After a few words from Zhou Pandi, Zhou Zhaodi felt considerably better. She spat viciously and said, “That’s right! Let her become a widow in name only and see whether she still acts so shamelessly in the future!”
The sisters were whispering together when Wang Qingshan entered the yard carrying a large bundle of dried grass. He happened to hear what they were saying, and for some inexplicable reason, irritation welled up inside him.
He threw the bundle heavily into a corner of the yard, then squatted by the threshold and smoked in silence.
Wang Qingshan had always kept Chuntao hidden in his heart—a love he didn’t dare give voice to.
The last time the brothers Wang Haichao had carried Chuntao away in the middle of the night to do something vile, he had rushed forward and rescued her.
Later, when the local defense team came to arrest them, he had been the one to run to the commune police station and report them.
He had never dared hope that he and Chuntao could have anything between them. As long as she could live a peaceful life, that was enough to satisfy him.
But the human heart was complicated. When he saw Chuntao give Zhou Zhijun a son and a daughter, he still felt a painful tug in his chest.
That very day in the fields, he had personally seen Zhou Zhijun leave with the people from the commune family-planning office. From the villagers’ gossip, he learned that Zhou Zhijun had gone to have a sterilization operation.
Wang Qingshan’s feelings were tangled. Chuntao was lucky to have married a man willing to go under the knife for her.
Yet he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that if it had been him, he wouldn’t have hesitated even for a moment—not even if it meant risking his life, let alone enduring one small operation.
Elsewhere, Huang Meili and Zhou Zhimin were pulling weeds in the vegetable garden, but neither of them had stopped talking.
Huang Meili shot Zhou Zhimin a sidelong glance and cursed sourly, “Li Chun Tao really has your second brother wrapped around her finger. He’s even gone to get himself sterilized for her—he must have lost his mind!
“And your mother, too. She’s always been the one to protect her sons. Why didn’t she stop him this time?
“She must’ve been bewitched by Li Chun Tao as well! Hmph, just wait and see. Sooner or later, they’ll all be crying!”
Zhou Zhimin was puzzled too. His second brother certainly doted on Chuntao, but for a grown man to go and get sterilized was truly ridiculous.
What he couldn’t understand even more was why their mother hadn’t stopped him.
Still, he had never been willing to criticize his parents or brothers in front of Huang Meili. Even though he felt uncomfortable, he merely muttered, “That’s their business. It has nothing to do with us.”
“Nothing to do with us?” Huang Meili immediately raised her voice. “If your second brother really becomes useless, who’s going to support your parents in their old age and see to their funeral arrangements? Let me make this clear now: I’m not taking responsibility for that!”
Zhou Zhimin lowered his head and remained silent, continuing to pull weeds.
Huang Meili glared fiercely at him and shrieked, “Zhou Zhimin, you heartless bastard! Why won’t you get sterilized for me? Why should a woman like me have to go under the knife instead?”
Zhou Zhijun might be a good-for-nothing, but at least he cared about his wife. The more Huang Meili thought about it, the more she felt that Zhou Zhimin treated her poorly.
Seeing that Zhou Zhimin acted as though he hadn’t heard her, she picked up a clod of dirt from the ground and hurled it hard at his back.
“Are you deaf or mute?”
The clod made Zhou Zhimin jerk in surprise. He frowned and shouted, “Huang Meili, have you gone crazy? If I get sterilized for you and really become useless, do you think you’ll be able to put up with that?”
The moment he said it, a fresh wave of disgust rose in Zhou Zhimin’s heart.
He remembered the incident when Shi Yanhua had found Huang Meili’s underwear. There had been something suspicious about it. He wasn’t without doubts, but since he hadn’t caught her in the act, he hadn’t dared say anything recklessly.
Huang Meili was silenced by his retort. She continued cursing under her breath, but a sudden pang of guilt made her feel weak inside.
She knew perfectly well that she couldn’t bear it. Zhou Zhimin had been listless and impotent for the past two years, and she had long been frustrated.
Later, she had become involved with Party Secretary Zhou Dana. At first, it had been to curry favor and attach herself to him, but in the end, she had actually become unable to leave him.
The last time she went to Zhou Dana’s house, Shi Yanhua had caught her inside.
The two women were equally shameless. Besides, Shi Yanhua had even given Zhou Dana an illegitimate son, so Huang Meili wasn’t afraid of her in the slightest. She had a hold over her.
At the time, Zhou Dana had given Huang Meili several dozen yuan, hoping to sever their relationship once and for all. She had agreed outwardly, but in her heart, she had never intended to let go.
It was only because she had run into Zhou Zhijun on her way home that night that she hadn’t dared visit Zhou Dana for more than a month.
She had already made up her mind. Zhou Dana still had the oilfield money in his hands, waiting to be divided. Once Zhou Zhijun went to repair the reservoir, she would have to extort another sum from Zhou Dana. She absolutely couldn’t let that slut Shi Yanhua keep all the benefits for herself.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhijun followed the family-planning workers to the commune clinic, where the operation was performed immediately.
