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

Just as dawn was breaking, Sun Xiaoyan was woken up by Liu Meiling.

"Get up, get up! I've fetched the water!"

Sun Xiaoyan sat up groggily and saw Liu Meiling standing naked in the yard. Steam was rising from the wooden basin.

"Why take a bath so early?" Sun Xiaoyan asked, yawning.

"Can't you wash up properly before going to the city?" Liu Meiling bent over to test the water temperature, her round buttocks sticking out. "Hurry up, don't dawdle."

Sun Xiaoyan also stripped naked and went outside. The morning air was still a bit chilly, and she shivered before quickly stepping into the wooden tub.

The water was warm, and it felt nice to be poured on.

Liu Meiling took a ladle and scooped water, splashing it on her. The water flowed over her chest, trickling down her breasts. In the morning light, the water droplets on her skin glistened.

"Your breasts are so white," Liu Meiling said.

"Yours isn't black either," Sun Xiaoyan replied, scooping up water and splashing it on Liu Meiling.

The two of them helped each other scrub their backs, laughing and joking. Since it was just the two of them in the yard, they weren't worried about being seen.

While she was washing, the courtyard gate creaked open. Sun Xiaoyan looked up and nearly jumped out of her skin in fright.

Her mother-in-law stood at the door with a small clay pot in her hand, her eyes wide open.

"Mom...Mom, what brings you here?" Sun Xiaoyan quickly covered her chest with her hands, but her lower body was still naked.

Liu Meiling was also startled and squatted down in the wooden basin, splashing water all over the floor.

The mother-in-law's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. She stared at Sun Xiaoyan, then at Liu Meiling, her lips trembling.

"I...I stewed a chicken, thinking that you were home alone, so I brought you some soup to help you recover."

"What...what are you doing?" the mother-in-law's voice trembled.

"Let's take a shower," Liu Meiling said softly. "It's hot, let's cool off."

"Taking a shower?" The mother-in-law's voice rose eight octaves. "Taking a shower without clothes? Two women, completely naked in the yard... shameless sluts!"

The last few words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

Sun Xiaoyan's face turned bright red. She quickly got out of the basin, not even bothering to dry herself, and ran into the house, still wet.

Liu Meiling followed her inside. The two of them frantically searched for clothes to wear.

Outside, my mother-in-law was still standing there, holding the clay pot in her hand, motionless.

After getting dressed, Sun Xiaoyan went outside. Her mother-in-law was still standing there, her eyes red.

"Mom, don't be angry." Sun Xiaoyan walked over, took out a red bill from her pocket, and stuffed it into her mother-in-law's hand. "Take this money and buy something nice to eat."

The mother-in-law looked at the hundred yuan in her hand, then at Sun Xiaoyan.

"Jianjun works himself to the bone to earn money, and you just mess around at home like this?" The mother-in-law's voice was trembling with tears.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Sun Xiaoyan said. "I was just taking a shower. Meiling is my sister, what's there to be afraid of?"

"So sisters can bathe together naked?" The mother-in-law slammed the clay pot on the ground. "Take the soup or leave it!"

After saying that, she clutched the hundred yuan, turned around, and left. Her footsteps were heavy.

Sun Xiaoyan watched her mother-in-law's retreating figure, feeling a pang of sadness. But quickly, that feeling was suppressed by something else.

She went back into the room, and Liu Meiling was already dressed in that tight black outfit.

"Are you alright?" Liu Meiling asked.

"It's alright," Sun Xiaoyan said. "I gave her a hundred yuan to shut her up."

"Exactly." Liu Meiling pouted. "A hundred yuan is enough for her to buy so many things. Come on, come on, the car should be here soon."

The two locked the door and headed towards the village entrance.

A beat-up bread cart was parked at the entrance of the village; the paint had all chipped off.

The car door was open, and several people were already crammed inside. They were all from nearby villages, both men and women.

"Is there any room left?" Liu Meiling asked, clinging to the car door.

The driver, a thin, dark-skinned man, glanced back and said, "Squeeze in, there's room for two more in the back."

Sun Xiaoyan looked into the car. All the seats were already taken, and two people were even squatting in the aisle. There was really no room left.

"How should we sit?" Sun Xiaoyan frowned.

"Sit on my lap, please," a man in his forties said with a smile. An old lady was already sitting on his lap. "I don't mind the weight, one more is fine too."

