"Brother Xie, isn't this a loss? Why are you still so happy!"
Zhang Wenfeng's face was still dejected, as if it were his money being lost, with a hint of cuteness.
"How could it be? It's just earning a little less. I have my reasons, and you'll know in a couple of days."
Xie Sui said this, and Zhang Wenfeng had no choice but to whip his horse and head home.
He came back early today, past two in the afternoon. Most of the villagers were napping, and there weren't many people on the street.
Xie Sui had been busy running back and forth between the county town and the market town, having no time to go to the river to catch fish or to the mountains to catch birds. He told Zhang Wenfeng to go home first and catch a few fish to stew into soup.
The river was not small, and if it were used for fish farming, the income should be good. However, Xie Sui quickly dismissed this idea. Fish farming was hard work, requiring constant worry day and night. He couldn't stand the hardship and loneliness.
Besides, he didn't care much for the small amount of money earned from fish farming.
After digging the ditch, he lay by the riverbank, drowsy. He planned to take a nap, then catch some fish to take home, buy a couple of blocks of tofu, and stew them with the fish for a delicious soup.
Suddenly, a coolness washed over his face, startling him awake: "Who is it? How dare you splash me?"
Xie Sui jolted up and saw a smiling face, speaking haughtily, "It's me. Haven't you stopped cursing yet?"
Don't misunderstand, it wasn't Lin Wanwan. She was proud, resilient, and strong. Life's hardships had made her more steady, without this lively romance and wilful innocence.
"It's you!"
Xie Sui's feelings were complicated. He was certainly not unfamiliar with this girl; in fact, he remembered her vividly.
"Don't you want to see me anymore?
I suppose not. You're making money, have a wife, children, and a warm kang. How could you still remember me! Coincidentally, my parents are arranging a marriage for me, and I'm about to get married. From now on, we'll go our separate ways. You'll be a good husband and father, and I'll be someone else's wife."
The girl was Zhao Xuefei, the youngest daughter of Zhao Tielin. When others were struggling to make ends meet and working themselves to death for work points, she could still eat egg white noodles.
However, in the past two years, Zhao Tielin had no longer held the position of team leader, and he was too lazy to farm. The family's fortune declined sharply. Fortunately, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse, and the Zhao family's life could still be maintained.
But without the special treatment for Zhao Xuefei, who was used to enjoying herself and being doted on, she was like a spoiled princess in the village.
Fortunately, she was pretty, and many young men liked her, chasing after her and giving her all sorts of gifts.
Xie Sui was among them.
That's right, Xie Sui was one of those unfortunate backup options, a devoted admirer at that.
After his rebirth, he had only thought of Lin Wanwan and the children, and had completely forgotten about Zhao Xuefei.
Today, Zhao Xuefei finally caught him, her eyes like flowing water filled with resentment. Xie Sui was the most generous among her suitors, giving her things even at the expense of his wife and children. He hadn't visited her for over half a month, and hadn't given her gifts, which made Zhao Xuefei very unhappy.
She had originally planned to keep him waiting, but after more than half a month, Xie Sui seemed to have forgotten her, which made Zhao Xuefei panic.
Knowing he liked to catch fish by the river, Zhao Xuefei had been waiting for him for several days and finally found him.
Xie Sui watched her act, wiped his face, and said, "That's good. I wish you happiness. I need to go home. Goodbye!"
Zhao Xuefei's eyes widened. He wasn't even going to try and coax her?
Xie Sui got up and left, annoyed at his foolishness in his past life. He had been so easily fooled for over a decade; it was truly a case of the stupid mother giving birth to the stupid daughter, an ultimate fool.
"You stop right there!"
Zhao Xuefei was unwilling to let him leave just like that. She blocked Xie Sui, her face solemn, and asked, "What do you take me for? Just leaving like this?"
Her words were tinged with resentment and reluctance. It had to be said, this woman's tactics were quite high-level, far superior to the "green tea" and "white lotus" types of his previous life. If one word were to describe her, it would be "ambitious."
Xie Sui raised an eyebrow: "What do you want? Didn't you say we'd go our separate ways? I'm just doing as you asked."
"You, I was just saying that out of anger. Can't you tell? Xie Sui, you've changed."
Then she started to act cute, reaching out to grab Xie Sui's sleeve, but he dodged: "No, men and women should not touch. This is not permissible. I really didn't hear that. Speak directly. I prefer straightforwardness."
Zhao Xuefei wouldn't act cute without a reason; she must have an ulterior motive. A small portion of the money and food Xie Sui scammed and swindled had ended up in her hands.
Xie Sui suddenly slapped himself twice. He deserved to be called an idiot.
"Xie Sui, why are you hitting yourself? Doesn't it hurt?"
Zhao Xuefei tried to touch him again, but Xie Sui retreated two steps: "It's nothing, just a mosquito. If you're not going to say anything, I'm leaving."
"Don't go, Xie Sui. Do you really not like me anymore?"
Her deep resentment and affection were enough to make any man kneel, but unfortunately, Xie Sui had lived a lifetime over, and this trick wouldn't work on him. Sudanshu.com
"I have a wife and children. You are a pure young lady. Marry well and live your life. Don't think about those unnecessary things. You will only be the one to suffer in the end.
That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself."
Xie Sui continued to walk, not wanting to get entangled with her. She was a woman who was ruthless to others and herself, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals. She was terrifying.
"Stop, you stole my feelings and my heart, and you want to just leave like this?"
Zhao Xuefei finally couldn't maintain her composure. Xie Sui seemed to have become a different person. His eyes no longer held the infatuation and adoration of before, only indifference and caution, making Zhao Xuefei feel as if her possession had been snatched away.
"Feelings? Don't be ridiculous. Who exactly deceived whom?"
Xie Sui turned to look at her. He wasn't afraid of a complete falling out; it would save future trouble.
"Do you want me to calculate how much I've given you over the years? How much money?"
He then eyed the georgette shirt she was wearing, his smile turning colder: "This shirt, wasn't it also a gift from me? Talking to me about feelings, it's better to say I was a sucker, starving my own wife and children while being toyed with by you. How dare you talk to me about feelings?"
Zhao Xuefei's face flushed and paled. After all, she was only eighteen or nineteen, and her skin wasn't as thick as it would become later.
In her previous life, no matter how Xie Sui mocked her, she could endure it. As long as Xie Sui invested in her, Zhao Xuefei would do anything.
Xie Sui somewhat admired Zhao Xuefei's later shamelessness. She had the ability to become the richest woman in the entire province.
However, by then, Xie Sui had already established himself in Beijing and Shanghai, with a global perspective, and Zhao Xuefei had long faded from his life.
"You and Lin Wanwan just had a misunderstanding. She never looked down on you, a country bumpkin. If it weren't for the children, would she have married you?"
"Xie Sui, don't be foolish. Lin Wanwan never loved you. She's a young lady from the big city. Who could catch her eye? All these years, did she let you touch her? Did she fulfill her duties as a wife?"