Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 444 Zhu Yonggui's Confession (Part 1)

Hearing the urgency in Zhu Yonggui's words, a smug look flashed across He Yuanchao's face. He exchanged a glance with Ding Liangcai and Li Jiefang before sitting back down on the bedside.

Just like before, Ding Liangcai sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the notebook and pen on the bed to become a recorder.

This time, Zhu Yonggui didn't hide anything and told the whole story about writing the threatening letter and stealing parts and raw materials from the factory.

In the summer of 1958, Zhu Yonggui, who had been single for over forty years, was introduced to Wan Lingling, a 36-year-old female worker at a cotton mill.

After getting to know each other for a while, the two were very satisfied with each other. In particular, Wan Lingling did not mind Zhu Yonggui's age or his slovenly appearance, which made the older bachelor's heart completely devoted to the woman.

When Wan Lingling came to his house to help clean, Zhu Yonggui was aroused by her alluring figure and, after her persistent pleas, they had sex.

After their wild and unrestrained affair, the woman's tenderness and care made Zhu Yonggui fall completely and devotedly in love with Wan Lingling. At this moment, he wouldn't even flinch if it meant his death.

Besides being slovenly, brooding, and fond of drinking, Zhu Yonggui was also a rather traditional person. After they had a real relationship, he couldn't wait to propose to Wan Lingling that they should get married as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Wan Lingling, who had been beaming with joy, fell silent instantly. Afterward, she dressed without a word and left Zhu Yonggui's house.

Wan Lingling's actions left Zhu Yonggui somewhat bewildered, but in order to find out what was going on, he hurriedly got out of bed, dressed, and chased after her.

Upon reaching the alley entrance, Zhu Yonggui tried his best to persuade her, but to no avail. Wan Lingling remained silent for a long time before finally choking back tears and saying:
“Brother Zhu, you are a good person. I am not good enough for you. Please don’t look for me again.”

After saying that, Wan Lingling didn't linger. Wiping away her tears, she ran away and quickly disappeared into the dark street.

Wan Lingling's words struck Zhu Yonggui like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stunned and speechless at the alley entrance.

Zhu Yonggui had been single for over forty years. He had sought out women when he had physical needs, but this time, he was truly in love with Wan Lingling and determined to marry her. Therefore, this sudden news was hard for him to accept.

Returning home like a walking corpse, Zhu Yonggui drank half the night in despair, still unable to understand why Wan Lingling had suddenly said such heartless things to him.

As the old saying goes, "You can't cut water with a knife; you can't drown your sorrows with a cup of wine."

After drinking heavily all night, Zhu Yonggui did not let go of the brief relationship when he woke up the next morning. Instead, he missed Wan Lingling even more. He didn't even go to work. He took out all his savings and rushed to the First Cotton Mill in Kyoto.

In his mind, Wan Lingling must have said those things because she was worried that she wouldn't be able to support her family since there wasn't much decent furniture in the house.

Zhu Yonggui hid not far from the entrance of the cotton mill and waited for a whole day. Even at six o'clock in the evening, when the cotton mill workers on the morning and evening shifts changed, he still hadn't seen Wan Lingling.

"Could it be that she's off duty today, or that she's not feeling well and didn't come..."

Undeterred, and clinging to a sliver of hope, he ran back to the courtyard where Wan Lingling lived.

Upon arriving at the location, Zhu Yonggui's heart sank. Wan Lingling's house had its doors and windows tightly shut, with only a dark iron lock hanging on the doorframe.

Zhu Yonggui still hadn't given up, and he raised his hand and knocked hard on the door, convinced that the person he longed for was hiding in the house and didn't want to see him.

If it weren't for the neighbors getting annoyed and chasing him away, Zhu Yonggui, that old bachelor, would probably have been knocking on the door all night.

Although failing to find Wan Lingling this time was a significant blow to Zhu Yonggui, he still did not give up.

After taking a few days off from the factory, Zhu Yonggui began shuttling back and forth between the cotton mill and the courtyard where Wan Lingling lived, determined not to fail to find her. His efforts paid off; on the evening of the fourth day after his leave, at 7:30 PM, Zhu Yonggui finally met Wan Lingling in the courtyard.

The moment the two met, Wan Lingling looked incredulous, and tears instantly streamed down her face. This immediately calmed Zhu Yonggui, who was furious, and his questions turned into words of comfort.

These days, people have nothing to do at night, so when they hear crying, the neighbors rush out of their houses to see what's going on.

Seeing someone peeking in their direction, Wan Lingling hurriedly took out her keys, opened her front door, and pulled Zhu Yonggui inside.

Wan Lingling's home is not very big, only about 20 square meters. The furniture is very simple, and there are very few daily necessities. Overall, apart from being clean and tidy, it doesn't look like a woman's room at all.

After entering the room, Wan Lingling went straight to the bedside, sat down, lowered her head, and sobbed without saying a word.

This was Zhu Yonggui's first time entering Wan Lingling's home. He was completely focused on his crying sweetheart and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Wan Lingling. After more than half an hour of coaxing and talking, he finally managed to calm his sobbing sweetheart down. Zhu Yonggui breathed a sigh of relief and hesitated for a while before finally telling her what had been weighing on his mind.

"Wanling, we were getting along so well, why did you..."

Before Zhu Yonggui could finish speaking, Wan Lingling, who had just stopped crying, burst into tears again.

"Wanling, you...you...don't cry. If...if something's wrong, let's talk it out. You...you've encountered...you've encountered some difficulties. Don't be afraid. If something really happens, I'll face it with you."

As he spoke, Zhu Yonggui pulled a thick wad of crumpled, sweat-stained banknotes from his pocket and placed them next to Wan Lingling.

"Wanling, here is over 1,300 yuan, all my savings. If you encounter any difficulties, take it. If it's not enough, I'll borrow from my colleagues and friends."

Looking at Zhu Yonggui's sincere face and then at the pile of money on the bed, Wan Lingling's crying suddenly intensified.

Zhu Yonggui used to just have sex with women and leave immediately; he had no idea what women were thinking.

Seeing Wan Lingling crying more and more heartbrokenly, he was momentarily at a loss. After a moment of stunned silence, a possibility suddenly occurred to him. He stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth, and said:
"Wanling, did someone bully you? Tell me, and I'll go get revenge for you right now."

"No one bullied me."

After saying this, Wan Lingling lowered her head and sobbed softly, just like before.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yonggui paced back and forth in the room several times in a panic. Finally, having no other choice, he plopped down next to Wan Lingling and began to sob.

This crying startled Wan Lingling. After regaining her composure, she quickly comforted Zhu Yonggui.

"Brother Zhu, don't cry, I really wasn't bullied..."

Seeing that this trick worked, Zhu Yonggui couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. But then he thought that he had finally met a woman with Cheng Xin's heart, and now that it was about to fall apart, his crying involuntarily intensified.

Wan Lingling tried to comfort him for a long time, but seeing that Zhu Yonggui was crying more and more sadly, she hesitated for a while before finally saying:
"Brother Zhu, please don't cry. I'll tell you why, okay?"

(End of this chapter)