Chapter 19 The woman's softness made his heart itch.
Having made up her mind, Zhao Hui told the Party Secretary in charge that she had a stomachache and slipped out of the cornfield.
She took a long detour and walked towards the few dilapidated mud-brick houses at the back of the village.
Everyone in the village knows that place is the den of Wang Laizi, the village scoundrel.
Wang Laizi's real name was Wang Dagui, but he was lazy and shirked his work. He also loved to take advantage of others. He had several scars on his face from scabies, so everyone secretly called him "Wang Laizi".
As Zhao Hui walked to the door of the dilapidated house, a stench of rancidity mixed with the smell of sweat hit her, making her frown.
She pinched her nose and peered inside, only to see Wang Laizi sprawled out on a tattered straw mat, legs crossed, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, humming a tuneless little tune.
"Wang Laizi!" Zhao Hui shouted in a high-pitched voice.
Upon hearing the voice, Wang Laizi felt half his bones melt. He scrambled to his feet and squinted his cunning eyes to look outside.
Zhao Hui is the village chief's own daughter. She usually looks down on everyone, as if they owe her eight hundred strings of cash. Has the sun risen in the west today? She actually took the initiative to come to him?
"Oh! Isn't this Hui-meizi? What brings you here?" Wang Laizi greeted her with a fawning smile, bowing and revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Zhao Hui took a half step back in disgust, but her expression was unusual; she forced a smile and said, "Brother Laizi, I'm just tired from the autumn harvest and wanted to chat with you."
The call of "Brother Laizi" made Wang Laizi's soul fly away. He was flattered and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Sister Hui, please come in, please come in! My house is messy, please don't mind."
Zhao Hui forced herself to stay awake and followed him into the house. The house was dark, with piles of junk scattered in the corners. Her gaze swept over the room and suddenly froze.
On a broken wooden crate in the corner, a pink object was prominently displayed.
That...that's the undergarment she left hanging in the yard a couple of days ago that mysteriously disappeared!
Zhao Hui's face flushed red instantly, and she felt a burning sensation in her heart.
That Wang Laizi is indeed a petty thief and a pervert!
But upon further reflection, she felt not only no anger, but also a morbid sense of pleasure.
Even Wang Laizi has his eye on her, which shows that Zhao Hui still has charm in men's eyes! Much better than that withered Jiang Wanqiu!
Thinking about it this way, she felt much more at ease.
She looked away, pretending not to see, her eyes darting around as she leaned closer to Wang Laizi, lowering her voice to a sweet whisper: "Brother Laizi, I have a question for you. What do you think of... that woman from the south in my brother Wenchang's family?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Laizi felt as if he were being scratched by a cat.
He had long harbored wicked thoughts about that city woman named Jiang Wanqiu.
In the past, he thought Zhao Hui was one of the best in the village. Although she had a bad temper, she was pretty and had a good figure.
But ever since Jiang Wanqiu arrived, Wang Laizi has been completely captivated, and Zhao Hui has suddenly become nothing more than a clod of dirt in his eyes.
He chuckled, rubbing his hands together, and said lecherously, "Needless to say? She has such delicate skin, like a fairy..."
"A fairy?" Zhao Hui scoffed, a disdainful smirk playing on her lips. "She doesn't seem like it. Don't let her aloof demeanor during the day fool you; she's a real flirt at heart! Brother Lai, let me ask you...would you like to try her out?"
Upon hearing the words "try something new," Wang Laizi suddenly leaned closer to Zhao Hui and excitedly asked, "Hui-meizi, what do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean?" Zhao Hui glanced at him sideways. "It means exactly what you're thinking. As long as you do as I say, I guarantee you'll get what you want."
She leaned close to Wang Laizi's ear and explained her plan: "...Later, I'll find an excuse to lure my brother Wenchang away and keep him occupied. You take this opportunity to tell Jiang Wanqiu that my brother Wenchang is waiting for her behind the haystacks at the threshing ground on the back hill because he has an urgent matter. That place is remote, and there's no one around right now. Once she's gone, you know what to do next, right?"
Wang Laizi listened with some uncertainty: "What if that woman tells on me..."
"No way!" Zhao Hui waved her hand. "You haven't seen how slutty she is! You don't know, I saw her seducing my brother a few days ago, the two of them... Now that a man is actively seeking her out, she'd probably be eager to offer herself up!"
There was no truth to the claim that she seduced her brother, but Jiang Wanqiu's willingness to help her sister-in-law for no apparent reason might indicate that she harbored such intentions!
“After it’s all done,” Zhao Hui offered another lure, “my dad has a bottle of liquor that’s been stored for years, it’s really strong! I’ll steal it for you!”
