Chapter 81: Tao Haiying's Offensive

Tao Haiying was indeed a very calculating girl. That day she had no classes, and before Sha Leer had returned home, she was already sitting in the bamboo grove waiting for him.

The weather was a little cold. The chill of early winter made the bamboo forest rustle and sway. Thick stands of green bamboo bent with the wind. Bamboo was evergreen, and yet a few leaves still fell. She picked up one and studied it closely: yellow at one end, yellow with a hint of green at the other. Her fingers were long and delicate, with neatly kept nails. As her nails idly moved over the bamboo leaf, her thoughts drifted with the wind.

For a country girl, without a decent family behind her, it was hard to marry into a good household. People in the countryside might not care much for rank or pedigree, but there were things there that mattered even more than in the city. A family with neither money nor influence could only endure bullying. They could not even stand straight when they spoke, always had to read other people's faces, and would be pushed around whether anything happened or not.

In truth, her own family had once been fairly respectable. Though they no longer had any power, her parents were hardworking and the household was still reasonably well-off. Besides, her grandfather had been village headman for more than ten years, so they still had a measure of standing. But her brother had turned out useless. He had been drifting around Guangzhou, failing to bring back any money, yet constantly stirring up trouble. His reputation had never been good, and this time he had truly fallen hard, fallen terribly hard. The family's name had been ruined, and their situation was growing worse by the day. If things went on like this, they would be trampled completely underfoot.

Now, with her brother's reputation, even finding him a wife had become difficult.

After hearing Feng Shuyah's words that day, she had thought about it for a long while. If she did not begin planning for herself, she feared she would end up ruined as well. Teacher Feng thought highly of Sha Leer, and after careful reflection, she also felt that Sha Leer was unquestionably the most promising young man in Tao Sha Village. The old Sha Leer, she would never have considered. Who would be willing to suffer alongside a boy who was practically an orphan? But after he returned from Guangzhou, everything had changed. It seemed he had money now, and he had also become the village assistant, earning the favor of the township party secretary.

If nothing unexpected happened, in a few years the village chief would surely be in his grasp. She had never dreamed of great wealth and glory; that was far too unrealistic. But if Sha Leer became village chief, then he would have standing in the village and no one would dare bully him. And Sha Leer was not a man who liked idleness. He was diligent and a fine hand at farming. With him, the family would certainly live securely and prosperously.

If she could marry Sha Leer, her own family would also be looked after, and no one would dare bully them anymore. With a brother-in-law who was village chief, even if her brother had no ability at all, finding him a wife would no longer be such a problem.

She was lost in thought when someone called to her.

"Dao Haiying, what are you doing here?"

"Le'er, you're back. I was waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" Sha Leer laughed. "You want to ask about your brother, don't you? That really cost me a fortune, damn it all. For your brother's sake, I treated everyone to a meal, and one dinner alone cost me more than a thousand."

"More than a thousand?"

Tao Haiying was stunned. In the countryside, more than a thousand yuan was no small sum. Rice was only thirty yuan a sack; with a thousand-plus yuan, one could buy forty sacks of rice. A whole family working hard in the fields for a year might only harvest forty or fifty sacks, and that was before paying for fertilizer and pesticides. In the end, how much would be left?

"Damn it, they drank two bottles of Maotai alone, and the dishes were big soft-shell turtles and giant crabs... Don't even mention it. Damn it all, being a good person really isn't worth it. If there were a few more things like this, wouldn't they eat me into poverty? Even the money for my future wife got swallowed up."

"Le'er, thank you... truly, thank you."

Tao Haiying's eyes filled with tears.

"What good is thanks?" Sha Leer said gloomily. "You should be thanking Teacher Feng. She was the one who really made it happen. Without her, even with ginseng and bird's nest, I doubt I could have invited anyone. One phone call from her brought in Director Xie from the Public Security Bureau and the presiding judge from the court. Judge Wei was very kind to her."

"And... and my brother and the others?"

Sha Leer glanced at Tao Haiying, then looked around, wearing a very secretive expression.

"With Teacher Feng stepping in... cough... you must not tell a soul about this, not even your parents. If word gets out, there could be trouble. Judge Wei said they do have to be sentenced. Such a serious offense can't just be let go, and he can't take that responsibility. But they may not have to go to prison."

Instantly, excitement lit Tao Haiying's eyes, and tears shimmered there as well.

"What do you mean?"

"Judge Wei said the sentence will still be given, but a way can be found to suspend it outside prison. They won't have to go behind bars. They'll go straight back home." His voice was very low, as though he feared someone might overhear. "You absolutely must not spread this around. If it gets out, even Judge Wei won't be able to protect it. Do you hear me? Don't even tell your family when you get home. This can only be spoken of after they truly come out."

Tao Haiying nodded through her tears. With an outcome like this, how could she dare say a word? From this moment on, she truly regarded Teacher Feng and Sha Leer as benefactors.

"Le'er, thank you."

"Ah... you should thank me, all right, hehe... But what's the use of just thanking me with your mouth?" Sha Leer laughed and joked. "My mouth is big, and what I really want to eat is an old hen."

"There aren't any hens left, but there are still roosters. Do you want a rooster? There's only a little more than a pound of one, though."

Tao Haiying laughed too, walking beside him and drawing closer as they went. She knew he was joking. Not to mention one old hen, even eight or ten would be worth it. Sha Leer had spent more than a thousand yuan on one meal alone. With that much money, how many old hens could be bought?

"What the hell are you talking about... Fine, I'll keep it in mind. When the hens grow up next time, I'll come catch one."

The two of them bantered back and forth until they reached Sha Leer's front gate.

"Hm... why are you still following me?" Sha Leer said, key in hand, turning back to look at her. "Could it be you still want to eat at my place before going home?"

"Humph... why are you being so stingy? I'm a great beauty, and you won't even let me have a meal at your house?"

Tao Haiying brightened again, her eyes smiling now, carrying a faint warmth and tenderness.

"Beauty can't be eaten... No matter how pretty you are, what does that have to do with me? You're not my wife."

Sha Leer muttered softly and opened the door, allowing Tao Haiying into the yard. Hearing what he said, her fair, delicate face flushed red, but she pretended not to hear and walked in openly and naturally.

"Sha Leer, take your clothes off."

"Hm... why take my clothes off for no reason? In broad daylight like this... if someone sees, that wouldn't look good..."

"Look at you, you filthy thing. Your clothes are filthy. Take them off and I'll wash them for you. What are you thinking? Rotten to the core."

Tao Haiying flushed all over again.

"Oh... you mean you're going to wash my clothes. Why didn't you say so clearly? I thought..."

"Thought what?"

"Nothing... nothing at all. Just wash the clothes. But how could I let you wash them for me? We aren't related or anything... People won't gossip, will they?"

Sha Leer said with deliberate nonchalance, but he quickly took off his shirt and handed it to Tao Haiying.

"All talk and no heart," Tao Haiying thought, feeling secretly sweet inside. "Who would gossip? You've helped our family so much. Washing your clothes for you is only proper. Besides, you invited me to a meal; if I didn't do something, I'd feel awkward."

"Exactly, exactly. If you eat a meal, you have to work. Then wash them. There are plenty more at home. Do you want me to wash the quilts too? I've been using them for a long time; I wanted to wash them ages ago."

As he spoke, he went inside and came out carrying a whole heap of clothes, even taking apart the quilt and bringing that out too. Sha Leer had a washing machine, and water was easy to use, so Tao Haiying worked without complaint.

What was washing a few clothes? She wished she could come every day to wash his clothes.