The arrivals were two public security officers from Qingshan Commune. Zhou Zhijun held his marriage certificate and birth permit firmly in hand, feeling completely at ease and utterly unafraid.
These two officers had come once before with Wu Mingwei, and Zhou Zhijun’s matter had already been settled, but Liu Cuilan kept running to the commune every day, crying and making a scene. Wu Mingwei had no choice but to send them over again just to go through the motions.
The two officers explained their purpose to Zhou Zhijun, took a brief statement, and left without delay.
Meanwhile, another group of officers went to Wangjia Village to conduct interviews and verify the facts.
On ordinary days, the villagers had plenty of private gossip about Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao, but when the officers actually showed up to investigate, many people found themselves sympathizing with Chuntao instead.
One after another, they told the officers about Chuntao’s hardships over the years, about how much Zhou Zhijun had helped the Wang family, and some villagers even said, “The two of them were meant to be a couple from the start.”
Only Liu Cuilan’s clique kept repeating all the ugly things they could think of, dead set on giving the officers some “ammunition” against Zhou Zhijun.
The officers recorded the villagers’ statements and brought them back to the commune, where they handed them over to Wu Mingwei.
After organizing everything properly, Wu Mingwei personally delivered the file to Secretary Wang for review, along with a detailed report on Wang Jieshi’s past misdeeds.
“Secretary Wang, to be honest with you, I handled the marriage certificate and birth permit for Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao according to the proper procedures. Their union is aboveboard and fully legal!”
After hearing about Chuntao’s suffering, Secretary Wang was both shocked and deeply sympathetic. He pondered for a moment, then said, “Mingwei, the law is rigid, but people are what matter, and you did the right thing!
This is a new society now, and yet there are still people with such miserable fates — it truly breaks one’s heart.
Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao love each other and married of their own free will. They are protected by law, and no one has the right to stand in their way!”
Liu Cuilan refused to give up and went to the police station to raise a fuss once more.
The officers directly told her that Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao were legally married, strictly protected by law, and that no one could undermine their marriage under any pretext.
Hearing this, Liu Cuilan collapsed completely, lying flat on the police station floor and acting like a complete shameless brat.
She hurled insults, accusing the officers of shielding Zhou Zhijun, and flat-out refused to leave.
The officer on duty frowned darkly, reached behind his back, and yanked out a pair of handcuffs, slamming them on the desk with a loud clang.
He barked, “Liu Cuilan, this is a police station, not a place for your theatrics!
If you keep crying and disturbing public order, you’ll be charged with obstructing official duties. These handcuffs aren’t just for show!”
Staring at the shiny handcuffs on the desk, Liu Cuilan’s crying stopped dead. She instinctively shuffled backward on her rear, her eyes betraying a flash of genuine fear.
The officer added, “Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao have all their paperwork in order. They are legally married, full stop.
If you keep making trouble, we’ll call Secretary Wang directly!”
Liu Cuilan had already gone to Secretary Wang, and he had said exactly the same thing.
She had initially counted on the fact that her cousin Liu Haitao had some connection with Secretary Wang, which was why she dared to come and cause trouble every day. But now, both the secretary and the police station were on Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao’s side, refusing to entertain her nonsense.
If she really got handcuffed, she would lose all face, and even if Liu Haitao were right there, he wouldn’t lift a finger to help her — and besides, Liu Haitao was thousands of miles away!
Faced with such a hardline attitude from the officers, Liu Cuilan completely wilted. She slowly dragged herself up off the floor, muttering “I’ll be back,” even as she shuffled backward, and slunk away in disgrace.
Having failed twice in her attempts to harm Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao, Liu Cuilan didn’t think for a second that she was in the wrong. Instead, she became convinced that Secretary Wang and Wu Mingwei were deliberately showing favoritism.
But as angry as she was, there was nothing else she could do. She could only curse under her breath at home to vent her frustration.
When Wang Jieshi learned how things had turned out, he ground his teeth in hatred, but he was a useless cripple now. Even if he gnashed his teeth to dust, he could only swallow his rage.
After the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the spirit of the New Year grew stronger by the day. The villagers were busy going to market for supplies, steaming New Year buns, and butchering their New Year pigs. Smoke curled from every chimney, and laughter and cheer filled the air everywhere.
But Wang Xiaohong’s heart felt as cold as the river water in the dead of winter.
Her family’s New Year buns still hadn’t been steamed, and she couldn’t muster the energy to tidy the house. She stayed cooped up indoors all day without going out.
