Chapter 102: Coercive Measures

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That night, Li Ying still failed to overcome Le’er. With Li Ying keeping watch over him, Le’er had no choice but to persist with his studies, reading until eleven. Li Ying had to admit that although Le’er’s foundation was poor, he learned remarkably quickly. Once he had studied something, he could remember more than seventy percent of it. He felt that his own ability to absorb knowledge was inferior to Le’er’s, whose memory was especially frightening. In a single night, Le’er mastered more than thirty new characters, along with their combinations and applications, without the slightest difficulty. Only the pronunciation was troublesome; his local accent was far too strong.

Because Le’er’s wound could not come into contact with water, he could only wipe himself down with hot water. He could not reach his back, so naturally he had to trouble Li Ying. Wearing nothing but a tiny pair of briefs, Le’er stood in the bathroom, the hard bulge beneath them straining as though it might burst through the fabric.

“Why are you letting that thing stick out so high? It’s hideous.”

“Big Sis, I can’t control it.”

Le’er wore a cheeky grin. Li Ying’s face flushed crimson, and her body grew hot. After wiping his upper body, she had no choice but to pull down his little briefs as well. The magnificent thing sprang free like a great spear standing upright. Li Ying flung the steaming towel at Le’er.

“Damn you. Wash it yourself!”

Then she turned away, cupping both hands over her burning cheeks. Her heart pounded like a drum. She was only twenty-three, a self-controlled young woman who had always held herself in high regard. Around ordinary men, she was cool, alluring, and untouchable. Yet ever since being with Le’er, she often found it difficult to restrain herself.

Having to wipe a man’s body had once been unimaginable to her. But today, she had even needed to wash that part of him. Although she and Le’er had been together for so long, she still felt unbearably shy.

“Big Sis, I’m done.”

“Pull up your pants and go back to the room.”

Le’er smiled, pulled up his pants, and returned to the bedroom. Only then did Li Ying pour hot water for herself and sink into it, closing her eyes. Le’er’s hateful figure kept flickering before her, making her face and ears burn and her entire body grow hot. She remembered how she behaved when they lost themselves together—how wildly she cried out, how fiercely she moved, how she had even begged for mercy again and again.

“Am I some kind of wanton woman?”

The thought made her feel as though she were going mad. She covered her face with the towel. Yet that pleasure—that ecstasy that sent her soaring to the clouds again and again, leaving her floating there—was something she could never resist. Nor did she possess the willpower to refuse it. Remembering that bliss, she could not help moaning and pulled the towel away from her face.

If even Eve could not resist such pleasure, if it was an apple that even God longed to steal a bite of, why should she resist?

“I’m only Le’er’s wanton woman. He loves me, and I love him. Why should I resist my own happiness? I want to be his woman—his woman forever!”

She secretly giggled as she stroked her glistening breasts. A fierce current surged through her body of its own accord.

“Why should I deny myself pleasure? Never!”

At that moment, she was so alluring that she could capture anyone’s heart.

A woman who unties the knot in her heart is happy. A woman who acknowledges her own happiness is beautiful. With such a change in outlook, she loved the man she cherished even more and felt that life was wonderful.

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That night, afraid that Le’er’s wound might split open, she did not let him move. There was only one position: woman on top. The madness that rose from the depths of her heart made her even more frantic and brought her even greater satisfaction. She did not know how many times she had lost consciousness atop Le’er’s body, nor how many times she had sent herself soaring into the clouds of pleasure. Floating there, she had begged Le’er for mercy countless times, only to become frenzied again whenever she regained awareness. Flowers withered and bloomed again; in a single encounter, spring winds blew several times.

Still, there was no second round that night. For Li Ying, one time had already been more than she could bear; a second would have been pure torment. After their pleasure, she fell into a deep sleep and no longer needed to fear insomnia. She had no idea how high the sun had climbed. The birds outside were singing merrily in the trees, yet Le’er was nowhere to be seen.

“Big Sis, hurry and wash your face and brush your teeth. Breakfast is ready!”

When she rose and walked into the courtyard, Le’er came out of the kitchen and called to her cheerfully.

“Le’er, I told you not to cook. Why did you do it again?”

She cast him a coquettish glare, but her heart was filled with extraordinary warmth. Was this childlike man truly the man she loved? His smile was as pure as spring water in a well and as radiant as the morning sun.

“Big Sis, your cooking is too awful. I’d better do it.”

