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

The clatter of mahjong tiles in the front hall, which had been intermittent, finally stopped completely.

I don't know what time it was in the middle of the night, but the sky was still as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling squeezed onto the rickety wooden bed, neither of them able to sleep. The quilt smelled musty and felt damp and heavy under their bodies.

"Meiling," Sun Xiaoyan called softly.

"Um."

Are you asleep?

"Sleep my ass," Liu Meiling rolled over to face Sun Xiaoyan, "My mind is racing like a train, clattering and clanging."

Sun Xiaoyan also turned over, and the two of them were face to face in the darkness, only their blurry outlines visible.

"Is the money... enough?" Sun Xiaoyan asked.

Liu Meiling moved rustlingly and took out a small cloth bag from her underwear. She didn't turn on the light, but used the faint light coming through the crack in the window to pour the contents of the bag into her palm.

It's all money.

Some were whole, some were in small change, and some were crumpled.

Liu Meiling's fingers flew across the keyboard as she counted in a low voice: "One hundred, two hundred... five hundred and three, five hundred and eight... six hundred and five."

After she finished counting, she remained silent for a few seconds.

"Is that all?" Sun Xiaoyan's heart sank.

"That's all," Liu Meiling said, wrapping the money up again and tucking it back into her pocket. "The few thousand we won before has been almost gone these past few days on clothes, food, and... well, it's all gone. This six hundred-odd is our last bit of savings."

More than 600, heading to the provincial capital.

Sun Xiaoyan's mind flashed back to the provincial capital on TV: tall buildings, cars, and crowds of people.

What can you do with that little bit of money?

"We'll talk about it when we get there," Liu Meiling said, as if she knew what she was thinking. "A living person can't let themselves die from holding in their pee, can they...?"

She didn't finish speaking, but Sun Xiaoyan understood.

At worst, I can just go back to my old profession. I'll be doing the same thing in the village or in the provincial capital, and it might even be more lucrative.

Thinking about it this way, Sun Xiaoyan felt less panicked.

If you give up and fall to the bottom, that's all that matters.

"Let's leave before dawn," Liu Meiling said in a low voice, "while Guo Daqiang and the others are still sleeping like logs. We'll slip out through the small back door, not take the main road, but the dirt road behind the village, circle around to the outskirts, and then hitchhike on the main road."

"Can you flag down a car? It's so early."

"If we can't stop them, then let them go," Liu Meiling said. "Let's walk to town and catch the bus. Anyway... we can't stay here."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded. Yes, they can't stay.

Staying here only brings spittle and disdain. And Guo Daqiang and his gang, always at your beck and call, like two dogs you keep.

Neither of them spoke, listening to the sounds outside.

Insects were chirping, and the wind rustled through the tattered plastic sheeting in the yard.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from the front hall, followed by footsteps.

Sun Xiaoyan froze.

Liu Meiling also held her breath.

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, heading towards the backyard.

Getting closer.

Finally, it stopped outside the door of their dilapidated house.

dong dong.

knocking.

"Xiaoyan, Meiling, are you asleep?" It was Guo Daqiang's voice.

Sun Xiaoyan's heart pounded as she looked at Liu Meiling.

Liu Meiling winked at her, cleared her throat, and feigned a muffled voice as if she had just been woken up: "Who is it... Brother Guo?"

"I," Guo Daqiang said, "open the door, I need to talk to you about something."

Liu Meiling slowly got out of bed, put on her coat, and went to open the door.

Guo Daqiang stood outside holding a tray with two plates of stir-fried dishes, a bottle of liquor, and three cups on it.

He squeezed in with a smile on his face.

"It's so late, Brother Guo, what are you doing..." Sun Xiaoyan also sat up, her heart pounding.

"Hey, I was thinking you two were leaving tomorrow, weren't you?" Guo Daqiang placed the tray on the rickety table, pulled over the only broken chair in the room, and sat down. "I've come to see you off. You've stayed here for a few days, you can't just leave quietly like this."

As he spoke, he unscrewed the bottle and poured three glasses of wine.

"Come on, have a drink with me."

The smell of alcohol, mixed with a musty odor, filled the small room and was a bit pungent.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling exchanged a glance but neither moved.

"What's wrong? Not giving me face?" Guo Daqiang said with a smile, but his eyes swept back and forth between the two men's faces, as if searching for something.

"No, Brother Guo," Liu Meiling forced a smile, "it's just...it's too late, and we're both sleepy."

