Chapter Sixteen: That woman is already married.
Li Hongjuan followed behind, her face showing obvious curiosity and a hint of dissatisfaction, clearly having also been woken up.
Zhong Chengren's face flushed red and then turned pale, burning with embarrassment. He couldn't very well say that he had stolen his wife's sick food and been beaten like an animal by his own mother with fire tongs, could he?
How will he ever be able to hold his head up at home again?
His eyes darted around, and he mumbled, "No...it's nothing, brother, sister-in-law. It's just...Mingli has a fever, and Mother was a little worried and said a few words to me."
Li Hongjuan was still yelling at the door, "You two, in the middle of the night, woke up the whole family! Who will have the energy to work tomorrow?"
After saying that, she slammed the door shut, making the wall tremble three times.
Zhong Chengren stood there, his face turning pale and then flushed. He could only slink into his room, not daring to utter another word.
As dawn broke and a thin mist still lingered in the yard, an old hen fluttered down from its coop and began scavenging for food.
Zhang Chunxue had gotten up early. She was wearing an old cotton-padded coat and her steps were so light that it felt like she was walking on cotton. She carefully pushed open the door to the west room.
The oil lamp by the bedside had been extinguished, leaving only a wisp of smoke floating in the air.
Zhou Mingli lay there, her face pale, but the sweat on her forehead had dried, and she had calmed down, no longer having a fever or convulsions.
Zhang Chunxue reached out to feel her forehead and then checked her pulse before letting out a sigh of relief, "The fever has finally broken..."
She muttered to herself, glancing at the worn-out little bowl in the corner—the bowl she had left for Zhou Mingli to drink porridge last night, now empty, which made her heart tighten again.
“This child is too weak. How can we not give him some nourishment?” Zhang Chunxue frowned and pondered. “We have to find a way to get him something good.”
After much thought, she decided to go to the river to catch fish, so she could at least make a pot of fish soup to nourish the sick patient and do her part as a mother-in-law.
Zhang Chunxue cooked rice porridge again, fed Zhong Yuanyuan some rice water, told Zhou Mingli to get up and drink some porridge, put Zhong Yuanyuan in the cradle, and then got busy.
She made breakfast and woke Zhong Yuanyuan up, making breakfast late.
As for her three sons and eldest daughter-in-law, she ignored them and went to find fishing tools after breakfast.
After packing up the bamboo basket and net, Zhang Chunxue called out to Zhong Xiaoxiao, who was playing with Zhong Yuanyuan: "Xiaoxiao, I'm going out for a bit. Keep an eye on Yuanyuan."
"Xiaoxiao, are you up?" Zhang Chunxue's voice was gentle. "Keep an eye on Yuanyuan, I'm going out for a bit."
"Mom, where are you going? I'll go with you!" Zhong Xiaoxiao pulled the swaddled baby closer to her chest and asked softly, "Are you taking these things... to the river?"
Zhang Chunxue just smiled and said, "I'm going to catch two fish. You don't need to come with me."
"I'd better come along! Just in case Mom needs my help!" Zhong Xiaoxiao picked up her little niece. "I'll go with you!"
Seeing her determination, Zhang Chunxue had no choice but to let her come along.
The two walked out of the courtyard side by side and slowly walked along the ridge towards the small river at the east end of the village.
The morning breeze blew through the haystacks, carrying a damp, fresh smell that made one shiver.
As they approached the river, Zhang Chunxue suddenly stopped and glanced at her daughter: "By the way, last night... how did Secretary Song suddenly become 'Teacher Song'? When did he start tutoring you?"
Zhong Xiaoxiao froze, then subconsciously lowered her head, twisting her two fingers together until the swaddling clothes were crumpled, but she still stammered and didn't say a word for a long time.
Zhang Chunxue patiently asked, "Is there anything you can't tell Mom? Hmm?"
