Xiaoxiao out of the corner of his eye, noticing that her head was hanging even lower and her neck was flushed pink.
Wen Xiaoxiao's voice was as soft as a feather: "Children's words...children's words are innocent."
The meal was eaten with everyone having their own thoughts, creating a subtle atmosphere.
After finishing her meal, Wen Xiaoxiao squatted by the pond in the yard to wash the dishes.
When she bent over, the hem of her dress rode up slightly at her lower back, revealing a small patch of skin.
As Zhao Fei was about to return to the house, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of several bluish-purple bruises on that patch of skin, a shocking sight against the fair complexion.
His feet froze on the spot, and his pupils contracted sharply.
That bastard Zhao Qingda!
An unnamed anger burned in his throat, making it dry.
The afternoon sun was scorching, so Zhao Fei went out and bought a few cream popsicles.
He handed one to Yidi, and then took another and gave it to Li Yugu.
“I won’t eat it, it’s cold, my teeth can’t handle it,” Li Yugu waved his hand.
Zhao Fei, holding an ice cream, walked towards Wen Xiaoxiao, who was crocheting in the shade. "Xiaoxiao, have an ice cream to cool off."
Wen Xiaoxiao looked up at the popsicle handed to her, took it, and whispered, "Thank you, big brother."
The cool sweetness melts on the tip of the tongue, slightly dispelling the summer heat.
After Zhao Yidi finished her popsicle, it was time for her to go to school.
Just then, Wen Xiaoxiao finished a batch of crocheting work and needed to deliver it to the designated receiving point, so she packed her bags and went out with Zhao Yidi.
After dropping off her child, Wen Xiaoxiao went to a small general store in the west of the city, which also served as a collection and delivery point for handicrafts.
The proprietress was a plump middle-aged woman who took the dozens of tablecloth scraps handed over by Wen Xiaoxiao, counted them skillfully, and calculated the money.
"Forty-two yuan and fifty cents." The proprietress handed the money to Wen Xiaoxiao. "Xiaoxiao, I'm not trying to be mean, but your Qingda makes a lot of money driving, right? Why are you working so hard catching this stuff? It's only a little over ten cents a piece."
Wen Xiaoxiao took the money, counted it carefully, put it in her pocket, and smiled faintly: "Money is no object, and I'm just sitting around doing nothing anyway."
Only she knew that Zhao Qingda almost never gave her the money he earned. She had to ask him for everything, from needles and thread to firewood and salt, and he would give her whatever he felt like.
Holding the 42.5 yuan I earned myself in my hand gave me a sense of security and peace of mind.
Clutching the money, she didn't go straight home, but instead went into a department store.
She lingered in front of the lingerie counter for a while, blushing, and picked out a lace bra.
Her original dress was torn by Zhao Qingda last night.
Meanwhile, in Zhao Qingda's car.
When I made my last trip in the afternoon, a few shady-looking young men got on.
One of them squeezed next to Wang Juan, who was selling tickets, and took advantage of the bus's bumps to deliberately rub against her, while his hand also tried to put on her waist.
"What are you doing!" Wang Juan suddenly slapped his hand away and shouted sharply.
"What's wrong with touching it? Why are you acting so serious?" the young man said with a grin.
Zhao Qingda saw it clearly in the rearview mirror, and a surge of heroic spirit combined with his fondness for Wang Juan welled up inside him.
He slammed on the brakes, the car came to a sudden stop, and everyone in the car lurched forward.
Zhao Qingda unbuckled his seatbelt, jumped out of the car, yanked open the middle door, grabbed the young man by the collar, and dragged him out!
"Damn it! You dare to drive recklessly in my car!" Zhao Qingda was strong and quickly dragged the man out of the car, then punched and kicked him on the roadside.
Seeing that things were going badly, the other accomplices didn't dare to step forward. Only after Zhao Qingda had finished beating them did they sheepishly help their companion up and run away.
Wang Juan was still in shock when she saw Zhao Qingda cursing as he got back into the car, but her eyes lit up.
"Thank you so much, Master Zhao!" Her voice was filled with lingering fear and gratitude.
"It's alright! We can't let these kinds of thugs get away with it!" Zhao Qingda clapped his hands and started the car again.
After finishing her work, Wang Juan insisted on treating Zhao Qingda to a meal to express her gratitude.
