Cicadas chirped incessantly. The wheat harvest came to an end amidst threshing floors full of chaff and bone-deep exhaustion.
Right on its heels was the planting of autumn crops, but Zhou Zhijun had one thing constantly weighing on his mind.
However, he also knew that Wang Jieshi would never agree to it. That guy was as petty as they came, with a mind narrower than the eye of a needle; he was not a magnanimous man by any stretch.
Given his temper, even if it meant dragging Chuntao down for the rest of her life, he wouldn't let her go easily.
Guiding the seed drill in the north fields, Zhou Zhijun's mind was a chaotic mess, his heart fluttering with anxiety.
Yesterday, he had first helped Chuntao's family plant their two acres of soybeans, and only today was he sowing his own fields.
Chuntao's family didn't own an ox, and even if they did, a woman like her wouldn't have the strength to handle a seed drill.
He figured that tomorrow, when he went to the south fields, he would plant Chuntao's sesame seeds along the way.
He looked up toward Chuntao's fields but didn't see her anywhere. His heart felt hollow, as if a piece of his flesh had been carved out.
Meanwhile, Wang Haichao and Wang Jieshi were already growing impatient, actively plotting about having a child.
"Jieshi, I had someone buy this from out of town," Wang Haichao said, pulling a small package wrapped in old newspaper from his pocket and handing it to Wang Jieshi.
"Half an hour after drinking this, it'll knock a person out cold. Tonight, slip this powder into her bowl..."
Wang Jieshi stared at the paper packet in his hand, his eyes bloodshot.
He still found it somewhat hard to accept.
But not accepting it wasn't an option either. He was terrified that Chuntao might get pregnant with Zhou Zhijun's child, which would spell massive trouble.
After a long while, he finally forced out a sentence, "This has to be foolproof. We can only succeed, no failures!"
"Don't worry, I've got everything arranged! Once it's done, all our problems will be solved!"
Originally, the two had discussed doing it at Wang Jieshi's house, but fearing that Zhou Zhijun next door might notice, Wang Haichao had chosen another location.
As the two were whispering, Wang Xiaohong returned carrying a basket of grass. Seeing Wang Haichao there, her face immediately clouded over.
"During such a busy season, everyone else is out working in the fields, yet here you are hiding and slacking off!"
Wang Haichao was a massive lazybones, and his three younger brothers weren't much more hardworking. The family had so much land, and the entire burden fell squarely on Liu Cuilan's shoulders.
During the wheat harvest, Liu Cuilan had been so exhausted she snapped, nagging Wang Haichao for being too lazy, which resulted in his brothers pinning her down in the field and beating her.
"I've always been like this, it's not like you didn't know! Now you're complaining I'm lazy!"
Back then, Liu Cuilan had fallen for Wang Haichao's smooth-talking mouth.
She had thought that finding a man who could make her happy every day was worth a little hardship and exhaustion, thinking it a hundred times better than being with a dull gourd like Zhou Zhijun.
Before the family had divided their household, Wang Xiaohong and Chuntao had shared the fieldwork, so she hadn't felt too overwhelmed.
After the split, living with Wang Haichao's three younger brothers—four men who were as useless as a deaf man's ears, just there for decoration—all the chores inside and outside the house fell entirely on her.
Liu Cuilan felt a twinge of regret, wishing she had chosen Zhou Zhijun back then. If she were with him, she wouldn't be this exhausted.
The man she used to adore no matter what he did now only angered her more the longer she looked at him.
That day during the wheat harvest, she was aching all over, her legs cramping and her throat burning dry, while Wang Haichao sat leisurely in the shade at the edge of the field, smoking.
Liu Cuilan asked him to go home and fetch some water, but Wang Haichao pretended not to hear her. Liu Cuilan lost her temper on the spot.
"Wang Haichao, you lazy bum, relying on a woman to feed you! Are you even a man?"
Wang Haichao had never really been into her to begin with; he felt Liu Cuilan wasn't good enough for him.
That day in the wheat field, with people everywhere, Liu Cuilan had dared to scold him. Unable to save face, Wang Haichao went up and kicked her a few times.
Liu Cuilan threw caution to the wind and wrestled with him.
