This man, when he was good, would dig his heart out to warm your hands over the coals, but when he went crazy, he was like a wild badger in the mountains, capable of gnawing a person down to the bone without leaving a single scrap.
This was a hospital ward, yet he was acting crazy again. Chuntao did not dare to make a sound and could only turn her head away to avoid him.
This movement pulled at the wound on her wrist, sending a needle-like pain through her that made her gasp sharply.
Her nose tingled as tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lower lip tightly, lying stiffly on the bed without moving a muscle, save for the violent heaving of her chest.
The man's warm lips landed on her cold forehead, his stiff stubble pricking her slightly.
Yet, an inexplicable itch flared up in her heart, like unburnt sparks in a stove, sizzling and scorching the tip of her heart.
Chuntao's right hand tightly gripped the bedsheet beneath her, not even daring to breathe loudly.
To her surprise, Zhou Zhijun just gave her a gentle kiss and quickly pulled away.
But she could hear the heavy thumping of his heartbeat; the sheer force of it felt as though it was going to burst right out of his chest.
His scorching breath brushed against her ear. Do not be afraid, I just wanted to kiss you. Go to sleep now!
That night, he sat on the chair by the bed the entire time. Only when he was too exhausted to stay awake did he finally lean against the edge of the bed to doze off for a while.
Chuntao's body gradually recovered, and the wound on her wrist did not hurt as much anymore.
Zhou Zhijun left Wang Xiaohong at the hospital to take care of her, while he rushed to the bus station before dawn and caught the earliest bus back to Qingshan Commune.
Qingshan Commune was about seven or eight li away from Wangjiazhai. Zhou Zhijun had long legs and had been a soldier, so his stamina was excellent. It did not take him long to run all the way home.
Zhijun, you are back!
Old Man Zhou was squatting outside the main gate with a bowl in his hands, eating his meal, when he saw Zhou Zhijun jogging over, his face flushed and his forehead covered in beads of sweat.
Yeah!
Aunt Zhou was sitting at the kitchen door. Hearing his voice, she quickly stood up just as Zhou Zhijun walked through the gate.
Mother!
Zhijun, how is Chuntao? My heart has been hanging in my throat these past few days. Being so far away with no news, I was worried to death!
Mother, do not worry, she is much better. It will just take a few more days for the wound to heal completely.
A bone or muscle injury takes a hundred days to heal, she needs to rest well. As long as her life is not in danger, I can rest easy!
Aunt Zhou wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and sighed. This girl, sigh, she really has a bitter fate!
Mother, I came back to get some money. I have to leave right away!
There was still quite a bit left of the two hundred yuan hospitalization fee that Zuo Jinhui had paid, but he did not want to remain in her debt. He came back today to get money to repay her.
Hearing this, Aunt Zhou hurried to the east room. She took out over a hundred yuan in cash from the cabinet, handed it to Zhou Zhijun, and then opened a wooden box.
Inside the box were a few deposit slips. She pulled one out. Take a bit more!
After handing it over, she locked the wooden box back in the cabinet and hurried back to the kitchen to serve food.
Do not rush. I made some porridge and mixed some green peppers with Japanese catnip. Eat a little before you go!
There were only two buses a day from the county town to the commune, one in the early morning and one at noon.
Zhou Zhijun wanted to catch the early morning bus back to the county town, otherwise he would have to wait until noon.
When he got off the bus, he had told the driver that he would be back in about half an hour and asked him to wait.
In reality, the bus would not leave immediately upon arriving at Qingshan Street; it had to wait until enough passengers boarded.
However, the number of passengers varied every day. Sometimes it filled up quickly, so he dared not delay.
The bus is still waiting on the street. I have to hurry, if I am late I will miss it!
Alright, I will get you a steamed bun to eat on the way!
Aunt Zhou quickly turned back into the kitchen, picked up a large white steamed bun, broke it open, stuffed it with some green peppers and Japanese catnip, and pressed it into his hand.
Clutching the steamed bun tightly, Zhou Zhijun jogged off.
