As soon as the words fell, a cold and stern male voice suddenly exploded, "What are you doing?"
Zhou Zhijun rushed out from the inner room like a gust of wind, his body taut and his eyes so icy they could freeze a person to death.
The visitor was none other than Liu Ergen, the second son of Second Aunt Zhou. Ever since he saw Chuntao that day, he had been restless with desire.
Just now, while working on the slope, he had seen Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou both there and knew that Chuntao was home alone, so he sneaked over.
He had planned to take advantage of her, but he never expected Zhou Zhijun to suddenly come out of the house.
He was so frightened that he trembled, stumbled on his feet, and his face instantly turned pale.
He knew Zhou Zhijun’s temper well—a man of few words but ruthless. If he really angered him, there would be no good outcome.
Liu Ergen’s tongue twisted, and his speech came out haltingly. "Brother Zhijun! I-I was just saying a few words to sister-in-law, I didn't do anything!"
His eyes darted away, not daring to meet Zhou Zhijun’s gaze, and he kept shrinking backward, wishing he could burrow into a crack in the ground.
Zhou Zhijun’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He stepped forward and stood firmly in front of Chuntao.
His eyes were like knives as he glared at Liu Ergen. "Do you have to get that close just to talk? Get the hell back to your house right now. If you come near her again, I'll break your legs!"
Liu Ergen was scared out of his wits, forcing a strained smile. "Brother Zhijun, I'm going right now!"
Before he even finished speaking, he bolted away as if a dog had bitten him.
Zhou Zhijun spat fiercely, his tense body finally relaxing. He reached back and took Chuntao's hand.
His eyes were full of distress as he looked at her. "You too—why didn't you call me when he came that close? What if something had happened to you?"
"You hadn't finished getting dressed yet..." Chuntao's heart was still trembling with fear. If Zhou Zhijun hadn't been there, she didn't dare think about what might have happened today.
Zhou Zhijun looked toward the door, where Liu Ergen had long vanished, and cursed, "Damn his ancestors to eight generations. I never imagined Liu Ergen would be such a filthy scoundrel!"
In his memory, Liu Ergen had always seemed fairly honest. He and his wife lived a decent life, and Zhou Zhijun never dreamed he would try to harass Chuntao.
He had already been worried about leaving Chuntao alone, and after this incident, he was even more uneasy.
"I have to tell Second Aunt about this. She needs to discipline him properly!" Zhou Zhijun squeezed Chuntao's cold little hand tightly.
Not long after, Aunt Zhou and Second Aunt Zhou returned. Seeing the two of them standing in the main room with grim expressions, their hearts tightened instantly.
"Chuntao, are you all right?" Aunt Zhou put down the basket of mats and hurried into the main room.
Chuntao didn’t know how to start, but Zhou Zhijun spoke for her. "That Liu Ergen—no sense of respect—actually dared to harass Chuntao!"
Second Aunt Zhou followed close behind and, hearing this, felt a jolt of shock. She pressed urgently, "Zhijun, what happened?"
Zhou Zhijun recounted everything just as it had happened. Second Aunt Zhou's lips trembled with rage as she cursed, "That worthless fool! I'm going to teach him a good lesson!"
She then turned to Chuntao, her voice softening. "Chuntao, don't be afraid. If he dares to come again, I'll break his legs!"
Liu Ergen had always been a bit slick in his dealings, but he had never done anything improper when it came to women.
Second Aunt Zhou never dreamed he could stoop to something so vile. She immediately flared up and was about to go find him to settle the score. "I'll skin him alive!"
Aunt Zhou was also furious, but she quickly reached out and grabbed her, whispering, "If you go storming off like that, what if Zhao Qiaoling finds out?"
Zhao Qiaoling was not an easy person to deal with. If she got wind of this, she would make a huge scene with Liu Ergen for sure!
If it blew up, they wouldn't be able to stay here anymore.
Aunt Zhou tightened her grip on Second Aunt Zhou’s wrist and added, "Don't make a scene for now. Let's warn Ergen privately. That way, we discipline him and don't leave ourselves open to gossip. It's better than stirring up a mess!"
Second Aunt Zhou stomped her foot in frustration. "How did I raise such a shameless thing! Just wait until I catch him—I'll beat him to death!"
