Qi Zhifang forced herself to stay awake and waited. Around noon, Wang Fang was taken to the interrogation room alone, while the rest of the people left in a truck. At 3 PM, Qi Zhifang was made to sign a bail statement and released.
The two of them arrived at the small house that had once caused Qi Zhifang so much humiliation. Qi Zhifang quickly heated up the house, boiled water for Wang Fang's bath, and then quickly made four side dishes and warmed a pot of wine.
Wang Fang, clean and with her hair down, sat there blankly for a while until her hair dried. When Li Maocai sauntered in, Wang Fang stared at him, jumped up, and was about to rush out when Qi Zhifang grabbed her and whispered, "You want to go to a labor camp?" Tears streamed down Wang Fang's face, and her lips trembled as she couldn't speak.
Despite being prepared, Wang Fang still felt nauseous looking at this man who wasn't much younger than her grandmother. The thought of him doing *that* to her made her extremely resistant and want to turn around and leave.
Li Maocai slowly took off his hat and coat, sat down in a chair, and looked at Wang Fang frivolously. After a while, he snorted coldly, "What? You still don't like me? Now you know how to be reserved? Weren't you a little more reserved when you were doing that with that pretty boy? I may be old and ugly, but I can save you. That pretty boy you like may be young and good-looking, but is he useful? He'll just throw you away when something goes wrong."
Wang Fang roared like a raging wild animal, "I won't allow you to insult him! He's a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you!"
Li Maocai laughed loudly, "If he's so great, what are you doing here? Go find him! Go now!"
Wang Fang struggled desperately to break free from Qi Zhifang and walk out, but Qi Zhifang grabbed her and wouldn't let go, saying, "If you leave this door today, there's no going back!"
Wang Fang pushed Qi Zhifang away with disgust, wiped away her tears and said, "I'd rather go to a labor camp than allow someone like this to defile my body! You're despicable, go by yourself! I love Yunxiang, and I won't allow any man other than him to defile me."
Li Maocai chuckled and glanced sideways at Wang Fang. "Once we leave this room today, we won't know each other! Don't regret it!"
Wang Fang sneered, "I'd rather go to prison or die than let you, you old geezer, ruin me. Disgusting!" With that, she pushed Qi Zhifang aside and ran out.
Li Maocai scoffed, "This guy's got some kind of brain fart; he needs money to fix it." He then glanced sideways at Qi Zhifang, "What are you looking at? This is hereditary!"
After saying that, he sat down and started eating, then drank a small glass of wine by himself. Qi Zhifang was anxious and pleaded, "Old Li, she's just a child, you..."
Li Maocai didn't even lift his eyelids. "Children? You're almost a mother yourself! Hey! Qi Zhifang, if I don't make myself clear, do you think I'm some kind of used woman? What are you still doing here? Do you want me to invite you out?"
Qi Zhifang gritted her teeth, grabbed her clothes, and left. She chased after Wang Fang as she went outside. She watched as the frail Wang Fang wandered aimlessly through the snow.
Qi Zhifang grabbed her and said, "What are you going to do? Are you really going to a labor camp?"
Wang Fang stared intently at Qi Zhifang, her anger palpable. "So what if I'm sent to a labor camp? What's so scary about that!"
Qi Zhifang slapped her and said, "Why did you cry back then if you weren't afraid?"
Wang Fang covered her face and laughed, saying, "I am scared, but compared to going to the farm, I'm even more afraid of doing 'that' with an old man! Even if I die on the farm, I'll have done right by the man I love, and I'll die a clean death!"
After saying that, she ran home in a huff. When Wang Hong saw Wang Fang return, she immediately went up to her, hugged her, and cried, "Sister, you're finally back!"
Wang Fang patted her younger sister's shoulder and sniffled, "Yeah, you're back. Go to sleep!"
Qi Zhifang returned later, her heart filled with helplessness and panic. "What kind of world is this! Why can't the whole world accommodate someone like me, Qi Zhifang? I was just following my heart to pursue my truest feelings. Was that wrong? If I'm guilty, let the law punish me. If I'm innocent, why can't I live like an ordinary person? Why are we all human, yet we're divided into different classes! Thick clouds obscure the sun in the sky. How can I find peace in this unjust world! How can I find peace!"
Back in the house, like Wang Fang, the two of them tossed and turned, unable to sleep, afraid of waking the person next to them. The next morning, before anyone had even left for work, several people came and dragged Wang Fang out of bed without even letting her put on her coat. They gagged her and pulled her out. Wang Hong's mouth was also tightly blocked, and two people pressed her down onto the table.
When Wang Dong, Qi Zhifang, Qi Zhijun, and Qi's mother heard the commotion, Wang Fang had already been taken away. Wang Hong, with disheveled hair, barefoot, and her clothes in disarray, was squatting there with her arms wrapped around her shoulders.
Startled, Qi's mother rushed over, hugged Wang Hong, and whispered, "Honghong, what's wrong?"
Wang Hong burst into tears, "They took my sister away." Qi Zhifang's face turned deathly pale, and the rest of the people were completely bewildered. Wang Fang had come back? How come they didn't know?
Qi's mother patted Wang Hong and sighed, saying, "Good child, don't be afraid. Go back and put your clothes on." She then waved her hand and said, "Go back, everyone!"
Wang Fang cried, "No, my sister is only wearing a thermal undershirt and long johns. They didn't even give her time to put on clothes. I have to bring her some clothes!"
Qi Zhifang covered her mouth and sobbed. She was over 30 years old, and she couldn't even live a good life with such a reputation. Her daughter wasn't married yet, so what would happen to her in the future?
Wang Dong silently took Wang Fang's clothes, and Qi Zhijun followed him out, asking around about the place where Wang Fang had been detained. They learned that the decision to send her back to the place where she had been sent to work in the countryside was up to the local authorities!
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