Zhou Zhijun stared at the blurry silhouette reflected on the window, his heart thrashing around like a wild wolf trapped inside his chest.
He had to find a way to get that girl Wang Xiaohong out of the house.
Standing in the courtyard with his brows furrowed into a tight knot, Zhou Zhijun pondered how to send her away.
"I've got it!" He slapped his forehead suddenly, the corners of his mouth curling up involuntarily.
On his way back from work, he had seen a huge crowd crammed into Lao Jin's courtyard over at Huangdian.
It turned out that Lao Jin's eldest son had returned from out of town and brought back a television set.
The villagers had never seen such a novelty in their entire lives, and they all gathered around to marvel at it.
With unconcealed pride on his face, Lao Jin cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Tonight I'll set the TV up in the courtyard. Everyone come over and watch after you finish your evening soup! From now on, with this thing, we can watch 'moving pictures' every day!"
The crowd chattered and laughed, "How can people come out of such a small box? This is really something new!"
"I'll bring my stool right after soup to grab a good spot!"
Huangdian had only recently gotten electricity, and no one in the surrounding villages had ever seen such a modern gadget.
In these times, the only entertainment for rural folks were the rare movies, storytelling, or operas that happened just a few times a year. Life was otherwise quite dull.
The news of Lao Jin's family getting the first television set had probably already spread throughout the neighboring villages. The people going to watch the TV would likely outnumber those who go to the movies.
Calculating in his mind, Zhou Zhijun took long strides toward his eldest brother Zhou Zhiguo's house.
Zhou Xiaowei and Zhou Hongxia were just at the playful age; they never missed a chance for some excitement.
If he told them about Lao Jin buying a TV, the two kids would definitely want to go. Then, he could have Zhou Hongxia invite Wang Xiaohong along, and his plan would be set.
Stepping into Zhou Zhiguo's courtyard, he saw that the lights were still on in a few rooms. Zhou Zhijun coughed lightly, "Xiaowei, Hongxia, are you two asleep yet?"
Inside the room, Zhou Xiaowei was fondling an object. Hearing Zhou Zhijun's voice, he quickly tucked it under his pillow, answered, and got up to open the door.
"Second Uncle, why aren't you asleep yet?" Remembering the time Zhou Zhijun had caught him saying inappropriate things to Chuntao, he couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated.
Zhou Zhijun managed a rare smile, his tone softening a bit. "I came to tell you some good news!"
"What good news?" Zhou Xiaowei's eyes instantly lit up.
"When I came back from work today, I saw that Lao Jin's family in Huangdian bought a television. They said they're going to play it in the courtyard tonight and invited everyone to watch. I heard that thing is even better than a movie, so I came over especially to let you two know."
It had been a long time since a movie was shown in the surrounding villages. With nothing to do but sleep after having soup every day, a young lad like Zhou Xiaowei was already dying of boredom.
Before Zhou Zhijun could even finish, he blurted out, "I'm going! I've heard that televisions are amazing, you can watch whatever you want!"
Saying that, he turned his head and shouted toward the inner room, "Hongxia, let's go watch television!"
Zhou Hongxia wasn't asleep yet; she was sitting in bed stitching shoe insoles. Hearing the commotion, she hurriedly put on her clothes. "Alright, I'm getting up now!"
Walking out of the inner room fully dressed, she called out "Second Uncle," her face full of excitement. "Lao Jin's family bought a television, does that mean we can go watch it every day from now on?"
Zhou Zhijun was overjoyed inwardly, but his face remained impassive. "You can't go every day, just going occasionally is fine. By the way, call Xiaohong to go with you."
Holding a flashlight, with Zhou Xiaowei carrying a small stool in each hand, Zhou Hongxia followed Zhou Zhijun toward Wang Xiaohong's house.
At this time, Wang Xiaohong was in the inner room learning how to make cotton shoes from Chuntao. Hearing Zhou Hongxia's call, she quickly got up to open the door.
Seeing that Zhou Xiaowei was also there, carrying two small stools, she asked in confusion, "Where are you going?"
"Xiaohong, my Second Uncle said that Lao Jin's family in Huangdian bought a television and they're playing it in the courtyard tonight. Let's go watch it together!" Zhou Hongxia said excitedly.
As soon as Wang Xiaohong heard "watch television," her eyes lit up instantly.
She had only heard of that novelty but had never seen it. She was so happy she almost jumped up. "Really? That's great!"
But the next second, her smile froze.
She remembered her brother's instructions before he left, telling her to look after her sister-in-law. "If I go watch television, my sister-in-law will be home alone. I'm afraid she'll be scared."
