How could Aunt Zhou possibly believe it? Zhou Zhijun had hollowed out that haystack himself, and she certainly didn't believe he had anything going on with Chuntao.
She immediately spat and cursed, "Those black-hearted gossips, their mouths will rot sooner or later!"
Zhou Zhijun, on the other hand, didn't look guilty in the slightest. His face was as cold as December ice, and he said in a deep voice, "If I hear anyone talking nonsense again, I'll pull their tongues straight out!"
Old Man Zhou hurriedly advised, "Those people just have too much free time on their hands. If you are upright, you have nothing to fear from rumors. Don't stoop to their level!"
Later that afternoon, while hoeing the fields, Wang Xiaohong overheard Huang Meili gossiping with a few other women. To her shock, they were talking about Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun.
With her fiery temper, how could she hold back? She immediately threw down her hoe and charged over. "If I hear anyone ruining my sister-in-law's reputation again, see if I don't tear their mouth apart!"
Huang Meili was taken aback by the confrontation. She curled her lips and said, "Wang Xiaohong, you're an unmarried girl, why are you so fierce?"
Wang Xiaohong gave a cold snort and straightened her back. "So what if I'm fierce? It's better than you gossips! Slinging mud at people without a shred of evidence—aren't you afraid of karma rotting your tongues?"
Since this involved Zhou Zhijun, Zhou Zhimin quickly stepped forward and pulled Huang Meili away. "Say a few words less and get back to hoeing!"
He then turned to placate Wang Xiaohong. "Xiaohong, don't be angry. Let's just get back to work! Your auntie was just talking casually, don't take it seriously."
"You can eat carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly!" Wang Xiaohong craned her neck stubbornly. "Even casual talk shouldn't trample on someone's innocence!"
Little did she know about the secret affair between Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun, so naturally, she felt completely justified in her arguing.
But as Chuntao listened from the sidelines, her heart pounded like a trapped rabbit.
Even though no one had caught them red-handed, she and Zhou Zhijun had crossed the line long ago. The gossip pricked her like needles, making her deeply uncomfortable.
Thinking back to Wang Jieshi's outburst at noon, and now with this incident blowing up, her heart was filled with fear and turmoil. She could barely keep her grip on the hoe.
The two women hoed until dusk before heading home. Wang Jieshi was still lying in bed; he hadn't touched a single bite of his lunch.
Wang Xiaohong was still feeling irritated, but seeing him lying there all alone with his crippled leg, her heart softened.
After cooking the corn porridge, she scooped a bowl and brought it into his room. "Brother, time to eat."
Wang Jieshi's eyes were bloodshot. He lay motionless on the bed, not even lifting his eyelids, and just gave a muffled grunt of acknowledgment.
"Brother, I know you feel awful, and it frustrates you that you can't help out around the house," Wang Xiaohong comforted him as she stood by the bed. "But feeling bad won't help! Sister-in-law and I can handle the house and the fields. Don't worry about it. Just focus on resting and getting better."
With that, she turned to head back to the kitchen, but Wang Jieshi suddenly called out to stop her. "Xiaohong!"
"What is it, Brother?"
Wang Jieshi slowly turned his head. He looked at her with a complicated expression for a long moment before whispering, "My body hasn't been feeling right. I want to go see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the next couple of days."
Wang Xiaohong immediately grew anxious upon hearing this. "Brother, where does it hurt? How about I go find Uncle Qingjiang right now and have him take a look at you first?"
"Don't go!" Wang Jieshi quickly waved his hand. "I've already found a doctor."
"Then what exactly is wrong with you? Where are you going to get checked?" Wang Xiaohong pressed.
How could Wang Jieshi admit that he was going to see a doctor for such an unspeakable problem? He only lowered his voice and said, "I might not be able to come back the same day I go see the doctor. Watch over your sister-in-law at home... Don't let people gossip anymore."
Wang Xiaohong finally understood what he meant and hurriedly said, "Brother, don't listen to the nonsense those outsiders are spouting! You were gone for four years, and my sister-in-law never had a wandering eye. If she were that kind of person, she would have left long ago!"
"Gossip can drown a person!" Wang Jieshi interrupted her impatiently. "When I tell you to keep a closer eye on her, just do it!"
"I got it!" Wang Xiaohong was also a bit angry now. Her sister-in-law was so good to them. It was one thing for outsiders to gossip, but how could her own brother say such things?
Wang Jieshi wanted to go see a doctor, but with his crippled leg making it hard to get around, and his refusal to say where he was going or what he was being treated for, Wang Xiaohong still couldn't put her mind at ease. "Brother, it's hard for you to get around. How are you going to see the doctor? Do you want me to go with you?"
"Mind your own business!" Wang Jieshi waved his hand, his tone resolute. "Just help me watch the house and watch your sister-in-law. That's enough."
Most of the money he had earned at the coal mine had been spent on alcohol; he hadn't saved much.
After the accident, the mine owner only gave him a little bit of money for medical expenses, which was nowhere near enough to treat his injuries. He had even used up the little savings he had, and now his pockets were cleaner than his face.
