Outside, the rain came down harder and harder, while thunder and lightning rolled across the sky without pause. The whole world was shrouded in gloom.
Zhou Zhijun lowered his head to look at the soft little woman in his arms and let out a low chuckle.
His rough hand rested lightly against her waist, his tone carrying a hint of roguish amusement. “Scared?”
Chuntao snuggled deeper into his arms, not daring to look up. She muttered softly, “Who’s scared…”
Zhou Zhijun’s eyes darkened. He had just lowered his head when Nuannuan’s crying suddenly came from the inner room.
Chuntao’s heart jolted. She pushed him away and rushed inside.
“Nuannuan, don’t be scared. Mama’s here…”
Chuntao picked up the bawling little bundle and held her tightly against her chest.
Another rumble of thunder exploded outside, and her arms tightened around the baby.
“Nuannuan, don’t be afraid,” she soothed softly.
In front of Zhou Zhijun, she was the little woman he cherished and protected. But in front of her child, she was the child’s entire world.
Zhou Zhijun followed them into the room and wrapped both mother and daughter in his arms.
His hand covered Chuntao’s, patting the soft little baby gently in rhythm with her.
Safe in her mother’s arms, Nuannuan gradually stopped crying. Her tiny hands clutched Chuntao’s clothing, and her little mouth kept rooting around.
She had drunk milk before bed the previous night but had not been fed all night. Nuannuan had woken up hungry.
“Hungry?”
Chuntao turned to Zhou Zhijun. “Brother Zhijun, I’ll feed Nuannuan.”
Zhou Zhijun released them, and Chuntao sat on the edge of the bed and opened her clothing to nurse the baby.
Zhou Zhijun did not leave. He stood right in front of her. When Chuntao suddenly looked up, she found his eyes fixed intently on her.
Her entire body stiffened. “Hurry and go outside to keep an eye on things. Don’t let the chickens peck at the food!”
Chuntao found an excuse to send him away.
Not only did Zhou Zhijun not leave, he took another half-step forward, his tall figure shielding mother and daughter completely.
He reached out and gently stroked Nuannuan’s soft baby hair, chuckling. “Little Nuannuan’s appetite is getting bigger. She woke up several times last night to eat!”
“How could that be? She went to sleep after eating her fill. She didn’t wake up at all.”
“She did wake up. You were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you. She had to pee after every feeding. Once she’s done eating, you’ll have to hold her over the potty.”
Zhou Zhijun said it as casually as if he were commenting on the weather, but Chuntao couldn’t help letting her thoughts run wild.
Nuannuan had nursed during the night, and she hadn’t noticed a thing. Just how exhausted had she been?
“Mm. I’ll do it later.”
Nuannuan gulped down her milk noisily. At the same time, she lifted her eyelids and looked up at the familiar yet pretty face above her, blinking her big eyes as if she were trying to say something.
Zhou Zhijun didn’t go outside. He waited until Nuannuan had eaten her fill before taking her from Chuntao’s arms.
“I’ll take care of her. Go eat.”
Chuntao sat in the main room by the doorway and began eating. Suddenly, she realized something was wrong.
“Where are Dad and Mom?”
“They’re in the east room.”
Usually, Aunt Zhou would call her when breakfast was ready, but today she had let Chuntao sleep until she woke naturally. Chuntao felt even more embarrassed.
Aunt Zhou must have guessed what had happened and deliberately refrained from waking her.
The more Chuntao thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became, so she quickly found something to ask.
“Brother Zhijun, when will the reservoir be finished?”
Zhou Zhijun had clung to her the moment he returned, and only now did she remember to ask about what she wanted to know.
“If everything goes smoothly, it’ll be finished in another two months, so it won’t delay the autumn harvest.
“But there’s plenty of rain in summer, and that’ll interfere with the work. Two months might be cutting it close.”
“Mm. How’s the food at the worksite?”
“It’s good. There’s plenty of oil and meat, too.”