Seeing this, Wang Haichao's three brothers immediately rushed over to help, pinning Liu Cuilan to the ground and beating her severely.
"Blood..." Wang Haibao shouted when he saw blood seeping through Liu Cuilan's trouser leg.
Although Wang Haichao and his brothers were bullies, they were terrified of actually causing a death.
Wang Haichao quickly told Wang Haibao to fetch the village doctor, Zhao Qingjiang.
"She's pregnant! We need to save the baby right now!" As soon as Zhao Qingjiang spoke, the men froze in disbelief.
Their family had four bachelors; without a child, they had no hope for the future. If Liu Cuilan was truly pregnant, it was a momentous occasion.
To save the child in her womb, Wang Haichao listened to Zhao Qingjiang's advice and let Liu Cuilan rest at home for two days.
But time and weather wait for no one, and the wheat had to be harvested urgently.
Wang Haichao and his brothers were useless at work, and Liu Cuilan knew the family still needed to eat.
With a baby on the way, meaning another mouth to feed, she couldn't afford to rest at all.
She stayed in bed for just one day before heading back to the fields, working from dawn to dusk like an old ox.
Just now, when Wang Xiaohong went to the fields to cut grass, she saw Liu Cuilan pulling the seeder rope at the front while Wang Hailong guided it from behind.
Zhou Zhijun was such a good man, yet her mother had insisted on choosing a ruffian like Wang Haichao. Seeing her end up in this state, Wang Xiaohong felt she had brought it upon herself.
But no matter what, Liu Cuilan was still her mother. Despite her thoughts, her nose stung with unshed tears, and she silently cursed Wang Haichao for being inhuman.
Returning home and seeing Wang Haichao in Wang Jieshi's room made Wang Xiaohong's blood boil.
Wang Haichao grinned cheekily, "Xiaohong, did you swallow gunpowder today? Why so aggressive!"
"Everyone else is working themselves to death in the fields while you slack off here, and you're complaining about my tone? You're lucky I'm not cursing you out!"
Wang Haichao stood up and patted Wang Jieshi's shoulder meaningfully. "Jieshi, take a rest. I'm heading to the fields!"
He then looked at the furious Wang Xiaohong and said with mock seriousness, "I was just on my way to the fields. I only dropped by to see how your brother is feeling."
Stepping closer, he whispered slyly, "Xiaohong, your brother is pretty much cured. You need to be tactful and not get in the way of the young couple's intimacy!"
Wang Xiaohong was still an unmarried young woman. Unable to handle such talk, her face instantly flushed red to the tips of her ears.
"Get lost!" she yelled, grabbing a nearby broom and swinging it at him. Wang Haichao was already prepared and bolted away.
Watching his retreating back, Wang Xiaohong spat, "Shameless bastard! Why don't you just die!"
Once her anger subsided, however, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
If it was true, as Wang Haichao said, that her brother was cured, she could be an aunt by next year.
To avoid disturbing her brother and sister-in-law, she decided to stay at Zhou Hongxia's house and leave the large bed for them.
After finishing her soup and feeding the pigs, Wang Xiaohong said to Chuntao, "Sister-in-law, I'm going to sleep at Hongxia's house. You and my brother can take the big bed. I've already made it for you!"
Chuntao's heart skipped a beat. Was Wang Jieshi really cured?
But with his frail body... Chuntao's mind was a tangled mess, her small face flushing red with nervousness.
"Xiaohong, I can just sleep in the small bed. You don't need to go to Hongxia's!" Even if Wang Jieshi was truly cured, she didn't want to share a bed with him. They merely shared meals from the same pot; strictly speaking, they weren't really husband and wife.
"Sister-in-law, you and my brother have been married for so many years, it's about time you had a child of your own..." Knowing Chuntao was shy, Wang Xiaohong hurried out of the kitchen right after speaking.
Chuntao looked up toward the door; it was pitch black outside.
She suddenly yawned, her eyelids growing heavy.
Since the wheat harvest began, she had been working from dawn to dusk without a single full night's sleep.
She pushed herself up, swaying unsteadily as she made her way toward the main room. Right now, all she wanted was to collapse onto her bed and finally get a good sleep!
