"What's going on? Why are you crying?" Huang Meili barked, her eyes wide.
Zhou Zhimin frowned, but his tone wasn't harsh. "Whatever it is, talk it out properly. Stop crying!"
"My sister found a ring in our house, and Zhou Zhaodi insists it's hers. She's grabbing my sister and won't let her go. She's even threatening to take it to the police station..."
"What?" Huang Meili's heart lurched. She pressed, "What ring?"
"Just a silver ring! Found it in our trunk!" Zhou Xiaomei's voice grew thicker with tears. "You have to come see!"
Huang Meili's heart jumped into her throat. Her face turned deathly pale. In her mind, she cursed that old bastard Zhou Dana a thousand times over.
He'd said the ring was bought in the city. How could it be Zhou Zhaodi's? No wonder he told her not to wear it, to hide it away.
Huang Meili's legs went weak. She nearly collapsed onto the ground. Mustering her strength, she steadied herself and asked, "Where are they?"
"By the well at the front of the village. Hurry and go see!"
"Zhou Zhaodi's nothing but a unreasonable shrew! Just because she says it's hers, does that make it so?" Huang Meili cursed out loud, but her heart was thumping with guilt.
Zhou Zhimin urged her, "What are you standing there for? Go!"
"Why don't you go?" Huang Meili glared.
"I'm a man. Wrestling with a woman—what does that look like?"
He paused, then added, "You two are close usually. You're better at talking to her than I am."
"Let her have it if she wants it. Our family didn't have a silver ring anyway."
He turned to the sobbing Zhou Xiaomei and pressed, "Was it found, or what?"
"No! We found it right in our trunk!" Zhou Xiaomei said firmly.
"Whether it was found or from the box, if she wants it, give it to her!"
Huang Meili and Zhou Zhaodi were both jealous of Chun Tao. They usually got along like sisters. She didn't want to fall out with Zhou Zhaodi right now. Steadying her flustered nerves, she followed Zhou Xiaomei as they ran toward the front of the village.
When they got there, from a distance she could see Zhou Zhaodi gripping Zhou Xiaoying's wrist tightly, her jowly face quivering with rage.
"Zhou Xiaoying, this ring is mine! Your family's so poor you don't have a pot to piss in—how could you have a ring?"
Zhou Xiaoying's face was streaked with tears, but she stuck out her chin stubbornly. "It's my family's ring! What gives you the right to say it's yours? Call its name and see if it answers!"
"You little brat, still trying to argue with me? I'm dragging you to the police station right now to make an example of you!"
Huang Meili jogged over, gasping before she even got close. "What's all this? What's all the fuss?"
Zhou Zhaodi snorted coldly, ignoring her. She kept her glare fixed on Zhou Xiaoying. "If you don't get my ring back for me today, you won't get off easy!"
"Zhaodi, what's going on here?" Huang Meili put on her best puzzled face.
"What's going on? Your girl here stole my ring. Not only did she not give it back, she threw it away!"
Zhou Xiaoying felt bolder seeing Huang Meili arrive. She quickly defended herself, "Mom, I found that ring in our trunk. I just put it on my finger, and she said it was hers! Last time I found a handkerchief, she said it was hers too! She's just bullying me on purpose!"
Huang Meili frowned and asked, "Where's the ring?"
"Thrown away!"
"Where did you throw it? Go find it, now!"
"Like mother, like daughter! This girl is rotten to the core. If you don't deal with her, I'll take her to the station myself!"
Huang Meili knew Zhou Zhaodi was all bluster. She forced a smile and tried to smooth things over. "The girl doesn't know any better. Why take it out on a kid?"
“Come on, let’s go find it—don’t let someone pick it up!” She said, reaching out to grab Zhou Zhaodi’s arm.
Zhou Zhaodi yanked her hand away and bellowed, “Find it? She threw it down the well, how are we supposed to find it?!”
The ring was in the well now, and Zhou Zhaodi wouldn’t let it go easily. Huang Meili steeled herself and slapped Zhou Xiaoying hard across the face.
“You little brat! You’re so clueless! Apologize to your Aunt Zhaodi right now!”
“No! I didn’t steal it—she’s framing me!” Zhou Xiaoying stiffened her neck and burst into sobs of grievance.
“You still have the nerve to cry? First you ruined the watermelon patch, and now you’ve stolen my ring!
