Chuntao reached out to push him away.
Zhou Zhijun moved her hand aside. "I'm leaving! Go to sleep early!"
Zhou Zhijun lifted her down from the stove before turning to leave.
Zhou Zhijun didn't say anything, but secretly he kept a close eye on the movements of Wang Haichao and his brother.
He figured that since Wang Haichao and Wang Haibao hadn't dared to show their faces these past few days, they must have realized he was the one who knocked them out that night.
Those two punks would probably behave themselves for a while and wouldn't dare to act rashly again.
Zhou Zhijun went to watch over the melon field. For one, he genuinely wanted to help share Chuntao's burden; for another, it was a deliberate smokescreen to make Wang Haichao and his brother lower their guard.
The next time those two dared to pull any tricks, he would catch them all at once and march them straight to the commune police station.
When that happened, Chuntao could take the opportunity to rid herself of that bastard Wang Jieshi.
Wang Haichao and his brother stayed cooped up in their house for about ten days. Seeing that Zhou Zhijun hadn't come knocking to settle the score, the heavy stones in their hearts finally dropped.
After finishing their soup, the brothers strolled down to the river to bathe, and happened to run into Wang Xiaohong heading toward Zhou Hongxia's house.
Wang Haichao immediately called out to her, "Xiaohong, the watermelons in the field are fully ripe by now, right? Why aren't you out there watching them?"
Wang Xiaohong originally didn't want to bother with him, but fearing this gang might steal the melons, she gave a stiff reply, "My Uncle Zhijun is watching the field, he doesn't need me!"
Hearing this, Wang Haichao asked slyly, "Is your sister-in-law at home?"
"Why?" Wang Xiaohong instantly grew vigilant, glaring at him. "What crooked idea are you plotting now?"
"Nothing! I was just asking casually!"
"Are you going to sell melons tomorrow?"
"Whether we sell them or not is none of your business!" Leaving those words behind, Wang Xiaohong walked away without looking back.
Early the next morning, Wang Haichao sent Wang Haibao to weed the north field, telling him to keep an eye on Zhou Zhijun's movements and see if he went to the streets to sell melons.
Wang Haibao saw Zhou Zhijun pulling a handcart full of watermelons, with Chuntao helping push from behind, heading all the way toward Qingshan Street.
He hurried back home and reported the news to Wang Haichao.
Standing on the main road at the edge of the village, Wang Haichao waited until he saw Wang Xiaohong head to the melon field before he took slow, leisurely steps and wandered over.
When Wang Jieshi saw Wang Haichao, his eyes instantly turned red. Gritting his teeth, his voice was thick and hoarse, "Where the hell have you been these past few days?"
"I've been swamped with work in the fields, didn't even have time to breathe!"
"What exactly happened? Why didn't you do as we agreed and bring her back before dawn? Why did she run back on her own?"
Wang Haichao had already prepared his excuses before coming; he wouldn't dare tell Wang Jieshi the truth.
If Wang Jieshi found out that Zhou Zhijun had discovered what happened that night, Wang Jieshi definitely wouldn't let him continue.
When that time came, how would he pay off the fifteen-yuan debt to Wu Jinshan? Besides, he had spent so much effort planning this, and he wasn't willing to give up halfway.
Wang Haichao cleared his throat and lowered his voice to bluff, "Jieshi, it's done!
If it didn't take, we'll send her over again another day! Just put your mind completely at ease, I guarantee you'll be a father next year!"
Hearing this, Wang Jieshi's anger didn't subside; instead, he grew even more furious.
"We agreed you'd bring her back before dawn, why didn't you? Why did she run back on her own? You better explain this clearly!"
"We were going to bring her back on time that day, but as we neared the village entrance, we saw shadows moving around."
Wang Haichao defended himself, "For safety's sake, I left her in the melon shed first..."
He patted Wang Jieshi's shoulder and continued to coax him, "Jieshi, getting her to obediently sleep in the same bed as you is simple..."
Hearing these words, the anger in Wang Jieshi's belly finally subsided a little.
But he really didn't want to cause any more trouble, afraid of being discovered by Zhou Zhijun. He waved his hand and said, "I'll just leave it to fate!"
How could Wang Haichao agree to that? He hurriedly said, "How can you do that...!
Don't worry! I'll definitely find a foolproof opportunity and make sure nobody finds out!"
Wang Jieshi lowered his head and stayed silent.
Chuntao still hadn't been intimate with him. If she really got pregnant, how would he cover up the lie when the time came?
The most urgent thing right now was to get Chuntao to be intimate with him as soon as possible, so he could keep the truth tightly hidden.
"Get me a bit more of that stuff!"
To keep Wang Jieshi steady, Wang Haichao quickly went home, wrapped a small pinch of medicinal powder in paper, and brought it over to Wang Jieshi.
Wang Jieshi clutched the crumpled paper packet, secretly scheming in his heart!
Meanwhile, Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun were selling melons on Qingshan Street. By noon, there were still a dozen or so left unsold.
Zhou Zhijun took Chuntao to a restaurant where they each ate a large bowl of cold jelly noodles. Then, pulling the handcart, they went to nearby villages to trade the rest for grain.
As soon as they entered the village, the remaining watermelons were snatched up by the villagers.
The sun hung overhead like a giant fire basin, baking the ground until it seemed to smoke.
The clothes on both of them were completely soaked with sweat, sticking clammily to their bodies, making them feel terribly uncomfortable.
There wasn't even a single tree for shade on the main road, so Zhou Zhijun simply pulled the handcart onto a small side path.
The poplar trees on both sides of the path grew lush and leafy, casting a cool, refreshing shade.
Zhou Zhijun parked the handcart under the shade, pulled out a fertilizer bag from the cart bed to spread on the ground, and brought out the watermelon he had specifically saved for the journey.
He clenched his fist and, with a loud thud, smashed the watermelon into two halves.
He handed half to Chuntao and pulled a small iron spoon from his pocket. "Here, use the spoon to scoop it out so you don't get your hands sticky."
Zhou Zhijun looked like a rough man, but he was actually quite thoughtful. Chuntao reached out to take the spoon, but Zhou Zhijun pulled his hand back.
With one hand, he took the half melon from Chuntao's hands and said, "I'll feed you!"
He plopped down onto the fertilizer bag. "Come here!"
Chuntao's face grew hot as she scolded playfully, "I'm not a three-year-old child, I can eat it myself!"
"In front of me, you are a child!"
"Come on, open your mouth!" Zhou Zhijun scooped up a piece of bright red melon flesh and offered it to her.
"What if someone sees us?"
