NOVPUBChapter 212 -212 Zhang Erleng’s Bad Idea.
Chapter 212 -212 Zhang Erleng’s Bad Idea.
Bai Yue packed up the eggs from the chicken coop into a bamboo basket. She had counted the eggs, and there were exactly 70 in the basket. She could sell them for ten yuan and fifty cents at the market. In her pocket, she also carried some money and cloth ration coupons her brother had left behind.
Once she had packed up, she left the house.
Carrying the bamboo basket on her back, she was headed to the market at Dawang Village.
In their area, the markets were held irregularly, about every three to five days in different villages, but Dawang Village was close to the county town, so the market there was the largest.
There were many people going.
As soon as Bai Yue stepped out of her house, she ran into several aunties also on their way to the market. They had agreed to go on this day, and old man Zhang’s ox cart was just right to take them there, charging ten cents per person. At this time, no one would walk the long way to save ten cents, as walking would take at least two hours.
Bai Yue was surprised to see Wang Yan next to the ox-cart, which gave her a start. She had just dreamt about him last night, and there he was today, which made her face feel hot, mostly because she felt guilty.
She glanced at Wang Yan but deliberately didn’t greet him.
A few aunties grabbed her and chattered nonstop. As soon as old man Zhang’s ox-cart arrived, people squeezed in tightly, and just as Bai Yue sat down, she belatedly realized that someone had sat down next to her. Turning her head, she blushed deeply when she saw Wang Yan sitting right beside her.
All around her were aunties, daughters-in-law, and girls, so what was a grown man like him doing squeezing in here?
But before she could think or say anything, the cart had already gradually filled up with people, and it was so crowded that there was no more room to sit.
Old man Zhang agreed to drop off this group and then make another trip to calm everyone down.
As the ox-cart moved forward, Bai Yue sat there, absent-mindedly chatting with a few aunties beside her.
The road was rough.
It was just a dirt road, full of bumps, stones, and clumps of earth that rocked the cart from side to side as the wheels rolled over them.
With a jolt, the wheel ran over a large stone.
Bai Yue was unprepared and suddenly crashed into Wang Yan’s back. The solid impact hurt her nose, and Wang Yan turned around to look at her, “Are you okay?”
Bai Yue quickly shook her head.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.”
Feeling guilty, she looked away. The heat from Wang Yan’s body made her face turn red and suddenly reminded her of the first time she met Wang Yan. He was shirtless, his body all toned muscles, which made her heart race just looking at him.
She couldn’t go on thinking about that, or it would only lead to trouble. Bai Yue pinched herself hard. What was she doing?
She had only been divorced for a few months, and she was already losing control? If she continued, it would only make her the talk of the village. Moreover, Wang Yan was a good man who had helped her a lot. She couldn’t ruin him. His character was such that marrying any proper girl would be fitting.
She’d better get her mind on the right track.
Bai Yue turned her head away and didn’t look at Wang Yan again.
Although it was an ox-cart, it was fairly quick, and soon they arrived at the bustling market. They were among the last to arrive; the market was already crowded with people.
Since Bai Yue was there to sell eggs, she went her separate way from the aunties. Carrying her basket, she found a secluded corner, squatted down, and opened the cloth on the basket to reveal the neatly arranged, clean eggs.
This was not her first time rushing to the big market. From initially being unable to speak up, she had now become quite practiced in the art of hawking her goods.
“Fresh eggs for sale! Fresh eggs.”
Bai Yue’s voice was clear, and combined with her improved circumstances over the past half-year, her whole person had grown healthier. Not only had her originally dark skin become fair and tender, but because of a slight weight gain, the wrinkles on her face had also significantly reduced, especially now that she was in high spirits. Her eyes were bright and black, which was particularly comforting to look at.
It attracted quite a few people.
“Oh, these eggs look great,” came a frivolous voice.
“Cut the crap. Are you eying the eggs or the woman selling them?” A few hooligans from the market gathered around, seemingly noticing that Bai Yue was alone, and without any relatives to accompany her. It was clear they had come to bully her.
“Are you buying eggs or not? If not, move aside and don’t block the way,” Bai Yue said firmly, not one to endure quietly upon seeing their ill intentions.
“Oh, buying eggs, of course, we’ll buy eggs. How much are they?” one man, clearly in his forties or fifties, said as he ogled Bai Yue.
“One egg for fifteen cents. How many do you want?” If they really wanted to buy eggs, she couldn’t just chase them away.
“Sure, we’ll take all the eggs,” the man, known as Zhang Erlangzi, who was in his forties or fifties, declared, slapping his chest.
Bai Yue didn’t know him, but he knew her. He had seen Bai Yue at the market more than once and had heard the old wives in the village mention that the woman selling eggs was a divorcee. Seeing that she was quite attractive, and though she was a bit older—just in her thirties—he, almost fifty, immediately took an interest in Bai Yue.
He was aware that Bai Yue had three sons but didn’t mind becoming their stepfather; it seemed like a good deal as the woman was capable. She came to the market every few days to sell eggs. If he actually married her, he could just sit back and enjoy good meals without doing much.
Bai Yue was startled. “All of them? That’s seventy eggs, ten dollars and fifty cents!” She had never encountered such a big purchase before.
The three men in front of her looked shabby and untrustworthy, hardly seeming like genuine customers. Could they be planning to deceive her?
“We’ll take all the eggs, but you’ve got to deliver them to my house. It’s not far, just past the road fork ahead, and the second house on the other side,” Zhang Erlangzi detailed, having already planned his move. A woman like her wasn’t someone he could marry just because he wanted to.
As long as he could deceive Bai Yue into coming to his house, once things escalated, she would have no choice but to marry him.
After all, she was no virgin, having been with a man before. He didn’t believe she would dare to make a fuss about it.
Then he would have gotten a wife for nothing.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yue shook her head. She was not foolish; these three men clearly had bad intentions. If she really followed them just like that, she’d be helpless if anything happened.
“If you want the eggs, take them yourself. If not, forget it.” She was over thirty years old; she could see through their tricks.
Zhang Erlangzi, seeing that Bai Yue was not falling for it, signaled his two friends with a glance.
He grabbed Bai Yue’s arm, “Girl, I’m buying your eggs, but you’ve got to deliver them. What’s the big deal? Come on, deliver these eggs for me, and I’ll give you the money. That’ll settle it.” He began to pull Bai Yue, forcefully trying to take her away while the other two men each grabbed an arm.
“Come on, just deliver some eggs for my brother. It won’t take long.”
Bai Yue panicked.
“Let go of me! I’m not going. Help!” She could see clearly now that if she didn’t make a noise, those hooligans would really take her away, and then shouting would be utterly useless.
Unfortunately, the people nearby were from other villages here to do business. No one knew her, nor were they willing to meddle in such affairs. They were all honest farm folk, who would want to get involved in trouble and possibly face retaliation?
