Li Jinhua came back to her senses, covering her face and crying, "Dad arranged a match for me, but I don't want to marry, so they beat me."
The man was an employee at the supply and marketing cooperative. In her previous life, she had married him and enjoyed a brief period of glory, but by middle age, the cooperative was dissolved, and the man was laid off.
Suddenly deprived of their income, with their unambitious children and young grandchildren needing money for everything, she had no choice but to go down south to work with others, enduring hardship and exhaustion.
Old and ridden with ailments, she did not want to live that kind of life ever again.
Li Qiao thought to himself, could the conditions be worse than that of my family's loser? "I can't help you with this. I'll speak to Grandma first, so you can stay with her for the night and then go home tomorrow to talk things over calmly with your parents."
"Stay with Old Mrs. Qin?"
"What, am I supposed to go instead?"
Li Jinhua: "..."
Li Qiao sought out Old Mrs. Qin.
Only Qin Jin, with his head covered by the quilt, and Li Jinhua at the desk, remained in the room.
Li Jinhua called out "Third brother-in-law" but got no reply. Was he asleep?
She looked to the left, then the right, her gaze falling on the empty desk. Catching sight of Li Qiao returning, she remarked, "Third sister, how come there isn't even a comb in your room?"
"There is, I put it in the trunk." Li Qiao had mild OCD, feeling comfortable only after tidy up the mess on the desk before sleeping. "I spoke to Grandma. We don't have a spare toothbrush at home, so just wash your feet, there's water in the thermos by the kitchen cupboard."
Li Qiao opened the trunk and took a new quilt to the next room.
Old Mrs. Qin: "Where is your sister?"
Li Qiao turned around, not seeing Li Jinhua's figure: "She's probably in my room getting ready to wash her feet."
Old Mrs. Qin was harboring thoughts. Jin was still in the room, why couldn't she wash her feet over here?
Suddenly, Li Qiao felt the urge to have a bowel movement, perhaps due to not having had oily food for a long time and eating meat now. Without time to think it through, she grabbed the toilet paper at the foot of the bed and rushed out, calling out, "Jinhua, I've got everything ready, you can come to Grandma's room to sleep after you've washed."
"Okay."
Old Mrs. Qin waited a long time without seeing Li Jinhua, and, unable to sleep, got out of bed with her clothes draped over her.
She tiptoed to the window next door and saw Li Jinhua sneakily peering out the door, then, assuring herself that no one was around, she reached her hand under the quilt.
Before she could scold.
Qin Jin sat up with a dark expression: "What are you touching me for? Trying to be a hooligan?"
"I, Jin, Third Sister—she's no longer a virgin, is she? After getting married, she still secretly hooks up with Cai Hechuan behind your back. Don't you feel wronged? Take me, I'm clean, I don't mind your bad reputation, and I don't mind you being poor."
Li Jinhua could hardly wait to confess, thinking Qin Jin would be moved and accept her. Instead, he grimly said, "I'm giving you two breaths' worth of time to run."
Li Jinhua still wanted to explain: "Jin,..."
Qin Jin threw back the cover, revealing his close-fitting long underwear, which accentuated his long arms and legs.
His youthful and handsome face made Li Jinhua, who had been widowed for half her lifetime, feel like her heart was pounding chaotically—until a resounding slap landed on her face, and she realized she had been hit.
Before she could react, her hair was yanked up, a rough hand covered her mouth, and she was forced to face the wall as thud after thud followed.
Her attempted scream of fright was muffled, and with a sharp pain to her backside, she was kicked out the door.
Without time to think, she fled in a panic at the mercy of her momentum.
Old Mrs. Qin was shocked but found it to be quite satisfying.
Although Qiaoqiao wasn't her real sister, she had worked tirelessly on her behalf, and Jinhua repaid her with ingratitude.
Without showing any emotion, she returned to her room, while Qin Jin also lay back down as if nothing had happened.
After using the bathroom, Li Qiao returned to find no sign of Li Jinhua in the room, assuming she was with Old Mrs. Qin.
As she was pouring water from the kettle into a basin, a sullen voice emerged: "What are you fiddling with instead of sleeping?"
