The newcomer was from the Public Security Bureau. Zhou Zhijun subconsciously took a step forward, shielding Chuntao behind him. He stared at the man warily, his palms sweating.
Chuntao kept her head down, her gaze fixed on the blades of grass by her feet. Her heart pounded wildly, and she didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The man walked into the shade of the trees. His gaze crossed over Zhou Zhijun's shoulder and landed behind him.
"Comrade, sorry to bother you, but could I ask for directions? Is this the right way to Dongshan?"
Hearing this question, the taut string in Zhou Zhijun's heart finally loosened a bit.
From behind Zhou Zhijun's elbow, Chuntao quietly peeked out half of her face.
The sun was too harsh, glaring so brightly that her eyes ached and tears almost fell.
The newcomer was actually Yang Weiming.
He wore his police uniform neatly and impeccably. There was a bit more sharpness and capability in his features than before.
But those eyes were still the same as before, shining as bright as the stars in a summer night sky.
He had married a primary school teacher, and the two were considered a good match.
Chuntao's heart felt like it was going to leap out of her throat. She hastily lowered her head again, her fingers twisting her hem tightly.
Yang Weiming shifted to the side to avoid the glaring sunlight. His gaze fell on her pale little face, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Ignoring Zhou Zhijun's wary look, he took another half step forward. His voice was lowered, carrying the concern of an older brother. "Chuntao? Why are you here? Where are you going?"
At these words, Zhou Zhijun's body tensed even more. He quickly glanced back at Chuntao, then turned to look at Yang Weiming, spitting out three stiff words: "Visiting relatives!"
Chuntao bit her lower lip, her fingertips trembling violently. It took her a long while to squeeze a few words out of her throat. "I... I'm going to visit relatives."
She didn't dare look up at him, afraid he would see the panic in her eyes, and even more afraid that her disappointing tears would fall.
Back in the day, their two families were separated by only a dirt wall. The night before he enlisted, Yang Weiming had asked her to wait for his return.
But not long after he enlisted, in order to secure a bride for her brother through an exchange marriage, Chuntao was married off to Wangjia Village...
For the first two years, the guilt in her heart had tightly entangled her.
Later, when Yang Weiming got married, she told herself it was time to let go.
Now, suddenly bumping into him here today, her heart was actually as calm as still water regarding their past! What she truly feared was him discovering the secret between her and Zhou Zhijun.
Yang Weiming let out an "Oh," his gaze lingering on her pale face for another moment.
Only then did he turn to look at Zhou Zhijun, his tone recovering a bit of businesslike crispness. "I'm from the county public security bureau, heading to Dongshan to investigate fugitives during the Strike Hard campaign. Do you know how to get there?"
This police officer actually knew Chuntao. Alarm bells rang wildly in Zhou Zhijun's heart, but he didn't dare show a hint of it on his face. He just raised his hand and pointed ahead. "Go straight along this road, take a turn up ahead, and you'll reach the Dongshan boundary."
Yang Weiming's gaze fell back onto Chuntao, his tone softening a bit. "Chuntao, where are you going to visit relatives? If it's on the way, you can ride in our car."
"It's not on the way! You go ahead, we'll rest a bit before leaving!" Zhou Zhijun interjected quickly, terrified that Chuntao might say the wrong thing.
How could Yang Weiming fail to see it? The man standing before him was absolutely not Chuntao's sickly husband.
He couldn't exactly interrogate them about their relationship, so he merely nodded. "Then we'll be going now!"
He took one last deep look at Chuntao before turning to leave. But just as he lifted his left foot, he abruptly stopped.
His gaze landed on the bulging bundle of bedding and woven mats, and his frown deepened.
Who brings a rolled-up bedroll when visiting relatives? This was clearly the setup of someone traveling far away.
Yang Weiming's mind raced. Chuntao was simple-minded, and her husband was useless. Could she have been deceived by this man?
Without hesitation, he turned and walked back. His gaze darkened a fraction as it settled back onto Zhou Zhijun's tense face.
"Which village in Dongshan are your relatives from? What's their surname and name?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the unique, oppressive weight of a police officer handling a case.
Zhou Zhijun's heart skipped a beat. His Adam's apple bobbed, but his eyes didn't evade the stare in the slightest.
