Wang Xiaohong's words brought Chuntao's heart into her throat, terrified that it would leap out if she even opened her mouth.
Goosebumps erupted all over her body. She bit her lip hard, not daring to make a sound.
She could only hear Wang Jieshi's breathing suddenly grow heavy, panting like a bellows, which made her even more panicked.
Wang Jieshi already suspected something was going on between her and Zhou Zhijun. Wouldn't Wang Xiaohong's words just confirm it?
She bit her lip so hard it bled. The metallic taste of blood seeped through her teeth into her mouth, but Chuntao felt no pain, only a bone-chilling coldness spreading through her entire body.
Her hands gripped the thin, stiff old quilt tightly. Holding her breath, she braced herself for a beating and scolding from Wang Jieshi.
However, Wang Jieshi's heavy breathing gradually steadied. After a long while, surprisingly, he didn't lose his temper. He merely said softly, "It's late, go to sleep."
His voice was as calm as a pool of stagnant water. Wang Jieshi's uncharacteristic behavior made Chuntao's heart clench even tighter.
The air in the room felt as if it had frozen solid, suffocating her.
In the half-year since Wang Jieshi returned, they had lived like strangers, barely exchanging a few words. Chuntao didn't really know him at all.
She only felt that he had a bizarre temper and was impossible to read.
Usually, he would suddenly fly into a rage for no reason, but at other times, he was exceptionally forbearing.
Just like tonight. Hearing Wang Xiaohong's words, he actually didn't get angry, nor did he question her further. This was truly abnormal.
Chuntao felt that behind his restraint, something even more terrifying was likely hiding. That unknown fear left her deeply unsettled.
That night, Chuntao lay stiffly in bed. She kept her eyes closed but couldn't fall asleep, her heart tied up in knots like a tangled mess of hemp.
Over the following days, Wang Jieshi's gloomy eyes seemed glued to her back, making her tense up and filling her with anxiety.
She didn't dare look toward the neighboring yard, doing her best to avoid Zhou Zhijun.
When Auntie Zhou dug up some shepherd's purse from the fields and called her over to make dumplings together, she found an excuse to decline.
When she went out to work and bumped into Zhou Zhijun, she kept her head down, avoiding his gaze, and hurried past him.
Zhou Zhijun knew she was feeling awkward, so he didn't initiate conversation with her. Instead, he quietly asked Wang Xiaohong, "Is your sister-in-law alright?"
Wang Xiaohong also felt that Chuntao had been acting off lately. Frowning, she replied, "She's been zoning out a lot these past few days."
"Did your brother lose his temper with her?"
"No. It's just that the other night, my brother asked her if the TV show was good, and my sister-in-law said she didn't understand it. I casually mentioned that my sister-in-law came back after only watching for a little bit..."
Hearing Wang Xiaohong's words, Zhou Zhijun's heart skipped a beat. Chuntao was timid and prone to overthinking; she was definitely worrying about what happened that night.
Given Wang Jieshi's temper, normally he would either throw a fit or make snide, indirect remarks.
But this time, he did absolutely nothing. Even Zhou Zhijun couldn't figure it out.
Perhaps it was because his own health was deteriorating, and knowing he would have to rely on Chuntao in the future, he forcibly swallowed his anger out of fear that she might pack up and run away?
After chatting with Zhou Zhijun for a bit, Wang Xiaohong quickly caught up with Chuntao. "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I'm fine." Chuntao forced the corners of her mouth up, but couldn't squeeze out a single trace of a smile.
Wang Xiaohong knew that Chuntao usually didn't talk much and kept everything bottled up inside.
Before, her brother still had one good leg, but now that leg was crippled too. Even going to the outhouse required him to lean on a stool and slowly drag himself along.
As his wife, not only did Chuntao receive no care, but she also had to wait on him. Life would only get harder from here on out. No matter who it was, anyone would feel terrible in this situation.
Assuming Chuntao was acting this way because of her brother's poor health, Wang Xiaohong didn't press the matter and simply offered soft words of comfort.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. I won't ever get married; I'll stay and help you hold this family together. And there's Xiaoming, too. When he grows up, he'll help you out..."
Wang Xiaohong's words made Chuntao's nose sting and her eyes burn. "What silly things are you saying? I'm really fine!"
