The autumn crops had ripened across the countryside, and every household was busy bringing in the harvest.
Every day, Zhou Zhijun rose before dawn and did not return home until night had fully fallen. To save time, he made do with lunch right there in the fields.
The two elders were getting on in years, so all the heavy work in the fields rested on Zhou Zhijun’s broad shoulders.
Every day, Aunt Zhou helped out in the fields, then hurried home to cook. As soon as the food was ready, she would rush straight back out to deliver it to Zhou Zhijun.
Chuntao was worried that her mother-in-law, at her age, would not be able to hold up under the strain. So she suggested that Aunt Zhou stay home to watch the children while she went to work in the fields instead.
“You still have to nurse the babies. Stay home and take care of them. Don’t worry about the work in the fields!”
Aunt Zhou was speaking the truth. Both babies still needed to nurse. If she went out to the fields, all three of them would suffer.
But Chuntao was a young wife. Having her stay home every day while the two older people worked in the fields made her feel terribly guilty.
“Ma, why don’t we take the babies to the fields? We can spread out a mat at the edge of the field and let them play there.”
Back then, people took less care raising children than they did raising livestock. Once a baby was born, no one paid much attention. Some babies were laid in bed at birth and stayed there until they were a year old, when they were taken outside and expected to learn to walk on their own.
Jianshe and Nuannuan were both more than six months old. Babies that age were usually left unattended. While the adults worked in the fields, the children were shut inside the house and allowed to crawl around on the floor.
If they were lucky, they were taken along to the fields and left at the edge to crawl around by themselves. As long as they did not cry or fuss, that was good enough.
That was perfectly ordinary in those days, but Aunt Zhou refused to allow it.
“Oh, no, that won’t do. This family isn’t short of people to work. You just stay home and look after the babies. Taking good care of the three of you is more important than anything!”
Aunt Zhou both felt sorry for Chuntao, who was small and slight, and could not bear to let her grandchildren be exposed to the wind and sun. In the end, Chuntao had no choice but to stay home.
The midday sun was scorching. As soon as Aunt Zhou finished cooking, she prepared to take the food to the fields.
“Ma, I’ll take it!” Chuntao came into the kitchen and picked up the food bucket. “You’ve been running back and forth between the house and the fields every day. You’re worn out. Stay home and rest for a while. I’ll take it over.”
Aunt Zhou’s legs were already heavy with exhaustion, so she did not argue. She handed Chuntao the cloth bag containing the steamed white buns and salted eggs.
“It’s the soybean field in the north.”
Chuntao carried a small bucket of noodles in one hand and the cloth bag in the other, heading toward the northern fields.
Villagers working in the fields passed her along the way. Seeing her out and about was such a novelty that they all took notice.
Wang Chunxiao called out from a distance, “Chuntao, you finally decided to come out? You stay cooped up at home every day. If you don’t get some sun, you’ll grow moldy!”
There wasn’t a farm woman in the countryside who did not work in the fields. During the busy harvest season, they rose early and worked until dark, just like the men.
Chuntao was the only woman in Wangjia Village who did not work in the fields. The village women had been gossiping about it behind her back for quite some time, their voices thick with sour envy.
Now that they had run into Chuntao, they could no longer hide their jealousy.
“Exactly!” another woman chimed in. “It’s no good enjoying an easy life when you haven’t earned it. Sooner or later, having nothing to do will make you sick!”
“I’m just too softhearted. My man works himself to the bone every day, and I can’t stand to watch. Even if he told me not to work in the fields, I couldn’t sit still!”
“My mother-in-law stays home to cook and do the laundry. I won’t let her work in the fields. No matter how you look at it, we young women can take more than old folks!”
…
The women traded remarks, raising their voices as loud as they could, each putting on the air of a virtuous wife and dutiful daughter-in-law.
How could Chuntao fail to hear the jealousy in their words? When she reached them, she stopped.
“Aunts, sisters-in-law, all of you are out working? It’s the busiest time of year, so say less and save your energy. You’d be better off using that strength to get more work done!”
The women had expected Chuntao to be so ashamed that she would not be able to lift her head. They had not expected her to fire back. Their faces changed at once.
“Li Chuntao, my mouth is my own. I’ll say whatever I want. It’s none of your business!” one of the women shouted, rolling her eyes dramatically.
The others glared at Chuntao too, each one looking like a furious old hen ready for a fight.
Wang Chunxiao hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “All right, all right, let’s go. We need to hurry home and make lunch!”
Then she turned to Chuntao and urged, “You’d better get going too. Brother Zhijun must be waiting for you.”
Huang Meili and the others had followed behind, hearing every word. They whispered among themselves.
When they saw Chuntao stop in front of the women, they quickened their pace, eager to watch the spectacle.
