It was already dark, but Zhou Zhijun was still squatting on the edge of the field. He knocked his tobacco pipe on a stone again and again, with Chuntao's cute little face filling his mind.
She had a pair of crescent - shaped eyes, clear and bright. Her small and lovely nose exuded an air of elegance, and her cherry - like red lips were tender and juicy.
When she was shy, her little face would turn as red as an apple. When she saw him, her timid and evasive little eyes were so endearing.
When she cried, she looked so pitiful, and when she resisted, there was a soft - yet - stubborn look on her face, which made one reluctant to force her even a bit.
Such a lively girl was right in front of him every day, but he just couldn't have her. This heart - wrenching feeling was beyond the understanding of outsiders.
His affection for her had nothing to do with sympathy or pity. It was that indescribable feeling. If he didn't see her, he would feel restless all over, as if his heart was being scratched.
When he saw her, he just wanted to hold her in his arms and love her deeply, to the point of forgetting everything in the world.
He thought he was bewitched. Having not touched her or got close to her for so long, he couldn't get interested in anything.
When Zhou Zhijun got home, Zhou Zhimin was already sitting in the kitchen, holding a corn bun in his hand.
Seeing him come in, Zhou Zhimin looked up and asked, "Mom said you went to dig the edge of the field. Are you done?"
"Done." Zhou Zhijun didn't say much.
This younger brother of his always came only when he needed something. He either came to borrow rice, flour, or money, and he never returned what he borrowed.
Zhou Zhijun didn't like him at all. After answering, he picked up a bowl of corn porridge from the stove, took two corn buns, and squatted in the yard.
His eyes casually glanced at the next - door yard, and he saw Wang Xiaohong and Chuntao sitting on the stone bench in the yard, drinking soup and whispering about something.
He pricked up his ears to listen, but he couldn't hear a single word.
Zhou Zhimin strolled over to him and whispered, "Second brother, come to the main room with me. I have something to tell you." Then he walked towards the main room.
Zhou Zhijun ignored him. He finished the porridge in the bowl in a few gulps, went to the kitchen to get another bowl, and then slowly shuffled into the main room.
"What's the matter?" he asked concisely, stuffing the corn bun into his mouth.
Zhou Zhimin rubbed his hands and put on a smile. "There have been a lot of gossips about you in the village these days."
Gossips? Zhou Zhijun sneered in his heart. Without asking, he knew it must be spread by Zhou Zhaodi and the others. It was nothing but slander about him and Chuntao.
They didn't catch them in the act. No matter how much they gossiped, it was just a rumor!
Zhou Zhijun snorted and didn't answer. He just kept shoveling food into his mouth.
"Second brother, they all say that you help Liu Cuilan's family because of Chuntao, and that you two have already had an affair..."
Zhou Zhimin kept his eyes fixed on Zhou Zhijun's face and spoke carefully.
"Do you believe those gossips?" Zhou Zhijun's voice was as cold as an icicle.
"Of course I don't! I know what kind of person you are. But these gossips can be deadly! A false story can be made to seem true!"
Zhou Zhijun put down his chopsticks and said coldly, "The truth will always prevail, and falsehood will never become truth."
As he said this, he didn't feel the slightest bit nervous. Instead, he felt a kind of reckless calm.
"Second brother, I think we have to find a way to stop them from gossiping..."
"How?"
Hearing that there was a chance, Zhou Zhimin immediately perked up. "I have two ways that will definitely work!
You should find a wife as soon as possible. Then they won't spread rumors anymore!
And you can adopt Xiaomei as your daughter!
Once you have a daughter, the Wang family won't be able to ask you for help with their work anymore. Cut off all ties with them, and see what those people can say!"
Zhou Zhijun didn't even look up. He finished the remaining food in the bowl in a few mouthfuls.
Zhou Zhimin continued to persuade, "Although Xiaomei is a girl, she's already twelve. She can do all kinds of work, like cooking, washing clothes, and working in the fields.
Mom is getting old. She can help out when she comes."
"No need!"
"Second brother, you don't have a child. Who will take care of you in your old age?"
"I can take care of myself!" Zhou Zhijun didn't show the slightest sign of a smile on his face. He picked up the empty bowl and walked towards the kitchen.
Seeing that his attitude was so firm, Zhou Zhimin could only leave dejectedly.
When Huang Meili saw Zhou Zhimin coming back with his head down, she asked, "Didn't the second brother agree?"
"He has a deep mind. No one can figure him out!"
Huang Meili curled her lips. "Wang Jieshi is useless now. Maybe the second brother is still thinking about having a child with Li Chuntao!"
Zhou Zhimin glared at her. "What are you talking nonsense about! Second brother is not that kind of person!"