A burst of laughter erupted in the car.

Liu Meiling was quite straightforward. She spotted a man in his thirties who was sitting alone in a seat.

"Brother, can I sit here for a bit?" Liu Meiling said, and plopped down on the man's lap.

The man was stunned for a moment, then quickly reached out to support her.

"Oh, girl, you're really not being polite," the man said.

"Don't mention it, we're from the same hometown." Liu Meiling twisted her waist, then suddenly laughed, "Brother, your cushion even has a stick on it?"

There was a moment of silence in the car, then an even louder burst of laughter.

The man's face flushed slightly, but he tightened his grip on Liu Meiling's waist: "Girl, your butt is so soft."

"Isn't it soft?" Liu Meiling chuckled. "Don't blame me if it collapses."

Sun Xiaoyan was still standing outside the car. The driver urged her, "Are you getting in or not? If not, we're leaving."

"Get in, get in!" Sun Xiaoyan quickly climbed into the car. The man who had just said he "didn't mind the weight" reached out and pulled her: "Come on, sit here, I have strength in my legs."

Sun Xiaoyan was pulled into the car by him. The car was too crowded, and she lost her balance and fell into the man's arms.

The man's hands "supported" her, one arm around her waist, and the other... pressed directly against her chest.

Even through the thin clothes, Sun Xiaoyan could feel that the hand was very large and powerful.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, blushing.

"Sorry, sorry," the man said, but his hand didn't let go. "The car was shaking too much, I lost my balance."

Sun Xiaoyan struggled, but couldn't break free.

Everyone in the car was watching, so she was too embarrassed to use too much force.

"You...you let go," she whispered.

"If you loosen your grip, you'll fall." The man laughed, kneading her chest again. "It's so soft, it would be such a waste if you broke it."

There was another burst of laughter in the car.

Sun Xiaoyan was both embarrassed and angry, and punched him lightly: "Are you trying to kill me?!"

This punch looked more like flirting.

The man laughed even harder, finally loosening his grip a little, but still holding her waist.

The door closed. The bread truck started wobbling as it drove off.

The car was crammed in like a sardine can, filled with the smells of sweat, cigarettes, and someone else's stinky feet.

The men told crude jokes, and the women laughed along.

Liu Meiling sat on the man's lap, her body bouncing with the swaying of the car. Occasionally, she would turn around and say a few words to the man, laughing heartily.

Sun Xiaoyan was held close to the waist, the man's hands warm against her side. She kept her head down, not daring to look at him.

After driving for almost an hour, we finally entered the city.

When she got off the bus, Sun Xiaoyan felt that her legs were numb.

The man who had his arm around her waved at her, saying, "Hey girl, come sit on my lap again when we get back!"

Sun Xiaoyan ignored him and quickly pulled Liu Meiling away.

"Did that person touch your breasts just now?" Liu Meiling asked.

"Mmm." Sun Xiaoyan's face was still red.

"So what if I touched her?" Liu Meiling said nonchalantly. "It's not like I lost a piece of my flesh. Come on, let's go eat, I'm starving."

The two found a restaurant that looked decent. Pushing open the door, they were greeted by a refreshing breeze from the air conditioning.

The waiter brought the menu. Sun Xiaoyan's heart sank when she saw the prices.

A plate of stir-fried meat costs more than thirty yuan.

"Sure!" Liu Meiling waved her hand dismissively. "We're rich now, what are we afraid of?"

She ordered braised pork, steamed fish, stir-fried vegetables, and two bottles of beer.

While waiting for the food, Liu Meiling took out a cigarette and offered one to Sun Xiaoyan.

"Want to give it a try?" Sun Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment before taking it.

Liu Meiling lit it for her. Sun Xiaoyan took a puff, choked and coughed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Smoke slowly," Liu Meiling laughed. "Learn from this; all city women smoke."

Sun Xiaoyan tried another sip, and it still choked her, but it was a little better than before.

She imitated Liu Meiling, holding a cigarette between her fingers and slowly exhaling smoke rings.

The dishes arrived. The braised pork was glistening with oil, and the fish was steaming hot.

The two of them ate heartily. Sun Xiaoyan had never eaten such delicious food before; the meat was stewed until it was tender and melted in her mouth.

"Is it delicious?" Liu Meiling asked.

