Chapter 3 2. The woman living on the bed in Jinyu Garden Villa

A burst of sleepiness hit Yu Xiaoman.She rubbed her eyes, looked up at the gray sky, where there was a cloudy ball like egg yolk hanging motionless.A whirlwind swept across the small square, and the flying dust stirred up the darkness between the sky and the earth.Around Yu Xiaoman, some migrant workers were squatting there with cardboard "signboards" in front of them, all of them looked disheartened and listless. Yu Xiaoman squinted at the group of hundreds of migrant workers in the small square, and then at the sign in front of her that said "Be a nanny", feeling an indescribable sadness in her heart.Today, she is here for the eighth time, and it is also her ninth day in Baiyun City.If she still can't find an employer, she really doesn't have the courage to go back to Baiyun University.

At noon four days ago, when she got off the train, in the crowded Baiyun City, she tried her best to find Wang Liang, who was studying law at Baiyun University, and it was already around seven o'clock in the evening.At the gate of Baiyun University, Wang Liang was really surprised to see her suddenly appearing here with a big burden on her back, disheveled and disheveled. He didn't speak for a long time, just stared at her in a daze.In the end, it was Yu Xiaoman who spoke first: "Wang Bo asked me to come to you. My mother died too. I dropped out of school and wanted to come here to find a job."

Only then did Wang Liang come back to his senses.Help her carry the burden and take her to a secluded place around the corner of the campus. Wang Liang put Yu Xiaoman's burden on the embankment, and stood face to face with her.Yu Xiaoman looked at the large open lawn nearby, and then at the brightly lit teaching building in the distance, and couldn't help feeling nervous. What if Wang Liang refused to take her in, what would she do tonight? "Are you here alone?" Wang Liang asked after a while. "Well, alone." "My sister is really messing around. I go to school here and live in a student dormitory. How can I arrange for you!" Wang Liang said embarrassingly, stroking his hair with his fingers.

Yu Xiaoman's face was on fire, and tears began to roll in her eyes.Although she couldn't see Wang Liang's face clearly in the night, she could guess what kind of expression he had on his face. "I don't want to trouble you, don't make it difficult, I... I can find a place to live by myself." She said bravely.She thought that even if she slept on the road tonight, she would never be treated coldly by others. Hearing her words, Wang Liang laughed: "You are messing around like my sister. You think this is Huaishu Town, and you can stay by knocking on someone's door. You live outside alone, and you won't be trafficked. It’s strange!” Wang Liang thought for a while and then said, “How about this, you follow me to the classroom, and I’ll ask Tao Zhen to help you figure out a solution.”

Seeing that Wang Liang didn't intend to push herself out of the door, Yu Xiaoman's fever subsided.He didn't say anything, but he followed Wang Liang meekly to the front of the teaching building. Wang Liang handed her the bundle and asked her to wait at the door, but he ran to the classroom on the second floor to look for Tao Zhen. After a while, a petite girl came downstairs talking and laughing with Wang Liang. "Tao Zhen, this is my cousin Yu Xiaoman. Xiaoman, you can just call her Sister Tao. We have agreed that you and Tao Zhen will live in their girls' dormitory tonight."

Yu Xiaoman hurriedly bowed to Tao Zhen, which made Tao Zhen and Wang Liang couldn't help laughing. Because Yu Xiaoman is Wang Liang's cousin, the girls in the girls' dormitory naturally accepted her.They vacated a bed with a box on the upper floor, one gave a blanket, the other a quilt, this bought food for Yu Xiaoman, and the other bought face wash water for Yu Xiaoman, which moved Yu Xiaoman unconsciously. What should I say. Hearing that Yu Xiaoman came to Baiyun to find a job, the girls offered their suggestions one after another, imparting to Yu Xiaoman the skills they had learned from newspapers and books, teaching her how to deal with employers, how to bargain.In order to make her look older than her actual age, Tao Zhen also specially combed her hair in a high bun.Before going out, everyone wished her immediate success.But four days passed, and Yu Xiaoman's legs were stiff in this small dusty square, but she didn't even see a sign of her employer.

Yu Xiaoman let out a long sigh.She stood up, stretched her legs and feet, and then squatted down again.She looked expectantly at the city folk who hurried past the small square without even looking at them, so there was no question of hiring them. Squatting like this, she put her weight on her left leg for a while, and then her right leg for a while, but gradually, Yu Xiaoman still felt that her legs couldn't support her anymore, so she simply sat on the dirt.She thought that she would find a job no matter what, even if she sat here until midnight. Good luck comes suddenly.Just as it was getting dark, most of the job seekers in the small square had left, and when Yu Xiaoman was sitting there in a daze about to fall asleep, a man came up to her and pushed her away with his hand. Put: "Hey, how old are you this year?"

Yu Xiaoman opened her eyes quickly, stood up in a hurry, looked at the other party in surprise and joy, and said quickly: "Seventeen." "Seventeen?" The man looked at her in disbelief. The man was about fifty years old, of medium height, with a square face, and looked quite lean, with a straight back and no fat at all.The man's hair was neatly combed, and although it was slightly thinned at the top, each strand was black and shiny.Men are also very particular about their clothes, including shirts, ties, suits and leather shoes.The man's voice was low when he spoke, but he uttered every word very slowly, as if he was giving a report, for fear that people might not be able to hear him clearly.

"What's your name?" the man continued to ask. "Yu Xiaoman." "Where are you from?" "Hebei." The man stood there, looked Yu Xiaoman up and down, and asked, "Do you want to be a nanny?" The man's majestic eyes kept staring at Yu Xiaoman, which made Yu Xiaoman a little scared. "Yeah." Yu Xiaoman nodded quickly. "Have you ever babysat before?" "I haven't done it before." Yu Xiaoman remembered the "lie" Tao Zhen and the others taught, and hurriedly changed her words.Lying made her a little guilty.

The man still stared at her, but did not continue to question her.He seemed to have had a lot of troubles about this matter, waved his hand angrily and said: "Okay then, you follow me immediately." But Yu Xiaoman stood still, at this moment, Tao Zhen and the others taught The "theory" of dealing with employers all came in handy: "You haven't talked to me about salary yet! How much do you pay me every month?" The man's gaze changed from majestic to disdainful and impatient, but in the end he still said hungrily, "Make an offer!" "three hundred."

