“Give it here!”
Zhou Zhijun extended his hand and squeezed the words out through gritted teeth, his tone striking Zhao Qiaoling’s heart like a heavy hammer.
“Brother Zhijun, that paper’s already torn to shreds—it’s useless!”
The moment Liu Ergen heard Zhou Zhijun’s voice, his heart clench tightly.
He never dreamed that Zhou Zhijun would come back safe and sound.
Remembering how Zhou Zhijun had caught him the last time he came looking for Chuntao, and now this business today, Liu Ergen’s legs could barely hold him.
He staggered over to Zhao Qiaoling and said urgently, “Quick, give it to Brother Zhijun!”
With that, he reached into her pocket, pulled out the paper, and held it up with both hands, face raised in deference. “Brother Zhijun, here you go!”
Zhou Zhijun snatched the paper, crushed it fiercely in his palm, and instantly balled it into a wad.
“Get lost!”
The couple trembled violently and bolted for the door.
But no sooner had Zhao Qiaoling stepped one foot over the threshold than she slipped and fell into the snow.
Ignoring the pain, she scrambled up and fled as if wolves were snapping at her heels.
Aunt Zhou watched their retreating backs, spat, and cursed, “Ungrateful wretches!”
That snow had been falling steadily since that very night, without the slightest sign of letting up.
And so Aunt Zhou’s three-generation family was trapped in this mountain gully.
Chuntao’s body grew heavier by the day, her belly swelling alarmingly. For daily needs—washing, eating, drinking—Zhou Zhijun personally attended to everything.
Zhou Xiaowei, at that restless age, couldn’t bear to stay cooped up indoors. Day after day, he and a few other village boys ran off to the slopes to catch rabbits.
Aunt Zhou was rolling out noodles in the kitchen when Zhou Xiaowei burst in, a plump rabbit dangling from his hand. “Grandma, look! For my sister-in-law Chuntao…”
He stopped mid-sentence, catching sight of Zhou Zhijun’s dark face approaching, and quickly corrected himself: “…for Second Aunt to build up her strength!”
Aunt Zhou didn’t even look up. “No good. Your Second Aunt’s carrying a baby—can’t have her eating rabbit!”
“Why not?” Zhou Xiaowei scratched his head, puzzled.
“If she eats rabbit, the baby will have a harelip!”
Zhou Xiaowei was half doubtful. He scratched his head again and muttered, “But without meat, she won’t get enough nutrition.”
Determined to nourish Chuntao properly, Zhou Zhijun resolved to brave the heavy snow and trek to East Mountain Street to buy some supplements.
“I don’t need supplements,” Chuntao protested, gazing at the vast white snowfall outside and patting her belly. “Look how fat I’ve gotten!”
During the first three months of pregnancy, she couldn’t keep anything down. But once the third month passed, her appetite turned astonishingly good.
Aunt Zhou, Second Aunt Zhou, and Zhou Zhijun all took turns concocting meals and drinks for her.
Every meal was white flour, with a constant supply of fish, meat, and eggs, plus no shortage of nutritional tonics. She had put on a full circle of weight, her face round and soft, her skin flushed more rosy and delicate than before.
Zhou Zhijun reached out and gently rubbed her cheek, saying softly, “You look better plump—gives you a nice, prosperous air.”
Those casual words made Chuntao’s face burn. Her mind flashed back to Zhou Zhijun’s earlier “shameless” remarks, and her heart beat a little faster.
Although she was only six months along, her belly was already alarmingly huge. Aunt Zhou watched with growing worry, fretting that the baby might be too big to deliver easily.
“Plump is fine, but if the baby in that belly gets too chubby, that’s no good. Giving birth will be a real ordeal!”
Chuntao had heard this before, especially since Aunt Zhou kept insisting she was carrying twins. If the babies grew too big, there could be serious trouble.
Zhou Zhijun, however, said, "Eating fish won't make you gain weight. I'll go to the market and buy a few crucian carp, then come back and stew them into a soup for you. It'll be very fresh."
With that, he threw his military coat over his shoulders and stepped out the door.
"Walk slowly, the road is slippery!" Aunt Zhou reminded him.
Watching her son's retreating figure, she smiled and shook her head.
Before she knew about him and Chuntao, she never would have dreamed that her cold-hearted son would ever be so devoted to a woman.
Aunt Zhou turned back and took Chuntao's hand, her eyes and brows filled with affection. "Tao, that boy Zhijun is usually cold to everyone, but with you, he warms right up. Don't worry—from now on, we won't let you suffer even the slightest grievance!"
"Mm!" Chuntao laughed, her lips pursed, her brows curving like crescent moons. Her face was as delicate as a peach blossom about to bloom in early spring.
In the days that followed, Aunt Zhou kept making all sorts of dishes for Chuntao. "Tao, eat a little less each time. If you're hungry, just tell me, and I'll make you more. We'll split it into several small meals. That way, the nutrients will spread out, the baby won't grow too big, and delivery will be easier."
