The two merchants kept staring at the young widow, making her blush.
"Brothers, please have a seat."
The two merchants were both swallowing hard; judging from their expressions, they looked as if they wanted to bite the young widow.
Li Sha didn't stand on ceremony and ordered ten of the most expensive dishes, plus a bottle of Wuliangye liquor.
The tall man said greedily, "Girl, you're right, this young widow is really beautiful. It's a feast for the eyes. Just looking at her is enough to fill my stomach."
The short man clicked his tongue and chimed in, "Girl, it's a good thing you brought us here, otherwise we would have missed out on a beautiful sight."
This meal cost more than seventy yuan.
After finishing the meal, Li Sha said unhappily, "You two said you would give me a gift, but now the department store is closed and I can't buy anything."
The tall man chuckled and took out fifty yuan, handing it to Li Sha.
"Hey girl, take this money. Go to the store tomorrow and buy whatever you want."
Li Sha didn't take the money, and frowned, saying, "Brother, you're too stingy. I'm here with you two to eat and to give you a good look. Is it only worth fifty yuan? I'm not giving money to beggars. If you two don't have money, then forget it."
The short man ingratiatingly took out a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet and slapped it on the table.
The tall man felt a little embarrassed and quickly exchanged his money for a hundred-yuan bill.
Li Sha's anger turned to joy. She happily accepted the two hundred yuan, stuffed it into her pocket, and said, "It's getting late, you two should hurry back to Xu Family Village."
The tall man asked, "Young lady, aren't you going to Xu Family Village?"
"It's so late. If I go back to Xujiazhuang with you two, and we run into some thugs on the way, and they take advantage of me, a virgin, my life will be ruined."
The short man rolled up his sleeves and said, "Girl, with the two of us men protecting you, you'll be safe and sound."
Li Sha stood up, glanced at the two businessmen, and said, "Brothers, you two are both bachelors, and you look like hungry wolves. I'm not going to be a lamb. When I was a child, I read a comic book, and I think the title was something like 'Sheep Falls into the Wolf's Mouth'."
The tall man said confidently, "Girl, we're both decent, upright, and honest people. Why would we do anything to you? We wouldn't."
Li Sha asked, "I'll be waiting for you at the hair salon tomorrow night at five o'clock. I'll accompany you two to the Mantanghong Hotel for dinner. Don't be afraid, I won't ask you for gifts again."
The two men said in unison, "Then it's a deal. We'll come to the barbershop to find you tomorrow night at five o'clock."
"See you there."
After Li Sha finished speaking, she swayed her hips and walked away.
The tall man sighed and said, "This little wench is quite shrewd; you can't just get her into bed with a little money."
The short man said confidently, "Brother, don't let her shrewdness fool you. She's quite greedy. If we spend more time with her and give her lots of gifts, she'll be ours sooner or later."
Li Sha didn't stay idle; as soon as he left the restaurant, he went to Xiao Ya's house.
Xiaoya is a 20-year-old girl who suffered from meningitis as a child, leaving her with sequelae and making her a little slow-witted.
Xiaoya's parents sell vegetables in town, but they don't earn much money and live a very frugal life.
Li Sha really liked Xiao Ya's silly side and often teased her.
The little girl sat in the yard, looking up at the stars in the sky, murmuring a count: "1, 2, 3..."
Li Sha called out, "Little girl, are you counting stars again? I'm asking you: how many stars are there in the sky?"
The little girl answered, "There are nine stars in total."
The little girl can only count to nine; she gets confused when she counts down.
Xiaoya's mother came out of the house and greeted her, "Sasha, you're here."
"Auntie, I've come to see Xiaoya and play with her."
“Sasha, it’s only because you’re here to play with Xiaoya that everyone else looks down on her and calls her an idiot when they see her.”
"Auntie, tomorrow I'm going to my aunt's house in Xujiazhuang. I want to take Xiaoya with me so she'll have company."
Xiaoya's mother agreed immediately.
The next afternoon, Li Sha and Xiao Ya went to Xujiazhuang together.
Li Sha took a detour, entering Xu Family Village from the east, thus avoiding Widow Wang's house.
She was worried that the two merchants would see her arrive at Xujiazhuang.
Li Sha made an appointment with two businessmen to have dinner together at the Mantanghong Hotel at five o'clock. In fact, this was just a diversionary tactic.
Li Sha went directly to the village chief's house.
When the village chief saw Li Sha arrive, he quickly said, "Sha Sha, as you said, I have already sent ten militiamen. They will gather at my house as soon as it gets dark."
The village chief glanced at the little girl and asked, "Is this the prop you were talking about?"
“Village chief, her name is Xiaoya. I told you last time that she has some mental problems, so she is the most suitable person to be this prop.”
The village chief chuckled and praised, "Sasha, you're really something. You've thought things through very thoroughly, leaving no loose ends."
"Yes, this silly girl doesn't know anything. Besides, it's reasonable to use her as a prop. People will think that the two merchants kidnapped her because they thought she was a silly girl."
The village chief had his wife cook some good dishes.
Li Sha put some food into Xiao Ya's bowl and said, "Xiao Ya, eat more, eat your fill."
The little girl wolfed down her food, saying between bites, "Sister, the food here is so delicious, it's better than the food at home."
Li Meng sighed and said, "Little girl, your family doesn't eat meat more than a few times a year, but this meal has a big bowl full of meat, weighing a full three pounds."
The village chief sent a militiaman to guard the vicinity of the young widow's house.
As dusk fell, the militiaman ran up to report: "Village chief, those two merchants have already headed towards Qinglong Town."
The village chief said, "Go and tell the other militiamen to come and assemble here."
Li Sha said to the village chief, "I'm leaving. Everything will proceed as planned."
Li Sha took Xiao Ya to her aunt's house.
When her aunt saw Li Sha arrive, she asked in surprise, "Sha Sha, why did you come in the dark? It's dangerous for a young lady to walk alone at night."
"Aunt, I have something important to tell you tonight. Please don't ask any questions or tell anyone what happened tonight. If this gets out, it could bring disaster."
Li Sha's aunt looked at the little girl and asked curiously, "Who is this girl? There's something strange about her."
"Aunt, as I just said, don't ask about anything. No matter what you see or hear, keep it to yourself and never tell anyone."
Li Sha's aunt has only one son who works away from home.
Li Sha's uncle passed away two years ago.
Auntie asked timidly, "Sasha, you...you're being so mysterious, what are you trying to do?"
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