Chapter Sixty-Nine: Moved by Passion

After finishing her meal at Le’er’s house, Tao Haiying did not return home immediately but instead accompanied Feng Shuyai to school. Only three months younger than Le’er, Tao Haiying was seventeen as well, tall and strikingly pretty—by countryside standards, a true beauty. Her academic performance was only average, with little hope for university, but she was clever and capable.

In the village, Feng Shuyai had few confidantes, and Tao Haiying often visited her to pass the time. Though the two did not quite match in temperament, Feng Shuyai did not dislike her. As they spent time together, they grew familiar enough to chat freely.

The two entered the dormitory.

“Sister Feng, Sha Le’er is such an obnoxious person—why do you like him?”

“Is he really that bad?” Feng Shuyai looked at Tao Haiying and smiled. “I don’t think so. In the countryside, he’s considered quite an outstanding young man.”

“What’s so great about making some dirty money in Guangzhou? Nothing impressive about that,” Tao Haiying replied with unconcealed disdain. “Look at the way he carries himself, as if he’s so important. Don’t be fooled by his looks—he’s actually a terrible person.”

“He’s a terrible person?” Feng Shuyai looked at her in surprise, then smiled again. “Did he do a lot of bad things?”

“Of course he did! We were classmates as kids, and he was always up to mischief. The teachers couldn’t handle him—he was infamous at school. Tao Youneng and the others loved to follow him around and join in his troublemaking.”

“So he was quite the rascal as a child.”

Feng Shuyai already knew all there was to know about Sha Le’er, even that he used to drop his pants and flash his little privates to scare the girls. There was nothing Tao Haiying could tell her that she didn’t already know. She was only teasing the girl a bit, having long observed that Tao Haiying seemed to harbor feelings for Sha Le’er and hoping to coax something out of her.

“That wasn’t just being naughty—he was downright bad, rotten to the core.”

Tao Haiying’s gritted-teeth expression made Feng Shuyai laugh. She began boiling water for tea, pouring it into the thermos once it was ready, then brewed two cups, one for each of them.

Blowing gently on the foam atop her tea, she watched Tao Haiying.

“Don’t you believe me, Sister Feng? He really is rotten to the core.”

“I believe you. I know he was a real terror as a child. But now that he’s grown up, he doesn’t seem so bad, does he?” Feng Shuyai grinned. “And maybe you like him a little now, don’t you?”

Tao Haiying’s cheeks flushed at that.

“I do not! He almost got my brother killed.”

“He hurt your brother? What happened?”

This had happened in Guangzhou, so Feng Shuyai was surprised—she didn’t know anything about it and frowned. Since she was planning to support Sha Le’er, she needed to learn everything about him.

“My brother called home and said Sha Le’er got him arrested by the police in Guangzhou. He spent over ten days in the hospital after he got out,” Tao Haiying’s face was full of resentment. “That wretch—he’s the worst.”

But hearing this, Feng Shuyai’s frown eased. If it was the police who arrested him, then Sha Le’er couldn’t have done anything truly wicked—perhaps even something good. After observing him for some time, she felt that even though Sha Le’er had many bad habits, he wasn’t the sort to inform on others. His heart was kind despite his rough edges.

There was clearly more to the story.

“Do you really know your brother’s character? Maybe there were things between them you don’t know about.” This time, Feng Shuyai spoke without a smile. “It’s natural to side with your brother, but you should get to the bottom of things. Especially since I think you might have feelings for Sha Le’er—don’t misjudge someone before you know the truth.”

“What feelings? I don’t have any!” Tao Haiying’s face reddened again. “Besides, my brother isn’t a good person either. Honestly, he’s worse than Sha Le’er.”

“There you have it.” Feng Shuyai sipped her tea and changed the subject. “It’s time for you to go home. Think things over for yourself.”

Tao Haiying walked home, but her mind was full of Sha Le’er’s image, no matter how she tried to shake it off. Annoyed, she shook her head, not understanding why she felt this way.