Zhou Zhijun was reporting only the good news. He didn’t want her worrying along with him.
That day, Zhou Zhijun stayed busy looking after Chuntao and the children. He personally carried every meal and every basin of water for washing to the main room.
Even when Chuntao went to the latrine, he held an umbrella over her and followed along. Aunt Zhou happened to see them, leaving Chuntao so embarrassed that she couldn’t lift her head.
Zhou Zhijun, however, merely said, “You’re my wife. Of course I have to protect you in every way.”
That night, Chuntao buried her face in his chest and said shyly, “If I fall asleep, you have to stop… And remember to wake me in the morning.”
“Be good. I’ve missed you too much. I only get to come home once in a while, and I don’t want to waste a moment… If you’re tired, sleep well. You don’t need to get up early tomorrow.”
“No, I’m just afraid your parents will… misunderstand.”
“What could they misunderstand? Isn’t it perfectly normal for a husband and wife to sleep together? If we didn’t, where would these two children have come from?”
That was what he said, but Chuntao was still terribly embarrassed.
“That may be true, but…”
His warm lips covered hers, turning the rest of her words into soft, broken whimpers.
The heavy rain continued for three days and three nights.
The village, the fields, and every ditch and ravine filled with water. The farmland became a vast expanse of water, and the roads were covered in mud.
The reservoir, which had not yet been completed, was certainly full by now, so there was no way construction could resume anytime soon.
Zhou Zhijun didn’t return to the worksite. Instead, he picked up a shovel and went into the fields to drain the water.
“Uncle Zhijun!”
Wang Xiaoming came up from the eastern ditch, shouting from a distance.
Zhou Zhijun looked up and saw him approaching along the field ridge. He had a shovel resting on one shoulder, a metal bucket in one hand, and his trouser legs rolled above his knees. He was barefoot.
Zhou Zhijun had heard long ago about Wang Jieshi poisoning himself to death and Wang Xiaohong leaving home.
Now, Wang Xiaoming was the only one left in the Wang family. It was a truly miserable situation.
“Xiaoming, here to drain the water?” Zhou Zhijun stopped working.
“The two mu of land by the eastern ditch are completely flooded. There’s no way to drain them!”
He walked over to Zhou Zhijun and set down the bucket. “Uncle Zhijun, I caught some fish and shrimp. I was going to take them to Granny…”
Zhou Zhijun glanced into the bucket.
There were two or three grass carp, each weighing a couple of pounds. The rest were carp, crucian carp, and river shrimp, all more than a foot long. The bucket was nearly half full.
“That many?” Zhou Zhijun looked at him. “How did you catch them, you rascal?”
“The water from the river dam overflowed into our fields. I found all of these lying around in the fields.”
Wang Xiaoming scratched his head, then looked around. Lowering his voice, he said, “Uncle Zhijun, the compensation money for the oil field in our village has been paid out. But everyone thinks it’s too little. They’re all saying Zhou Dana must have pocketed a lot of it!
“If you’d been in the village back then, he never would’ve dared to be so bold!”
Zhou Xiaowei had already mentioned the matter to him in passing the previous day, so Zhou Zhijun was well aware of it.
He frowned slightly. “No one has any hard evidence. Suspicion alone won’t do.”
“Uncle Zhijun, are we really just going to let it go? He’ll become even more brazen in the future!”
Zhou Zhijun raised his hand and patted Wang Xiaoming on the shoulder. “I know about it. Don’t go spreading it around anymore. Go home.”
With that, he bent down and continued digging the drainage ditch.
Wang Xiaoming understood Zhou Zhijun’s nature. He was upright and could not tolerate even the slightest wrongdoing. Though he said nothing, he certainly wouldn’t ignore the matter.
“I’ll take the fish to Granny!” Wang Xiaoming picked up the bucket and turned to leave.
Just then, a sharp woman’s voice suddenly rang out across the field ridge.
“Wang Xiaoming! You stop right there!”
