Chapter 351: Hatred Without End
Qin Xiangnuan’s heart felt wounded; she had long been aware that Qin Xiangnuan looked down on her, that no one in the village respected her, but she was human, a living, breathing human made of flesh and blood. She too could feel distressed, feel pain, and feel the sting of sorrow.
At this moment, Wen Zhi’s nose tingled with a sourness that involuntarily brought heat to the corners of her eyes. She hurriedly turned her face away, not wanting Qin Xiangmei to see her cry. Wouldn’t that make it even more embarrassing?
She stealthily wiped the tears from the corner of her eye.
When she turned back, the smile on her face was cautious and wary.
"Okay, I agree, but you have to promise to give me the 100 yuan."
"I’m not someone who goes back on her word," Qin Xiangmei placed the 100 yuan on the table, "as soon as you press your thumbprint, the money is yours."
Qin Xiangnuan hastily grabbed the agreement, trying to read it clearly. With only a primary school education, she couldn’t recognize many characters, but she could still make out the gist. Just as she was about to examine it closely, Qin Xiangnuan snatched the paper out of her hands.
"Either sign or forget about it." As she spoke, she made to take the 100 yuan back.
"Don’t rush me, I’ll press my thumbprint," she hurriedly said.
Qin Xiangnuan quickly pressed her thumbprint onto the red ink pad and then onto the paper. Only then did Qin Xiangmei, satisfied, take the page from the table, while Qin Xiangnuan, until her death, remained ignorant of what she had actually agreed to.
It was only now that she realized that Qin Xiangmei had been planning to overspend her life force. For 100 yuan, she had been tricked out of all her fortune and destiny. No wonder, no wonder she had lived a life mired in poverty, failing in everything she did, and no wonder her death had been so pitiful.