Xu Rui lit a cigarette and ambled toward Zhang Xiaoli's rented room, thinking he could take a little more advantage of her at noon. He quickly picked up his pace.
Zhang Xiaoli's rental was tucked away in a remote corner on the second floor. No one usually came to bother her at noon, so Xu Rui often visited boldly.
The moment he entered, Xu Rui was drawn in by the sight before him. Zhang Xiaoli had apparently finished showering at some point and was bent over in a camisole, looking for clothes. One look from behind was enough to make Xu Rui lose his mind.
He softly closed and locked the door, his eyes never leaving that tempting sight.
"Hey, why are you here? I didn't make food for you."
Zhang Xiaoli was not particularly surprised. This was not Xu Rui's first visit, and she was just about to get up and serve herself some food.
Xu Rui rushed forward in a single stride and gave Zhang Xiaoli a huge bear hug from behind. He knew exactly how bad his breath was, so he wisely did not try to kiss her little mouth.
"Hey, stop messing around. Let go of me."
Zhang Xiaoli thought Xu Rui was joking and calmly struggled, which only added fuel to the fire.
"I want to eat you. I'm not eating."
Xu Rui spoke in a slurred voice.
Zhang Xiaoli was scooped up by him and thrown down like an eagle snatching a chick.
His fat body nearly crushed the breath out of Zhang Xiaoli.
"You bastard, you're actually serious?"
Realizing something was wrong, Zhang Xiaoli began to panic.
At that moment, how could Xu Rui possibly listen...
Zhang Xiaoli had not expected anyone to come over at noon. After showering, she had gone into the room without underwear, planning to eat, take a comfortable nap, and then head to work.
In the end, half-resisting and half-giving in, Zhang Xiaoli was taken by Xu Rui just like that...
But inexperienced Xu Rui was far too excited his first time, and it was over in less than two minutes.
"You fucking idiot!"
Zhang Xiaoli cursed with a deep frown, then grabbed her clothes, put them on, got out of bed, and went to eat without caring in the slightest whether Xu Rui lived or died.
The panting fat man took a long while to recover. He slowly got dressed as well, then walked over with a cheeky grin.
"You should just be with me. We can live a good life together from now on."
Holding her bowl, Zhang Xiaoli casually picked at her food and muttered without raising her head.
"Do you have money? What are you going to use to marry me?"
"Of course I do. What do you want?"
Still unsatisfied, Xu Rui wrapped an arm around Zhang Xiaoli's slender waist and coaxed her.
"Buy me a watch. I've wanted one for a long time. Will you?"
Zhang Xiaoli knew what Xu Rui was like and did not take him seriously as she continued eating.
"I'll buy it in a bit."
Xu Rui's firm reply made Zhang Xiaoli turn around in surprise.
"You're not just messing with me, are you?"
"Won't you know once we go? It's not like I'm going to eat you." As he spoke, his hands began wandering around again.
Having tasted a woman's sweetness for the first time, he certainly did not want to miss the opportunity. He had no choice but to bleed a little money in exchange for something in return.
Xu Rui, a salesman, understood perfectly well that you could not catch a wolf without sacrificing a child.
"Don't touch me. Talk after you keep your promise."
Zhang Xiaoli broke free from Xu Rui's embrace and did not let him have his way again. Then she handed him the bowl in her hand.
"Eat. I didn't make food for you, so just make do with this. We can buy something when we go out later."
Zhang Xiaoli then began changing beside the bed without covering herself up. The fat bastard had already gotten everything, so there was no need to care about such things.
Zhang Xiaoli had been with her thug boyfriend for a long time. What had she not seen? She did not take Xu Rui's rude behavior today seriously at all. Besides, she had let Xu Rui take plenty of advantage of her before.
Xu Rui cleaned up the half bowl of food left for him, but it was definitely not enough. Seeing fruit on the table, he unceremoniously grabbed some and started devouring it. That way, he could save a little money on food later.
Only after eating three apples did Xu Rui barely feel full.
"Let's go. How long are you planning to dawdle?"
Zhang Xiaoli lay barefoot on the bed, looking at him with disdain.
"Let's go, let's go." Xu Rui walked to the bed, picked up her foot, and nibbled it twice before Xiaoli giggled and pulled away.
"Get lost. Don't push your luck."
Zhang Xiaoli kicked him, then finally got up, put on her shoes, and set off with him.
After wandering around the mall for a long time, Xu Rui grit his teeth through the pain as if flesh were being carved from him. In the end, he bought Zhang Xiaoli a white women's watch for over two hundred yuan. It hurt him terribly, but he stubbornly put on an indifferent expression.