In the countryside, sterilization was considered a minor procedure and usually didn’t require an overnight stay. As soon as Zhou Zhijun climbed off the operating table, he headed straight home.
All along the way, Zhou Zhiguo kept urging him to slow down, afraid he might tear his incision. But Zhou Zhijun paid no attention. He practically wished he could take one giant stride and reach home in a single step.
The villagers working in the fields saw him striding back as though nothing had happened. They gathered together and began whispering among themselves.
“They say a man is useless after getting sterilized, but look at Zhou Zhijun. He doesn’t seem affected at all.”
“You can’t tell right after the operation. Just wait. He’ll regret it sooner or later!”
“Zhou Zhijun is already in his thirties, while Li Chun Tao is barely in her twenties. After getting sterilized, will he still be able to satisfy his wife in the future?”
…
Zhou Zhijun kept his eyes fixed ahead and didn’t look to either side. He simply strode home.
The moment he entered the yard, he called out, “Ma, Tao, I’m back!”
Inside, Chuntao was holding Nuannuan in the inner room and nursing her. Aunt Zhou sat at the doorway to the main room with Jianshe in her arms, feeding him rice cereal a spoonful at a time.
Hearing the voice, Aunt Zhou looked up. Zhou Zhijun had already hurried to the doorway of the main room.
“Zhijun, how did you get back so quickly?” Aunt Zhou asked, her face full of surprise.
Chuntao also came out of the inner room with Nuannuan in her arms. The moment she saw Zhou Zhijun, her nose suddenly stung and her eyes instantly reddened.
A grown man like Zhou Zhijun had willingly gone under the knife for her. He was the first man in all of Wang Family Village to do such a thing. How could she not be moved?
“It’s done. Nothing happened,” Zhou Zhijun said with a crooked smile, his tone as casual as if he were saying he had just finished a meal.
Women in the village usually returned home the same day they underwent sterilization, and the procedure rarely caused any serious trouble. Zhou Zhijun was strong and robust, so it wasn’t particularly strange that he had come straight home.
Even so, Aunt Zhou remained worried. She was afraid he really would become “useless.”
“Get inside and lie down to rest. Once I finish feeding Jianshe, I’ll make you a bowl of egg tea to replenish your strength!”
“I’m perfectly fine. What do I need that for?”
Zhou Zhijun’s gaze settled on Chuntao’s face. Seeing the tears glistening in her eyes, he crossed the distance between them in two steps and gently placed his rough palm on her faintly trembling shoulder. His voice softened as he said, “It’s all right now. Don’t worry.”
Chuntao sniffed, her eyes red, and urged him, “Go lie down!”
“I’m really fine!” Zhou Zhijun clenched his fist and deliberately put on a bold voice. “Look, I’m as strong as ever. I could take down a wild wolf right now!”
As he spoke, he reached out and lightly tapped Nuannuan’s tender, pale cheek with one finger. With a smile, he asked, “Are you still hungry?”
The little girl didn’t let go. She glanced at him with her round, dark eyes, her long, thick lashes fluttering like two little fans. Her adorably dazed expression instantly melted Zhou Zhijun’s hard heart into a puddle of tenderness.
Looking at his well-behaved daughter and then at his sturdy, lively son, the smile on Zhou Zhijun’s face grew even wider.
As soon as Aunt Zhou finished feeding Jianshe, he immediately reached out and took him.
“Come here. Let your daddy hold you!”
Little Jianshe stared at him and giggled, kicking and waving his arms and legs.
Aunt Zhou was so delighted she could hardly close her mouth. “This little rascal is sharp—he knows perfectly well who his daddy is!”
Zhou Zhijun refused to go to bed, so Aunt Zhou had no choice but to place Jianshe in his arms.
“I’ll go to the kitchen and make egg tea for you and Chuntao.”
Aunt Zhou turned and went into the kitchen. In the main room, Zhou Zhijun and Chuntao sat quietly, each holding one of the children.
“Put Jianshe on the bed and go get some sleep,” Chuntao urged, still worried about him. No matter how strong Zhou Zhijun was, he had just been stabbed, and she was afraid sitting for too long might pull at his wound.
Besides, they had been exhausted from entertaining guests these past few days. They had tossed and turned all night, and he had even undergone surgery that very day. Even a man made of iron couldn’t withstand all that.
“I’m not tired. I wore you out last night. You go get some sleep,” Zhou Zhijun said, gazing at her with eyes full of concern.
His words made Chuntao’s cheeks grow hot, and in an instant, her ears turned bright red.
She was weak to begin with, and after being thoroughly worn out by him the night before, she hadn’t even known when she fell asleep. Even now, her whole body felt limp, and she truly couldn’t hold out any longer.
Blushing, she carried Nuannuan into the inner room. Just as she laid the child on the bed, a man’s hurried voice rang out from beyond the courtyard gate.
“Zhijun! The commune sent me to inform you that you have to go repair the reservoir first thing tomorrow morning. You can’t delay it another day!”
