Aunt Zhou had watched Wang Jieshi grow up. He had been a mischievous child since he was little, but he wasn't bad at heart.
Aunt Zhou never expected that he would elope with another woman. As an elder, she simply could not stand such behavior.
However, since she was going to acknowledge Chuntao as her goddaughter today, she had to keep up appearances.
"Jieshi, the food is ready! Come on, let's go eat!" Aunt Zhou and Chuntao went over to call him.
A muffled groan escaped Wang Jieshi's throat as he struggled to sit up. Aunt Zhou quickly went over to help him.
"Jieshi, Chuntao has had a hard life. From now on, you two live a good life together, and everything will get better!"
Though Aunt Zhou comforted him with these words, she felt a bitter pang in her heart.
Wang Jieshi only had one leg now and couldn't do anything; he probably couldn't even perform his marital duties.
Chuntao was a beautiful girl with a good temper and a kind heart. It truly broke her heart to see such a good girl suffer like this!
Helped up by Aunt Zhou, Wang Jieshi sat up. He looked at Aunt Zhou, then at Chuntao, and said, "It's not convenient for me with this leg, so I won't go! You go ahead and eat!"
Chuntao didn't know what to say, but Aunt Zhou smiled and said, "It's just a few steps away, come on! Chuntao and I will support you!"
"Granny Zhou, you all go back! I'm not going!" Wang Jieshi forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
Seeing him like this, Aunt Zhou didn't force him. She said, "Alright, if you're not going, I'll have Hongxia bring the food over to you!"
Aunt Zhou went back and found a small earthen bowl. She put a little bit of every dish in it, grabbed a large white steamed bun, ladled out a bowl of porridge, and had Zhou Hongxia and Wang Xiaohong take them over to Wang Jieshi.
At the dining table, Zhou Zhijun's gaze swept over Chuntao's flushed cheeks before he said to Aunt Zhou, "Mother, it's time to serve the tea, isn't it? Let Chuntao kowtow to you, and this godparent-goddaughter relationship will be officially acknowledged."
Chuntao's small face was glowing bright red, but her heart was pounding so hard it felt like two little rabbits were jumping around inside her chest, ready to leap out.
Wang Xiaohong took out the canned food, brown sugar, pastries, and malted milk extract from the cloth bundle and arranged them on the long table in the main room.
Aunt Zhou looked at Chuntao with a face full of smiles, and even the corners of Zhou Zhijun's mouth curled up in a rare smile.
Chuntao had already regretted it last night. How was this acknowledging a godparent? This was simply a trap set by Zhou Zhijun to firmly bind her, making it impossible for her to escape even if she wanted to.
She picked up the coarse porcelain teacup that Aunt Zhou had poured and handed it over with trembling fingers.
Just as she was about to speak, Zhou Zhijun suddenly stepped forward, his hand accidentally brushing against her wrist. He kept his voice extremely low so only the two of them could hear, "Kowtow, and from now on, I will protect you!"
It was as if Chuntao had been electrocuted. Her body swayed uncontrollably, and her hand jerked, causing the water in the teacup to slosh out. It splashed onto the back of her hand, making her shiver from the heat.
Aunt Zhou quickly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe Chuntao's hand, asking softly, "Did it burn you?"
Chuntao shook her head, her mind a tangled mess of panic.
"Sister-in-law, hurry up and kowtow to Granny Zhou, and the relationship will be official!" Wang Xiaohong urged with a smile.
Quite a few villagers had already gathered to watch the spectacle under the parasol tree outside the courtyard. They chattered and gossiped, their eyes all fixed on Chuntao.
There was curiosity, gossip, confusion, and a hint of indescribable jealousy and disdain.
Chuntao's peripheral vision swept over Zhou Zhijun's tense face. Her throat tightened; she didn't know whether this acknowledgement of kinship was a blessing or a curse.
As things stood, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept it! She kowtowed to Aunt Zhou and offered the teacup with both hands. "Godmother!"
Aunt Zhou took the teacup, took a sip, and set it down. She quickly pulled Chuntao up. "Good girl, get up quickly! I've always loved having daughters my whole life! Now I have another daughter!"
As Aunt Zhou spoke, her eyes grew red and her voice choked with emotion.
She pulled Chuntao to sit beside her, then looked at Zhou Zhijun. "Bring the things here!"
Aunt Zhou opened the bundle. Inside were several skeins of bright red yarn and a piece of light blue Dacron fabric. These were all things she had instructed Zhou Zhijun to buy.
She noticed a pair of floral hair ties and a tin of face cream resting on top of the fabric. She hadn't asked for these two items, but Zhou Zhijun had bought them anyway.
She thought to herself, this boy might look like a rough man, but surprisingly, he was quite thoughtful.
He rarely smiled, but he seemed to care deeply for this new sister. It looked like acknowledging this kinship was the right decision. Relationships were built on getting along; if they got along well, god-siblings could be closer than biological ones.
Zhou Zhijun was already thirty-five and still hadn't taken a wife. When she got older, relying on sisters-in-law for sewing and mending wouldn't do.
His older and younger sisters lived far away, so he would have to rely on this god-sister to help him out!
