At this time, Zhou Yuanyuan and Zhou Jiasheng were in the next room comforting Zhao Yunxiang, who was a little emotional.
Zhao Yunxiang had never imagined that a nightmare would be so heartbreaking as to resemble a real scene. The scene in the dream was so cruel and realistic that Zhao Yunxiang still couldn't breathe.
Last night, Zhou Zhixin finally woke up in the middle of the night after a good sleep.
Zhou Zhixin opened his eyes and was startled by the unfamiliar scene he saw.
Then, Zhou Zhixin remembered what Zhao Guohui said before going to bed, and realized that this was his brother-in-law's home in Sanhe Town, and he relaxed.
Zhou Zhixin lay in bed, feeling sleepy after a good night's sleep. Looking at the dark sky through the gap in the curtains, Zhou Zhixin gave up the idea of getting up.
Seeing that only he and his wife were lying on the bed, with their son and daughter nowhere to be seen, Zhou Zhixin smiled with satisfaction. He thought his brother-in-law had taken the two children away out of consideration for their rare reunion.
Zhou Zhixin leaned sideways, supporting his head with one hand, and observed his wife sleeping soundly beside him. Yunxiang's eyelashes were still as long, her nose was still as straight, her lips were still as rosy, and her scent was still as fragrant... Zhou Zhixin's heart was stirring.
Zhou Zhixin slowly stretched out an arm and placed it on Zhao Yunxiang's shoulders. The touch of his hand made him stunned. When his Yunxiang married him, she was plump, not fat, but plump to the touch.
When did Yunxiang become so thin? She'd suffered so much in the Zhou family over the years. Zhou Zhixin's brows knitted together, and the spot where his hand was rubbing couldn't help but shift a little, inadvertently pressing against Zhao Yunxiang's chest.
It was not known whether it was because Zhou Zhixin’s arm pressed on Zhao Yunxiang or for some other reason, but Zhao Yunxiang’s calm expression changed slightly, as if she was conflicted or in pain, and her whole face gradually wrinkled.
Zhao Yunxiang had a nightmare.
In the dream, Zhao Yunxiang didn't make fish balls or earn money. She toiled tirelessly at the Zhou family's house every day. Wu Jinfeng scolded her from time to time and was not kind to her two children.
Two years later, Zhou Zhixin could no longer withstand the pressure from Wu Jinfeng and transferred to Zhoujia Village.
Zhou Zhixin's rank in the army was deputy battalion commander. After his retirement, the government would assign him a suitable job. Zhou Zhixin was lucky enough to be assigned to work as a cadre in the town government.
Zhao Yunxiang's face was filled with smiles when she thought that Zhou Zhixin would always be with her and support the entire family.
Early in the morning, Zhao Yunxiang was washing the clothes Zhou Zhixin brought home yesterday. Suddenly, a sharp voice interrupted her reverie.
"You damn bitch, you jinx who brings down your husband!" Wu Jinfeng rushed in from the door like a gust of wind, and pounced on Zhao Yunxiang ferociously like a demon.
Zhao Yunxiang was holding the clothes she was washing in her hands, with a confused look on her face.
Wu Jinfeng scratched Zhao Yunxiang's face hard with her nails, leaving several bloody marks.
Zhao Yunxiang felt a burning pain on her face. She reached out to touch it and saw blood all over her face.
Zhao Yunxiang didn't understand why her mother-in-law hit her. It was early in the morning, the two children were still asleep, and Zhixin had gone to a comrade's house the night before and hadn't returned. What had she done wrong?
"Third brother's wife, put on mourning clothes quickly. Third brother has died, and you will have to burn paper for him in front of the coffin later." Zhou Zhigang came over to remind Zhao Yunxiang.
Third brother? Zhixin? Zhao Yunxiang suddenly came to her senses and looked up at Zhou Zhigang.
"My third brother...had an affair with the educated youth Liu Moli last night and died in Widow He's house." Zhou Zhigang's words cleared up Zhao Yunxiang's confusion.
Nonsense! Impossible! Zhixin is not that kind of person!
After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Yunxiang pushed away Wu Jinfeng who was standing in front of her and ran towards Widow He's house like crazy.
A large number of villagers had already gathered at Widow He's house. Widow He sat dejectedly under the eaves, while the villagers were laughing and making dirty jokes with her. When they saw Zhao Yunxiang running over, they consciously made way for her.
Zhao Yunxiang stared at Widow He for a long time. Just when the villagers thought that Zhao Yunxiang would pounce on Widow He and beat her, Zhao Yunxiang turned her face away and slowly walked into Widow He's home along the narrow path filled with people.
In the west wing of Widow He's house, a strange woman wrapped in a sheet sat in the middle of the bed, weeping bitterly. She was quite pretty, and her tearful appearance made many men watching from outside the window secretly drool.
Zhou Zhixin lay naked on the ground, about three feet away from the woman. The clothes Zhou Zhixin had worn yesterday were scattered all over the floor beside the bed.
Zhou Zhixin lay motionless on the ground, completely silent. Zhao Yunxiang squatted down and reached out a trembling hand to touch Zhou Zhixin's cheek. The cold, icy touch made Zhao Yunxiang's heart ache as if it were being yanked. Undeterred, Zhao Yunxiang put her finger close to Zhou Zhixin's nostrils. There was no breathing. Zhao Yunxiang's knees gave way and she fell to the ground.
Her Zhixin, her Zhixin had left home yesterday, smiling and promising to bring her pancakes from town. How could she have turned into a cold corpse overnight? No! This couldn't be true! It couldn't be true!
Zhao Yunxiang wanted to yell and scream, calling her Zhixin back. She didn't want the pancakes in town, she just wanted her Zhixin.
Zhao Yunxiang's lips trembled, tears streaming down her face. Her silent sobbing made her look timid and desperate.
Nicknames like "rapist", "hooligan" and "hypocrite" were hurled at Zhou Zhixin by the villagers one after another.
Wu Jinfeng, who is usually a fierce person, did not refute the villagers' insults, but just lowered her head and wiped her eyes from time to time.
Village chief Zhou Hongming arrived and drove away the onlookers. Then Zhou Zhixin's body was taken home by the two brothers of the Zhou family.
A simple mourning hall was set up in the Zhou family's front yard.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Yunxiang knelt in front of Zhou Zhixin's coffin with a wooden face and burned paper. The flying paper ashes looked like black butterflies dancing in the dim light.
Zhao Yunxiang's heart ached. How could her Zhixin, who always claimed that he only loved her, be like that?
No! She didn't believe it! She didn't believe it was true.
Only then did Zhao Yunxiang's mind start to work again. Looking around, Zhao Yunxiang found that from morning till now, she had not seen Yuanyuan and Jiasheng.
Was she taken away by her mother-in-law? Or did she hide somewhere and cry?
Zhao Yunxiang was a little flustered. Yuanyuan and Jiasheng had always been disliked by her mother-in-law. She wondered if the two children had eaten that day or been beaten.
Zhao Yunxiang couldn't kneel any longer. The dead were dead, and the living had to live on. For the sake of her two children, she should cheer up.
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