When the old man known as Mr. Zhang was treating Wang Jieshi, Wang Xiaohong, feeling uneasy, hid at the door of the inner room to eavesdrop.
After taking Wang Jieshi's pulse, the old man pulled out an old newspaper packet from the coarse cloth bag he carried with him.
Inside the newspaper were dark pills, said to be a concoction of dozens of Chinese medicinal herbs, specifically formulated for his condition.
"The root of the problem hasn't been damaged. With some medicine to regulate your body, you'll be fine..."
Hearing this, Wang Xiaohong felt a surge of joy, but then she remembered that this old man was brought by Wang Haichao, and she felt he might not be reliable.
Fortunately, this time he came to their house for the consultation. On second thought, she figured, whatever! If he can't cure him, they just won't pay him!
By the time Wang Haichao and the old man came out, Chuntao had already gone to the fields. Wang Xiaohong, still worried, hadn't left yet.
"Xiaohong, where's your sister-in-law?" Wang Haichao shouted at the top of his lungs.
Wang Xiaohong rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to reply.
Wang Haichao, however, approached with a cheeky smile. "Now that your brother's health is improving, your sister-in-law won't have to suffer so much. Next year, she'll definitely give birth to a big, fat boy!"
His voice was so loud that it could be heard across several courtyards. Wang Haichao deliberately shouted loudly so that all the surrounding neighbors could hear.
Wang Jieshi felt both angry and ashamed, his cheeks burning bright red.
Next door, "Loudspeaker" Wang Chunxiao heard the commotion and immediately ran out of her house to inquire, "Uncle Haichao, who's going to have a big, fat boy?"
Wang Haichao smiled and said, "Once Jieshi's body is fully recovered, won't Chuntao add a big, fat boy to the Wang family next spring!"
Wang Chunxiao glanced at the old man, her eyes full of curiosity. "This uncle is..."
"This is Mr. Zhang, a highly skilled doctor, who came specifically to help Jieshi regulate his body!"
Wang Chunxiao wanted to ask more, but Wang Xiaohong walked over quickly and interrupted her, "Sister-in-law Chunxiao, why are you asking about all this? Going and hoeing two ridges of land is better than anything!"
Aunt Zhou, who was in her house, also heard the commotion and muttered to herself.
Can Wang Jieshi's condition really be cured? Even if that illness is cured, his leg is still crippled. If they really want to do the deed, won't it just be hard on Chuntao?
That girl is so shy; how could she withstand such tossing about...
"Sigh!" Aunt Zhou sighed. Such a good girl, how did she end up with this fate?
Chuntao was digging in her private plot, thinking that when the weather got a bit warmer, she could sow amaranth seeds.
It was also time to raise seedlings for sour melons and peppers. Beans, plum beans, and loofahs didn't need seedlings; they could just be planted directly.
With little grain at home, growing more vegetables could make a big difference. Whatever they couldn't finish eating could either be pickled into salted vegetables or dried, lasting a whole year.
They needed to plant more pumpkins. The tender ones could be stir-fried or blanched, and the old ones could be steamed or boiled. They could save grain for people to eat, and feeding them to the old sow was better than wheat bran...
"Stop digging!" Just as she was thinking, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
Chuntao's heart tightened, and she looked up to see that it was indeed Zhou Zhijun.
After that time at the brick kiln, she had been avoiding him, and he hadn't pestered her either. Today, seeing that Wang Xiaohong wasn't around, he was here to tempt her again.
Chuntao quickly lowered her head, but the hoe in her hands didn't stop.
"Silly girl, an oil well has been surveyed in this area! They'll start drilling soon, so even if you dig, you won't be able to plant anything!" Zhou Zhijun stepped forward and said.
The oilfield surveying team had blasted the land of Wangjia Village all over before the new year, but no one had heard of an oil well anywhere.
The villagers muttered privately, and some had even asked the village party secretary, Zhou Dana, but he couldn't explain it clearly either. How did Zhou Zhijun know? Was he just making up a conversation?
