Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 174: Retribution

The night on the island was quiet. The sound of the waves was blocked by layers of trees and couldn’t reach the island’s center.

As the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, Liu Yanzheng woke up from his dreams. His brow furrowed as he sat up. The scenes from his dream quickly faded, and within moments, the disturbing events that had troubled his sleep were mostly forgotten. He only vaguely remembered luring a man into a gambling den and brothel, setting him up to be crushed by debt. Eventually, the man was forced to sell his home, land, wife, and children.

The last image from the dream showed the man, his limbs broken, thrown into a filthy pit, forced to watch his wife entertain clients—clients Liu Yanzheng had seemingly chosen specifically, men riddled with diseases.

Liu Yanzheng had stood there watching, his foot crushing the man’s face. The intense pain, hatred, and twisted pleasure he felt in the dream still lingered in his chest, making his heart race even after waking up.

“Do you understand? Dying is the easiest thing in this world. The two of you must live and suffer well to atone for her life.”

Liu Yanzheng couldn’t understand why he had such a bizarre and nightmarish dream. There seemed to be someone else in the earlier part of the dream—someone important—but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall who it was.

Rubbing his forehead, he saw that dawn was approaching and decided not to return to sleep. He got up from the bed. Hearing movement, the maid on night duty called out, “Young Master?” After hearing him respond, she carefully opened the door, and a group of attendants entered to serve him.

Anyi County, at the Auspicious Gambling Den.

Wu Jin was on duty in the gambling den. Meanwhile, at the house he rented, his sister, Wu Shi, and a large, burly man were locked in an embrace, naked, having spent half the night together. Not yet satisfied, they started again before dawn, their moans and shameless voices filling the air without any restraint.

The courtyard they lived in was filled with all sorts of people. As for Wu Jin’s room, it hosted different men every day—sometimes Zhang San, sometimes Li Si, occasionally Zhao Liu’s wife, or the widow from the Li family. Having paid the rent, the room was used to its fullest, rarely left idle. As long as she avoided people when coming and going, Wu Shi didn’t care if her sounds echoed throughout the courtyard, nor did she fear anyone discovering who she was with.

The man was also an thug at the gambling den, like Wu Jin. With his wife away most of the time, when he met a voluptuous young widow like Wu Shi, who could tease and tempt with every part of her body, how could he resist? It was like a starving cat finding fresh meat—or dry wood meeting a raging fire.

When Wu Jin returned at dawn, he heard his sister’s wanton cries before even reaching the door. Standing outside his rented room, he knocked a few times to signal his return.

The creaking of the bed grew louder for a moment before the man inside let out a muffled groan, and finally, all fell quiet.

After a while, the man came to the door, dressed, and let Wu Jin in. After exchanging a few jokes, he walked over to Wu Shi, who was still leaning against the bed in her newly donned clothes. He squeezed her waist, whispered something in her ear, and promised to take her shopping for some nice clothes in the afternoon.

The man pulled out a few small silver pieces from his money pouch and slipped them into Wu Shi’s rosy pink undergarment, letting them fall between her breasts before giving them a quick fondle. With a wicked grin, he withdrew his hand, nodded at Wu Jin, and left.

The room still carried the distinct smell of recent lovemaking. Wu Jin glanced at his sister and remarked, “You’re getting bolder and bolder. Last time it was only during the day, now you’re staying overnight? Aren’t you afraid your husband will find out?”

Wu Shi, who had been a little embarrassed when Wu Jin first caught her with his friend, now had no shame left at all. She scoffed, “He wouldn’t dare. His thing is useless in bed. Am I supposed to live like a widow for the rest of my life?”

Not only did she get to enjoy herself, but she also got paid. Where else could she find such a sweet deal?

Since Wu Jin had discovered his sister’s affair with his friend, he had learned that Liu Dalang had some dark secrets. Thinking that Liu Yu, such a delicate and beautiful girl, can act so cruelly, Wu Jin felt scared. He was grateful that it was Liu Dalang who had been in the carriage that day and not him.

Wu Shi, her face flushed with post-passion glow, went behind a curtain to clean herself up a bit. She took out the silver coins from her undergarment and counted them—three taels in total. Delighted, she felt as light as air. The lingering pleasure from the night’s activities made her crave more. Emerging from behind the curtain, she walked over to Wu Jin and asked, “Brother, do you have any more friends like him? Introduce a few more to me.”

