Chapter 4 I will never dare to spread rumors again!

Lu Ye is not from Qingshui Village and has only been in the village for two days. He is not familiar with the villagers and his departure at mealtimes suggests that he has urgent business.

Jiang Suining was afraid that he would fall into Zhou Xiaomei's trap again, and was about to follow him out, but Jiang Fengnian grabbed her arm: "It just rained heavily, and the vegetable garden is full of mud. Don't go to pick vegetables."

"Then go pick them!" Jiang Suining handed the bamboo basket to Jiang Fengnian and was about to chase after Lu Ye when she was pulled back.

"Is there anything else?" she asked, turning around.

“I…” Jiang Fengnian stammered, his eyes darting around, his bronze face flushed, “Just now… I had a fight with that guy surnamed Lu…”

"You were fighting! Are you alright?!" Jiang Suining quickly pulled Jiang Fengnian around and looked him over.

The girl was indeed more concerned about him, and Jiang Fengnian was secretly pleased. But then he thought about it and slowly realized what she meant: "Sui Sui, why do you think it's your brother who's injured? Couldn't it be Lu Ye?"

Lu Ye was injured? How could that be? He's a trained fighter; it was mentioned in the original book that he could kill a wild boar with his bare hands!

Jiang Suining looked her brother up and down. He was tall and strong, and he certainly had brute strength, but compared to someone like Lu Ye who had undergone professional training, he was no match.

"I was just worried about you." Sensing the displeasure in Jiang Fengnian's tone, Jiang Suining quickly changed the subject. "You can't just start fights with people anymore; hitting someone is illegal!"

"As long as he doesn't bully you, I'll..." Jiang Fengnian hesitated, thinking about how he couldn't beat Lu Ye.

"Don't worry, it's only your sister who bullies others!" Jiang Suining patted Jiang Fengnian's shoulder to comfort him, then turned to leave, but was pulled back.

"What else is there? Brother, can you just tell me everything at once!" She peered out of the yard through the bamboo fence, but Lu Ye was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Fengnian was originally worried that the fight would affect his sister and brother-in-law's relationship, but seeing his sister's impatient attitude towards him, he suddenly felt uneasy: Could it be that his sister was blaming him!

Jiang Fengnian, who dotes on his sister, panicked and quickly explained, "I didn't mean to hit him. I just heard someone gossiping and I acted impulsively. But I apologized to him. I promise you, I will never hit him again."

Jiang Suining felt a warmth in her heart and grasped Jiang Fengnian's hand: "Brother, this is not your fault. It's all the fault of those who gossip. But it is wrong to fight with someone. Not to mention it's illegal, if you were hurt, how heartbroken would Mom and I be? Brother, you have to promise me that you won't fight with people casually in the future!"

Jiang's father died early, and her mother and this older brother doted on her very much. They supported her through high school and didn't let her do any farm work. They also rarely let her do any housework. Over time, this made the original owner of the body simple-minded. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been fooled by Zhou Xiaomei's words.

"Okay, I've got it." Jiang Fengnian's heart, which had been at ease, started to pound again. "Brother-in-law, he won't make you upset because of this, will he? Maybe you shouldn't marry him."

"It's not that bad, brother. Think about it. Even though you hit him, you didn't gain anything. Why would he make me angry?" Jiang Suining had read the original book and knew that there were quite a few scenes involving the male supporting character, Lu Ye. Overall, he was a rational and upright person who wouldn't do something like this to shift the blame.

"Brother, hurry up and pick the vegetables, I'm hungry." Jiang Suining was afraid that if she kept pestering him, it would never end, so she pushed Jiang Fengnian toward the vegetable garden.

"Wait here, I'll pick you a tomato. Eat it to tide you over." Jiang Fengnian was no longer bothered by the fight. He strode into the vegetable garden, picked a bright red tomato, and washed it before handing it to Jiang Suining. "Go inside and eat it. It's drying here."

"It's good to sun-dry it; it'll help you get calcium." Jiang Suining took the tomato, took a bite, and the thin skin cracked open with a "pop," the juicy flesh melting into honey between her teeth.