"No..." Zhong Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, her face flushed red. "Actually... actually, it was Teacher Song who tutored me all along. He explained the problems in great detail, which is why my grades improved. He... he told me not to tell you, saying he was afraid you'd be angry..."
Before she finished speaking, she secretly glanced at her mother. Her large, thin but strong hands were gripping the bamboo basket handle tightly, the veins on them bulging, as if she was enduring something!
Is it really true, as Teacher Song said, that Mom will be angry if she finds out about this?
Zhong Xiaoxiao felt a little uneasy as she thought about it.
Strangely, Zhang Chunxue remained silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh: "Alas, Secretary Song... Secretary Song is only doing this for your own good..."
She paused, not explaining why Song Xingzhi thought she would be angry, but instead changed the subject: "If you really catch a fish and make fish soup later, remember to serve a bowl to Teacher Song. He's helped us so much, we can't just pretend we didn't see it, can we?"
"Huh?" Zhong Xiaoxiao's eyes widened in disbelief. "Mom, are you really not angry?"
“There’s nothing to be angry about,” Zhang Chunxue reached out and patted her head. “He tutored you, which is why you did so well on the exam. We should thank him… A bowl of fish soup is nothing.”
After saying that, she quickened her pace and deliberately turned back to urge her daughter, "Hurry up, or we'll miss out on the fish soup!"
As soon as the two turned around Willow Bay, they saw a figure squatting by the stone slabs on the riverbank in the distance—it was Song Xingzhi.
He rolled up his sleeves, a bucket of clothes soaking in the icy river water, his hands red with cold, and kept scrubbing the stains on the collar and cuffs, each scrubbing making a sizzling sound, a hundred times more meticulous and attentive than a woman.
Just as Zhong Xiaoxiao was about to shout a greeting, Zhang Chunxue suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Hey, don’t shout,” Zhang Chunxue pulled her and quickly walked upstream. “If you shout, you’ll inevitably have to exchange a few polite words with him… which will waste time.”
Zhong Xiaoxiao was confused, but she still obediently nodded: "I'll listen to Mom!"
Zhang Chunxue took a few steps forward, but couldn't help turning her head to glance at Song Xingzhi.
The middle-aged man, who had become increasingly refined and elegant, was carefully washing clothes, as if he were doing something important.
Zhang Chunxue quickly turned her head away, not daring to look any further.
After leaving the rocky beach, Zhong Xiaoxiao finally couldn't hold back and muttered, "Mom, actually, a lot of women in the village gossip about it behind his back. They say Teacher Song is strange. He's over thirty and still single. No girl has ever dared to get close to him..."
At this point, she leaned closer mysteriously and continued to reveal in a soft voice that only she and her son could hear: "Some people say that he probably doesn't like women, maybe he likes men! Anyway, every time a matchmaker comes to the door to introduce potential partners, he just kicks them out. No one has ever succeeded!"
After hearing this, Zhang Chunxue stopped in her tracks, couldn't help but glare at Zhong Xiaoxiao, and her tone became serious: "You can't talk nonsense about this kind of thing. Secretary Song is not that kind of person!"
When Zhang Chunxue's tone became serious, Zhong Xiaoxiao was startled and instinctively hugged Zhong Yuanyuan tighter.
However, seeing that Zhang Chunxue was only serious in tone and did not say anything else, she felt a little relieved and continued, "Of course I don't believe what those people say either. And... and I asked Teacher Song this question before."
Zhang Chunxue frowned: "You actually went to ask him?!"
"I was just... a little curious!" Zhong Xiaoxiao's voice became even softer. "That time, I directly asked him why he was still single, and whether there was someone he particularly liked..."
Zhang Chunxue's fingers tightened involuntarily as she held the item.
"Teacher Song smiled and said that he had someone he liked for a long time, but unfortunately he met her too late. That person was already married, so he could only keep his feelings to himself and never mention them again."
Zhang Chunxue's lips were pursed into a thin line, and she remained silent for a long time.
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