Those two familiar figures were none other than Li Dazhuang and Wang Lanhua.
Wang Lanhua was holding their nearly one-year-old son, Li Shitou, in her arms.
The two of them sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant, each with a bowl of plain noodle soup in front of them.
“Eat a little.” Wang Lanhua picked up a few strands of noodles and brought them to Li Shitou’s mouth.
But the child shook his head and refused to open his mouth. His little hands kept reaching for and tugging at her collar.
Wang Lanhua lowered her head, casually loosened her blouse, and began nursing him while continuing to eat her noodles with the other hand.
Both of them kept their heads down and failed to notice Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun at the entrance.
Chuntao wanted to go over and say hello, but she was afraid Wang Lanhua would say something hurtful.
There were too many people in the restaurant, and she didn’t want others to overhear and make a spectacle of her.
Zhou Zhijun had never gone to Li Village to break the news, either. He was afraid Chuntao wouldn’t be able to bear it if she found out about Grandma Shen, so he gently nudged her with his elbow, signaling that they should leave.
Chuntao opened her mouth, wanting to call out to her brother, but in the end she swallowed the words and turned to go.
Just then, Li Dazhuang’s voice came from behind her.
“Chuntao!”
The instant Chuntao turned around, Li Dazhuang happened to look up and saw her.
They had not seen each other for nearly a year, and now they had run into each other here.
Hadn’t Chuntao already been pregnant back then? Li Dazhuang studied her from behind. She looked a little plumper than before, but her waist did not look like that of a pregnant woman.
Then he realized that nearly a year had passed. She should have given birth by now. He hurriedly stood up and called out to her without thinking.
Wang Lanhua also raised her head and followed Li Dazhuang’s gaze. The moment she saw Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao, it felt as though a huge stone had settled on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
“Brother, Sister-in-law,” Chuntao said softly, her voice light and unsteady.
“Chuntao, you two are…” Li Dazhuang’s eyes fell on the many bags Zhou Zhijun was carrying, and he asked casually.
Before Chuntao could answer, Zhou Zhijun lifted the bags slightly and replied curtly, “Buying things.”
Li Dazhuang forced a dry smile. “Well, you bought quite a lot.”
Zhou Zhijun had no interest in making small talk with him. He looked at Chuntao. “Let’s go.”
Wang Lanhua blamed Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun for everything that had happened to her—the miscarriage and the removal of her womb.
If the two of them had not carried on shamelessly and brought disgrace upon the family, how could she have lost her child? How could she have ended up in such a state?
When enemies met, their eyes practically spat fire. Wang Lanhua glared at Chuntao with such fury that it seemed flames might burst from her eyes.
Feeling guilty beneath that stare, Chuntao could only look at Li Dazhuang.
Zhou Zhijun wanted to pull her away, but both his hands were occupied with the bags.
“Brother, how is Grandma…?” Chuntao asked quietly.
The moment Grandma was mentioned, Li Dazhuang’s eyes turned red.
“Grandma…”
He had only managed to get two words out when Wang Lanhua let out a cold snort, her voice sharp and spiteful.
“So now you remember your grandma? When you were doing those shameless things, why didn’t you think of her then?
“Your precious grandma was angered to death by you! Before she died, she kept calling your name over and over. She died with her eyes open!”
Chuntao’s heart sank. She turned to look at Zhou Zhijun.
Just a few days ago, he had told her that her grandma was still strong and healthy, still working in the fields!
Zhou Zhijun quickly gave her a reassuring look and said in a low voice, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. It’s fine. Let’s go.”
But Chuntao did not move. She stared at Li Dazhuang, her voice trembling.
“What she said… is it true?”
Li Dazhuang nodded heavily. “It’s true.”
He did not dare mention that Grandma Shen had called out for Chuntao with her dying breath, nor did he dare say anything about the ring.
After getting confirmation from her own brother, Chuntao’s eyes immediately reddened, and tears began streaming down her face. She could not stop them.
She thought of how her grandma had loved and protected her from the time she was little.
When Chuntao had a fever, Grandma Shen had wiped her body with liquor to bring the fever down.
When children from other families bullied her, Grandma Shen had taken her by the hand and gone to confront their parents.
Even though Grandma Shen had later forced her into an exchange marriage and made her suffer so much, the kindness she had shown Chuntao when she was young had been real.
