35: Aunt Zhao's plans and the performance crisis

Artistic Performance? Me? And that Girl? On stage? Wang Fugui's brain felt as if a string of lit firecrackers had been stuffed inside, crackling and exploding into a mess. Bare-chested and still clutching a damp towel, he stood there like a fool, letting the laughter and whistles of his coworkers wash over him.

Aunt Zhao's fat face was covered in wrinkles as she smiled so broadly her eyes were nearly squeezed shut.

"Fugui, don't be shy! Young people should show themselves off more! Aunt Zhao is doing this for your own good!"

For my own good? Doing it for my own good means tying me together with a Girl dressed as a boy and sending us to put on a monkey show in front of the whole factory? A ten thousand stampeding bulls were charging through Wang Fugui's heart, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word. Right now, he just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

"What are you all looking at! Is the work done?" Wang Fugui held it in for a long time before his face flushed red and he hollered at the people around him. The veins on his thick neck bulged out.

Seeing that he was truly angry, the crowd sheepishly stopped laughing and dispersed.

Wang Fugui didn't even bother to dry himself. He grabbed the tank top draped over his shoulder, pulled it on haphazardly, picked up his bucket, and rushed back to that cramped storage room as if fleeing for his life.

With a "clatter," he slammed the bucket onto the floor, splashing water onto his pant legs.

Lin Xiaocao was startled by the noise and poked her head out from under the quilt, her small face—which had regained some color—filled with questions. "What's wrong?"

Wang Fugui looked into her clear eyes, and the words reached his lips only to be swallowed back down. He couldn't exactly say: 'The two of us have been signed up for a factory performance, and once you're on stage, the whole factory will know you're a Girl,' could he? Wouldn't that be the same as putting her on a roasting spit?

He paced back and forth in the room irritably, his footsteps nearly making the few square meters of floor start smoking.

Seeing him acting like an ant on a hot pan, Lin Xiaocao felt uneasy as well. She threw back the quilt, got out of bed, walked up to him, and asked softly, "What exactly happened? Tell me."

That lingering milky scent from her drifted over again, making Wang Fugui's heart skip a beat. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at her, as she was much shorter than him. Ultimately, he gave in and told her everything about the bulletin board.

"Aunt Zhao from the cafeteria... signed us up to... perform a show on stage." His voice grew smaller as he spoke, sounding as if he had done something wrong.

Sure enough, Lin Xiaocao's face turned pale instantly. On stage? In front of hundreds or thousands of people? How could her secret of dressing as a man be kept then? She had come here to seek peace and quiet, not to be stared at like a monkey!

"No! I'm not going!" she refused resolutely, her fingers turning white from gripping Wang Fugui's arm so tightly. "I... let's go! Let's leave this place!"

Her first reaction was to flee again. To flee from this place that was about to expose her, and to flee from all the people and things that might bring trouble.

Looking at the panic in her eyes, the irritation in Wang Fugui's heart suddenly calmed. He felt that as a man, he couldn't let a Girl live in fear with him.

"Don't be afraid!" He reached back and grasped her cold little hand, his large, fan-like hand completely enveloping hers as a steady stream of warmth was transmitted over. "I'll find a way to handle this! You just stay in the room and don't go anywhere!"

After saying that, he released her hand and turned to walk out.

"Where are you going?" Lin Xiaocao asked urgently behind him.

"I'm going to find that Aunt Zhao! I'll beg her to cross our names off!" Wang Fugui's back showed a sense of determination.

In the cafeteria's kitchen, it was just the time for preparing dinner, and the air was a mix of grease smoke and the aroma of food. Aunt Zhao was sitting on a small stool picking beans. She wasn't at all surprised to see Wang Fugui rush in like a gust of wind; instead, she slowly set down her work.

"Oh, isn't this our big star? What's the matter, do you have business with Aunt Zhao?" Her shrewd eyes darted all over Wang Fugui.

Wang Fugui didn't care for pleasantries. He strode up to her in a few steps and spoke in a muffled voice, "Aunt Zhao, about that... Artistic Performance, could you... cross our names off?"

"Cross them off?" Aunt Zhao drawled, picking up a bean and nipping off the ends. "Why cross them off? This is a good thing; you'll get to show your face in front of the leaders!"

