From next door came the old commander's booming shout: "Who? Who dares to kill someone in the compound! Don't be afraid, girl, Grandpa's here!"

The iron gate diagonally opposite was kicked open, and Grandma Wang, wearing an apron and carrying a rolling pin, burst out, her bound feet leaving a blur as she ran.

"Girl, come behind Grandma and let's see who dares to commit violence?"

In an instant, neighbors shouted or ran, and many responded.

The Ruan family inside the house were suffocating, while their two cousins, who had run outside, were at a loss.

A group of elderly men and women surrounded Ruan Xianxian, protecting her in the center. They glared at the Ruan family members who rushed out, and when they saw the messy interior of the Ruan family home, surprise flashed in their eyes.

The old leader next door strode down from the second floor with a powerful stride, his voice booming like a bell: "Ruan is ready to fight the Japanese!"

Ruan Kangri, who had followed them out while covering the wound near his eye, instinctively stood at attention: "Here!"

Chief Lü's gaze swept over the family, a deep look of disgust flashing across his eyes: "What's going on? Explain yourself!"

In fact, he already knew when the Ruan family fell into chaos; no matter what happened, he, a former reconnaissance soldier, could escape his notice.

A large hand behind her quietly pressed on Ruan Xianxian's arm, signaling her to be quiet.

"This..." Ruan Kangri tried to find an excuse to brush it off, but Chief Lü shouted, "What are you dawdling about? Answer!"

"That damned brute," a dark glint flashed in Ruan Kangri's eyes.

He glanced at the people who had come out from the surrounding area, and those who were watching the commotion from further away, perched on the wall. He closed his eyes to suppress his emotions, and was about to speak when he had already organized his thoughts...

“Grandpa!” Ruan Xianxian’s soft voice reminded him, “If you don’t want to talk about it, I can do it.”

Ruan Xianxian squeezed Grandpa Lü's hand tightly in return, then stepped forward and said, "Today is my grandfather's birthday. My cousin and her fiancé drank too much and couldn't help but taste the forbidden fruit."

Afterwards, my cousin accused me of drugging them, and my grandfather and the whole family believed it. They wanted to send me to the greedy, lecherous, and good-for-nothing foolish son of Director Zhu of the Revolutionary Committee.

This way, they can both rake in a dowry and simultaneously use a scapegoat to appease the Lu family's anger—a double win.

She understood what Grandpa Lü meant: he wanted to force Ruan Kangri to say something so as not to damage her reputation. But did Ruan, who had lived for three generations, care about her reputation now?

She was determined to tear the Ruan family's face off.

They selectively embellish and exaggerate the truth.

"Shut up!" Ruan Kangri was furious and tried to grab her, but a group of old men and women protected her well.

Ruan Xianxian smiled: "Ms. Shan, what do you think?"

Meeting her daughter's ambiguous gaze, which seemed to say, "Denial? Dare to deny it, and no matter if anyone believes you, I'll expose your seduction of Lu Yi," her heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

Avoiding the old man's gaze, she said, "Yes! Dad is getting old and confused, and he's letting Baozhu do bad things."

The old man's vision went black.

Ruan Xianxian looked over with a deep gaze, "What did your eldest and youngest aunts say?"

The truth had already been revealed to her husband, and Aunt Ruan launched into a tirade, while Aunt Ruan avoided her gaze and quietly echoed her:

"Yes, yes! I just casually mentioned the boss's son, I didn't expect Dad to take it so seriously!"

Ruan Kangri was shocked and furious. Finally, he fainted and was carried into the house by his children.

After the person left, Grandma Wang sighed, turned around and carefully tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her old voice full of pity: "Go, child, it's good to go to the countryside, away from that dirty place."

Who are these people? What kind of storms haven't they weathered?

It was immediately clear that things were not as simple as they seemed. If things got out of hand, the Lu family would be holding them back. Chief Lu looked at her questioningly, and Ruan Xianxian shook her head.

How could she let her elders, who truly loved her, stand against the Lu family for her sake?

They exchanged glances, and Chief Lü feigned anger: "Outrageous! Now, Grandpa will call the police for you."

The Ruan family members who had been eavesdropping behind the door shuddered. The old man could no longer pretend; he opened his eyes, opened the door, and, panting heavily, tried his best to summon in his most loving voice:

"Xianxian, Grandpa knows he misunderstood you. Can't we talk things out as a family behind closed doors? Otherwise, we'll just make a fool of ourselves in front of others. Come home quickly!"

The group of old men and women looked disdainful. The clay sculptor didn't respect the clay Buddha. Everyone knows who he is.

"There's no one good in the Ruan family," Ruan Xianxian said, turning back with a reassuring look before slowly walking into her home.

"Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma. With you two here, I believe my grandpa will regain his senses for a while and speak properly. You can go back now, don't worry!"

The reason so many people defend her is entirely due to the good deeds she did in her past life!

It wasn't exactly a good deed, really. The surrounding area was mostly populated by elderly people. Whenever someone's stool was broken, their clothes were torn and needed mending, or they needed to buy groceries, Ruan Xianxian would always show up to help.

In her past life, she was a gourd with a sawed mouth; otherwise, she wouldn't have lived such a miserable life.

After the festivities ended, Ruan Xianxian, back home, grabbed Ruan Baozhu's long hair and dragged her to the ground, where she slowly cried. She sat on the only intact sofa, opposite the old man whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

She chuckled and asked, "Grandpa, should I call the police to arrest myself?"

You know, that dirty medicine was put into my bowl by your most beloved granddaughter, who is also the most like you—both foolish and wicked. I only switched the bowls.

I know you probably won't believe me, so let's go through the trouble of asking the police to investigate, okay?

The old man took a deep breath and threatened, a blatant threat that was practically saying, "With so many shameful things going on, I'll report you to the police and have your whole family arrested!"

"Xianxian, you also have the surname Ruan. We're still connected by blood. I didn't think things through just now and you suffered because of my mistake. Just tell me what compensation you want!"

“Smart!” Ruan Xianxian snapped her fingers. “I like talking to smart people.”

She held up one finger: "First, I want my whole family to sign a pledge stamped by the neighborhood committee and publish a notice in the newspaper severing ties with the Ruan family!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!