Some villagers were already heading to the fields. Seeing Zhou Zhijun running off in such a hurry, they could not help but whisper and gossip among themselves.
The night Zhou Zhimin and Zhou Xiaowei returned from the county town, people had started inquiring about it openly and secretly the very next day.
Actually, Wang Haibao and his brothers had already spread the news of Chuntao getting stabbed around the village long ago, though they did not know the reason.
Zhou Xiaowei and Zhou Zhimin did not know why Chuntao had been stabbed either, and even if Zhou Xiaowei knew, he would not say a word.
When Zhou Zhimin got home in the middle of the night, Huang Meili pulled him aside to ask him all sorts of questions, but Zhou Zhimin said he did not know the reason.
Huang Meili sneered, Even if you do not tell me, I know. She was definitely stabbed by one of her wild lovers...
With her, there is definitely more than one wild man...
The villagers had all kinds of theories. Some said Chuntao was too pretty and caught the eye of a hooligan; she must have resisted, and the hooligan pulled a knife in desperation.
Others said that a young and beautiful wife like Chuntao probably had a lover all along... She was definitely stabbed by her lover. This was exactly what the storytellers called murder born of an illicit affair!
Still others claimed she had too many lovers, and it was caused by jealousy...
Though they enjoyed gossiping about it, many people actually sympathized with her in their hearts.
It was already hard enough for a young woman to live as a grass widow, and now she had to encounter something like this.
Zhou Zhaodi, however, had been feeling delighted these past few days. She hummed Weaving Flower Baskets all day long, her chubby face blooming with smiles.
Hmph, this is karma! Let us see if she dares to seduce wild men again!
She poked at the dried sweet potatoes in her bowl and said to Wang Qingshan, You see, Li Chuntao is usually so quiet, but behind everyone's back she sure knows how to cause trouble, even using the fair as an excuse to rendezvous with a lover!
Even eating cannot plug your mouth! Wang Qingshan put down his chopsticks in annoyance.
Hurry up and eat. The wild oats in the wheat field need to be pulled out right away, or the seeds will fall into the soil and cause more trouble next year!
Seeing him like this, Zhou Zhaodi wrinkled her nose. I am talking about Li Chuntao, why are you getting angry?
Wang Qingshan was usually silent and seemed honest, but when his temper flared, he cared about nothing.
After he gave Zhou Zhaodi a severe beating during the New Year, her temper had restrained quite a bit.
But a few days ago, she was once again making veiled insults at Old Man Wang and his wife. Without a word, Wang Qingshan kicked her again, beating her until she ran back to her parents' home, claiming she would not live with him anymore.
Zhou Dana and his wife also found this daughter of theirs to be a headache. They absolutely refused to let her stay at her parents' house any longer, so they persuaded her and sent her back to the Wang family.
In truth, Zhou Zhaodi could not leave Wang Qingshan either. Even she herself could not believe that she, who had feared nothing since childhood, was actually afraid of this reckless Wang Qingshan.
As soon as Wang Qingshan raised his voice, she wilted, taking her bowl out into the yard.
When she reached the main road, she saw Zhou Zhijun running along the small path from the East Ditch toward the commune.
There were a few men and women walking and chatting by the roadside. Zhou Zhaodi walked over, pricked up her ears to listen, and kept quiet.
A woman turned her head and saw her. Zhaodi, I heard Jieshi's wife was badly injured. Do you know how she got hurt?
Zhou Zhaodi had been holding in a bellyful of malicious words with nowhere to vent. When asked, she immediately started blabbering away.
How did she get hurt? That vixen goes around seducing men everywhere. This is murder born of an illicit affair! Serves her right!
Old ones, young ones, she seduced them all, and even went to the fair to seduce wild men...
Spittle flew from Zhou Zhaodi's mouth as she spoke with great enthusiasm, only to see Zhou Dana walking over with his hands behind his back, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Seeing Zhou Dana approaching, Zhou Zhaodi's voice trailed off, and the others quickly dropped their gossiping stares.
Zhou Dana shot them a cold glare and said in a deep voice, "All of you, come to the brigade headquarters. I have something important to say!"