"Okay, just three hundred." The man agreed absent-mindedly, turned his head and walked towards the road on the left of the small square. "Hey, uncle, wait a minute." The man turned his head. "Do I have to go with you now?" Yu Xiaoman asked timidly. "I'm eagerly waiting for someone to hire. If you don't want to do it, forget it." The man's tone became stiff. "Then...can you allow me to go back to Baiyun University? I put all my luggage there." Yu Xiaoman said in a flattering tone. "Are you a college student?" The man took a few steps back, with a bit of surprise in his tone. "My brother is a college student." "Oh." The man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "Alright then, let's go to Baiyun University first." Only then did Yu Xiaoman hurriedly follow behind the man and walked forward. At the stop sign of the bus stop, Yu Xiaoman shouted to the man walking in front: "Uncle, we can get to Baiyun University by bus No. 2." The man said without looking back: "Come with me!" After hearing what the man said, Yu Xiaoman stood still.God, what if I meet a bad guy?She was thinking secretly in her heart.Where will this man take her?But if you don't go with him, if he is not a bad person and his family really needs a nanny, wouldn't you lose a chance to find a job? When Yu Xiaoman was thinking this way, she couldn't help moving her steps again.However, she always kept a distance of more than twenty meters from the man. The man quickly crossed the road on the left side of the small square, and turned onto an east-west road.Yu Xiaoman looked up at the gradually dimming night and the sparse pedestrians on the road, and still followed the man forward without hesitation.As he walked, the street lights on both sides of the road flickered on. At this moment, the man stopped in front of a long black car on the side of the road.Yu Xiaoman stopped at a distance. "Hurry up and get in the car!" The man turned around and urged. At this moment, Yu Xiaoman knew that the man must be staring at her with stern eyes. As long as she took a step back hesitantly, she might lose a chance to find a job. The man didn't even have a second to think about the choice. Did not leave her.Yu Xiaoman ran a few steps like this, and got into the car door that the man opened for her. The car pulls into an empty compound with lawn lights on.In the dim light, you can vaguely see the green grass, neatly trimmed flowers and trees and rockery.The car drove forward for a while on the narrow sidewalk paved with tiles, and after bypassing a large flower bed, Yu Xiaoman saw several sparsely arranged small buildings.Some of these small buildings are brightly lit, while others are pitch black. The car stopped in front of a small dark building in the middle. After the man got out of the car, he entered the doorway without saying a word, and Yu Xiaoman had no choice but to follow behind with her burden on her back.She felt as if she had been subdued by the man's magic. Ever since she agreed to work as a nanny at his house, she had been following the man's baton.She didn't even have time to say goodbye to Tao Zhen and Wang Liang who were doing self-study in the evening at Baiyun University. She simply left a note for Tao Zhen, telling her that she had found a job as a nanny, and the details will be discussed later.She put the note on the table, pressed the key of the dormitory on it, and hurriedly picked up the bag and ran out, for fear that the man waiting at the school gate would change his mind or get angry because of impatient waiting. The man opened the anti-theft door of the small building, he opened the door a little to let Yu Xiaoman in, then he squeezed in sideways himself, and then the door closed with a bang. The darkness in front of him didn't last long before the lights came on.Yu Xiaoman was immediately stunned by the mess in front of her eyes.This large living room seems to have never been lived in, and it is as disorganized as if it has just been raided by devils. I don’t know when the curtains were drawn, like a woman who doesn’t know how to dress. A hanging ring is missing here, and a piece is hanging down there , appearing incomplete.There were some dirty clothes piled up on the sofa, and the pungent musty smell of these clothes was probably emitted by the dirty clothes after they were crumpled and thrown into the air.There are a few pairs of shoes under the sofa, and the dust has sealed them so that they can't see their original appearance.On a long coffee table in front of the sofa, there was a phone that was covered with dust and couldn't see its color. Yu Xiaoman guessed that the ringing of this phone might never have rang.Facing him was a bookcase, inside which lay a few books that had been abandoned for many years. The bookcase might have been magnificent back then, tall and big, with glass all over the top and bottom. Even now, it still looks like a nobleman in distress.In this spacious living room, there is another thing that has been forgotten, which is the big color TV squatting alone in the corner. It seems that it has not been turned on for a hundred years, and it looks ashamed from top to bottom.In addition to dust on the solid wood floor, there were also some food packaging bags and used napkins. Yu Xiaoman stood in the middle of the room in a daze, looking at everything in front of her, she couldn't help but