Aunt Zhou had only just found out that the middle-aged man she had bumped into at the commune courtyard at noon was the newly appointed Secretary Wang.
At this moment, Wang Jinlong entered the room again. He swept his gaze over the crowd and said in a deep voice, The truck from the supply and marketing cooperative will be here soon. If you have any other difficulties, just let me know!
Thank you, Secretary Wang! We don't need anything else, as long as we can get this girl to the county hospital as soon as possible, that'll do! Aunt Zhou wiped the teardrops from her face and said in a trembling voice.
Before long, a dusty gray truck pulled up to the door.
The driver jumped out and pulled down the tailgate of the truck bed with a loud clatter.
Zhou Zhijun, his brothers, and Wu Mingwei hastily worked together to lift Chuntao onto a stretcher.
The truck bed was bare, without even a straw mat.
Without a word, Zhou Zhijun jumped up first, took off his faded coarse cloth jacket, and spread it on the floor of the truck bed to prevent slipping.
He then waved to Zhou Zhimin and Zhou Xiaowei. You two come up too. Hold both ends of the stretcher. Whatever you do, don't let her get jolted around by the bumps on the road!
I'm going too! Zhou Hongxia scrambled up right behind them. Being a girl, it would be more convenient for her to look after Chuntao. Zhou Zhijun glanced at her and didn't say anything, silently agreeing.
He turned his head and instructed Zhou Zhiguo, Big brother, you and Mother go back first. Please take care of things at home. Tell Xiaohong that Chuntao is fine, so she doesn't worry.
Zhou Zhiguo nodded. I know.
Wang Jinlong and another police officer had long since returned to the commune to get back to work. Wu Mingwei squeezed into the passenger seat, insisting on going to the county hospital no matter what.
Resting her hands against the truck, Aunt Zhou looked at Chuntao, whose face was deathly pale on the stretcher. Her tears fell uncontrollably, like beads from a broken string.
It wasn't until the truck kicked up a cloud of dust and chugged away into the distance that Zhou Zhiguo supported the stumbling Aunt Zhou and slowly walked toward the south end of the street.
Riding their bikes to the village entrance, they saw Zhou Xiaobao and a group of children squatting by the road, playing with mud.
Zhou Xiaobao had sharp eyes and was the first to spot Aunt Zhou and the others. Grabbing a lump of mud from the ground, he trotted over.
Seeing Aunt Zhou's red eyes, he asked cautiously, Grandma, where is my sister-in-law Chuntao? Why didn't she come back with you?
Aunt Zhou got off the bicycle and took his muddy little hand, her voice thick and nasal. She'll be back in a few days!
Holding Zhou Xiaobao's hand, Aunt Zhou walked toward the village with heavy steps.
Several men and women returning from the fields saw their state and immediately gathered together, whispering and gossiping among themselves.
The news of Chuntao suddenly disappearing during the fair had long been spread throughout the village by that bigmouth Wang Chunxiao.
Many villagers had seen Zhou Zhijun and his brothers, along with Liu Cuilan's group, running frantically toward the street.
Now, seeing no sign of Zhou Zhijun returning, nor any trace of Chuntao, everyone believed Wang Chunxiao's words even more.
She definitely took advantage of the crowds at the fair and ran off with a lover!
A woman put on a hypocritically caring face. Aunt Zhou, I heard Jieshi's wife went missing. Is... is everything alright?
The others pricked up their ears, waiting for Aunt Zhou's reply.
It's nothing! Aunt Zhou didn't even lift her eyelids. Gripping Xiaobao's hand tightly, she continued walking forward.
When Zhou Zhiguo pushed the bike home, Old Man Zhou was squatting on the threshold smoking dry tobacco.
Seeing them return with awful expressions, his heart skipped a beat.
Did you find her? he asked anxiously.
Afraid he would worry, Zhou Zhiguo quickly waved his hand. We found her, we found her. It's nothing serious, she just accidentally took a fall. She'll be fine after staying at the commune clinic for a few days!
He then turned back to Aunt Zhou and said, Mother, I'll go check on Xiaohong's house first to see if there are any chores to do, and I'll tell her about Chuntao's situation so she doesn't worry.
