Zhou Zhijun had a knot of pent-up energy in his chest, and he pedaled his bike like fury, arriving home while the sun was still a pole's height in the sky, before the field workers had knocked off for the day.
When the villagers saw him, they immediately clustered together to gossip, all of them speculating about where he had hidden Chuntao.
Liu Cuilan had been released from custody a few days earlier. The moment she got home and heard that Chuntao had been hidden away by Zhou Zhijun, her face turned green with rage.
She had tried to file a complaint at the commune office, but it was useless, and she didn’t dare go confront Zhou Zhijun directly. After a few days in the lockup, Liu Cuilan was completely worn out. Now, with the autumn harvest and planting season in full swing, she had neither the strength nor the spare time to go make trouble in Li Family Village.
All she could do was vent with a few curses, "Those two shameless dogs and bitches, finally showing their true colors!"
Then she remembered Wang Lanhua, who had also vanished without a trace, showing no concern for her own family, and that made her even angrier. She bent over to cut soybeans, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Not a single one of them is any good. One of these days, they'll drive me to my grave!"
And then she thought about Wang Haichao and Wang Haibao, both sentenced to several years in prison. By the time they got out, she'd be fifty years old, and the best years of her life would be completely gone.
One troubling thought after another pressed down on her like heavy stones, bending her spine until she could barely straighten up. When she reached the end of the row, she plopped down on the ridge between the fields and stabbed the tip of her sickle deep into the dirt in frustration.
Wang Hailong and his brother, seeing her resting, came over and sat down next to her.
Wang Hailong spoke first. "Sister-in-law, that Zhou Zhijun is really no good. He's done so many rotten things—sooner or later, he'll get what's coming to him!"
Wang Haihu chimed in right away. "That's right! I don't believe he can keep Li Chuntao hidden forever!"
Wang Hailong sighed and added, "And what's going to happen to Wang Jieshi from now on? Xiaoming and his sister can't take care of him for the rest of their lives, can they?"
As he spoke, his eyes darted slyly toward Liu Cuilan, his words carrying a hidden meaning. "From now on, it's up to you, his own mother, to look after him."
Liu Cuilan had enough troubles of her own to deal with and didn't want to bother with Wang Jieshi's situation, especially since Xiaoming and his sister were handling it for now.
But the brothers' comments reignited the fire in her gut.
Gritting her teeth, she said, "Since I can't have it easy, nobody else will either! Once the autumn harvest is done and the wheat is planted, I'll settle scores with every last one of them!"
Just as she finished speaking, Zhou Zhijun came riding up on his bicycle.
They all hated him to the bone, but not a single one dared to say a word. They quickly turned their heads away, pretending not to see him.
In a nearby field, Wang Xiaohong and Wang Xiaoming, brother and sister, were also cutting soybeans. When they saw Zhou Zhijun but no sign of Aunt Zhou, Wang Xiaohong felt a flicker of doubt.
First Chuntao had left Wang Family Village, and now Aunt Zhou was gone too. What on earth was Zhou Zhijun up to? It was impossible to figure out.
Earlier that day, Li Mingliang had come to see Wang Xiaohong and told her that Zhou Pandi had fallen into a slurry pit and was badly injured, so she couldn't work as a temporary cafeteria worker anymore. He had recommended Wang Xiaohong for the job, and the logistics section chief had agreed. He asked her if she was interested.
Passing up such a good opportunity would be stupid. But with all the things she had to take care of at home, there was no way she could leave.
Wang Jieshi needed looking after, and there was so much farmland that she and Wang Xiaoming were working from dawn to dusk and still falling behind everyone else.
Wang Xiaohong thought to herself, if only Chuntao hadn't left.
Chuntao could have worked in the workers' cafeteria and helped out in the fields in her spare time, earning money and doing farmwork at the same time. Their lives would just keep getting better.
And later on, if she got a permanent position with better benefits, even after she got married, she could still help support the family.
But thinking about all that now was pointless. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and turn down Li Mingliang's kindness.
Now, seeing Zhou Zhijun, her feelings were all mixed up. She lowered her head and worked harder at cutting the soybeans, pretending not to see him.
Wang Xiaoming, however, put down his sickle and hurried quickly toward the dirt path at the edge of the field, calling out from a distance, "Uncle Zhijun!"
Zhou Zhijun stopped his bike, resting his long legs on the ground, and turned his head to look at him.
Wang Xiaoming ran up to him and asked urgently, "Uncle Zhijun, is my sister-in-law doing okay?"
Even though Chuntao had never been legally married to Wang Jieshi, Wang Xiaoming was used to calling her "sister-in-law" and couldn't change the habit.
