Chuntao suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. Her frail body wobbled, and she clutched her belly tightly with both hands. Cold sweat instantly broke out across her forehead.
Zhang Shuanzhu loosened his grip, and Chuntao slowly turned around, her back resting against the pomegranate tree.
Through the thick cotton jacket, she could sense faint movements inside her belly.
The stabbing pain came in waves, draining the color from her face. She bit her lip hard, barely able to stand.
“Ah… my stomach…” Her voice trembled as she guarded her abdomen with both hands.
Seeing that Chuntao had hit the tree but wasn’t bleeding, Zhang Shuanzhu frowned and shouted to his men, “Hurry up and drag her away! Don’t waste any more time here!”
Liu Cuilan scoffed, her sharp voice cutting through the tension, “What’s she pretending for? It’s just a bump. Who told you to be so stubborn and not leave?”
Zhou Zhijun’s hands were tied behind his back, held tightly by two burly men.
When he saw Chuntao slam into the pomegranate tree, her eyes bloodshot and blazing with pain, he suddenly summoned all his strength, twisted free, and sent one of the men stumbling to the ground.
Before he could get up, Zhou Zhijun kicked him hard.
Breaking free from the two men, he lunged to Chuntao’s side, his voice shaking, “Tao… are you okay?”
He turned and shouted at Zhang Shuanzhu, “Zhang Shuanzhu! If you lay a finger on her, I swear I’ll skin you alive!”
The other family planning officials exchanged uneasy glances. Someone muttered under their breath, “If she really got hurt from hitting her belly, would we be held responsible?”
Zhang Shuanzhu shot a fierce glare at them, “She’s breaking the rules. If something happens to her, it’ll save us the trouble. Just drag her away quickly!”
But Zhou Zhijun stood like a guardian, blocking anyone from approaching Chuntao. No one dared to step forward.
“A bunch of useless cowards! Get her out of here now!” Zhang Shuanzhu barked at his men.
A few of them hesitated, edging closer to Zhou Zhijun to pull him away, but his eyes were like twin ice daggers. “Get lost! If anyone comes near, I’ll skin them alive today!”
Just as the tension reached a breaking point, Second Aunt Zhou staggered into the courtyard, followed by the village party secretary and a group of villagers—men and women alike.
Each carried wooden forks or iron shovels, some hoisting hoes on their shoulders.
Earlier, Chuntao had cried out from inside the house. Zhou Zhijun had rushed over, and Second Aunt Zhou, sensing something was wrong, had followed.
At the doorway, she saw the crowd trying to seize Chuntao. She immediately turned and ran outside, shouting from house to house.
The villagers had lived together for generations. Though they often quarreled over trivial matters like field boundaries or livestock damaging crops, when outsiders bullied one of their own, they set aside all differences and united against the common enemy.
Second Aunt Zhou burst into the courtyard and saw Chuntao leaning against the pomegranate tree, clutching her belly. She hurried over and supported her gently. “Tao, how are you? Are you alright?”
She carefully helped Chuntao sit on a high wooden stool and let her rest against her chest.
Two villagers stepped forward and untied the ropes binding Zhou Zhijun’s hands.
Deep red marks were carved into his wrists from the tight bindings. He ignored the pain, took a step toward Chuntao, and stood protectively by her side.
He crouched down, a pair of large hands covering her cold little ones, eyes full of tenderness. "Tao, is your stomach still hurting?"
Chuntao's stomach still ached faintly, but it was much better than before. She gently shook her head. "Brother Zhijun, what are we going to do now?"
Zhou Zhijun tightened his grip on her hands, warming them with his breath, his voice steady and resolute. "Tao, don’t be afraid! I’m here!"
The Old Secretary stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the family planning office staff. Suddenly, he slammed his hoe into the ground, sending clods of dirt flying.
"Are you blind? This is Dongshan’s land—none of your Qingshan Commune’s business! Get out of here!"
Zhang Shuanzhu glanced disdainfully at the villagers who were squabbling like fighting cocks, his neck stiff as he shouted, "Policies don’t care about borders!
She’s hiding away in the mountain valley to give birth secretly. Don’t talk about Dongshan—even if it’s the ends of the earth, I can still catch her!"
