Chuntao had been in the hospital for half a month and was already burning with anxiety to go back, but Zhou Zhijun refused to let her be discharged.
When the doctor came for rounds, Zhou Zhijun happened to be out fetching hot water, so Chuntao quickly told the doctor she wanted to be discharged.
The doctor looked her over. "Alright, but you must not stop your medication when you go back, and don't do any heavy lifting. You need to rest well!"
A heavy stone finally dropped from Chuntao's heart. She hurriedly said, "Okay! Then can I leave today?"
"Today's IV fluids are already prepared. You can be discharged tomorrow!"
When Zhou Zhijun returned with the water, the doctor told him about processing the discharge tomorrow.
He also reminded him that her injuries were not fully healed yet; she needed to continue resting at home and shouldn't forget to take some anti-inflammatory medicine when leaving.
Zhou Zhijun wanted her to stay a few more days, but Chuntao was so anxious she couldn't eat or sleep, so he didn't object anymore.
Later that morning, while Chuntao was getting her IV drip, Zuo Jinhui arrived.
She wore black floor-length bell-bottom pants, a bright red silk blouse tucked into her waistband, and a pair of black high heels.
Her face was rouged, her lips painted red, and her tight sheep-curl perm looked freshly styled, giving her a fashionable and energetic appearance.
She asked about Chuntao's condition and then looked at Zhou Zhijun. "Brother Zhijun, did you go to my workplace to look for me the other day?"
Zhou Zhijun nodded. "Step outside for a moment."
He had originally planned to make a trip to the Foreign Trade Bureau in the afternoon to return the money to her. Now that she was here, it saved him the trip.
Walking out into the corridor outside the ward, Zhou Zhijun pulled a roll of ten-yuan bills from his pocket.
This was the crisp new money he had withdrawn from the bank that day. After being rolled up in his pocket for a few days, it had become a bit wrinkled.
He unrolled it, smoothed it out with his hands, counted it right in front of her, and handed it to Zuo Jinhui, his eyes full of gratitude. "Sister Jinhui, thank you for doing me such a huge favor. Here is the money back."
"Brother Zhijun, why are you being so polite with me!"
Zuo Jinhui didn't take the money. "You keep it for now. We can talk about it later."
"I have money. We are being discharged tomorrow, so we won't need it anyway."
Wu Mingwei had called to say that Zhou Zhijun's younger sister was hospitalized, but Zuo Jinhui could tell she wasn't his biological sister.
She was very curious about what kind of relative Chuntao actually was to him. A cousin? Or... She wanted to ask, but felt it was inappropriate, so she held her tongue.
Seeing that Zhou Zhijun was insistent on returning it, she had no choice but to accept it. "Then I'll hold onto it for now."
Earlier in the ward, she had learned that Chuntao's injuries were almost fully healed. Once the IV drip was finished this morning, there would be nothing else to do in the afternoon.
She looked down and put the money into her satchel, then looked up at Zhou Zhijun. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother Zhijun, do you have any plans this afternoon? I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Even though they had known each other for over a decade, they had only met a handful of times. Since Zuo Jinhui had helped him out so much, Zhou Zhijun genuinely felt indebted to her.
So he readily agreed, "Tell me, what is it? As long as it's something I can do, absolutely."
A look of joy appeared on Zuo Jinhui's face. "That's wonderful... I want to ask you to help me make some coal briquettes."
In those days, most rural people used earthen stoves, and only town and city dwellers burned coal briquettes.
Zhou Zhijun's family had never burned coal briquettes, but during his time in the army, he had helped his commander's family make them. This task was a piece of cake for him.
But on second thought, wouldn't it be inconvenient for him, an outsider male, to go to her house?
However, he really couldn't bring himself to refuse. He figured he should bring some gifts for her child when he went.
It was already noon, so he asked, "If I go this afternoon, will anyone be home?"
As the two were talking, Wang Xiaohong came out of the ward. "My sister-in-law's IV is finished. I'm going to call the nurse to take out the needle."
Zhou Zhijun nodded without saying a word.
Hearing that the IV was done, Zuo Jinhui said, "Brother Zhijun, why don't you go with me now? I'm afraid it might be hard for you to find it on your own."
Seeing that it was almost time for lunch, going now would mean inconveniencing her to provide a meal. Zhou Zhijun quickly said, "Just give me the address. I can find it."
Seeing that he didn't want to go together, Zuo Jinhui understood what he was thinking and didn't push the matter.
She took a pen and paper from her bag, wrote down her home address, and handed it to him. "Brother Zhijun, I'll have to trouble you then. I'll be taking my leave now."
Wang Xiaohong had walked past them twice and vaguely overheard a few sentences.
Seeing Zuo Jinhui leave, she asked in a low voice, "Uncle Zhijun, where are you going?"
"Oh, your Aunt Zuo needs to make coal briquettes at her house and asked me to go help."
The more Wang Xiaohong thought about it, the more remarkable she found Zhou Zhijun. Building walls, making furniture, doing farm work—he was an expert at everything, and he even knew how to make coal briquettes.
Not only was he good at heavy labor, but he was also skilled at delicate work. He wrote couplets and helped villagers write letters, all beautifully done.
He also had excellent taste; the clothes he bought for them fit perfectly and looked beautiful.
Most importantly, he was kind, upright, honest, and generous. Growing up, the man she admired the most was Zhou Zhijun.
She thought that if she could marry a man even half as good as him in the future, she would be completely satisfied.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of Li Mingliang. He was handsome, educated, and had a job.
Wang Xiaohong mentally compared Li Mingliang and Zhou Zhijun. One was rugged, the other gentle and refined, but both were good, capable men.
Aunt Zhou often said that "appearance stems from the mind." Li Mingliang had a kind face, and he was also an upright, good-hearted person.
He had been away from the Wangjiazhai oilfield for a while now and still hadn't returned. Had something happened to him?
Wang Xiaohong's heart was stirred, ripples forming within. She fantasized about beautiful romance, but reality left her deeply distressed.
She was just an uneducated, unemployed country girl. Why would Li Mingliang ever fancy her?
After lunch, Zhou Zhijun followed the address on the note and went to Zuo Jinhui's house.
Zuo Jinhui lived in the family compound of the Foreign Trade Bureau, which consisted of rows of independent small courtyards.
The address Zuo Jinhui wrote was very detailed, clearly stating the row and house number, so he found it without any trouble.
He knocked on the gate a few times before hearing someone shuffling over in slippers to open the door.
The person opening the door was indeed Zuo Jinhui, wearing a silk loungewear nightgown.
The hem of the gown fell just below her knees, and she wore a pair of pale yellow sandals on her feet, exuding a sense of languid grace.
Seeing her dressed like this, Zhou Zhijun felt a bit awkward and was too embarrassed to look at her, so he cast his gaze past her.
The north building consisted of three small tile-roofed rooms. To the east was a kitchen, and to the west was a small vegetable garden filled with lush green vegetables. Next to the garden was a hand-pressed water pump.
"Brother Zhijun, please come in!" Zuo Jinhui stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
Entering the courtyard, Zhou Zhijun's eyes finally landed on a pile of crushed coal, with the tools for making coal briquettes placed nearby.
He handed over the string bag in his hand. "I didn't know what the kid likes to eat, so I just bought a few random things."
Inside the string bag were a packet of small honey buns, a bag of fruit candies, and a bunch of bananas.
Zuo Jinhui didn't take the things. Instead, her eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up within them.
She suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, turned around, and walked quickly toward the north building.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Zhijun stood frozen in place. He hadn't said anything wrong, so why was she suddenly crying?
