Xie Sui rode his bicycle to the county supply and marketing cooperative first, to buy some gifts and visit Director Gu. She had helped him so much, and he hadn't yet paid his respects in person to express his gratitude.
He bought malted milk, brown sugar, pastries, and canned goods, spending over fifty yuan, which was already a substantial gift.
As he was about to leave after paying, he surprisingly saw Zhao Xuefei, arm in arm with Yan Xiaoliang. Both were wearing the fashionable "sunglasses" of the time, dressed in jackets and jeans. Yan Xiaoliang even sported a pair of cowhide shoes so shiny they reflected people's faces.
Zhao Xuefei was even more extravagant, wearing stirrup pants that revealed her long legs and full hips. Her top was a batwing shirt that barely covered her backside, drawing many glances.
In his previous life, this attire would have been ordinary. However, in the newly opened-up 1980s, conservative elders found it unacceptable. Sometimes, fashionable girls were even publicly scolded for immodesty, and meddling elders could make them cry.
"Don't you think it's my freedom to wear what I want? What business is it of yours?"
In reality, people could interfere. The remnants of the collective economy era lingered in people's minds. Maintaining social order was everyone's responsibility. Concepts like privacy and freedom were dismissed as nonsense. A visit to the police station or a barrage of lectures from neighborhood committees and labor unions could make one wish to flee the earth.
Zhao Xuefei also saw him. She took off her sunglasses and provocatively asked, "Isn't this Factory Director Xie Sui? Is your factory still open?"
Xie Sui chuckled. "Are you that concerned about me? Thank you so much. I know you still have feelings for me; you insisted on giving me money last time. But I, Xie Sui, am not a man who lives off women and I have integrity. I wouldn't dare accept money you swindled from other men."
Zhao Xuefei's face instantly turned pale. "You're talking nonsense! I would never give you money!"
Yan Xiaoliang's expression also soured. Zhao Xuefei was his girlfriend now, and her unclear dealings with another man cast a shadow on him.
Xie Sui continued to dig a trap for her. "Then tell me, a month ago, what did you do to me in the small woods in our village?"
His words carried multiple implications. The surrounding people now looked at Zhao Xuefei with disdain. She was pretty, but apparently promiscuous. Beautiful women were indeed restless.
"I was with you... No, I didn't do anything with you! Xie Sui, you're falsely accusing me."
Xie Sui shrugged. "You clearly attacked me like a mad dog. The aggressor is always at fault. Don't you know what you are, that you need me to remind you?"
Xie Sui sneered. She was practically shoving her face into his hand, asking to be hit. He obliged.
Zhao Xuefei regretted it. When it came to thick skin and arguing, she wasn't fit to carry Xie Sui's shoes. She huffed, "You only have a sharp tongue. You're a grown man acting like a woman. Let's see how long you can be smug!"
"Certainly longer than you. Yan Xiaoliang, do you like picking up my leftovers so much? You should have said so earlier, and I would have given her to you."
He gave Zhao Xuefei a meaningful glance. Yan Xiaoliang's face looked as if he had eaten something foul. He flung Zhao Xuefei's hand away and walked off indignantly.
Zhao Xuefei was on the verge of tears. "Brother Yan, don't listen to his nonsense. He spews venom. You know who I am, don't you?"
"You can know someone's face but not their heart. Don't be a fool. I'll say no more. I wish you a hundred years of happiness and to be welded together, never to separate. On behalf of all gentlemen, I thank you for taking this menace away. Thank you!"