Chuntao did not even have time to pick up the scissors from the ground. She hurried to the doorway of the main room, but when she saw what was happening outside, she froze.
Big Yellow?
At the gate, a large yellow dog was clamped firmly onto Zhou Pandi’s trouser leg, refusing to let go.
Zhou Pandi’s face had gone deathly pale. She was sprawled on the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs, her whole body trembling.
Wasn’t this Big Yellow, the dog that had gone missing for several months? Chuntao could hardly believe her eyes.
Back when they were living on East Mountain, Big Yellow had followed her around every day, clingy as could be. Then, for some inexplicable reason, it had disappeared.
Second Aunt Zhou had thought Big Yellow had returned to Liu Ergen’s home and had gone over to look for it, but she hadn’t found even a trace.
The couple, Liu Ergen and his wife, claimed they hadn’t seen it either. They said it had probably been beaten to death and eaten by someone.
Chuntao had been heartbroken for quite some time. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Big Yellow was still alive—and had actually found its way to Wang Family Village.
It took Chuntao a long moment to come back to herself.
She had heard all about Zhou Pandi’s behavior long ago. Neither of the two sisters was any good; they used all their cleverness for crooked purposes.
Zhou Zhijun had only just left, and she had already come sneaking around the Zhou family’s gate. She obviously wasn’t up to anything good.
Chuntao did not scold Big Yellow. Instead, she slowly walked over and said in a calm voice that nevertheless brooked no argument, “Zhou Pandi, stop screaming.”
Zhou Pandi’s cries paused for an instant, then grew even louder. “Mad dog! Mad dog! Let go of me!”
Her words were fierce, but her body lay rigid on the ground. She did not dare move an inch, terrified that she might provoke the dog in front of her.
“What are you doing skulking around outside our house?” Chuntao stared at her with dark, watchful eyes, her voice full of suspicion.
“I wasn’t doing anything!” Zhou Pandi’s eyes darted about as she stubbornly defended herself, though her voice trembled.
“Stay away from our home from now on.” Chuntao’s tone turned even colder.
Then she crouched down and gently stroked Big Yellow’s back, her voice softening. “Big Yellow, let her go. Let her leave.”
Big Yellow seemed to understand. It wagged its tail and obediently released Zhou Pandi’s trouser leg.
Zhou Pandi’s skin was not hurt at all, but a large tear had been ripped in her pant leg, exposing the undergarment beneath.
Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and every muscle in her body was tense. She used all her strength to push herself up from the ground, then staggered away at a run.
Zhou Pandi stumbled all the way home. As soon as she entered, she collapsed onto the threshold and began gasping for breath.
Her cotton shirt was soaked through with sweat and clung tightly to her back, leaving her sticky and miserable.
Whenever she thought of the moment Big Yellow had bitten onto her trouser leg, a wave of terror washed over her.
That morning, she had gone to the vegetable garden to pull up some greens. From a distance, she had seen Zhou Xiaowei riding a bicycle with Zhou Zhijun toward Qingshan Street.
There was also a blue cloth bundle tied to the bicycle. Anyone could tell they were heading off to work on the reservoir.
She had immediately rushed to the Wang family home and told the story to Zhou Zhaodi, who was still in confinement after giving birth.
The moment Zhou Zhaodi heard, she had begun cursing. “That vixen Li Chun Tao doesn’t know the first thing about caring for her man. He only just had surgery, and before he’s even had time to rest, she sends him off to work on the reservoir. Is she trying to kill him?”
“Wouldn’t that be great?” Zhou Pandi had said, her face alight with malicious delight. “If Zhou Zhijun works himself to death, let’s see how he protects Li Chun Tao after that!”
The sisters hated Chuntao so much that their teeth ached with resentment. But Zhou Zhaodi was still confined to bed and could not leave the house to cause trouble.
Zhou Pandi could not hold herself back any longer. When she spotted Zhou Zhijun’s front gate standing ajar in the distance, she quietly slipped over.
She crouched at the gate and peered through the crack, wanting to see what Chuntao was doing home alone.
Before she could get a clear look inside, she felt something approach from behind. When she turned around, she found a large yellow dog standing there.
The dog was not from the village. Zhou Pandi assumed it was a stray that had wandered over from another village, so she paid it no mind. Who could have guessed that the dog would let out a howl and bite down on her trouser leg in one swift motion?
Zhou Pandi sat on the threshold, panting for a long while before her breathing finally began to steady.
The Zhou family didn’t even keep a dog, and this one clearly wasn’t from the village. Where had the stray come from? And how could it be so obedient to Li Chun Tao?
“That slut Li Chun Tao—even a dog listens to her!”
Sitting on the threshold, Zhou Pandi cursed and grumbled bitterly, venting all the anger bottled up inside her.
Meanwhile, Chuntao gazed at Big Yellow, astonished and delighted. She crouched down, gently running her hand through the fur along its back, and asked softly, “Big Yellow, where have you been all this time?”
