The summer nights were damp and sweltering, with insects in every corner. The smell of washed pig entrails hung in the courtyard, impossible to dispel, seeping through the cracks in the window and filling the air with stench, not to mention the body odor of the man beside her.
Zhang Tu had set up a makeshift wooden bed beside hers, and when he lay on it, he was like a wall, firmly blocking her way out.
In the darkness, Zhao Wan Niang forced herself to stay awake. She feared his roving hands and feared losing her chastity, leaving her no face to see Gu Lang. Everything around her made her nauseous. She suppressed the churning in her stomach, opened her eyes, and examined the unfamiliar surroundings by moonlight.
Insects crawled about. As the night deepened, the man beside her began to snore.
Compared to Gu Lang, he was old, burly, smelly, and vulgar. Sharing a room with such a man—Zhao Wan Niang felt as if she were dreaming.
She turned over, and the bed creaked. Soon, the rooster crowed outside.
After the third crow, Zhang Tu got up. Zhao Wan Niang listened to the movements behind her, planning to escape once he left. But she was too naive.
After Zhang Tu left, he locked all the doors and windows. How could a weak young girl like her kick them open? She called for help, but after shouting for a long time, only an impatient woman replied, "What are you yelling for?! Let people sleep!"
No one dared to help her. If she left, the neighbors couldn't escape Zhang Tu's wrath.
So Zhao Wan Niang shouted all morning until her voice went hoarse, only to be met with Zhang Tu's mockery.
"Is that all you've got?" After finishing his morning business, Zhang Tu hurried back. Seeing her unharmed, he relaxed but still threatened, "If you yell like that again, I'll beat your mouth to a pulp!"
The girl huddled in the corner glared at him. "Then you'd better keep your word."
The burly man laughed, threw the high-quality pork loin he'd brought back onto the block, and began slicing meat with one swift cut. Fearing the pampered miss wouldn't take to it, Zhang Tu made her a bowl of meat soup.
"Eat when you're hungry."
"I'm not hungry."
Zhang Tu left the soup on the stove and went out to deal with the remaining pork. Having sold pork for years, he had saved some money. Once the woman in the house relented, he would find someone to hold a lively wedding and have a son.
But Zhao Wan Niang did the opposite. She would rather starve than eat his food or drink his water.
Seeing her about to starve herself to death, Zhang Tu was furious! That day, unable to hold back, he forced some food into her mouth, only to have her cry all night.
"Where do you get the strength?" Zhang Tu was at his wit's end. Seeing she wouldn't yield to either kindness or force, he lied, "Forget it. Stumbling upon a spendthrift like you is my bad luck. Eat your fill, and then go back to wherever you came from."
Zhao Wan Niang was so hungry her stomach was pressed against her spine. Hearing this, a glimmer of hope arose. "Really?"
Zhang Tu frowned. "You think I want to pay for your coffin?"
Zhao Wan Niang stood in the corner and thanked him for once. Her voice was very low, clearly lacking strength. This was the first time in two days and one night she had approached Zhang Tu. Zhang Tu forcibly restrained himself from touching her, arranged the meal, and walked out.
In the following days, Zhang Tu was either busy butchering pigs or there was no boat due to bad weather. Zhao Wan Niang waited and waited, but seeing he was indeed fooling her, she wasn't stupid and continued her hunger strike.
Zhang Tu had no way to deal with women. A neighboring mutton seller gave him a nasty suggestion, saying women were all spoiled—if he just slept with her for one night, she'd be tamed.
"But she cries, cries as if she's dying. I haven't even done anything, and people think I'm killing someone at home!" Zhang Tu frowned deeply, obviously not of that mind.
"Heh, you're still a young lad. All that size for nothing. Let me tell you, when a woman cries in bed, it means you've got skill." The mutton seller winked at him, deliberately provoking him. "If you're really so soft-hearted, just send her home and earn yourself a pretty penny. Don't end up neither fish nor fowl."
Zhang Tu chopped meat, a new plan forming in his mind. But it was tough on Wan Niang. Not only was she on a hunger strike, now she also had to constantly guard against his advances.
Perhaps he'd held back too long. That night, in the middle of sleeping, a very naked gaze shot at her from behind. Zhao Wan Niang's drowsiness vanished. Listening to the sounds in the room, she gripped the bedding, gritted her teeth, and quietly reached under her pillow—where there was a knife.
The bed plank behind her creaked. She knew that stinking man was up to no good, his eyes staring at her obscenely, as if stripping her naked. If he dared to lay a hand on her, she would stab him. It was only a cheap life.
That night seemed particularly long. Zhao Wan Niang sensed something was wrong but dared not turn back.
In all these years, she had never stayed alone in a room with a man until late at night, not even with Gu Lang, who always knew his limits. Thinking of Gu Lang, her heart broke.
The youth who had saved her in the mountains was perfect in every way except for his poor background. If not for that, she would have married him long ago. She wouldn't be in this situation today.
The man behind her was still panting. Through the gap between the beds, his hot, coarse breath seemed to drift over, clinging to her like an unshakable maggot, making her extremely nauseous!
Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes. Gradually, she heard the sounds growing louder behind her.
"Haven't you had enough?!" Her face flushed with anger. As soon as she spoke, Zhang Tu grunted and practically lunged at her at the same moment, the small bed shaking violently.
Before Zhao Wan Niang could scream, a large hand covered her mouth. The man buried his face in her neck, biting and sucking, his whole body burning hot. She struggled to pull out the knife she had hidden earlier.
He pressed down on her heavily. She bit her lip, reaching inch by inch. As her clothes grew fewer, she steeled herself. Knowing she couldn't hurt him, she deliberately scraped her wrist against the blade. A sudden pain pierced her heart. She remained silent, staring at the worn pillowcase as her vision slowly faded.
Zhang Tu smelled blood in the air. At first, he thought she had bitten her lip again, but as the scent grew stronger, alarm bells rang. He flipped her over.
Her face was still pale, her eyes vacant. One hand was hidden under the pillow. He lifted the pillow, and his eyes were instantly stained red with blood. Panicked, he stopped his movements, lifted her up, grabbed a white cloth, and tried to bandage her.
"You cut your wrist?! Aren't you afraid of death?"
The girl with pale lips hung her head, sneered, and with her remaining strength retorted, "I told you, if you touch me, I'll die in front of you."
Zhang Tu had met a tough nut. He couldn't beat her, but had to coax her. Rage surged in his heart. "You want to die? Not so easy!"
He was willing to spend money to call a doctor for her, to buy fabric for clothes, and to spend time matching wits with her.
Days passed, and the scars on Wan Niang's hands grew more numerous.
She endured half the summer. After autumn began, three consecutive rains dispelled the summer heat. She was already weak. One night, Zhang Tu opened the window to ventilate, and a cold wind invaded her body, giving her a chill.
He made her medicine, but she would drink it and then vomit it back up. Over and over, her condition worsened until she was near death.
Zhang Tu's heart had been hard for months, but seeing her truly about to die, it now began to crumble. After visiting all the nearby doctors, he heard that a doctor in a neighboring county was skilled at treating chills. He set off that very night.
Thus, Zhao Wan Niang, clinging to life, was forcibly pulled back from death's door by the old doctor.
Now, all told, she had been staying in the medical clinic for nearly half a month.
*