Her grandma was gone, and Chuntao had not even been there to see her one last time. She was an unfilial granddaughter.
“When did Grandma… pass away?” Chuntao wiped at her tears, choking so badly that she could barely get the words out.
“New Year’s Eve.” Li Dazhuang’s eyes were filled with tears as well. “Last winter was bitterly cold, and Grandma’s asthma flared up badly. She didn’t make it.”
Chuntao suddenly remembered how restless and uneasy she had felt that day, unable to sit still. So that had been because of her grandma.
She had often heard the elders in the village say that relatives could sense one another, but she had never believed it. Now, she finally did.
Her heart felt sore and constricted, and tears continued to pour down her cheeks.
Wang Lanhua watched coldly from the side, her voice even harsher. “All you know how to do is cry! Where were you before?”
Zhou Zhijun shot her a pair of icy, warning looks, and only then did Wang Lanhua abruptly shut her mouth.
“Peach, let’s go.” Zhou Zhijun gently urged her, then escorted Chuntao out of the restaurant.
Almost immediately, Wang Lanhua’s muffled curses came from behind them.
“Shameless woman, and she still dares to show her face in public!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Zhou Zhijun suddenly turned back.
With a loud thud, he dropped the bags onto an empty table nearby.
His gaze was as cold as a blade as he fixed it on Wang Lanhua. His voice was low and vicious.
“Wang Lanhua, watch your mouth. If you dare curse her again, I’ll rip out your tongue. Do you believe me?”
Wang Lanhua had not expected Zhou Zhijun to turn around and confront her over a single muttered remark. She trembled all over in fright, pressing her lips tightly together and hardly daring even to breathe too loudly.
Seeing this, Li Dazhuang hurriedly tried to smooth things over with an ingratiating smile.
“Brother Zhijun, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. She’s just got a sharp tongue but a soft heart…”
“Bullshit!”
Zhou Zhijun’s gaze swept over the two of them, and he said coldly, “I’m making this clear right now. Chuntao is my wife, and I’m going to protect her.
“If anyone dares bully her, they’d better ask whether my fists agree!”
His fists clenched with a sharp crack, the veins on the backs of his hands throbbing visibly. Li Dazhuang and Wang Lanhua were both frightened into silence, their faces pale. Neither of them dared say another word.
Zhou Zhijun picked up the bags from the table and strode out.
Chuntao stood beneath a tree by the roadside, still thinking about her grandma’s death. The pain was so intense that she could hardly breathe.
She wanted to throw back her head and sob, but people were coming and going along the street. All she could do was bite her lip hard and force the cries back down, letting the tears slide silently down her face.
“Peach.” Zhou Zhijun set the bags on the ground and gently wiped her tears with the back of his hand. “Don’t cry anymore. If your grandma is watching from heaven, she won’t be at peace seeing you like this.”
Chuntao sniffed and forced the tears welling in her eyes back.
“Come on. Let’s eat something first, then we’ll go home.” Zhou Zhijun pointed toward a restaurant ahead.
Chuntao had just started to walk when a sudden, painful fullness surged through her chest. Her breasts felt like two heavy, hard stones pulling downward, and even breathing caused a sharp, tugging ache.
She had gone only half a day without feeding the baby, and they were already painfully engorged—tight, sore, and dragging heavily against her ribs.
Instinctively, she raised a hand and pressed against her chest. The moment her fingertips touched her blouse, she felt the dampness.
A large patch of her undershirt quickly became soaked through, clinging wetly to her skin.
She hurriedly tried to cover it with her hands, but it was no use. A conspicuous wet patch quickly spread across her outer garment as well.
Chuntao bit her lip, beads of sweat breaking out at her temples and the tip of her nose.
Wave after wave of swelling, heaviness, soreness, and numbness surged upward, tightening her waist and lower abdomen along with it. The discomfort was almost unbearable.
She looked up at Zhou Zhijun, her voice anxious and flustered. “Brother Zhijun, let’s... let’s hurry home.”
But Zhou Zhijun’s gaze had fallen on the two damp patches across her chest. His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.
He stepped closer, his voice low and husky, burning with heat. “Does it hurt badly? ...Let’s find somewhere private. I’ll help you clear it out.”
