Ah, you scared me to death! You damned... the woman's tearful voice was laced with anger.
The villagers' first reaction was that someone was having a scandalous affair down by the river dam.
Their feet itched to run over and watch the drama unfold, but they hadn't gotten the watermelons in their hands home yet, so they couldn't bear to leave.
It was scorching hot in the middle of the day; was it easy coming out here to pick a few melons? Every one of them was sweating profusely, their clothes clinging tightly to their bodies.
The villagers' minds returned to the watermelons. They crowded around Zhou Xiaowei, pleading and saying every nice word they could think of. It was just a few watermelons, after all; it wasn't worth reporting them to the commune.
Zhou Zhijun kept a cold face, his gaze sweeping across the crowd's faces like a sharp knife before finally landing on Zhou Xiaowei.
Xiaowei, go right now!
Zhou Xiaowei, as if receiving a military order, immediately responded, Got it! I'll go home and get my bike!
He took two steps closer to Zhou Zhijun and lowered his voice, Second Uncle, Brother Mingliang is here to help sell the watermelons. Why don't we haul these melons to the workers' compound and let him help sell them off?
Li Mingliang had spent quite some time in Wangjiazhai and had long since thoroughly understood the bitter truth behind the saying, harsh lands breed unruly people.
He walked up to Zhou Zhijun and Zhou Xiaowei, looking at Zhou Zhijun as he said, Brother Zhijun, if we take the watermelons to our compound to sell, people will definitely fight over them!
Zhou Zhijun knew perfectly well that Li Mingliang's mind was entirely focused on Chuntao.
But Chuntao was already his, Zhou Zhijun's, woman. Li Mingliang couldn't make any waves at all. He had that much confidence.
Zhou Zhijun glanced at Li Mingliang, his eyes showing a rare hint of softening. Alright!
Zhou Xiaowei shot a look at the group of villagers who were carrying watermelons, wanting to slip away but not daring to. Without another word, he took off running toward the village.
Seeing that he was serious, the group instantly panicked.
Zhou Xiaowei! Stop right there! Isn't it just a few lousy watermelons? We just won't take them, alright!
The others also threw their melon-filled sacks onto the ground, craning their necks and shouting, Xiaowei! Come back!
Just last night, the police station chief had mentioned that the severe anti-crime campaign had already begun. At a crucial time like this, who would dare to throw themselves at the muzzle of a gun?
Zhou Xiaowei pretended not to hear and quickened his pace.
A man suddenly darted out from the crowd, chased after him with large strides, and grabbed Zhou Xiaowei's arm.
Zhou Xiaowei! Stop right there! Come back!
On such a hot day, Zhou Xiaowei couldn't be bothered to run all the way to the commune anyway. Seeing that they were genuinely scared, he took the easy way out and turned back.
The group hung their heads, looking like frostbitten eggplants, and obediently dumped the watermelons from their sacks onto the ground.
Zhou Xiaowei stood with his hands on his hips and shouted, Move them all onto the handcart! Put them down gently, don't bruise them! Whoever breaks one pays for it!
None of them dared to talk back anymore; they could only meekly load the watermelons onto the handcart one by one.
In the middle of the day, the sun was brutally harsh, and everyone was red in the face from the sweltering heat.
What a waste of effort! I'm dying of heat! Come on, let's go down to the river dam for a bath!
A man carrying an empty sack walked toward the river dam, cursing under his breath.
The others clutched their empty sacks as well, muttering softly as they swayed and followed him.
As they walked, the crowd suddenly remembered the woman's scream coming from the river dam earlier, along with the naked man they hadn't gotten a clear look at. Their spirits instantly revived, and they took off running forward in a rush.
The first man to reach the edge of the river dam shouted at the top of his lungs, It's Huang Meili!
The crowd ran to the riverbank and saw Huang Meili soaked to the bone. Her hair was plastered to her face in wet strands, with water droplets dripping from the tips.
She was clutching a fertilizer bag in one hand, wading step by step toward the middle of the river, reaching out to grab the watermelons floating on the surface.
This river dam had been dug by hand years ago. The deepest part in the middle was over ten feet deep. No one who couldn't swim would dare go near it; people usually only bathed near the shallow edges.
Was this Huang Meili really risking her life for a few watermelons? Everyone forgot about bathing and stood at the riverbank, craning their necks to watch.
The river water gradually submerged Huang Meili's waist and rose to her shoulders.
Suddenly, someone pointed to the bank and shouted, "Look! Aren't those Wang Qingshan's clothes? Why are they here?"
It suddenly dawned on everyone that the man who had just frantically darted into the sorghum field must have been Wang Qingshan!
Wang Qingshan was a quiet, introverted man, the type who wouldn't utter a word even if you kicked him.
The older married women in the village loved to tease him whenever they saw him, and every time, he would blush furiously down to his neck, unable to speak for quite a while.