gasped, it was even more messy than her pig's nest, and the taste of pig food was not much better than her home's. She looked at the man suspiciously. The man stood stiffly in the middle of the room, motionless, as if he was afraid of getting his clothes dirty.This gave Yu Xiaoman a strange idea that the man brought her to someone else's house, at least, the man didn't live here. "Where is the child?" Yu Xiaoman asked at a loss. "No children." The man said coldly. "No kids? Then what did you ask me to do?" "Let you take care of a patient." "You didn't say let me take care of the patient." Yu Xiaoman was a little anxious. "I didn't tell you to come and see the child." Yu Xiaoman was at a loss for words.She blinked, and a resigned look appeared on her face.Take care of the sick, take care of the sick, as long as she has a place to eat and a place to live, she should be thankful. The man ignored Yu Xiaoman's expression, he raised his hand and pointed to the corner of the room: "Come, follow me upstairs, and carry your burden." Only then did Yu Xiaoman see clearly that there were several rooms with locked doors around the living room. On one side of the living room, there was a section of stairs that were not too high leading to the second floor. The man brought Yu Xiaoman upstairs, pointed to a door on the left side of the corridor and said, "This is the bathroom," and pointed to the door on the right side, and said, "You live here." Stepping to the end of the corridor, he pushed open another door that was ajar... Yao Xiuhua, the wife of the president of the People's Bank of Baiyun City, has been lying in this dirty room for five years.She is like a pile of waste discarded by the master, entrenched on this wide bed, forever forgotten.She lay there day and night, with few worries or worries except that hunger tormented her from time to time.Her mind was blank, and the years she had been isolated from the world should be longer than five years.At the beginning, when she woke up from the dream, she occasionally remembered the appearance of her adoptive parents and recalled the ordinary days spent by their side.Later, these became blurred on the memory screen, and she couldn't even remember the names of her adoptive parents.When she racked her brains to remember something about them, she simply stopped looking back. During the endless days and nights, she was sometimes asleep and sometimes awake, but whether asleep or awake, it was like a dream.Since the attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, she has never left this big bed again.At first, she just wanted to die to attract her husband's attention. She cut a long cut on her wrist, and she lay on the bed on a hunger strike... The strange thing is that the man was not intimidated, he had already seen through Her tricks, not only did she not get the caress she expected, but she even lost her last role-the role of a normal person.The man turned the secret behavior in the original dormitory into the public. Before she was discharged from the hospital, rumors about her being mentally abnormal, sometimes crazy, and committing murder with knives spread in the pedestrian dormitory.So, the man really treated her as a mental patient.The man sent her to the hospital coldly, and took her home coldly.Of course, she refused to accept this kind of cold reception. She locked herself in the room without eating or drinking, and wanted to continue to make things worse, and wanted the man to say an apology.But the man still ignored her.The man recruited a country woman to be her guard.The man said to those who came to visit her: "She is very ill, the doctor wants me to send her to the madhouse, but I can't..." There were tears in the man's eyes, and the listeners were all moved.That year, men became "excellent entrepreneurs" in the banking system.But she became more and more crazy in the eyes of outsiders.She beat and scolded the "guards", threw things at every turn, and went on a hunger strike. The "guard" left without saying goodbye in a rage.So, in order to ensure the safety of the adults and children in the dormitory, the man moved with her, and moved to Jinyu Garden, a villa that was expensive but made her feel even more lonely and helpless.In the beginning, she couldn't help but make another scene. She clamored to go back to her original home, and she couldn't stop crying.Seeing that the man was indifferent, she locked herself in the room again, refused to eat or drink, and refused to see anyone.But she made mistakes this time. All she did seemed to be in the hands of a man. The man who saw through her "cowardice" designed every move for her, and was watching proudly. She is heading for desperation step by step.The man wished she would never leave the room again, never see anyone again!The man still ignored her. When she was desperately struggling on the big bed, the man was exchanging glasses in the banquet halls of big hotels and hotels with infinite splendor.It wasn't until her body became weaker and her spirit became weaker day by day that the man lost no time in putting some fast food at the door of her room.For the first few days, she resisted and did not open the door, but later, she gave in. The smell of those KFC and hamburgers made her hungry and salivating.So, she opened the door and devoured like a wolf.These delicacies made her happy physically