Zhou Zhijun clenched his jaw tightly and looked at Second Aunt Zhou with a heavy tone. "Second Aunt, for your sake, I'll let it slide this time. But you had better keep him in check!
Chuntao is carrying a child. If there's a next time, I'll deal with him no matter who he is!"
"Don't worry! I won't let him off easy. There won't be a next time!" Second Aunt Zhou quickly promised.
She turned to Chuntao again, her voice gentle in comfort. "Chuntao, don't be afraid. I'll give him a proper scolding."
Chuntao nodded and replied softly, "Second Aunt, don't let this upset you too much. Maybe he was just thoughtless for a moment..."
Zhou Zhijun stayed at East Mountain for two more days. He even made a special trip to the market to buy loose-fitting vests and shorts for Chuntao and helped her change into them.
"This baby in your belly grows day by day. You can't let anything press on it!"
Every time he thought of Liu Ergen's lecherous behavior, Zhou Zhijun was filled with worry. He also bought Chuntao a spring knife for self-defense.
"Chuntao, from now on, if anyone dares to bully you, stand your ground!"
Before leaving, he repeatedly urged Aunt Zhou never to leave Chuntao alone for a moment.
Aunt Zhou patted her chest and promised, "Don't worry. I'll stick to her like glue. Wherever Chuntao is, I'll be there!"
By the time Zhou Zhijun left, the weather had cleared up, and the soil in the fields was just right—after a few days of sunshine, it would be ready for plowing.
He worked from dawn till dusk, hurrying as fast as he could, eager to finish plowing the fields and get back to East Mountain to be with Chuntao.
"Second Uncle!" Zhou Xiaowei spotted him in the field and rushed over.
"Did Grandma go to accompany Sister-in-law Chuntao? When are they coming back?"
Zhou Zhijun didn't even lift his eyes and said coldly, "Why are you poking your nose into so many things? Just mind your own business!"
"I was just asking!" Zhou Xiaowei muttered, feeling snubbed.
Zhou Zhimin and his wife were also plowing nearby, both pricking up their ears to listen.
When they were far enough away from Zhou Zhijun, Huang Meili spat and whispered venomously, "He acts all proper and upright all day, but behind the scenes, he does nothing but dirty things!
What 'adopted sister'? They've probably been lovers for a long time!"
Zhou Zhimin cracked his whip sharply against the ox’s back and barked, "If you keep your mouth shut, no one will think you're mute!"
Huang Meili laughed coldly. "I was born with a mouth to talk. You're too nosy!
There must be something shady going on. Why else would she hide away, and the old lady follow along too..."
Ever since Chuntao left Wangjia Village, the gossip in the village had never stopped, with all kinds of nasty rumors flying around.
Especially after Aunt Zhou left as well, most people in the village guessed that Chuntao was pregnant with Zhou Zhijun’s child and that Aunt Zhou had gone to take care of her.
Zhou Zhimin also had his suspicions. While Zhou Zhijun was away for those two days, he went to Old Man Zhou to fish for information.
Old Man Zhou didn’t actually know the truth. Aunt Zhou, afraid he would worry, hadn't told him anything.
"It's because they were afraid Liu Cuilan and the others would come and make trouble, so they hid away!"
"But why did Mother go too? The house is so busy—she could at least cook us a hot meal here!" Zhou Zhimin didn’t believe that for a second.
From her youth until now, Aunt Zhou had always been the one in charge of the household. She did whatever she wanted, and Old Man Zhou neither controlled nor interfered.
Old Man Zhou sighed and said, "Chuntao is shy by nature. It wasn't good for her to be alone out there, so your mother went to keep her company for a few days."
Now that Huang Meili had brought it up again, Zhou Zhimin scolded her for talking nonsense, but in his heart, he thought the same as she did.
If Chuntao really is carrying Zhou Zhijun’s child, then their carefully laid plans would truly come to nothing.
Zhou Zhimin glanced up and saw that Zhou Xiaowei had already left.
He turned his gaze to Zhou Zhijun’s retreating back and tightened his grip on the whip in his hand.
Even if this matter turned out to be true, it was still a family affair. He absolutely could not let Huang Meili go around blabbing about it. When he got home, he would have to properly teach that loose-tongued woman a lesson!
Just as he was thinking this, Zhou Xiaomei came running over, sobbing so hard she couldn’t get a single coherent word out.
“Zhou Zhaodi, she... she...”