Having gained something tangible, Zhang Xiaoli was thrilled. Her no-good thug boyfriend did nothing but vent his lust; otherwise, he either beat or cursed her. Sometimes he even asked her for money. He was usually nowhere to be found and often disappeared for days without explanation. She never dared interfere, having been beaten into submission long ago.
After a few sweet words from Zhang Xiaoli, Xu Rui was so thoroughly coaxed that he could not tell east from west. He confidently patted his chest and said she could ask for anything in the future, and he would agree to all her requests.
After shopping a while longer, the two went to work together.
Li Yang had agreed to Manman's request over lunch, so he kept his word and went to meet her.
"I missed you so much, baby."
Manman's business attire gave her an entirely different charm, and Li Yang found it quite enticing.
Manman openly threw herself into Li Yang's arms and kissed him greedily several times before she was satisfied enough to pull him off to eat.
"I want wontons."
Manman stood outside a rather clean little shop and pointed inside.
"Then let's go. It's easy if that's what you want to eat."
Li Yang readily agreed. The two held hands and went inside. There were quite a few people at noon, but most of them were young women. What grown man liked this kind of food?
Manman ordered a serving with her favorite filling, along with a vegetarian Cold Dish Platter, a serving of cold beef salad, and two bottles of Habi soda for Li Yang. Li Yang was not picky, so he ordered the same as Manman, only in a larger portion.
In the end, Manman thoughtfully refused to let Li Yang pay and took out her wallet from her purse to settle the bill.
While waiting for the food, Manman picked up a piece of beef and carefully fed it into Li Yang's mouth.
"Is it good, darling?"
Manman's gentle, tender appearance moved Li Yang deeply, and the two began feeding each other affectionately.
In the end, Li Yang finished Manman's leftover wontons while she slowly drank her soda and tenderly wiped the corner of his mouth.
"Hehehe."
"Eat slowly, baby."
Manman laughed happily. Watching Li Yang eat with such enthusiasm pleased her as well. A man had to eat plenty to have energy, and that was what Manman expected of Li Yang.
After they finished eating, Manman could not bear to let Li Yang leave, so he accompanied her shopping for a while. Li Yang thoughtfully bought Manman several sets of sexy summer lingerie.
"Baby, I'll wear it tomorrow when I go to the wedding feast with you!"
Manman was very pleased with what Li Yang had bought her, so she whispered softly in his ear.
Manman openly held the clothes against herself a few times in front of the mirror. After Li Yang paid, he took her hand and led her away. He did not want other men eyeing Manman's beauty.
When it was almost time, Li Yang walked Manman to the entrance of her shop and handed her both the purse he was holding and the bag containing the lingerie.
"Darling, what if I miss you tonight when you're not with me?"
Manman pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Just endure it for one night. Be good. We need to get up early tomorrow morning to pick up the bride."
Li Yang stroked Manman's cheek and teased her with a smile.
"Fine, but remember to call me when you get back tonight. No backing out." Manman gently hugged Li Yang, then reluctantly returned to the shop.
After work that afternoon, Li Yang, Manman, and Xu Rui took the bus back to the terminal at 150 Hospital.
"How are we getting there?"
Li Yang held Manman's hand and asked Xu Rui.
"Route 54 is convenient. It goes straight to the terminal." Xu Rui had gotten lucky today, so he was naturally in high spirits. He lit a cigarette and took a satisfying drag.
Manman knew Li Yang did not smoke, and that was one reason girls liked him. No one wanted to smell secondhand smoke every day. People who did not smoke always found cigarette smoke especially disgusting.
Not wanting Manman to be choked by the smoke, Li Yang gently pulled her a few steps back.
"That works too. We'll definitely be drinking then, so we can ride back with whoever has a car tonight."
"Let's go." Xu Rui finished his cigarette in three quick puffs, casually tossed the butt away, and went to get his bicycle.
"No manners at all."
Manman muttered to herself. Looking at the smoking culprit on the ground, she stepped forward and crushed it beneath her high heel.
"Come on, sweetheart. I'll take you home first." Li Yang took Manman's hand and headed toward the bicycles.
Manman was in low spirits as she let Li Yang lead her downstairs to her apartment building.
At the door of her home on the third floor, she threw her arms around Li Yang and kissed him passionately.
"Alright, baby." Li Yang gently patted her, reminding her to stop.
"Be careful on the road." Manman waved at Li Yang, then opened the door and went home.
"That little beauty looks like she's determined to marry you," Xu Rui casually teased as the two rode their bicycles.
"Cut it out. Stop worrying about me and put more effort into your own situation. When are you going to get yourself a wife?"
