Zhou Zhijun gripped her wrist tightly. "Tao, don't be afraid. If you're willing, I'll take you away right now..."
"I'm not leaving!" Tears flowed out uncontrollably.
Seeing her crying so heartbrokenly, Zhou Zhijun's heart softened. He reached out to wipe her tears, but she slapped his hand away fiercely.
"Let go!" Chuntao cried out in a suppressed voice.
Zhou Zhijun lay down on his side, resting her head in the crook of his arm.
"I can't leave! My brother fought someone for me, and now one of his eyes is crooked... If I leave, Liu Cuilan will definitely bring my sister-in-law back. My grandma is too old to handle this!"
"Tao, I know. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you!"
Zhou Zhijun let her go and carefully helped her put on her clothes.
"Tao, let me carry you on my back!" He put her shoes on for her and crouched down in front of her.
Chuntao didn't say a word. She bypassed him and shuffled outward, supporting herself against the wall.
Zhou Zhijun stood up, bent down, and scooped her up into his arms. "Don't be stubborn!"
He didn't put on his shoes. Carrying her barefoot, he walked out. Just as one foot stepped out of the main room's door, he heard the east room's door creak open.
Zhou Zhijun's body stiffened. He immediately turned around, went back inside, and stepped into the inner room in two strides.
"Zhijun, you're back!" Aunt Zhou was a light sleeper. Hearing some noise over here, she got up to take a look.
Seeing the main room's door open, she stood at the doorway and called out.
"Mother!" Zhou Zhijun slipped on his cloth shoes and came out from the inner room.
"The second movie wasn't any good, so I came back! You should hurry back to sleep!"
Aunt Zhou frowned, her eyes glancing into the room. "Why did I hear someone crying just now? The voice was very quiet..."
"Did you hear it wrong? Or maybe it was the sound from the movie!" Zhou Zhijun forced a twitch at the corner of his mouth and said casually.
"Did Chuntao go to watch the movie tonight?"
"She probably did!"
He paused and added, "She wouldn't even go when movies were shown in other villages, but it's close by when it's in our own village!"
"Alright, hurry up and sleep. I'm going to sleep too!"
Zhou Zhijun watched the light in the east room go out before turning around and walking into the inner room. He lifted the quilt covering Chuntao, picked her up, walked out of the main room, and tiptoed toward the front gate.
It was then that he realized the sound of the movie had stopped, and his heart skipped a beat.
The front gate was ajar. He quickly raised his foot to gently pull it open with his toe and delivered her to the doorway of her main room.
He leaned close to her ear, his voice so low that only Chuntao could hear. "Go to sleep early!"
After saying that, he turned and left. Just as he closed the gate, he heard Wang Xiaohong's voice.
"Sister-in-law, you're back too!"
Chuntao's small frame swayed, and she squeezed out a single syllable from her throat. "Yeah!"
The Zhang family was indeed going to show movies for seven days. For the villagers, this was even more exciting than the New Year.
Every evening, people would finish their soup early and carry their stools over to grab a good spot.
Chuntao didn't go to watch. She was afraid Zhou Zhijun would come and pester her again, so she quickly went to lie down in the north room after washing the dishes.
However, after not seeing Zhou Zhijun for several days in a row, she felt as if something was missing in her heart.
Wang Xiaohong went to watch the movie again after feeding the pigs. Chuntao was washing the pot in the kitchen, her mind filled with images of Zhou Zhijun.
"Sister-in-law Chuntao!"
A voice suddenly rang out at the kitchen door. Chuntao turned her head to look and was surprised to see Zhou Xiaowei.
"Xiaowei? You didn't go watch the movie?"
"I've been watching for several days, I don't want to watch it anymore!"
Zhou Xiaowei's face was a little red. He stared straight at Chuntao, making her feel so embarrassed that she quickly looked away.
"Is something the matter?"
"Sister-in-law Chuntao, here!"
Zhou Xiaowei walked up to the stove, took out a packet of sunflower seeds and a packet of broad beans from his pocket, and placed them on the counter.
"I just bought these. Have some!"
Chuntao originally hadn't taken Zhou Xiaowei's words to heart last time, but this action of his forced her to overthink.
"I won't eat them. You keep them for yourself!"
"I still have more in my pocket!" Zhou Xiaowei said, then turned and walked away.
Chuntao chased him to the kitchen door, wanting to give them back to him, but suddenly a dark shadow burst out from the corner of the kitchen's gable wall.
Before Chuntao could come back to her senses, she heard Zhou Xiaowei let out a miserable scream and fall to the ground with a thud.
