This time, Xiao Yan was away for three or four days. Although she had told the village chief and village secretary that she was going to the county, she usually returned within two days at most after going to the county to buy medicine.

I stayed in the county for three or four days without going back. The gossip in the village spread the fastest, and soon people were spreading the word that something had happened to Xiao Yan.

Upon hearing such gossip, the village secretary and his wife immediately went to the Yao family's house: "Has Xiao Yan returned yet?"

Yao Yanxin shook her head: "She hasn't come back yet. Maybe something's happened with the child, so she's staying there for a couple more days!"

"Besides buying medicinal herbs, did she also visit some children?"

"We took two baskets of vegetables with us. Everything is scarce in the county. Our three children are registered here, and even vegetables are hard to find," said Yao's mother as she poured water for the couple and sat down.

"Have you heard the gossip in the village?" Aunt Xu asked with some concern.

"What gossip? I don't usually gossip with people." It's said that there's a lot of trouble around a widow's door. There are two widows in their family, and they both keep their doors locked and live their own lives.

Xiao Yan is better off because she has the title of village doctor, so people don't dare to offend her too much. But Yao Ma is a young woman with two children, and no one has ever come to visit them.

No one sent them anything, and the people they spoke to were extremely rude! What could Yao's mother do? She could only pretend she hadn't heard them and continue living her life.

If she really wanted to be calculative, she would have to fight with people several times a day. She would be better off doing more work and earning more work points than having that kind of energy.

But her concessions only make her seem weak, and her baby face always adds to her perceived weakness.

In the past, when Xiao Yan was around, the villagers were somewhat reluctant to acknowledge the life-saving grace that Xiao Yan's grandfather had shown them. The older generation repeatedly reminded them to show respect to the village doctor, Xiao.

But now that Xiao Yan might be in trouble, Yao Yanxin, who is alone at home, is a juicy piece of meat that makes those with impure intentions eager to take advantage!

Those people endured it for a day or two, but when night fell, they couldn't resist any longer. Two men came to the courtyard at the end of the village at the same time. Both of them were idle people in the village.

A man named Er Gouzi said, "Oh! Lai Zi, so you've been having an affair with one of the women in the yard?"

Lai Zi was displeased to see Er Gou Zi: "Didn't you two have an affair? What are you doing here tonight?"

"Of course I'm here to try something new. This woman has two kids, but she looks like she's in her early twenties. It's sure to be a lot of fun with someone like that!"

As Er Gouzi spoke, drool dripped from his mouth, and his hand unconsciously touched his private parts. He was over forty years old, but because he was poor, he had never even touched a woman's hand.

He'd been eyeing this woman for a very long time; she seemed like a gentle, tender person, unlike that village doctor Xiao who went around pricking people with a silver needle.

Once, he pretended to help out and went over to harass this woman, but he was scolded by the village chief, the village party secretary, and the brigade leader.

Finally, he was punished by being forced to carry manure for half a month, which terrified him. This made him both like and fear this woman.

The reason these three powerful figures are protecting this woman is because of Xiao Yan's existence. Now, Xiao Yan has run into trouble outside and can't come back.

With his protective umbrella gone, this woman is no longer someone he can play with at will. Besides, if he makes the decision tonight and spreads it around tomorrow, this woman will have no choice but to marry him.

Otherwise, she'll be caught having an affair, and I'll report her and send her to the farm!

Thinking about this woman, I wonder what she ate. After working in the fields for so many years, she is still fair and smooth, not old at all, and looks like she is eighteen or twenty.

I can play with her however I want from now on. When I get tired of her, I can let her play with my bunch of good-for-nothing friends. Then I can just relax and eat whatever I want.

Thinking of this, Er Gouzi couldn't help but burst into laughter. In the quiet countryside, it seemed somewhat ferocious, and Lai Zi couldn't help but take two steps back: "Er Gouzi, what are you laughing at?"

Er Gouzi glared at Lai Zi: "This is none of your business, you should leave!"

How could Lai Zi leave? His purpose was exactly the same as Er Gou Zi's. If Er Gou Zi hadn't gotten there first, he would have gone to hang around Yao Jia's woman too.

However, the suppression of Er Gouzi by the three major figures in the village not only made Lai Zi timid, but also made many people with the same impure motives dare not harass Yao Yanxin.

Xiao Yan's absence for three or four days made these people act like wild beasts smelling blood, all wanting to come up and take a bite.

Neither Lai Zi nor Er Gou Zi was willing to back down, and both wanted to be the first to try something new, so the two started fighting outside the door.

The two scoundrels fought outside the door for almost half an hour. Both of them were so exhausted that they lay on the ground. In the end, the scoundrel gave in: "I'll let you have it tonight! I'll come back tomorrow night."

Er Gouzi outwardly agreed, but inwardly he was thinking, "After tomorrow, this man and this yard will be mine. I heard he has a daughter. Once I'm tired of the old one, I'll play with the young one."

Thinking of this, Er Gouzi was filled with enthusiasm, as if he could see a good life beckoning to him.

There is a woman who can earn a living, cook for herself, and be at her beck and call. She can be ordered to go east but not west, and she can beat a dog but not kick a chicken.

The more he thought about it, the better it seemed. Seeing that Lai Zi had left, he couldn't wait to get up and climb over the wall to get in.

But Lai Zi was too ruthless, beating him until he was completely exhausted. He leaned against the wall, thinking he would rest for a while before going in, and then he accidentally fell asleep while waiting.

He usually does nothing at home except sleep!

Xiao Yan returned at that moment, paid the money to Grandpa Li, and knocked on the door only after he left. Hearing the fear in Yao Yanxin's voice, Xiao Yan felt a pang of sympathy!

Yao Yanxin was relieved to see Xiao Yan return: "You have no idea that everyone in the village is saying that something happened to you. Even the village secretary came to ask about it."

Yao Yanxin knew that Xiao Yan must not have eaten yet since she came back, so she went to the kitchen to boil water and cook a bowl of noodles. She brought it to the table, just as Xiao Yan finished washing up and came over.

Yao Tongjia couldn't help but ask, "Are the three children alright?"

Xiao Yan was also hungry. After taking a few bites, she nodded and said, "Very good! I have something to tell you after I finish eating!"

After Xiao Yan finished eating, she turned off the light since there was nothing else to do. There was no electricity in the countryside, so they still used kerosene lamps. Nowadays, each family could only buy a little kerosene in the village, so every little bit saved was precious.

As soon as they turned off the lights, Er Gouzi woke up. He had just dreamt that he was living a wonderful life and was sleeping very soundly, so he didn't even hear the knocking.

He stood up, feeling full of energy, and happily climbed over the wall. The walls weren't very high these days, and he climbed over easily.

The two people who were still awake heard someone climbing over the wall. Each of them grabbed a stick and started beating the person who had entered!