and mentally like an anesthetic. She ate and ate until she burped again and again.Then, drowsiness came again and again, and she hurriedly lay down on the bed to enjoy another sweet dream.Since then, she never walked out of the house, or even went downstairs. The days passed day after day and year after year like this, Yao Xiuhua's hair turned gray unknowingly in the fairyland-like beauty, the big bed where two people had been lying was gradually replaced by her fat and bloated body every day. Her body was so full that she swelled up like a steamed bun, and there were piles of fat on her neck. These fat piled up on her chest, even blocking her vision, making her It is very difficult to see my legs and feet.Her belly can only be described as huge, but her breasts are getting more and more dry, hanging on the ball-shaped loose belly, like two eggplants that have been exposed to the sun.Also, her legs are still the same as when she was a young woman, thin as a fire stick.Every time she struggled to sit up from the bed and go to the door to get those delicacies, her thin legs began to tremble. Later, when she went to the bathroom which was close at hand, her two calves couldn't support her anymore. Can crawl on the ground with hands and feet.Her appetite is getting bigger and bigger. She can eat more than a dozen hamburgers and a few big ham sausages every day.Even so, whenever she was awake, she yelled "I'm hungry" with all her might.She clearly knew that before the stipulated time, the nanny who had always been her enemy would not even look at her, but she kept shouting mechanically. "I'm hungry" became her only language.As for what men did behind her back?With which woman?She didn't have the energy to think about it. Alas, if I knew this earlier, why did I do it in the first place!This is probably only the thinking of the bystanders who watched the small county where Yao Xiuhua grew up.And Yao Xiuhua's consciousness of regret was swallowed by hunger. Maybe this plain-looking woman shouldn't have married a man like Wang Jingfang in the first place.But she couldn't stand his "offensive". Who made her the adopted daughter of the bank president?Wang Jingfang, who was a bank employee at the time, always ran to her house, doing all the work like a long-term worker hired by her family, buying coal, grain, and vegetables, and he worked hard without complaint.In the end, the adoptive mother was moved. The adoptive mother said that it is difficult to find such a man in the world, who is more filial than raising a son myself.Although his family is in the countryside and his family background is not very rich, but what does it matter, the life is lived by the two of you... The adoptive mother was very firm in marrying Yao Xiuhua to Wang Jingfang.And she herself didn't have any dreams about marriage and love.Perhaps since the day she was born, she was doomed to have a mediocre life.First, a country woman gave birth to her, and then she was carried by another country woman and given to Yao Chuyi, a county bank employee who was infertile, as an adopted daughter.Yao Chuyi's family gave her biological mother 500 yuan, and since then she has severed her relationship with her biological mother.Later, like all the children in the family, she went to kindergarten when she reached kindergarten age, and went to school when she reached school age.The adoptive parents didn't like her very much, nor did they dislike her too much.The key problem is that she is not as cute as a flower like other girls.But she is not petty and coquettish like other girls.This girl with a pair of goat eyes, brown hair, rough and dark skin, and a height of less than 1.60 meters is very sensible and docile, whether at home or at school.At home, she is always alone in a corner, silent, only when needed, she will appear.When she was very young, she knew how to set up slippers for her adoptive father who came back from get off work, prepare footwashing water, and clean the dirty clothes that her adoptive mother had replaced without making a sound.She doesn't have any talent in learning, and it can be said that she is rather stupid. However, when she was in middle school, she was catching up with the "Cultural Revolution", and there were no cultural classes at school. She was not studying in a factory all day long. That is to study agriculture in the suburbs.She is neither squeamish nor stingy.Although she is small, she always picks up the hardest and heaviest work. Therefore, as an advanced model of studying Chairman Mao's works, she goes to various schools in the county to "lecture practicality".It is not easy for her who is shy by nature to show her face like this. Although the speech materials are organized by the pen sent by the County Education Revolutionary Committee, after taking the stage, looking at the dark crowd below the stage, she still I couldn't help shaking my legs, and sometimes there was an embarrassing scene where I couldn't make a sound from my throat.Even so, in Yao Xiuhua's life experience, that was still the most memorable good time.During the vigorous Cultural Revolution in the countryside, Yao Xiuhua successfully passed through the four years of junior high school and high school.Then, he worked as a worker in the county shoe factory.At that time, it was very proud to be a worker. Most of her classmates went back to their