But if there really was an oil well, the land couldn't be planted, and digging would be in vain. However, Chuntao didn't stop her work. Seeing this, Zhou Zhijun snatched the hoe from her.
"You don't believe me? I just heard about it too. Seeing you digging here, I came specially to tell you!"
Chuntao cast a fleeting glance at him, avoiding his eyes, and didn't speak, squatting on the ground staring at her toes.
"What's wrong? You've seemed a bit off these past few days," Zhou Zhijun pressed.
Chuntao had a belly full of grievances, most of which were caused by him, but she didn't want to say anything.
"Are you afraid... you're pregnant?" he lowered his voice, his tone probing.
These words hit Chuntao's sore spot, and tears instantly filled her eyes. With a crying tone, she said, "It's all your fault! What if I really am?"
"If you are, I'll take you away!"
Chuntao's tears could no longer be held back, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground. "I'd rather die than go!"
"I know you can't wrap your head around it right now," Zhou Zhijun softened his tone. "I used something last time, so you won't get pregnant. Don't worry!"
"What thing?" Chuntao wiped away her tears, asking in confusion.
"It's to prevent pregnancy. If you use it, you won't get pregnant."
"You're lying to me!"
"I really used it. Didn't you feel it..."
Zhou Zhijun started saying shameless things again, and Chuntao felt both angry and ashamed. "I don't want to talk to you. Just go!"
Zhou Zhijun looked around and saw no one. He chuckled softly and said in a hoarse voice, "Tao, I know you don't feel comfortable when I use that thing.
I asked around, and people say women can get an IUD, so it won't affect anything..."
Chuntao felt a rush of heat all over, her small face burning even hotter. She really wanted to find a hole in the ground to hide in.
"Sister-in-law!"
Wang Xiaohong walked over from the edge of the field carrying a basket, shouting from afar.
Chuntao quickly wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve. Zhou Zhijun also composed his expression and turned to look at Wang Xiaohong.
He said seriously, "An oil well has been surveyed in our village's private plots. I came to tell your sister-in-law that vegetables can't be planted here anymore!"
"Really? That's great!"
If the land could be occupied by the oilfield, it would be much more profitable than growing grain. Who in the village didn't hope for such a good thing?
Even if the oil well wasn't on their own land, the iron houses lived in by the oilfield workers, road construction, and mud pits would require a lot of land. If their land was occupied, they would be compensated.
"Yeah, I just heard about it this morning. They might start building a road here in the next few days. Only when the road is built can they drill the well!"
"Then I won't dig the land. I'll cut some grass to take home and feed the pigs!" Wang Xiaohong carried her basket toward the wheat field ahead.
Zhou Zhijun lowered his voice again and said, "Tao, I have something I want to discuss with you..."
Chuntao knew he was making excuses to pester her again. She didn't reply, stood up, and walked in Wang Xiaohong's direction.
Watching Chuntao's back, he thought he needed to find a way to earn more money to buy Chuntao floral cloth and nutritional supplements.
One day, she would willingly be with him, and they would have a bunch of kids.
To give his wife and kids a good life, he had to plan well now.
When Zhou Zhijun returned home, Aunt Zhou had just come back with a basket of thistle shoots and was sitting in the kitchen picking vegetables.
"That Wang Haichao is causing a ruckus again!" Aunt Zhou muttered.
"What's he doing?" Zhou Zhijun asked.
"Today he brought a doctor, saying he's going to treat Jieshi's illness!"
"Last time he took Wang Jieshi for treatment, he turned a deaf person mute. He's coming for treatment again?" Zhou Zhijun sneered softly.
Aunt Zhou sighed, "Sigh, whether he's cured or not, it's Chuntao who will suffer..."
"His leg is like that; can it even be cured?" Zhou Zhijun pressed tobacco leaves into his pipe bowl, lit it, and took a drag.
"It's not to treat his leg; it's to treat his inability to have children!"
Zhou Zhijun understood immediately. Wang Jieshi wanted Chuntao to have a child for him.
He sneered coldly in his heart. It was simply wishful thinking!
In this lifetime, this little woman Chuntao could only have children for him, Zhou Zhijun!
