Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"What's wrong?" Lin Haitao felt the issue was serious. His girlfriend, who usually loved food, was staring at the braised pork, the Northeast-style stew, garlic zucchini stir-fried with eggs, and slippery mushrooms stir-fried with cucumbers... without any appetite.
"Nothing!" Yezhi said it was nothing, but inside she was anxious about Zhang Ling not saying anything.
Lin Haitao placed his right hand on her forehead and asked with concern, "With so many dishes on the table, you're only eating a little. Are you sick?"
Yezhi swatted his hand away and laughed, "You're the one who's sick. I'm eating less because... I'm on a diet!"
"But you're not even fat!" Lin Haitao said decisively. As a former chubby girl, Yezhi felt overjoyed to hear that.
Walking behind them, Yu Jianhua and his wife deliberately controlled their pace, gradually creating a significant distance between them and the couple.
Yezhi naturally linked her arm with Lin Haitao's, took a deep breath, and said, "Xiaobinzi, I think Zhang Ling is acting strange today!"
"Is that why you can't eat?"
Yezhi nodded. "When I said I wanted to marry you, she actually asked if I had thought it through!" Lin Haitao's voice tensed slightly. "What did you say?"
"I... why are you looking at me like that?" Yezhi punched Lin Haitao playfully. He crossed his arms and laughed, "Aren't I just worried that my future wife might fly away? Such demoralizing words—did Zhang Ling really say that?" Yezhi nodded affirmatively.
"That's really strange!"
"Right!"
It was inappropriate for her to get involved in other people's marital issues, yet not getting involved felt wrong as well. This matter weighed heavily on her heart, making it difficult to sleep peacefully.
"Is Reiko home?"
Yezhi was someone who couldn't keep things to herself. After holding it in all night, she reached her limit. Early in the morning, she took the route map drawn by Xiaobinzi and headed straight to Xiao Huang's house.
Zhang Ling, who was washing clothes in the messy yard, was first taken aback and then smiled gently. "Sister Ye!" After calling out, her eyes turned red.
"Where is your family?" The yard was quiet; weren't there two elderly people and seven siblings? Why was no one around so early?
"They're all gone!" Zhang Ling lowered her head and wiped away her tears.
"That's perfect. Tell me what happened between you and Xiao Huang. No saying it's nothing!"
"It really is nothing..." Seeing Yezhi's fierce expression, Zhang Ling had no choice but to swallow back the word "thing" that was about to come out.
"Sister, this is my last time asking you. If you still don't want to talk, I won't force you!"
Zhang Ling's face turned pale as she cried out sadly, "Sister Ye, please don't ignore me! Don't abandon me!" After saying that, she squatted down and buried her face in her hands, crying bitterly.
Yezhi scratched her head. Did Zhang Ling misunderstand something? Had she been too harsh? She wasn't ignoring or abandoning her; she just felt that concern shouldn't become a burden. If Zhang Ling didn't want to speak, there must be a reason for it.
Yezhi gently patted Zhang Ling's back. "Alright, stop crying!" As the sobs gradually subsided, Zhang Ling mumbled, "Sister Ye, women bleed the first time, right?"
Yezhi was just about to respond, "That may not be the case."
Zhang Ling continued, "I didn't bleed on my wedding night! Brother Huang he..." As if recalling something, Zhang Ling hugged her arms tightly, trembling slightly.
"What happened to him?"
"Brother Huang questioned me, but I really don't know what happened. Sister Ye, it was truly my first time, really... really..." Zhang Ling repeated the word "really" countless times.
For centuries, men have measured a woman's chastity by the blood of her first night. Men can have multiple wives, yet women must remain loyal to one. So what if Zhang Ling is not a virgin? Liking someone is just a feeling; marriage is simply about bringing two people who like each other together. What does that have to do with the bloodshed after intimacy? Moreover, Zhang Ling is pure; it's just that Xiao Huang, being ignorant and uninformed, doesn't understand.
"Zhang Ling, look up!"
With tear-filled eyes, Zhang Ling looked up and said, "Sister Ye!"
"Wipe your tears clean. You have nothing to feel guilty about, so why cry? Besides, there are many reasons for not bleeding on the first night—like missing out on high jumps or falling off a horse... Oh right! Just tell Xiao Huang that you fell off your bicycle!"
Zhang Ling widened her eyes as if what she said was absurd. "Sister Ye, what time is it? How can you still joke around like this!"