After Wang Jieshi's only remaining leg was crippled, aside from occasionally getting up to use the outhouse during the day, he spent almost all his time lying in bed.
During the day, Wang Xiaohong brought him his food and drink. At night, Chuntao slept in the same room as him. It was very difficult for him to get up at night, yet he never asked Chuntao to help him.
Lying in bed, Chuntao would hear him moving and try to pretend she didn't hear. But listening to the sounds of his strenuous shuffling, she eventually couldn't bear it and would get out of bed to support him.
Wang Jieshi was already thin and small, and now he was even skinnier. When Chuntao accidentally brushed against his fingertips, they felt piercingly cold.
She silently helped him wipe his body and supported him when he got up at night, but she rarely spoke.
Wang Jieshi also remained silent most of the time, only occasionally murmuring, "It's been hard on you."
That one simple sentence always made Chuntao's heart ache. She had thought Wang Jieshi was harboring some malicious scheme—had she been overthinking it?
Looking the way he did now, unable to even take care of himself, what could he possibly do?
Sometimes, Chuntao would suddenly feel pity for Wang Jieshi, but on second thought, she felt he wasn't worthy of pity.
Every day, Chuntao's heart was torn by this contradiction, aching terribly, yet she was completely helpless.
A few days later, Wang Haichao brought over an old man.
The old man was dark and skinny, with graying hair and beard. He wore a set of faded, coarse cloth garments and carried a rough cloth bag slung over his shoulder.
"What are you here for?" Seeing a stranger, Wang Xiaohong immediately went on high alert.
Wang Haichao said with a serious face, "This is Doctor Zhang. I invited him over to treat your brother."
The last time Wang Haichao took her brother to see a doctor, they spent all their money, her brother ended up a cripple, and they didn't even get a single pill out of it.
Wang Xiaohong always felt that the whole thing had been Wang Haichao's sinister plot.
Now he was pulling the same trick again; he was definitely up to no good. Wang Xiaohong immediately blocked the doorway, refusing to let them in. "My brother isn't sick! We don't need you pretending to be a good Samaritan!"
"Xiaohong, what do you know, girl? Only when your brother's illness is cured can you become an aunt sooner!"
Wang Haichao lowered his voice. "Doctor Zhang has brilliant medical skills; he never usually makes house calls. Since your brother's legs are inconvenient, I had to beg and plead to get him to come!"
Although Wang Xiaohong was an unmarried young woman, even she caught the implication in Wang Haichao's words. Was her brother useless in that regard? Was this to treat that kind of problem?
During the summer, while bathing in the river, the village women loved to gossip and tell dirty jokes.
Wang Xiaohong inwardly despised them for being shameless, but she couldn't help eavesdropping a bit.
They said that it didn't matter if a man was a bit ugly, lazy, or hot-tempered; the most crucial thing was that aspect.
If he was good-looking but useless in bed, he wouldn't be able to keep a woman's heart.
They even named names, saying there was a woman in the eastern village whose husband was lacking in that department and barely touched her all year. The woman couldn't take it and eventually ran off with an old bachelor from a neighboring village...
They could rattle off a whole pile of stories like that. As an unmarried girl, how could Wang Xiaohong possibly understand the importance of such things?
But thinking back on it now, her brother had been back for half a year, and her sister-in-law barely spoke to him and didn't sleep in the same bed. They were like strangers. Could it really be because her brother was useless in that regard?
As Wang Xiaohong thought about this, her face involuntarily flushed red.
She trusted her sister-in-law's character and knew she would never run off with another man. But if her brother really had a medical condition and couldn't father a child, who would look after them in their old age?
At this thought, Wang Xiaohong stepped aside to let them into the house. Still feeling uneasy, she warned, Don't try to pull any tricks! Our family has no money for medical bills!
Wang Haichao replied, We'll put it on credit for now. You can pay once your brother is cured!
Chuntao was washing dishes in the kitchen. On the surface, she remained completely composed, but she was listening intently to every word.
...
It suddenly dawned on her. No wonder Wang Jieshi hadn't lost his temper after hearing Wang Xiaohong's words—this was his plan all along!
He wanted to get himself cured so she could bear his children, using that as a way to tie her down!
