Just as Aunt Zhou was about to lead Li Mingliang into the inner room to see the babies, there came a series of urgent "pa pa pa" sounds of someone knocking on the gate outside the courtyard.
Immediately following was Zhou Pandi's voice, deliberately pitched high and tinged with a bit of eagerness. "Aunt Zhou, are you at home? It's Pandi!"
These two sisters were trouble - makers. As soon as Aunt Zhou heard it was her, she couldn't be bothered to respond.
The gate was ajar. Zhou Pandi pushed it open and walked in on her own.
She hurried to the door of the north room but didn't dare to enter. She just stood outside the threshold.
Her eyes quickly scanned the main room and then deliberately glanced at Li Mingliang, pretending to be extremely well - behaved and proper.
"Aunt, I'm not here to cause trouble. It's about Xiaohong. I came here to tell you something."
Aunt Zhou frowned. "What's wrong with Xiaohong?"
Zhou Pandi immediately lowered her voice and started making up half - true, half - false lies.
"She went to the fields. She went there crying all the way. I asked her for a long time before she was willing to say..."
She deliberately paused, glanced at Chuntao and then at Li Mingliang, putting on a look of pity. "Xiaohong has always had feelings for Brother Mingliang in her heart.
Now seeing him come all the way back to see Sister - in - law Chuntao, she's really heartbroken!"
Aunt Zhou's face gradually darkened and she didn't say a word.
Seeing this, Zhou Pandi stepped one foot over the threshold and lowered her voice even more. "Aunt, I really don't mean to be meddlesome.
We all know that Brother Mingliang is an upright person, but the villagers don't!
Sister - in - law Chuntao is already with Brother Zhijun and has given birth to a baby. Now she's in confinement. For another man to come to the door with brown sugar, eggs, and canned food... Once the gossips spread, all sorts of unpleasant things will be said.
By then, people will say that Sister - in - law Chuntao is of loose morals, and it won't look good on Brother Zhijun's face. It'll be a disgrace to the whole family."
Every word she said seemed to be for the sake of the Zhou family, and at the end, she gave a final "soft blow".
"I'm really afraid that Xiaohong might do something stupid on a whim when she's feeling depressed in the fields...
I'm telling you in advance so that you can be on guard. If something really happens, it won't be good for anyone..."
Aunt Zhou knew exactly what was going on in that scheming head of Zhou Pandi's.
Immediately, her face darkened and she raised her voice, showing no mercy. Right in front of Li Mingliang, she started scolding.
"Zhou Pandi, shut your mouth! Your mouth is as loose as the waistband of a cotton - padded trousers. You can't keep it shut and you come here to spread rumors. You're disgracing your parents!
Whether Xiaohong cries or what she thinks in her heart, it's none of your business to come to my house and talk nonsense!
Are you a worm in her belly or do you have x - ray eyes?
You don't do any proper work all day long. You just focus on other people's business, causing trouble everywhere. You're just like a shit - stirring stick!
Mingliang and Zhijun are friends. It's perfectly normal for him to come and visit his sister - in - law who's in confinement and the newly - born baby, bringing some brown sugar, eggs, and canned food. What's wrong with that? What's so shameful about it?
The villagers can say whatever they want. Their mouths are on them. The Zhou family acts uprightly. It's not up to you to stir up trouble and slander others!
You're afraid of Xiaohong causing trouble? If there's trouble, it'll be you, the trouble - maker, who stirs it up!
What's your motive for coming here today? Don't think I don't understand.
You just want to cause trouble, watch the show, and make my family restless.
I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, no one can come to my house and cause a ruckus. No one can smear Chuntao's reputation!
If you dare to talk nonsense and spread rumors again, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Aunt Zhou's scolding was like a machine - gun, rattling on non - stop. Zhou Pandi didn't even have a chance to interrupt.
"Get out!"
The angrier Aunt Zhou got, the more she grabbed a broom from the corner of the wall and raised it as if to hit.
Only then did Zhou Pandi panic. She turned around and ran outside, but it was still a bit too late. The broomstick hit her shoulder with a "pop".
"Ah - you old...!" She was so scared that she dared to curse only when she reached the gate, but as soon as she uttered two words, her voice got stuck in her throat.
Zhou Zhijun was standing outside the gate, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Zhou Zhijun had been working in the fields. He forgot to bring water, so he came back halfway to drink some water and check on Chuntao and the baby. He just happened to witness this scene when he arrived at the door, and his face instantly darkened menacingly.
Zhou Pandi didn't care about her dignity at all. She scurried home like a frightened rabbit. The basket on her arm banged against her body, but she didn't even feel the pain.
Several women on the roadside saw her running out in a hurry from the direction of Zhou Zhijun's house, her face as white as a sheet. They knew that she had suffered a big setback at the Zhou family's place.
"How could the Party secretary's family raise two such daughters? One is more troublesome than the other!"
