The couple had not been intimate for a long time, so when they finally got the chance, they naturally made the most of every second.
Chuntao was utterly exhausted. Before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep sleep, but Zhou Zhijun still could not bear to stop…
By the time she woke the next morning, the sun was already high.
Chuntao opened her eyes and found Zhou Zhijun gone. Instead, the enticing aroma of food greeted her.
Her whole body felt boneless and weak as she forced herself to sit up. On the table sat a small plastic bucket and a yellow porcelain basin with a lid.
She had not noticed when Zhou Zhijun had gotten out of bed. He had even brought her breakfast.
It was the first time she had slept apart from the two children, and Chuntao felt empty inside, constantly worrying about them. She hurriedly got dressed, intending to go home.
“You’re awake!”
Zhou Zhijun pushed open the door. He was dressed in rubber work clothes, and the sunlight behind him made his figure stand out. His face was speckled with mud.
“Where did you go?” Chuntao asked, looking at him.
“To scoop out water plants.” His eyes fell on the table. “I brought you breakfast. Hurry up and eat.”
After a pause, he added, “Then get some more sleep and rest properly. We’ll have to keep going tonight.”
“What?” Chuntao’s face flushed. “No!”
Zhou Zhijun looked at her with a grin. “What’s wrong? If you’re uncomfortable anywhere, tell me and I’ll change… You can’t say no.”
“Can’t you say something proper for once?”
Chuntao glanced at the food again. “You eat it. I’ll go home to eat and check on the children while I’m there.”
“I’ve already eaten. This was brought especially for you.”
“Aunt Zhou said you’re not to go home for a week. I’ll bring your meals to you.”
“Not go home for a week?” Chuntao could not believe that was really her mother-in-law’s idea. “Why?”
“If you’re going to wean them, you have to do it properly. If you go back, the children will see you and want to nurse again. Once they’ve completely forgotten, you can go home. Then they won’t make a fuss when they see you.”
That was indeed how weaning worked, but Chuntao missed the children terribly. She had only been away from them for one night, yet it already felt like three whole years. Her heart ached with longing.
“I’ll just go home and take a look, then I’ll come right back,” she said as she sat down at the table.
The little plastic bucket contained thin white-flour porridge with two poached eggs floating in it.
The yellow porcelain basin held cold tossed toon shoots and a white steamed bun.
Chuntao moved the eggs into an empty bowl, then looked up at Zhou Zhijun, who was sitting on the threshold. “I’m not nursing the children anymore. I shouldn’t eat eggs now. You eat them.”
Zhou Zhijun abruptly lifted his head. “You still need to eat even if you aren’t nursing them. You’re so slight and have no strength at all. You won’t be able to withstand being worn out.”
He sounded perfectly serious, but his words made Chuntao’s cheeks burn. “I really shouldn’t eat them. The children aren’t nursing anymore. If I get too much nutrition, it’ll only make things worse…”
Chuntao looked delicate, but she had always had an abundant supply of milk. Stopping so suddenly would indeed make her suffer for several days.
“It’s fine. I’ll help you.”
The previous night, Chuntao’s breasts had been painfully engorged, and Zhou Zhijun really had helped relieve her discomfort…
For the next few days, Zhou Zhijun refused to let her go home. He brought all three meals straight to her.
At night, the two of them indulged in their private world. During the day, Zhou Zhijun busied himself with the work around the river embankment.
Chuntao could never sit still. She wanted to help with some light work.
But Zhou Zhijun stopped her. “You don’t need to do anything. Just be the supervisor. With you beside me, I don’t even feel tired.”
Seeing his face reddened by the sun, Chuntao felt a pang of sympathy.
“Brother Zhijun, take a break. No one can finish all the work in one day.”
Back when she had lived with the Wang family, Aunt Zhou had often urged her to rest in exactly the same way. Now she was saying those words to Zhou Zhijun, and her heart was filled with complicated emotions.
The burden of the entire family rested on his shoulders alone. He simply could not afford to stop.
Zhou Zhijun sat down on the grass beside the embankment. Chuntao quickly handed him the water jug, then took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face.
His gaze, warm as the spring sunshine, fell tenderly on her pretty face.
“Sit down.”
He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her down beside him. Gazing at the calm surface of the water, he said, “Tao, by the time the New Year comes, we’ll be able to sell the fish. Once we get paid, I’ll buy you a wristwatch.”
