The Quagmire of Desire: From Gambling Addict and Village Flower to Movie Queen

The tricycle bumped along the potholed dirt road for who knows how long before finally, a continuous stretch of light appeared ahead, illuminated by its headlights.

"We're here! We're here!" Liu Meiling shouted excitedly from the back seat. Her bottom was almost numb from the jolting, but she didn't feel tired at all, as she was holding the bag of money.

Sun Xiaoyan also breathed a sigh of relief; her legs were a little sore from kicking.

She rode her bike onto a street on the outskirts of the county town. The street was lined with all sorts of small shops, their lights on, and there were far more people than in the village.

"Let's get something to eat first, I'm starving." Liu Meiling jumped out of the car and rubbed her buttocks.

The two locked their tricycle to a utility pole by the roadside and walked into a barbecue stall that was still open.

Plastic tables and chairs were placed on the sidewalk, surrounded by smoke and a strong aroma.

"Boss, twenty meat skewers, ten beef tendons, and two kidneys, please!" Liu Meiling plopped down, her voice quite loud.

Sun Xiaoyan sat down and looked around. The tables next to her were all occupied by men, shirtless, drinking and playing drinking games, making a lot of noise.

She felt a little uncomfortable and pulled her skirt down a bit.

Liu Meiling didn't care. She took out a cigarette from her bag, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled. "Awesome! Xiaoyan, you have one too."

Sun Xiaoyan took the cigarette and lit it, imitating Liu Meiling. This time it wasn't too pungent, just a little spicy.

The meat skewers arrived quickly, glistening with oil, sprinkled with chili powder and cumin.

The two grabbed some and started eating, taking a bite of meat and a puff of smoke.

"Meiling, how much did we win today?" Sun Xiaoyan asked while eating.

Liu Meiling put her bag on her lap, opened it, glanced at it, and lowered her voice: "I have about three thousand two hundred here, how about yours?"

"I earn a little over three thousand," Sun Xiaoyan said.

"Over six thousand in total!" Liu Meiling's eyes lit up. "My God, we're rich!"

"So, are you going again tomorrow?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

"Go for it! Why not?" Liu Meiling bit into a kidney. "Guo Daqiang and his gang are our cash cows now! Let them touch us a few times, and we'll make several thousand. This deal is a steal!"

Sun Xiaoyan thought about it and agreed. Being touched a few times wouldn't hurt her. Winning so much money was worth it.

"Boss, two bottles of beer, please!" Liu Meiling called out.

The beer arrived, and the two of them chugged it straight from the bottle.

After chugging the cold liquor, Sun Xiaoyan felt completely refreshed. The excitement of winning money combined with the stimulation of the alcohol made her a little dizzy.

"Xiaoyan, what do you think we should do now that we have money?" Liu Meiling asked.

"Buy clothes? Get a perm?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

"It only costs a few dollars?" Liu Meiling waved her hand. "We have to do something big. I want to go to the provincial capital. I heard it's very prosperous there, with skyscrapers and lights shining like daytime at night."

"The provincial capital? That's so far away..."

"What's there to be afraid of? With money, we can go anywhere!" Liu Meiling took another swig of wine. "From now on, we'll win money every day, eat and drink the best food we can. Let those people in the village who look down on us see that we're living a better life than anyone else!"

Sun Xiaoyan felt a warmth rise in her heart after hearing what she said. "That's right," she thought, "if we had money, who would still be stuck in that run-down village?"

The two ate and drank, and before they knew it, it was almost midnight.

The barbecue stall owner started packing up his things.

"Ladies, we're closing up shop," the owner said politely as he approached.

Liu Meiling paid the bill, which cost nearly a hundred yuan, without even blinking.

"Let's go find a place to sleep." Liu Meiling stood up, a little unsteady.

"Back to the village?" Sun Xiaoyan also stood up, feeling a little dizzy.

