The quilt on the bed had been folded into a neat, square bundle, every edge sharp and even. There was no sign of Wang Xiaohong anywhere in the room.
Standing at the doorway of the inner room, Wang Xiaoming suddenly froze. He hurried forward and yanked open the bedside cabinet.
The few changes of clothes Wang Xiaohong usually wore were all gone.
His heart sank little by little. When he straightened up, he noticed two pairs of brand-new cloth shoes on top of the cabinet—one pair of flats and one pair of cotton-lined shoes.
Underneath the new shoes lay a sheet torn from an old calendar. On the back, in crooked handwriting, were two lines:
Xiaoming, I’ve gone away. Don’t worry about me.
I stayed up late to make these shoes. Wear them sparingly.
Wang Xiaoming stared at the words, and his eyes instantly reddened.
His older brother was gone, and now Wang Xiaohong had left too. This family had been reduced to nothing but him, utterly alone.
He leaned against the earthen wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor, like a deflated ball. For a long while, he could not get back on his feet.
In just two short years, the Wang family had been torn apart.
Some had been arrested, some had died, and some had left. The events surrounding the Wang family alone would be enough to keep the villagers gossiping for a year or more.
Wang Xiaohong’s departure left Chuntao’s heart twisted with worry, and she could not calm herself for a long time.
Ever since she had married into the Wang family, every moment she had spent with Wang Xiaohong came flooding back through her mind like scenes from a movie.
They had once been as close as sisters, but now they were as distant as strangers. It all seemed like a dream.
Even though Wang Xiaohong held a grudge against her, in Chuntao’s heart she was still the same good sister who had always stood up for her whenever trouble came.
Where could a young woman go after leaving home all by herself?
Chuntao was filled with worry and concern, but she had no way to help. All she could do was pray silently that Wang Xiaohong would stay safe.
The days slipped quietly through her fingers. Before she knew it, Zhou Zhijun had been away repairing the reservoir for two whole months.
Holding Nuannuan, who was growing a little more every day and looked like a tiny bean sprout, Chuntao’s thoughts were filled with Zhou Zhijun.
How was he doing now? Was the work exhausting?
Was he eating enough? Was he sleeping well?
Before leaving, Zhou Zhijun had promised that he would come back to see her whenever he had the time. But how could anyone find free time while working on a reservoir?
Whenever the weather was overcast or rainy and there was no work, Chuntao would rather he rest properly at the construction site than make the long journey home. The road was far too long, and the trip would only wear him out.
Lost in thought, Chuntao failed to notice that Nuannuan was looking up at her with her little face tilted back. The baby babbled at her with a series of “aah-aah” sounds and grinned brightly, but Chuntao remained completely unaware.
“Chuntao, today’s the babies’ hundredth day. Let’s take them to Qingshan Street to have their pictures taken!”
Aunt Zhou came out of the east room carrying Jianshe and called out to her with a smile.
The babies’ hundred-day portraits were an important tradition. Aunt Zhou had been reminding Chuntao about it for several days, but with her mind full of Zhou Zhijun, Chuntao had forgotten all about it.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law each carried one baby and followed the country path toward Qingshan Street.
Many villagers were working in the fields. When they saw the two women carrying the babies out, they all turned to look.
“Aunt Zhou, where are you two headed?” Wang Chunxiao called from a distance while pulling weeds in the field.
“We’re going into town to have the babies’ hundred-day pictures taken!” Aunt Zhou replied, her face blooming with happiness.
Not far away, Huang Meili and her daughters heard this, and their hearts immediately filled with sour resentment.
“Mom, just look at Grandma. She’s so old, yet she’s still so devoted!” Zhou Xiaomei rolled her eyes.
Zhou Xiaoying joined in with a mutter. “Grandma’s so biased. When my little brother had his hundred-day picture taken, she didn’t go with him…”
Huang Meili was already stewing with frustration. After listening to her two daughters complain, she felt even more stifled.
She glanced at Zhou Zhimin, who stood silently to one side, and could not stop herself from launching into another round of angry scolding.
Zhou Zhimin remained silent. The more Huang Meili ranted, the angrier she became. At last, she hefted her hoe onto her shoulder and turned back home to rest.
Before she had even reached her own courtyard, she ran straight into Shi Yanhua, who was clutching a green notebook.
Rivals meeting were bound to glare daggers at each other. Huang Meili’s face darkened. Pretending not to see Shi Yanhua, she turned directly into her own courtyard.
“Huang Meili, wait!”
When she heard Shi Yanhua calling after her, Huang Meili did not stop. She walked straight into the main room and dropped heavily into a chair.