Chuntao looked at his sharply defined profile and felt an extraordinary sense of security.
“That thing can’t be eaten or drunk. I don’t want one. Taking care of the fishpond already costs a lot. After we deduct the expenses, there won’t be much left. It’s all hard-earned money.
“Father and Mother are getting older, and the children are growing up every day. There are plenty of places where we’ll need to spend money. We have to use it where it matters most.”
Zhou Zhijun tightened his grip on her hand. His fingertips carried the warmth of the sun, and he gave a low chuckle.
“Money is meant to be spent, not saved just to look at. Why do you think I took on this fishpond? Isn’t it so you, the children, and Father and Mother can live more comfortably?
“A wristwatch isn’t worth much, but you’ve suffered so much following me around, and I haven’t even been able to give you one decent gift. I can’t get past that.”
After a pause, he turned to look at her, his eyes growing even gentler.
“I know what matters most. I won’t skimp on the things we need, and I won’t waste money on things we don’t. I’m not only going to buy you a watch. One day, I’ll buy you a gold ring too.”
Chuntao no longer argued. She simply rested her head lightly against his shoulder, happiness impossible to conceal on her face.
“Brother Zhijun, marrying you was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Whether our days ahead are good or bad, I’ll follow you wholeheartedly for the rest of my life.”
“Our life will only get better. Don’t worry.” Zhou Zhijun tightened the arm around her waist.
After resting on the grass for a while, Zhou Zhijun pointed toward the two small boats moored beside the embankment.
“Tao, you’ve never been on a boat, have you? Come on, I’ll row you around.”
Chuntao’s heart tightened. “I really haven’t. I’m a little scared.”
“Don’t be. I’m very steady with a boat. With me here, you have nothing to worry about.”
Holding a long bamboo pole, Zhou Zhijun guided the little boat slowly through the fishpond with Chuntao aboard.
Big Yellow led several wolfhound puppies along the bank, racing around the pond and barking anxiously.
It was Chuntao’s first time in a boat, and Zhou Zhijun himself was the one steering. Her eyes shone with excitement.
She reached a hand into the water and stirred the surface, making a soft splashing sound. A few strands of waterweed tangled around her fingers, soft and slippery.
She laughed and gently flicked them away. Droplets rolled down between her fingers, glittering in the sunlight.
When the breeze blew strands of hair against her cheek, she did not even bother to brush them away. She only lowered her head and continued playing in the water.
Her brows curved, her lips lifted in a smile, and all her usual reserve had vanished. She looked like a carefree little girl who had never grown up.
Holding the bamboo pole, Zhou Zhijun guided the boat at an unhurried pace. His gaze first settled on the droplets clinging to the back of her hand, then moved to her smiling face. Without realizing it, he slowed his movements by half.
Big Yellow and the wolfhound puppies continued running along the bank, barking joyfully.
“Big Yellow!” Chuntao called to him. “Next time, I’ll take you on the boat too!”
By the time they got off the boat, the sun was already slanting westward.
They had only just reached the house when Zhou Xiaobao came running over, panting heavily.
“Second Aunt! My little sister has a fever and won’t stop crying. My mother told me to come get you!”
Chuntao’s heart leaped into her throat, and she took off running toward the village.
Zhou Xiaobao followed behind, soon gasping for breath.
Before they even reached the gate of Zhou Zhijun’s house, Nuannuan’s heart-wrenching cries came rushing out from inside. Chuntao’s heart clenched instantly.
“Nuannuan…”
Wang Haiying was holding Nuannuan and pacing back and forth in the room, soothing her softly. “Nuannuan, don’t cry. Don’t cry.”
Chuntao came running in with sweat covering her forehead. Several damp strands of hair clung to her face.
Without even wiping away the sweat, she asked urgently, “Sister-in-law, is her fever still bad?”
The moment Wang Haiying saw her, worry filled her face. “I just gave her some medicine!”
Chuntao hurriedly took Nuannuan into her arms and held her close. “Nuannuan, don’t cry. Mama’s here.”
The baby was so little, and after several days without seeing her mother, Chuntao felt a pang in her nose and her eyes instantly reddened.
Hearing her voice, Nuannuan, who had been crying desperately with her eyes squeezed shut just moments before, suddenly quieted down.