He raised his eyes to meet Yang Weiming's gaze, keeping his back ramrod straight.
"Comrade, I never said we were going to Dongshan to visit relatives." He spoke slowly, articulating every word clearly.
"We're just resting by the roadside. Where we're going is none of your business, is it?"
Yang Weiming raised an eyebrow and took another half-step forward, his tone growing more stern. "During the Strike Hard campaign, all transient populations must have their introduction letters checked. Where are your introduction letters?"
Hearing this, Zhou Zhijun showed no panic on his face. "Why would we need an introduction letter just to visit relatives? If you want to check, we'll cooperate, but don't just grab anyone and interrogate them. We aren't bad people."
Behind him, Chuntao gently tugged at the corner of his shirt, her fingertips trembling violently.
Zhou Zhijun didn't look back. He merely shifted his body slightly to the side, shielding Chuntao even more securely.
Yang Weiming didn't reply. He looked Zhou Zhijun up and down, his frown deepening.
"Visiting relatives?" Yang Weiming sneered, his voice suddenly rising.
"Chuntao's in-laws are in Wangjia Village, dozens of miles from here. For you two to have walked here so early in the morning, you must have set off in the middle of the night, right? Besides, who brings a bedroll to visit relatives?"
The barrage of questions struck like a hammer, pounding against both their hearts.
No matter how tough Zhou Zhijun acted, he couldn't explain away the bedroll. Beads of sweat rolled straight down his cheeks from his forehead.
Chuntao's heart pounded furiously. The fingers twisting her shirt hem suddenly tightened, turning her fingertips white.
Gritting her teeth, she stepped out from behind Zhou Zhijun. She looked up at Yang Weiming, her voice trembling but carrying a trace of candor.
"This is my sworn brother! My godmother was worried about a woman like me traveling to visit relatives alone, so she asked him to escort me!"
Her voice grew quieter and quieter. Afraid that Yang Weiming wouldn't believe her, she hastily added, "The journey is too far. We were afraid we wouldn't reach the place by dark today, so we set out in the middle of the night yesterday. The sun is too harsh, so we're just taking a breather in the shade..."
She didn't dare mention the bedroll. Her heart was in a terrible panic, but she forced herself to appear calm.
Zhou Zhijun froze for a second before chiming in. "Yes! I'm her sworn brother. My mother was afraid something might happen to her on the road, so she insisted I come see her off."
He straightened his back further, his tone gaining a bit more confidence. However, from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but glance at the bundle of bedding, his heart in his throat.
Yang Weiming stared at Chuntao's flushed little face, then looked at Zhou Zhijun's tense jawline.
He didn't speak. He merely tapped his fingers lightly against his bicycle handlebars. The rhythmic tap-tap-tap sound made Chuntao's heart flutter with anxiety.
"Chuntao, it's very chaotic out there right now. You must be careful when traveling..."
He paused, then circled the conversation back, his tone carrying an undeniable authority. "Which village in Dongshan are you visiting? If it's on the way, I'll give you a ride. It'll save your sworn brother the round trip."
Zhou Zhijun was burning with anxiety and wanted to interject to refuse, but on second thought, he realized that wouldn't work.
This man was a police officer, and it was during the Strike Hard campaign. Clashing head-on would only make them look more suspicious.
Chuntao also didn't know if she should tell the truth. Out of the corner of her eye, she quickly glanced at Zhou Zhijun, her eyes filled with panic.
Zhou Zhijun glanced at Chuntao, then turned back to Yang Weiming. He forced a stiff smile and said in a calm tone, "To tell you the truth, Chuntao is heading to Dongshan to visit some relatives."
Just a moment ago, he had vehemently denied they were going to Dongshan, yet now he was changing his tune.
His professional instincts instantly put Yang Weiming on high alert. His tone grew noticeably sharper. "Dongshan is a large area. Which village?"
"Xiawa Village!" Zhou Zhijun blurted out a random name, only hoping to send the man packing as quickly as possible.
To his surprise, a hint of astonishment flickered across Yang Weiming's face at those words.
"Xiawa Village? What a coincidence. Our patrol is heading straight for Xiawa Village!"
He looked at Chuntao, the sternness on his face softening a fraction, though his tone brooked no refusal.
"Chuntao, get in the car. We'll give you a ride, and you can be our guide..."
