Chapter 110: Retribution

He had a sudden flash of inspiration and bought seven sets. As for sizing, that was no challenge for Hong Tao’s discerning eyes, which had spent years scanning through forests of beauty. Back when he frequented karaoke bars and bathhouses, he could estimate a woman’s measurements from ten meters away even in dim lighting—let alone these girls he had been with day in and day out for several months.

"Hey! Come on, ladies, that's enough! Don't dawdle. We still have to visit my grandparents for the Lunar New Year after the photos, and it's already past four. Can we hurry it up?" After freezing outside the shop for a while with no sound from within, Hong Tao grew suspicious. How could these girls be so quiet after discovering his gifts?

"..." Still nothing from inside. Hong Tao reached out to push the door, but it seemed to be bolted. He felt something was wrong; their behavior was far too abnormal.

"Ah! Ow... Auntie! I'm going to go tell my grandfather... Ow! Let go!" Just as he was peering through the door crack to see what they were doing, a sharp pain struck his ears. Both were being fiercely pinched. His aunt, Han Xue, Daling, and Juanzi were standing right behind him. The ones pinching his ears were none other than his aunt and Daling. Their faces were flushed, but their expressions were savage, teeth gritted in fury.

"It doesn't matter who you tell, you little hooligan! Tell me, who taught you this? Was it those vixens?" His aunt twisted her hand another half-turn, beginning the interrogation. By now, Ms. Jiang and her colleagues had been promoted to the "vixen" category, not just because their style was too avant-garde, but because they often brought foreign fashion magazines whose scantily clad models were beyond what his aunt could handle.

"Ouch... If you don't let go, I'll fight back! I've practiced judo!" Hong Tao’s ears felt like they were being torn off, but his aunt and Daling showed no signs of stopping.

"Ha! Didn't see that coming, a real fighter, are we? Yanzi! Open the door! Let's see how good this fighter's skills really are!" Hearing this, Han Xue reached out and pinched Hong Tao’s behind, twisting hard.

"Ouch! You're bruising me! Help! Robbery!" Hong Tao squirmed and arched his back, but these were grown women in their twenties; no matter how much he exercised, his ten-year-old frame was no match for them. Just as he cried for help, the door opened. Yanzi, Tang Weidong, and Wang Mei helped the other four drag the struggling Hong Tao inside before bolting the door shut again.

"Pin him down here. Yanzi, you and Meizi hold his legs. Yumei, you and Daling hold his arms. I want to see if this little hooligan talks!" Once inside, Han Xue took command. She directed the girls to pin Hong Tao onto the hair-washing recliner. She rinsed her hands under the tap, dried them with a towel, and then, with a wicked grin, lifted Hong Tao’s shirt.

"I confess! I confess! ...No, don't... Hahahaha... Ah... help!" Han Xue’s freezing hands dove straight under his clothes and pressed against his belly. She didn't just press one side; every few seconds, she flipped her hands to press with the backs of her fingers, and once they warmed up, she began tickling his ribs, leaving Hong Tao alternating between laughter and screams.

"Speak. Was it those vixens who taught you?" his aunt demanded again. It seemed she wouldn't rest until she pinned the blame on them.

"No... ouch... yes, yes, yes... I surrender! I surrender! Don't shoot!" Hong Tao had wanted to argue his case, but after seeing Han Xue rinse her hands again, he realized that not everyone was cut out to be a heroic martyr like those in the Zazidong prison. He hadn't even endured real physical pain yet and he was already caving, ready to say whatever they wanted.

"Hmph, I knew it was them! Stay away from them in the future. Just looking at those pictorials they bring shows they aren't decent people! You hear me?" His aunt finally felt satisfied, continuing to lecture him while tugging on his ear.

"Yes, yes, yes... Next time they come, I'll chase them all out! If they dare step within 100 meters of our shop, I'll have my uncle throw dirty water on them!" Hong Tao had completely abandoned his dignity, spouting nonsense just to escape.

"Actually, I think the clothes in those pictorials are quite pretty, though some are a bit too revealing. I suppose we can just skip those pages," Yanzi said, always being the honest one.