"So sweet!" she exclaimed, suddenly recalling the "stone fruit" wrapped in plastic wrap in 21st-century supermarkets. Fruit ripened in plastic greenhouses can never compare to naturally ripened fruit.

***

With her quick and efficient movements, and the help of her son and daughter, Jiang's mother prepared four dishes and a soup in no time.

On the octagonal table, coarse porcelain bowls with blue rims were laid out, with two kinds of rice piled up like a small mountain.

Steamed eggplant with minced garlic is fragrant and rich, stir-fried bok choy with lard is glistening with oil, stir-fried loofah with eggs is yellow and green, water spinach is coated with shrimp paste, and the dried shrimp and winter melon soup is clear and bright, making your mouth water just looking at it.

Jiang Suining agreed to marry Lu Ye, and Jiang's mother was overjoyed, so she specially cooked two extra dishes.

Each dish exuded the rustic charm of rural life, with enticing colors and aromas that made Jiang Suining's mouth water. But Lu Ye hadn't returned yet.

The host couldn't start eating before the guests arrived, so the family of three had to wait.

The original owner went on a hunger strike and didn't eat lunch, which caused Jiang Suining a lot of suffering. She was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back, and she kept swallowing her saliva. However, she could only look at the delicious food and feel extremely uncomfortable.

When she looked back at the outside of the main room for the third time and still couldn't see Lu Ye, she decided not to wait any longer and picked up her chopsticks to pick up some eggplant strips.

Jiang's mother stopped her, saying, "Let's wait for Comrade Lu."

"Mother, it's getting late. Why don't we eat first? Set aside some vegetables for Comrade Lu, and leave a big bowl of soup too." Jiang Fengnian felt sorry for his sister going hungry, and before his mother could agree, he went to the kitchen to get plates.

"Mom, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch yet," Jiang Suining said, clinging to her mother's arm.

Jiang's mother couldn't resist her daughter's persistent pleading and ultimately didn't say no.

Jiang Fengnian returned with an enamel plate and was serving food to Lu Ye when the tin loudspeaker at the brigade headquarters suddenly emitted a piercing electrical blast. The Party Secretary's phlegmy voice made the loudspeaker buzz loudly: "Attention, comrades! We are now broadcasting Comrade Liu Guixiang's apology to Comrade Jiang Suining..."

“Sui Sui, I’m your Aunt Liu,” Aunt Liu said, her voice hoarse as if someone had grabbed her by the neck. “I heard from Xiao Mei that you fell into the water and were rescued by Comrade Lu. I really didn’t know you swam to the shore on your own. Comrade Lu just helped you out. I shouldn’t have believed everything I heard and spread rumors that you let Comrade Lu hug you…”

Xiaomei? Zhou Xiaomei!? Jiang Suining frowned. Everyone in the village knew that Aunt Liu was a gossip; anything she said could turn red into black! This Zhou Xiaomei deliberately told Aunt Liu that she had fallen into the water and been rescued by Lu Ye. She was definitely trying to get Aunt Liu to spread rumors and force her to marry Lu Ye. She was utterly treacherous!

She was puzzled. Zhou Xiaomei didn't want to marry Lu Ye, so there was no need for her to force herself to marry him. Could it be that she was afraid that if word got out that Lu Ye had saved her, it would damage her reputation and affect her marriage to the male lead? Surely not. Could things in the village really be transported to an island?

"It's all because I lack awareness. I apologize to Sui Sui and Comrade Lu. I will never talk nonsense or spread rumors again. Please supervise me, fellow villagers..." As she spoke, Aunt Liu's voice was trembling with tears.

"Has Liu Guixiang encountered a ghost?" Jiang's mother was also surprised. She knew that many people in the village had been slandered by her, and some of them had come to confront her with their fiery tempers, arguing and fighting. But she had never seen Aunt Liu apologize to anyone.

"Sui Sui, what did you do?" Jiang Fengnian looked at Jiang Sui Ning with admiration and gave her a thumbs up. "You made Aunt Liu apologize to you over the loudspeaker. You're the first in our brigade to do that. Amazing!"

