As Aunt Zhou thought about it, the smile on her face deepened. "Tao, I prepared these for you. It's getting cold out. Use the yarn to knit yourself a sweater, and use this cloth to make a new padded jacket!"
She picked up a pair of floral hair ties and held them up against Chuntao's braids. "Your braids are so dark and shiny. They will look absolutely beautiful tied with these!"
She then picked up a tin of moisturizing cream. "The weather is turning cold. Rub some of this on your hands after washing the dishes so they don't crack!"
Chuntao had never been treated with such kindness. Looking at the items in the bundle and listening to Aunt Zhou's gentle, caring words, she felt a lump in her throat, and tears began to stream down her face.
"Godmother," she murmured softly. Overwhelmed with emotion, words failed her, and she could only squeeze Aunt Zhou's hands tightly.
"Come now, hurry up and eat before the food gets cold!" Old Man Zhou said with a smile.
The spread on the table was quite a feast. In the center sat a medium-sized earthen pot filled with chicken and vermicelli stew.
Surrounding the pot were a large bowl of braised pork, a plate of fried fish chunks, a platter of salted eggs sliced in half, stir-fried baby bok choy, dried radish with pork, and a dish of cold shredded kelp.
These were exquisite dishes that many families couldn't even afford during the Lunar New Year. In the four years since Chuntao married into the Wang family, her best New Year's meal had been nothing more than steamed rolls paired with chunks of radish boiled in meat broth.
On ordinary days, she survived on dark steamed bread dipped in chili paste. Years of relentless labor combined with severe malnutrition had left her small frame so frail and thin that it seemed a strong gust of wind could blow her away.
Noticing that she was only eating the vegetable dishes, Aunt Zhou pushed the braised pork and fish closer to her. "Have some meat, build up your strength!"
As she spoke, she began placing food directly into Chuntao's bowl, piling it high with chicken and braised pork.
"Eat up, my girl!"
Zhou Zhijun kept his head down and ate in silence. No one had the slightest clue that he was secretly hatching a plan in his mind, a plan involving the very thing he desired most.
In the countryside, lunch was often served around two-thirty. The meal had started late and lasted for over an hour, so by the time they finished, it was already late afternoon.
Chuntao and Wang Xiaohong helped Aunt Zhou clear the table and wash the dishes, only heading home after the kitchen was completely tidied up.
Zhou Zhiguo's family of four had gone visiting relatives and hadn't returned yet. After having some soup, Wang Xiaohong fed the pigs and then went over to keep Zhou Hongxia company.
Chuntao went to count the chickens in her coop, only to discover that one was missing. Her household relied entirely on the eggs from these few old hens to trade for basic necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar!
When the family assets were divided, all six hens had been allocated to her. However, Liu Cuilan had thrown a fit and forcibly snatched two away. That left Chuntao with four. Could Liu Cuilan have secretly sneaked over and stolen another one?
Unable to confirm if Liu Cuilan was the culprit, she decided to go out and search for it.
The sky had grown pitch black. Without a moon, she couldn't see a thing. Since she didn't own a flashlight, she had no choice but to go borrow one.
In those days, flashlights were considered high-end appliances, and not every household had one. She knew Zhou Zhijun had one at his place and wanted to borrow it, but she was also afraid he might take advantage of her.
An old hen could be sold for two or three yuan. To lose it so inexplicably was truly heartbreaking.
Steeling her resolve, Chuntao headed over to Zhou Zhijun's house to borrow the flashlight.
When Aunt Zhou heard that she was going out to search for her missing chicken, she told Zhou Zhijun to go help her.
Inside, Zhou Zhijun felt as if ten thousand wild beasts were stampeding through his chest. He couldn't have asked for a better opportunity; in fact, this fell perfectly into his plan.
Chuntao's heart leaped into her throat. She quickly waved her hands in refusal and said, "I can find it myself. It couldn't have wandered far!"
Seeing her frightened expression, Zhou Zhijun suggested, "You take the flashlight and check the threshing floor on the west side of the village. I'll go check the one on the east side!"
Hearing this, Chuntao finally breathed a sigh of relief. She took the flashlight and jogged all the way toward the west side of the village.
The western threshing floor wasn't large; it only held the wheat straw stacks belonging to Zhou Zhijun and his brothers.
She circled around the wheat straw stacks but found no sign of the chicken.
The stack furthest to the west belonged to Zhou Zhijun. Noticing a bundle of dry firewood piled next to it, she walked over and pulled at it, wanting to see if the chicken was nesting underneath.
But the moment she bent down, a pair of thick, powerful arms embraced her tightly from behind.
"Who's there?" Chuntao cried out, her entire body trembling in terror.
"Don't be afraid. It's me!"
Zhou Zhijun? Before Chuntao could even process what was happening, the man dragged her into a hollowed-out space inside the straw stack!
He had secretly moved a thin mattress into the hollow the night before, and he used the bundle of firewood to block the entrance, sealing it up completely.
The disappearance of Chuntao's chicken was, of course, his doing. To get his hands on her, Zhou Zhijun had resorted to such underhanded tricks.
He could hardly believe it himself. To think that an upright and honorable man like him had been reduced to this for the sake of a woman.
For Chuntao, this warmth was like a fleeting fire in a stove—it looked inviting, but once it burned out, it would leave behind nothing but cold ashes.
It was also like poison laced with honey—sweet on the lips, but lethal once swallowed.
Outside the straw stack, the chirping of insects rose and fell in chorus, accompanied by the occasional barking of dogs from the village.
Zhou Zhijun's burning hot body melted the frost of the late autumn night, yet it could never smooth out the troubled wrinkles in her heart...
