Now, let's talk about Zhou Xiaowei's side. When he got home, the whole family was warming themselves by the fire in the eastern room, and Wang Xiaohong was there too.
"Brother... brother..." Zhou Xiaobao was the first to spot Zhou Xiaowei. He immediately dashed out of the room, grabbed his hand, and bounced up and down with excitement. "Brother, where's your bicycle?"
Seeing Zhou Xiaowei return, the others in the room also stood up one after another.
He had been gone for almost a month. With just about another month until the New Year, it was about time he came back.
When Zhou Xiaowei left that day, he hadn't made clear what he was going for. That very night, Zhou Zhiguo went to ask his mother.
His mother didn't say much, just vaguely mentioned "matters to take care of" and told them not to worry too much.
But then, just one day after Zhou Xiaowei left, he came back and took Aunt Zhou away with him.
There was also Zhou Zhijun, who had gone out after the wheat was planted and hadn't come back since.
The village gossip never stopped. People said that Zhou Zhijun had already hooked up with Li Chun Tao, and that Li Chun Tao was carrying a bastard child.
Zhou Zhiguo and his wife had been half-believing, half-doubting. But Aunt Zhou had kept the matter tightly under wraps, which only made them more suspicious.
A few days earlier, when they heard that Liu Cuilan had led the family planning officials to the eastern hills to catch Li Chun Tao, Zhou Zhiguo's family was on tenterhooks.
Now, seeing Zhou Xiaowei rush back with a bright red face, their hearts tightened again.
"Xiaowei!" Wang Haiying called out, quickly pulling over a chair. "Sit down and rest!"
Zhou Hongxia noticed the sweat on his forehead and handed him a handkerchief. "Brother, you're so hot!"
Zhou Xiaowei collapsed into the chair and wiped his sweat. "I've run over a hundred li—how could I not be hot?"
"Xiaowei, your grandmother and Second Uncle, they..." Wang Haiying glanced at Wang Xiaohong nearby but stopped herself mid-sentence.
Zhou Hongxia, however, didn't think twice and asked, "Brother, the villagers are saying that the family planning officials went to the eastern hills to arrest someone. Is Sister-in-law Chuntao really pregnant?"
Everyone in the room turned to Zhou Xiaowei, waiting for his answer.
The moment he was asked about this, Zhou Xiaowei felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if pricked by a needle. He stayed silent for a long time before giving a dull "Mm-hmm."
"Then... did they take Sister-in-law Chuntao away?" Zhou Hongxia pressed on.
"No," Zhou Xiaowei said, his voice weak and weary.
"What exactly happened? Tell us clearly! What were you doing all this time? Are Grandma and the others back yet?"
"...The police station and the family planning officials both showed up. They took Second Uncle away. They didn't take Sister-in-law Chuntao..." Zhou Xiaowei recounted the whole story of what happened in the eastern hills.
When Zhou Hongxia heard this, she slapped her thigh in excitement. "Great! Now Second Uncle and Sister-in-law Chuntao—no, I mean our new Second Aunt—can live out in the open. That'll shut those gossipy people up!"
The worry had lifted from Zhou Zhiguo and his wife's faces.
Wang Haiying smiled and said, "Our Lao Er usually seems so cold and distant. Do you think he'll know how to treat a wife?"
Zhou Zhiguo shot her a glare. "What's all this about treating a wife? Marriage is about everyday things—salt, oil, firewood, and a peaceful, safe life. That's all that matters!"
Zhou Hongxia chimed in, "Don't think Second Uncle doesn't laugh or talk much. I bet he'll treat his wife well! Before, he used to treat me..."
She caught herself mid-sentence when she noticed Wang Xiaohong silently stitching the sole of a shoe, her head down and her expression cold. Zhou Hongxia realized she'd said something wrong and quickly shut her mouth.
Wang Xiaohong knew that Zhou Zhijun was a capable man, so it didn't surprise her that he could get a marriage certificate and a birth permit.
But in her heart, that knot was still there, impossible to untie.
She had once thought so highly of Zhou Zhijun and had never doubted him. And what happened?
She felt like a fool, completely played for a fool.
Li Chun Tao had left the Wang family and immediately followed Zhou Zhijun away. It had all happened so fast; she couldn't accept it.
Wang Xiaohong looked toward the door, stood up, and said, "It's nearly noon. I'm going home to cook!"
As she watched Wang Xiaohong's hurriedly retreating figure, Zhou Hongxia shook her head. "Xiaohong is usually so sensible. Why can't she get past this?"
Wang Haiying sighed. "Chuntao isn't with Wang Jieshi anymore, and that burden of his will eventually fall on Xiaohong and her brother. Ah, everyone has their own selfish side. It's only normal that she can't get over it."
Zhou Zhiguo turned to the dazed Zhou Xiaowei and asked, "When are your grandmother and the others coming back?"
Zhou Xiaowei was lost in thought and didn't hear him. It wasn't until Zhou Zhiguo patted his arm that he snapped back to reality.
"Oh. The roads are all covered in snow. It's a long way, and Grandma is old. She probably won't be able to make it back before the New Year."
Wang Haiying sighed. "That's right. The road is so slippery, and Chuntao is pregnant too."
Zhou Zhiguo stood up. "I'm going to tell your grandfather. He's been worried these past few days too."
About Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao's situation, and about her pregnancy, Aunt Zhou had kept it all from the old man, afraid he would fret.