hometowns to work in agriculture, but because she was an active member of studying Chairman Mao’s works, she was selected to a leadership position.Soon after entering the factory, she became the group leader, but was dismissed after only a few months.After all, making shoes is a delicate job, and strength alone is not enough. Compared with those ingenious female workers, she is clumsy in her hands and feet, and she produces defective products as soon as she gets on the machine.Where does such a team leader have authority?If she is dismissed, she will be dismissed. The team leader is not an official at all, let alone she has no ambition to be an official.However, later the factory leadership revealed something to her adoptive mother, which made her adoptive mother regret for a while.It turned out that when she first entered the factory, the factory was preparing to train her to join the leadership team.In this way, she worked as a worker in a shoe factory for four years. It was not until the end of the "Cultural Revolution" that her adoptive father, who was proficient in financial business, was promoted to the position of governor of the county bank, and she was transferred to a movie theater as a conductor.Conductors don't need much culture, but compared to making shoes, they are much more relaxed and beautiful.Wang Jingfang started to "catch up" her not long after she became a conductor.It should be said that her impression of Wang Jingfang was not bad.Because of her appearance and personality, no boy had ever paid her any attention in the four years of middle school and the four years in the shoe factory. At this time, facing Wang Jingfang's relentless pursuit, she didn't understand love at all, and what romance was. Although she was a little confused and at a loss, she still obeyed her adoptive mother's will and married Wang Jingfang at the age of twenty-four. After marriage, Yao Xiuhua still hasn't changed much in life.Everything in the family remained the same except for the addition of a son-in-law, Wang Jingfang, who stepped in the door.If there is any difference from the past, it is that after becoming the son-in-law who stepped in the door, Wang Jingfang became more and more like the long-term worker of the family. The adoptive mother even assigned such trivial tasks as pouring a glass of water to Wang Jingfang.As soon as he came back from get off work, Wang Jingfang began to spin around like a donkey in a mill. "Jingfang, wash out the dirty socks that your father changed, or else, cook the rice first, by the way, when the weather is good, you take the carpet in the living room downstairs and knock the dust..." At the place of the adoptive mother , it seems that there is always endless work waiting for Wang Jingfang.When he wakes up early in the morning, a series of tasks are piled up in front of him: buying breakfast, boiling milk, cleaning the floor, drying the quilt... These, Wang Jingfang has always been proactive, hardworking and happy.As a result, Yao Xiuhua became idle instead, and she was often left on the sidelines with nothing to do.Even the work of beating the adoptive mother's back was preempted by Wang Jingfang.Of course, Wang Jingfang's good performance also got what he deserved.His adoptive mother and neighbors are full of praise for him, and more importantly, his adoptive father supports him.It can be said that without the care and face of the adoptive father, the president of the bank, Wang Jingfang, who only has a high school education, would never be able to sit in the position of director of the credit department.In 1986, Yao Xiuhua's adoptive parents passed away one after another. At this time, Wang Jingfang had also become the president of the County People's Bank relying on his adoptive father.After Yao Xiuhua's adoptive parents passed away, the only change in Wang Jingfang was that he was no longer as diligent as before. After get off work, he often complained that he was tired, threw down his briefcase and lay on the sofa to read newspapers. Slowly, he even served water and tea. A kind of job that he used to serve others, but now he also assigns it to Yao Xiuhua.Yao Xiuhua didn't say anything about this, and she didn't quarrel with men over housework like other women.She was used to being silent and docile, so she quietly accepted the reality in front of her.If Yao Xiuhua could give birth to a son for Wang Jingfang, her situation might be better, but in the second year after marriage, she gave birth to a girl who disliked the whole Wang family. Wang Jingfang had five older sisters, and he was the only boy. Therefore, his parents pinned their hope of "the successor of the Wang family" on Wang Jingfang.Unexpectedly, Yao Xiuhua failed to fire the first shot.Fortunately, the girl named Wang Liucao by Wang Jingfang was only nine months into this world before contracting acute pneumonia and dying early.Afterwards, Yao Xiuhua conceived two more children, both of which were strangled in her mother's womb.Wang Jingfang entrusted her cousin, who was a doctor at the county hospital, to secretly perform a B-ultrasound on Yao Xiuhua. As soon as she found out that it was a girl, she immediately had an abortion.Although these things happened before Yao Xiuhua's adoptive parents were alive, her adoptive parents knew nothing about it.Later, Yao Xiuhua simply couldn't conceive a child. The