Zhao Hong's expression held a flicker of madness. "What is there for me to fear? Chen Lishu, you wretched woman, with that seductive face! You're married yet still restless, still seducing other men, making them forget you. You're utterly shameless! Today, I'll ruin your reputation."
"Fuck your mother! Look at your pathetic appearance, skinny as a bone. If I were a man, I wouldn't be interested in you either. You can't even control your own man and you blame my sister Lishu? What's in your head, shit? Your eyes are blinded. Go ahead, report us! Do you really think this old woman is scared?"
Wang Aixiang couldn't stand it any longer. She jumped down from the truck bed, pointing at Zhao Hong and cursing. She wasn't someone to be trifled with. Ever since her husband died, she had faced countless hardships as a woman raising a child and caring for an elder. She had learned then that no matter what, you had to be bold. If you feared nothing, who could do anything to you? "Sister, don't be scared. If she really dares to report us, I'll take the blame for this. Selling a bit of fabric, so what? At most, I'll be in there for ten days or half a month and then I'll be out."
Wang Aixiang said this bluntly. She then looked at Zhao Hong, "But remember this, if I do get out, you won't have an easy time either. Where you live, what factory you work at—once I find out, I'll block you at your factory gate every day. Let's see who can outlast whom."
Zhao Hong had never met anyone as brazen as Wang Aixiang, and a shiver ran down her spine.
Sister Liu, standing beside Zhao Hong, couldn't help but chime in, "What's the point of this? We're here to make money. You're going to ruin this for me too!" Sister Liu didn't know what else to say. After this outburst, she wouldn't be able to get any more stock. Her good channel was now blocked by Zhao Hong.
Zhao Hong had also been having a difficult time. Her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and younger sisters-in-law had taken turns tormenting her. Lu Chengming turned a blind eye, and sometimes he wouldn't even come home at night. The root of all this, she believed, was Chen Lishu. If Chen Lishu hadn't seduced Lu Chengming and changed his heart, none of this would have happened.
She was once a city youth with education, cherished by everyone, while Chen Lishu was just a country bumpkin struggling to get enough to eat. Now, the difference between them was worlds apart. Chen Lishu had gone to university, while she, besides her job, had to endure the abuse from her in-laws. What was most unbearable was that the very fabric she was procuring was from Chen Lishu! She wished she could shout to the world that Chen Lishu was a profiteer and a parasite on society. But as Chen Lishu had said, she dared not, because what she was doing was also profiteering.
Looking into Chen Lishu's half-smiling eyes, Zhao Hong felt a fire burning within her, unable to express it or swallow it. Her gaze fell upon the unsold fabric in the back of the truck. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and a calculating smile played on her lips. "Since we know each other, I don't want things to become too unpleasant. Give me the fabric in your truck, and you can continue with your studies. I'll pretend today's incident never happened. What do you think?"
Sister Liu gasped at her words. She never knew Zhao Hong could be so greedy. She instinctively looked at Chen Lishu and saw that she seemed to have heard something amusing and was actually smirking.
"Zhao Hong, do you get beaten by Lu Chengming every day? Has he damaged your brain too?" Chen Lishu glanced at the two remaining bolts of fabric in the tricycle and took a couple of steps towards Zhao Hong. "To be honest with you, this little bit of fabric means nothing to me, but to give it to you? Not a chance."
"I say, sister, if your brain isn't working well, hurry back and get it treated. If you're desperate for money, you come here to extort us? Humph!" Wang Aixiang was furious. She had dealt with people for quite some time. If everyone was like Zhao Hong, pulling stunts like this, she wouldn't be able to do business at all.
"I don't care. If the situation escalates and the Red Guards come, you'll be caught red-handed with irrefutable evidence." Zhao Hong ignored Wang Aixiang, her eyes fixed on Chen Lishu, a mocking smile on her lips. "You're different from us. If the factory finds out, at most they'll put up a big-character poster. You're a university student; if this reaches the school, you might be expelled. It's just two bolts of fabric, why are you getting so angry with me? What's the point?"
"Zhao Hong, are you crazy?" Sister Liu's heart skipped a beat. "It's better to avoid trouble. Let's hurry back."
"Sister Liu, what are you afraid of? Once I get this batch of fabric, I'll give you a share," Zhao Hong said to placate her.
Seeing that she wouldn't listen, Sister Liu felt both angry and anxious. "Fine, I'm done with this. I dare not think about the fabric. Don't drag me into anything that happens in the future. I'm leaving now." Unlike Zhao Hong, her entire family worked at the battery factory. If anything happened, her whole family would lose face and be unable to continue working there. As Sister Liu walked away, she also resented Zhao Hong. She regretted her past kindness in helping her and realized she should stay far away from people like her in the future.
Seeing that Sister Liu wasn't just saying it, Wang Aixiang felt a bit uneasy. She herself didn't care; she had no job and no worries. Besides, she had her elders and her child at home. Even the Public Security Bureau would consider that. If she were to be taken in, it would likely be just a lecture, and she'd be released in a couple of days. But Chen Lishu was different. She was a university student. If she were expelled from school because of this, her life would be ruined.
"Sister, today is our bad luck. Why don't we give her the fabric? If she insists on pursuing this and spreads rumors, it will definitely affect you negatively." Wang Aixiang stepped closer and whispered, "You know the saying, you're different from us. You're like jade, and we're just bricks. There's no need to argue with her. Once this is over, I'll definitely make her pay you back for this."
"Sister Aixiang, you have Xiao Peng and your mother at home. Don't get involved because of me. You should go back first."
Hearing this, Wang Aixiang became anxious. "Sister, what do you take me for, Wang Aixiang? Do you think only those men are loyal? Fine, if you really don't want to give her the fabric, and if she calls for people later, you run quickly, and I'll hold them back. This business of reselling fabric, I did it all myself. It has nothing to do with you."
Zhao Hong saw them whispering and appeared impatient. "Have you made up your minds? It's just two bolts of fabric, why is it taking so much effort?"
"It's not that much effort because I never intended to give you the fabric from the start."