Chapter 82

Fu Linzhou angrily pulled his younger brother back to their room. Fu Qingshan hadn’t expected the kids to suddenly blurt out something like that and was stunned for a moment, instinctively glancing at Qiao Xinyi. Meeting her teasing look, Fu Qingshan’s ears turned slightly red. 

“That’s something for after we’re married. Not now,” Fu Qingshan said, then started to leave. “Go to bed early. After I’m out, make sure you bolt the door inside.” 

The children’s room was across the hall, and the kids had even left the door unlocked for Fu Qingshan. After going in, he looked back at Qiao Xinyi one more time. She smiled at him and waved before he closed the door. 

In this era, there was no nightlife, especially in a small town. Around ten o’clock, the streets were cold and quiet, almost deserted. 

Zheng Dajiang ran all the way, glancing back nervously as he feared Fu Qingshan might catch up and feed him some shit. He only dared to catch his breath when he reached the home of his shady friends. 

“Haozi, open the door for me,” Zheng Dajiang kicked the door a couple of times without caring if he disturbed the neighbors. 

When the door opened, he saw a table set under a tree in the yard. Several people were sitting around, drinking and eating snacks, making quite a lively scene. 

“Hey, brothers, why didn’t you call me? You’re having fun here without me,” Zheng Dajiang said, closing the door and walking over. 

Hearing Zheng Dajiang’s complaint, the others smiled apologetically and explained, “Wasn’t it you who said this afternoon that Fu Qingshan was back, and that you didn’t dare mess around outside because you were afraid Fu Qingshan would beat you?” 

Haozi moved a chair for Zheng Dajiang and poured him some wine. “Why are you coming here now? Did that woman Fu Qingshan brought back get her elementary school diploma yet?” 

“Yeah, is Fu Qingshan switching girlfriends? If you ask me, he’s just dumb. Liu Yun is pretty, and apart from being divorced twice, she has no other faults. Plus, her family background is good—better than any flaws. If I were Fu Qingshan, I’d want Liu Yun as my wife too,” said Lu Dan. 

Talking about this only made Zheng Dajiang feel unlucky. The others, seeing his expression, guessed how things had turned out. 

That afternoon, Zheng Dajiang had bragged loudly in front of them, saying things about standing on his head and eating shit. Now none of them dared to mention it. 

Haozi patted Zheng Dajiang’s shoulder to comfort him, “It’s just an elementary school diploma. Lots of people have one; it’s not like adding her makes much difference. Liu Yun graduated from university. Once Fu Qingshan thinks it through, he’ll choose her. Your job at the canning factory is secure.” 

“Not just the elementary diploma—middle school and high school diplomas, too. She got all three today,” Zheng Dajiang said, even more angry. Haozi’s comfort only made things worse. 

“What’s so great about Fu Qingshan? He just has a better job, a higher education, and is a bit better looking. Why do all the women want him? With his bad temper, which woman could stand marrying him?” 

The angrier Zheng Dajiang got, the more he needed to vent. He remembered how fiercely Fu Qingshan had beaten him. 

“He hits hard, and Liu Yun and Qiao Xinyi aren’t afraid they might get killed by his fists someday.” 

Zheng Dajiang cursed to himself while the others stayed silent. 

Getting three diplomas in one day was no small feat. Few people could do that. 

Zheng Dajiang was Fu Qingshan’s own younger brother and dared to curse him, but the others didn’t. No young person in town dared to provoke Fu Qingshan. Didn’t they get enough beatings from their own families when they were kids? 

Haozi and the others exchanged glances. Most of them were unmarried men who had trouble with marriage—women didn’t want to marry them—while Fu Qingshan was the one women fought over. Just hearing that was enough to make their hearts feel blocked and frustrated.

“If Fu Qingshan doesn’t marry Liu Yun, wouldn’t Dajiang’s job be gone?” Lu Dan brought up the most sensitive topic.

Suddenly, someone in the group spoke up, “What if Fu Qingshan marries Liu Yun, and then Dajiang marries that Qiao Xinyi? That’d be perfect!”

As soon as the words came out, everyone suddenly fell silent.

Lu Dan laughed, “Why is everyone quiet? That’s not a bad idea.”

He slapped the table, “Qiao Xinyi is at least from the provincial city, and now she even has a high school diploma. With that education, what job can’t she find in the provincial city? If Dajiang marries her, she can take him to make a name for himself there!”

“With brains like our brother Dajiang’s, if he goes to the provincial city, how could he not succeed?” Lu Dan, drunk, was speaking without thinking. He put a hand on Zheng Dajiang’s shoulder and said, “Have Qiao Xinyi stay at your place tonight. Don’t say your brothers didn’t help you. When you get home, break into her room, and in the dark, just sleep with her.”

When Lu Dan said this, some people sober up quite a bit, but others got even drunker.

“Exactly! Women are like that—once you sleep with them, they’ll be loyal to you. And if you’ve already slept with her, who else could she marry? Since she’s with you, Fu Qingshan definitely won’t marry her, so Liu Yun can marry Fu Qingshan. That way, your job at the canning factory is safe.”

The person got more excited, “Then you marry Qiao Xinyi, work at the canning factory for a few months, sell that job, and go to the provincial city with her to make a name for yourself. Zheng Dajiang, all of us brothers will be counting on you to get rich and take us with you!”

“I have a relative who spent 600 bucks last month buying a job. A warehouse assistant at the canning factory is a good job—maybe you could sell it for 700 or 800 bucks. Then you use that money with your wife to buy a job in the provincial city. Zheng Dajiang, you’ll be a provincial city man, and the brothers will really envy you!”

Zheng Dajiang hadn’t dared to think about this before, but with his rowdy friends each pitching in, he was being praised to the skies and couldn’t help but dream of becoming a big shot in the provincial city.

Everyone in town looked down on him, even his relatives. But if he really, as the brothers said, went to the provincial city and made it big, those who looked down on him would regret it. Back then, those people looked down on him—once Zheng Dajiang was successful in the provincial city, no one would dare come begging to him!

Emboldened by alcohol and lust, Zheng Dajiang, after weighing pros and cons, suddenly downed a whole bowl of rice wine and slammed the empty bowl on the table.

“To success! Once I succeed, I’ll be rich!”

Zheng Dajiang thought: if I fail, I’ll just get beaten by Fu Qingshan again. But with my dad and mom around, Fu Qingshan can’t kill me.

Seeing people still hyping Zheng Dajiang up and praising how smooth his life would be in the provincial city, the clever ones had already used the excuse of being drunk to slip away early.

In the summer night, insects chirped and birds sang in the small town. Drunk people passing by someone’s door would even kick a sleeping puppy lying on the ground a couple of times.

Approaching the Zheng family’s gate, Zheng Dajiang made a shushing gesture to those behind him, waved them off, then staggered and opened the door to go home.

The moonlight was bright that night, lighting up the yard. Zheng Dajiang, still drunk, headed toward Fu Qingshan’s room. Seeing only a pair of women’s small leather shoes outside the door, he chuckled, “Well then, don’t blame me for being nice!”

Zheng Dajiang pushed the door, but it was locked from the inside. He then circled around to the window.

Summer rooms were stuffy; sure enough, the window was open.

Zheng Dajiang dragged a chair from the main room and placed it under the window, stepped on it, and climbed in through the window.