Chapter 33

“What are you saying?” Zhan Ai Guo couldn’t believe it, he was completely devastated.

“Is it you or your mom? Could it be that both of you were…”

“It’s just me.” Zhan Hongyan lowered her voice and pulled open Chen Ju Xiang’s clothes.

“Dad, Mom’s skin is prone to scarring, and it won’t disappear for ten days or half a month. Look, there are only the marks of you hitting her, there’s no trace of Huang Jianjun’s bites.”

Chen Ju Xiang had been scared of being beaten for the past few days. She quickly said, “Lao Zhan, it really wasn’t me. At that time, everyone in the brigade was there. For my daughter’s reputation, I had to take the blame for her.”

Zhan Ai Guo was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He couldn’t accept his daughter losing her virginity, even more than his wife being violated.

“You’re not a virgin anymore. How can I ask for 300 yuan as a dowry? Forget about 300, I’m afraid it’s not even worth 100 now.”

Being cuckolded was a matter of face, but not having a dowry was about whether his son could eat well. Zhan Ai Guo loved his son, and for his son, he could lose face.

Now it was all over, he had lost both face and dowry!

“Dad, I’m like this now, I definitely can’t marry into the city. Those city people are cunning. If they find out I’ve been violated, they’ll ask for the dowry money back in the future, and they’ll also retaliate against our family.”

Zhan Hongyan scared her father.

“If you marry Li Jian, you’re both from the same brigade, and he’s just a newcomer from another place. Even if they find out, he won’t dare to do anything to us.”

“Besides, our house and Li’s house aren’t far apart. Mom can help, I’m sure I can make him think I’m still a virgin.”

Zhan Hongyan’s implication was that if she married into the city, Chen Ju Xiang would have to come back that day, she wouldn’t be able to help Zhan Hongyan.

Zhan Ai Guo’s expression softened a little. Zhan Hongyan immediately seized the opportunity and started to paint a rosy picture, “Dad, just let me marry Li Jian. I promise, in three years, Li Jian will have money. Then, I’ll give you 1,000 yuan!”

Three years later would be 1980. By then, it would have been one year since the reform and opening up. Based on her memories from her previous life, Li Jian would have been a “ten-thousand-yuan household” by then.

“Sigh, I’ve raised you for eighteen years, how come I’ve raised a wicked girl who’s disloyal to her family?” Zhan Ai Guo’s features contorted. He stomped his foot, knowing that it was no use to say more. He could only nod in agreement.

In the 1970s, a woman’s best dowry was her chastity. His daughter didn’t have that anymore. How could Zhan Ai Guo have the face to ask for a dowry?

Zhan Hongyan didn’t feel ashamed. Seeing her father nod, she happily said, “Dad, then give me the 20 yuan. I’ll go to Li Jian and tell him, by the way. We’ll get married on the 18th.”

“It’s the 13th today, there are only five days left. I’ll talk to him first, then let him come over to go through the motions of proposing.”

Zhan Ai Guo was reluctant to give her money. He wanted to save all his money for his son, but he had to get the defiled Zhan Hongyan out of the house quickly. Zhan Ai Guo reluctantly gave Zhan Hongyan 10 yuan.

“That’s all. Anyway, you haven’t been married, and he, Li Jian, is a widower with two burdens. He’s not qualified to be picky. You giving him 10 yuan is already very good.”

Zhan Hongyan lowered her head and calculated. She now had 25 yuan and 50 cents, and Zhan Ai Guo gave her 10 yuan, making it 35 yuan and 50 cents. It was still a big gap from 50 yuan.

“Dad, give me another 5 yuan.” Zhan Hongyan took the 10 yuan from Zhan Ai Guo’s hand and quickly put it in her pocket, then stretched out her hand to ask for more.

Zhan Ai Guo refused to give her any more, “That’s all. If he doesn’t want you, if he doesn’t marry you, I’ll marry you off to the old bachelor in the neighboring brigade. He definitely won’t dislike you.”

Zhan Hongyan had no choice but to take the 35 yuan and 50 cents and go find Li Jian.

