Wang Xiaoming had never forgotten how kind Chuntao had once been to him. Though they had not seen each other for more than half a year, he had never stopped worrying about her.
When he heard Zhou Xiaowei say that Chuntao had given birth to a boy and a girl, he was genuinely happy for her.
Now that she was back, he wanted to go see her, but Wang Xiaohong stubbornly held him back.
“Sis, our sister-in-law was always good to us. Now that she’s back, we ought to go see her!” Wang Xiaoming urged.
“She’s Zhou Zhijun’s wife now. If you go visit her, she may not even welcome you! You’ll only be making a fool of yourself.”
“No, she won’t. Uncle Zhijun and Sister Chuntao aren’t that kind of people!”
Wang Xiaoming glanced toward the courtyard. It was already so late, and he was afraid of disturbing Chuntao’s rest, so he did not go over.
The next morning, after breakfast, Wang Xiaoming waited until Wang Xiaohong was not looking, slipped several eggs into his pocket, and headed for Zhou Zhijun’s house.
“Sister Chuntao!”
Chuntao was no longer his sister-in-law, and Wang Xiaoming did not want to address her according to Zhou Zhijun’s seniority, so he had changed to calling her “Sister.” It made him feel closer to her.
His eyes were red-rimmed. The moment Chuntao saw him enter, tears welled up in her own eyes.
“Xiaoming…” Chuntao called softly. For a moment, she did not know what to say.
Wang Xiaoming took the eggs from his pocket and placed them on the cabinet. “Sis, I don’t have anything good to give you. Just take these eggs and nourish yourself.”
“Xiaoming, sit down.” Chuntao took his hand, her voice thick with emotion.
Wang Xiaoming sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the two sleeping babies. His heart was filled with conflicting emotions.
If his elder brother had not passed away, his nephew and niece would be old enough to run errands by now. The whole family could have been bustling and happy together. But there were no second chances in life.
“These two little babies are really cute.” The corners of Wang Xiaoming’s lips lifted slightly as he praised them from the heart.
Chuntao forced back her tears and smiled at him. “Xiaoming, you’ve grown taller again.”
When she faced Wang Xiaoming, she truly did not know what to say.
Chuntao knew very well that her leaving the Wang family had greatly affected the siblings.
“Xiaoming, do you… hate me?” Chuntao finally asked in a low voice, her smile fading.
“Sis, how could I hate you? As long as you’re doing well, I’m happy for you. Uncle Zhijun is a capable man. Your days will only get better and better from now on…”
Wang Xiaoming’s words made Chuntao’s nose sting, and tears threatened to spill once more.
Xiaoming did not hate her—but what about Xiaohong? Ever since the plot to use another man’s seed to have a child had been exposed, Wang Xiaohong had grown distant from her.
Truthfully, Chuntao could understand Wang Xiaohong. In her heart, she still regarded Xiaohong as her own younger sister, and she believed that Xiaohong was only unable to think things through for the moment.
“Your sister… is she doing all right?” Chuntao could not stop herself from asking.
Afraid that Chuntao would worry, Wang Xiaoming casually replied, “She’s doing fine.”
But in truth, Wang Xiaohong was not fine at all.
She liked Li Mingliang, but Li Mingliang treated her only as a younger sister. He had not the slightest romantic feeling for her.
Wang Xiaohong was strong-willed. She had originally planned to win Li Mingliang over with her sincerity, but when Li Mingliang left with the drilling team, her heart had gone completely cold.
She was torn. On the one hand, she felt that Chuntao had been right to leave. On the other, she harbored a faint resentment toward her.
She always felt that her current predicament was all Chuntao’s fault.
If Chuntao had not left, Zhou Hongxia’s permanent job would have gone to her. Then she and Li Mingliang would have been better matched, and perhaps he would not have rejected her.
But now, she had nothing. Every day, she remained in that cold, lifeless house, caring for her brother, who was bedridden and paralyzed.
“Well, that’s good.” Chuntao did not dare ask anything more. The more they talked, the more miserable she felt.
Wang Xiaoming stayed for a while before getting up to leave.
He did not go to the fields. Instead, he took the few yuan he had saved and went to Qingshan Street. He bought a packet of brown sugar and two bundles of dried noodles, then brought them back to Chuntao.
Aunt Zhou had just finished making a bowl of crucian carp soup. She was carrying it to Chuntao’s bedside when she saw Xiaoming arrive with the things. She hurried over to take them from him.
“Xiaoming, come in and sit for a while!”
“No need, Great-Aunt. I still have to get to the fields.” He handed over the things and turned to leave.
