By the time Zhou Zhijun brought Chuntao to his second aunt's house, the sky was already growing dark.
His second aunt was a gray-haired old lady whose features somewhat resembled Aunt Zhou's.
She looked even more robust than Aunt Zhou, and she spoke with a loud, booming voice.
Seeing Zhou Zhijun walk in with a young, pretty little wife, the old lady's eyes widened in sheer astonishment.
"Zhijun, what brings you here at this hour? And this girl is..."
Zhou Zhijun answered openly and proudly, "Second Aunt, this is my wife."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught a glimpse of Chuntao's small face flushing completely red. Her head dropped low, her eyes only daring to stare at her own toes. He knew she was feeling shy again.
He hurriedly pulled his second aunt to the side and explained in a hushed voice, "Second Aunt, she's pregnant. I brought her here to hide out for a while. Once the baby is born, I'll come back to pick her up."
Second Aunt Zhou understood instantly. Family planning policies were strictly enforced these days. If the firstborn was a son, having a second child was absolutely forbidden.
If the firstborn was a daughter, a family might be allowed to have one more, but if the second child was also a girl, they couldn't have any more.
In order to have a boy, many people started hiding even during their first pregnancy.
Deep in these mountain ravines, they were far from the authorities' reach. As long as the locals did not report anything, the officials would not investigate, making it very safe.
Even if someone actually came to inspect, there were forests covering the mountains and plains. One could simply find a place to hide, and no one would ever find them.
Zhou Zhijun added, "Second Aunt, I'll be troubling you from now on!"
However, Second Aunt Zhou felt a twinge of doubt. She pulled Zhou Zhijun closer and asked in a whisper, "Zhijun, this girl... you didn't buy her from out of town, did you?"
Zhou Zhijun had been a bachelor for half his life. Suddenly bringing back such a beautiful wife, who was also pregnant, would make anyone suspect that he had bought a wife.
This kind of thing was not uncommon; almost every village had one or two such households. But what Second Aunt Zhou feared was that if this girl had been trafficked and ran away one day, how would she explain it to her older sister and Zhou Zhijun?
"No! She's from our village!" Zhou Zhijun quickly waved his hands in denial.
Second Aunt Zhou was half-believing and half-doubting. "Really?"
"Really! Why would I lie to you?"
Hearing this, Second Aunt Zhou's mouth instantly broke into a grin that stretched from ear to ear. The wrinkles on her face squeezed together so tightly they could catch a fly, and she slapped her thigh, beaming with joy.
"Oh my! You really have some skills, boy! To find such an outstanding wife! Don't you worry, your second aunt will definitely take excellent care of her!"
With that said, she turned and walked over to Chuntao, taking her hands and speaking in a gentle, warm voice. "Girl, don't be shy! Just treat this place as your own home from now on. Whatever you want to eat or drink, just tell your second aunt!"
Chuntao felt a warmth in her heart. She raised her eyes to look at Second Aunt Zhou, her voice soft and sweet. "Second Aunt, I'm sorry to cause you trouble."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all!" Second Aunt Zhou waved her hands repeatedly. "I've been hoping for Zhijun to start a family and have children for a long time now. Today, my wish has finally come true. I'm too happy to even think about it being a trouble!"
Chuntao's face burned even hotter. Clutching the hem of her shirt, she did not know how to respond for a moment.
While Zhou Zhijun and his second aunt had been talking just now, she had already quietly observed the house.
The north building consisted of three adobe rooms. The room on the east side of the courtyard was not as tall as the north building and was probably the kitchen.
On the west side, a pigpen and a chicken coop were built with stones. Next to them was a woodshed, stacked with neatly arranged firewood.
Looking at the pigpen, Chuntao suddenly remembered how her own family's piglet had been snatched by a wolf, and her heart skipped a beat.
Deep in this mountain ravine, could there be wolves here too?
Second Aunt Zhou pulled Chuntao to sit on the bench in the main room, then called out to Zhou Zhijun, You two sit for a bit. I will go make two bowls of egg tea to pad your stomachs!
Zhou Zhijun had ridden over thirty miles of mountain roads. The two soft buns he ate on the way had long been digested, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger.
He opened his cloth bag, took out the remaining dozen soft buns and a few salted eggs, and arranged them on the table.
Turning to look at Chuntao, he softened his tone, Are you hungry? Eat a bit more in a moment, then go to bed early and get a good rest.
Chuntao was also hungry, but when Second Aunt Zhou brought over the steaming egg tea, she only managed a few sips of the broth and forced down an egg before her stomach started feeling uncomfortable again, making her unable to eat any more.
Second Aunt Zhou carried the bedding and summer sleeping mat Zhou Zhijun had brought into the inner room. After bustling about for a while, she called out to them, Tonight, you two will sleep in my room!
Just as she was making the bed, the sound of light, pattering footsteps came from outside the door, and Second Aunt Zhou's two granddaughters skipped into the room.
Seeing Zhou Zhijun, the two girls were momentarily startled before timidly calling out, Uncle!
Zhou Zhijun would come to visit relatives every Chinese New Year, so they naturally recognized him. However, looking at Chuntao beside him, the two girls' eyes widened into perfect circles, full of curiosity.