She now just wanted to become a wealthy wife. She was extremely flattering to Li Jian. Before, she had thought about getting Li Jian to eat the rice before it was cooked, but Zhan Hongyan was afraid that Li Jian would think she was too unreserved, so she decided to give up.

Now that she had money, she didn’t need to take risks. Zhan Hongyan called Li Jian out of his house, found a secluded place, and gave him all her money.

“Brother Li, I’ve given you all my money. Here’s 35 yuan and 50 cents. It’s only 14 yuan and 50 cents short of 50 yuan. How about we get married first? After I marry you, I’ll definitely work hard and earn work points to make up for the money.”

If it were Zhan Xinyue, Li Jian would have been overjoyed to get 35 yuan and 50 cents from her. He would have happily taken her home.

But it was Zhan Hongyan. Li Jian looked at the woman who was throwing herself at him, a woman who wasn’t worth a cent, and said coldly, “It’s still 14 yuan and 50 cents short. That’s too much.”

“Okay, you add 8 yuan, and I’ll marry you. What do you say?” Li Jian pretended to be reluctant, but his hand tightly gripped the 35 yuan and 50 cents he had gotten, afraid that Zhan Hongyan would change her mind and leave.

Zhan Hongyan’s eyes rolled, and she nodded, “It’s a deal. When I get the money, you have to marry me. We’ll get married on the 18th of this month.”

“En.” Li Jian nodded. He also wanted Zhan Hongyan to move in soon. She could do the housework and help take care of the children, reducing Liu Ru Yan’s burden.

Seeing Li Jian nod, Zhan Hongyan felt reassured. She was confident of winning, and she ran off.

She now wanted to shout loudly to the sky: Money, I’m coming! I’m going to be a rich wife.

The temptation of being a rich wife was too great. To achieve her goal, Zhan Hongyan went to see one of her lovers from her previous life, the intellectual Fang Jiaming.

It was already evening, people were going home one after another for a walk. There were only three men and two women left in the intellectual youth point. Two of the female intellectuals went to the lake to wash clothes, one male intellectual went for a run, only Fang Jiaming and a male intellectual who was hiding in the room reading a smutty book were left.

Zhan Hongyan called Fang Jiaming out and said directly, “Intellectual Fang, I know about your deal with Widow Qu.”

“She sleeps with you, and you give her money and coupons.” This was something Fang Jiaming had said himself in his previous life.

Fang Jiaming had been in Chang Hong Brigade for two or three years. He saw that the other intellectuals had returned to the city, but he had no connections and felt that his future was bleak. He was anxious and had nowhere to vent, so he found Widow Qu, who still had some charm, and paid her 1 yuan or a couple of sugar coupons each time.

“What do you want?” Fang Jiaming’s eyes narrowed. He thought Zhan Hongyan was here to threaten him.

“I want 10 yuan.” Zhan Hongyan stretched out her hands. She planned to give Li Jian 8 yuan and the remaining 2 yuan to buy candy for the two children.

“Why?” Fang Jiaming was unhappy, “Everything needs evidence. You didn’t catch me in bed, even if you want to report me, I won’t admit it.”

Zhan Hongyan quickly said, “I’ll sleep with you. To be honest, I’m short of ten yuan, and I need it urgently. I’ll sleep with you, and you give me the money.”

In her previous life, Zhan Hongyan had been with Fang Jiaming. She thought that he was good at it, and she had a taste for it. She wanted to rekindle their relationship while she wasn’t married, and she could also get money, which was just what she needed.

Fang Jiaming squinted his eyes and looked at Zhan Hongyan, he chuckled, “You don’t have a waist, you don’t have a butt, only your chest has four ounces of meat that’s worth looking at. And you want to sell yourself for 10 yuan?”

“Go away, you’re not worth it.” Fang Jiaming waved his hand.

Zhan Hongyan stomped her foot anxiously. She was about to say that she would take eight yuan when she heard a lewd voice.

“Comrade Zhan, how about we each give you three yuan?”