“I didn’t do this.” Jiang Suining took the enamel basin from Jiang Fengnian’s hand and put the food back on the plate. “Mom, why don’t we wait for Comrade Lu to come back and eat together?”

"I don't know either." Jiang Suining suppressed the corners of her mouth that were turning up. Although she said that, she was basically certain in her heart that it was Lu Ye. There was no one else but him. She just didn't know what kind of leverage this man had over Aunt Liu that made her obediently submit.

"Tell your mother quickly, what exactly happened when you fell into the water?" Jiang's mother sensed something was wrong from Liu Guixiang's apology and pressed her daughter for answers.

"I already told you I didn't fall into the water. How could I fall into the water if I can swim?" Jiang Suining didn't intend to hide it from her mother, so she told her the whole story.

"You silly girl, you almost let someone steal your good marriage," Jiang's mother said, tapping Jiang Suining's forehead. "Luckily, you turned back in time, you're not too stupid!"

"Oh, Mom, it wasn't taken away, so please stop nagging me," Jiang Suining said coquettishly, dodging her mother's finger that was poking at her.

"You and Xiaomei have been inseparable since childhood, and she actually tried to steal you away..." Jiang's mother was stunned. "That's not right. She wanted to marry Comrade Lu, so why did she tell Aunt Liu that Comrade Lu saved you?"

Jiang's mother's question was exactly what Jiang Suining was puzzled about.

Seeing the mother and daughter deep in thought, Jiang Fengnian suddenly stood up, his chest heaving and his fists clenched: "I'll go and drag Zhou Xiaomei here!"

"Why did you drag her here before we even figured things out?" Jiang's mother asked, puzzled.

"I..." Jiang Fengnian was speechless, "I made her apologize to Sui Sui!"

“Zhou Xiaomei is a cunning girl. This whole thing is strange. Let’s make a note of it and settle accounts with her later,” Jiang’s mother frowned. “Right now, nothing is more important than your sister’s marriage to Comrade Lu.”

“Mother, Comrade Lu and Sui Sui were already betrothed as children, and the organization has approved their marriage application. He can only marry Sui Sui,” Jiang Fengnian said, fiercely protective of his own. He couldn’t stand it when he heard that Zhou Xiaomei was trying to steal his sister’s boyfriend. “Zhou Xiaomei dares to cause trouble. We can’t let this go!”

"Mother didn't say it was over, but Comrade Lu did save Zhou Xiaomei after all." Jiang's mother felt uneasy thinking about Zhou Xiaomei's money-grubbing father. He was the kind of person who would marry his daughter to a bully for money. If he knew that his daughter had been saved from the water by Comrade Lu, he would definitely not let go of such an opportunity to extort a dowry. She couldn't let them ruin her daughter's marriage.

“If Lu Ye doesn’t marry Sui Sui, I, I…” Jiang Fengnian wanted to say ‘I’ll beat him to a pulp,’ but he knew he was no match for him, so he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Jiang's mother ignored her son, took her daughter's hand, and said earnestly, "You two shouldn't have a wedding banquet. Get your marriage certificate and go back to the island as soon as possible. Anyway, Comrade Lu doesn't have many days of vacation left."

“That won’t do. Getting married is a big deal. How can we not have a wedding banquet?” Jiang Fengnian objected.

"Whether or not we have a wedding banquet is not important," Jiang Suining thought when talking about her previous relationship before transmigrating into the book that if she got married, she would definitely not have a wedding banquet and would have a destination wedding instead. "But we can't just let Zhou Xiaomei off the hook like this!"

"I'll go drag her over here and you can beat her up," Jiang Fengnian said excitedly.

“Brother, why do you always think about hitting people? Didn’t I tell you that hitting people is illegal?” Jiang Suining’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes shining. “I have my own ways of dealing with her, so don’t worry about it.”

Jiang Fengnian had never seen a girl with this expression before. His heart skipped a beat, and he asked curiously, "What method?"

"Don't rush," Jiang Suining said mysteriously, "I'll tell you later."

A note from the author:

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