The beam of the flashlight drew closer. Chuntao was so frightened that her body tensed up, and she could barely breathe.
"Put me down, I can walk myself!"
Zhou Zhijun didn't force the issue and gently set her down on the ground.
Chuntao quickly took off the overcoat she was wearing and handed it to him. "Hurry to the brick kiln and get the quilt!"
Zhou Zhijun didn't linger. He threw on the coat and bolted toward the west.
"Sister-in-law Chuntao, why are you here?"
Zhou Xiaowei's voice suddenly rang out from behind her, and only then did Chuntao let out a long sigh of relief.
If anyone else from the village had bumped into her, they would probably start gossiping again.
"I went to see off Uncle Han. He went back via the west path!"
"Is our old sow alright?" Wang Xiaohong asked with concern.
"She's fine!"
When Wang Xiaohong went to call Zhou Hongxia to watch TV, Wang Haichao saw her. Knowing that Wang Jieshi was home alone, he came over to discuss the matter of borrowing seed to have a child.
As a man, letting his wife have a child with another man was truly unacceptable to Wang Jieshi, but what other choice did he have?
The blind old fortune-teller had told him that if he wanted to save this family, he had to borrow seed to have a child.
As long as Chuntao gave birth to a child, regardless of whether it was his or not, a child born into the Wang family would be the Wang family's flesh and blood.
Although he hadn't caught Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun red-handed, his intuition as a man told him there was definitely something going on between them.
He didn't want Chuntao and Zhou Zhijun together; even if he had to borrow seed, it had to be from another man.
Of course, this man couldn't be Wang Haichao, and absolutely not Wang Haibao.
"Jieshi, Haibao is young and strong, and he's definitely capable in that department..."
Before Wang Haichao could finish, Wang Jieshi interrupted him. "No way! The man can't be from our village. We have to find someone from far away, so once she gets pregnant, there will be no further ties ever again!"
Since Wang Jieshi said so, Wang Haichao was naturally pleased, as this meant he could make a profit.
The day Chuntao returned to her maiden home before the New Year, the person who intercepted her on the road was Wang Haibao, and it was all arranged by Wang Haichao.
Wang Haichao was gluttonous, lazy, and idle, but he was a smooth talker and knew quite a few people.
He knew a restaurant owner in Nangang named Wu Jinshan. This man had a wife, but she was short and stout, lacking any charm whatsoever.
However, Wu Jinshan was a lecherous man with some spare cash, and he had ruined the reputations of many young wives and unmarried girls in Nangang.
Wang Haichao knew Wu Jinshan had this weakness. Lacking money for the New Year, he told Wu Jinshan about Chuntao's situation.
Upon hearing this, Wu Jinshan's beady, lustful eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, saying that as long as he could get his hands on Chuntao, he was willing to give Wang Haichao twenty yuan for his trouble.
Twenty yuan was no small sum; it was a highly profitable business with zero investment, so the two hit it off immediately.
That day when Chuntao returned to her maiden home, Wang Haichao saw her from his doorway, so he and Wang Haibao went to find Wu Jinshan.
Wang Haibao bundled up tightly and waited on the path Chuntao had to take, intending to use Zhou Zhijun as bait to trick her into going to Nangang.
Over in Nangang, Wang Haichao and Wu Jinshan had already prepared knockout drops. If Chuntao refused to drink, they would use force.
Wang Haichao had figured out Chuntao's temperament. Even if she was really violated, she would only suffer in silence, so he wasn't afraid at all.
Who knew Wang Haibao was so stupid that he failed to trick Chuntao, and even ran into Old Man Han and his son, causing the plan to completely fall apart.
Throughout the New Year period, Wang Haichao kept scheming how to earn that sum of money.
At the same time, he was thinking about the matter of borrowing seed. He had originally planned to do it himself, but since he was Wang Jieshi's stepfather, he feared Wang Jieshi wouldn't agree, so he recommended Wang Haibao.
As long as the seed-borrowing was successful, he could use it to control Chuntao and Wang Jieshi. Sleeping with her in the future would be a piece of cake.
He didn't expect Wang Jieshi to disagree and insist on finding someone from far away, which made him think of Wu Jinshan from Nangang again.
"Alright, I'll help you find someone from far away... But for this matter, are you going to discuss it with Chuntao, or how do you want to proceed?"
Wang Jieshi knew very well that Chuntao would never agree to borrow seed, so he said, "We'll do it in secret!"
"Let me think about how to make it foolproof!"
Wang Haichao was calculating in his mind. Wu Jinshan had promised one hundred yuan for one time. If he let him do it a few more times, wouldn't he strike it rich?
He and Wang Haibao could also find an opportunity, and when Chuntao got pregnant, who knew whose seed it would be!
"Alright, I'll go back and carefully consider this, and find a reliable person..."
Wang Haichao stood up to leave, but Wang Jieshi called out to him again, "With my body in this state, if she really gets pregnant, won't the village laugh me to death?"
"Don't worry! Tomorrow I'll find someone to treat your illness.
In two or three months, I'll spread the word in the village that you are cured...
When Chuntao gets pregnant, no one will know it's an outsider's; everyone will think it's yours!"
Wang Haichao's words were purely to deceive Wang Jieshi; the villagers weren't that easy to fool.
But he didn't care about that. As long as he got the money and Chuntao got pregnant and had a child, Wang Jieshi would just have to bear whatever the villagers said.
...
Chuntao lay in bed, her nose tingling and her throat feeling as if stuffed with cotton, making her chest tight and suffocated.
Zhou Zhijun wanted to take her away, and didn't she want to go?
But her maiden family was like a rope, tightly binding her, making it impossible for her to move even half a step.
Tears silently slipped from the corners of her eyes, soaking two large patches on her pillow.
"Was the TV show good?" A voice suddenly came from Wang Jieshi's side, startling Chuntao so much that she quickly raised her hand to wipe her tears.
Wang Jieshi rarely spoke to her, keeping a straight face all day long.
He was actually talking to her tonight? His voice wasn't as cold as usual either, making Chuntao feel uneasy.
"It... it was good..."
"What did you watch?"
Chuntao's heart skipped a beat.
It was her first time watching TV, and she had only watched it for a little while, having no idea what was playing.
"I didn't understand it!"
Who knew that Wang Xiaohong next door wasn't asleep yet and loudly chimed in, "I watched She-Ra, it was so good... My sister-in-law left after watching for a little bit, she definitely couldn't understand it!"
It was exactly what she was afraid of. Wang Xiaohong had actually blurted out that she left halfway through. Chuntao's heart instantly clenched again.
Afraid that Wang Xiaohong would say more, she quickly interjected, "Xiaohong, it's getting late, go to sleep!"
"Got it!"
But Wang Jieshi had no intention of letting it go. "Where did you go?"
"I didn't... didn't do anything..." Chuntao's voice clearly lacked confidence.
Hearing him interrogate Chuntao again, Wang Xiaohong got a bit angry. "Didn't my sister-in-law come back to check on the pig? It was Uncle Zhijun who helped go find Old Man Han..."
Wang Xiaohong never expected that her words, intended to defend Chuntao, had actually sold her out.
