Zhou Xiaowei pedaled hard, taking Chuntao with him and not daring to stop for even a moment.
Neither of them said another word.
But Chuntao’s heart was in turmoil, and she couldn’t calm down no matter how hard she tried.
Grandma Shen had favored Li Dazhuang. In order to help him start a family, she had forced Chuntao into a marriage exchange.
There was resentment in Chuntao’s heart, but even more than that, there was gratitude for everything Grandma Shen had done raising her.
Now that Grandma Shen was gone, Chuntao felt as though her heart had been hollowed out. She was left lost and unmoored.
Her sister-in-law, Wang Lanhua, treated her like an enemy. From now on, she was probably never going to be allowed through her brother and sister-in-law’s door again.
She had only just finished her postpartum month, and her body had not fully recovered. Whenever the wind blew, her head throbbed dully.
By the time Zhou Xiaowei brought her back to Wangjia Village, it was well past noon.
Before they even pushed open the gate, they heard Nuannuan’s faint, pitiful cries from inside.
Chuntao’s heart clenched. She hurriedly shoved open the gate, set the bamboo basket down by the kitchen, and rushed toward the north room.
Aunt Zhou was rocking Nuannuan in her arms. Hearing the noise, she quickly came to the doorway.
“You’re back? Nuannuan wouldn’t eat the rice cereal, so I gave her some noodle broth. It didn’t fill her up!”
Too tired to care about anything else, Chuntao immediately took Nuannuan and loosened her clothes, cradling the baby against her breast.
The moment the little one latched on, her cries stopped.
“Ma, where’s Jianshe?”
“Jianshe went to sleep after eating his fill. He’s been asleep for two hours and still hasn’t woken up. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I left some food for you in the pot. I’ll heat it up!”
Aunt Zhou went to the kitchen while Chuntao sat in the main room and fed Nuannuan.
Holding the soft, plump little bundle in her arms and listening to her gulp down milk greedily, Chuntao’s headache eased considerably. The corners of her lips curved up, and her eyes bent into crescent moons.
Watching Nuannuan eat with such relish, Chuntao inexplicably found herself thinking of Zhou Zhijun’s greedy expression.
Zhou Zhijun had left right after having his stitches removed. Bridge construction was grueling work, and Chuntao had been worried about his health, her heart aching with anxiety the whole time.
Nuannuan fell asleep while feeding. Aunt Zhou heated up the food and brought it over.
“Peach, eat.” She set the dishes on the table, then took Nuannuan and laid her on the bed.
When she came back, she asked Chuntao, “Did you run into Wang Lanhua today?”
“No.” Afraid of upsetting her, Chuntao didn’t mention that Wang Lanhua had stopped her from going to the grave.
“Wang Lanhua is just like her mother—neither of them is reasonable. It’s less trouble if you don’t see her. In that whole family, only Xiaoming and Xiaohong have any sense.”
At the mention of Xiaohong, Chuntao’s feelings became complicated.
Ever since the day Wang Haichao and the others had been arrested, Wang Xiaohong had grown distant from her. Only Xiaoming still treated her as kindly as ever.
Chuntao could understand Wang Xiaohong and did not blame her. She only hoped that one day Xiaohong would come to understand.
When Zhou Xiaowei got home, he ladled up a dipper of cold water and gulped it down. Without even touching the edge of a stool, he grabbed a steamed bun, hoisted a hoe over his shoulder, and headed for the fields.
Zhou Zhiguo and his wife were helping plant sweet potatoes in Zhou Zhijun’s field.
The three brothers’ plots lay side by side. Zhou Zhimin and his wife were nearby, planting cowpeas.
Seeing Zhou Zhiguo’s family neglect their own work to help Zhou Zhijun instead, Huang Meili felt as though she had swallowed a whole jar of aged vinegar. Her face twisted with sourness.
“Hmph! Li Chuntao has already finished her postpartum month, yet she’s still lounging around at home enjoying herself! The eldest brother’s family has too much free time—ignoring their own work to do someone else’s!”
Huang Meili kept whispering complaints into Zhou Zhimin’s ear. He said nothing, merely shooting her a fierce glare before lowering his head and continuing to work.