Drinking wine and having beautiful women to take advantage of—this is like a windfall!
Wang Laizi remembered how, a few nights ago, he had sneaked up to the base of the Zhao family's wall and peeked through the window cracks.
Just then, he spotted the woman wearing a slippery nightgown, swaying back and forth under the light. Her figure, her curves... tsk tsk, he dared to say that if all the women in the village were tied together, you couldn't find one more feminine than her!
"Sure! Sister Hui, I'll take care of this!" Wang Laizi patted his chest and readily agreed.
After agreeing on a time, Zhao Hui quietly slipped back to the field right on time.
The sun was setting, and workers were heading home in twos and threes. Finally, she saw that familiar figure. Zhao Wenchang was walking home alone, carrying a hoe.
Zhao Hui suddenly appeared from the side and quickly walked to the ridge in front of Zhao Wenchang. She calculated the distance accurately, deliberately twisted her ankle, and screamed "Ouch!" as she exaggeratedly fell to the ground.
Zhao Wenchang was startled by the scream. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Zhao Hui.
Zhao Hui was clutching her ankle, her face contorted in a grimace, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over, making her look incredibly pitiful.
“Brother Wenchang…” Zhao Hui raised her tear-streaked face and sobbed, “My foot… I think I sprained it again! It’s the same spot I twisted last time, it hurts… it hurts so much I can’t walk… I guess it’s because the sprain hasn’t healed yet. My body is so delicate, it’s so annoying!”
"Brother Wenchang, can you...can you carry me home? I really can't walk anymore..." Zhao Hui finally burst into tears as she spoke, her voice trembling with sobs, a sound that softened anyone's heart.
Zhao Wenchang raised an eyebrow at the woman; how could he not see through her clumsy trick?
Just then, on the ridge of the field not far away, a sturdy young man was carrying a hoe and walking this way, humming "A wide river with rolling waves." That was the second son of the Niu family from another team, nicknamed "Niu Erleng" (meaning "Niu the Second-Brained"). He was strong enough to pull a cow upside down, but he was a bit dim-witted and always grinned at everyone with a big mouth.
Zhao Wenchang immediately called the men over: "Er Lengzi! Niu Er Leng! Come and lend a hand!"
Hearing the shout, Niu Erleng slung his hoe over his shoulder and came running over, flashing a set of white teeth: "Brother Wenchang, what's up?"
Zhao Wenchang laughed and said, "Comrade Zhao Hui sprained her ankle and can't walk. You're young and strong, so please help her by carrying her back to her house."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hui's face flushed red, then turned white, then pale, then green, as if a dye shop had been opened.
Let her be carried by that idiot Niu Erleng?
Everyone in the village knows that Niu Erlengzi is slovenly. He only has two sets of clothes all year round, and the collars are so black you could scrape off a layer of grease! If you make him carry things, it's no different from being covered in lard.
She hurriedly said, "No...no need! Brother Wenchang, how can we trouble others again! It's fine if you carry me, really, I'm not heavy!" As she spoke, she swayed and tried to pounce on the man.
"That won't do!" Zhao Wenchang dodged her by sidestepping her as if she were a scorpion.
Er Lengzi walked up to Zhao Hui, grinned widely, and then turned around and assumed a horse stance: "Hui... Sister Hui, come on up! I'm safe!"
That broad but greasy back stood straight in front of Zhao Hui.
Zhao Hui felt a wave of nausea and vomiting, and she felt like dying.
She looked at Zhao Wenchang pleadingly, her voice trembling, "Brother Wenchang..."
Zhao Wenchang seemed not to see the pleading in her eyes: "Comrade Zhao Hui, don't waste time, it's getting dark. Er Lengzi is just trying to be helpful. You're a woman, you can't expect a man like me who's about to get married to carry this on my back forever, can you? If people see this and gossip, it won't be good for your reputation."
Niu Erleng was still urging, "Hui Meizi, hurry up and come up, I can barely hold my horse stance!"
She dawdled before finally managing to climb onto Niu Erleng's back, which was as firm as a washboard.
With a shout of "Hey!", Niu Erleng easily hoisted her onto his back and strode forward, bouncing along as he asked cheerfully, "Hui-meizi, am I walking steadily?"
Zhao Hui was jostled so hard that her internal organs felt like they were about to shift, and the stench of his sweat made her dizzy and lightheaded.
She still wouldn't give up, turning to Zhao Wenchang beside her and saying, "Brother Wenchang! It's getting dark, it's not safe on the road, you...you come with us! I...I'm scared!"
She has to stall him! Wang Laizi is probably about to make his move!
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