While Wang Xiaoming went to the market, she sat on the bed stitching a sole, her thoughts a tangled mess.
The fantasy of Chuntao returning to the Wang family was completely shattered. Was her brother Wang Jieshi, that burden, really going to weigh her down for the rest of her life?
She could just walk away without caring, but something still held her back.
However, what troubled her most wasn’t Wang Jieshi, but the relationship between Zhou Hongxia and Li Mingliang.
Now that Zhou Hongxia had become a full-time worker at the oilfield, the two of them saw each other every day. Feelings were bound to grow between them.
The day she had given Li Mingliang that sweater — he still hadn’t come back to return it.
What did that mean? Was she overthinking it? Maybe there was nothing going on between him and Zhou Hongxia after all?
But that night, she had run into Zhou Hongxia and Zhou Xiaowei, who were just on their way to see Li Mingliang.
Zhou Hongxia’s expression had been slightly awkward, and her pocket had been bulging — likely that pair of shoe insoles embroidered with mandarin ducks.
She and Zhou Hongxia had grown up together, often doing needlework side by side, so she could read her childhood friend like a book.
These past few days, she had gone looking for Zhou Hongxia at her place, hoping to subtly probe about the situation between her and Li Mingliang, but every time she went, Zhou Hongxia was nowhere to be found.
Wang Haiying said she was at work, but Zhou Hongxia only helped out in the cafeteria, and she was only needed during meal times. How could she possibly spend the whole day at the oilfield and never come home?
As she mulled it over, Wang Xiaohong’s needle slipped and stabbed her fingertip, drawing a droplet of blood. She let out an involuntary “Ow!”
“What happened?” Wang Xiaoming called from the doorway of the main room, carrying a half sack of New Year goods. He asked hurriedly, “Sis, what’s wrong?”
Wang Xiaohong didn’t answer. She threw off the quilt, climbed down from the kang, and silently pulled on her clothes and cotton shoes before walking out without a word.
Wang Xiaoming knew she hadn’t gotten over Chuntao’s departure and had been depressed these past days.
He also knew that no amount of comforting words would help right now. He could only hope she would eventually work through it on her own.
Wang Xiaohong went to Zhou Hongxia’s house again, and again no one was there.
She gritted her teeth and headed toward Workers’ Compound, determined to see with her own eyes what Zhou Hongxia was so busy with.
The moment she rounded the corner into the compound, the sight before her hit her like a bolt of lightning, and her heart sank straight to the bottom.
Li Mingliang and Zhou Hongxia were standing in the yard talking, the two of them standing far too close, their faces bright with warm, familiar smiles, clearly on intimate terms.
Wang Xiaohong pressed her lips tight, forced herself to calm her churning emotions, and walked over quickly, forcing a smile. “Hongxia! Brother Mingliang!”
The two of them turned to look at her at the same time, and Zhou Hongxia’s face immediately broke into a warm, eager smile. “Xiaohong, what brings you here?”
“I stopped by your house to see you, but Auntie said you were still busy with work, so I thought I’d come see for myself what a ‘state employee’ like you is so busy with!” Wang Xiaohong’s teasing tone carried a hint of envy she could barely conceal.
Zhou Hongxia waved her hand a little shyly. "Xiaohong, don't tease me! I'm no state employee or anything—I'm just doing my job!"
"Hongxia, you've got yourself an iron rice bowl now, so of course you're a state employee! Why so modest?" Wang Xiaohong said with a laugh.
"I'm not going to keep chatting with you—I still need to get to the cafeteria and get busy!" Zhou Hongxia said, turning and heading off toward the cafeteria.
Wang Xiaohong watched her retreating figure, and said, half to herself, half as if speaking to Li Mingliang, "Hongxia's a regular worker now, and it really shows—she's more dedicated to her job than ever."
With that, she turned to look at Li Mingliang, swallowing the bitterness rising in her chest, and asked, "Brother Mingliang, it's almost New Year—are you all getting time off from the oilfield?"
"I'm heading home tomorrow, and I was just planning to drop by your place when I got the chance. It's good that you came by!"
Li Mingliang smiled warmly, turned and went inside, then came back out carrying a mesh bag full of food, along with that cloth sack Wang Xiaohong had used to pack the sweater that day—still stuffed full.
"Take these back for your family to try, and give this sweater to Xiaoming to wear. I've got sweaters of my own, so it'd just go to waste sitting here."
His smile remained gentle, but as Wang Xiaohong heard his words, her eyes reddened in an instant.
