Chapter 7: The Inferno

The next morning, Wang Fang borrowed a bicycle from a neighbor in a hurry and rushed to the commune guesthouse.

Zhu Ben and the others were about to leave and looked quite surprised to see her arrive.

Liu Yue smiled and asked, “Fangfang, what’s the rush? You’re all sweaty—are you really that attached to the kids?”

“Sister-in-law, please think of another way. Find someone who’s never been married before. That dead girl, Lao Wu, refuses to marry a twice-divorced man,” Wang Fang panted, still having skipped breakfast.

Liu Yue handed her a box of biscuits. “Someone never married? That’s hard to find. Not many city folks are willing to marry down. How about this: when other girls get married, have Lao Wu deliver the bride gifts. Relatives and friends will definitely have some young men. If she catches someone’s eye, that might be easier to arrange.”

Wang Fang thought this was a good idea and agreed. “Sister-in-law, thanks for your trouble. Brother, the kids are mischievous—please bear with me. I’m heading back now.”

Zhu Ben nodded with a smile. After Wang Fang left, he sighed, “Wife, why did you agree so easily? It’s not that simple. City folks have high standards when marrying; few just care about looks.”

“There are a few, even if not many,” Liu Yue replied. She didn’t want to waste time since the bus was waiting.

Zhu Ben thought it over and agreed. He took his son home.

At the Electric Power Bureau staff quarters, lunchtime was just beginning. A group quickly gathered, curious about the young man Zhu Ben had brought home.

Hearing he was his adopted son, some expressed concern. “Old Zhu, work’s been tough lately. You can’t just keep a rich idler, right?”

Zhu Ben smiled. “No rush. We’ll take our time. Liu Yue and I both work, so we’re not worried about food.”

Though he said so, colleagues still thought he was overly optimistic and sighed.

One colleague asked, “Son’s quite handsome. Does he have a girlfriend yet?”

“Not yet, Old Qin,” Zhu Ben smiled. “Want to introduce someone?”

“If you’re willing to compromise, I know a girl with good background, though she has a slight flaw,” Qin Sanshan kindly offered.

After all, a rural boy without a job was already reaching beyond his means to find a city girl, especially when her parents were respectable.

Zhu Ben was displeased but didn’t want to offend. He smiled and asked, “Who is she? Tell me.”

“My cousin’s second daughter. She stammers a bit and is a little older,” Qin Sanshan examined the young man carefully. He was indeed handsome and well-built.

His cousin was an officer; arranging a job wouldn’t be difficult.

Zhu Ben politely asked her age. When he heard she was twenty-seven, he suddenly feigned illness. “Oh, my stomach cramps—Old Qin, let’s talk later. I need to use the restroom.”

Qin Sanshan laughed quietly and said nothing more.

They were all sly foxes; no use pretending.

But it was fine; he would tell Liu Yue.

Liu Yue was somewhat tempted but knew his cousin lived in the northeast, too far away, and wouldn’t allow his daughter to marry far off, especially since she had health issues and he feared the son-in-law might mistreat her.

Liu Yue was conflicted but didn’t close the door entirely. They had previously considered adopting a daughter; a friend had a son of suitable age.

She could introduce the friend’s son to that girl, so no one would be offended.

She asked, “Old Qin, do you have a photo? At least let us see what she looks like.”

“No, I don’t have one. I’ll ask my brother to send one over. You prepare one of the boy for me, and I’ll send it to them,” Qin Sanshan was eager to play matchmaker since the boy was indeed good-looking and strong.

Liu Yue readily agreed and took the boy to have photos taken that afternoon.

After Qin Sanshan left, Yao Genbao grumbled unhappily. “Mom, stammering isn’t good. What kind of family is his cousin’s? Are you sure about this?”

“Northeast Construction Corps,” Liu Yue said only that.

Yao Genbao heard that and thought, “Well, that’s not bad.”

But it was too far.

“Let’s just see how it goes,” he said.

That afternoon, he urged Liu Yue to take him to have his photo taken.

If the son-in-law was to be an officer, he’d naturally be tempted. It depended on whether the girl was attractive enough—maybe he could settle for her.

***

Yao Taotao prepared the letter of introduction and booked the bus for the next day.

She handed the ticket to Yao Zhizhi. “Lao Wu, don’t say a word. Tomorrow just say you’re going to help a classmate.”

Yao Zhizhi didn’t bother with excuses and teased, “Those two scoundrels won’t be happy.”

“No worries, I saved some secret money. Later, I’ll say it’s payment from a classmate,” Yao Taotao knew exactly what kind of people their parents were.

Yao Zhizhi felt relieved. Their second sister was quite clever.

The next morning, they set off early, carrying some water. Food would be figured out later.

Two hours later, they got off at the city bus station and transferred to a public bus.

Fifteen stops wasn’t far. The two sisters sat together, curiously scanning the streets on both sides.