The lines on Zhou Zhijun's face softened a bit as he waved at them. Hurry up and come in!
But the two girls seemed rooted to the spot. Their eyes stared fixedly at Chuntao, completely deaf to Zhou Zhijun's words.
This aunt was simply too beautiful!
Second Aunt Zhou walked out of the inner room. Seeing her two granddaughters looking so dazed, she could not help but scold them gently, What are you standing there looking silly for? This is your Second Aunt!
They finally snapped back to their senses and called out in unison, Aunt!
Chuntao's heart skipped a beat at the address. Her small face reddened a bit more, and she quickly smiled back at them.
Second Aunt Zhou pointed at the two of them and introduced them to Chuntao, This is your eldest cousin's eldest daughter, Shanxing, and this is your second cousin's second daughter, Xiangguo.
Second Aunt Zhou had two sons and two daughters, all of whom were married.
The wives of her two sons were both acquired through an exchange marriage using her own daughters. Now, both sons' families had two daughters and one son, and they were getting by decently.
Three years ago, Second Aunt Zhou's husband passed away. Her two sons were worried about her living alone, so they sent these two granddaughters over every night to keep her company.
That night, Second Aunt Zhou and her two granddaughters slept in the western inner room. Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao slept in Second Aunt Zhou's eastern inner room.
Second Aunt Zhou's bed was not large. Squeezed together, Zhou Zhijun held Chuntao tightly in his arms so they could barely lie down.
The terrain in the mountain ravine was low, and the trees covering the slopes blocked out the sky and the sun. Although it was the hottest part of summer, the night was very cool, without the slightest hint of heat.
An old mosquito net hung over the bed, keeping the buzzing mosquitoes at bay.
Ever since she started retching that night, Chuntao's body and mind felt like they were being roasted over a fire.
After being rescued from her suicide attempt, she had been on edge for the past few days. Coupled with her pregnancy, she could neither eat nor sleep.
Now that she had finally escaped from the Wang family village, the taut string in her heart suddenly relaxed. Her body was already weak, and shortly after her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Chuntao was awakened by the crisp chirping of birds outside the window.
The moment she opened her eyes, she thought she was still lying in Aunt Zhou's house. She stared blankly for a long while before remembering that she had already arrived at Second Aunt Zhou's house.
Not seeing Zhou Zhijun, Chuntao felt a sudden emptiness in her heart, and a wave of baseless panic welled up inside her.
"Auntie, are you awake?" a crisp voice rang out from the doorway of the inner room.
Chuntao turned her head and saw Xiangguo already walking to the bedside, carrying a basin of washing water.
"Uncle went to town early in the morning, and Grandma went to the back mountain to dig up some ginger. There's still food left for you in the pot!"
Chuntao managed to squeeze out a smile at her and softly replied, "Okay."
She slowly climbed out of bed, finished washing up, and went to the kitchen to serve herself a bowl of porridge.
But her stomach was still feeling terrible. She took two sips and put it down, her brows furrowing in distress.
As she was sitting there in a daze, she heard footsteps at the courtyard gate. Second Aunt Zhou returned, carrying a bamboo basket on her arm.
"Girl, are you awake?" Second Aunt Zhou set the basket down on the ground.
She smiled and said, "I dug up some ginger and picked a handful of perilla leaves to boil some water for you. You'll feel much better after drinking it!"
With that, Second Aunt Zhou deftly scooped some water to wash the ginger, sliced it, and tossed a handful of perilla leaves into the pot.
Chuntao felt a surge of gratitude. She rolled up her sleeves, wanting to help tend the fire, but Xiangguo grabbed her arm.
"Auntie, go cool off in the courtyard. I'll tend the fire!"
Second Aunt Zhou instructed Xiangguo, "Bring it to a boil over high heat first, then turn it down to a simmer for a while, and it'll be ready!"
She pulled Chuntao over to sit under the persimmon tree in the courtyard, then grabbed a large handful of bright red wild berries from the bamboo basket and stuffed them into Chuntao's hands.
"These are wild hawthorns, sweet and sour. Have a taste!"
Chuntao's mouth had been tasting bland and tasteless. Seeing these vibrant red fruits instantly gave her a bit of an appetite.
She picked one up and popped it into her mouth. It was both sour and sweet, truly delicious.
Second Aunt Zhou sat nearby stitching shoe soles. Seeing how much Chuntao enjoyed them, the smile on her face grew even more affectionate.
"Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl. It's bound to be a big, chubby boy!"
At these words, Chuntao's face flushed red again. She buried her head low, not daring to look at Second Aunt Zhou.
She had heard her grandmother repeat the old saying "sour for a boy, spicy for a girl" before, but deep down in her heart, she really wanted a daughter.
Daughters are considerate. If her firstborn was a girl, they could still have another child later on.
If the firstborn was a son, they might never be able to have a daughter in this lifetime.
She even thought about how wonderful it would be if she could give birth to a pair of boy-girl twins, just like Xiaohong and her brother!
Just as she was lost in thought, the squeak of bicycle brakes came from outside the courtyard gate.