Big Yellow rubbed affectionately against her leg, making a low whimper in its throat.
It circled Chuntao twice, repeatedly nudging the back of her hand and her heels with its nose. Then it raised its head and gave two soft little barks.
Its voice was hoarse and gentle, almost like a child whining for attention. Chuntao’s heart warmed, and her eyes instantly grew hot with tears.
As Chuntao nursed Nuannuan, Big Yellow lay obediently at her feet, quietly keeping her company.
Aunt Zhou returned from the fields with a basket on her arm. The moment Big Yellow saw her, it stood up and wagged its tail, going over to greet her with unmistakable familiarity.
“Big Yellow?” Aunt Zhou’s eyes widened, and she cried out in surprise. “Isn’t this the Big Yellow from East Mountain? I thought you said it couldn’t be found. How did it end up here?”
Chuntao told Aunt Zhou everything that had just happened with Zhou Pandi, from beginning to end.
The moment Aunt Zhou heard, she began cursing. “Those two sisters really are two peas in a pod—not a single good one among them! How did Zhou Dana manage to raise two daughters with no upbringing at all? All they know how to do is steal and sneak around!”
Nuannuan was nursing, her little face flushed red with effort, her chubby cheeks puffing in and out.
At the sound of Aunt Zhou’s voice, her long eyelashes fluttered lightly, like butterfly wings settling on a flower. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
Her large, dark eyes shimmered with a hazy sheen of tears. They had not yet focused completely, giving her a dazed, soft, and adorably innocent look.
She glanced at Aunt Zhou, who was still cursing energetically, then looked at Chuntao. Suddenly, her little mouth turned downward as if she had suffered some enormous injustice.
Then she took another deep gulp of milk, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “Don’t interrupt me while I’m eating.”
Chuntao gently patted Nuannuan’s back and turned to Aunt Zhou with a puzzled look. “I’m wondering the same thing. People say dogs can remember their way home, but Big Yellow had never been to Wang Family Village.”
“That dog is practically human,” Aunt Zhou said, glancing at Nuannuan with a smile and lowering her voice. “It must have followed your scent here! It’s a good thing it came back. I was actually thinking of going to a neighboring village to bring back a puppy—one that could guard the house and keep you company. Now that Big Yellow is here, I won’t have to go to all that trouble.”
Big Yellow looked gentle, but when it came to bad people, it showed no mercy at all.
With it around, not only could it guard against thieves and petty troublemakers in the village, it could also protect Chuntao and the two children. Aunt Zhou felt much more at ease.
When Chuntao heard the tragic news of her grandmother’s death, she burst into tears on the spot. That night, she lay in bed with her face buried in the quilt and secretly cried several times.
The Qingming Festival was only a few days away. Chuntao decided that she would go to Li Family Village in the next day or two to visit her grandmother’s grave.
But there was still a mountain of farmwork to be done, not to mention the livestock that needed tending. Aunt Zhou alone had to look after Jianshe and Nuannuan—there was simply no way she could manage it all.
Yet she had to visit the grave before the Qingming Festival.
“Ma, I’m thinking of going back to Li Village tomorrow to visit Grandma’s grave. Jianshe and Nuannuan…” Chuntao began hesitantly, but before she could finish, she saw Aunt Zhou’s brows furrow.
Aunt Zhou knew perfectly well that it was only right for Chuntao to visit Grandma Shen’s grave, and that she had no reason to stop her. But she couldn’t help worrying that if Chuntao ran into Wang Lanhua, the woman would cause trouble for her again.
Out of the corner of her eye, Aunt Zhou happened to spot Big Yellow at her feet, and an idea suddenly came to her.
“All right, you go,” Aunt Zhou said with a firm nod. “But take Big Yellow with you!”
Aunt Zhou turned and went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. Not long afterward, the sound of a bicycle bell approached from the distance, followed by Zhou Xiaowei’s booming voice:
“Grandma! Sister-in-law Chuntao! My Second Uncle’s gotten on the bus to the city!”
Aunt Zhou walked to the kitchen doorway and scolded him in a low voice, “You little rascal, call her Second Aunt! Where are your manners?”
Zhou Xiaowei was so used to calling her “Sister-in-law” that he kept getting it wrong. He scratched his head sheepishly and muttered, “I panicked and said it wrong.”
He parked his bicycle in the courtyard and strode into the main room on his long legs.
But the moment he rushed inside, he saw Chuntao holding Nuannuan and nursing her.
Zhou Xiaowei’s face instantly flushed scarlet, and even the tips of his ears burned.
Chuntao’s face reddened with embarrassment as well. She hurriedly tugged down the front of her blouse, which had ridden up, covering the snowy expanse of skin.
Zhou Xiaowei scratched his head awkwardly. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t see…”
He quickly turned his gaze away, only then noticing Big Yellow lying nearby. “What’s with this dog…?”
Before he could finish, Big Yellow suddenly sprang to its feet and raced to the gate, barking furiously at something outside.
“Woof! Woof!”