Li Qiao bit her lip, coquettishly replying, "I just got done using the latrine and it was filthy, so I needed to wash."
Qin Jin scoffed, "Pretending to be clean!"
Li Qiao pouted. What had she done to him?
Once she had finished preparing, she blew out the oil lamp and crawled into bed, gathering the courage to embrace him. The rest was up to him.
In the evening, Old Mrs. Qin reminded herself that since she was eating at someone else's house, she should contribute something.
The dissatisfied murmuring of a young man echoed above her head, "Deliberately soaking up my body heat, this woman is both stupid and selfish." He still didn't have the heart to push her away, and he had to admit, her waist was indeed slim, easy to encircle with one hand.
Li Qiao closed his eyes nervously, but all he did was pinch her waist and then remained still.
She tentatively called out, "Jin."
Aside from her voice, there was only his long and even breathing in the room.
She belatedly realized that he had fallen asleep.
How could he remain indifferent when she had been so proactive?
She wasn't ugly either.
She concluded that he didn't see her as a woman at all, but rather as a bunkmate, a brother.
...
The next day, Li Qiao got up early. While feeding the rabbits, Qin Jin squatted over and, picking up a rabbit by its ears, muttered, "It must be delicious when roasted."
Li Qiao's eyes reddened as she looked at him.
Unable to bear seeing this, Qin Jin cleared his throat, "Just kidding."
Li Qiao pursed her lips, "I'm going into town with the educated youths to buy materials today, will you come with me?" If she went with him, she wouldn't have to ask for money.
"No."
Old Mrs. Qin commanded, "Jin, you have to go with her. I don't feel safe with so many people and prying eyes in the city."
"Good morning, Grandma, isn't Jinhua up yet?" said Li Qiao.
Old Mrs. Qin feigned ignorance, "I fell asleep waiting for her last night, and I haven't seen her this morning."
Li Qiao assumed, "She probably went back home."
Qin Jin couldn't help but find it amusing. She was so clueless. He had better accompany her to the city. He couldn't afford to lose his newly married wife.
After breakfast, the two of them headed to the entrance of the village and waited there for about five minutes before a group of young people appeared in sight.
Li Qiao waved at them. Du Xinxin approached and teased, "You even brought your sweetheart."
Li Qiao laughed, "Yeah."
The group of youths chattered and laughed all the way to the intersection.
...
"Third sis."
Li Qiao turned her head slightly, recognizing Dong Lamei who was about to cross the street calling her, with a well-wrapped Li Jinhua by her side. She expressed her surprise, "Mom, Jinhua, where are you going early in the morning?"
Dong Lamei visibly became angry, "It's all because of your sister's tantrum. She ran off last night after quarrelling with me and your father and came back with a bruised face, claiming she fell into a ditch. This morning, she said she can't hear out of one ear. The doctor at the health clinic told us to go to the county hospital. Oh, what are we going to do if she becomes deaf?"
Li Qiao was taken aback, "Jinhua, didn't you stay at Grandma's place?"
She tried to catch a glimpse of Li Jinhua's face, but Li Jinhua retreated two steps, hiding behind her scarf, and sneakily glanced at Qin Jin.
He was leaning lazily against a roadside pole, looking in her direction with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, his fingers holding a cigarette while he puffed out rings of smoke, looking every bit the loafer.
She hit him, but he acted as if it were nothing, making it evident how heartless he could be. But thinking that she could live in a villa, have drivers and maids in the future, she was willing to accept the occasional beating.
"What happened?" Dong Lamei exclaimed in shock.
Li Qiao briefly described what had happened.
After listening, Dong Lamei chided, "You should have looked for your sister yesterday."
Li Qiao retorted somewhat angrily, "Who would have known that Jinhua was going to leave late at night? She didn't even give me a heads up. Grandma also said she fell asleep waiting for her. It made me feel really embarrassed."
The implication was clear, Your daughter has no manners; you're making me lose face over this.
Instead of disciplining your own daughter, you come charging at me, accusing me; is that fair?
Dong Lamei was at a loss for words. Although she was a stepmother, she had always avoided being criticized, and now with so many people around, it wasn't the time to argue. She changed the subject, "Where are you all going in such a large group?"
Li Qiao answered, "We're also going to the county city."