After finishing his noodles, Zhou Zhijun headed to the east ditch reservoir to take a bath.
From a distance, he saw two adobe houses that seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere on the southern side of the reservoir.
Puzzled, Zhou Zhijun went around the reservoir after bathing to take a look.
The houses didn’t have doors yet. Zhou Zhijun stepped inside and saw that the floor was uneven.
He walked back out, his brows knitted tightly as he wondered who had built the houses. Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
“Second Brother, when did you get back?”
Zhou Zhijun turned around and saw Wang Haiying.
She was standing in the vegetable patch beside the reservoir, clutching a handful of freshly pulled foxtail grass. A few specks of mud clung to her pant legs.
Zhou Zhijun walked over. “I got back today!”
After a pause, he asked, “Sister-in-law, who built these houses?”
Wang Haiying tossed the weeds onto the ground and crushed them beneath her foot. “Qian Wanyin from the Qian family! He leased the reservoir!”
Zhou Zhijun knew Qian Wanyin’s background well.
He had a volatile temper and was the kind of man who didn’t care if he lived or died.
He had once served time in prison for attempted rape. After getting out, he was rarely home and no one knew what he did for a living.
“He came to Wangjia Village to lease the reservoir?” Zhou Zhijun asked, puzzled.
“Of course! I heard he paid quite a lot for the lease!” Wang Haiying crouched down again and began pulling weeds from the soil.
Zhou Zhijun pressed on. “Has he put any fingerlings in the reservoir?”
“Haven’t seen any sign of that.” Wang Haiying didn’t even look up. “Qian Wanyin’s always running around. How could he keep watch over the reservoir? I’d say it’s doubtful.”
The reason Zhou Zhijun had initially said he wouldn’t lease the reservoir was that he wanted to keep Zhou Dana waiting and drive the lease price down.
He had been certain that aside from himself, no one in Wangjia Village would dare take the risk.
But he never imagined that Zhou Dana would lease the reservoir to an outsider.
As he was pondering this, the distant rumble of a tractor suddenly reached them.
Zhou Zhijun and Wang Haiying looked up at the same time. A dark-green tractor belching black smoke was heading their way, pulling a wooden trailer. The trailer was filled with something black and indistinct.
The tractor stopped in front of the houses. Only then did Zhou Zhijun see that it was being driven by a man in his forties.
Qian Wanyin sat in the trailer with his legs crossed, swinging them idly. An old wooden door lay inside, still smeared with mud.
Qian Wanyin jumped down from the tractor. The moment his feet touched the ground, he spotted Zhou Zhijun nearby, and his face instantly stiffened.
Zhang Dongsheng had told him that Zhou Zhijun wanted to lease the reservoir. Now that he had taken it for himself, Zhou Zhijun surely wouldn’t be willing to let it go.
“Zhou Zhijun, I’ve leased this reservoir!” Qian Wanyin declared, thrusting out his chin. His voice was unnaturally loud, as if he were trying to sound confident.
Zhou Zhijun said nothing. His face remained expressionless as he quietly watched him.
Qian Wanyin and the tractor driver worked together to carry the wooden door over. With a loud clang, they set it into the doorway, which was enough to count as installing it.
Only after the two men finished did Zhou Zhijun slowly speak.
“Have you put in the fingerlings?”
“No! So what?” Qian Wanyin felt uneasy, but stubbornly pretended otherwise.
“If you haven’t put in the fingerlings, then the reservoir doesn’t count as yours yet.” Zhou Zhijun’s voice was not loud, but his words landed like a stone striking the ground.
“Nonsense! Secretary Zhou and I signed a contract. It’s a done deal!” Qian Wanyin grew anxious and raised his voice even higher.
He usually cursed freely in the village, but in front of Zhou Zhijun, he didn’t dare utter a single vulgar word.
Zhou Zhijun said nothing more and turned to leave.
Seeing him walk away, Qian Wanyin waited until he was some distance off before shouting at his back, “I’ll go buy fingerlings tomorrow! You can forget about getting your hands on this reservoir!”
Sure enough, two days later, Qian Wanyin arrived in his tractor with a full load of fingerlings.
The villagers gathered around to watch, whispering among themselves.
“Even that Living King of Hell, Zhou Zhijun, is afraid of Qian Wanyin, the man who doesn’t care if he lives or dies?”
“Exactly! Zhou Zhijun has a wife and children to worry about now, while Qian Wanyin has nothing to lose!”
Huang Meili was also squeezed into the crowd, staring fixedly at the fingerlings in the buckets.
She had assumed Zhou Zhijun would make a scene with Zhou Dana over the reservoir. But he hadn’t even made a peep, and the show she had been waiting for had nearly lost its appeal.
“Qian Wanyin, don’t put them in!”
Just as Qian Wanyin was directing several laborers to carry the buckets from the trailer to the water, a loud shout suddenly rang out.
Everyone froze. They looked up and saw Zhou Zhijun striding toward them.
The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into chatter once more.
Zhou Zhijun was trying to stop Qian Wanyin from putting in the fingerlings. It looked like there was going to be another good show in the village.
Huang Meili’s eyes instantly lit up. Zhou Zhijun might be domineering, but Qian Wanyin was a thug who didn’t even care about his own life. If the two of them really fought, Zhou Zhijun might not come out on top.
