"Annoying!" Huang Meili's face instantly flushed half - red. "I'm leaving!"
This day seemed to drag on forever; it was truly a day that felt like a year.
Huang Meili tugged at Zhou Zhaodi's arm. Just thinking about spending the night with Zhou Dana made her heart pound, and a tinge of color appeared on her dry, yellowish cheeks.
"Huang Meili!" Zhou Zhaodi raised her voice and shouted, pulling her back from her reverie.
She gave a soft cough, pushed the stray hairs in front of her forehead behind her ear, and pretended to be calm. "Zhaodi, don't worry. I'll definitely compensate you for the ring!"
"When will you compensate me? I don't want to wait until who knows when!" Zhou Zhaodi stood with her hands on her hips and asked.
"It won't be a long wait!" Huang Meili wasn't confident at all. She didn't know if Zhou Dana would be willing to buy her a ring, so she didn't dare to make any definite promises.
She patiently coaxed Zhou Zhaodi with soft words. After much persuasion, she finally managed to send the other woman home. Only then did the anxiety in her heart subside.
She looked towards the west and saw that the sun was about to set. She had no interest in going to the fields anymore and turned around to head home.
Previously, she could tolerate living with Zhou Zhimin. But ever since she'd had an affair with Zhou Dana, Huang Meili had felt a strong aversion to Zhou Zhimin touching her.
She had to please her husband well tonight.
Huang Meili planned all the way as she entered the yard. She went straight to the chicken coop under the window and reached into the straw nest to feel for two warm eggs.
There were still two bunches of leeks she'd cut at noon. She planned to make a scrambled egg with leeks.
She'd also make a cold - dish of pepper and catnip. She'd take out the loose - packed wine they hadn't finished during the Spring Festival to help Zhou Zhimin relax.
When Zhou Zhimin came back from the fields and entered the house, he saw the food on the table. His brows immediately knitted into a knot. "What's going on? Are we not going to live frugally anymore?"
Huang Meili gave him a reproachful look but quickly poured a cup of wine.
"You've been working so hard in the fields. I just want you to have a couple of sips to relieve your fatigue. But here you are, spouting such discouraging words. It's really like I'm offering you kindness and getting bitten in return!"
Hearing her words, the wrinkles on Zhou Zhimin's face relaxed, and he grinned. "My wife still cares about me!
Oh, by the way, is that ring Zhou Zhaodi's?"
Now it was Huang Meili's turn to frown. She put down the wine pot and sighed. "I was just about to talk to you about this!
The ring was thrown into the well by Xiaoying. Zhou Zhaodi is being so persistent about it. She insists that I compensate her and says that if I don't, she'll send Xiaoying to be dealt with severely.
You know her personality. She means what she says! If Xiaoying really gets sent in, her whole life will be ruined!"
Zhou Zhimin's relaxed brows knitted together again. He put the wine cup down on the table heavily.
"Zhou Zhaodi is just being unreasonable! Let her go and report it. The police won't just listen to her one - sided story! The ring is lost. What are we afraid of?"
"But if she reveals the fact that Xiaoying and Xiaomei secretly stole watermelons, it'll be over!"
Huang Meili's voice rose a few notes in anxiety. "Everyone in the village knows about this. It won't be hard to find witnesses.
Wasn't Uncle Wang taken away for severe punishment just because he stole a basket of wheat seedlings? Stealing watermelons is just as serious!"
Zhou Zhimin put down his chopsticks, and his face darkened. "Do you really plan to compensate her?"
Huang Meili moved closer to Zhou Zhimin and lowered her voice. "I'm going to talk to the Party secretary. He's Zhou Zhaodi's father. He can't just ignore it, right?"
"The Party secretary is so busy all day long. When would he have time to care about your trivial matters?" Zhou Zhimin sneered.
"Whose business is it if not his daughter's? He has to take care of it!" Huang Meili retorted stubbornly.
Zhou Zhimin knew very well that his wife had many flaws, but her methods of throwing tantrums and coaxing could really work at critical moments.
Wasn't that how they'd managed to get the relief grain and subsidized chemical fertilizers last time?
"Alright, you go and talk to him first. If it really doesn't work, we'll pool our money to buy a ring to compensate her." Zhou Zhimin sighed.
Huang Meili stuck out her neck. "She's dreaming!"
After finishing the soup, Huang Meili didn't dare to go to see Zhou Dana right away. Instead, she took the initiative to be intimate with Zhou Zhimin.