Aunt Zhou felt as if a heavy boulder was pressing on her chest. Filled with worry, she didn't even have the energy to speak and merely gave a gentle nod.
Leading Zhou Xiaobao, Zhou Zhiguo walked toward Chuntao's house.
Before he even entered the courtyard, Wang Chunxiao, who was sitting on the threshold in the west yard stitching shoe soles, saw him and immediately called out in a shrill voice, Brother Zhiguo!
Holding the shoe sole, she trotted over, her face full of probing curiosity. Did you find Chuntao? Why didn't she come back with you?
Zhou Zhiguo didn't want to bother with her. Changing the subject, he said, I have things to do! With that, he stepped into Chuntao's courtyard.
Wang Chunxiao curled her lips and looked at his retreating back. With a cold snort, she muttered softly, Still trying to hide it, hmph, the whole village already knows!
The courtyard was quiet, and the doors to the kitchen and the main room were closed. Zhou Zhiguo stood at the door of the main room and called out, Jieshi?
There was no movement inside, so he raised his voice and called again, Jieshi, are you asleep? Saying that, he reached out and pushed open the ajar door.
Wang Jieshi's health had been getting worse lately. His body was as limp as a puddle of mud; he couldn't sit up for long before needing to lie down.
Apart from eating and going to the outhouse, he lay paralyzed on that hard wooden bed almost all day.
Lying in his room, he had heard the news of Chuntao's sudden disappearance at the fair loud and clear.
At the time, he felt a sudden jolt in his heart and immediately thought of Wang Haichao.
Just a few days ago, Wang Haichao had come to him, saying he had found someone and was ready to carry out that plan.
They had clearly agreed to do it at home, so how did it end up happening on the street? Wang Jieshi's mind was a tangled mess.
He was a cripple himself. Taking those dark medicinal pills every day was just putting on an act to fool the villagers.
He knew perfectly well that Wang Haichao's idea was rotten, but he had still nodded in agreement.
In order to keep this family together, he could only swallow the humiliation and act like a coward.
In this life, the person he had let down the most was Chuntao. The heavy burdens inside and outside the home all rested on her frail shoulders, while he could only watch helplessly, unable to help in the slightest.
Wang Jieshi often thought that if he hadn't been bewitched back then, if he hadn't abandoned Chuntao to elope with that woman, their lives today would surely be happy and harmonious. How would they have ended up in this state?
But now, it was too late to say anything!
He hated himself for being useless, hated himself for wronging Chuntao, but this guilt could not offset the suspicion and resentment in his heart.
These chaotic thoughts gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, and tears welled up, blurring his vision.
Zhou Zhiguo lifted the door curtain to the inner room and walked in. Seeing Wang Jieshi's face as pale as paper and his eye sockets terrifyingly red, Zhou Zhiguo's heart couldn't help but sink.
He lowered his voice, trying to make his tone sound lighter. Jieshi, let me tell you something.
Chuntao was at the fair on the street today and accidentally took a fall. She's getting an IV drip at the commune clinic right now. The doctor said the IV will help her recover faster.
She fell? Wang Jieshi's voice sharply rose. How is she now?
It's nothing serious, she just needs an IV for a few days to reduce the inflammation and she'll be fine! Zhou Zhiguo's voice sounded a bit hollow.
In this remote and impoverished place, rural folks were never that delicate. Only people who were on the verge of dying would be put on an IV drip. Zhou Zhiguo wasn't telling the truth.
Something major must have happened... Maybe it really had something to do with that beast, Wang Haichao! Did that son of a bitch make his move early behind his back?
Wang Jieshi closed his eyes, his chest feeling tight and painful.
That mix of frustration, regret, suspicion, and worry churned together within him, suffocating him until his breathing grew heavy.
After a long moment, he finally squeezed a single sound from his throat, "Mhm..."
...
Meanwhile, by the time Chuntao was rushed to the county hospital, dusk had already fallen. The group hurriedly carried her into the emergency room.
The iron doors slammed shut with a loud clang, completely cutting off their view from the outside.
Zhou Zhijun's heart leaped into his throat as he strained his ears to catch any sound from inside.
When he heard the doctor's words, the color instantly drained from his face. His vision went black, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.
