"Let go!"
"Don't make a sound..."
Footsteps echoed outside the door, drawing closer with every second.
The wind slipped in through the crack in the door, blowing out the kerosene lamp on the stove and rustling the clothes on the pile of firewood with a soft swoosh.
The footsteps reached the door. Chuntao was so frightened she almost fainted.
Zhou Zhijun wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the stove, his broad, sturdy body pressing firmly against the back of the kitchen door.
The footsteps suddenly stopped at the kitchen door, followed by a woman's voice. "Where did this Zhijun run off to in the middle of the night?"
It was the voice of Zhou Zhijun's eldest sister, Zhou Zhicai. She had come back today not only to visit Aunt Zhou and her husband, but also for another important matter: to act as a matchmaker for Zhou Zhijun.
As the saying goes, an eldest sister is like a mother. As his sister, she had always worried about her brother's marriage, hoping he could start a family, have a child, and have someone to rely on in his old age.
Zhou Zhicai's sister-in-law had lost her husband last year. She was about the same age as Zhou Zhijun and was struggling to raise two children on her own.
She wanted to introduce her to Zhou Zhijun. Two people living together was always better than one, and if they had their own child later on, life would have some hope.
During lunch today, she had told Zhou Zhijun, "Zhijun, you're not young anymore. You're already forty, right?
You can't keep going on like this. What will you do when you're old without a child? Expecting a nephew to care for you in your old age is never as reliable as having your own flesh and blood."
"Sister, you don't need to worry about me. I have my own plans!" Zhou Zhijun said with a straight face.
"Plans? Tell me, what exactly are your plans?"
A sister and a brother were truly different. His sister genuinely cared for him, while his brothers were only eyeing his meager savings.
Especially Zhou Zhimin and his wife. They were always borrowing grain or money, and seeing that he was a bachelor with no heirs, they even wanted to adopt Xiaomei out to him. They only ever thought of what benefited them!
"It's enough that I know my own plans. Telling you won't do any good!"
Zhou Zhicai knew Zhou Zhijun's temper. He was a man of few words, and once he made up his mind, not even nine bulls could pull him back.
She sighed and said, "You... when you were young, so many girls fancied you, but you were too picky. Otherwise, you'd have a flock of children by now!
It's a busy season, and it wasn't easy for me to travel all this way back. Just give your sister some respect and come with me to see her tomorrow, alright?"
Zhou Zhicai still hadn't given up and continued to persuade him. "You've met my sister-in-law before. She can endure hardship and is an honest person. If you two live together, you'll definitely have a good life!"
No matter how Zhou Zhicai persuaded him, Zhou Zhijun just wouldn't agree. After finishing his meal, he simply grabbed his hoe and headed to the fields.
At dinner, Zhou Zhicai couldn't help but try to persuade him again, but Zhou Zhijun completely ignored her.
Aunt Zhou sighed and said, "Stop trying to persuade him, it's useless! He won't listen to you!"
After dinner, Zhou Zhicai chatted with the old couple for a long while before heading to the main room to sleep. Seeing that Zhou Zhijun hadn't returned yet, she hurriedly went out to look for him.
She saw that the main room of Chuntao's house was pitch black. There seemed to be a sound coming from the kitchen, but when she walked to the door, the sound vanished. Thinking her ears were playing tricks on her, she muttered to herself and turned to leave.
Hearing the footsteps fade away, Chuntao finally relaxed.
"Put me down, let's go!"
He kissed her forehead, his voice hoarse. "You are my, Zhou Zhijun's, woman. Even God is helping us, what are you afraid of?"
"It's already midnight, I need to sleep..." Zhou Zhijun's lips silenced her, not letting her say another word.
He gently placed her back on the stove, helped her put her clothes on properly, and then bent down to pick up the few paper bills from the ground, folding them and stuffing them into her pocket.
"Tomorrow Hongxia and my mother are going to the fair. You should go with them. Don't always think about working; you need to go out and relax a bit..."
Saying this, he picked her up again. "Tao, if you were with me, I wouldn't let you do a single chore.
You would just eat and sleep, stroll down the street when you're free, and buy things. I would make you the most comfortable and happiest woman in the world..."
What woman wouldn't yearn for such a life?
"Stop talking, I don't want to hear it!" She turned her face away, her nose stinging and her eyes growing hot.
"Tao!" Zhou Zhijun gently turned her face back and carefully wiped the tears from her cheeks.
He lifted her down from the stove again. One large hand gently stroked her back, while the other tilted up her delicate little face, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"It's getting late, go to sleep!"
He let go of her and was about to leave, but suddenly turned back, took a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.
"It's really sweet!" He couldn't resist touching her little cheek once more before opening the door and leaving.
Chuntao sucked on the candy, gazing at the hazy moonlight outside, as a wave of bitterness welled up in her heart.
Before she had tasted the sweetness of sugar, she could endure eating chaff and swallowing wild vegetables.
But ever since she tasted that sweetness, enduring this bitter life made even her bones feel hollow and sour.
The burning heat on her body had not yet dissipated, but her heart had long since turned to ice.
The warmth Zhou Zhijun gave her was fleeting after all. She had to endure these long nights all by herself. When would it ever end? She didn't dare to think about it.
She raised her hand and wiped the tears from her face. No one knew how much unspoken resentment was hidden within those tears.
The remnants of the candy stuck to her teeth, so sweet it turned bitter, and swallowing it made her throat ache.
