Chapter 76: Cell Phones Are Great
Watching Zhang Cuifang's demeanor, a playful smile appeared on Liu Ergou's face.
"Auntie Zhang, I only mentioned the cornfield. Why are you so flustered?" he asked. "Why are you explaining so much? Since nothing happened in the cornfield, you don't need to explain anything to me, right?"
As soon as he said this, a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on Zhang Cuifang's forehead.
Seeing this, Liu Ergou didn't beat around the bush. He took the cellphone he had picked up from the old bachelor out from his shirt.
While stroking the phone, Liu Ergou said, "Tsk, Auntie, are you telling me there's really no room for discussion about Xiao Rou's situation? What kind of person is that Er Lu? We both know full well. It's no exaggeration to say you watched him grow up. Letting Xiao Rou marry him would be like pushing her into a pit of fire!"
At the sight of Liu Ergou's cellphone, Zhang Cuifang's pupils contracted sharply. She recognized that phone; it belonged to the old bachelor. She just couldn't figure out how this lad, Liu Ergou, had gotten his hands on it.
At the thought, more cold sweat dripped from Zhang Cuifang's forehead. It was then that Liu Ergou, at just the right moment, handed her a tissue.
"Auntie, wipe the sweat from your forehead. You're sweating so much it's about to drip!"
Caught off guard by his comment, the already guilty Zhang Cuifang became even more flustered. She snatched the tissue from Liu Ergou's hand.
While wiping her forehead, she snapped, "What cold sweat? It's just hot today! You kid, always spouting nonsense! And where did you get that cellphone?"
Liu Ergou, still toying with the phone, replied, "Where else could I have gotten it? I found it, of course! Auntie, isn't it a coincidence? I happened to be in the cornfield the other day and stumbled upon this phone. Then, I found some interesting stuff on it. Tsk, tsk. It's so explicit it made a grown man like me blush. How embarrassing! Are you interested, Auntie? If you are, I can show you."
His words struck Zhang Cuifang's heart like a heavy hammer. Looking at the cellphone in Liu Ergou's hands, her head was now slick with sweat.
That phone has the text messages between me and the old bachelor, and they couldn't be more indecent. No, I have to find a way to get that phone from him. If it stays in Liu Ergou's hands, won't he always have the upper hand?! When have I ever been humiliated like this?
Once she made up her mind, half of the cold sweat on her forehead seemed to vanish. She said defiantly, "Hmph, who are you trying to scare by putting on airs? I don't believe your tall tales. Hand that phone over and let me see! Blushing, my foot!"
With that, Zhang Cuifang reached out to snatch the phone from Liu Ergou's grasp. But Liu Ergou pulled his hand back, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
"Forget it. I'd better not show you after all," he said. "What if someone with a guilty conscience gets their hands on my phone and destroys the evidence? Who would I cry to then? You see my point, right, Auntie?"
Liu Ergou's action infuriated Zhang Cuifang, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"Liu Ergou! You've gone too far! You have evidence but won't show it, and you speak in riddles. Who knows what you're talking about? Just get out of here! Stop trying to pull the wool over my eyes!"
Finished speaking, Zhang Cuifang stood up as if to chase him out.
Seeing this, Liu Ergou just shook his head helplessly. At this point, he had no intention of being polite to Zhang Cuifang any longer. She was the kind of person you had to be firm with. With this in mind, Liu Ergou suddenly slammed his hand on the table.
"Enough! I call you 'Auntie' out of respect, Zhang Cuifang. Are you really that clueless? Do I have to spell everything out for you? It's already come to this, and you're still playing dumb! You don't really think I'm clueless about what's on this phone, do you?"
Liu Ergou's words were now brutally direct, yet Zhang Cuifang maintained a fearless facade.
"What do you know? What can stuff on a phone prove? That can all be faked! Haven't you heard what they say on TV? You think I'd believe you?"
However, upon hearing this, Liu Ergou just sneered.
"Alright, Zhang Cuifang, you're a stubborn one! Since you're so eager for this to end badly, I won't be polite anymore! I'll have you know, not only is there evidence on the phone, but I also witnessed certain things with my own two eyes. I saw it all, crystal clear!"
Just as Zhang Cuifang was about to speak, Liu Ergou immediately interrupted her.
"Let me jog your memory. Do you remember the wolf howl that night? That sudden howl must have scared you two quite a bit!"
His words struck Zhang Cuifang like a bolt from the blue.
"What?! How could you know about the wolf howl that night?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Zhang Cuifang fell silent. Yes, in that instant, she understood everything. All the pieces fell into place. Her face deathly pale, she looked up at Liu Ergou.
"You were behind everything that night, Liu Ergou! You saw everything between the two of us?"
Hearing this, Liu Ergou nodded with satisfaction. As he nodded, he fiddled with his phone, brought up a specific screen, and dangled it in front of Zhang Cuifang's eyes.
As he waved it, he said, "I did more than see it; I recorded the whole thing. Look, the recording is so clear!"
Although the phone only flashed before her eyes for a moment, Zhang Cuifang saw the image on the screen clearly.
Just then, Liu Ergou added, "Auntie Zhang, you have to admit, these phones are amazing. They don't just record video; they record it so clearly! Look at that scar on your butt, see how clearly it's captured! And remember, this was at night. It's hard to imagine how clear it would be in the daytime!"
Zhang Cuifang's face was so twisted with distress that she was speechless. The phone had flashed before her eyes, and she had seen it perfectly. The video was indeed a clip of her and the old bachelor fooling around in the cornfield. It was filmed so clearly that if her husband or anyone else saw it, they would recognize her in a heartbeat.
Instantly, Zhang Cuifang's legs went weak. Her previously self-righteous demeanor vanished in an instant.