The person at the door was none other than Shi Yanhua. Zhou Dana’s heart tightened, though he forced himself to look calm.
“Just heading to the latrine!” he said offhandedly, pulling the door shut behind him.
Huddled beneath the quilt, Huang Meili heard Shi Yanhua’s voice and felt every hair on her body stand on end.
She wasn’t afraid of a full-blown confrontation—if things got ugly, she wouldn’t be the only one disgraced. But it hadn’t come to that yet.
Besides, she was lying naked in Zhou Dana’s bed. If Shi Yanhua dragged her out like this, there was no way she could clear her name.
Even if she exposed all the secrets between the two of them, outsiders might not believe her.
Trembling all over, Huang Meili pulled the quilt over her head and didn’t dare make a sound.
“What’s this? You got someone hiding in there?” Shi Yanhua raised an eyebrow and shot him a sidelong glance when she saw Zhou Dana rushing to close the door. “I’ve got something to say to you!”
“Say it tomorrow. Go on home!” Zhou Dana nervously glanced around. “It wouldn’t look good if someone saw you. Hurry up and leave!”
“In the middle of the night? Who’s going to see us?”
Shi Yanhua lifted a hand to push the door open, but Zhou Dana suddenly lowered his voice.
“As for the money, I’ll think about it some more. I guarantee I’ll satisfy you, so hurry home!
“If someone catches us, the damage to our reputations will be the least of it—we could drag Jinzhu into this too!”
Her son was Shi Yanhua’s weak spot, but she still wanted the money.
“You give me the money first, and then I’ll leave!”
Afraid she might force her way in, Zhou Dana hurriedly coaxed her. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring it to you first thing tomorrow morning.”
“You’ve been putting me off day after day. I want it tonight! Go to the latrine first, then come back and get the money!”
There was already another woman inside waiting to be paid. How could Zhou Dana possibly give in? His face darkened as he kept his voice low.
“Tomorrow morning means tomorrow morning. Stop pestering me! Go on, leave!”
Seeing his impatience, Shi Yanhua leaned close to his ear and said in a syrupy voice, “Even the cats are in heat. Don’t you miss me?
“You said the brigade office wasn’t safe, but tonight neither of them is home. What a perfect opportunity…”
“Be good. I’ll come find you tomorrow evening.”
…
At last, Zhou Dana managed to coax Shi Yanhua into leaving. Only then did Huang Meili let out a long breath of relief.
She hurriedly sat up and searched for her clothes, pulling them on in a fluster. She had just dragged up her trousers when she remembered she hadn’t put on her underwear. She turned back and rummaged through the quilt.
The bedding was tossed into complete disarray, but no matter how she searched, she couldn’t find them.
Just then, the door was suddenly flung open with a loud bang!
Huang Meili stood frozen beside the bed, her clothes in disarray, her soul nearly scared out of her.
Shi Yanhua hadn’t gone far after all. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became, so she had quietly crept back.
Meanwhile, Zhou Dana was still squatting in the latrine, sighing miserably and regretting everything. He had never imagined that Shi Yanhua would make a sudden return.
The moment Shi Yanhua saw Huang Meili, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“Huang Meili! You shameless slut! You crawled into the party secretary’s bed in the middle of the night—don’t you have any shame?”
Huang Meili trembled from head to toe, but she refused to back down.
“Shi Yanhua, you’re no better than me! Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to!”
“You don’t know a damn thing! Let’s see if I don’t tear that mouth of yours apart tonight—”
Like a madwoman, Shi Yanhua lunged at her. She grabbed Huang Meili by the hair and yanked at her clothes. In an instant, the two women were wrestling in a furious tangle, their curses and the sounds of struggling blending into one chaotic uproar.
Zhou Dana came rushing in from the outhouse, still hitching up his pants. The moment he saw what was happening, his face turned green. He hurried over and grabbed Shi Yanhua with all his might, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper.
“Stop shouting! Do you want to bring the whole village running over to see this disgrace?”
Shi Yanhua’s eyes were red as she wrenched herself free and cursed, “You’ve been stringing me along and lying to me every day, all while keeping this slut on the side! I’ll fight you to the death!”
With that, she lunged at Zhou Dana and began clawing at him.
“Are you out of your mind?! Jinzhu is already in high school! Do you want people pointing fingers at him for the rest of his life, saying he was born from an illicit affair?”
The words hit Shi Yanhua like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.
Her entire body stiffened, and she stopped moving at once.
She might be wild and hysterical, but she would never dare gamble with her son’s future.
Jinzhu was the only hope she had in this life. If she ruined her son, she truly would have nothing left to look forward to.
The room fell silent. Only the three of them’s heavy breathing could be heard.
Zhou Dana seized the opportunity to pull Shi Yanhua aside. His voice was low and vicious.
“Not a single word about what happened tonight gets out. If anyone dares breathe a word of it, the three of us are finished—and Jinzhu will be dragged into it too!”