"That's right. She lost her job at the oilfield and got an asthma problem herself. She still hasn't learned her lesson."
"She dares to provoke Zhou Zhijun, that living devil. She won't get any good. But she still keeps getting involved..."
Zhou Pandi ran home in one breath and threw the basket she was carrying into the yard. She slumped on the threshold, coughing non - stop. Her face turned red and her neck was swollen.
Wang Jinzhi was kneading dough in the kitchen to make steamed buns. When she heard Zhou Pandi running back like she was being chased by a wolf and coughing so badly, she quickly wiped the dough off her hands and rushed out.
"Pandi, what's wrong with you?" She reached out to pat Zhou Pandi on the back to help her catch her breath. "Don't you know your own body? Why are you running so recklessly!"
Zhou Pandi's throat was dry and painful, and her chest was so tight that she could hardly breathe. She just kept coughing and couldn't say a complete sentence.
Wang Jinzhi was so anxious that she was sweating all over. She quickly went back to the kitchen to pour a bowl of hot water. She poured the water back and forth between two bowls to cool it down until it was no longer scalding, and then brought it to Zhou Pandi for her to drink.
These two daughters never gave her a moment's peace.
Among the three children, only her son, Zhou Jinzhu, was the most obedient. He had been a good student since childhood and never caused any trouble. Now he was in senior high school and ranked among the top students in his class. There was no problem for him to get into a good university in the future.
Just a moment ago, she had been frowning with worry. At the thought of her son, Wang Jinzhi's face relaxed a little.
After Zhou Pandi drank half a small bowl of warm water, her coughing gradually subsided.
Wang Jinzhi frowned at her. "Why are you running so fast? I've told you many times to slow down, but you just don't listen!"
Zhou Pandi didn't dare to tell the truth and casually made up a lie. "Mom, I was just cutting grass on the ridge of the field. As soon as I started cutting, a snake suddenly jumped out. It really scared me!"
Wang Jinzhi sighed and didn't think much about it. "Be more careful when cutting grass next time. Use the sickle to stir the grass in deep places before you start."
Pandi was not young anymore, and with her asthma problem, it would be very difficult for her to find a good husband.
Wang Jinzhi sighed and went back to the kitchen to knead the dough, with thoughts of her daughter's marriage filling her head.
On the other side.
As soon as Aunt Zhou put down the broom, she saw Zhou Zhijun walking into the courtyard.
"Zhijun, Mingliang has come to see Chuntao and the baby. That damned Zhou Pandi was spreading rumors, and I chased her away!"
"Yeah." Zhou Zhijun walked into the main room. When he saw Li Mingliang, the cold look on his face softened a bit.
"You're here."
It was just right that Li Mingliang came. Seeing with his own eyes that Chuntao had given birth to such a lovely pair of twins for him, he would finally let go of his feelings.
Chuntao was holding on to the wall with one hand. Her face was pale and her lips had lost their color.
Zhou Zhijun quickly stepped forward to support her. "Chuntao, go back to bed quickly. There's a draft here. Don't catch a cold."
He turned to Aunt Zhou and said in a solemn voice, "Both of Zhou Dana's daughters are troublemakers. It's right to drive them away."
Zhou Zhijun helped Chuntao sit on the bed and just covered her with a thin quilt when Jianshe woke up.
This kid was very regular. He would pee as soon as he woke up and then eat.
The baby was having milk, so Li Mingliang didn't go in. After Chuntao finished feeding, Aunt Zhou carried the baby out for Li Mingliang to see.
The little one, full and satisfied, lazily stretched his little body, and then his little mouth moved gently. He even gave Li Mingliang a little smile.
"This baby is so adorable. He's so fair - skinned and chubby," Li Mingliang curved his lips, and his heart softened.
Zhou Zhijun looked very proud. "My son, of course he's adorable.
By the way, you're not young anymore. Hurry up and get married and have a baby too."
Zhou Zhijun knew very well that Wang Xiaohong had feelings for Li Mingliang. He just didn't know whether Li Mingliang reciprocated.
Now Wang Xiaohong looked at him as if he were an enemy. There was no need for an outsider like him to worry about her feelings.
All he wanted to do now was take good care of his wife and child, earn more money, and let them live a good life.
Li Mingliang sat at Zhou Zhijun's place for a while. Seeing that it was almost noon, he got up to say goodbye.
Aunt Zhou couldn't persuade him to stay, so she didn't force it. Instead, she packed some pickled eggs and pickled vegetables from her own home and stuffed them into his hands.
Li Mingliang rode his bicycle away. When he reached the north field, he saw Wang Xiaohong planting sweet potato seedlings.
It wouldn't be appropriate to just pass by silently, so he got off his bike and greeted her actively.
Wang Xiaohong's eyes were red, obviously having just cried.
She suddenly stood up and walked up to Li Mingliang. Without any preamble, she asked directly, "Brother Mingliang, do you really only have Li Chuntao in your heart?"