Midway, an aunt in a police uniform boarded. She looked to be around forty, energetic and spirited.

She was about 1.7 meters tall, with a heroic bearing and a strong physique. She was escorting a cursing thief, ordering him to behave.

The thief was handcuffed and couldn’t break free, cursing all the way.

The policewoman remained cheerful, smiling as she got off under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Yao Zhizhi admired her composure and instinctively glanced back at her retreating figure.

She was from the South City police station; judging by her stride, she walked briskly, full of vigor.

Yao Zhizhi admired strong, capable women and nudged Yao Taotao. “Second sister, look at that auntie. She’s so strong, even stronger than any man.”

Yao Taotao smiled. “I saw her last year when I brought mooncakes to uncle’s house. Her surname’s Tang. She’s been a widow for years. She has a son, who’s handsome but sickly and won’t live long.”

Yao Zhizhi didn’t pay much attention. They got off two stops later, pretending to look for a job at a foodstuff factory.

The gatekeeper was kind but shook his head when he heard they were from the countryside. “Go back, girls. There’s no work in the city even for locals, let alone outsiders.”

“But sir, we have so many children at home and are poor. If we can’t find jobs, our parents want to marry us off to any man. Please, sir, take pity on us. Is there anyone eager to marry? Could you help introduce someone?” Yao Taotao was clever; she had bought cigarettes right after getting off the bus.

She offered him one, and the gatekeeper, without mocking, looked them over and was surprised. “You two are quite pretty. But don’t expect men who’ve never married. I can introduce a twice-divorced man.”

Yao Taotao’s eyes brightened. She squeezed Yao Zhizhi’s hand and asked, “Sir, who is he? Would he agree to marry a country girl?”

The gatekeeper began to praise their factory director, speaking highly of him.

When Yao Zhizhi asked why he divorced, the gatekeeper hesitated.

Yao Taotao quickly handed him two yuan and a cigarette.

Only then did the gatekeeper reveal the truth.

Indeed, their uncle was hiding some facts.

The director, Cao, divorced not because his wife was unfilial but because she was ill.

A terminal illness.

Yao Taotao subtly extracted the wife’s address and then led Yao Zhizhi away.

“I knew it. Uncle had ill intentions,” Yao Taotao fumed. “That kind of heartless man—our eldest sister would definitely suffer if she married him.”

Yao Zhizhi remained silent.

Yao Taotao stopped and looked back at her. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“To go see his ex-wife. What if this is just one side?” Yao Zhizhi wanted to verify the information before persuading their sister to change her mind.

Abandoning a sick wife was truly cold-hearted. That’s why they needed to be sure.

Yao Taotao nodded. “Let’s go to the hospital.”

They could use the pretense of visiting a relative and pretend to enter the wrong ward.

At the hospital, they learned that a woman named He Meiqi was in the gynecology ward and followed the directions.

They knocked, and a weak voice invited them in.

The sisters improvised, mentioning the name Liu Erya and asking if the patient had a roommate by that name.

He Meiqi shook her head. “You must be mistaken. I’m the only one here.”

Yao Taotao and Yao Zhizhi exchanged looks. One stayed to chat, the other pretended to look elsewhere.

When Yao Zhizhi returned, Yao Taotao was sitting beside He Meiqi’s bed, wiping her tears.

Yao Zhizhi waited without rushing. When He Meiqi calmed down, she said, “Sis, the second aunt is in a ward downstairs. You got the wrong room.”

Yao Taotao rose. “Big sister, let’s go. Take care of yourself.”

He Meiqi smiled weakly. Though strangers, the kindness from this young woman warmed her heart.

The sisters walked downstairs together. Yao Taotao’s expression was serious. “The gatekeeper didn’t lie. Director Cao forced her to divorce to avoid being called a widower.”

Yao Zhizhi felt disheartened but, thinking of their second aunt and Wang Fang, wasn’t surprised at Wang Aiming’s character.

If they weren’t in cahoots, could they have conspired in the kitchen for so long?

Truly shameless.

They wandered near the government compound and inquired about Director Hu.

With heavy hearts, they headed for the bus stop.

“That Director Hu has a bad temper. Who knows if his wife wasn’t beaten to death by him,” Yao Taotao fretted.

She had hoped that if a certain man wasn’t a good match and their parents insisted on marrying them off, she could step up to save her sisters from hardship.

But now, faced with this, she worried sincerely. She couldn’t split herself in two.

Yao Zhizhi knew of her sacrificial spirit but thought it best to avoid these two fiery pits.

“Let’s go back and try to persuade big sister first. I’ll think of other plans,” Yao Zhizhi said just as the bus arrived.

Two stops later, the bus stopped, and they saw the policewoman again, carefully helping a young man onto the bus.

He was tall and slender, with pale, sickly skin. His handsome features were marked by illness, making him look especially frail.

The seats were full, so Yao Zhizhi quickly stood and said, “Auntie, let him sit here.”