"Why go back to the village? It's so late, the road will be so bumpy." Liu Meiling put her arm around Sun Xiaoyan's shoulder. "Let's stay in the county town tonight! Let's enjoy ourselves!"

The two wandered the streets and saw a three-story building with a "Accommodation" sign on.

An elderly woman was sitting at the entrance, eating sunflower seeds.

"A hotel?" The older woman looked up at the two of them.

"Do you have a room?" Liu Meiling asked.

"Yes, it's eighty yuan a night, with a toilet," the woman said.

"Okay, I'll take one." Liu Meiling took out her money.

The room was on the second floor; it was very small, with just a double bed, a wooden table, and a plastic stool. But the walls were indeed tiled, and there was a small door in the corner.

"This...this is the toilet?" Sun Xiaoyan pointed to the small door.

"Let's go in and take a look." Liu Meiling pushed open the door.

It was smaller inside, but there was a white porcelain toilet and a shower head hanging on the wall.

"My God, this is a flush toilet?" Liu Meiling squatted down to examine it. "How do you use it?"

Sun Xiaoyan also went over to take a look. She had seen it on TV, but had never actually seen it in person.

Liu Meiling tried pressing the button on the water tank.

With a "whoosh," water gushed down, cleaning the toilet bowl spotlessly.

"Wow, this is so high-class!" Liu Meiling exclaimed.

"Is this showerhead for showering?" Sun Xiaoyan touched the showerhead.

"Let's try it!" Liu Meiling exclaimed excitedly and began to take off her clothes.

The two women stripped naked and squeezed into the small toilet. Liu Meiling turned on the tap, and cold water sprayed out, startling her. It took her a while to get hot water.

Warm water sprayed from the showerhead, drenching the two of them.

"That feels good!" Liu Meiling tilted her head back and let the water wash over her face.

Sun Xiaoyan also felt very comfortable. It was much more comfortable than taking a bath in a basin in the yard, as the water was always warm.

The two huddled together, laughing and playfully fighting.

After washing up, I wrapped myself in a towel and lay down on the still slightly damp bed.

"This is what life should be like," Liu Meiling sighed contentedly.

Sun Xiaoyan smiled too. Yes, it's good to be rich.

The two were exhausted after a long day and fell asleep quickly.

Sun Xiaoyan was awakened by a rustling sound, not knowing how long she had slept.

She groggily opened her eyes and saw a small card slipped under the door.

Liu Meiling also woke up. She got out of bed and picked up the card.

The card was pink, with a picture of a young woman dressed in very little clothing printed on it, along with a phone number and the words: "24-hour door-to-door service, students, young women, the choice is yours."

"What's this?" Sun Xiaoyan leaned over to take a look.

"What else could it be?" Liu Meiling lowered her voice, "She's selling herself."

"Huh?" Sun Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat.

"Look at this phone number, and this handwriting." Liu Meiling examined the card several times. "It's definitely for that kind of thing. You call, she comes, and you get paid afterward."

The two remained silent for a while.

"How much do you think they can earn in one go?" Liu Meiling suddenly asked.

"I don't know... tens? a hundred?" Sun Xiaoyan said.

"More than that, right?" Liu Meiling thought for a moment, "When we're at the card table, we let those men play for ages, how much do they win in a single hand? Isn't this... making money much faster for them?"

Sun Xiaoyan didn't speak. She looked at the woman on the card, heavily made up, smiling seductively.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep." Liu Meiling threw the card on the table and lay down again.

But neither of them could sleep.

The next morning, the two slept until almost noon before getting up.

After checking out of the hotel, I walked on the streets of the county town, where the sun was shining brightly.

"Let's go buy clothes!" Liu Meiling said.

This time, instead of going to the small shops in the town, they went straight into a rather fashionable-looking clothing store in the county town.

Liu Meiling chose a sequined halter dress, so short it barely covered her upper thighs. Sun Xiaoyan opted for a red, form-fitting dress with a very low back.

"I'll get my ears pierced again," Liu Meiling said.

