Today, Wang Jieshi stumbled over something and fell while going to the outhouse.
Liu Cuilan helped him into the inner room. Glancing at the ground, she saw a straw mat spread out with Wang Jieshi's jacket on it and instantly understood what was going on.
She flew into a rage right then, planting her hands on her hips and yelling, "That damned Li Chun Tao, has she got someone on the side? How dare she treat her man like this!"
She then turned and glared at Wang Jieshi, spraying his face with spittle as she shouted, "You useless lump! Are you even a man? Letting that jinx drive you to sleep on the floor, I'm mortified for you!"
Wang Jieshi's face flushed red then paled. Frowning, his voice trembled, "I'm not much of a man to begin with... It's my fault, I wronged her. The state I'm in now, it's retribution!"
"Retribution?" Liu Cuilan's voice rose sharply, "She's the woman your sister was exchanged for in that marriage swap! She belongs to the Wang family in life and in death. What exactly did you do to wrong her?"
"Now that you're back, she should be waiting on you hand and foot! Making you sleep on the floor—that vicious woman must be carrying on with some other man! I'm going to find her and get to the bottom of this!"
As Liu Cuilan made to dash out, Wang Jieshi suddenly begged with a sob in his voice, "Ma! Haven't we been shamed enough? I know all about the gossip in the village about me being like this. If you make another scene, I really won't be able to go on living!"
Liu Cuilan was all too aware of what the villagers were saying behind their backs.
They said Wang Jieshi deserved it, that it was his just deserts; they said she, his mother, was no good, that a crooked beam makes for a crooked house!
With her fiery temper, how could she stand such insults? Stiffening her neck, she declared, "Those gossiping, rotten-mouthed busybodies! If I catch them at it, I'll tear their lips right off!"
"Ma, I'm just begging you to say less," Wang Jieshi pleaded, tugging at the hem of her clothes. "I'm back now. Having food to eat is enough. Don't stir up such a ruckus that the whole village laughs at us."
Liu Cuilan poked his forehead in frustration. "How can I get through to you when you're so spineless? That Li Chun Tao, never saying a word all day, is she trying to turn the world upside down?"
But deep down, she also knew the villagers were just waiting for her family to become a laughingstock. She could only forcibly swallow her anger and didn't go to the fields to confront Chun Tao.
While picking green beans in the field, several women sidled over, probing about Wang Jieshi with veiled words.
"Sister-in-law Cuilan, Jieshi's back. I bet you'll be holding a grandson next year!"
"That's right! Chun Tao's such a looker, her baby would surely be pretty!"
"When that happens, your pigtails will be standing straight up with pride!"
The women bantered back and forth, their mocking tone obvious to anyone with eyes.
Already in a foul mood, Liu Cuilan lost her temper on the spot. "Whether I get a grandson or not is none of your damn business! Anyone who dares gossip behind my back again, I'll yank their tongue out and feed it to the dogs!"
Seeing her red-faced and furious, the women knew she couldn't take a joke and muttered as they scattered.
Wang Haichao, sitting in the shade of a tree, overheard and quickly walked over. Smiling at the women, he said, "Jieshi's back, and the young couple are all lovey-dovey. They'll surely have a fat baby boy next year, just you wait and see!"
He then turned and walked to Liu Cuilan's side, advising her, "Why get angry with them? The madder you get, the more they think you've got something to hide. Chun Tao might really give you a grandson. Wouldn't that get your face back then?"
Liu Cuilan shot him an irritated glare. "Jieshi's leg is broken. Who knows if he's still any good down there? How's he supposed to have a child?"
"Hey, it's just a broken leg," Wang Haichao lowered his voice. "I know an old doctor who specializes in men's... problems. I'll get some medicine for Jieshi when I have a chance. It might just work!"
Hearing this, a flicker of hope rose in Liu Cuilan's heart.
If Chun Tao could give the Wang family a child, all that gossip would naturally die down.
Little did she know, Wang Haichao was playing a long game in his mind, and she was merely one of his pawns.
The two of them walked back from the fields and saw smoke rising from the kitchen chimney, a sign Chun Tao was making soup.
Remembering Wang Jieshi sleeping on the floor, Liu Cuilan's anger flared up again. She cursed as she walked, "That damned, jinxed woman! Spare the rod and she climbs onto the roof! Making her man sleep on the floor while she takes the bed, she wants a rebellion!"
Reaching the kitchen door, she saw Chun Tao squatting by the stove, feeding the fire. Liu Cuilan stepped forward to grab her arm. "Li Chun Tao, how can your heart be so wicked? Jieshi's body is in such a state, and you still make him sleep on the floor! I'm telling you, if you dare do it again, I won't let you off!"
Wang Haichao quickly pulled her back. "Aren't you tired after a day's work? Go sit and rest in the courtyard!" He dragged her to a stone stool in the yard and whispered a few words of advice.
Inside the kitchen, Chun Tao's eyes were red. She bit her lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall.
That night, under Liu Cuilan's threats, Chun Tao had no choice but to lie on the same bed as Wang Jieshi.
This wooden bed was made for their wedding. To save on lumber, Liu Cuilan had it made especially narrow. It was just right for one person, but terribly cramped for two. They had to lie pressed tightly together to fit.
Chun Tao could only lie half on her side against the edge of the bed, one leg dangling off, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Wang Jieshi.
Wang Jieshi shifted inward a little and said quietly, "Move in a bit, don't fall off."
Chun Tao didn't move or make a sound. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the troubles in her mind, but the grievances of all these years came flooding back like a tide.
Four years of guarding an empty room. Farm work in the fields bending her back until it ached.
Liu Cuilan's baseless accusations and abuse, pricking her heart like needles.
And the pointing fingers and whispers behind her back in the village, making her unable to hold her head up in front of anyone.
She hated him. She hated Wang Jieshi. Since he was going to run off with another woman back then, why did he have to marry her and bring her into this house?
Chun Tao lay there like a stone, motionless.
Suddenly, from the next room, came the creaking sound of an old wooden bed, mixed with a man's panting and a woman's stifled moans.
Men, not a single one of them is any good! Remembering how Zhou Zhijun always forced her to do that sort of thing, Chun Tao's cheeks burned.
Wang Jieshi's breathing also grew heavier and rougher along with the noises from next door.
He had lost a leg, but whether that part of him was useless or not, Chun Tao truly didn't know.
If he tried to lay a hand on her, she was his lawfully wedded wife. She would just have to endure it.
Chun Tao's heart leaped into her throat. She silently inched even closer to the edge of the bed.
Unexpectedly, Wang Jieshi suddenly grabbed her hand. Chun Tao stiffened in fright, squeezing out two words from her throat: "What are you doing?"
"Tao... I'm sorry... It was all my fault." His voice was very low, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
The bitterness of these four years was like the medicine pot on the stove. Outsiders only saw the medicine being brewed; who knew the pain and suffering of being roasted day and night by the firewood?
Now he was back. Did he think a simple "I'm sorry" could erase all the scars?
"Go to sleep." Chun Tao pulled her hand back and abruptly turned onto her side, facing away from him.
"Tao, I know you hate me,"
Wang Jieshi shifted closer to her, his warm breath fanning the nape of her neck. "I'll treat you right from now on," he said.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rough hand began creeping toward her chest. With labored breathing, he mumbled, "Let me show you some affection..."