But before they could reach them, Chuntao was already walking toward them.
Huang Meili’s face was dark as she stared straight ahead.
When Zhou Xiaoying and Zhou Xiaomei saw Chuntao coming, they looked at her from the corners of their eyes, their faces full of disdain.
Chuntao knew perfectly well that the mother and daughters had little love for her. Still, they were related by marriage, and appearances had to be maintained.
She was just about to greet them when Huang Meili suddenly turned her face away. The words died on Chuntao’s lips.
She continued on with the food. Behind her came the sisters’ muttering.
“Well, look at that. The sun must be rising in the west. She’s actually heading to the fields!”
“She’s delivering food, not coming to work. What’s she putting on airs for?”
“When she was at the Wang family’s, she was like a servant girl. After marrying our second uncle, she acts like some rich young lady!”
“That’s because Grandma and the others spoil her…”
When Chuntao reached the edge of the field, she saw Zhou Zhijun still bent over, cutting soybeans. She set the food down beneath a tree in the shade, then walked over to call him.
“Brother Zhijun, it’s time to eat!”
At the sound of her voice, Zhou Zhijun straightened abruptly and turned to look at her.
Her little face was flushed from the sun, and a fine layer of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose.
“It’s so hot. Why didn’t you wear a hat?”
As he spoke, he raised the back of his hand and gently wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose.
“I’m fine!” Chuntao looked at his cheeks, darkened and reddened by the sun, and her eyes grew hot. Tears nearly spilled over.
“It’s the busiest time of year, and I can’t help much at all. You and Ma and Dad have been working so hard.”
“What are you talking about? This is our own work. How can you call it hard?
“Our parents are the ones who are truly working hard. I’m strong. I’m fine!
“You may not be working in the fields, but looking after the babies every day is no less tiring than doing farmwork.
“Don’t let your thoughts run away with you. When you get home, tell Ma and Dad to rest after they eat. There’s no need for you to hurry back out. I’m here. Our family’s work will never fall behind anyone else’s!”
Zhou Zhijun went to the ditch at the edge of the field to wash his hands and face. By the time he returned to the shade, Chuntao had already poured a large porcelain bowl of cold noodles from the food bucket.
The noodles were mixed with amaranth and topped with garlic sauce. The sharp, fragrant smell of garlic filled the air.
On a hot day, this was Zhou Zhijun’s favorite meal.
Chuntao was peeling a salted egg. When she saw him approach, water still beading on his face, she quickly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe him.
But Zhou Zhijun caught her hand and held it firmly.
“Tao, things have been so busy lately. Once we finish the work in the fields, I’ll make love to you again.”
Chuntao’s already flushed face grew even hotter. She scolded him shyly, “Just eat!”
She pulled her hand free and quickly squatted down to continue peeling the egg.
Zhou Zhijun dropped onto the ground, picked up the bowl of cold noodles, and was about to eat. But when he lifted the chopsticks to his mouth, he paused.
“Have you eaten?”
“I’ll eat when I get home.”
“Come here. Open your mouth. I’ll feed you a bite.”
Chuntao gave him an annoyed look. “Stop fooling around. Eat your food. I’m not hungry.”
“I’m hungry, but what I really want is to eat you.”
“You’re insatiable. You’re still thinking about that at a time like this!”
“I’m not tired. This little bit of work is nothing! Work in the fields or work in bed—it’s all a piece of cake to me!”
Chuntao placed the peeled egg in his bowl and shot him a sidelong glance. “Just eat. Once you’re done, I’ll head back early to keep an eye on the two kids and let Ma get some rest.”
Zhou Zhijun looked at the half bucket of noodles still left in the food pail and said, “I can’t finish all that. You eat this bowl, and I’ll eat straight from the bucket.”
Aunt Zhou was always afraid he wouldn’t get enough to eat, so whenever she brought him food, she always sent more than enough.
There was a small bucket of noodles, along with two large white steamed buns and five salted eggs. He truly couldn’t finish it all, so Chuntao took the bowl from him.
Zhou Zhijun shoveled the noodles into his mouth, slurping loudly. Before long, he had polished off half the bucket.
He then gnawed down another large steamed bun and three salted eggs, while Chuntao had only just finished her bowl of noodles.
“Are you full? There’s still one bun left.” Chuntao gathered up the bowls and chopsticks as she spoke.
When she looked up, she found herself staring straight into Zhou Zhijun’s smoldering eyes. He was gazing at her with unconcealed intensity.
Lowering his voice, Zhou Zhijun spoke hoarsely, the heat he could barely restrain evident in his tone. “I’m not full. Right now, all I want is to eat you.”
The moment his words fell, a rustling sound came from the cornfield.