You good-for-nothing girl needs a good lesson, or you’ll be a menace when you grow up!”
Back in the village, someone who cut a basket of wheat sprouts to feed pigs got reported and was taken away for reeducation.
Zhou Xiaoying’s case, if pushed, could well warrant the same. Huang Meili cursed Zhou Zhaodi a vicious witch in her heart, wishing she could tear her mouth apart.
But on the surface, she could only soften her tone. “Zhaodi, the kid doesn’t understand. Don’t hold it against her.”
“Unless you get my ring back, I’m sending her for reeducation, no question!”
The well was so deep that the ring would have vanished without a trace. How could it be retrieved?
Huang Meili had no choice but to coax her patiently. “Zhaodi, you’re pregnant. Don’t get angry—it’s not worth harming the baby in your belly!”
Zhou Zhaodi snorted coldly, looked down at her protruding belly, and grew even more defiant. “If something happens to me, your whole family will end up in jail!”
“Zhaodi, calm down, calm down—getting worked up isn’t worth it. I’ll go back and give her a good talking to!”
“Born rotten—no amount of discipline will ever fix her!”
You’re the rotten one! Zhou Dana’s no good, and you’re a black-hearted snake!
Huang Meili seethed with hatred in her heart, but kept her voice low and submissive as she continued pleading.
Seizing her chance, Zhou Xiaoying broke free from Zhou Zhaodi’s grip and sprinted home.
Zhou Zhaodi tried to chase her, but Huang Meili grabbed her tightly. “Zhaodi, you’re pregnant—you can’t go running around. What if something happens?”
Zhou Zhaodi was thirty-three and had finally conceived this child—it was precious to her.
Since she got pregnant, the Wang family elders had treated her like a cherished matriarch, and Wang Qingshan had turned much gentler. This baby was her lucky charm—she couldn’t risk losing it.
“Huang Meili, what about the ring? You’ll pay me back! If you don’t, this isn’t over!”
Huang Meili exhausted her sweet talk, but Zhou Zhaodi was unmoved. Clenching her teeth, she said bitterly, “I’ll pay!”
“Fine, go buy me one right now!”
Huang Meili had no spare money for a ring, but she’d already hatched a plan.
The wool always came from the sheep—if Zhou Zhaodi made her pay, she’d get it from Zhou Dana.
But Zhou Dana was run off his feet lately, shuttling between the county hospital and home, with no time to argue with her.
Zhou Pandi had fallen into an oilfield sludge pit days ago, badly injured, and had been transferred from the commune clinic to the county hospital.
At first, both of Zhou Dana’s family stayed by her bedside. Now that she was improving, Zhou Dana had returned to plow fields and sow wheat.
Spotting him in the fields earlier that afternoon, Huang Meili pretended to ask about Zhou Pandi’s condition, exchanging a few words, but it didn’t ease the craving burning inside her.
When she sidled up to him, her voice turned syrupy: “Uncle Dana, is Sister Pandi feeling better?”
Her question weighed on Zhou Dana’s heart—the whole fuss over Zhou Pandi had stirred up quite a commotion.
The old man who guards the gate of the commune has identified that the anonymous letter of accusation was written by Zhou Pandi. The public security department has charged her with slander and false accusation.
Now she is in the hospital recuperating, so the punishment can't be carried out for the time being. After she is discharged from the hospital, she will still be fined and punished as due.
For a young girl, if she really goes to jail, her reputation will be completely ruined. It will probably be difficult for her to find a good husband in the future.
These days, Zhou Dana has been worried about his daughter's illness and has been busy asking people for help to smooth things over.
He spent a large sum of money, and only then did the other party agree to help, saying that a fine would settle the matter.
He felt sorry for his daughter and also for the money he had spent. Now that this matter has finally been settled, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Zhou Dana didn't even lift his eyelids and replied in a muffled voice, "Much better."
Huang Meili lowered her voice and rubbed against him with a hint of coquetry, "Don't you have anything else to say to me?"
Although Huang Meili is sharp - tongued, fond of gossiping and taking advantage, she is still young and knows how to handle things. She is much more interesting than Wang Jinzhi.
Zhou Dana has been extremely troubled by Zhou Pandi's matter these days and is eager to relax.
He lifted his eyelids and glanced at Huang Meili, with a flirtatious tone, "Miss me? Come over tonight..."