"You dare?" A burly man stepped forward, holding a carrying pole across his chest.
The other villagers immediately formed a circle, shielding Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun in the center.
Their hoes and shovels pointed straight at the family planning officials. A woman shouted, "We’re from Dongshan—none of you Qingshan Commune people have the right to bully us.
If you cross the boundary and lay a hand on anyone, don’t expect to leave Liujia Valley today!"
Second Aunt Zhou held Chuntao tightly by the shoulders, her voice trembling with anger. "If anything happens to the girl, can you pay for it? Leave now!"
"You’re all rebellious!" Zhang Shuanzhu’s chest heaved with anger. "A bunch of stubborn peasants—what, you think you can overturn the sky?"
He signaled to his men, "Today, we have to take them away!"
His subordinates gripped their wooden sticks tightly but none dared to step forward, intimidated by the villagers’ fierce stance.
Zhang Shuanzhu stared at his timid men, his face turning ashen with fury. "What are you all standing there for? Listen to me—take them away! If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility!"
He then glared at the villagers. "If you insist on obstructing government work, the commune can’t control you, but the county will! You’ll regret this!"
One of the accompanying family planning officers quickly chimed in, "Director Zhang is right! Those with sense will step aside—don’t bring trouble on yourselves!"
From the crowd, a gray-haired old man stepped forward, the blade of his sickle glinting coldly. "What I hate most are people like you, doing despicable things to cut off future generations!
If you want to take someone, my sickle won’t turn a blind eye!"
Leaning against Second Aunt Zhou’s chest, Chuntao’s pain gradually eased. Seeing the villagers protect her, tears welled up uncontrollably, rolling down her cheeks and dripping onto her cotton jacket.
Zhou Zhijun crouched before her, slipping her cold hands inside his jacket to warm them. He raised his rough hand and gently wiped away her tears.
He gave Chuntao a reassuring look, then suddenly stood up and strode out of the villagers’ protective circle.
His eyes darkened as they swept over Zhang Shuanzhu and his group, finally locking onto Zhang’s face. He spoke each word with deliberate force, "Zhang Shuanzhu, I’ll ask you one last time—are you going to leave or not?"
Zhang Shuanzhu, intimidated by the show of force, took a half step back. But thinking of his duty to enforce policy, he stiffened his resolve. "Leave? Impossible!"
“Today, I’m taking him away! If any of you dare to stop us, that’s defying the law!”
“When the commune sends troops down here, you won’t be able to handle it!”
“Send troops?” The Old Secretary sneered coldly, jabbing his pickaxe into the ground once more. “Who are you trying to scare? If you want to come at me, you’ll have to step over my old bones first!”
Zhang Shuanzhu ignored the Old Secretary and turned his gaze to Zhou Zhijun, his tone threatening. “Zhou Zhijun, come quietly with us, and everything can be worked out! But if you keep stubbornly resisting, the consequences will be severe!”
He then shouted to his men, “All of you, move in! If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility!”
His men exchanged glances but none of them moved.
Liujiagou was notorious for its fierce local spirit. If it came to a fight, these few wouldn’t stand a chance.
Zhang Shuanzhu felt a chill run down his spine, but the end of the month was approaching, and the family planning task was still unfinished.
Besides, after traveling overnight for over a hundred li to make this arrest, he wasn’t about to return empty-handed—not if he wanted to save face.
Just as both sides reached a stalemate, the faint sound of a siren echoed from the dirt road above. The wailing grew louder and closer.
Zhang Shuanzhu’s heart leapt with joy, as if clutching a lifeline. He pointed at the villagers with a triumphant grin. “You stubborn fools, the police are here! Let’s see who dares to stop them now!”
He looked up at the dirt road and sure enough, a few people in police uniforms were making their way down the path.
Leading them was Yang Weiming, followed by Wu Mingwei and his men.
“Look! It’s Captain Yang from the county police, known for cracking down hard!”
Zhang Shuanzhu’s face lit up with satisfaction, his voice rising a notch. “None of you troublemakers are getting away! You’re all going straight to the crackdown!”