"That's not necessarily true. With Li Chuntao's charming looks, which man can resist her? I don't believe the second brother is made of wood!"
"Huang Meili! It's okay for others to spread rumors, but don't you follow suit. If the second brother finds out, you'll be in trouble!"
"So what? Will he beat me up? I heard it from others!"
"What others say is all nonsense! Isn't it just Zhou Zhaodi, that big - mouthed woman? Her husband is dead, and she still can't stay quiet when living in her parents' house. She's always gossiping about others!"
Zhou Zhimin and his wife were very unhappy because Zhou Zhijun didn't want to adopt Zhou Xiaomei, but they had no other choice.
Huang Meili thought that if Zhou Zhijun remained a bachelor all his life, the things in his family would definitely be taken by the eldest brother's family in the future. So she tried to take advantage whenever she could.
On Zhou Zhijun's side, he had made up his mind that from now on, he would never lend anything or money to Zhou Zhimin and his wife.
On the other hand, Wang Lanhua gave birth to another daughter in her second pregnancy, and the baby was given away as soon as she was born. It was the busy farming season, and Li Dazhuang didn't come to the Wang family to deliver the news.
One day, Chuntao pulled a half - bag of wheat to the school to exchange for food stamps. She happened to meet Li Dazhuang on the street and only then learned that Wang Lanhua had given birth.
She had ten yuan in her pocket. The handling fee for exchanging food stamps cost more than two yuan. Wang Xiaohong said that she should use the remaining money to buy a piece of cloth to make a new dress.
But Chuntao had no intention of making a dress. She wanted to leave the money for Wang Xiaoming. It would be more convenient for him to have some extra money when studying at school.
Hearing that Wang Lanhua had given birth, Chuntao immediately took out five yuan and handed it to Li Dazhuang. "Brother, I can't go back to see sister - in - law. You take this money and buy her some brown sugar and eggs to nourish her body."
"I can't take it! I have money. The grain harvest was good this year, and I sold a lot of it!"
Li Dazhuang was an honest man, and Chuntao believed him. But this was her sincere gesture.
"Brother, just take it. This is my heart. Don't think it's too little!" With that, she stuffed the money into his hand.
The clothes Chuntao was wearing were made before she got married. They were full of patches, and they were too small and tight. Li Dazhuang felt sorry for her.
When she wasn't paying attention, he took out ten yuan from his pocket and quietly stuffed it into the cloth bag hanging on the handle of the cart.
Chuntao only found a wad of crumpled bills in the bag when she was exchanging food stamps.
She had kept herself chaste for four years for her brother - in - law. She had so much pent - up grievance in her heart. At this warm - hearted act of his, her nose twitched, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
On the way back, she unexpectedly met Zhou Xiaowei.
"Sister - in - law Chuntao, where have you been?" Zhou Xiaowei greeted her with a smile.
He bore a slight resemblance to Zhou Zhijun. The villagers all said he was good - looking. When he smiled, there was a warm, sunny glow in the corners of his eyes and brows.
"I went to the school to exchange food stamps for Xiaoming. And you? Where are you going?"
Last time when she was on her way back from her parents' home, she met a group of hooligans on the way. If it hadn't been for Zhou Xiaowei's timely arrival, she didn't know how much grievance she would have suffered.
Chuntao was truly grateful to him. She was usually a woman of few words, but this time she asked an extra question.
"I went on a blind date!" Zhou Xiaowei was straightforward and didn't beat around the bush. He just said what was on his mind.
Chuntao had just asked out of politeness and didn't mean to pry into others' private affairs. But since Zhou Xiaowei told the truth, she had to follow up with a question, "How was it? Did it work out?"
Zhou Xiaowei looked at her, shook his head, and said with a bit of helplessness in his tone, "Not so good. I didn't take a fancy to her."
Chuntao didn't ask further and said, "Then you go first."
But Zhou Xiaowei said, "Sister - in - law Chuntao, it's not safe for you to walk alone. I'll walk with you so I can look out for you."
"No, no. These are main roads and there are many people coming and going. It's okay. You go back first."
Zhou Xiaowei didn't listen to her and just followed beside her rickshaw.
They didn't say much more along the way. When they were almost at the village entrance, Zhou Xiaowei suddenly said, "Sister - in - law Chuntao, do you know what kind of wife I want to find?"
Chuntao was taken aback for a moment and replied honestly, "I don't know."
Zhou Xiaowei looked at her, with a bit of seriousness in his eyes, and said softly, "I just want to find someone... as good - looking as you..."
Chuntao didn't expect him to say such a thing. Her face instantly turned as red as a tomato, and even her earlobes were hot. She almost lost her grip on the handlebars of the rickshaw.
Just then, there was a sudden muffled cough from behind. They both turned around in unison, and their faces immediately changed.