"A glass of wine won't take more than a few minutes," Guo Daqiang said, picking up a glass himself, taking a sip, "Sit down, sit down and let's talk."

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling had no choice but to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"Where are you two going tomorrow...?" Guo Daqiang put down his cup and asked casually, "To stay with relatives? Or...?"

"Let's go to the provincial capital," Liu Meiling said, "to find a job."

"The provincial capital is great," Guo Daqiang nodded. "It's a big city, lots of opportunities. Have you found work yet? Do you have any connections to help you?"

"Not yet... I'll look for it when I get there."

"Oh—" Guo Daqiang drawled, "It's not easy being in a place where you don't know anyone. Do you have enough money? Expenses are high in the provincial capital, don't end up sleeping on the streets after just a couple of days."

His words sounded like concern, but Sun Xiaoyan felt something was off.

Like a test.

"I brought some," Liu Meiling said vaguely, "enough for a while."

"That's enough, that's enough." Guo Daqiang took another sip of wine, his gaze sweeping over the two women's faces before finally settling on the bulging old bundle they had placed by the bedside.

"Is your luggage all packed?"

"Yeah, just a few pieces of clothing," Sun Xiaoyan said, her palms slightly sweaty.

Guo Daqiang smiled and didn't press the matter of the luggage. He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it, and suddenly changed the subject.

"With you two gone, my card room is going to be so quiet. Brother Wang and Brother Li will definitely miss it."

"Brother Guo is joking," Liu Meiling chuckled dryly. "There are plenty of people in the village who play cards."

"That's different," Guo Daqiang shook his head. "Some people, after spending a long time together, develop feelings for each other."

The room fell silent, save for the sound of Guo Daqiang chewing.

After a while, Guo Daqiang put down his chopsticks and stood up.

"Okay, I won't keep you two from resting any longer. What time is your train tomorrow? I'll give you a ride."

"No need, no need," Liu Meiling quickly said, "We got up early, Brother Guo, you should sleep a little longer."

"That's fine too," Guo Daqiang said as he walked to the door, turned around, and glanced at them again. "Take care on the road. If you can't make it in the provincial capital, come back. I'll always have food to eat here."

After saying that, he opened the door and went out.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling sat on the edge of the bed, not moving for a long time.

"Did he... find out?" Sun Xiaoyan's voice trembled.

"Whatever," Liu Meiling gritted her teeth, "The arrow is on the bowstring, there's no turning back. I'd better get some sleep, I'll leave after a short nap."

The two lay down again, but neither could fall asleep.

Guo Daqiang's last look and those words were like a thorn stuck in my heart.

"You're back, there's always food for you guys here."

It sounds like a plea to stay, but it's more like a warning.

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes, her mind a jumbled mess.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky outside the window changed from pitch black to a deep, inky blue.

Liu Meiling gently nudged her.

"Xiaoyan, that's about enough."

Sun Xiaoyan opened her eyes, her heart pounding.

The two men quietly got up, put on their thickest clothes, and carried the old bundle on their backs. The bundle contained nothing of value, just a few changes of clothes and some dry food.

Liu Meiling peeked out through the crack in the door.

The courtyard was quiet, and the lights in the front hall were off.

"Walk."

She gently opened the door, and the two of them slipped out sideways, stepping onto the cold mud.

There was a small, dilapidated wooden door in the backyard, the bolt of which was rusted. Liu Meiling carefully lifted the bolt, and the wooden door made a slight creaking sound.

The two held their breath and waited a few seconds.

There was no movement.

They emerged from the small door, one after the other.

Outside was a narrow dirt road, with weeds and farmland on both sides. The air was cold and damp, carrying the smell of soil and plants.

A faint grayish-white tinge appeared on the horizon.

It's really time to go.

Sun Xiaoyan glanced back.

The dark silhouette of the card room crouched in the pre-dawn darkness, like a silent monster.

She turned around and followed Liu Meiling's steps.

The two walked along the dirt road, their steps uneven, until their figures quickly disappeared into the lingering morning mist.

They didn't see it.

Behind the window on the second floor of the chess and card room, Guo Daqiang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, quietly watched the direction in which they disappeared.

A slow, smirk spread across his lips.

"Run?" he muttered to himself, exhaling a smoke ring. "You can run away from the monk, but can you run away from the temple?"

"The provincial capital...hehe."

He threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped it out, and turned away from the window.

Outside, the sky gradually brightened.

On the dirt road, two lines of footprints crookedly led into the misty distance.