He must have been bathing in the river when Huang Meili stumbled upon him, prompting him to panic and hide in the sorghum field.
"No wonder we couldn't find Huang Meili earlier. She sneaked off to the river!" a young wife muttered, rolling her eyes.
An older woman next to her immediately chimed in, "Exactly! With Huang Meili being so crazy and greedy, would she ever just hand over those watermelons?
She definitely ran off during the chaos, trying to take a detour home along the riverbank, but ended up falling into the water!"
The others nodded in agreement. "For sure! This woman is throwing her life away for a few melons!"
Huang Meili had indeed slipped away during the commotion.
She had planned to sneak home along the small path by the riverbank, but unexpectedly, her foot slipped. With a loud splash, she tumbled into the water, and the large watermelons rolled out of her bag, bobbing on the surface.
"Huang Meili! Do you have a death wish? It's deep in the middle of the river! Get out of there!" a man standing on the shore shouted at the top of his lungs.
It would have been better if he hadn't yelled. Startled by the sudden roar, Huang Meili trembled all over. It felt as if something had grabbed her feet, and her body began to sink uncontrollably beneath the water.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhijun and his companions were completely unaware of what was happening at the river.
They had already pulled a cart full of watermelons to the workers' courtyard, and in no time at all, the workers had eagerly bought them all.
When Zhou Zhijun arrived home, Old Man Zhou was crouching at the kitchen door tending the fire, while Aunt Zhou was busy cooking noodles.
"Mother, does Chuntao still have a fever?"
"I just felt her forehead. She's not burning up anymore; it's gone down a lot. Go check the east room and see if she's awake. The noodles will be ready in a minute!"
Zhou Zhijun's clothes were completely drenched in sweat, sticking uncomfortably to his body.
He had originally planned to go to the river for a bath before coming back, but Chuntao was still running a fever when he left, and he couldn't put his mind at ease, so he rushed straight home.
Stepping into the east room, he saw Chuntao still lying in bed. Her small face was no longer flushed, though her brows were still slightly furrowed, as if she were still worrying about something even in her sleep.
This girl was just born to worry! Seeing this, Zhou Zhijun's heart softened, and he couldn't help but reach out to gently stroke her forehead.
Chuntao was a light sleeper to begin with, and the sudden touch of a hot, rough hand on her forehead jolted her awake.
Opening her eyes to see Zhou Zhijun, her cheeks instantly flared red, looking just like a ripe apple.
Zhou Zhijun's large hand slid from her forehead down to her cheek, his eyes filled with tender affection. Are you feeling any better?
Chuntao gave a soft murmur of agreement, blinking her large, watery eyes as she looked at him.
She wanted to ask if the watermelons had been stolen, and how the siblings, Xiaohong and Xiaoming, were doing. But her throat was so dry it felt like it was smoking, and she could not utter a single word.
You are awake? How are you doing? Is your body feeling any better? Aunt Zhou lifted the door curtain and walked in.
Zhou Zhijun quickly pulled his hand back, his face instantly returning to its usual composed expression. Her head is not hot anymore. The fever has broken.
Great! Zhijun, go fetch a basin of water so Chuntao can wash her face. I will go serve the food!
Godmother, I can get it myself!
Aunt Zhou was truly too good to her; at her age, she was still serving her food and drinks.
Feeling guilty, Chuntao struggled to sit up in bed.
Zhou Zhijun quickly reached out to support her, a commanding tone in his voice. You have only just recovered a little; you need to stay out of the draft. Be a good girl and sit still. I will go get the water for you to wash your face!
Looking at his tense profile, Chuntao did not dare argue back and obediently sat on the bed to wait.
Even though it was the dog days of summer outside, Chuntao was still sick, so Zhou Zhijun did not dare use cold water.
He scooped a ladle of warm water from the back pot and brought it into the room for Chuntao to wash her face and hands. He also poured half a bowl of light salt water for her to rinse her mouth and soothe her throat.
Tao, I made some drained noodles! Aunt Zhou walked in carrying a large enamel bowl. The noodles were topped with a pickled melon and egg soup, and an enticing aroma instantly filled the room.
Come, eat up. Building your strength is more important than anything else!
Chuntao's nose suddenly tingled, and her eyes instantly turned red.
She fought back the tears, forced a smile at Aunt Zhou, and called out in a hoarse voice, Auntie...
Just as Aunt Zhou was about to turn around and go to the kitchen to get her a bowl of noodle broth to soothe her throat, Zhou Zhijun walked in carrying a bowl of it.
Mother, go eat your meal. I will keep an eye on things here, he said, gently blowing on the hot broth in the bowl.
Aunt Zhou smiled and nodded, then turned and left the room.
With only the two of them left in the room, Zhou Zhijun brought the rim of the bowl to Chuntao's lips and said softly, Drink some broth first to warm your stomach!
As soon as he finished speaking, the faint sound of crying suddenly echoed from outside.