The more she looked at him, the more useless he seemed. She muttered, “Good-for-nothing.”
“Huang Meili, if you don’t say anything, no one will think you’re mute! The second brother isn’t home. Isn’t it only right for the eldest brother to lend a hand?”
“Only right? They’re just sucking up to those two old geezers!”
That day, Huang Meili had noticed that the jade bracelet Aunt Zhou always wore was missing, and she had kept the matter in mind.
She had wanted to bring it up with Wang Haiying. Today, she finally found the opportunity.
When Zhou Zhiguo went to fetch water, Huang Meili sidled over to Wang Haiying and said sarcastically, “Sister-in-law, have you finished your own work?”
“Not yet.” Wang Haiying answered directly, without beating around the bush.
“Li Chuntao has already finished her postpartum month, yet she spends every day at home enjoying herself. The old lady serves her food and drink like she’s some kind of empress. Now that the second brother’s away, your whole family must be suffering!”
How could Wang Haiying fail to see that she was trying to stir up trouble? She simply said, “The second brother is working away from home, and Chuntao’s body is still weak. She also has two babies to nurse, so there’s no way she can work. As her older brother and sister-in-law, helping out is only right.”
Huang Meili grew even more sour at that.
“Who isn’t weak after giving birth? She’s the only one who’s so precious!”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
“Sister-in-law, the old woman’s jade bracelet is missing! It was passed down from the older generations. If it was going to be passed on, it should have gone to you!”
The jade bracelet was indeed an heirloom of the Zhou family, and Aunt Zhou had always worn it on her wrist.
It had disappeared after they returned from Dongshan. Wang Haiying knew exactly what had happened—their mother-in-law doted on Chuntao, and now that Chuntao had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, the bracelet must have been given to her.
Wang Haiying felt little resentment. Zhou Zhijun had finally managed to marry a wife, and Chuntao was so much younger than him. It was only natural for their mother-in-law to cherish her.
So she said, “It belongs to the old lady. She can give it to whomever she wants.”
“Why are you so honest? That’s the Zhou family heirloom—it’s worth a lot of money! If she gave it all to Li Chuntao, wouldn’t you feel cheated?
“And if she can give Li Chuntao the jade bracelet, won’t all her other things go to her too? I don’t care, but you’re the eldest daughter-in-law. Isn’t this treating you as though you don’t matter?”
Huang Meili made no attempt to hide her instigation, her beady eyes darting back and forth.
She didn’t know that Zhou Xiaowei had already come up behind her and heard every word.
Young and hot-tempered, Zhou Xiaowei slammed his hoe onto the ground with a clang and said angrily, “Third Aunt, you just can’t stand to see the world at peace! My grandparents can give their things to whoever they want. It’s none of anyone else’s business!”
Huang Meili was embarrassed by his retort and glared viciously at him.
“Xiaowei, how can you be so ungrateful? That bracelet should be passed down to the eldest son’s eldest grandson. I’m only saying this for your sake!”
“Fine. You’re all so generous—keep it if you want. It has nothing to do with me!”
“If it has nothing to do with you, then shut your mouth and stop stirring things up!”
Hearing the commotion, Zhou Zhimin sighed and waved at Zhou Xiaowei.
“Don’t bother with your third aunt. That’s just how her mouth is.”
Then he shouted at Huang Meili, “The sun’s almost down. Get back to work and stop dawdling!”
Huang Meili let out a cold snort and muttered as she returned to her own field.
She continued cursing inwardly. Wang Haiying was as stubborn as a dead dog that couldn’t be pushed through a wall. If it were her, she would have demanded an explanation from the old woman long ago.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the courtyard, gilding everything in warm gold.
Chuntao sat in the yard holding Nuannuan, teasing Jianshe as he sat in his baby seat. Big Yellow lay at her feet. It was a warm, peaceful scene.
Meanwhile, at the construction site north of town—
Zhou Zhijun squatted beside a mound of earth, holding a bowl of watery white-flour porridge in one hand and gnawing on a steamed bun with the other. His mind was filled with thoughts of Chuntao and the children.
The evening breeze swept dust into his face. Just as Zhou Zhijun swallowed the last bite of his bun, he heard a woman’s voice call out,
“Brother Zhijun!”