"I think so too. I even kept one the other day; it had pictures of foreign women in swimsuits. Oh my... there was barely any fabric at all..." Daling couldn't help but chime in.

"I like the high heels they wear. The ones Ms. Jiang wears are lovely. It's a pity they aren't sold outside. I think I'll exchange for some Foreign Exchange Certificates and go to that shop one of these days. You tell me! Does that shop have them?" Han Xue joined the day-dreaming, and as she spoke, she remembered Hong Tao and plunged her cold hands back into his clothes.

"Hiss... Yes... yes, yes... As soon as the shop opens after the New Year, I'll take you... I still have bonuses to pay out, don't you want them?" Hong Tao finally remembered a surefire way to escape: money.

"Bonuses? There's a bonus! How much?" Yanzi lit up at the mention of money. She was a miser; she saved every cent of her salary in the bank. If Hong Tao hadn't forbidden her from wearing old clothes and cloth shoes, she probably wouldn't have even bought those.

"How much? You have to let me up first! You can't just rob my pockets; that wouldn't be a bonus, that would be robbery!" Seeing the look in Yanzi’s eyes—which had turned into the shape of copper coins—Hong Tao knew his plan worked.

"Sis, let him up first. He's already confessed, hasn't he? Ask whatever you want after he pays us. Come on... get up! Time for the bonus!" Han Yan pushed the other girls away, straightened Hong Tao’s clothes, and sat him up, holding out her hand expectantly.

"Right, this is yours! This one is yours... This is yours... And this one is yours!" Hong Tao pulled five red envelopes from his pocket. His aunt and Daling didn't get any, as they were shareholders who took neither salary nor bonuses.

"Sis! How much is in yours? I've got 100 here!" Han Yan was the fastest; she started counting her money as soon as she got the envelope, then rushed over to count Han Xue’s, terrified that Hong Tao might have given her sister more.

"Stop comparing. It's all 100. Right, you all head to the door. Let’s take the photo quickly and get home. Hurry up! Han Xue, do me a favor. I dropped something behind the washing machine and my arms are too short to reach," Hong Tao said, shooing the girls toward the door while keeping Han Xue behind.

"You're such a handful. What did you drop? Is it that round thing down there?" Han Xue, flush with her 100 yuan, had forgotten everything else and leaned over the washing machine to peer into the gap.

"Yes, that's the one. Help me get it out." Hong Tao wore a sly grin, glancing at the girls leaving while watching Han Xue lean over, standing on her tiptoes, reaching her arm into the gap between the machine and the wall.

"Wow, it's red!" Seizing the moment, Hong Tao grabbed Han Xue’s shirt and lifted it up. The room was warm, so everyone usually wore a single layer with a thin sweater over it. With one tug, he exposed her undergarments—they were the very ones he had bought her, and they were bright red.

"Ah... You... you little brat! I won't forgive you! Don't you dare come back!" Han Xue shrieked as if electrocuted, curling up before jumping to her feet, ready to fight for her life. But it was too late; Hong Tao had already planned his escape. He jumped out the back window into the Enamel Factory courtyard, the same way they had entered earlier. There was a gate leading to the alleyway, and he was already sprinting toward it. Han Xue, ignoring everyone else, stood at the window and cursed him at the top of her lungs.

Despite the teasing and the chaos, the New Year’s Eve dinner had to be served. The Han sisters, Tang Weidong, and Wang Mei hadn't gone home for the holiday and were invited by Hong Tao to his grandmother’s house. As for Tang and Wang, while their families acknowledged them, there was no longer a place for them at home. It wasn't that their parents were heartless; their families were poor, and an extra mouth to feed with younger siblings to raise meant they simply couldn't afford it.

The Han sisters' situation was different; Hong Tao had gathered that their parents had divorced and remarried. The sisters likely weren't welcomed by their new stepparents, so Han Xue rarely went home, and Han Yan had essentially been a servant to her parents and siblings. Now that they had enjoyed a few months of peace, they had no desire to return. Hong Tao didn't press for details; he knew they wouldn't say, and a girl's pride could be a powerful thing.