days of two people are calm and dull.At that time, Wang Jingfang was ambitious to climb up the ladder, and the social atmosphere was relatively positive, so he was used to the stagnant family, and he didn't think too much about it. In terms of feelings, he didn't care about Yao Xiuhua at all. There is no requirement, as long as Yao Xiuhua can manage the housework well and does not affect his promotion, he will be satisfied.Although there is almost nothing to talk about between the husband and wife, and they seldom sit together and say something, but in the eyes of outsiders, they seem to be a model couple. For two years, they were even rated as a couple by the street. "Five Good Families". Originally, their life could go on like this forever.But one day Wang Jingfang received a transfer order to Baiyun City to serve as the vice president of ICBC.Therefore, Wang Jingfang went to ICBC to report before Yao Xiuhua, and temporarily stayed at the Phoenix Hotel in Baiyun City. Yao Xiuhua moved to Baiyun City in the summer two years after ICBC built the president's dormitory. On the first day when she moved to Baiyun City, Yao Xiuhua felt something strange about the man Wang Jingfang.In the past two years, they actually lived a life separated by two places. Except that Wang Jingfang went home twice during the Spring Festival, during the rest of the holidays, Wang Jingfang used the excuse of being busy with work or going back to the countryside to see his parents. , stay in town.Regarding this, Yao Xiuhua has no complaints, nor has she ever become suspicious.She is used to days with clear soup and little water.However, on the first day of living in the new dormitory, she still noticed something. This is due to the appearance of a young woman. The woman's name is Liu Liping.Liu Liping was exactly ten years younger than Yao Xiuhua.This is a rare and beautiful woman in a small county. In Yao Xiuhua's view, Liu Liping is like the "fox girl" in the ghost stories told by her adoptive mother. Mess up a man's heart.Liu Liping also had a sweet mouth, she called Wang Jingfang "Brother Wang" and Yao Xiuhua "Sister-in-law".She told Yao Xiuhua that "Brother Wang" is her fellow villager, and they are relatives in terms of seniority.Liu Liping is not only close to "Brother Wang", but also to Yao Xiuhua like a sister. She chats and laughs happily with old acquaintances, and is very enthusiastic.But Yao Xiuhua still couldn't accept a strange woman who was busy in her home. Another reason that made Yao Xiuhua feel strange came from Wang Jingfang.For some reason, Wang Jingfang always looked sincere and fearful from the moment she entered her new home.In Yao Xiuhua's memory, Wang Jingfang had never talked to her so much in one day, and these words were all caused by Liu Liping.Wang Jingfang said that Liu Liping was invited to decorate the new home because Liu Liping is a decorator and knows how to beautify life.He also said that he had to do as the Romans do. As a vice president of ICBC, he couldn't make his home as rustic as a countryman.When Wang Jingfang explained this, Yao Xiuhua just listened silently without asking any questions.But Wang Jingfang still didn't give up, and "finely processed" Liu Liping as a fellow villager.He told Yao Xiuhua that Xiaohe Village, Liu Liping's hometown, is only six miles away from his hometown, Dawang Village. Nephew...Seeing that Wang Jingfang kept talking endlessly, Yao Xiuhua put down her work and asked, "How did she find you?" Of course, Wang Jingfang couldn't be troubled by this question: "Now I, the ICBC, is in charge of credit. His vice president is well-known, not to mention the old family members who work in Baiyun City, even those old family members who have never been out of the house have blocked the door." After hearing Wang Jingfang's words, Yao Xiuhua fell silent again.Although, she kept muttering in her heart, since Liu Liping was from Wang Jingfang's hometown, why did she always speak with a southern accent. At noon, it was time to have lunch, so Liu Liping, like the Wang family, casually took Wang Jingfang's special car and Yao Xiuhua to the Phoenix Restaurant that ICBC had arranged for Wang Jingfang for dinner. When she was in the county, Yao Xiuhua seldom went to restaurants to eat. Although Wang Jingfang often went to restaurants to entertain guests, he was not happy to bring his wife.She goes out to restaurants occasionally, and most of the colleagues in the movie theater contribute money, and everyone eats, drinks, and has fun together.Yao Xiuhua had never seen or heard of setting up a stage in such a grand place as the Phoenix Hotel.Although Wang Jingfang didn't say anything, Yao Xiuhua felt ashamed the moment she entered the door.Yes, she is an out-and-out country woman, even more country women than ordinary country women.In addition to her own poor conditions, she also lacks something that a married woman should have-the appearance of a woman who pleases herself.Although many country women dress in a more rustic style, there is a taste for beauty in the red and green customs.But Yao Xiuhua is not.Yao Xiuhua, who came from the "Cultural Revolution", has always maintained the characteristics of that era. No matter what color or style the clothes are, as long as they are clean and hygienic without patches.Over the years, Yao Xiuhua has never put much thought into