He turned and glared at Huang Meili, his tone so cold it was frightening.
“What are you standing there for? Get dressed and get out! And don’t you dare set foot in here again, or don’t blame me for what happens!”
He paused, then added, “And Zhou Zhijun—the Living King of Hell—if he finds out you’ve cuckolded his younger brother, do you think he’ll let you off?”
Huang Meili knew she couldn’t beat Shi Yanhua, and she was afraid of Zhou Zhijun too, but she remained defiant.
“If he won’t let me off, you won’t get off easy either!”
Now that Shi Yanhua had caught them in the act, Huang Meili was no longer afraid.
She knew the two of them didn’t dare do anything to her. Raising her eyes to Zhou Dana, she said, “Give me five hundred yuan. From this day forward, we cut ties completely, and I’ll be too lazy to mention any of your dirty business. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I can’t keep my mouth shut!”
Huang Meili was openly extorting them. Shi Yanhua trembled with rage, wishing she could tear the woman apart right there.
“Five hundred yuan, Huang Meili? Are you robbing us? Where are we supposed to get that kind of money? Get out of here!” Shi Yanhua cursed in a lowered voice.
“If you don’t pay, we’ll all go down together! If I can’t have a good life, neither will any of you.” Huang Meili let out a cold snort and simply sat down on the edge of the bed.
Zhou Dana suppressed his fury and growled, “Huang Meili, get out now, or I’m going to call Zhou Zhijun!”
Huang Meili had their weak spot firmly in her grasp and wasn’t the least bit intimidated.
“Fine, go call him! I’ll be happy to tell him all about Zhou Jinzhu!”
“You—!”
Zhou Dana raised his hand to slap her, but when it reached the air, he forced it to stop.
“Huang Meili, are you really determined to make this ugly?” His voice trembled with suppressed anger. “Five hundred? Why don’t you just go rob someone? How many families in the entire commune can come up with five hundred yuan?”
Huang Meili gathered her disheveled clothes and lifted her chin, refusing to back down even an inch.
“I don’t care. If I don’t get the full amount, I’m not leaving tonight!”
Shi Yanhua trembled with fury beside them, but she didn’t dare raise her voice. She could only clench her teeth tightly.
She wanted to rush forward and tear the woman apart, but the moment she thought of her son studying high school in the city, all the strength drained from her hands and feet.
Zhou Dana stared at Huang Meili’s smug expression—the look of someone certain she had him cornered—and felt as though his chest were about to explode.
He knew full well that unless he handed over some real money tonight, this woman would never leave. If things got out of hand, his own humiliation would be one thing—but Jinzhu’s entire life would be ruined.
He drew a deep, ragged breath and pulled a crumpled blue cloth bundle from the pocket tucked against his body. He unfolded it layer by layer.
Inside were a few small-denomination bills and crumpled notes he had painstakingly saved over a long time.
He could not even be bothered to count them. He flung the entire bundle onto the kang, scattering the bills across it.
“That’s all there is. Not one cent more!
“Take the money and get out of here right now! From this day forward, if you dare mention even half a word of this, I’ll make sure you can’t stay in Wang Family Village!”
Huang Meili glanced at the small pile of money on the kang. Her brows furrowed, and her face filled with disdain.
“That’s all? What do you take me for, a beggar?”
Zhou Dana growled, “Huang Meili, don’t push it too far!”
Shi Yanhua also lowered her voice threateningly. “Take the money and get out! If you don’t, I won’t care whether Jinzhu lives or dies. I’ll take you down with me first!”
Seeing how furious and desperate the two of them were, Huang Meili understood that if she pushed them any further, they might truly lash out in desperation.
The money was less than five hundred yuan, but it was still better than getting nothing. If this became known throughout the village, she would not come out of it unscathed either.
She bent down slowly, picked up the bills one by one, smoothed them out, and tucked them into her pocket. Then she patted the pocket, lifted her eyes, and shot the two of them a sidelong look, a smug smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
“Fine. We’ll leave it at this for tonight. Remember, I can keep this matter buried in my stomach—but if you two dare come after me later, don’t blame me for having a loose tongue.”
She fixed her disheveled hair, deliberately thrust out her chest, and sauntered toward the door.
When she reached it, she looked back at Zhou Dana, then glanced at Shi Yanhua’s deathly pale face.
In a light, mocking tone, she said, “Secretary Zhou, next time you want to see me, have the money ready in advance. You won’t get anything by trying to take advantage of me empty-handed.”
Shi Yanhua stared outside, gritting her teeth as she cursed, “That shameless woman really has a death wish…”
Zhou Dana’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse and heavy.
“Enough! For Jinzhu’s sake, this ends here!”
Meanwhile, Huang Meili shoved one hand into her pocket and clenched the money as she hurried home with her head lowered.
She was focused solely on walking and failed to notice the person in front of her.
“Ah—!”
She slammed headfirst into a solid, rock-hard chest and let out a terrified scream on the spot.