Aunt Zhou watched Wang Xiaoming’s departing figure, her heart aching as well.
Liu Cuilan and Wang Jieshi were truly no good. They had ruined these siblings’ lives, forcing them to shoulder the entire household while they were still so young. The thought of it broke her heart.
Meanwhile, news that Chuntao and her children had returned to Wang Family Village soon spread throughout the village.
Whenever villagers met, they would bring it up after only a few words. Some of the women even counted the days on their fingers, saying that the babies had been born too early and that Chuntao must have gotten pregnant long before.
“Of course! Those two had been involved for ages!”
“Well, Zhou Zhijun really is something. If it had been anyone else, there’s no way they could have pulled this off.”
Several women were gossiping excitedly by the edge of the fields when they saw Wang Xiaoming walking over. One of them called out to him.
“Xiaoming, I hear your sister-in-law is back?” The moment the words left her mouth, she quickly spat to the side. “Bah, look at me—I got it wrong! We’re supposed to call her Aunt now!”
Wang Xiaoming knew they meant no good. He did not even bother responding and walked straight past them.
The women watched his back and pointedly whispered among themselves.
“Liu Cuilan is in prison, and Wang Xiaohong will get married sooner or later. From now on, the burden of that crippled Wang Jieshi will all fall on him!”
“Exactly. With a paralyzed brother like that, it’ll be hard for him to find a wife someday!”
Meanwhile, at Zhou Dana’s house, he sat in the main room smoking, his brows knitted into a deep frown.
He could not understand how Zhou Zhijun had managed to obtain a marriage certificate without coming to him for the required certification.
This time, when the commune had assigned Wang Family Village two people to help repair the reservoir, he had deliberately chosen Zhou Zhijun and Zhao Qingyun.
He had assumed that as long as that thorn in his side, Zhou Zhijun, was away, he could distribute the oil-field earnings however he pleased.
Today was the day they were supposed to leave for the reservoir project. Zhao Qingyun had already set out, but Zhou Zhijun had not shown up. The more Zhou Dana thought about it, the more baffled he became. He repeatedly tapped the bowl of his tobacco pipe against the table leg, making sharp clacking sounds.
“Dad, people outside are saying that the dates don’t add up for Li Chuntao giving birth. She must have gotten pregnant from an affair!” Zhou Pandi said angrily.
Mentioning this only made Zhou Dana even more furious.
When Zhou Pandi had written that report, everything she had said had clearly been true. Yet in the end, they had accused her of making false allegations and spreading rumors.
Not only had he been forced to spend money, Zhou Pandi had also fallen into a pool of drilling mud and been left with a chronic illness.
“Dad, Pandi, have you heard? That slut Li Chuntao is back—and she even gave birth to bastards!”
Zhou Zhaodi entered with her huge belly, dragging her heavy body along as she shouted from a distance.
Zhou Pandi rolled her eyes. “Sis, that night, when you heard Li Chuntao dry-heaving, she was already pregnant! Those two had been fooling around for ages!”
“Whore! Shameless woman! Back then, she even claimed that we had framed her. Now that she’s given birth to bastards, isn’t she slapping herself in the face? What sworn brother and sister? They were obviously lovers…”
Zhou Zhaodi’s face flushed red with anger.
Zhou Pandi chimed in, “The commune officials were protecting them. Otherwise, they should have been thrown in jail long ago!”
Wang Jinzhi had just returned from the fields. The moment she entered the house and heard the sisters gossiping about Zhou Zhijun and Li Chuntao, her expression darkened.
“Why don’t any of you ever learn? What does their business have to do with us? Loose lips bring trouble. How many times do I have to tell you before it sinks in?”
“What’s wrong with that? I didn’t say anything untrue!” Zhou Zhaodi retorted defiantly.
“Just watch your mouth! If you hadn’t run it back then, would your sister have fallen into the slurry pit? Would she have been left with a lifelong illness?”
Zhou Pandi had developed asthma, and whenever Wang Jinzhi thought about it, her heart ached.
She had originally hoped Pandi would marry into a good family. But now that she had this illness, what decent family would be willing to take her?
The scolding infuriated Zhou Zhaodi. She glared and argued back, “I wasn’t running my mouth! Li Chun Tao’s bastard was born, wasn’t it? She was pregnant back then!
“Pandi’s illness was caused entirely by Zhou Zhijun and Li Chun Tao. And you’re blaming me instead?”
“Enough!”
Zhou Dana suddenly bellowed, and everyone in the room fell silent at once.
