Wang Jieshi's protectiveness over Chuntao angered both Liu Cuilan and Wang Haichao.
Liu Cuilan simply washed her hands of him and hadn't visited for quite some time.
"The ungrateful wretch. I'm his mother, would I ever harm him?"
But Wang Haichao said, "You're just short-sighted. Jieshi is right to do what he's doing!"
"Jieshi protecting her is protecting himself. Jieshi can't do any physical work, and you can't help him with it either. They have to rely on Zhou Zhijun for everything inside and outside the house. Besides, Jieshi is taking medication now... If he doesn't treat her a little better, what's going to happen with the plan to borrow seed and have a child..."
Hearing Wang Haichao put it this way, Liu Cuilan felt relieved and said, "That's right, Zhou Zhijun is just free labor!"
Wang Haichao had been plotting this baby-making scheme ever since the day Wang Jieshi returned.
He had racked his brains over this, tricking Wang Jieshi into seeing a fortune-teller, and Wang Jieshi had actually believed it.
He also found a fake traditional Chinese medicine doctor to pretend to treat Wang Jieshi's illness, purely for the villagers and Chuntao to see.
Wang Jieshi had already taken a large packet of this "medicine," and in the next couple of days, Wang Haichao planned to bring the old man back to check his pulse again.
This time, they needed to let Chuntao know that Wang Jieshi's condition was improving, giving her time to mentally prepare so the plan could proceed smoothly when the time came.
As for Wang Jieshi, though he appeared calm on the surface, his heart felt as if a blunt knife were sawing back and forth across it, the pain leaving him breathless.
He was now a complete invalid, useless from the inside out.
His only remaining leg was crippled, growing weaker by the day, and whenever it rained or was overcast, the pain pierced his heart and bones.
Unable to even care for himself, he relied entirely on Wang Xiaohong and Chuntao every day.
Wang Xiaohong would marry sooner or later, and Liu Cuilan wouldn't look after him. Only Chuntao was meant to serve him for a lifetime.
He suspected that Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao were having an affair. He was consumed with hatred, yet he dared not voice it openly, terrified that if he pushed Chuntao too far, she really would run off with Zhou Zhijun.
However, as a man, he couldn't just accept defeat, so he followed Wang Haichao's arrangement and prepared to carry out the plan.
The fortune-teller had said that as long as Chuntao gave birth to a child, this family wouldn't fall apart.
Whose seed to borrow was arranged by Wang Haichao. Wang Jieshi didn't know the man, nor did he want to know him. Only then could he accept the child Chuntao would bear.
If Chuntao gave birth to Zhou Zhijun's child, it would be absolutely unacceptable to him. Besides, if those two had a child, he still wouldn't be able to save his family.
Even if he managed to keep up appearances, watching their little family flaunt themselves in front of him every day would be worse than bashing his own head in.
In those days, borrowing seed to have a child wasn't entirely unheard of. To tie Chuntao down, Wang Jieshi had made peace with the idea.
Yet for some reason, his heart would still flutter with inexplicable panic. If it failed and the villagers found out, he would still be a cuckold.
Although Chuntao had a soft temperament, Zhou Zhijun and his mother were not to be trifled with, and Wang Jieshi felt a deep sense of dread.
Wang Jieshi was agonizing over this when Wang Haichao arrived. "Jieshi! How has your body been feeling lately?"
Wang Haichao said with a serious face, "I'll bring Mr. Zhang over another day to check your pulse again!"
Wang Jieshi lay silent on the bed, not looking at Wang Haichao, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Jieshi, I know you're hurting inside, but you can't just watch her and Zhou Zhijun..."
"Shut up!" Wang Jieshi suddenly roared, startling Wang Haichao.
"Jieshi, what's wrong?"
"Don't ever mention that to me again!"
"Alright, alright, we won't mention that bastard!" Wang Haichao forced a smile.
"I'm not treating this illness anymore!"
Hearing this, Wang Haichao's eyes widened in shock.
