Time slipped through his fingers as fast as the sun crossed the sky. Zhou Zhijun worked from dawn to dusk helping people build houses, but his mind was completely filled with Chuntao's delicate and pretty little face.
Whether in the withered grass of the eastern ditch or by the wheat straw stacks in the west, just thinking about her soft body and the sweet, timid way she begged him made Zhou Zhijun break out in a sweat all over.
But with nowhere to vent that restless energy, he could only slam his trowel fiercely against the wall, splashing specks of mud everywhere.
Chuntao also got up before dawn every day to feed the pigs, fetch water, cook, wash clothes, cut grass, and hoe the fields. At night, she still had to do needlework under the glow of a kerosene lamp.
She was like a tireless machine, never stopping for a moment.
Meanwhile, Wang Jieshi felt as if he had a tangled mess of hemp stuffed in his chest. All sorts of emotions twisted together, making his heart clench with suffocation.
The other day, he had noticed bits of wheat straw clinging to Chuntao's hair and red marks on her collarbone. As an experienced man, he naturally understood what had happened.
For a man, having his woman taken advantage of by someone else was a monumental disgrace, a fate worse than death.
But he could not bring it out into the open; after all, he was the one who had failed Chuntao first.
That accident had cost him a leg and ruined his manhood. Now he was nothing but a cripple who could give her absolutely nothing.
To make matters worse, his remaining leg had been aching faintly these past few days. He was terrified of losing this last leg, because then he would truly be finished.
If Chuntao left, how could he survive on his own? He could only grit his teeth and bury this humiliation deep in his heart, though the suppression made him feel like he was suffocating.
After breakfast, Chuntao and Wang Xiaohong shouldered their hoes and headed to the fields. Wang Jieshi sat on a small stool in the main room, staring blankly into the courtyard, his heart feeling completely empty.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck—"
Suddenly, their own hen was chased by another family's old rooster trying to mount her, flapping her wings and squawking non-stop.
The sight of that rooster riding the hen pierced Wang Jieshi's heart like a needle.
The red marks on Chuntao's body instantly flashed before his eyes again, and his eye sockets immediately turned red.
"Stupid beast!" Wang Jieshi cursed through gritted teeth. He grabbed the stick from the corner, wanting to stand up and chase the rooster away.
He gripped the stick tightly with both hands and pushed hard. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his arms trembled violently, but he still failed to stand up.
When they divided the family property, Liu Cuilan had swept away the two chairs and the long bench. Only two low stools were left in the house, making sitting down and getting up incredibly strenuous.
The rooster's squawking grew more and more grating. Filled with hatred, Wang Jieshi snatched up a cloth shoe by his foot and hurled it viciously into the courtyard.
"Ouch, what are you doing?"
The rooster flapped its wings and dodged, but the cloth shoe hit a person instead.
The visitor was none other than Wang Haichao. He was holding a piece of dried sweet potato about as thick as a thumb, chewing it with great relish.
A mild smile appeared on his face. "Jieshi, what's wrong with you? Here, have some dried sweet potato. Your mother sun-dried it, it's very sweet!"
Saying this, he walked into the house, pulled a handful of dried sweet potatoes from his pocket, and offered them to Wang Jieshi.
Wang Jieshi was fuming inside. He turned his face away, ignoring him and refusing to take the snack, his eyes still fixed in a death glare on the rooster in the courtyard.
Wang Haichao followed his gaze, curling his lips. "That big rooster belongs to Zhou Zhijun's family. It always used to come into the yard to steal food!"
As he spoke, he raised his arm and shouted, "Shoo—"
But the big rooster paid absolutely no attention. Instead, it paced leisurely around the yard, occasionally glancing back into the house. It looked as if it were deliberately mocking them.
"Damn it, a beast takes after its owner!" Wang Haichao spat a mouthful of yellow phlegm, turning his gaze back to Wang Jieshi's face.
He knew Wang Jieshi was holding in a breath of anger, and truth be told, he was feeling frustrated himself.
If Zhou Zhijun had not suddenly shown up last time, he would have taken Chuntao for himself by now.
The day he saw Chuntao wearing Zhou Zhijun's clothes, he knew something was definitely going on between them, and he went right back and told Liu Cuilan.
But Aunt Zhou stubbornly protected Chuntao and even took her in as a goddaughter. It was obviously a cover-up for the two of them, making it easier for them to carry on their illicit affair right out in the open.
These past few days, he had been scheming to come talk to Wang Jieshi to see what was really on his mind.
As an outsider, it was not his place to badmouth Chuntao directly. Besides, with Zhou Zhijun protecting her, he would not dare.
But Wang Jieshi was different. He was Chuntao's man. Could he really endure having his own wife messed with by another man?
Wang Haichao just wanted to use Wang Jieshi to deal with Zhou Zhijun. Even if he could not achieve his ultimate goal, he could at least cause them trouble and make them uncomfortable.
"Jieshi, there are some things I don't know if I should say or not. But if I don't say them, I feel terrible keeping it all bottled up.
But if I do say them, I'm afraid you'll get angry..." Wang Haichao dropped the smile from his face, pretending to be serious and hesitant to speak.
Wang Haichao was a notorious loafer in the village—gluttonous, lazy, prone to petty theft, and always idle. Wang Jieshi had looked down on him since they were kids.
