Bai Wenwen was on the verge of tears.  

“…Brother Zhou… I’m not lying to you… I… I really don’t have that much money…”  

Zhou Zhongwen’s words were laced with sarcasm and hostility. “Your father is so wealthy, yet he didn’t give you any money when you went to the countryside? Who would believe that? Bai Wenwen, I’m not a fool.”  

At this point, he wasn’t afraid of pushing Bai Wenwen to her limit or even her breaking up with him.  

After all, a woman who had already lost her virginity wouldn’t find any fool willing to take her in. Since playing the victim hadn’t worked earlier, he might as well take a tougher stance to show her his dominance.  

He refused to believe Bai Wenwen wouldn’t help him.  

Bai Wenwen bit her lower lip hard, struggling for a long time before finally speaking. “I lied to you before. My dad isn’t some revolutionary committee director—he’s just an ordinary worker at a cotton mill. My mom… she passed away last year from illness.  

“After she died, my dad married a widow from our compound. That widow wanted to marry me off to the factory director’s mentally disabled son. I refused, so I signed up to go to the countryside instead.  

“Because of that, my dad and stepmother cut ties with me…”  

When she left for the countryside, all she had was a tattered quilt and a few sets of clothes. As for money, she only had twenty yuan—and even that was pooled together by the kind neighbors in her compound who had watched her grow up.  

“What did you say? Everything you told me before was a lie?” Zhou Zhongwen’s eyes widened in fury, and at that moment, he felt the urge to kill Bai Wenwen.  

If he had known she was lying to him from the start, he would never have touched her.  

A woman who offered him no advantage in any aspect would only become a stumbling block on his path to success.  

A plump figure suddenly flashed through Zhou Zhongwen’s mind—Lin Wanwan.  

Recalling the words Wang Xiu’e had whispered to him last night when she invited him over for meat—if he agreed to marry Lin Wanwan, she would give him three hundred yuan, a Phoenix-brand bicycle, and even convince the brigade leader to recommend him for next year’s Worker-Peasant-Soldier university quota.  

That way, he could return to the city. With a college degree, he was sure to achieve great things there.  

But all of that had been ruined by this damned Bai Wenwen. The angrier he got, the more a thought took root in his mind.  

Lin Wanwan was head over heels in love with him. If he just swallowed his pride and softened his attitude, she would surely come running to marry him, bringing her dowry along.  

Then, he could still secure the Worker-Peasant-Soldier recommendation and return to the city.  

Zhou Zhongwen usually carried himself with an air of refinement, but his sudden outburst of rage made Bai Wenwen tremble uncontrollably.  

“I lied to you, and that was my fault. I’ll apologize—please forgive me. I’ll never do it again.  

“Besides, I’ve already given myself to you. Who knows, I might even be carrying your child now. You can’t just abandon us.”  

At the mention of their recent lack of precautions, Zhou Zhongwen’s face darkened like a storm cloud.  

If Bai Wenwen really was pregnant, it would be impossible to hide. Worse, that shrew Wang Xiu’e might suspect him, making it even harder for her to agree to let Lin Wanwan marry him.  

The thought of his dream of returning to the city slipping away made Zhou Zhongwen wish he could strangle Bai Wenwen right then and there.  

The fleeting murderous intent in Zhou Zhongwen’s eyes didn’t escape Bai Wenwen’s notice. Instantly, she felt a chill run down her neck.  

For her own sake—and for the child she might be carrying—Bai Wenwen delivered a half-threat. “Zhou Zhongwen, if anything happens to me or my child, I swear I’ll drag you down with me, even if it kills me.”

Zhou Zhongwen put on a fake, tender tone. “Wenwen, you’re talking nonsense again. In this lifetime, I’ll love no one but you. In a few days, we’ll find a chance to go to the commune and get our marriage certificate.”  

“If you really are pregnant, it’ll be hard to explain once your belly starts showing.”  

Bai Wenwen was easily soothed by his words, but then she grew worried again about Lin Wanwan demanding a hundred yuan from them.  

Thinking of her future in-laws, she suggested, “Brother Zhou, if there’s really no other way, why don’t you call your family and ask them to wire you some money? You could also tell them about us, so they’ll know they have a daughter-in-law like me.”  

Maybe, if his parents found out she was pregnant, they’d soften up and arrange for her to return to the city to rest during the pregnancy.  

“No,” Zhou Zhongwen refused flatly.  

“Why not? You’re their son. Isn’t it normal for parents to help when their child is in trouble? They’ll be counting on you to support them in their old age someday.” Bai Wenwen’s voice was full of confusion.  

“I said no, and that’s final. As for the money, I’ll think of another way.” He then added, “How much do you have left? Give it all to me.”  

“I… I don’t have much left. It’s all spent.”  

“Fine, don’t give it to me. We’ll just suffer together then.”  

Zhou Zhongwen’s defeatist attitude forced Bai Wenwen to hand over her secret stash. She had spent some since arriving, leaving her with fifteen yuan.  

She wanted to keep two for herself, but Zhou Zhongwen snatched it all away before she could react.  

…

In the afternoon, while Lin Hongxiang was massaging Lin Wanwan’s shoulders and legs, Lin Wanwan spotted lice crawling in her hair.  

Watching the squirming parasites, Lin Wanwan shuddered in disgust, her skin crawling.  

She immediately pulled over Lin Hongni, who had been playing in the yard with mud, and checked her hair too. With just a quick glance, she could see the lice moving around.  

Lin Wanwan couldn’t stand it for another second. She turned to Lin Hongxiang and said, “Hongxiang, go find a pair of scissors in the house. Auntie will cut your hair for you.”  

Lin Hongxiang trembled in fear. In her mind, she must have done something wrong again to anger her aunt, and this was just another way to punish her.  

Instinctively, she started apologizing, even though she didn’t know what she had done.  

Seeing her niece’s misunderstanding, Lin Wanwan explained, “You and Hongni have lice in your hair. If we don’t deal with them, they’ll bite you so much at night that you won’t be able to sleep.”  

“I’ll cut your hair short, and then the lice won’t bother you anymore.”  

Was Auntie actually being kind for once? Lin Hongxiang scratched her head, the itching growing worse the more she did.  

She did have lice—her mother had even picked some out for her a few nights ago.  

Well, hair would grow back if cut short, so it wasn’t a big loss.  

But if she disobeyed her aunt and made her unhappy, Grandma would surely beat her with the fire poker when she got back.  

To avoid another beating, Lin Hongxiang hurried to her parents’ room, dug out the scissors her mother used for sewing, and brought them to her aunt.