"Uncle Zhijun!" Wang Xiaohong turned her head and saw Zhou Zhijun standing at the door with his hands behind his back. She called out to him softly.
Zhou Zhijun's face was devoid of expression, his jaw set tight as he took a large step into the room.
Was he going to spell it out for Wang Xiaohong? Chuntao's heart leaped into her throat, and her hands, which had been kneading dough, froze.
She kept her head down, her eyes fixed on the dough in the basin, not daring to imagine how Xiaohong would react when she learned the truth.
Chuntao could feel both of their gazes resting on her, and her heart clenched tighter and tighter.
She heard Zhou Zhijun clear his throat lightly, let out a long breath, and speak in a profound, earnest tone. "Xiaohong, you're grown up now and you're a reasonable girl. Today, I'm going to speak some heartfelt words on Chuntao's behalf.
In the years since she entered the Wang family, you've seen with your own eyes how much she has suffered and how much hardship she has endured.
She and your brother never got a marriage certificate, nor have they lived together. They aren't husband and wife at all. Anyone else would have left long ago, but she stubbornly endured it in your house for four years...
And what about your brother? Not only did he fail to appreciate her, but he also did such a thing. It would chill anyone's heart!
She is still young. She can't waste her whole life in your family..."
Wang Xiaohong's eyes widened instantly. The woman she had called sister-in-law for four years wasn't actually married to her brother? How could that be?
"My sister-in-law was exchanged for my sister, how can she not be married to my brother?"
"Even if she was exchanged, she is not. She has always been single, just staying in your house for four years, and has absolutely no legal relationship with your brother... I specifically went to the commune's civil affairs office to ask!"
Zhou Zhijun's words were like a heavy hammer, smashing ruthlessly against Wang Xiaohong's heart.
Her grip on Chuntao's arm tightened, her fingertips digging into the flesh.
She opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed the words back down.
After a long while, she finally forced out a sentence, "Couldn't they just go get a marriage certificate then?"
She wanted what was best for Chuntao too, but no matter how awful Wang Jieshi was, he was still her biological brother.
Her brother was already disabled, and now he had his arms and legs broken by people in jail. He would probably be paralyzed in bed for the rest of his life!
If Chuntao left, who would take care of him? But then again, he had done things to hurt Chuntao, so making Chuntao wait on him for the rest of her life was far too unfair to her.
Wang Xiaohong was terribly conflicted, not knowing which side she should take.
She slowly released Chuntao's arm, looking down at the dirt floor beneath her feet. "What... what am I supposed to do..."
"Xiaohong..."
Chuntao looked at her with red eyes, her voice choking with emotion. "I know you and Xiaoming treat me well, but I really..." The rest of her words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Wang Xiaohong's eyes were also red. She bit her lip, suddenly turned around, and dashed out of the kitchen.
"Xiaohong—" Chuntao stepped forward to chase after her, but Zhou Zhijun grabbed her and held her back.
"She won't be able to wrap her head around it right away. Let her think it over by herself!"
Chuntao knew very well that if she left, the burden of taking care of him would likely fall on Xiaohong and her brother.
Wang Xiaohong would eventually get married, and Wang Xiaoming still had to take his college entrance exams, get a wife, and live his own life in the future. Wouldn't Wang Jieshi become a burden to them both?
Whenever she thought of how good Xiaohong and her brother were to her on a daily basis, Chuntao felt terrible.
"Brother Zhijun... I feel like I'm letting Xiaohong and Xiaoming down," Chuntao's voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz, afraid that Zhou Zhijun would scold her for being foolish.
Zhou Zhijun knew her personality too well; she always put others first and never considered herself.
He didn't scold her. Instead, he placed his hands on her trembling shoulders and comforted her softly, "Tao, you haven't let anyone down. The only person you've let down is yourself.
They are both reasonable kids. They will understand you..."
Meanwhile, Wang Xiaohong ran all the way to the watermelon field in one breath and collapsed onto the grass at the edge of the field. Tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string, unable to be stopped.
She raised a hand to wipe her tears. Her mind was a tangled mess, impossible to unravel or sort out.
What she found most unacceptable, in truth, was the relationship between Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao.
Wang Xiaohong felt as though she had suffered a monumental insult.
"Xiaohong, is that you?"
After the incident with the Wang family, Zhou Xiaowei helped sell melons during the day and slept in the field at night to guard them.
He had been lying in the melon shed just now, and upon hearing a noise outside, he walked out with a flashlight. Seeing it was Wang Xiaohong, his face filled with surprise.
Wang Xiaohong sniffled, fighting hard to keep more tears from falling. In a hoarse voice, she said, "Brother Xiaowei, sorry to trouble you. You can go back now; I'll watch the melons here."
"It's not safe for a girl like you in the pitch dark. I'll keep watch here. You go home and sleep!"
Wang Xiaohong just wanted to be alone in the melon field for some peace and quiet, and she stubbornly refused to go back. Unable to persuade her, Zhou Xiaowei had no choice but to head home.
Unexpectedly, not long after he left, Zhou Hongxia arrived, shouting from a distance, "Xiaohong, I'm here to keep you company!"
That night, the two girls squeezed together in the melon shed and chatted for most of the night. Wang Xiaohong poured out all the grievances in her heart.
Zhou Hongxia was also greatly shocked to hear this, but she could understand Chuntao. She advised in a soft and gentle voice, "Xiaohong, Sister-in-law Chuntao has had such a hard time these past few years. It's only reasonable that she wants to leave.
If this had happened to you or me, we would have left eight hundred years ago!"
Zhou Hongxia was telling the truth. With their personalities, neither she nor Wang Xiaohong could have endured such mistreatment.
"I understand everything you're saying, but if she leaves, what about my brother?"
This was a very real dilemma. Zhou Hongxia was stumped by the question and couldn't speak for a long time.
"And another thing, Uncle Zhijun is protecting her so much. Do you think... they really have that kind of relationship?"
Zhou Hongxia actually had her own suspicions, but she had never mentioned them to anyone.
Now that Wang Xiaohong was asking, she naturally couldn't voice her own doubts.
"Xiaohong, don't listen to those gossiping women in the village chewing the fat. It's all baseless!"
"But what if it's true?"
"If it is... if there really is something between them, that's completely normal too!
My second uncle doesn't have a wife, and Sister-in-law Chuntao is single..."
Deep down, Zhou Hongxia actually wished that Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun would get together.
Her second uncle was handsome and excellent at whatever work he did. If Chuntao was with him, she would definitely live a good life!
The chirping of the insects outside the window grew increasingly harsh, and Chuntao's mind was filled entirely with matters concerning her maiden family.
Aunt Zhou had told her that Wang Lanhua had given birth to a big, chubby baby boy.
She was genuinely happy for her brother from the bottom of her heart, but whenever she thought about the household registration book, she felt so stifled she could hardly breathe.
If she left the Wang family, Wang Lanhua would definitely not allow it. Her grandmother and her brother both listened to Wang Lanhua, so they certainly wouldn't hand over the household registration book.