Chuntao took her advice to heart. She ate until she was only seventy or eighty percent full at every meal and never asked for extra snacks. She stuck to three meals a day and ate together with the family.
After every meal, Zhou Zhijun would help her slowly walk a few rounds inside the house to stretch her limbs.
Watching the two of them so sweet with each other, Zhou Xiaowei was happy for them, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of bitterness.
Feeling envious inside the house, he started going up to the mountains every day to hunt rabbits with the village boys. Thanks to the heavy snow that had sealed off the mountains, the family had plenty of rabbit meat to eat these days.
The snowstorm lasted more than half a month before it finally let up. All the gullies and ridges in the mountains were filled in with white snow, making it impossible to tell where the roads ended and the ditches began.
The sky finally cleared, the sun came out, and its rays reflecting off the snow were blindingly bright.
Zhou Zhijun helped Chuntao sit by the door to soak up the sun, gently massaging her legs as he did. Lately, her legs had been prone to swelling and a sour ache; a good rub brought her a lot of relief.
Second Aunt Zhou was also helped by Aunt Zhou to sit by the door in the sun. The sunlight could melt the snow on the ground, but it couldn't melt the ice in her heart.
Second Aunt Zhou had always been a resilient woman, but her own daughter had been beaten to death. This incident was like a thorn lodged deep in her heart, impossible to pull out.
The pain in her heart was like her flesh being gouged out, yet she never mentioned it to anyone, silently bottling it all inside.
Aunt Zhou and the others understood—just because Second Aunt Zhou didn't talk about it didn't mean the matter was over.
The whole family was careful with every word and action, afraid that something they said might inadvertently touch her sore spot.
In such a stifling environment, Zhou Zhijun worried constantly about how the atmosphere might affect Chuntao and the baby in her belly.
He thought to himself that as soon as the snow melted and the roads dried up, he would take Chuntao home and leave his mother to keep Second Aunt company.
But even though the weather had cleared, the temperature was still bitterly cold. With snow this thick, it probably wouldn't melt completely even by the New Year.
Besides, Chuntao's belly was big now; if he took her on a cart and the road got bumpy, what if she had a fall?
The weather was freezing cold, and the mud-brick house let in drafts from every crack. At night, they shivered in bed.
Every evening, Zhou Zhijun boiled hot water for Chuntao to soak her feet.
Last time he went to town to buy the crucian carp, he also bought her a hot water bottle. At night, he would fill it with hot water and put it in the bedding to warm her feet.
He was afraid Chuntao would get burned, so he had Aunt Zhou sew a small cloth cover from scraps and put the hot water bottle inside it.
He gently placed the hot water bottle near Chuntao’s feet and asked softly, “Is it warm?”
“It’s warm,” Chuntao replied quietly.
Zhou Zhijun took care of her as meticulously as if she were a child.
In the morning, he would stoke the fire to dry her clothes and shoes, warming them until they were toasty, then personally help her put them on.
At night, he would boil water for her to soak her feet and use the hot water bottle to warm her bed.
Thinking about how good he was to her, her heart felt warm, and her eyes reddened with emotion.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhijun reached out and tapped her nose, laughing as he scolded, “Dropping golden beans again?”
Chuntao sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes, saying, “It’s just so warm!”
“Now that you’re carrying the baby, we’ll have to make do with the hot water bottle.
Once the child is born, I’ll warm your feet for you—it’ll be even warmer than this bottle,” Zhou Zhijun said, his voice low and laced with a smile.
Chuntao knew well enough that Zhou Zhijun’s body was like a furnace. In the past, when she leaned against him, it would make her heart tremble with heat.
If only she could curl up in his arms and sleep during this cold winter—how warm that would be!
As she thought about it, those shameful images swirled in her mind again, and a faint blush crept over her cheeks.
Seeing her reddened face, a flicker of amusement passed through Zhou Zhijun’s eyes. He leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice, “Tao, it’s been so long since I’ve had you. Are you thinking about it too?”
At his words, Chuntao’s face flushed even deeper, like a ripe apple. She buried herself under the covers and muttered, “Annoying, I’m not thinking about it!”
Zhou Zhijun chuckled softly, reached out to lift a corner of the quilt, and looked at her bright red earlobes. “I don’t believe you. You must be thinking about it.
We’ve got the marriage certificate—we’re a legitimate couple. What’s there to be shy about wanting this?
Once the baby’s born, I’ll make it up to you properly, okay?”
His voice was low, husky, and a little seductive, stirring her heart and making her desires flutter.
When she was four months pregnant, he had done it once. After that, Zhou Zhijun held himself back, afraid of hurting the baby.
It had been several months now. Not only was it hard for Zhou Zhijun to bear, but even Chuntao couldn’t suppress the longing in her heart. If she let her guard down, those thoughts would surface.
She buried herself under the covers, unable to face him, feeling her ears burning and her heart about to leap out of her chest.
