"Don't talk nonsense. It's not like you don't know Lao Er's temper; sooner or later, he'll settle the score with you!"
Zhou Zhimin wasn't a fool either. He also felt that Zhou Zhijun was treating Li Chuntao a bit too well, but after all, it was his own brother. Others could gossip, but he couldn't.
But Huang Meili insisted on talking about it. Only by letting the words out could the sourness blocking her heart dissipate a little.
Obviously, Zhou Zhimin was his real brother, yet he poured his heart and soul out for Li Chuntao, an outsider.
Then there was Aunt Zhou and Zhou Hongxia, every one of them protecting Li Chuntao. Just thinking about this made Huang Meili furious.
Earlier in the morning, just because of a few unripe melons, Zhou Hongxia had egged Wang Xiaohong on to complain to the village party secretary.
What was even more infuriating was that the secretary actually made her pay compensation and apologize to Li Chuntao, threatening that if she didn't comply, he would withhold her family's relief grain and fertilizer.
"Zhou Zhimin! If the secretary really dares to withhold our relief grain and fertilizer, I'll go to your older brother's house and demand it from him!" The more Huang Meili thought about it, the angrier she got, bringing the matter up once again.
Zhou Zhimin could only patiently persuade her, "It's fine, I'll find some time to go talk to the secretary. I'm sure I can reason with him..."
Meanwhile, after having lunch at Chuntao's house, Han Wenke was about to head back. Before leaving, he gave Chuntao instructions on how to care for the pigs after they were castrated.
The money for breeding the pigs before the new year hadn't been settled yet. Chuntao had originally planned to pay him once the piglets were sold, but now with the added cost of castration, she gripped the corner of her shirt, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"Vet Han, thank you for making the trip. I was thinking that once the piglets are sold, I'll bring the money for this time and the last breeding session to you all at once!"
Han Wenke smiled gently, "There's no rush. Let's talk about it whenever it's convenient for you!"
Standing at the kitchen door, Zhou Hongxia looked at his refined and polite demeanor. Her heartbeat suddenly quickened a few beats, and her face grew a little hot.
When Han Wenke pushed his bicycle to the kitchen door, Zhou Hongxia took a deep breath and said softly, "Take care on your way back, Vet Han!"
He looked up at her, smiled and nodded, then pushed his bicycle away.
Zhou Zhijun knew early on that Chuntao was tight on money, so he had pocketed the cash for the pig castration first thing in the morning.
He hadn't taken it out in front of Chuntao because he was afraid of making her feel burdened.
It wasn't until he had walked Han Wenke all the way to the main road out east that he pulled two five-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them over.
"Vet Han, here is the money for castrating the pigs. Please take it for now. If it's not enough, I'll make up the difference when I bring the breeding money next time!"
According to the market rates back then, castrating a sow cost sixty cents, and a boar cost forty cents. Chuntao had five sows and two boars, which came out to less than five yuan in total.
Zhou Zhijun knew this clearly but deliberately took out more, letting Han Wenke keep the change as he saw fit. It was better than giving too little and putting the man in a difficult position.
But Han Wenke pushed his hand back. "There's really no rush. Just pay me after the piglets are sold!"
Seeing that he was adamant about not taking it, Zhou Zhijun didn't force the issue and took the money back.
As he turned to walk back, he caught a glimpse of Zhou Hongxia standing behind their east room, looking out toward the main road.
When Zhou Hongxia saw him, a flash of awkwardness crossed her face, and she quickly spoke up, "Second Uncle, the street fair is coming up. Tomorrow, I want to take my grandma and Xiaobao!"
Every year on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, two theater troupes would be invited to the commune streets, one at the north end and one at the south end.
Though it was called the April 8th fair, it actually started several days in advance.
Having looked forward to it all year, the fair dates had finally arrived. Most of the men, women, and children in the entire commune, whether rich or poor, would go for a visit.
Going to the fair not only added some liveliness to their dull days but also served as preparation for the upcoming summer harvest.
Aunt Zhou loved watching operas the most. Every year during the April 8th fair, her eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Haiying, would accompany her to watch the shows for two days. As Zhou Hongxia grew older, this responsibility fell on her shoulders.
"Alright," Zhou Zhijun replied.
In those days, every household split a penny in half to spend. Many families couldn't even scrape together enough money for basic necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, let alone for going to the fair.
Most people went empty-handed just to join the fun. They wouldn't eat, drink, or buy anything; they would just take a stroll and come back, which still counted as "going to the fair."
Zhou Zhijun was a well-known capable man in the village, and his family lived relatively comfortably.
Aunt Zhou managed the family's main finances, but Zhou Zhijun wasn't short on cash himself.
Every year for the fair, he would give Aunt Zhou some money so she could buy some food, daily necessities, a new piece of clothing, or a pair of shoes.
"When you go tomorrow, call your Sister-in-law Chuntao and go together."
"Okay, I'll go get her first thing tomorrow morning."
Zhou Hongxia agreed, but Zhou Zhijun began to calculate in his mind.
Chuntao couldn't even afford the money to castrate the pigs, so she definitely didn't have money for the fair. He planned to take some money over to her after dark.
After drinking his soup, Zhou Zhijun took a small cloth bundle from the cabinet in his room and pulled out twenty yuan in small bills.
He stuffed five yuan into his pocket, which, combined with the ten yuan he had prepared for the pig castration earlier in the day, made fifteen yuan.
He handed the remaining fifteen yuan to Aunt Zhou. "Have Hongxia accompany you to the fair tomorrow!"
Aunt Zhou didn't take the money. She said, "Chuntao definitely doesn't have money for the fair. Take this to her."
Zhou Zhijun said, "I still have some in my pocket!"
With that, he walked out the door, but he didn't go straight to Chuntao's house. Instead, he headed toward the melon fields to the east first.