There were stalls selling ear piercings on the street, five yuan each. The two of them each got two piercings on their earlobes.

Put on a pair of sparkly earrings that cost one yuan and look at yourself in the mirror at the stall.

"Do I look like a city person now?" Liu Meiling twisted her body.

"Yes, it looks like it." Sun Xiaoyan smiled as well.

"I still need to buy a cell phone," Liu Meiling said. "It's so inconvenient not having a cell phone. I see all the city people have one."

"Cellphones must be expensive, right?"

"I have to buy it even if it's expensive." Liu Meiling was adamant. "With a cell phone, it'll be so much easier to stay in touch. Once we make money, we'll have to have everything we need."

The two rode their tricycle aimlessly around the county town.

As they rode to the entrance of a rather secluded alley, Liu Meiling suddenly shouted, "Stop for a moment."

Sun Xiaoyan gripped the brake.

The alley wasn't deep, but there were seven or eight women standing on both sides.

They were all quite young, dressed in various tight skirts, shorts, and black stockings, with heavy makeup. Some leaned against the wall smoking, while others waved and smiled at passersby.

"Hey bro, wanna come hang out?"

"Take a break, it's very cheap."

A sweet, coquettish voice came through.

Sun Xiaoyan was stunned. This was… like the one on the card last night?

Liu Meiling stared intently at them.

Those women were dressed more provocatively than in their new clothes, and their faces were covered in thick makeup, but they looked... quite glamorous.

At least she looks better than those unkempt women in the village.

A man on a motorcycle stopped at the alley entrance, said a few words to one of the women, and then the woman got on the back of the motorcycle, put her arm around the man's waist, and the motorcycle drove away.

"See?" Liu Meiling whispered, "They're leaving now. A deal's done."

"Are they... just waiting here?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

"Otherwise what?" Liu Meiling said. "Xiaoyan, how many customers do you think they can see in a day? They get a hundred yuan per customer, so if they see five a day, that's five hundred. In a month..."

Sun Xiaoyan quickly did the math in her head. Fifteen thousand? That's more than what she and Jianjun saved in a year.

"Let's go ask them," Liu Meiling suddenly said.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Why don't you ask? It won't hurt you." Liu Meiling had already gotten off the bus.

Sun Xiaoyan had no choice but to get off the tricycle and park it at the entrance of the alley.

As the two walked over, the women all looked at them with scrutiny and a hint of wariness.

"Ladies, who are you looking for?" a woman in a red dress asked, her voice a little hoarse.

"I'm not looking for anyone, just taking a look around," Liu Meiling said with a smile. "Sisters, what are you all doing here?"

The woman in the red dress laughed, revealing slightly yellow teeth: "What else could it be? Doing business, of course. What, you want to get in on the action too?"

"No, no," Liu Meiling quickly waved her hand, "We were just curious, asking... how much does it cost per session?"

"It depends on the person and the location," said another woman in black stockings. "A quick meal is 150, 200 with a room. Overnight is more expensive."

"Then... how many... guests can there be in a day?" Liu Meiling asked.

"It depends on luck." The woman in the red dress took a drag of her cigarette. "Sometimes it's five or six, sometimes it's none. What, really interested? With your looks and figures, you're quite popular."

Liu Meiling didn't respond. She looked at the dresses the other women were wearing, and then at the new clothes she and Sun Xiaoyan had bought.

It seems... not much different.

"Let's go, let's go, thank you, sister." Liu Meiling pulled Sun Xiaoyan back.

Back at the tricycle, neither of them got on immediately.

"Did you hear that? One hundred and fifty to two hundred at a time," Liu Meiling said. "It's faster money than playing cards. Playing cards requires sitting for half a day and depends on luck. This... you can just lie down."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't say anything; she turned around and glanced at the alley.

The women went back to their previous posture, leaning against the wall or standing, waiting for the next customer.

In broad daylight.

"Let's go back," Sun Xiaoyan said.

The two got on the tricycle and pedaled back towards the village.

No one spoke the entire way.