"Soon. I have a feeling I might get married next year." Xu Rui had no idea where his confidence came from as he spoke nonsense with a serious face.
Chatting as they rode, the two soon reached the village. They casually left their bicycles at the village entrance and walked to the bus stop to wait for Route 54 coming from the east.
This route started from Peony Square in Jianxi District and ended at Yanqiu Market, which happened to be right on the border of Yiyang.
Yue Xiaodan would be done and back the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, Li Yang would not have agreed to take Manman to the wedding feast. The schedule had all been arranged, but thinking about it still made him feel a little tired.
Summer days were the longest. Li Yang checked his watch. It was already seven, yet there was still no sign of nightfall.
After a while, the bus finally lumbered over to the Xu JiaYing stop. Seeing that Xu Rui was not moving, Li Yang took out three yuan and dropped it in.
The fare was one yuan and fifty cents per person. Xu Rui smiled and thanked Li Yang for his generosity.
The two found empty seats and sat down together...
"Oh, you two really are busy people. You were the last ones."
As soon as they reached the gate, Wang Long happily came out to welcome them. The courtyard was bustling too, with neighbors from the village all coming to join the excitement.
Wang Long led the two directly up to the second floor. His new room was also on the second floor, lavishly and impressively decorated, no less grand than a place bought in the city.
His father had been a veteran soldier before retiring from the military and was very capable. Wang Long also had an older sister. She was not particularly pretty, a little chubby and wearing glasses, but she had a refined air. Two years ago, she married into a family with decent financial means.
Now the whole family was putting their hearts into organizing the wedding for Wang Long, their only son.
A large charcoal grill had been set up on the open-air platform outside the second floor, and Zhang Xiangbei was surprisingly grilling all kinds of food with practiced skill.
"You two are really damn busy."
The speaker was He Junjun. Wherever he went, he always stood out and never stopped making noise.
Li Yang then greeted old acquaintances one by one, including Zhang Bao, Qin Shou, Zhang Meimei, and Zhang Hua. Afterward, everyone began drinking and chatting.
"Come on, come on, the meat skewers are ready!"
At the shout, a huge batch of freshly served lamb skewers was instantly divided up!
"Damn, don't eat anything when we get to the bride's house later."
Seeing the empty plates in front of him, He Junjun joked with everyone.
Everyone laughed as they ate.
Xu Rui was eating like a starving ghost, attacking the food with both hands.
The group of guys gathered around the table, eating, drinking, and chatting as the sky gradually darkened. Wang Long casually switched on the floodlight on the wall, and the courtyard instantly became as bright as day.
"What's wrong with your nose? You seem pretty uncomfortable."
Li Yang had not attended a gathering in a long time, and he was in high spirits. He stood and wandered around with half a bottle of beer in his hand. He had only eaten some cold dishes and two lamb skewers. Later, he still had to pick up the bedding and eat at the bride's house, so experienced Li Yang did not eat too much, leaving room in his stomach.
Wang Long had to run around greeting guests who came to offer congratulations.
When Wang Long came upstairs, he kept wiping his runny nose with tissues, so Li Yang curiously asked him about it.
"It's nothing. I've had rhinitis for years. Don't worry about it."
Wang Long was naturally excited about his big day tomorrow, and Li Yang's concern made him feel warm inside.
"Man, don't take it lightly. When you have time, go see a doctor. If it gets cured, you won't have to suffer anymore."
"Alright. I'll go after things settle down."
Wang Long did not take his old ailment seriously at all. If years later he could have remembered and wished he had listened to Li Yang's well-meaning advice, perhaps his life would not have ended while he was still young. There was no turning back, and life could never be lived again...
"Come on, it's time to go to the bride's house to pick up the bedding and put up the wedding characters." Qin Shou came over excitedly to urge everyone on.
"Let's go, guys. Get moving."
He Junjun also put on a serious expression and began assigning everyone their tasks in an orderly fashion.
The noisy group made their way to the main gate. Two vans were already parked on the street, perfect for carrying people and things without any delay.
After discussing it, seven people went. Any more would not fit, and there would be nowhere to put the bedding.
Li Yang did not smoke, so he had grabbed the prized front passenger seat early. With the window open to let out the smoke, he felt quite comfortable.
Clear tape and wedding characters in various sizes had already been prepared in the vehicle.
When they arrived, the bride's family had been waiting for them for a long time. Liu Yingying's parents were very satisfied with this marriage. Wang Long's father was a widely respected and capable man in the nearby villages. For their daughter to marry into such a family was considered an incredible blessing. They warmly prepared a huge table full of fine food and drink to entertain the young men who had come.
Before you continue