Li Ying was speechless. She knew how to prepare Cantonese food, but only a pitiful handful of dishes, and her skill was nothing special. Le’er could not cook Cantonese cuisine, but the food he made was far beyond anything she could produce. Some dishes were light and emerald-green, others rich in flavor and vivid in color. Though she had never eaten chili peppers before, she had even begun trying them.

Before they had started eating, Feng Shuya arrived.

“Coming early is not as good as coming at just the right time.” Outside her black sweater, Feng Shuya wore only a relatively new brown wool coat. Her long hair was loosely tied into a ponytail, giving her a fresh and graceful appearance. “I could smell the food all the way from Upper Tao Village.”

“What’s there to eat? Come sit at the table.” Le’er was frying eggs. He had originally intended to make only two, but when he saw Feng Shuya, he cracked another one into the pan. “Have some lotus-seed porridge.”

Le’er carried the dishes out. One plate held three golden fried eggs. Prepared to Li Ying’s liking, they were fried only until six-tenths done, crisp and golden on the outside while still runny within. Another plate held tender, emerald-green vegetables, and a third contained pickled vegetables—the finest possible appetizer.

“Wow, you two live wonderfully. I’m so pitiful. In the morning, I can only cook plain noodles.”

Le’er hurriedly ladled her a bowl of lotus-seed porridge. Li Ying had become addicted to it.

“Then you might as well come eat with us from now on.” Holding the bowl of porridge Le’er had given her, Li Ying smiled brightly. “We have a master chef here, and his skills are extraordinary.”

Le’er gave each of them a small plate and placed a fried egg on each one. Only then did he sit down to eat. Watching the two beautiful women eat with such refined delicacy, he felt somewhat miserable. Normally, when he drank porridge alone, he practically poured it straight down his throat. Now he could only sip it carefully, doing his best not to make slurping noises.

“Shuya, has that holdout softened his attitude at all?”

Li Ying asked Feng Shuya while eating her porridge. Feng Shuya had certainly come because of something, and Li Ying guessed that this was probably it. Feng Shuya merely shook her head gloomily.

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“There has been no progress at all. I explained your company-and-farmer partnership plan to him and told him what benefits it would bring in the future, but he remains completely unmoved. It looks as though we will have to take compulsory measures.”

On the surface, Feng Shuya was a calm and elegant young woman, but she had inherited her father’s temperament. When action was called for, she would never hesitate. “Any stone blocking the road to poverty relief, no matter how large or small, will be cleared away. With your plan in hand, I can finally act without restraint.”

It was precisely the poverty-relief plan Li Ying had drafted—the company-and-farmer partnership—that had strengthened her resolve. The plan was genuinely practical. It could enrich the farmers while strengthening the company, allowing both sides to benefit. It was not one of those poverty-relief schemes that merely made grand promises without any workable means of implementation.

She had already telephoned her father to report the plan and had received his approval. He had also tacitly permitted her to take a hard line.

“Uh… Director Feng, how exactly are you planning to use compulsory measures?”

Le’er stared at Feng Shuya in alarm.

“I’ll have Station Chief Xie bring officers from the local police station to maintain order. Whether he agrees or not, the road must be opened.”

“This… this isn’t a very good idea.” Le’er frowned. “We’re all from the same village. There’s no need to make things so absolute. Second Uncle Tao Shiliang is a good man, and his son Qiangzai is a good friend of mine. He’s a decent fellow too.”

“Even a good man cannot be allowed to obstruct everything. With his current attitude, the road cannot be built, and that will affect your company’s progress.” Feng Shuya’s tone was firm and decisive. “You should not always be thinking about being the good guy. When necessary, you must offend people.”

“That isn’t what I meant.” Le’er smiled. “I have a way to persuade him. He might even carry an old hen over and give it to me.”

“Is there really such a good thing?”

Feng Shuya looked at Le’er suspiciously.

“I know the people and affairs of the village better than you do,” Le’er said confidently. “That old bull has a soft spot too. If we press on that weakness, he might even give me an old hen.”

“All you ever think about is eating.” Li Ying shot him an exasperated glare. “Still, Shuya, Le’er is confident. Let’s do it his way. In business, we value harmony among people.”

“Heh-heh… For country folk like us, nothing under heaven is greater than food.” Le’er grinned. “If you have a hen and refuse to eat it, Heaven will strike you with thunder.”

The two women gazed at him helplessly, then burst into laughter. Feng Shuya had originally intended to assert her authority, but seeing Le’er like this, she could no longer manage it. Still, resolving the matter peacefully would be more effective than using force. As long as Tao Shiliang backed down, no one else would dare come forward and cause trouble.