The villagers all took a step back, automatically making way for Zhou Zhijun.
Qian Wanyin and the other men set the buckets on the ground, straightened their backs, and glared at Zhou Zhijun with clenched fists. Their eyes were full of provocation.
“I leased this reservoir, so I’ll put in the fish whenever I want. What’s it got to do with you?” Qian Wanyin lifted his chin until it was practically pointing at the sky.
Zhou Zhijun walked up to him. His face was still expressionless, and his calm voice carried a weight that pressed down on everyone present.
“I’m telling you this for your own good. Whether you listen is up to you.”
“What? For my own good?” Qian Wanyin sneered, sending flecks of spittle flying.
“You’re just unhappy that I got the reservoir and pretending to care about me. Go fool a three-year-old!”
The corners of Zhou Zhijun’s mouth curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
“It’s too hot right now. Eight out of ten, the fingerlings won’t survive if you put them in.
“I’m giving you a kind warning. If you don’t believe me, then go ahead and put them in.”
Qian Wanyin assumed Zhou Zhijun was only trying to stall him. He didn’t believe a word and turned around, waving his hand decisively.
“Don’t listen to him! Put the fish in! Even if they all die, I’ll take the loss!”
Several laborers picked up the buckets and poured the fingerlings into the reservoir with a splash.
The water churned as the tiny fish darted about. Before long, every bucket had been emptied.
Qian Wanyin dusted off his hands and looked at Zhou Zhijun with a smug expression.
“Zhou Zhijun, I signed the contract, and now the fingerlings are in. This reservoir belongs to me, Qian Wanyin.
“Stop dreaming about it. You’d better think about how to grow those two mu of land properly instead. Don’t let your wife and children go hungry!”
The corners of Zhou Zhijun’s mouth lifted in a faint smile.
“Qian Wanyin, since you leased the reservoir, it’s yours.
“Even if I don’t lease it, Zhou Zhijun will still have food on the table—and not just the bare minimum!”
With that, he turned and walked away, his back ramrod straight.
Qian Wanyin spat a glob of yellow phlegm onto the ground and cursed, “He wouldn’t let me put in the fingerlings, then claimed he was doing it for my own good. As if I don’t know what he’s really up to!”
That very evening, after Zhou Zhijun returned, Zhou Dana sent Zhang Dongsheng to find Qian Wanyin.
“The secretary says you need to put the fingerlings in right away. Once it’s done, it’ll be too late to change anything, and the deal will be secure.”
Qian Wanyin curled his lip disdainfully. “I’ve already signed the contract. Even if I don’t put in the fingerlings, Zhou Zhijun still has no chance!”
“You signed the contract, sure, but you haven’t paid a single cent of the lease fee.”
Zhang Dongsheng lowered his voice. “If Zhou Zhijun goes to the township and finds someone to intervene, this reservoir belongs to Wangjia Village. If he wants to lease it, priority has to be given to someone from the village.”
“Get the fingerlings in as soon as possible. If the township officials come to inspect, they’ll have no choice but to accept it. There’ll be no way for them to hand the reservoir back to Zhou Zhijun.”
Qian Wanyin’s brows knitted into a deep frown. After mulling it over for a long while, he finally nodded. “All right. I’ll do as you say. I’ll get the fingerlings here within two days!”
When Zhang Dongsheng had originally brought Qian Wanyin in to lease the reservoir, it had merely been a bluff meant to drive up the price and pressure Zhou Zhijun into paying a higher leasing fee.
Who could have known that the moment Qian Wanyin laid eyes on Zhou Pandi, he would lose his head and boast far beyond his means? Now he had no choice but to grit his teeth and sign the contract.
The contract clearly stated that the annual rent was twelve hundred yuan.
At this point, all he could do was force himself to carry on. He hurriedly obtained the fingerlings and released them into the reservoir.
Once the fish were in the water, Qian Wanyin felt much more at ease. He even began scheming about how he could use this opportunity to spend more time around Zhou Pandi in the future.
After watching the fingerlings being released, the villagers dispersed one after another. Qian Wanyin did not leave right away. Instead, he turned and went to Zhou Dana’s house.
“Secretary Zhou…”
Qian Wanyin called out, but no one answered.
Seeing that the main room’s door was unlocked, he raised a hand and knocked. “Is anyone home?”
Inside, Zhou Pandi was lying on the bed, her heart heavy with misery.
Whenever she thought about having to marry Liang Dashan, she was filled with resentment. Tears kept streaming down her face.
When she heard the unfamiliar man’s voice outside, she ignored him and merely turned over, facing the wall.
“Pandi, are you home?”
Hearing someone call her name, Zhou Pandi abruptly sat up in bed. Her heart lurched, and she blurted out, “Who is it?”
Qian Wanyin gently pushed open the door to the main room. “It’s me, Qian Wanyin! I came to see you!”
Qian Wanyin? Zhou Pandi felt a surge of disgust.
He had already come to her house several times. Every time, his eyes clung to her body, and it was obvious at a glance that he was no good.
“I don’t need you to see me. Leave—now!” Zhou Pandi’s voice was choked with tears, yet edged with wariness.
As soon as she finished speaking, the curtain over the doorway was violently swept aside with a loud rustle.
Qian Wanyin strode into the inner room, his pair of leering little eyes fixed shamelessly on her, not shifting even for a moment.