He hesitated for a long while before speaking again, "Xiaohong, is there any money left from selling the melons?"
Those thirty-something yuan were saved up to pay for Wang Xiaoming's school tuition and school supplies.
Although Wang Xiaohong felt a bit conflicted, seeing Wang Jieshi's pathetic state, she bit the bullet and said, "There's still over thirty yuan left. I'll go over to Hongxia's house later to get it back for you."
Wang Jieshi felt a mix of complex emotions. As a cripple, not only could he not help his family, but he was also a burden to them. However, he desperately wanted to regain his dignity as a man. He had to get this illness treated!
Wang Xiaohong went out to get the money. Just as she walked behind the kitchen, she saw Zhou Zhijun squatting by the base of the wall, smoking a cigarette.
"Uncle Zhijun, have you had dinner yet?"
"I have." Zhou Zhijun stood up and closed the distance between them in two strides. His voice was deep. "Have you heard the gossip in the village today?"
Bringing this up made Wang Xiaohong puff up with anger again. "I sure did! Those people have too much free time on their hands, just spreading blind gossip!"
"I'm a grown man, I'm not afraid of their nonsense," Zhou Zhijun frowned, a hint of worry in his eyes. "I'm just afraid your sister-in-law has thin skin and won't be able to handle these rumors."
"My sister-in-law just has too good of a temper, that's why people bully her like this!" Wang Xiaohong said indignantly. "I got into a fight with Huang Meili today!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhijun's brows knitted tightly together into a knot, and his face instantly frosted over.
Not only did that woman love to take advantage of others, but her mouth was like an old lady's waistband—it couldn't be tied shut.
After exchanging a few more words with Wang Xiaohong, Zhou Zhijun turned around and headed straight for Zhou Zhimin's house.
Zhou Zhimin was in the kitchen washing dishes, while Huang Meili was sitting in the main room stitching shoe soles. When she saw Zhou Zhijun walk in with a dark expression, her heart skipped a beat, and she nearly pricked her hand with the needle.
"Zhimin, come here!" Zhou Zhijun stepped directly into the main room and shouted toward the kitchen.
"Second Brother, coming, coming!" Zhou Zhimin quickly wiped his hands on his apron and hurried into the main room.
Seeing his foul mood, he asked cautiously, "Second Brother, what's wrong?"
"I heard someone hollowed out my haystack?" Zhou Zhijun's voice was stiff and hard.
"Yeah!" Zhou Zhimin immediately got fired up. "I went to pull some straw at noon and saw a huge hole hollowed out in the stack. One look and you could tell someone was in there having a dirty affair!"
"How do you know they were having an affair?" Zhou Zhijun stared at him with sharp eyes.
"I found something... If it wasn't an affair, what else could it be?" Zhou Zhimin felt panicked under his intense gaze, and his voice trailed off.
"Then do you know who did it?"
Zhou Zhimin's heart leaped into his throat. He hurriedly waved his hands. "I definitely don't know that!"
Zhou Zhijun turned to look at Huang Meili, his voice suddenly rising. "Zhimin's wife, I heard you know?"
Huang Meili's body trembled slightly, her eyes darting away. "I... I don't know!"
"You don't know?" Zhou Zhijun slammed his hand onto the table. The kerosene lamp wobbled, its flame flickering unsteadily. "If you don't know, then why are you spreading rumors everywhere?"
His dark, ruthless gaze was locked onto Huang Meili, making her hair stand on end.
Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Huang Meili stammered, "I... I just heard it from someone else. It was Zhou Zhaodi who started gossiping. She said... she said you and Li Chuntao..."
"Zhou Zhaodi?" A flash of cruelty crossed Zhou Zhijun's eyes. "If you knew it was a load of nonsense, why did you still spread it around? Let me tell you, if anyone dares to spout such garbage again, I don't care who she is, I'll straighten her tongue out for her!"
Seeing this, Zhou Zhimin quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Second Brother, please don't be mad. Meili was just speaking without thinking!"
He then turned and glared at Huang Meili. "If you dare wag your tongue like that again, see if I don't teach you a lesson!"
Zhou Zhijun gave a cold snort, dropping the words, "Keep your wife's mouth shut," before turning and striding away.
He didn't head home. Instead, he made his way toward Zhou Zhaodi's house.
He had to warn these people. Otherwise, with Chuntao constantly plagued by these vicious rumors, something terrible was bound to happen sooner or later.
As he reached the abandoned cowshed on the west side of the village, a strange noise suddenly echoed from within.
The cowshed had originally belonged to the production team but had been abandoned long ago. Eventually, it simply became the village's makeshift outhouse. It was filthy and reeked terribly; usually, not even stray cats or dogs would go near it. Who would come to a place like this for a secret tryst?
Zhou Zhijun's footsteps abruptly halted, his eyes darkening.
Hunching over, he crept quietly along the base of the wall, tiptoeing closer. Not daring to breathe heavily, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the movements inside...