Back home, she threw herself onto her bed and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

—————————————————————————————————————

The sun was already high in the sky, yet Sha Le’er was still sleeping soundly. Last night, after stealing a dog and feasting on its meat, he hadn’t bothered cleaning up—pots and pans were left everywhere. He simply bathed and went to bed after one in the morning.

Suddenly, loud banging on the door jolted him awake. In his groggy state, he heard Luo Yinxian calling and scrambled out of bed.

“Quit pounding, it’s so early! I haven’t slept enough.”

“All you know is sleep! Look at how high the sun is already,” Luo Yinxian entered the yard, the strong smell of dog meat hitting her first, then her eyes took in the kitchen clutter. “What on earth were you up to last night, with such a stench? The kitchen looks like a junk shop.”

She started tidying up as she spoke. Sha Le’er glanced up at the sun and suddenly remembered he had dance practice—he jumped in alarm.

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? It’s so late!”

“You must be addled from rat poison—just now you were complaining I was making too much noise.”

“Heh… just overslept, that’s all. Don’t be mad.”

He hurried to wash his face and brush his teeth. By the time he was done, Luo Yinxian had gathered up the dishes and begun washing them. After drinking so much and stuffing himself with meat, Le’er felt uncomfortable at his core, his head still spinning. He noticed the bloodstains and dog hair on the floor—after five buckets of water, the mess still wasn’t gone. Only by scrubbing furiously with a bamboo broom did he finally clean it up.

“You guys cooked dog and didn’t invite me? Heartless.”

“If you want some, there’s still half a pot left.”

Luo Yinxian lifted the lid—inside was a whole cooked leg and several pieces of loin. The sight made her grin, thinking perhaps Le’er had saved some for her.

Seeing Luo Yinxian smiling, Le’er urged, “Stop grinning like a fool. Let’s go—Teacher Feng is waiting for us to dance.”

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“There’s no way I can eat, my stomach’s stuffed full,” Le’er grumbled as he headed out. The yellow dog, tied up, barked at his departure, eager to follow. “Stupid mutt, you want to die? The bitch is in heat—don’t get yourself killed, just stay home.”

“It’s cruel not to let him out when the bitch is in heat.”

Luo Yinxian, having cleaned the kitchen, followed after him and muttered at his words.

“What do you know? If she weren’t in heat, we wouldn’t have been able to get the male dog,” he laughed, casting a mischievous glance at her generous bosom, then leaned in and lowered his voice, “Are you in heat?”

“Scoundrel!”

Her small fist came down hard, and Le’er quickly dodged. Her own face flushed, her chest heaving, a strange current running through her body. Falling in behind Le’er, she didn’t hit him again but instead smiled softly.

“I’m in heat—and I’ll take your life with me.”

“I’m scared of you.”

The two bantered flirtatiously as they walked toward the school. All the girls were already there, dancing on the playground—not a single boy in sight. Feng Shuyai frowned when she saw him.

“Le’er, what sort of mischief did you boys get up to last night? You’re late, and not a single other boy is here.”

“Nothing…” Le’er replied, a bit guilty. “We wouldn’t dare cause trouble.”

“Heh… no trouble, sure,” Tao Haiying sneered. “You reek of dog meat. Huan Zai’s bitch is in heat—it’s obvious you went after someone else’s dog.”

“Would you be mute if you kept your mouth shut?” Le’er snapped, but oddly, Tao Haiying was smiling at him today instead of glowering like a fighting cock, which made him uneasy.

“What are you talking about?” Feng Shuyai clearly didn’t follow Tao Haiying’s words. “A bitch in heat… what sort of nonsense is that? Sha Le’er, did you get up to no good?”

“No… really, I didn’t.”

“But I smell dog meat on you too… where did it come from?”

“Well… um…”

Luo Yinxian could hold back no longer and burst out laughing. Le’er shot her a “hateful” look, and only then did she stifle her laughter and hurry away to a distant corner.