She originally wanted to ask Lin Juanjuan for help, but Lin Juanjuan seemed to be agitated, crying and shouting.

"Mom! I don't want to live anymore! I'm so old, and people still say these things to me! I don't want to live anymore!"

Some people nearby, enjoying the spectacle, started talking, and one auntie immediately began to speak.

"San'er, didn't your wife just say something about Xiuhua? But she has no evidence! She was just making things up!"

The others wanted to help, but who knew who Lin Qingyu would talk to next?

If some bad rumors really spread, then we'll still have to live in Pear Blossom Village!

Lin Juanjuan cried her eyes out, tears streaming down her face, and then blew her nose.

"My life is so miserable! After I got married, my family stopped caring about me! And my niece even slandered me! I don't want to live anymore!"

Actually, Lin Qingyu didn't say anything; she just wanted to bluff Lin Juanjuan.

In her previous life, she had heard that Lin Juanjuan had indeed been having an affair, but in the end, she denied it, and her in-laws had no evidence, so they let it go.

She still remembered who that person was.

"Auntie, you can't just say things like that. I was just going along with what my grandma said. You guys keep talking about adultery, but do you have any evidence?"

Of course they didn't have any; it was just Lin Juanjuan's guess. As soon as she said it, Zhao Hongxia felt she had an excuse to bully Li Xiuhua.

Zhao Hongxia also felt that Li Xiuhua had slipped out of her control and that she would never be able to control her again.

She stammered and couldn't speak, but unexpectedly Lin Juanjuan continued.

"Then how come there's no evidence? My brother's leg is like that, and she's still living in the big city. What else could it be but trying to cheat on him?"

"Third Aunt, I call you 'Aunt' because of our generational relationship, but do you think what you're saying is appropriate?"

Lin Qingyu stopped facing Zhao Hongxia and turned to walk two steps toward Lin Juanjuan.

"You, you stay away!"

Lin Juanjuan was actually a little afraid of her and couldn't help but back away.

"Fine! I won't go over, but Auntie, I have a question for you. I saw you walking with my uncle before, and I thought you were also trying to have an affair!"

"You, you, you, you can't say such things!"

Seeing Lin Juanjuan's reaction, some people became curious.

Could it be that these two really have something going on?

"I know, it was just a coincidence, I didn't say anything!"

Lin Qingyu looked at her innocently, then blinked, as if she knew something.

Her uncle was thin, shorter than her, and a bit hunchbacked, but he was very talkative and had some money at home.

Taking advantage of Lin Juanjuan's slight discomfort, Lin Qingyu quickly said, "Oh dear, everyone was just joking. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

After she finished speaking, she pulled Li Xiuhua to leave, but Zhao Hongxia was still persistent and held onto Lin Qingyu's arm tightly.

"Who said you could leave? Stop right there!"

However, it was only a moment before Gu Shi walked over and stood next to Lin Qingyu, and Zhao Hongxia immediately dodged away.

"This isn't over yet! You...you're not allowed to leave!"

Gu Jue just then started crying, her voice loud enough for the onlookers to hear.

"I have something to do at home, can I go now?"

Gu Shi stood there, and Zhao Hongxia dared not utter a word of objection; she could only watch helplessly as the three of them walked away.

Lin Aiguo did not come out from beginning to end.

He was lying in bed, and when Li Xiuhua went in to pack her things, he really wanted to call out to her.

Lin Aiguo lost his only and last chance to properly talk to Li Xiuhua.

The three of them returned to Gu Shi's house. It was still habitable after some cleaning, but the blankets were a bit damp and needed to be aired out.

"Gu Shi, it's quite cold at home. Go chop some firewood and warm the kang (heated brick bed) up!"

Gu Shi nodded and left, leaving the mother and daughter alone.

After Lin Qingyu fed the baby, Gu Jue fell into a deep sleep.

She went to the kitchen with Li Xiuhua and started boiling water using the little firewood left in the house.

"Mom, you shouldn't come home anymore. If there's anything valuable in the house, tell me and I'll bring it back for you tomorrow. We'll leave after we finish our business!"

Li Xiuhua remained silent; perhaps she hadn't made up her mind yet.

Lin Qingyu felt that some things needed to be clarified, so she continued talking to Li Xiuhua.

“My dad is home today! Actually, helping you with chores or saying a few words to Grandma is nothing special.”

"But this matter today is clearly very serious. If it were in the past, wouldn't we have been drowned by the villagers' spit alone!"

"So sometimes you have to distinguish what's important and what's insignificant. If he doesn't help you wash the dishes or cook, that's fine, but today..."

Li Xiuhua spoke helplessly, her voice filled with confusion, "But what can I do? Now everyone in the village knows what your grandmother said today..."

"That's why I said we'll try not to come back in the future. Anyway, we can still eat even if we don't farm, so out of sight, out of mind!"

Lin Qingyu interrupted her directly, easily saying that she would not go home again.

"But I..."

"Mother, listen to me, we're just not coming back for now. If we do come back, we'll stay with Gu Shi. We're not going back to suffer like that!"

Li Xiuhua seemed to be persuaded and began to soften her stance.

"So if I ever want to go home again..."

"Mom! What are you going home for? To cook for that whole family? Or to get another scolding? Or to argue with my dad?"

Li Xiuhua was speechless. She felt that Lin Qingyu's words made perfect sense, but she just felt that doing it this way seemed a bit wrong.

Lin Qingyu played her trump card, pulling Li Xiuhua aside and saying, "Mother! You don't have to think about yourself, but you have to think about Xiaoyu! She's still so young, someone should spend more time with her!"

This time, Li Xiuhua made up her mind to take care of her daughter's child and play with her granddaughter in the big city. Isn't that happier than staying at home?

The two looked at each other and smiled, feeling that this was the best arrangement.

However, things weren't so easy for Lin Juanjuan's family.

When she got home, she didn't expect that the rumors would reach her mother-in-law's ears before she could hear them.

Lin Juanjuan usually acts like a shrew, and no one dares to provoke her or say anything to her.

This gave her mother-in-law something to nitpick.

"Hey Juanjuan! What delicious treats did you bring home for Gou Dan today?"

"Mom, I only grabbed two handfuls of sunflower seeds today, so take a dog egg with you!"

Dog Egg is her son. Because he was sickly when he was young, her mother-in-law said that giving him a humble name would make him easier to raise.

Lin Juanjuan took all the sunflower seeds out of her pocket. "Mom, I'm really tired today. I'll go back to sleep first, and I'll get up to cook dinner later!"

"Wait a minute, don't go yet!"