Aside from the production brigade leader’s family, no one else in the village knew that Gao Zhijun had returned. Thus, Bai Jiu had enjoyed a peaceful morning. But a secret like this couldn’t be kept under wraps forever. Sure enough, Gao Zhijun appeared in the villagers’ line of sight at noon.
Seeing him carrying two children in his arms, the villagers all stopped what they were doing.
"Is that Zhijun?" an acquaintance called out.
Gao Zhijun paused his steps. In truth, he didn’t particularly like anyone in Gaocun Village. His only two friends here were Gao Weiguo and Zhou Qingshan. One was a buddy who loved tagging along behind him since childhood, and the other was a half-brother, half-mentor figure who had taught him how to hunt in the mountains.
"Yes, Fifth Uncle," Gao Zhijun replied.
Since the man didn’t say anything else, he continued walking away with the children. He had come out to call his wife home for lunch and see if there was anything he could help with. Had the kids not clung to him so tightly, he would have accompanied her this morning.
Before he could get far, the man spoke up again. "Hold on a second, Zhijun."
This Fifth Uncle was Old Man Gao’s cousin. Most people in the production brigade shared the Gao surname, tracing back to the same ancestor. It was just that this particular relative was still within the five degrees of kinship.
"What is it?" Gao Zhijun probably had some idea of what the man wanted to say, but he had no desire to hear it. His response was ice-cold.
Seeing this, Fifth Uncle didn’t think much of it. Zhijun had always worn a cold expression since he was young, and everyone was long used to it.
"Since you’re back, you must know what happened at home," Fifth Uncle said. He couldn’t stand Bai Jiu. If that good-for-nothing Gao Xingrong hadn’t refused to pursue the matter, he would have driven a woman like her out of the village a long time ago.
Deep down, Fifth Uncle looked down on his cousin. Even so, he felt a sense of duty as an elder brother. Seeing Gao Zhijun, he wanted to put his previous thoughts into action.
"I know," Gao Zhijun replied, his tone still frosty.
"Since you know, what do you plan to do?" Fifth Uncle frowned, his displeasure obvious, and his voice rose in pitch.
Gao Zhijun set the children down. There were some things he didn’t want them to hear, considering how young they were.
"You two go find Mom first. Dad will be right there," he told them gently, patting their heads.
The two children harbored a certain level of aversion toward the villagers. They were especially terrified of the fierce-looking ones. Hearing their father tell them to go find their mother, they agreed without a second thought.
Watching their small figures run off, Gao Zhijun finally turned a serious gaze toward Fifth Uncle. "I plan to take her and the children away with me."
If his status hadn’t been so low back then, he would never have let them suffer so much. Now that he had the ability, he naturally wanted to give them the best life possible. Leaving the village was inevitable. After an incident like that, they would only be ostracized if they stayed. It was much better to take them away so he could enjoy a warm home with his wife and kids.
"You... you bastard!" Fifth Uncle hadn’t expected an answer like this. "That was your own mother and your own brother!" he scolded, deeply frustrated by his nephew’s attitude.
"So what?" Gao Zhijun said coldly. "They made a mistake and deserved to be punished. My wife did nothing wrong."
From the moment he learned of the situation, he hadn’t thought she was at fault. Her only mistake was enduring it until now before fighting back.
"Are you even human?" Fifth Uncle took a step back in anger. He never imagined Gao Zhijun would be like this. "To treat the murderer of your own mother and brother like this... You are unworthy of being a son!"
More and more people were gathering around them, listening to Gao Zhijun’s words. None of them expected him to say such things.
"That’s right! Zhijun, don’t be fooled by her. No matter how wrong they were, they were still your mother and your second brother. They died such a tragic death!"
"City folks sure have a way with words. She killed her husband’s mother and brother, yet she still has him treating her so well. She must be the reincarnation of a fox spirit!"
Snide comments and sour remarks erupted from the crowd.
When Bai Jiu approached, she heard everything they said. The children had bumped into her halfway as she was returning with her farm tools. She knew Gao Zhijun had come out, and she had braced herself for the villagers’ gossip. But she hadn’t expected them to be this brazen. It seemed they still hadn’t learned their lesson.
"Shut up!" Gao Zhijun shouted as the bad-mouthing against Bai Jiu escalated.
"Zhijun, you... how did you become like this?" Fifth Uncle looked utterly heartbroken.
"She’s not the one who did anything wrong. She is innocent! Those who draw the sword must be prepared to die by the sword. Since they harbored murderous intent toward others, they had to be prepared to be killed. My wife did nothing wrong," Gao Zhijun declared with absolute conviction.
Bai Jiu hadn’t expected him to defend her so publicly. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved. In this unfamiliar world, aside from her children, he was the first person to stand so firmly by her side.
"The country has its laws. Since the state handed down that sentence, it proves they got what they deserved. If you want to seek justice for them, don’t come to me—go to the police," Gao Zhijun said, locking eyes with Fifth Uncle. He walked over, leaned in close, and whispered in his ear, "Do you still remember Su Yurong from back then?"
With that, he pulled away, creating distance between them.
At the mention of the name Su Yurong, Fifth Uncle stood there with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time. Gao Zhijun gave a mocking smile and turned on his heel to leave. At that moment, Bai Jiu approached him with the two children.
"Why are you out here?" Bai Jiu’s expression remained neutral, but there was a hint of warmth in her voice.
"It’s almost noon, so I came to call you home for lunch." The coldness on Gao Zhijun’s face melted away at the sight of her.
"Oh."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the couple led their children away.
It took a long while for Fifth Uncle to snap out of his daze. Dropping his farm tools, he ran straight home, his heart pounding with anxiety. Zhijun knew! He actually knew! But how could he possibly know about what happened back then? Fifth Uncle couldn’t figure it out. He needed to go back and ask if there was some detail they had forgotten.
Compared to the shock Fifth Uncle brought back to the Gao family, things on Gao Zhijun’s side were much more relaxed and comfortable.
"I saw we had some meat at home, so I stir-fried it. If you had other plans for it, I can go to town later and buy some more," Gao Zhijun said, noticing her staring blankly at the dishes on the table.
Bai Jiu shook her head. "You know how to cook." The aroma of the food was incredibly rich, wafting straight into her nose.
"Just a little. It’s not as good as yours," he said sincerely.
Sometimes he got so busy at work that he missed the cafeteria’s serving hours, so he had learned to cook for himself. No matter what, he couldn’t let himself go hungry. Over time, his cooking skills had naturally developed.
Bai Jiu was speechless. She never thought her own cooking was that amazing; she was just more generous with ingredients than most people. If others used as much oil and seasoning as she did, their food would taste even better. She only benefited from having lived in the modern era and tasted various specialty dishes, which allowed her to replicate some of them. As for the taste, it was merely edible. It definitely wasn’t as good as he made it out to be.
"Here, let’s eat. I’ll do your work for you this afternoon; you can just rest at home." The morning’s events would likely spread like wildfire by the afternoon, and he didn’t want her to face those rumors and slanders.
If possible, he wanted to take her away right this instant. But he knew there was still a rift between them. With her strong personality, she wouldn’t just leave with him so easily. So, he had to wait.
As for him taking over her shift, she really didn’t need that. She was completely unafraid of the things he was worried about. In fact, she felt she hadn’t established enough dominance, which was why those people’s mouths were getting more and more insolent. She didn’t mind if someone stepped up to get a beating. Only a good beating would make them behave.