Yezhi felt frustrated. Who was joking around? "What I'm saying is true! If you don't believe me, let's go to the hospital and ask a doctor!"
Zhang Ling excitedly lunged at her. "Sister Ye, it really could be from jumping or falling!"
"Really, truly! More real than pearls! You need to talk to Xiao Huang properly!"
Zhang Ling remained silent, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Brother Huang... hasn't spoken to me in a long time. He... won't even look at me!"
Yezhi exclaimed angrily, "How can he be like this!"
"Sister Ye, I once worked at a Cardboard Factory for a while. There was a sister who often came to work with bruises. One day, I forgot my keys at the factory and went back to get them. I saw that sister crying her heart out. I expressed my concern a few times, and gradually, our relationship improved. She told me that all her injuries were from her man hitting her, just because she didn't bleed on their wedding night. He suspected her chastity, and from that night on, no matter what she did, it was wrong. If she talked to someone else, he would accuse her of being promiscuous and beat her up. Sister Ye, Brother Huang is already better off."
Yezhi felt that Zhang Ling was speaking to her; in fact, she must also be disappointed in Xiao Huang! "Reiko, if Xiao Huang won't listen to us, we should find a doctor to talk to him!"
"What if he still doesn't believe it?"
"Reiko, can't you be a bit more confident?" Zhang Ling seemed like a different person. Her lack of confidence—was it due to feeling inferior about being "different"? My goodness, if the daughter of the County Party Secretary feels inferior, how can others live?
"If he doesn't believe it, then there's no way to live like this—divorce!" What nonsense about persuading couples to stay together or not breaking up marriages; Yezhi scoffed at such hypocritical statements.
Perhaps she had spoken of "divorce" too lightly; Zhang Ling fell into silence. It wasn't until she left that Zhang Ling quietly said, "Sister Ye, there’s no man who doesn’t mind that kind of thing!" Those words pierced Yezhi's heart like a thorn. She thought she had integrated into this era, but in reality, she was not of this time. Her actions and thoughts, even if intentionally concealed, were ultimately different from those of people in this era.
Returning to the Lin family home, guests had arrived. Dr. He presented a new treatment plan for Yu Jianhua—surgery.
Yu Jianhua hesitated; he wanted to hear Yezhi's opinion.
Dr. He didn’t mind repeating himself with great enthusiasm. Yezhi appeared to listen attentively but inwardly criticized Dr. He's eloquence. "Dr. He, may I ask about your hospital's successful cases?"
The little girl asked pointedly; there were no successful cases in their hospital—future successes were merely hypothetical.
"Well... as long as we remove one-third of Less's stomach, the cancer cells can be eradicated and Less can fully recover." Dr. He’s answer was off-topic; this indicated that they regarded Elder Brother Yu as expendable.
"Dr. He, then I will think about it."
"Yes, let's think it over!" She also wanted to ask Bidefo if removing one-third of the stomach could regenerate.
After Dr. He left, Yezhi and Sister Luo hurried to prepare lunch. Fresh and tender pig liver was stir-fried with chives, lean meat was mixed with eggs, cucumbers, daylilies, and black fungus to create a fragrant dish. The steamed buns in the steamer emitted a delightful aroma of dough.
At that moment, Xiaobinzi returned with a serious expression. Sister Luo exchanged glances with Yezhi, who untied her apron and followed Xiaobinzi into the main room. "If something's bothering you, just say it. Let me, this understanding flower, help you out!"
"Our marriage report wasn't approved at the bureau!" Xiaobinzi said lightly. Before she could react, he added, "I will rewrite and resubmit it until it's approved."
"Why?" The three words seemed to stump Xiaobinzi. He hesitated for a while before saying, "It's those rumors about you."
"They say I'm inappropriate and that I'm trash?" Yezhi experienced the hurtful power of rumors for the first time.
Xiaobinzi wasn't very good at comforting people; after saying "Don't mind it," he fell silent.
She used to think everything between her and Xiaobinzi was unspoken; no matter how rumors spread, they wouldn't affect work or life. Now she asked, "Xiaobinzi, do you care?"
"It's all nonsense!" Looking at Xiaobinzi's calm face, she suddenly lost her expectations for marriage and simply said, "Actually, these people are right about one thing: Xiaobinzi, I’m not a virgin anymore!"
Comment 0 Comment Count