Shi Yanhua followed her to the doorway, opened the notebook in her hand, and said coldly, “Huang Meili, it’s time to pay the fine for having more children than allowed. Everyone else has paid already. Your family is the only one left!”
At the thought of the shameful dealings between Shi Yanhua and Zhou Dana, the fire in Huang Meili’s chest burned even hotter. Without so much as raising her eyes, she spat out two words:
“No money!”
Shi Yanhua let out a cold laugh. “No money isn’t an excuse!”
“I said I’ve got no money. I’m not paying!”
Every year, families who exceeded the birth quota had to pay a fine. Even if they had no money, they had to scrape it together by selling grain. If they refused to pay, the family-planning officials would come to their homes, carry away their belongings, and take their livestock.
Huang Meili knew perfectly well that there was no escaping the payment. She was simply trying to put up a show of defiance and vent her anger.
Shi Yanhua had been the village women’s director for many years. What kind of people had she not seen? Everyone was tough in words, but very few truly dared to refuse payment.
“If you don’t pay, there’s nothing I can do about it. There are people who can deal with you,” Shi Yanhua said before turning to leave.
Only after Shi Yanhua had gone did Huang Meili dare to lower her voice and curse.
“Shi Yanhua, you committed adultery with that old bastard Zhou Dana and had a child with him. Does that comply with the family-planning policy? If you really push me too far, I’ll report you to the commune!
“And Zhou Dana—if you keep refusing to take a hint, I’ll make sure you can’t remain village party secretary!
“And that illegitimate son of yours…”
She gnashed her teeth. “If I can’t have an easy life, then none of you will either!”
Huang Meili had always been hot-tempered and impulsive. The moment she made up her mind, she acted. She immediately left the house and headed straight for the brigade office to find Zhou Dana.
“Secretary, lend me some money! I need to pay the fine for having too many children!”
Zhou Dana was sitting in the brigade office, smoking a long-stemmed tobacco pipe, his brows knitted into a deep frown.
Huang Meili suddenly shoved open the door and barged in. Before he had time to recover, she was already demanding money with an air of absolute entitlement.
Seeing the determined look on her face, Zhou Dana angrily slammed the bowl of his pipe against the leg of the table and roared, “Do you think I run a bank? I’ve got no money to lend you!”
He knew perfectly well that Huang Meili was not asking to borrow money. She was openly extorting him.
Huang Meili stepped closer, growing even more aggressive. “No money? Don’t try to take me for a fool! You know exactly how much of the oil-field compensation money you pocketed!
“And how much money you gave that slut Shi Yanhua—you think I don’t know? If you don’t lend me this money, don’t blame me for what happens next…”
Huang Meili was too busy talking to notice the vicious glint that suddenly appeared in Zhou Dana’s eyes.
It was not until Zhou Dana grabbed her by the throat and squeezed hard that she realized something was wrong.
“Huang Meili, shut your filthy mouth! Say one more word and I’ll rip out your tongue!”
The pressure on her throat cut off her breath. Her face turned bright red, then purple. Unable to make a sound, she clawed at Zhou Dana’s hand until tears sprang into her eyes.
Zhou Dana suddenly released her. He leaned close to her ear and spoke in a voice as cold and hard as ice.
“Say one more reckless word, and I’ll make sure you never speak again.
“Get out!”
Several clear red marks stood out on Huang Meili’s neck. Her throat was dry and raw, and the pain pierced straight through her.
She cursed Zhou Dana as an old fox in her heart, but she did not dare utter a single word. Turning around, she stumbled out of the room.
Just as she steadied herself, someone approached from the front—it was Shi Yanhua again.
Afraid Shi Yanhua would see her in such a sorry state, Huang Meili lowered her head and scurried away in a panic.
Shi Yanhua turned around and watched her flee with her tail between her legs, a cold, mocking smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
When she entered the house and saw that Zhou Dana’s face was as dark as the bottom of a cooking pot, she immediately gritted her teeth and cursed, “What the hell was that shameless woman Huang Meili doing here?”
Zhou Dana picked up his pipe, packed it with tobacco, lit it, and took several deep puffs. Without even lifting his eyelids, he said in a low voice, “She came to borrow money. I’m not running a bank—where would I get the money to give her?”
Shi Yanhua stared at his face, her eyes sharp. “I’m afraid she wasn’t here just to borrow money, was she?”
“What else could it be?” Zhou Dana was thoroughly irritated. He stood up and started toward the door.
But Shi Yanhua grabbed him by the arm. “I have something important to tell you!”
“I’m in no mood. Tell me another day!”
“It’s about Jinzhu!”
The instant he heard the name “Jinzhu,” the fierceness vanished from Zhou Dana’s face, replaced by unmistakable tenderness, along with undisguised urgency and worry.
“What happened to Jinzhu?”