"She's doing great!" Zhou Zhijun said, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. His tone was firm. "Don't worry."
Wang Xiaoming wanted to ask more, but Zhou Zhijun had already pedaled off on his bike.
In Wang Xiaoming's eyes, Zhou Zhijun was a man of responsibility—a real man. Chuntao wouldn't suffer being with him.
Even though he didn't know where Chuntao was, as long as she was doing well, that was enough to put his mind at ease.
When he walked back into the field, Wang Xiaohong glanced at him and said flatly, "What were you doing just now?"
"Nothing much. Just asked about our sister-in-law."
"She doesn't care about this family anymore, so why are you wasting your time on that?"
Wang Xiaoming knew that Wang Xiaohong still hadn't come around, so he didn't argue with her. He bent down and went back to cutting soybeans.
The autumn harvest, in the relentless rhythm of everyone working themselves to the bone, gradually drew to a close.
Next came plowing the fields and planting winter wheat and rapeseed.
In previous years, Zhou Zhijun had always helped the Wang family with plowing and planting. This year, he had planned to leave them to their own devices, but when he saw how badly Xiaoming and his sister were struggling, he couldn't bring himself to be heartless.
He kept two oxen at home—one male and one female—so he simply lent them the female one and told Wang Xiaoming to learn how to plow with it.
Just as the fields were plowed and they were about to start sowing, the rain set in.
Zhou Zhijun wanted to take the break to go see Chuntao at East Mountain, but the roads were all muddy and completely impassable by bike, so he just packed up his things and set off on foot.
He hoisted a fertilizer sack over his shoulder, put on his rubber boots, and trudged through the mire onto the road. The mud was so sticky that it caked thick onto his boots, making each step a struggle. In the end, he took the boots off, carrying the sack with one hand and holding the boots in the other, and strode out in big steps toward East Mountain.
With hope in his heart, his feet found their strength, and he didn't feel tired at all. After traveling for eleven or twelve hours, he finally reached East Mountain.
It hadn't rained on this side of the mountain. Second Aunt Zhou was out in the fields scattering wheat seeds, and Aunt Zhou was in the kitchen making hand-pulled noodles.
When she saw Zhou Zhijun coming into the yard, barefoot, carrying the sack and holding his boots, Aunt Zhou put down her rolling pin and came out to meet him.
"Zhijun, your feet are caked in mud! How did you get here?"
"It's pouring rain over on our side. The roads are all slop—couldn't ride the bike, so I walked!"
Aunt Zhou took his rubber boots from him and said with concern, "That's such a long way. You must be exhausted! Sit down and rest for a bit!"
Zhou Zhijun had no time for rest. He missed Chuntao so badly it was eating him alive. Now that he was at the doorstep, the first thing he wanted was to see her.
He saw that the main hall door was closed and asked in a low voice, "Is Tao asleep? I'll go see her."
He put the sack down in the kitchen and headed straight for the main hall.
Aunt Zhou quickly grabbed him and scolded him playfully, "What's the rush? She just fell asleep. Don't wake her up!"
Zhou Zhijun frowned. "I'll be quiet. I won't wake her."
"Alright, alright. Take it easy. This girl sleeps lightly—any little noise and she's awake."
Seeing how frantic her son was, Aunt Zhou softened and let him go.
"You go on ahead. I'm making noodles—I'll crack a couple of eggs for Tao's bowl, and you can have a bowl too."
Zhou Zhijun didn't even bother to wash his feet. Barefoot, he tiptoed lightly into the inner room of the north house.
Chuntao was lying flat on the bed, her breathing steady, a faint smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.
Having not seen her for about a month, her complexion had improved significantly, and she seemed to have put on a little weight.
Zhou Zhijun's gaze slid down from her face. Although she was covered with a thin quilt, he could still tell that her chest was fuller and her lower belly was slightly rounded.
Finally seeing the one he had been longing for day and night, Zhou Zhijun's eyes grew hot, and he nearly shed tears.
Her face was smooth and rosy, even her lips were a soft pink. It seemed that his mother had truly taken great care these days, raising her so well.
Zhou Zhijun raised his hand, unable to resist the urge to touch her delicate cheek.
Just as his fingertips were about to graze her skin, the corners of Chuntao's mouth lifted slightly, and she let out a soft, indistinct murmur. "Zhijun... brother..."
The sound was as soft as freshly steamed glutinous rice cake, so sweet it made his heart tremble. Zhou Zhijun's heart instantly melted into a mess!
He was about to answer when he saw Chuntao's eyelids flutter—