More men…?

Wu Jin glanced at his sister, noting her insatiable expression. He swallowed hard, thinking to himself that his sister must have been really deprived for her to now exude such hunger. It was something men found irresistible.

“Aren’t you afraid your husband will find out? Or your father-in-law? Can they really tolerate this?” he asked.

Wu Shi spat dismissively, “They wouldn’t dare. If they make a fuss, I’m not afraid. Liu Dalang is impotent, and I’m only staying in that house for the sake of my son, Bao’er. The old man in that house wouldn’t dare challenge me either. They both care too much about their face.”

Wu Jin chuckled and said, “Alright then, I’ll make sure to find you a few good ones.”

He didn’t see anything wrong with finding lovers for his own sister. Men like Wu Jin, surrounded by these kinds of activities all the time, were long used to it. What’s the harm in sleeping with a few men? It’s enjoyable, brings in money, and her in-laws don’t dare make a fuss about it. What’s there to worry about?

They didn’t even need to find a special place. The room Wu Jin rented could be used right away.

With the matter settled, the siblings felt no need for awkwardness. Wu Shi slept on the bed, while Wu Jin laid out a mat on the floor and soon fell into a deep sleep.

They slept until noon. Wu Shi got up, dressed herself, and carefully combed her hair. She wanted to doll herself up further, but Wu Jin didn’t have any makeup or perfume on hand, so she had to settle for tightening the strings of her undergarment and belt. This made her chest look fuller and her waist appear slimmer. Satisfied, she put on a veil hat to cover her face and went out.

The veil was just to avoid the neighbors in the crowded courtyard. Once she reached the Auspicious Gambling Den, she took it off and met her lover. Arm in arm, they went off to stroll through the county.

Meanwhile, Liu Yu was out with Lu Shuang, taking advantage of lunchtime to post recruitment notices. They had already canvassed most of the northern part of the county and were now expanding into other areas, heading east toward Anyi County.

As they turned onto East Street, Liu Yu suddenly stopped, instinctively pulling Lu Shuang back. She hid herself behind a kite stall and peeked out through the hanging kites.

Lu Shuang, confused, followed her gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She asked softly, “Third Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?”

“I just saw someone I know,” Liu Yu replied.

She was certain now—the woman almost plastering herself to a large man’s arm was Wu Shi.

Lu Shuang, still puzzled, looked around again.

Liu Yu smiled and said, “That’s my eldest sister-in-law.”

Lu Shuang immediately thought of Liu Yanqing’s fiancée, Miss Zhang, and began searching for her.

Liu Yu shook her head. “My former sister-in-law. The one from a different family, no blood relation.”

Lu Shuang’s eyes widened. “The wicked woman who sold you?”

Her teeth clenched in anger, and she wanted to see for herself. “Third Sister-in-law, show me who it is. Point her out.”

Judging by her tone, she was ready to help Liu Yu settle the score.

“No rush. Let’s stay hidden for now,” Liu Yu said.

Lu Shuang was puzzled. “Why hide? We’re not afraid of them anymore.”

Liu Yu watched as Wu Shi and the man entered a cosmetics shop and smiled. “It’s not about fear. We’re not scared of them.”

It seemed the Liu family’s retribution was on its way. She wouldn’t want to chase off the wild pair of mandarin ducks too soon.

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Sansukini: Please check out my new translation coming next week, with schedule Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The title is “Please Bear With Me For Now,” the first book before “Getting on the Wrong Sedan and Marrying the Right Man,” which was completely translated by Mily. I just felt my OCD acting up knowing that there’s a first book so I asked Mily for permission to translate this one.

Here’s the summary:

In the city of Yangzhou, there are two renowned beauties: one is the stunning yet thorny rose, Li Yuhu, who is breathtakingly beautiful but sharp-tempered; the other is the pure and elegant lotus, Du Bingyan. Both women were married on the same day, and while seeking shelter from the rain in the same temple, a mix-up occurred. Du Bingyan ended up mistakenly taking Li Yuhu’s wedding sedan and marrying General Dingyuan, Yuan Buqu.

She was exposed!

Wanting to explain what happened, Du Bingyan disguised as a man and travelled to find her “husband”, only for him to discover her identity as a woman while she was bathing in the river. Amidst a series of misunderstandings, the sparks of love begin to fly between them…