The two ordered a few dishes at a roadside restaurant, and Wang Juan also bought a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor).
After a few drinks, the atmosphere became lively.
Wang Juan is more outgoing than Wen Xiaoxiao; she speaks boldly and shrewdly, and her eyes are captivating.
Zhao Qingda hadn't felt so proud and admired by a woman in a long time. The alcohol, combined with the sense of accomplishment from rescuing a damsel in distress, and Wang Juan's flirting, made him feel elated.
Naturally, after the meal, he took Wang Juan back to her rented little house.
Everything happened naturally.
Wang Juan's enthusiasm and exuberance were completely different from Wen Xiaoxiao's. She knew how to cater to others and even take the initiative, which gave Zhao Qingda an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
The two of them were up until almost 10 o'clock before Zhao Qingda finally left.
I got home after 10 p.m.
The courtyard was pitch black, with only the main house still lit up.
Wen Xiaoxiao was still awake, sitting on a small stool by the door of the east wing, enjoying the cool air. When she saw him return, she stood up and asked, "Why are you so late?"
Zhao Qingda had something to hide, so he mumbled, "The car...the car had a minor problem halfway through the trip, so we fixed it."
He still smelled of alcohol and a hint of cheap perfume.
After washing up, he lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), but his mind was filled with Wang Juan's charm. In comparison, he found Wen Xiaoxiao beside him to be dull and uninteresting.
In the middle of the night, in Zhao Fei's room.
The fatigue and irritability accumulated during the day, coupled with the possibility of heatstroke, caused Zhao Fei to suddenly develop a high fever.
He had a splitting headache and a dry mouth.
I struggled to get up to get some water, but I felt dizzy and almost fell.
Knowing he couldn't push himself too hard, he stumbled out of his bicycle and, relying on his senses, rode to the nearby staff hospital that very night.
The next morning, Zhao Yidi ran to find her father for breakfast as usual. She pushed open the door to the main room, only to find the room empty and the blankets in disarray.
The child ran out and told his grandmother and aunt.
"Maybe something happened at the pig farm, so he went there early this morning." Li Yugu didn't pay much attention.
Today is Saturday. Li Yugu had previously arranged to take Yidi to a distant relative's wedding banquet. They would leave in the afternoon and stay overnight.
She busied herself packing things for the trip and changing Yidi's clothes.
Zhao Fei didn't return until noon, pushing his bicycle with a plastic bag containing medicine hanging from the handlebars.
"Feizi? What's wrong with you?" Li Yugu was startled.
Wen Xiaoxiao was clearing away the dishes when she heard the noise and came out of the kitchen. She was stunned when she saw Zhao Fei's weak appearance.
Zhao Fei waved his hand: "It's nothing... I had a slight fever last night and went to the hospital for an injection. The doctor said it was a heat-related cold, caused by heatstroke."
"Oh dear child! Why didn't you say anything!" Li Yugu complained with concern. "Is it serious? Do you still have a fever?"
"Much better." Zhao Fei put down the medicine and just wanted to lie down.
Li Yugu glanced at the time; it was getting late. Still worried, he added a few more words of advice: "Take your medicine on time! Xiaoxiao, keep an eye on your older brother and get him something to eat."
Wen Xiaoxiao nodded: "Mom, don't worry."
Only then did Li Yugu lead the beautifully dressed Zhao Yidi out the door.
The courtyard suddenly fell silent.
Wen Xiaoxiao turned and went into the kitchen.
She started a small fire again, cooked millet porridge, chopped a cucumber, and added a few drops of sesame oil and vinegar.
She brought the food to Zhao Fei's room.
Zhao Fei was resting with his eyes closed against the headboard when he heard the noise and opened them.
"Brother, have something to eat." Wen Xiaoxiao set up the kang table and placed the bowls and chopsticks.
"Thank you for your trouble," Zhao Fei said in a hoarse voice.
"It's okay." Wen Xiaoxiao went out again, poured a glass of warm water and placed it next to him. "Eat first, and remember to take your medicine after you finish."
He lowered his head and slowly drank the millet porridge, the refreshing aroma of cucumber melting in his mouth.
Outside the window, the sun blazed brightly, and cicadas chirped incessantly.
The east wing was quiet; its male owner was perhaps somewhere along the road, savoring another new and exciting experience.
In this courtyard house where only the two of them remain, a silent concern is quietly flowing through the stillness.
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