Zhou Zhijun suddenly looked up and saw that the person calling him was none other than Zuo Jinhui.
She wore a white dacron blouse beneath a red jacket, black bell-bottom trousers, and a pair of red, pointed high heels.
Her hair was no longer styled in tight curls. She had gotten a new haircut, with the ends curling gently inward. With herself so carefully made up, she looked several years younger.
A fashionable imitation-leather handbag hung from one arm, while her right hand carried a mesh bag filled with nutritional supplements.
The heels sank into the uneven mud with every step, but she still wore a smile. She walked with exquisite care, nearly twisting an ankle more than once.
The men at the construction site had never seen such a stylish woman before. Their eyes fixed on Zuo Jinhui, and they gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.
Zhou Zhijun watched her with some surprise as well. He rose slowly to his feet.
“Sister Jinhui, what brings you here?”
Zuo Jinhui had never given up on Zhou Zhijun.
She had learned from Wu Mingwei that Zhou Zhijun had come to work on the reservoir and undergo sterilization.
Deep down, she blamed Li Chun Tao. How could she let a grown man undergo surgery?
If she were in Li Chun Tao’s place, she would rather die than let her man suffer like that!
Zhou Zhijun had just undergone surgery and had immediately come to the reservoir construction site to perform hard labor. Zuo Jinhui had been frantic with worry.
After finishing the work at hand over the past two days, she had specifically asked for two days off and hurried over.
The site was in Banqiao Commune, and Banqiao Street was only four or five li away.
One of Zuo Jinhui’s close high-school classmates worked at Banqiao Commune, so she was staying at her friend’s home.
She claimed that she wanted to open a clothing shop on the street with her classmate, but in truth, her thoughts were entirely occupied by Zhou Zhijun.
Zuo Jinhui paid no attention to the curious looks around her.
“Brother Zhijun, I came to Banqiao Street to take care of something. I heard you were working on the reservoir, so I came by to see you while I was in the area.”
She did not mention the sterilization at all. With so many people present, she was afraid of embarrassing Zhou Zhijun.
His expression immediately darkened. He stood straight, his gaze open and composed, his voice calm.
“Sister Jinhui, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble. I’m doing just fine here. There was no need for you to come all this way.”
His eyes swept over the mesh bag in her hand, and his tone was as cool as a bowl of cold water.
“Take that back with you. The worksite provides food and lodging. We’re not short of anything.”
Zuo Jinhui knew Zhou Zhijun’s temperament all too well. The colder he acted, the more she found herself unable to let go.
“Brother Zhijun, it’s just a little food. It’s nothing expensive. I’ve already brought it all this way. You can’t expect me to carry it back, can you?”
As she spoke, she tried to press the bag into his hands, but Zhou Zhijun took a step back instead of accepting it.
Besides Zhou Zhijun, Zhao Qingyun, the younger brother of Zhao Qingjiang, had also come from Wangjia Village to work on the reservoir.
He was holding a steamed bun and had come looking for Zhou Zhijun. But when he turned around and saw a fashionably dressed woman standing beside him, he stopped short.
Everyone in Wangjia Village knew that Zhou Zhijun was devoted to Chuntao.
But who was this woman?
Zhao Qingyun immediately turned around and squatted in a nearby ditch, straining his ears as he secretly listened to the conversation.
Zhou Zhijun’s hard-edged voice reached him.
“Sister Jinhui, the worksite is covered in dirt and dust. It’s not a clean place. You should head back early. And don’t come running out here again.”
The smile on Zuo Jinhui’s face instantly faded. Her high heel slipped slightly in the mud, and her eyes dimmed. The tip of her nose reddened faintly.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling with a hint of hurt.
“I only came because I heard you were working here and couldn’t stop worrying about you. I didn’t mean anything else…”
She pushed the mesh bag toward him again, softening her voice even further.
“Brother Zhijun, don’t get the wrong idea…”
“Go on home.”
Zhou Zhijun gave a slight nod, tightened his grip around the yellow porcelain bowl in his hand, and turned toward the cookhouse.
His back was ramrod straight, his steps quick and steady, without the slightest hesitation.
Zuo Jinhui watched his resolute retreat. Her nose stung, and her eyes reddened in an instant as warmth surged within them.
Her fingers clenched around the imitation-leather handbag so tightly that her nails nearly pierced it.
A gust of wind blew by, sweeping her softly curled hair across her face and blurring her vision.
She sniffed lightly, tucked the disheveled strands behind her ear, and forced the tears back. Carrying the mesh bag of nutritional supplements, she picked her way carefully across the ground in her high heels and walked away.
She had a respectable job as a state employee, received a monthly salary, and enjoyed a comfortable life. In what way was she inferior to Li Chun Tao, an uneducated peasant woman?
Yet Zhou Zhijun was stubbornly devoted to Li Chun Tao.
No matter how hard Zuo Jinhui tried, she could not understand it.
And the less she understood, the more unwilling she was to give up. That small ember of hope in her heart only burned more fiercely.
The men at the construction site watched her stumbling figure recede, each of them quietly wondering what was going on.
Zhao Qingyun was especially baffled.
Who exactly was this stylish woman? And what was her relationship with Zhou Zhijun?
His mind was full of questions, but he did not dare ask Zhou Zhijun directly.
Back in Wangjia Village, Chuntao counted the days on her fingers. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Zhijun had been away for more than a month.
Night had fallen heavily over the village, which had long since gone quiet.
She held Nuannuan in her arms. The little one had eaten her fill and was sleeping soundly with her head resting in the crook of Chuntao’s arm.
Chuntao lay with her eyes closed, yet she could not feel the slightest hint of sleep.
She was worried about Zhou Zhijun and wished she could go to the worksite at once to see how he was doing.
But the two children were still so young that they could not be without their mother. If she left, not only would they cry when they got hungry, but if she went even half a day without nursing, her breasts would become painfully engorged, as though they were about to burst.
She turned her head toward the window. Outside was pitch-black, broken only by the occasional eerie cry of an owl in the distance, enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.
Chuntao pulled Nuannuan closer, pressed her lips to the child’s soft hair, and felt her eyes grow slightly damp.
Suddenly, Big Yellow began barking at the front door.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Each bark came more urgently than the last.
Chuntao’s heart tightened. She held her breath and listened carefully, but heard no other sound.
“Big Yellow,” she called softly.
Big Yellow immediately stopped barking and ran to the bedside, whining in a low voice.
Chuntao reached out and stroked his head.
“What’s wrong, Big Yellow? Is someone outside?”
Big Yellow whimpered, then suddenly turned toward the door. He charged outside and began barking furiously once more.
After Big Yellow had torn up Zhou Pandi’s trouser leg, Zhou Dana had brought people over and tried to beat him to death, but they had ultimately failed.
Afraid they might try something behind her back, Chuntao no longer allowed Big Yellow to sleep in the courtyard at night. Instead, she kept him inside.
The nights had been peaceful lately. Big Yellow’s strange behavior tonight made her heart jolt. Someone had to be outside.
She gently slipped her arm out from beneath Nuannuan’s head, threw on a jacket, and crept toward the door.
Big Yellow stood guard behind it, barking fiercely. Chuntao patted his back, signaling for him to be quiet.
Big Yellow immediately fell silent, emitting only a low whine from deep in his throat.
Chuntao leaned down and peered through the crack in the door. It was pitch-black outside, and she could not see a thing.
She moved aside the chair, stool, and wooden bar braced against the door, preparing to let Big Yellow out.
But before she could lift the latch, the door to the east room suddenly creaked open.
Right after that came Aunt Zhou’s shout: “Who is it—?”
