That evening, Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang didn't return to Zhaojiagou. Gu Tiezhu grew anxious and searched the town early the next morning, but couldn't find any trace of them. A day later, Gu Tiezhu discovered a letter from Gu Hongxing hidden inside the shirt where he'd kept his money.
Gu Hongxing wrote that he and his sister had returned to Kyoto City to go to school and didn't want to stay home. He also said that they had taken care of themselves over the years and that now that they were older, they didn't need anyone to take care of them anymore. He asked Gu Tiezhu not to bother them anymore.
Finally, Gu Hongxing said that he and his sister had seen Gu Tiezhu's money and suspected him of doing something bad. Gu Hongxing told Gu Tiezhu to fend for himself. He and Gu Xiaofang already had a mother who had been executed, and they didn't want to have a father who had been executed as well.
After reading the letter, Gutiezhu didn't say a word for a long time.
Gutiezhu knew his own situation. His money was indeed obtained through illegal means. Gutiezhu also knew that if he continued like this, he would definitely end up being shot.
Gu Tiezhu thought that as long as the money was enough, it would be fine. For the sake of Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang, he should not get involved in the past affairs anymore and just live in Zhaojiagou for his retirement.
Unexpectedly, the next day, Zhou Jiaxing came to the door and insisted on taking Gutiezhu back to Kyoto with him.
Gutiezhu was in a difficult situation. He told Zhou Jiaxing that he didn't want to do it anymore.
Zhou Jiaxing was surprised. Seeing that Gutiezhu was telling the truth, Zhou Jiaxing became anxious.
Zhou Jiaxing said his money had been stolen and he was now penniless. If Gutiezhu didn't take him back to Jingdu to "strike a fortune," there was no guarantee he'd get away with it and spill the beans about their past dealings together. He was practically broke anyway, and a free jail meal was better than starvation.
Although Zhou Jiaxing didn't directly say he was going to report Gu Tiezhu, Gu Tiezhu understood from Zhou Jiaxing's threatening tone that he was unwilling to let Gu Tiezhu "come ashore" unless Gu Tiezhu paid him.
Gu Tiezhu was unwilling to give Zhou Jiaxing the money. He reasoned that his money didn't just fall from the sky, so why should he give it to Zhou Jiaxing for free? Besides, if Gu Tiezhu gave him the money just because Zhou Jiaxing threatened him a few times, what if Zhou Jiaxing came to ask for the money when he got upset? Would he still give it to him?
After much deliberation, Gu Tiezhu decided to take Zhou Jiaxing back to Kyoto City. After all, he had people under his command in Kyoto City, so he wasn't afraid that Zhou Jiaxing would take flight.
"Jiaxing, take a rest first! We can talk about Hongxing and the others later." After saying this, Gutiezhu stood up and walked into his room. It was getting late, and Gutiezhu was still thinking about going out to do something tomorrow!
"Brother Gu, you..." Zhou Jiaxing had been trying to borrow some money from Gu Tiezhu, but his words were caught in his throat when Gu Tiezhu closed the door. Returning to Kyoto, he remembered that life in the big city required money every day, unlike back in Zhoujia Village, where he could barely spend a few yuan for ten days or half a month. Tonight, to deflect attention from anyone trying to track him, Zhou Jiaxing had already spent several yuan just on the bus.
"Damn! Damn thief!" Zhou Jiaxing thought of the thousands of dollars that were missing and cursed in his heart.
Unlike Zhou Jiaxing, Zhou Miaomiao has been in a good mood these days.
After Zhou Miaomiao married Yuan Sixi, she suffered a lot for a few days. When she was at her parents' house, Zhou Miaomiao was lazy and would put off doing any housework that she could avoid.
Yuan Sixi felt that since Zhou Miaomiao was the wife he "bought" for 500 yuan, she should serve him and his mother respectfully. Early in the morning of the second day after his wedding, Yuan Sixi woke up and saw Zhou Miaomiao still sleeping soundly. He was so angry that he kicked her to the ground.
Yuan Sixi's rough kick woke Zhou Miaomiao. She remembered what Gu Dahua had said before: in a relationship, it's either the east wind that prevails over the west wind, or the west wind that prevails over the east wind. If a woman doesn't "train" her man well in the early stages of marriage, she will be a slave to him for the rest of her life.
Therefore, Zhou Miaomiao did not succumb to Yuan Sixi's kick, but instead got up and fought with Yuan Sixi.
Unfortunately, women are naturally weaker than men, and Yuan Sixi is not a gentle man. This fight ended with Zhou Miaomiao being defeated miserably with a bruised face.
Not only that, Yuan Sixi also ordered Zhou Miaomiao to get up and cook, otherwise, he would punch her. Under Yuan Sixi's strong suppression, Zhou Miaomiao obediently went out to fetch water, and by the way, let the young ladies and wives of Taohua Village "admire" her "grace" as a new bride.
The women in Taoshu Village were secretly laughing at Zhou Miaomiao. It was really embarrassing that such a young and tender wife could not even order her own husband around and had to go out to fetch water on the second day of her wedding.
Zhou Miaomiao refused to accept her fate. She remembered what Gu Dahua said: if you want to control your man, you should threaten him by not letting him do that kind of thing at the appropriate time.
Gu Dahua and Zhou Zhiqiang's marriage had also seen instances of not letting their husbands have sex. Rural women, when chatting together, were often unrestrained and freely shared their opinions. Zhou Miaomiao had heard this from a young age, and naturally, she also believed in this "golden rule" for managing men.
Yuan Sixi, an old bachelor who had finally found a wife, was still very keen on that kind of thing. At night, when Yuan Sixi was "seeking sex", Zhou Miaomiao remembered what her mother Gu Dahua had said and tried to control Yuan Sixi. As a result, Zhou Miaomiao was beaten by Yuan Sixi again, but in the end, Yuan Sixi succeeded.
Zhou Miaomiao was furious. Gu Dahua had died young, and Zhou Miaomiao's marriage was essentially "sold" to Yuan Sixi by her uncle's family. Her aunts were fixated on the betrothal money, and no one had ever taught her how to get along with her spouse. Gu Dahua's "experience" had been flawed, and Yuan Sixi was too volatile. After two failed attempts, Zhou Miaomiao no longer dared to oppose Yuan Sixi.
Yuan Sixi was interested instead. He liked to hear Zhou Miaomiao screaming under his fist. Even if Zhou Miaomiao doesn't provoke him, Yuan Sixi will beat Zhou Miaomiao as long as there is a little dissatisfaction. However, in order not to affect his interest in "doing things", the part of his fist greeting avoided Zhou Miaomiao's face.
Zhou Miaomiao was in great pain. She really couldn't go on living like this.
But Zhou Miaomiao didn't dare flee. Taoshu Village was too remote, with only a narrow path connecting it to the outside world. All transportation depended on walking, and Zhou Miaomiao worried that Yuan Sixi would catch up before she could even escape. Besides, Zhou Miaomiao was penniless, and the Zhou family no longer wanted her. Even if she escaped, she had nowhere to go.
Just when Zhou Miaomiao was full of despair, her "salvation" appeared.
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