Time has a way of slipping by unnoticed. The happiness and sweetness of married life were palpable, evident in the constant smile on Li Xiu's face.
As blissful newlyweds, their affection for each other was palpable. With Zhou Lian reciprocating his feelings, their bond grew more harmonious by the day. On the third day after the wedding, for the traditional bridal homecoming, Li Xiu brought lavish gifts and escorted Zhou Lian to her parents' home. Seeing the relaxed and joyful smile on her face, the Zhou family felt completely at ease.
On the first day of work in early spring, the residents of Shanqian Village saw the young couple, Li Xiu and his wife, heading to the fields side by side. Li Xiu carried all the tools, while Zhou Lian followed with her hands empty. The villagers whispered among themselves that they had all misjudged him. They thought Li Xiu was a hard-faced, cold-hearted man, not the type to dote on his wife, but he wouldn't even let her carry a shovel to the fields. How could he not cherish her?
The fields had to be tilled before spring planting, but the production team's oxen were spread too thin. A lot of the land had to be turned by hand. The team leader assigned the young couple two adjacent plots.
Li Xiu couldn't bear to see his wife work, but everyone was watching them now. He couldn't forbid her from going to the fields, nor could he let her go and do nothing. Li Xiu felt stifled. 'It's not like I can't support her,' he thought. The idea of his wife toiling just to earn work points made his heart ache.
He looked at the two plots they'd been assigned, then at his wife beside him, her eyes curving into happy crescents. After a moment's thought, he said, "Honey, why don't you just follow behind me and level out the soil after I've turned it?"
Seeing his scowl and furrowed brow, Zhou Lian smiled. She knew her husband was just worried about her, but she couldn't give people a reason to gossip. Besides, she felt a pang of protectiveness for him, too.
'Ever since I married him, I haven't had to do any chores. He always rushes to do the laundry, cooking, and cleaning himself. That was fine during the off-season, but now is the busy season. His work is exhausting and heavy; how could I possibly let him do everything alone? I'm not some pampered miss. It's not like I've never done farm work before.'
"It's fine. I'll just work slowly. Don't worry."
Li Xiu saw her reassuring smile, opened his mouth to protest, but then swallowed his words. Everyone was in the fields, watching. If his wife didn't do any work, plenty of people would have nasty things to say.
"Then just take it slow. Don't rush. I work fast, so don't worry about us not finishing our assignment," Li Xiu finally said, though reluctantly.
"Alright, let's get to work. People are looking," Zhou Lian said, glancing around. Li Xiu nodded. He scanned the nosy onlookers craning their necks in their direction and said no more.
As noon approached, Li Xiu told Zhou Lian to head home and start cooking. During the busy season, the women would always leave the fields early to prepare meals. That way, the men could eat as soon as they got home from work, saving precious time.
Zhou Lian glanced at her watch. It was already eleven; it was about time to go. She hoisted her tool onto her shoulder, but Li Xiu stopped her, taking it from her. He gently took her hand and turned it over, feeling her palm. He relaxed slightly when he found no blisters.
"Off you go, niece-in-law! Save the canoodling for when you get home! Everyone's watching you out here!"
"Sun Er's wife, you're old enough to know better than to run your mouth like that! My nephew just helped his wife with her shovel, and look at you, talking trash. What's your problem? Did my niece-in-law do something to offend you?"
From a distance, Aunt Li, with Li Yuan in tow, heard that gossip Sun Er's wife spouting nonsense and immediately laid into her.
The moment Sun Er's wife heard Aunt Li's voice, she shuddered. 'All I did was watch Li Xiu all morning,' she thought defensively. 'He couldn't stand to see his wife work, constantly telling her to slow down and take breaks. Now he won't even let her carry her own shovel home. It was just a little irritating, so I said a couple of things. I didn't even say that much!'
"Third Sister-in-law Li, what are you saying? I was just teasing my niece-in-law," Sun Er's wife explained hurriedly. 'This shrew is not someone to mess with.'
"Oh, really? So you're done canoodling with your husband and are heading home to cook up something nice to 'recharge'?" Aunt Li retorted, ignoring the other woman's excuse.
She went straight for the jugular. 'My niece-in-law is a new bride; a reputation like that would sound terrible. This gossip Sun Er's wife is a real piece of work, always jealous when she sees a happy couple. How dare she bully my niece-in-law? She's just asking for it.'
"Third Sister-in-law Li, you can't say that! I've been working hard all morning! How is that canoodling with my husband?" Sun Er's wife protested. She had been toiling away for hours; it would be bad if such rumors reached the team leader or the village chief.