"The Party secretary should be done with his work by now. I'm going to see him and ask him to talk to Zhou Zhaodi..." Huang Meili said as she was getting dressed.
Zhou Zhimin had worked all day and then had this extra "work". He was extremely tired, and his eyelids were sticking together.
He mumbled incoherently, "Go. Come back early..." As soon as the words were out, he started snoring.
Huang Meili didn't dare to delay. She quickly ran to the kitchen, washed her face with cold water, and changed into the blue cotton - padded jacket with two patches that she usually didn't want to wear.
She rummaged through the drawer and found a small packet of vanishing cream. She squeezed out a bit and applied it to her face.
Finally, she spat into her palm, rubbed her hands together, and ran them through her hair. The messy hair instantly became much neater.
She looked at her reflection on the wall for a long time, then pulled at the corner of her mouth in satisfaction and opened the door to go out.
It was pitch - black outside, and there wasn't even a single star in the sky.
Huang Meili was secretly delighted. The heavens were really on her side. The dark and windy night was just perfect.
She tiptoed in the direction of the brigade headquarters. When she passed by the courtyard gate of a household at the village entrance, the dog in the yard suddenly started barking wildly.
Huang Meili was so startled that she trembled. She quickly stopped and crouched behind an old locust tree, not daring to breathe.
It wasn't until the barking stopped that she carefully took off her cloth shoes, went bare - footed, hunched over, and scurried forward.
Just as she was about to reach the brigade courtyard gate, she suddenly bumped into a solid figure. Huang Meili was so scared that she almost screamed, but her mouth was firmly covered by the person.
"It's me!" As soon as Huang Meili heard it was Zhou Dana, the anxiety in her heart finally subsided.
Zhou Dana pulled her into the yard and took out the key from his pocket. He quickly unlocked the door to his office.
As soon as they entered, he couldn't wait to push her onto the old wooden bed. "Meili, serve me well tonight and let me relax."
The anger in Huang Meili's heart had been burning for a long time, but she deliberately put on airs. She suddenly grabbed Zhou Dana's hand that was reaching for her. "Don't be in a hurry. I have something to ask you!"
"What couldn't wait until after?" Zhou Dana gasped, his eyes full of impatience.
"The ring you gave me last time wasn't bought by you at all. It was Zhou Zhaodi's!" Huang Meili gritted her teeth and said each word clearly.
At first, she'd approached Zhou Dana about the relief grain and subsidized chemical fertilizers.
After several times, when Huang Meili noticed that he was interested in her, she took the opportunity to ask for a token of love.
Zhou Dana gave her that silver ring, saying that he'd bought it at the urban supply and marketing cooperative. He repeatedly told her not to wear it for fear of arousing envy.
Huang Meili had always believed him and never dared to show it off. Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiaoying had found it, and Zhou Zhaodi actually claimed it was hers.
"I bought it! Don't talk nonsense!" Zhou Dana's eyes flickered for a moment, but his tone remained firm. "It's urgent. Let's do it first!"
"If you want to do it, you have to promise me to buy me another one!" Huang Meili stood her ground.
Zhou Dana's enthusiasm was doused with a bucket of cold water, and his interest diminished by more than half.
He let go of his hand and plopped down on the edge of the bed. He took out his tobacco pipe and started puffing away, making a "puff, puff" sound.
"Huang Meili, why are you such a greedy woman? Isn't one ring enough for you?
I've gone to all the trouble to satisfy you, but you're only thinking about taking advantage!"
Huang Meili was as anxious as a cat being scratched, but she knew she couldn't give in at this moment.
So she quietly pinched her own thigh, forced out a few tears with difficulty, and sobbed as she told him about how Zhou Zhaodi had forced her to compensate for the ring and threatened to send Xiaoying to be severely punished.
After finishing, she wiped away the non - existent tears, quickly got up from the bed, and pretended to leave.
"Forget it. If you're not willing to buy it, and if Zhou Zhaodi really drives me into a corner, I'll just say it was you who gave it to me. Let's see how you'll deal with it then!"
Just as she reached the door, Zhou Dana suddenly knocked the tobacco pipe bowl hard against the bed leg. Sparks flew everywhere, and he said in a deep voice, "Stop!"
Huang Meili was secretly overjoyed and asked without turning around, "What?"
Zhou Dana stared at her back, gritted his teeth, and said, "If you satisfy me well tonight, I'll... buy the ring for you!"
Even as he said this, he was thinking in his heart that he couldn't spoil her bad habit!