Now that this fool had even tricked his mother, Liu Cuilan, into bed, Wang Jieshi despised him even more.
However, he himself had become a cripple, and no one wanted to interact with him anymore. He had nowhere to vent the depression in his heart. Wang Haichao's unprompted visit actually made his nose sting with a surge of emotion.
Wang Jieshi remained expressionless, his lips trembling. After a long while, he forced a few words through his teeth, "What... what do you want to say?"
Wang Haichao coughed lightly, piling fake sympathy onto his face. "Jieshi, it really hasn't been easy for you... Sigh, promise me you won't get mad when I tell you this!"
"Speak!" Wang Jieshi squeezed out the word through gritted teeth, his voice terribly hoarse.
"What do you think of this guy Zhou Zhijun?"
At the mere mention of Zhou Zhijun, Wang Jieshi's breathing instantly grew heavy. The fury in his chest flared up, but he just gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Wang Haichao continued, "He looks all proper and serious normally, but he's actually no good at all.
I've lived for over forty years, and I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I'm the best at reading people.
Those who joke around all day actually don't have bad intentions. It's the silent mosquitoes that bite you to death!
A guy like Zhou Zhijun who keeps his mouth shut all day—who knows how many filthy things he's done behind people's backs!
During the years you weren't home, he ran to your house every day to help with the chores. What do you think he was after? No one wakes up early without a profit in mind!
Since I've already opened this can of worms today, I might as well spill it all! Honestly, your Chuntao is a good woman; she was just seduced by that bastard Zhou Zhijun!
And Aunt Zhou taking Chuntao in as her goddaughter? Isn't that just to make it convenient for the two of them to see each other? It's clearly just her protecting her own, helping them carry on their dirty affair!"
As Wang Jieshi listened, the veins on his forehead throbbed wildly. His fingers gripping the stick turned white, his knuckles cracking under the pressure, and the fiery rage in his eyes looked ready to burst forth.
Seeing him like this, Wang Haichao secretly rejoiced. As long as Wang Jieshi and Zhou Zhijun started a fight, there would be quite a show to watch!
By then, Zhou Zhijun's reputation would be ruined. Not only would he lose his position as the militia captain, but he might even end up in prison!
He let out a hypocritical sigh and advised, "Jieshi, I'm only saying this for your own good. I'm afraid you're being kept in the dark and played for a fool. That would be too unjust!
But then again, you can't make a huge fuss over this. You can only turn a blind eye.
With so much land and so much farm work at home, you still have to rely on Zhou Zhijun's help..."
"Shut up!" Wang Jieshi interrupted him fiercely. He slammed the stick in his hand hard against the ground, gouging out a shallow pit.
Wang Haichao wore a look of deep sympathy on his face, but inwardly, he was sneering.
Wang Jieshi, oh Wang Jieshi, people are treating you like absolute dirt, and you don't even dare to make a peep. What kind of man are you?
"Jieshi, don't be so angry. It's not worth ruining your health over this. Life is just like this, it's never smooth sailing..." he advised carefully.
The image of Zhou Zhijun fiercely protecting Chuntao, the bits of wheat straw in Chuntao's hair, and the red marks on her skin kept flashing before Wang Jieshi's eyes over and over again.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth ground together audibly. The stifling frustration in his chest felt like a massive boulder pressing down on him, suffocating him to the point where he couldn't utter a single word.
He had lost a leg, and he couldn't even function as a man anymore. If he had even the slightest bit of capability left, his life wouldn't have deteriorated to this wretched state.
Wang Jieshi knew perfectly well that Wang Haichao was no saint. The man was just here to fan the flames and use him to do his dirty work. But even seeing through these ulterior motives, Wang Jieshi couldn't truly remain indifferent.
On one hand was the bitter hatred of having his wife stolen from him, and on the other was the sheer impotence of no longer being a real man. And Wang Haichao was the only one willing to sit with him and say the things that let him vent his anger.
Even if those words hid daggers, it was far better than sitting alone in an empty house, swallowing a bellyful of bitterness with nowhere to pour it out.
Seeing Wang Jieshi looking as if he were about to explode with rage, Wang Haichao was overjoyed, knowing that he just had to sit back and watch a good show unfold.
He stood up and patted Wang Jieshi on the shoulder. "It's alright, don't think too much about it. If you ruin your health, no one else is going to suffer for you! Going head-to-head with them isn't worth it; we need to take a long-term approach to this..."
With a sigh, he turned and prepared to leave. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he looked back at Wang Jieshi.
Lowering his voice, he said, "Jieshi, I know an old traditional Chinese doctor with excellent skills. I'll take you to see him someday.
If you can be fully cured, who knows, you might even be able to snatch Chuntao back from Zhou Zhijun. That's got to be better than just helplessly watching the two of them live happily together, right?"
Wang Haichao's words pierced Wang Jieshi's heart like needles. He looked up, his eyes as red as dripping blood. The hand gripping his stick suddenly tightened, his knuckles cracking under the strain, but for a long time, he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
Plastering a look of hypocritical sympathy back on his face, Wang Haichao patted his shoulder once more. "Think it over carefully. I'll drop by again in a couple of days. We'll talk it over and figure out a way to make that bastard Zhou Zhijun pay dearly!"