"We... we don't know how to perform," Fugui said, scratching his head in anxiety. "I'm just a brick carrier, and my younger brother... his body is weak, he can't go on stage."

"Weak body?" Aunt Zhao burst out laughing. She stood up, walked a circle around Wang Fugui, and finally stopped in front of him. Reaching out with a hand stained with vegetable leaves, she unceremoniously patted Wang Fugui's sturdy chest and even gave it a squeeze.

"Your body certainly isn't weak! These muscles, tsk tsk, are like solid rocks."

Wang Fugui's whole body stiffened, and he tensed up completely. He instinctively wanted to back away, but fearing he might annoy her, he could only freeze in place. My mother! City women really are tigers!

Seeing his awkwardness—wanting to hide but not daring to—Aunt Zhao laughed even more happily. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. If you want Aunt Zhao to cross the names off, it's not impossible."

"Really?" Wang Fugui's eyes lit up.

"Of course." Aunt Zhao slowly held up one finger. "However, Aunt Zhao has a difficulty of her own. You see, those rows of gas tanks behind the cafeteria are heavy as can be; changing them once nearly breaks my back. If you can help Aunt Zhao... carry gas tanks for a month, being on call whenever I need you, then this matter... isn't out of the question for discussion."

Her hand was still resting on Wang Fugui's chest muscles, her fingertips tracing restlessly. The calculation and greed in her eyes were not hidden at all. She had long since noticed that 'Little Brother Lin' was off—with skin so delicate and features so fair, there wasn't a hint of a man's appearance. She had signed them up intentionally to bait them, and she hadn't expected to catch a big fish like Wang Fugui. This free labor would be a waste not to use.

Wang Fugui was about to agree immediately. Wasn't it just carrying gas tanks? Never mind a month, he'd do it for a year! As long as it meant Lin Xiaocao didn't have to show her face in public!

Just at the moment he was about to nod, a crisp and angry voice exploded from behind him.

"Who wants your help! If we perform, we perform! Who's afraid of whom!"

Wang Fugui whipped his head around only to see Lin Xiaocao standing prettily at the kitchen entrance. Her small face was flushed red with anger, and her eyes were fixed intently on Aunt Zhao's hand, which was still on his chest, almost spitting fire.

How did she follow him here?

Aunt Zhao was also taken aback, but then she revealed a knowing smile. Oh, the main person is here, and they even know how to protect their food.

Lin Xiaocao rushed over in a few steps, grabbed Wang Fugui's wrist, and yanked him back with force. Though her strength was pitifully small, her attitude was exceptionally firm. She blocked Wang Fugui with her small body, tilted her head up, and glared at Aunt Zhao.

"Isn't it just performing a show? We'll do it! But you, take your hand off him!"

Wang Fugui was completely dazed. He looked at Lin Xiaocao blocking him, then at Aunt Zhao's playful smile, and his brain once again went on strike.

He was forcibly dragged back to the storage room by Lin Xiaocao. The door was slammed shut with a "bang," and the latch was slid firmly into place.

The room was dead silent.

Before Wang Fugui could recover from the sudden turn of events, Lin Xiaocao had already turned around and was angrily questioning him.

"Why did you let her touch you?" Her voice carried a sob, filled with grievance and anger.

"I..." Wang Fugui scratched his head and explained honestly, "Wasn't I doing it for you? She said as long as I helped her carry gas tanks, she'd..."

"For me?" Lin Xiaocao interrupted him, her eyes reddening instantly. "For me, you can just let another woman touch you however she wants? Do you know... do you even know..."

She was so angry she couldn't speak, her chest heaving violently.

Seeing her looking like she was about to cry, Wang Fugui felt pained and confused. He clumsily tried to explain but didn't know where to start.

Lin Xiaocao looked at his face, which was full of innocence, and the fire in her heart burned even brighter. She gritted her teeth and growled at him.

"From now on, no one is allowed to touch you except me!"

After she said those words, the entire room instantly fell silent.

Wang Fugui was stunned, and Lin Xiaocao was stunned too. She looked at Wang Fugui's wide eyes and only then realized what shocking words she had just let slip.