"Oh, so you're the only one who worked? My niece-in-law didn't do anything? You wretched woman, you're just a troublemaker. My niece-in-law worked hard all morning, and you have the nerve to accuse the young couple of canoodling. You're just using your age and seniority as an excuse to be shameless, aren't you? Is it because you can't stand to see my nephew and his wife happy? You spout one more piece of nonsense, and I'll rip that mouth of yours right off," Aunt Li was not about to put up with her. 'What a troublemaker, always jealous of others' happiness.'
"I didn't even say anything, it was just a joke," Sun Er's wife said plaintively, seeing that a crowd was starting to gather.
"Is that right? Well then, are you done canoodling with your husband and heading home to cook up something nice to 'recharge'?" Aunt Li repeated, her voice rising to make sure everyone heard.
"Third Sister-in-law Li, how can you say that? I…"
"What? So you're allowed to run your mouth about my nephew and his wife, but I'm not allowed to say a word about you? Who do you think you are, so high and mighty? Even the old landlord's wives weren't as tyrannical as you!"
Aunt Li cut Sun Er's wife off. 'Trying to play these games with me? This woman has a long way to go. My own second sister-in-law is a real piece of work, and even with my second brother-in-law protecting her, she doesn't dare to cross me. This is the perfect opportunity to make an example of someone. None of the old hens in this village are easy to deal with. After today, let's see who dares to bully my niece-in-law.'
"I was just teasing a junior! Why are you being like this?" Sun Er's wife was genuinely aggrieved now. 'That wife of Li Xiu's has been a recluse ever since she married into the family. I just saw that new brides are usually thin-skinned and that Li Xiu dotes on her so much... it just rubbed me the wrong way, so I said a couple of things! How did that make me a landlord's wife? That's a terrifying accusation to throw around!'
"And aren't I just teasing a junior, too? My niece-in-law isn't the one complaining, so what right do you have to feel wronged?" Aunt Li had never lost a war of words in her life. 'As if I'd be scared of this nasty woman.'
Li Miao ran right up to Zhou Lian and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, don't be mad. Second Aunt Sun just loves being all over Uncle Sun, so she probably thinks you're the same way. Everyone saw that Big Brother was just helping you with your tools. Even though you and Big Brother are newly married, you don't have a habit of getting all touchy-feely in the fields. Don't be scared, it's okay. See? My mom is explaining it to her. Second Aunt Sun might like that sort of thing, but you don't. It's fine."
Li Miao's words were the final nail in the coffin, cementing Sun Er's wife's new "reputation." The onlookers burst into laughter. This woman was a notorious gossip, and the younger wives and girls in the village usually couldn't win an argument with her, so they just had to endure her taunts. This time, however, she had really picked on the wrong person.
The Li family's third daughter-in-law was known for being fierce and sharp-tongued, but she was also reasonable—as long as you didn't cross her, you'd be fine. But this time, someone had dared to pick on her nephew's wife. Li Xiu was the main grandson of the Li family line. Even if his own parents didn't dote on him, his first and third aunts cherished him dearly. Moreover, Li Xiu himself was not to be trifled with. Everyone in the village knew how fiercely protective he was of his own.
Last year, a boy from the village had muttered a few inappropriate words after seeing how pretty his cousin, Li Hua, was. Li Xiu gave him a sound thrashing. And it didn't end there. He then sent Li Bao and Li Guo to rough up the boy's younger brothers and nephews, and had Li Gui and Li Yun torment his sisters and nieces. The whole affair only ended when the boy's elders came to the Li family to formally apologize.
And now, Sun Er's wife had bullied his wife. 'Just you wait,' they thought, 'this isn't over.' Li Miao, a little girl of only six or seven, had managed to brand Sun Er's wife as someone who 'liked to canoodle with her husband in the fields' in just a few sentences. And Li Xiu had eight or nine sisters, with Li Miao being the youngest. This was bound to become a huge ordeal! There was no shortage of people who loved a good spectacle and hoped it would escalate.
"What are you all doing crowded around here? Aren't you supposed to be working? Don't you have to go home and cook?" the village chief hollered, striding over with his hands clasped behind his back and a grim expression.
"Brother Ge, you have to do something! Third Sister-in-law Li called me a landlord's wife! I can't accept an accusation like that!" Sun Er's wife whined, rushing to tattle the moment she saw the village chief.
Her words were met with a wave of derisive laughter. In a cacophony of voices, the crowd explained what had happened. Ge Dayu was furious. 'Spring planting is at its peak, and this woman is causing trouble. What a piece of work.'
"Go get Sun Er!" he barked. "Deduct ten work points from his household! From now on, anyone caught idly gossiping will have their work points docked! Any of you women feel brave enough to keep talking, go right ahead!" When Sun Er arrived and learned what had happened, he was so enraged that he started chasing his wife, trying to give her a beating, which only made the crowd laugh even harder.