But Old Man Zhou wasn't a fool. He had long sensed something unusual but hadn't said anything. Now that Aunt Zhou and the others had been gone for so long, he was deeply uneasy.
Zhou Zhiguo recounted everything Zhou Xiaowei had said, word for word, to Old Man Zhou. After listening, the old man let out a long sigh of relief, knocked the ash from his pipe on the doorstep, and couldn't help but smile at the corners of his mouth.
"That Lao Er of mine—always silent and brooding—who knew he had this kind of trick up his sleeve!"
Zhou Zhijun's situation with marriage had always been a weight on his mind. Now, this young man had quietly gotten married and gotten his wife pregnant without a word. What a pleasant surprise.
"Good. Lao Er isn't getting any younger. It was about time he settled down."
Zhou Zhiguo smiled in agreement. "Exactly!" But then he had a second thought and his brow furrowed.
"I'm just worried that Liu Cuilan won't let this go. That bunch is always bouncing around, causing trouble. They won't let us have any peace."
Old Man Zhou curled his lip. "A toad on your instep—it doesn't bite, but it disgusts you. Just ignore them."
Liu Cuilan, indeed, wasn't one to let things rest.
After being egged on by the Zhou Zhaodi sisters, she vowed to go to the commune one of these days to find Secretary Wang, to have him be the one to make things right for her.
Before they knew it, the twelfth lunar month had arrived. Every household was busy milling flour and rice, getting ready for the New Year.
The snow had been falling for so long that Liu Cuilan's family had run out of flour days ago. They had been surviving on dried sweet potatoes.
But her mind was entirely fixed on finding Secretary Wang, and milling flour was the last thing on her mind.
Wang Haihu and Wang Hailong, the two brothers, couldn't take it anymore and urged her, "It's almost the New Year. Let's just get the flour milled early and settle things. We can't keep eating dried sweet potatoes every day, can we?"
"I've got more important business to handle. You two go do the milling!"
The snow on the roads had melted, leaving mud everywhere. The handcarts were impossible to pull, so they would have to carry the grain on their shoulders to the milling house in the market town.
But both brothers were lazier than the other. Neither of them wanted to move.
"You're both too lazy to even lift a finger, but you sure have plenty of energy when it comes to sleeping—just like livestock!" Liu Cuilan scolded.
The two lazy men might seem quiet on the surface, but not a single one of them was any good.
Liu Cuilan cursed loudly on the outside, but on the inside, she was secretly pleased.
Truth be told, she was quite fond of this kind of thing. Ever since Wang Haichao and Wang Haibao had gone to prison, she had been desperately in need of it.
She had hooked up with Baldy Zhang to use him for her schemes. But as for the more intimate side of things, Baldy Zhang was completely useless. Thank goodness for these two brothers—they finally scratched her itch.
She just kept scolding, and the brothers never got mad. Wang Hailong grinned cheekily and sidled up to her. "A beast like me has to save up my strength to take care of you!"
Wang Haihu said in his deep, gruff voice, "Do your own milling. We're saving our strength for something else—for you."
"If you two don't go mill the flour, don't even think about touching me! I mean what I say—just try it!" Liu Cuilan glared.
"Are you off to see Baldy Zhang again?" Wang Haihu's eyes went wide with anger.
Wang Hailong let out a scornful laugh. "That old Baldy Zhang is nothing but a limp eggplant—completely useless!"
Seeing that they were dead set on not going, Liu Cuilan had no choice. She hoisted two half-sacks of wheat onto her own shoulders and trudged unsteadily toward the flour mill on Qingshan Street.
As year-end approached, the flour mill was packed to the brim.
By the time Liu Cuilan arrived, a long line had already formed.
She spotted Li Dazhuang in the crowd and hurriedly plopped her grain down in front of him. "Dazhuang, keep an eye on this for me and help get it milled later—I've got urgent business!"
Li Dazhuang didn't care for his mother-in-law one bit, but he was afraid she'd make a scene here and embarrass him in front of everyone.
"Be quick about it. There's a huge line—cutting in definitely won't work!"
Liu Cuilan didn't even listen. She turned and rushed frantically toward the commune office.
The guard at the commune gate stopped her. "Secretary Wang is in a meeting—you can't go in!"
"What time will it be over?" Liu Cuilan stomped her feet in agitation.
"Hard to say. What's your business? I'll pass on the message for you." The old guard pulled out a notebook.
"My business is too important—I have to see Secretary Wang myself!" Liu Cuilan stuck out her chin stubbornly.
Just as they were arguing, a green jeep screeched to a halt at the commune entrance.
The old guard had worked here for over twenty years; he knew his stuff. Recognizing that the vehicle was something special, he quickly smiled and went to open the gate.
A young man in a green military uniform stepped out of the jeep and nodded politely at the guard. "Uncle, we're looking for Secretary Wang."
"Right away, I'll go announce you! Please wait a moment!" The old man headed into the office building.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Liu Cuilan slipped inside.
"What are you doing? Get out!" The old man glanced back and barked sternly.
As reckless as Liu Cuilan could be, she didn't dare cause trouble inside the commune compound. She slunk back to the entrance, fuming.
She figured she'd wait until the old man was gone, then sneak in to find Secretary Wang.
Out of habit, she turned to look at the green jeep behind her.
The moment she did, her eyes nearly popped out of her head, and her jaw dropped open wide enough to hold an egg.
How could it be him?
A surge of warmth rushed to her heart, and the frustration she'd been feeling a moment ago vanished into thin air.
Well, this was perfect—finally, someone had her back!