Zhou Xiaowei quickly chimed in, "Ask Sister-in-law Chuntao to go together!"
Chuntao naturally didn't like joining crowds. She never went to see movies in the neighboring villages and would only take a peek when they were shown in her own village.
Hearing the conversation outside, she replied from inside the room, "Xiaohong, you go ahead. I'll be fine at home by myself."
Wang Xiaohong walked into the inner room, feeling a bit uneasy. "Sister-in-law, are you sure you won't be scared?"
"I'm not scared, you just go," Chuntao said, though she felt a bit anxious inside.
She was afraid that Zhou Zhijun would take this opportunity to bother her again, but seeing how much Wang Xiaohong wanted to go, she didn't want to spoil her fun.
Wang Xiaohong nodded, turned around, ran to the outhouse, and brought in a chamber pot. "Sister-in-law, keep the chamber pot in the room, so you won't have to go outside if you need to get up at night."
She also instructed, "Make sure you slide the door bolt securely, and then prop the table and stools against it."
She said this purely out of concern that Chuntao would be scared home alone, completely oblivious to Zhou Zhijun next door.
"Sister-in-law, I'll probably be back quite late. Waking you up to open the door will ruin your sleep, so I'll just sleep at Hongxia's house and come back early in the morning!"
At this moment, Zhou Zhijun was hiding in his own outhouse, pricking up his ears to listen to the commotion over there.
Hearing their footsteps gradually fade away, the flames of desire in his heart surged wildly.
It had been so long since he last touched Chuntao. He missed her so much every day that it scratched at his heart and liver; the feeling was harder to endure than being in prison.
But right now, most of the neighbors weren't asleep yet, and even the slightest noise would be heard.
Zhou Zhijun was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in his room, feeling as though time was crawling by like a hundred years.
From the next room came the deafening snores of Old Man Zhou. Zhou Zhijun walked into the courtyard and looked toward Chuntao's room, where a dim kerosene lamp was still lit.
To the west of Chuntao's house lived "Loudspeaker" Wang Chunxiao. The lights in her house were already out, but they kept a big yellow dog in the yard that would bark fiercely at any sound.
Zhou Zhijun quietly slipped into the kitchen and grabbed half a steamed white bun from the pot.
In those days, white buns were a rarity. Many families couldn't even afford to eat them during the New Year. But compared to what he was about to do, feeding half a white bun to a dog was totally worth it.
Meanwhile, on Chuntao's side, after Wang Xiaohong left, she quickly slid the door bolt into place and propped a broken table and two small stools against the back of the door.
The weather was getting colder, and she wanted to make a pair of cotton shoes for Aunt Zhou and Uncle Zhou. She didn't have time during the day because she had to work in the fields, so she could only make them at night sitting under the kerosene lamp.
As she stitched the shoe soles, she thought about how well Aunt Zhou and her husband treated her, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Little did she know, a dark silhouette was using the cover of the night to slowly creep up beneath her window.
"Tao."
Zhou Zhijun lowered his voice and called out softly.
Chuntao's body suddenly shuddered. She turned her head toward the window and sure enough, she saw a tall figure. It was Zhou Zhijun.
Her heart leaped into her throat, a mix of fear and panic taking over. He definitely knew that Wang Xiaohong had gone to watch television and had come looking for her again.
"Leave!" Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
Zhou Zhijun's eyes were filled with urgency. "Tao, open the door. If you don't, I'm staying right here."
She knew Zhou Zhijun's stubborn nature better than anyone. There was nothing he couldn't do once he set his mind to it.
Chuntao was terrified that if he stayed outside, Wang Chunxiao from the west courtyard or other neighbors might bump into him. If that happened, she would never be able to explain herself.
"Just go, please don't force me, okay?" Chuntao pleaded tearfully. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a faint, lingering anticipation that she utterly despised flickered in her heart.
"Don't be afraid. It's been so long since I last held you. I won't do anything else today; I just want to hold you. Open the door."
He always lost his mind whenever he saw her. Knowing full well that his words were not to be trusted, she still found herself moving the table and stool barricading the door and pulling back the latch, as if possessed.
The moment the door opened, Zhou Zhijun strode in and bent down to sweep her into his arms...
That half of a white steamed bun had worked like a charm; Wang Chunxiao's big yellow dog didn't make a peep.
But suddenly, a chaotic flurry of footsteps echoed outside the window. The thumping sounds drew closer, mixed with urgent shouts, making Chuntao's heart clench tightly in panic.
