Chapter 50 Nausea

Fan Erni spoke.

The women washing clothes by the river all turned their heads to look over, forgetting to strike with their washing mallets.

As soon as everyone's gaze fell down, they spotted a pair of grayish-brown men's shorts hanging wetly on a bamboo pole.

As the river breeze gently swayed, the waistband of the trousers was slightly turned up, revealing a few frayed threads.

No one expected to see men's underwear in such a place.

Luo Qinqin's eyes widened, and her pupils contracted sharply.

But she immediately forced herself to calm down, and even the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Hey, these belong to my deceased husband. I take them out to wash and look at them when I miss him!"

She deliberately spoke in a relaxed voice, casually lifting the pair of underwear out of the wooden basin as she spoke.

Water droplets dripped down the fabric, wetting her wrists, but she didn't care.

Then, she spread her underwear on the washboard, and the fabric made a soft "smack" sound.

Then she grabbed the soap, rubbed it in hard, and started scrubbing vigorously.

snort!

Anyway, you guys don't know which "man" I am!

Luo Qinqin secretly felt smug and sneered to herself, her nails almost digging into the soap, and she glanced at Fan Erni with a hint of provocation.

Fan Erni curled her lip, revealing a hint of disdain.

Her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with disdain, and she felt that Luo Qinqin's behavior was utterly shameless.

To openly wash men's underwear by the river and say it so confidently, they really have a thicker skin than a wall.

That shameless bastard, he's living a carefree life!

Her husband has been dead for almost ten years; his body is long since cold.

There's a rule in the village that's been passed down from our ancestors.

Once a person passes away, all their belongings must be burned, supposedly to prevent them from leaving behind any lingering thoughts that might attract unclean spirits.

These underwear are clearly not old; the color is still new, and the edges aren't worn.

This doesn't look like something that's been sitting in a box for ten years.

"Your man has been dead for so long and you still miss him? You don't miss him, you just want to have some clandestine fun with someone in the cornfield!"

Fan Erni always speaks bluntly, with a loud voice, showing no mercy, and every word she says hits home.

Besides, she had actually seen Luo Qinqin do such a thing.

That evening, she was harvesting green beans on the edge of the field when she saw a figure disappear into the cornfield in the distance.

Not long after, they emerged again, and it was Luo Qinqin and Lu Weidong, both of them disheveled and looking flustered.

That's why she dared to expose it directly in front of so many people, unafraid that she would say she was wronged.

She wanted to show everyone just how despicable this seemingly aloof widow really was.

Several women nearby were stunned for half a second upon hearing this.

She then covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

Upon hearing this, Luo Qinqin's heart tightened, her breath caught in her throat, and her fingertips instantly turned icy cold.

She did indeed only meet Lu Weidong once in the cornfield.

As darkness fell, the wind blew fiercely, rustling the corn leaves.

She was momentarily confused and followed him inside, which only lasted a short while.

But now, listening to Fan Erni say this, it's as if she saw it with her own eyes, and even the details match up.

But she quickly regained her composure and took a deep breath.

That was several months ago.

At night, when no one saw it, she and Lu Weidong barely exchanged a few words before going their separate ways.

If Fan Erni really knew, the whole village would have heard about it long ago, and the children would be reciting doggerel at the alley entrance.

She must have just guessed right.

Luo Qinqin gritted her teeth, a fierce determination rising in her heart, but her face turned angry.

"Fan Erni, what nonsense are you spouting! Saying such things in broad daylight!"

She slammed the washboard against the edge of the basin.

"Are you trying to make me lose face on purpose?!"

She spoke through tears, her eyes red.

Fan Erni shrugged, spread her hands, and said nonchalantly, "Why are you in such a hurry? Are you feeling guilty?"

Luo Qinqin abruptly threw her underwear into the basin, stood up abruptly, and was about to rush over to argue.

If she doesn't speak up, the whole village will be gossiping tonight about her having an affair.

Once this rumor spreads, she'll never be able to hold her head high again.

But as soon as she stood up, she froze.

Because she spotted Shen Cuifen and her two daughters standing not far away, with a half-smile on their faces.

She panicked, and cold sweat broke out instantly, soaking her back.

He quickly squatted down and hurriedly stuffed the underwear from the basin under his clothes.

This action made everyone even more aware of the situation.

Isn't this just a guilty conscience?

Even the old lady hanging clothes to dry next to her shook her head and muttered, "Oh dear, this is going to be quite a show."

Fan Erni was annoyed and inwardly lamented that she hadn't seen Shen Cuifen behind her at all!

If she had known, she would never have mentioned it, even if you killed her.

She and Shen Cuifen were inseparable; they even shared house keys.

The two families own three plots of land that are adjacent to each other out of five.

We always work together; you help me harvest rice, and I help you transplant seedlings.

Shen Cuifen never complained about hardship; she took on all the work in the fields herself and never shirked her responsibilities.

Fan Erni always thought that she was willing to help Lu Weidong's family because she still cared about him.

Look at Luo Qinqin today, so smug, speaking with a barbed tongue, her eyes darting around.

Fan Erni deliberately said a few sarcastic remarks to disgust her.

But she really had no intention of revealing Luo Qinqin and Lu Weidong's affair to Shen Cuifen.

She was afraid of hurting her feelings, and even more afraid of ruining the long-standing friendship between the two families.

Now that Shen Cuifen has seen it with her own eyes, she can only stare blankly, unable to utter a single word.

Everyone was now staring at Shen Cuifen, and they pretty much understood what was going on.

This matter is definitely related to Lu Weidong.

Who is Lu Weidong?

That was Shen Cuifen's man.

All eyes turned to Luo Qinqin.

There was also a young woman who didn't even wash her clothes. She took out a handful of melon seeds, found a rock, and sat down.

She chuckled to herself as she ate, wishing the show could go on a little longer.

Shen Cuifen raised the corners of her mouth, sneered, and stepped forward without saying a word.

She grabbed Luo Qinqin by the collar and lifted her up from the ground.

Luo Qinqin's feet were lifted off the ground by her grip, her face instantly turning bright red, and she trembled with fear.

She didn't miss a single word of that conversation.

She saw it too; the underwear belonged to Lu Weidong.

The edges were grayish-blue, and a crooked "road" character was sewn on the lower left corner; she had embroidered it herself.

Thinking back to the morning when Lu Weidong was splashed with wine by Xu Juanhua, and it seemed like he wasn't wearing any underwear at all, Shen Cuifen felt a wave of nausea.

A wave of nausea rushed to her throat, and she gritted her teeth to keep from vomiting on the spot.

"What...what are you doing!"

Luo Qinqin stammered, her voice trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She tried to struggle, but Shen Cuifen's hands were like iron clamps, and she couldn't break free at all.

She could only wave her hands in vain and mumble incoherent explanations.

"I...I didn't...it's not what you think..."