"Delicious." Sun Xiaoyan's mouth was stuffed full.

"Let's eat this every day from now on," Liu Meiling said, raising her beer bottle. "Come on, let's have one!"

The two clinked bottles together and gulped down several large mouthfuls.

After finishing the meal, the bill came to 180 yuan. Sun Xiaoyan's hand trembled slightly as she took out her money, but Liu Meiling insisted on paying.

"It's on me today!" Liu Meiling said. "Tomorrow it's your turn."

After leaving the restaurant, the two went straight to the hair salon.

The music in the hair salon was deafening. The hairdresser, a young man with blond hair, saw the two women and his eyes lit up.

"Two beautiful ladies, would you like to get your hair done?"

"I want a perm," Liu Meiling said. "The most fashionable kind."

"Big waves, that's the most popular style right now," said the blond guy.

"Okay, big waves it is."

The two women washed their hair and sat in front of the mirror. The blond-haired man took a curling iron and curled their hair strand by strand.

After sitting for almost two hours, it was finally ready.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was curly and draped over her shoulders; she looked... quite different.

"Looks good!" Liu Meiling leaned closer. "You look like a city person now."

Sun Xiaoyan also looked at Liu Meiling. With her permed hair, Liu Meiling looked even more glamorous.

"Come on, let's go buy clothes!" Liu Meiling pulled her outside.

Finally, we went to a lingerie store.

The shop wasn't big, but it was filled with all sorts of brightly colored underwear. The amount of fabric was pitifully small.

The proprietress, a woman in her forties, greeted them warmly upon seeing them.

"Hey ladies, look! This is a new arrival, super sexy."

Liu Meiling picked up a piece of clothing. It was a pair of underwear, just a few straps holding together a palm-sized piece of fabric.

"Can I wear this?" Sun Xiaoyan asked softly.

"Why can't you wear it?" the proprietress laughed. "Young girls wear these now, they're comfortable."

Liu Meiling picked up another bra, a thin layer of gauze that couldn't hold anything in.

"Want to give it a try?" Liu Meiling winked at Sun Xiaoyan.

The two entered the fitting room. The fitting room was small, barely big enough for two people to stand in.

Sun Xiaoyan changed into that set of underwear. Looking at herself in the mirror, most of her breasts were exposed, and the little bit of fabric below couldn't cover anything at all.

"How...how am I supposed to go out like this?" she blushed.

"Who told you to wear this out?" Liu Meiling had also changed; she had chosen a bright red one, more vibrant. "I wore it underneath, for the men to see."

Sun Xiaoyan looked in the mirror. Although she was shy, she had to admit that this outfit... was indeed quite alluring.

"I'll buy it!" Liu Meiling made the decision.

The two of them each bought two sets of underwear, and then went to the clothing store next door to buy a dress.

The skirt was chosen by Liu Meiling. The slit went all the way up to her thighs, and if she accidentally exposed herself, her white thighs would be completely exposed.

"I'll wear this to Guo Daqiang's place tomorrow," Liu Meiling said. "I guarantee those men will stare at me like my head is about to pop out."

By the time we finished shopping, it was almost dark.

The two, carrying large and small bags, stood by the roadside waiting for a bus to take them back to the village.

A gust of wind blew, lifting her skirt and revealing her thighs. Sun Xiaoyan quickly pressed her hands down to cover them.

Meiling didn't care, letting the wind blow as it pleased. She lit a cigarette, took a drag, and slowly exhaled.

"Xiaoyan, how much do you think we can win tomorrow?" Liu Meiling asked.

"I don't know," Sun Xiaoyan said. "I hope we win more."

"Definitely," Liu Meiling laughed. "We're on a winning streak right now. If we win money, we'll come to the city, buy better things, and eat better food."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded.

She was starting to look forward to tomorrow's card game. Winning money, then going to the city to splurge. That kind of life was much better than just waiting around at home.

The truck arrived. It was that same old beat-up bread truck.

The two got on the bus. This time there were fewer people on the bus, and they had seats.

The car started moving and headed towards the village.

Sun Xiaoyan looked at the receding lights outside the window, touching the fabric of her newly bought dress in her hand.

It's slippery and cool.

The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. Liu Meiling leaned on her shoulder, already asleep, a smile also on her lips.

The wind blew into the car, carrying the scent of night.