At the foot of the mountain, Deng Damei stood on a rock, pointing at Ma Zhongbao and threatening him fiercely, “It was you who abandoned me back then and went off to marry someone else. The great man said, ‘A relationship without the intention of marriage is just playing around.’ What you did was nothing but playing around. If you don’t want to lose your job, you’d better give me the money. And I’m not asking for it—I’m borrowing it! Compared to your job, one hundred yuan is nothing, right?”

The two had recently crossed paths on the road.

When Ma Zhongbao suddenly saw Deng Damei, he noticed she had become even more beautiful, and his interest was piqued. Coincidentally, his wife had recently passed away due to an accident, and he was now looking for a new partner.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to marry Deng Damei.

Deng Damei, aside from anything else, was simple-minded, good-looking, and more diligent than most rural girls. Plus, they had a history together, so rekindling their relationship wasn’t out of the question.

He now had two children at home and couldn’t manage alone. He desperately needed a wife to help take care of the household.

With Deng Damei, he wouldn’t have to worry.

So, he proposed getting back together.

To his surprise, Deng Damei spat at him and walked away.

Now, she was threatening him to lend her one hundred yuan!

“Have you no shame?” Ma Zhongbao laughed in anger. “Do you think one hundred yuan is easy to come by in the city? One hundred yuan? You’re not worth a penny!”

“Shut up! You have no right to judge my worth! I don’t care how hard it is for you to earn money. If you don’t lend it to me, I’ll report you. I’m sure everyone would love to have one more job opening. My report will definitely hit the mark!”

Deng Damei raised an eyebrow.

She felt exhilarated.

Earlier, she had returned to the educated youth dormitory and told Zhang Yunxi about what had happened at her boyfriend’s house and how she had run into her ex.

Zhang Yunxi had suggested that she borrow money from her ex. The key was not to mention interest or refuse to repay the money, as one hundred yuan was a huge sum.

However, the repayment period could be extended to ten or even twenty years.

The main idea was to take it slow.

Deng Damei thought this made perfect sense!

Besides, she had been criticized for a long time because of that scumbag. She had been holding a grudge against him and had long wanted to get back at him. Now, she finally had her chance!

“Deng Damei, I used to think you were a simple and kind girl. I never expected you to become so shrewd and calculating over the years. How could I have been so blind to fall for a woman like you!”

Ma Zhongbao regretted his past decisions.

If only he hadn’t been so flirtatious back then.

One hundred yuan.

He had saved up for years in the city, even squeezing his wife, and only managed to save two hundred and sixty yuan.

“Haha, you’re upset because I’m not doing what you want, aren’t you? You’re throwing a fit, right? Let me tell you, whether you want to give me the money or not, you’re going to give it to me! Otherwise, I’ll make sure you lose your job.

I’m not the same person I used to be. I won’t be hurt by your empty words anymore. It’s me who was blind to have fallen for someone like you. I’m so glad I didn’t end up with you!”

Deng Damei crossed her arms, feeling triumphant.

Who didn’t have a strategist friend?

Zhang Yunxi had already warned her in the dormitory that the scumbag would say, “You’ve changed, you’ve become bad.”

The subtext was: Why aren’t you listening to me anymore?

She told Deng Damei not to panic or doubt herself and even taught her how to counter his words.

Sure enough, everything went exactly as Zhang Yunxi had predicted.

Zhang Yunxi was truly a master strategist.

Ma Zhongbao was so angry he was hopping mad. Remembering that her bride price had been one hundred yuan, he sneered, “Aren’t you afraid your husband will find out that the wedding money came from me?”

“Why should I be afraid? On the contrary, you should be afraid that he finds out. If he does, he’ll be furious, and then I won’t repay the money. You’ll lose one hundred yuan just like that.” Deng Damei shook her head.

Everything he said and did.

Was exactly as Zhang Yunxi had predicted.

How boring.

She rolled her eyes and urged, “Hurry up, I haven’t had my nap yet!”

“Deng Damei!!!” Ma Zhongbao roared.

“Fine, don’t give it then.”

Deng Damei turned to leave.

Ma Zhongbao’s veins bulged on his forehead, his nose flaring as he breathed heavily, his eyes bulging like a bull’s. “Fine, I’ll give it. But you have to write me an IOU.”

“Deal!”

Deng Damei went to get paper and a pen.

Ma Zhongbao went to get the money.

“You have to repay it within ten years.”

Deng Damei thought about it. Based on her and Zhao Xiaobing’s abilities, they should be able to save up one hundred yuan in ten years, so she nodded.

When handing over the money, Ma Zhongbao grabbed Deng Damei’s hand. Seeing her struggle, he smirked, “You’re so eager to be with Zhao Xiaobing. Have you already slept with him?”

Deng Damei was so shocked that she couldn’t think of a retort.

Zhao Xiaobing, who was walking down from the mountainside, saw Deng Damei and Ma Zhongbao holding hands from a distance. His heart ached, and he felt a suffocating mix of jealousy, anger, sadness, and self-mockery.

After they separated.

Zhao Xiaobing remained in a daze for a long time.

He slumped to the ground, his eyes blank, his head throbbing with pain.

On his way home, he saw Deng Damei waiting for him. He changed direction and went to his uncle’s house to help with work.

Deng Damei waited for a long time, guessing that he had gone to work on the house. She didn’t linger and took the money back to Zhang Yunxi, saying, “Now I don’t have to worry anymore.”

“I think you should actually talk to Zhao Xiaobing about this. After all, the debt will be shared between you two,” Zhang Yunxi reminded.

She had come up with this plan because she saw how distressed Deng Damei was and how Zhao Xiaobing seemed like a decent person.

He didn’t shirk responsibility or push Deng Damei away when problems arose. Instead, he tried to find solutions and always put Deng Damei first.

You could say he was timid, but he was also brave enough to fight for what he wanted.

His family wasn’t the type to cause trouble either. They were just poor, but everyone was poor back then.

The key was that he was hardworking. She had observed that Zhao Xiaobing worked very diligently.

Otherwise, for an ordinary family, even proposing to split the household wouldn’t have gotten them one hundred yuan.

“I’ll think about it,” Deng Damei said, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with laughter. “With one hundred yuan, I can get married. Once we start earning money together and have a few children, we’ll be very happy.”

“Having children is a huge responsibility. Take it easy,” Zhang Yunxi couldn’t help but add.

“I know.”

Deng Damei was overjoyed. “I’ll talk to him tonight. He’ll be happy too.”

Zhang Yunxi thought of Zhao Xiaobing’s innocent demeanor and laughed. “I think so too. You can meet in a slightly darker spot and have a sweet moment together.”

“Ahhh, you’re so annoying.” Deng Damei blushed and pushed her. “If you want a sweet moment, go find yourself a boyfriend.”

“I’m only 18. I’m in no hurry.”

Deng Damei looked at her radiant face for a moment and said, “You really don’t need to rush.”