dressing, and as for fashion and fashion, she doesn't even know what it is.Therefore, on the day she came to Baiyun City from the small county town, she was still wearing the gray chemical fiber jacket and blue gabardine trousers with dual-use tie and dark pattern.When she saw her "full-body photo" from the glass curtain wall of the Phoenix Hotel lobby, the feeling in her heart was indescribable.Yes, she had never looked at herself so clearly, and never bored herself so much.She was at a loss to look at the short man with a lock of dry yellow hair on his head, rough and dark skin, flat chest, wearing a gray jacket, baggy trousers, and a pair of flat pigskin five-eye shoes in the glass curtain wall. Woman, I couldn't help feeling bitter, and even regretted coming here.Thankfully, the welcoming lady in a red cheongsam did not drive her out of the hotel gate as a country bumpkin who had gone to the wrong door.She lowered her head and followed behind Wang Jingfang as if fleeing, hurried past the glass curtain wall, and walked into the private room covered with a big red carpet. "Sister-in-law, sit here!" Just as she couldn't find Beidi and looked at the big round table in the private room in a daze, Liu Liping reminded her in time like a master. She obediently sat next to Wang Jingfang's left head.Liu Liping sat on the right side of Wang Jingfang like a family member. It was at this moment that Yao Xiuhua suddenly felt jealousy.She couldn't help but secretly looked at Liu Liping. She had to admit that this woman who was ten years younger than her was so well-dressed from head to toe, so pleasing to the eye. The red oval face and the thin pink-blue silk dress showed off her slender figure perfectly, and even the white jade bracelet on her wrist seemed to be well-matched... After the waitress set a table After the sumptuous meal was served, Liu Liping raised her chopsticks first.While picking up food from the plate in front of Yao Xiuhua, she urged with a smile: "Eat quickly, sister-in-law, don't be polite. This private room is reserved by the bank for Brother Wang, just like ours." After eating lunch for more than an hour, Liu Liping showed great concern and enthusiasm for Yao Xiuhua, a country girl who had just entered the city.When the waitress brought a dish, she had to give Yao Xiuhua the name of the dish and introduce the characteristics of the dish.Then I have to put it in the receiving dish for Yao Xiuhua myself.但刘丽萍越是这样，姚秀花就越是觉得不是滋味，满桌子的山珍海味吃起来也就味同嚼蜡。看着刘丽萍频频与王景方碰杯，滴酒不沾的姚秀花更是有点妒火中烧了。但她还是强忍着把这顿饭捱了过去。 接下来的日子，刘丽萍依然是这个家的常客，院里住的几户工行有头有脸的人家都知道刘丽萍是王景方的表妹，既然是亲戚，她与王景方一起出出进进地忙着布置新家，也就没人会说三道四了。但凭着女人的直觉，姚秀花却心知肚明王景方与刘丽萍决不仅仅是“兄妹”关系。姚秀花心里憋得难受，却又没那个胆量让王景方说说清楚。结婚这么多年来，她还从没跟王景方吵过架，感情淡漠倒也有它的好处，两个在一起无话可说的人，根本找不到吵架的借口和理由。 住进新家的第一个夜晚，王景方和姚秀花同睡在一张大床上。也许是天太热的缘故，两人都没有“亲热”的欲望，各自拥着一条毛巾被，背过脸占着床边，宁愿让中间空着，也不往一块凑。到了第二天晚上，王景方便以晚上要看书为由，睡到了对面书房的长沙发上，从此再也没有搬过来。姚秀花默默地接受了这一现实。其实，她自己也很不习惯与王景方睡在一起，面对精力旺盛、血气方刚的王景方，她抚摸着自己于瘪的胸脯和枯瘦的大腿，感到了一种莫名的恐惧。她从没像现在这样自卑过，这么多年来，她还是第一次发现王景方竟是如此有风度有气质的一个男人。她觉得自己同王景方在一起，就像他的母亲，而不是妻子。只两年的工夫，天生一副委琐相的她，如今跟一棵招了病虫害的白菜被扔进了腌菜缸里一样，脸上皱褶连着皱褶，身上也只剩下老皮连着青筋。而王景方在这两年的时间，却像是一粒饱满结实的豆子泡进了水里，一下子舒展开了，面皮油光泛亮，脸色红润，浑身都充满了活力，仿佛焕发了第二个青春。尤其让姚秀花难堪的是，不久后的一天，当她和王景方一起走在院子里时，副行长李庆田的三岁的小孙子竟喊她是“奶奶”，喊王景方是“叔叔”。孩子的率真，让姚秀花又一次看清了自己的衰老和丑陋，小男孩的一声“奶奶”，可以说彻底地毁灭了姚秀花心中尚存的最后一点自信。令姚秀花难以理解的是，作为丈夫的王景方，不管是在人前还是人后，从没露出嫌弃她的神情，更别说像别人的丈夫指导她该穿什么样的衣服，抹什么样的化妆品。当西装革履仪表堂堂的王景方将腌白菜一样的她介绍给自己的上司或是部下时，神情是那样从容大方，竟没有半点窘迫和难堪之感。但她自己却看出了人们投向她的异样的目光，尤其是在那些有年轻姑娘参加的舞会上，她们看她的目光，简直就像是在看一头撞进了舞池里的怪物。有些没有教养的女孩子甚至不管不顾地故作惊讶地评论道：王行长那么帅的一个男人，怎么找了这么个土气的老太婆啊！她们尖声怪气地嚷着，浪笑着，全不管她会不会听见，听见后又会是怎样的感受。她不会跳舞，也不喜欢看别人跳舞，可王景方非要拉她去那样的场合不可，王景方说人家邀请的是他们夫妇二人，因此她必须在场。可她来这样的地方干什么呢？不客气地说，她根本没有资格在这样的地方出现。当王景方和一些年轻女人在舞池里翩翩起舞时，她就一人独自坐在角落里傻看。除了刚进来时有人向她投来惊诧的目光，对她指指点点，再没有人搭理她了。她坐在那里，就像坐在一个无人无声的世界，寂寞而又孤独。于是，她在心里一遍又一遍地对自己说：我再也不会到这地方来了，再也不会来了。 城市就像一个深不可测的黑洞，让姚秀花每行一步，都心惊胆颤。她到菜市场买菜，也成商贩们嘲笑的对象，这缘自于她的一口乡下土话。比如，她老是把“什么”说成是“么”，把“西红柿”说成是“洋柿子”，叫“土豆”是“地蛋子”。这就惹得那些小商贩们哂笑不已，一些年轻女孩子还学着她的口音，重复来重复去，让她这个四十多岁的女人感到无地自容。伶牙俐齿的女孩子们在把土豆等蔬菜高价卖给她后，还忘不了在她的背后喊一声“乡巴佬”。 姚秀花的自尊和自信就这样在来白云市后不久，便一点一点地被侵蚀了。她变得越发畏缩卑怯了。她不想见人，害怕见人，在她看来，只有把自己关在家里，才是安全的，踏实的。王景方却一点也不理解她，总是用一种胁迫的口气让她去参加那些可怕的宴会。“今天是人行行长请客，你一定要参加。别人都成双成对的，你让我单打独奏，人家会怎么看我？”王景方说。 场合的确让她不知所措。在由白云市的上层人士参加的各种聚会上，一些在酒场和辜菠惯了的官太太们，打扮得花枝招展，香气袭人。她们个个能说会道，人人八面玲珑，惟有她像块被人安置在桌旁的木头。副行长李庆田的妻子杨雪红是个心地善良的女人，对她充满了同情，看着她在聚会上所处的尴尬境地，很想帮帮她，第二天专门来到她家，要带她到外面挑几件衣服，做做头发，可她并不领这份情，更是误解了对方的一片好意。首先，对方高贵典雅的气质就把她吓住了，压垮了，站在杨雪红面前她感到自惭形秽，心底不由生出些莫名的想法。她认为杨雪红是在居高临下地瞧她，根本就没把她放在眼里，陪她一起出门，是想出她的洋相，看她的笑话。因此，她冷冷地拒绝了杨雪红伸过来的手，也永远地把一个真正的朋友关在了门外。 姚秀花害怕参加别人的宴会，也害怕宴请别人。 天高气爽的秋天到来之时，王景方突然有了一种在家里回请那些酒桌上的朋友的想法。可他把这想法告诉姚秀花后，姚秀花竟吓得浑身哆嗦起来：“这可不行。我不会招待人，我什么也不会……”她像是着了魔似的，嘴里唠叨个不停。 王景方见她如此不可救药，只好请来刘丽萍帮忙。于是，刘丽萍充分地施展了自己的才华，不仅充当了女主人的角色，而且还像一个酒店主管那样，将家宴安排得井井有条。那天，在王家宽大的客厅里，当身着黑色丝绒旗袍的刘丽萍在来宾中穿梭周旋时，人们彻底把姚秀花遗忘了。直到杨雪红提到她时，刘丽萍才让自家的小保姆阿慧去厨房找正在帮请来的厨师切菜的姚秀花。姚秀花就那样穿着一身灰衣蓝裤，素面朝天地与客厅里的先生和女士们见面了。当客人们客气地向她伸出手时，她却装作视而不见地将自己的手缩进衣袖里，因为她的手上沾满了菜汁，她害怕弄脏了对方的手。她不敢直视对方，也不知道该对人家说些什么好，只是低着头，嘴里小声咕哝着几句谁也听不懂的土话。 “嫂子，你坐这儿！”听到刘丽萍叫自己，姚秀花如同听到了大赦令，赶紧坐到了桌旁的一张椅子上。尽管这是在她姚秀花的家里，这里的一切都属于她姚秀花，可她坐在那里，仍是一副局促不安的样子。她畏首畏尾地缩在一隅，不吃不喝更不说笑。 “刘丽萍到底是大家庭出来的女人，真有两下子。”杨雪红凑到姚秀花的跟前小声说。 “她是大家庭出来的？”姚秀花懵懵懂懂地问。 “怎么，你还不知道？”杨雪红有些诧异地看着她，“她不是你家老王的表妹吗？” 姚秀花本想摇摇头，但最终还是莫名地点了点头。“那你还不知道她是白云市前市长的儿媳妇。” “她是前市长的儿媳妇？”姚秀花仍是傻愣愣地问。 杨雪红哭笑不得地咧了咧嘴：“你们成天在一块儿，跟一家人似的，就从来不问问她嫁给了谁？” 姚秀花摇了摇头。 杨雪红便理解地说：“也难怪呀，你来时间不长。再说，她公公也死了，钱家算是个破落户了，没什么好炫耀啦！不过，你表妹是个大能人，钱市长去世后，钱家是破落了，她却发大了。一个人开着两家公司，房地产越做越大。” 