"Jieshi, if you stop the treatment, won't all our efforts be wasted?"
"What's the point of treating it? I'm just lying to myself!"
"Didn't the fortune-teller say so? You have to borrow seed to have a child to save this family. If you don't do this, it'll be too late for regrets!"
Wang Jieshi stopped talking, his eyes bloodshot. Sticking to the original plan was one thing, but he was terrified it wouldn't work. If the truth leaked out, he would lose even more face.
If he didn't borrow seed and just let nature take its course, Chuntao might feel guilty and wouldn't abandon him.
But he hated Zhou Zhijun to the core. He would rather it be any other man than Zhou Zhijun.
Conflicting thoughts tangled tightly around him, nearly suffocating him, and for the moment, he didn't know what to do.
Wang Haichao tried to persuade him for a while longer, finally saying, "Jieshi, I'm doing all this for your own good. I'll bring Mr. Zhang over tomorrow!" With that, he left.
At noon the next day, Wang Haichao indeed arrived with the dark, skinny old man.
From the front of the village to the back, they ran into many people returning from the fields.
Whenever Wang Haichao saw someone, he would declare that Wang Jieshi's condition had improved, that he would be fully recovered after a bit more medicine, and that he would be holding a chubby baby boy by next year.
The villagers offered polite congratulations, but inwardly they muttered in doubt. With Wang Jieshi's frail constitution, even if he recovered, he wouldn't have an ounce of strength. What good would that do?
Chuntao and Wang Xiaohong had also just returned from the fields. Seeing Wang Haichao arriving with the old man again, Chuntao went straight into the kitchen without a word.
Wang Xiaohong didn't pull a long face this time; she grabbed a basket and went to the threshing floor to pull some wheat straw.
Ever since Wang Jieshi started taking that medicine, his temper had improved significantly. Wang Xiaohong was quite happy, assuming the medicine was working.
She also hoped her brother's illness would be cured soon. If her sister-in-law could have a baby, their family would be secure.
Chuntao, however, felt increasingly uneasy. If Wang Jieshi's illness was truly cured, she didn't know whether it would be a blessing or a curse for her.
Chuntao sat in a daze in the kitchen until she heard Wang Haichao calling her from the doorway of the main room. "Chuntao, pour a bowl of tea for Mr. Zhang!"
Chuntao finally stood up, poured a bowl of hot water, and brought it to the inner room.
The old man looked at her and said, "There is hope for your husband's illness. With a little more medicine, he'll be just about cured. You'll be able to have a baby next year!"
Hearing this, Chuntao's face flushed bright red, and she fled the room as if escaping.
Just as she stepped out of the main room, she saw Zhou Zhijun standing at the door of her kitchen.
Wang Haichao was still inside the house. Why had he come again? Chuntao's heart instantly leapt into her throat.
She walked over with quick steps. "What are you doing here?"
Zhou Zhijun appeared perfectly at ease. He pulled two boiled eggs from his pocket and placed them in the kitchen.
"Wang Haichao is in the north room!"
Chuntao's eyes grew red with anxiety, her heart filled with fear and confusion.
"I came to visit my own sister's house, what's there to be afraid of?" Zhou Zhijun's rough, large hands grabbed Chuntao's small ones, feeling her icy fingertips.
"Your body is too weak. It's warm spring weather, yet your hands are this cold."
"Let go. Xiaohong went to get wheat straw, she'll be back any minute!"
Zhou Zhijun leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her face. "The house is finished. In the next few days, I need to find a place to properly show you some love..."
"Shameless!" Chuntao scolded, though in truth, her heart felt strangely hollow. Last night, she had once again had that shameful dream.
Seeing her face blushing furiously, Zhou Zhijun released her hands. "I'm leaving!"
The tense string in Chuntao's heart suddenly relaxed, but after stepping out of the kitchen, Zhou Zhijun didn't leave. Instead, he walked toward the main room, and her heart instantly shot back up into her throat.
