"Living Yama? Living Yama, are you there?" She couldn’t find anyone in the room and, feeling uneasy, ran out to look. Hearing voices from the neighbors with the door ajar, Sheng Ning rushed to the doorway and asked anxiously, "Hello, have you seen Xu Qigang?"
The neighbors were Chen Baoshan’s family of three; his wife, a woman from the countryside, was holding their one-year-old baby and was stunned to see Sheng Ning standing at their doorstep!
Chen Baoshan came out of the house holding an enamel basin. The moment he saw Sheng Ning, the basin dropped from his hands and shattered with a clatter on the ground.
Sheng Ning scratched her head awkwardly; she had rushed out so hastily that she hadn’t even combed her hair, which was now disheveled and loose behind her.
"Who are... who are you?" Chen Baoshan’s wife, Zhu Guiying, stuttered.
"I am Xu Qigang’s wife!" Sheng Ning had just finished answering when suddenly, from behind, there came a clattering series of objects falling to the ground, and the sounds of pots and pans rolling down the stairs. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novｅlfire.net
Before she could turn around, someone from behind her burst out, throwing a coat over her head. In a whirl, she was hoisted onto someone’s shoulder and swiftly carried back to her own house.
Zhou Hong, Li Duoxi, Wu Houhai, Kong Jie, and Guo Siming all stood frozen on the spot, only coming to their senses when the door to Xu Qigang’s house slammed shut.
"She’s really beautiful!"
"I thought I was hallucinating just now."
"She’s even more beautiful than in the union’s newspaper by tenfold."
"Living Yama really has some incredible luck with women."
Sheng Ning was set down on the ground, followed by Xu Qigang’s towering rage.
"Who allowed you to go out? Who allowed you to go out dressed like that?" His anger made him look cold, harsh, and menacing enough to terrify an enemy.
Sheng Ning stared at him, baffled by what she had done wrong.
"Do you realize your mistake?"
"No!" she shook her head, "What did I do wrong? Why are you yelling at me?"
"You still won’t admit your mistake? Look at what you’re wearing!" Xu Qigang’s chest heaved with flames that nearly consumed his reason. The way his comrades had looked at her made him want to gouge out everyone’s eyes.
"What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?" Sheng Ning looked down at her sweater, which covered everything well, not revealing a bit. The sleeves were so long that her hands could barely be seen.
Isn’t this just like the skirts that people in the city often wear? Plus, she had worn a skirt for the performance the previous night! Many people wore skirts, and there were so many in the audience, and it wasn’t a problem!
Xu Qigang’s gaze lingered on her exposed calves as she moved, reigniting his anger beyond control, making even his breathing grow labored.
"Xu Qigang, you’re being unreasonable!" Sheng Ning was truly angry now, and tried to storm out, but Xu Qigang caught her and pinned her against the door.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
"Back to the General Union Dance Troupe!"
"You’re not allowed to leave!" he commanded authoritatively.
"I will leave. You’ve scolded me, haven’t you? You blamed me, so why should I stay here? To be tormented?" The more Sheng Ning thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and tears began to fall involuntarily.
She had been living in fear for a month, not eating or sleeping well, and often having nightmares. And he, upon returning, just blamed her.