姚秀花禁不住抬起头，用怪怪的眼神看着正站在客厅的另一头，和一个很有派头的男人窃窃私语的刘丽萍：“她看上去一点儿也不像大老板。” “这就是女人的精明。” “她来我家，什么活都干，没半点老板的架子。”姚秀花按着自己的思路说下去，她说的都是真心话。一个市长的儿媳妇，一个腰缠万贯的女老板，在别人家干起活来却跟雇来的钟点工一样卖力气，这让姚秀花感到不可思议，也让姚秀花对刘丽萍产生了钦佩之情。 杨雪红正想继续说下去，这时，刘丽萍手拿酒杯，伴着那个很有派头的男人，款款地走过来，指着姚秀花介绍道：“这是我表嫂，表嫂，这位是人民银行的顾行长。” 顾行长用一种诧异的目光盯着姚秀花，半晌，才很不情愿地朝她伸出手，不料，姚秀花却急急地站身说：“我得去厨房啦，两个人忙不过来。”说着，就逃也似的往厨房去了。 刘丽萍没有阻拦她，只是冲着顾行长万般无奈地笑了笑。 这天晚上，客人们走后，一直在压抑和失落中挣扎的姚秀花再也无法忍受了，她怯生生地来到丈夫的书房里，鼓足勇气说出了自己这些日子一直憋在心里的话：“我想回咱们县里去，这个地儿我没法呆，连家我都觉着不是自己的。” 王景方听着她的诉说，从沙发上欠起身，大声地笑了：“你这人可真是个穷命啊，别人为了弄个城里的户口，削尖了脑袋，你倒好，人在城里，还惦记着乡下的土旮旯。过几天，我准备给你找个合适的工作，当然，我不会让你在电影院卖票的。” 听说要到外面工作，姚秀花的脸上不由露出了惊恐万状的表情，仿佛有人要把她送到监狱一样，她带着哭音向王景方哀求道：“我不想工作，我不想出门，我害怕！我到前面市场买点菜，小贩都拿我当乡巴佬待，我……我不知道怎么跟城里人打交道。” 看着姚秀花那副畏缩的样子，王景方不再笑了，他叹了一口气，连连摇着头说：“那就由你去吧！” 自这一晚的谈话之后，姚秀花便真正过起了蛰居的生活。王景方大概已看清她是个“扶不起来的太子”，也就放弃了再带她出去见世面的做法，更不提为她找工作了。于是，白天黑夜的一大半时光，姚秀花都是一个人在这座空荡荡的大房子里度过的。这使她如失释重负，感到了从未有过的自由。王景方一天三顿饭都不在家里吃，晚上总是玩到深更半夜才回来，那时，在电视机前耗得没了一点精气神的姚秀花已睡下了，因此，只有在早晨起床后，他们才能碰上面，但夫妻间也没有什么话可说。而王景方的心思既不在这个家里，更不在姚秀花的身上。他就像一个寄宿的人那样，匆匆地来，匆匆地去。他从不告诉姚秀花他去了哪儿，在外面干什么。而姚秀花也从不去过问，生怕烧香引出鬼来，王景方再生出带她去见世面的念头。她安天乐命地过着自己的日子，每天的生活几乎是千篇一律的，早晨起来做家务，做完家务，随便吃点可以充饥的东西。午饭和晚饭都不按时，什么时候饿了就热点剩饭吃，不饿就算了。大白天她是很少出门的，行长们住的这个院子很小，只要出门，她就容易碰上杨雪红之类的熟人，她既害怕和她们拉家常，更担心她们在自己的背后评头论足，所以，只有当家里没有一根菜叶时，她才趁着夜色到附近的农贸市场买小贩们的收摊菜，一买就是一大堆，拿回家放在厨房的角落里堆着，吃多少择多少。姚秀花的日子平淡无奇，姚秀花做的饭菜也是清淡寡味。她做饭老是心不在焉，不是忘了搁盐就是忘了放油。她从没想过去改变这些，无论那饭菜做得多么没有味道，她都能凑合着吃下去。尽管，她常常一整天一整天地无所事事，但她却不愿把时间浪费在做饭上。一开始，她对收拾房间，打扫卫生一类的家务还比较认真，到了第二年的夏天，她连这些活也懒得做了。这年的夏天热得出奇，干热的风从南方吹过来，人就像待在蒸笼里，在家里动一动就出汗，晚上也睡不好觉，姚秀花便常常不吃不喝也不动地躺在床上，一天天地熬时光。这样的日子让她头重脚轻，懈怠庸懒。但舒适地躺在床上的姚秀花的心境却是异常地平静，她的内心世界就像一潭死水一样波澜不惊，无痛无痒无苦无乐无悲无喜。 整整一个夏天，姚秀花都沉浸在一种半睡眠的状态里。晚归的王景方对家里每况愈下的卫生状况当然看得一清二楚，地板上的尘土遮盖了油漆的光亮，桌子和窗台上到处都是灰蒙蒙的，尤其是堆在厨房里的烂菜已开始发出刺鼻的臭味，但他什么也不说，什么也不问。早晨起床后，不见姚秀花收拾家务的身影，他甚至不朝她的房间看一眼。他像是已经把她忘了，只是偶尔会把几百块钱放到餐桌的杯子下面，给她做饭费。即使这些钱也是她自己“挣”来的，王景方按照白云市一些有权势人物的“规矩”，在一家私营企业给姚秀花挂了个会计的空名，这样，每月发工资时，就有600元钱记在姚秀花的名下。当然，姚秀花本人并不知道这件事，王景方压根儿也不想告诉她。因为姚秀花永远也不会明白这其中的奥秘，永远也弄不懂不工作怎么会白拿工资的道理。而王景方却不愿把这个简单的道理讲给她听：他只需为这家私营企业提供一小笔贷款就尽够了。更何况，白云市的权势人物都在这么干，大家都利用自己手里的权力“帮”私营企业主的忙，尔后再从中捞好处。副行长李庆田的女儿高中毕业后，就出国去了加拿大，但名字至今还挂在南海集团的职工花名册上，每月都有人及时地把一只装着工资的信封交到行长司机的手里，到年底还能分红……其实，姚秀花每月连自己工资的一半都花不上，尤其在夏天，她一天到晚，只穿一件破旧的睡袍躺在床上就够了，而这件睡袍还是养母当年为她缝制的，且不说式样该有多么陈旧，就连当年鲜艳的花色也不复存在了。姚秀花没有一点点打扮自己的欲望，这样一来，每月只需一笔小小的开支，她就能对付过去。王景方给她留的那点钱，甚至还能剩下一些。她倒不是故意要节省，对她来说，这小半辈子，从没挣过大把的钱，可也从没在钱上为难过。因此，她并不太看中钱，每每从饭桌的杯子底下取出王景方留下的钱，她总是很随便地丢在卧室的抽屉里，花了多少，还剩下多少，她是从来不去数的。这一时期，姚秀花的整个生活似乎可以用一句话来形容，那就是“一笔糊涂账”。在糊涂中度日月的姚秀花感到很满足，如今，这个家完完全全归她一个人所有了，那个曾让她生出妒意的刘丽萍早就不来了，她深信当初刘丽萍的确是出于好心，来帮她布置新家的，因此，每每想起那个漂亮的年轻女人，她心里还会浮起一丝歉意。不过，这歉意很快就会被抹得干干净净，既然刘丽萍是这个家的一个过客，她有什么必要为过客费心思呢？ 然而，姚秀花想错了。 秋天的一个傍晚，当姚秀花提着一大尼龙包还没长实的白菜吃力地走上楼来时，一个陌生的中年男人从楼上下来，同她擦肩而过。于是，她打开家门时，一个白色的信封便躺在了门缝里。她很好奇地捡起信封，凑在灯下看了看，上面居然写着“姚秀花亲收”几个字。 打从她搬到白云市以后，从没有人给她写过信。别说写信，就连电话也没人给她打过。客厅里的这部电话，就跟死了一样，从没响过。王景方是不用家里的电话的，别人跟他联系或是他跟别人联系，全用手机。而她，竟不知道该把电话号码告诉谁。在她居住过的那个小县城，她跟所有熟悉的人关系都不错，却没有同任何人成为知心朋友。因此，她离开后，也就同所有的人断了联系。尽管她对这封信诧异万分，但她还是迫不及待打开了信封。 信的内容是用打字机打的，全文如下： 这封陌生人的来信写得很长，姚秀花简直没有耐心读完。记下了与自己有关的几件事后，她就把信撕得粉碎，扔进了垃圾箱里。她不想保存这个“不祥”之物，更不想让王景方看到这封信。 “欺骗、欺骗，他俩合伙来骗我，什么小河村，表妹啦，原来都是假的，胡编的，难怪刘丽萍说话带南方口音……”姚秀花从信中得知了真相后，愤怒得几乎喊出了声。 陌生人的来信，就这样打破了姚秀花平静的生活。也许这封信写得太详实的缘故，对信里所说的一切，姚秀花竟深信不疑。但在愤怒之余，她依然没有同王景方大吵一场的勇气。她沉默得太久了，夫妻间的冷淡让她找不到发泄的理由。丈夫连看都不看她一眼，她又如何张口跟他吵呢？姚秀花感到有一堵高高的墙把自己与王景方隔开了，她甚至想抓住他，都办不到，她爬不过那堵高墙。然而，在愤怒中苦熬了三天之后，到了星期天的上午，姚秀花在空寂和落寞中呆坐了几个钟头后，还是决定去玫瑰花园看个究竟。在这样的青天白日里出门，姚秀花颇费了一番踌蹰，她很害怕遇到杨雪红之类的邻居，这些女人们既不用上班，也不用为衣食发愁，成天无所事事地聚在院子里跳健美操或是练莲花功。姚秀花站在北窗前，能看到女人们肥胖笨拙的大腿在吃力地抬起落下，也能看见女人们的嘴唇在一张一合。她只是冷冷地看着，就像每天拉开南窗的窗帘能看到远处的山峦一样，漠然视之。她从没想过这个群体，她觉得自己来自于另一个世界，另一个星球，与这些人是格格不入的。为了不同这群女人碰面，姚秀花从箱底翻出了一块从县城带来的包头布，严严地裹住了自己的脸。她来到北窗口，仔仔细细地把院子的每一个角落扫视了一遍，当她确信没有一个人行走时，才匆匆地下了楼，就像偷儿似的一溜小跑着逃出了大门。 玫瑰花园原来离她家很近，坐4路车，也就5站路，同她家在一条公交线上。这是个十分隐蔽的去处，属于那种闹中取静的地角。几幢建筑风格别致的小楼藏在几座大商店的中间，小楼四周围了绿色的铁栅栏，从栅栏的缝隙中，可见泛黄的树木和还未退尽青色的草地。 姚秀花怕羞似的贴着墙根挪到了玫瑰花园的大门口，胆怯地把头从铁门的一侧探过去，这样，门里边的人只能看见她的半边脸。一个年轻的保安走了出来，问她找谁。 “我……我不找谁，我……就想看看。”她结结巴巴地说。 “呔，有什么好看的。乡巴佬！”保安冲她做了一个走开的手势，并用一种卑睨的眼神瞧着她。 姚秀花被瞧得心里发慌，两腿发抖，赶紧往后退。等退到看不见玫瑰花园的楼顶了，她才松了一口气。 她好歹挤上了水泄不透的公共汽车时，心里充满了懊悔。她“冒险”跑到这里来，除了担惊受怕和遭白眼，又得到了什么呢？回到家里，她感到身心疲惫，连午饭也没吃，就躺到床上睡了。 她是睡到半夜时突然醒来的，是王景方从外面进来的开门声，惊醒了她。仿佛有一种外在的动力，让她愤然地坐了起来，又不假思索地赤脚冲到了客厅里。 那一刻，衣冠楚楚的王景方正提着公文包走向客厅，他是在一种猝不及防的情形下，看见她穿着脏兮兮的睡袍站在客厅中央，挡住了他的去路的。 “你……”王景方用一种震惊的目光看着她问。 “你去哪啦？”姚秀花见他用这样的眼神看自己，一下子找到了发泄的感觉。她气冲冲地瞪着他，用一种自己听起来都很陌生的嘶哑嗓音喊道。 这让王景方越发有些不知所措了。但他沉默了片刻之后，还是不紧不慢地答道：“你知道我去哪了。我每天晚上都要应酬，这你又不是不知道。” “你撒谎！……”姚秀花本想说，“你骗了我，你是去玫瑰花园和那个狐狸精胡搞了。”可话到嘴边，就是喊不出来，喊不出来，她便急得大哭起来。 王景方手里拿着提包，不为所动地站在那里，看着她鼻涕一把泪一把地号哭。他觉得她的哭一点也不可爱，眼泪从那张丑脸上流下来，夹着灰尘道道，让人恶心，让人生厌。王景方无法再看下去，索性一转身，往书房去了。 姚秀花却不想就此罢休，事情既然已闹到这份儿上了，就要有个分晓明白。于是，她追上去，一把扯住了王景方的衣袖，王景方回过头，厌恶地甩掉了她，她又爬过去，抱住了他的腿。 “你想干什么？”他凶狠地吼道。 “你骗我！”姚秀花费力地说出了这三个字。 王景方却突然笑了起来：“我骗你什么啦？” 王景方的笑声让姚秀花感到有些莫名其妙，也给了她一种说下去的勇气：“你……你在外面跟她胡搞。”终于说出想说的话后，姚秀花心里一下子敞亮了许多。 王景方立刻不笑了，反而露出满脸的凶相逼问她：“你说什么？我跟谁胡搞了？” 面对王景方的理直气壮，姚秀花被激怒了，不由冲口答道：“刘丽萍！” 当姚秀花喊出刘丽萍的名字后，王景方立刻像一个泄了气的皮球似的，全身一震，颓唐地把身子倚在客厅的墙上，长叹一口气说：“你不用再说了，我知道是怎么回事了。想不到我的老婆也跟着别人瞎起哄。我早就告诉过你，刘丽萍是我的老乡，再说，我认识她也不是一天两天了，可为什么现在开始有人造谣生事，还不是因为上面准备破格提拔我到人行当代行长吗，谁都知道接下来'代'字一去，就是名副其实的人行行长了……唉，别人往我心上捅刀子，我认了，这年头为争权夺利，有些人什么样的卑鄙手段都能使出来，雇凶杀人的也有呢，电视上常有报道，更别说造谣中伤了。让我伤心的是我自己的老婆，和我一起生活了这么多年，难道就一点也不了解我的为人吗？我是那种喜欢拈花惹草的男人吗？”王景方说到这里，像是伤心至极，嗓音竟哽住了。 姚秀花被他这番话说得蒙头蒙脑，不由就松开了抱着王景方的腿的双手，她就那么顺势坐在了地板上，脸上复又现出那种愚笨的神情。 王景方趁势坐到了一旁的沙发上，黑着脸，一言不发。 过了一会儿，姚秀花像是又想起了什么，胆怯地问：“这么说那玫瑰花园的事，不是真的？” “你也知道了玫瑰花园的事？这些你都是听谁说的？”王景方抬起头，直视着她，脸上毫无表情。 “我……”姚秀花嗫嚅着，到底没把那封信的事说出来。 这时，王景方却抢在她的头里说：“我知道是李庆田的老婆杨雪红告诉你的。你不要同这样的女人接触。李庆田也想去人行，为此，他组织人往上面递了我几十封的匿名信。你可真是个大傻瓜呀，人家在利用你，想来个里应外合，而你就这么着稀里糊涂地上钩了。我问你，你帮着杨雪红整倒我，对你有什么好处？你连个工作都没有，进城这几年，全凭我一个人的工资养着你。在这个城市，你没有一个亲人，你丈夫给整垮了