The afternoon passed quickly in a flurry of activity.

After spending the morning cleaning with her big pregnant belly, Fang Qiao was a little tired. Not wanting to make a big fuss about lunch, she simply chopped up a potato and stewed it with the leftover chicken from yesterday, so all she had to do was sit in front of the stove and tend the fire.

By the time the potatoes were cooked, Fang Qiao had also rested.

She timed the cooking perfectly; by the time the food was ready, Wang Yun had also returned from work.

However, she looked worried and frowned as soon as she entered the kitchen, saying to Fang Qiao, "Xiao Qiao, you were right this time. The Cheng family might really use underhanded methods to deal with you."

Even though she was prepared, Fang Qiao's heart still skipped a beat when she heard this.

“When I came back from work, I saw Li Jinlong, the good-for-nothing from the next village, being escorted out of his house by Cheng Yajun. The two of them, with their arms around each other's shoulders, were sneaking around behind your house, I don’t know what bad ideas they were up to. As soon as I saw their shifty eyes, I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.”

Wang Yun asked anxiously, "Xiao Qiao, what should we do?"

Fang Qiao's hands trembled slightly, and her heart pounded wildly.

"Don't panic, don't panic. Especially in times like these, you must not lose your composure."

These words were said to Wang Yun, but even more so to himself.

Don't panic, don't lose your composure, panicking will ruin everything.

Stay calm and think of a way to save yourself!

She bit her lip, clenched her fist, and her sharp nails stung her palms, but strangely, the pain gradually calmed her down.

"Xiaoyun, when you go to work this afternoon, please keep an eye out for any rumors or gossip about me in the village."

Wang Yun guessed something, and his eyes suddenly widened: "Xiao Qiao?"

Fang Qiao said calmly, "Isn't there only a few simple and effective ways to ruin a woman? Have you forgotten how Fengxia got married? I am a widow, and I am pregnant. I am even less vulnerable to slander than Fengxia."

Fengxia's surname is Wang. She was also a sent-down youth. Two years ago, she married a good-for-nothing from the next village who was five years older than her.

She originally wanted to go back to the city and had no intention of getting married in the countryside, but that good-for-nothing had no shame. Even though it was his one-sided harassment, he told everyone that the two of them were together, that they had not only kissed, but also crawled into a haystack, and that she might even be pregnant with his child.

Rural people love gossip, and there are plenty of gossipy women who love to watch the drama unfold, and everyone who hears them knows about it.

In the end, even the cadres from the town's educated youth office came to talk to her and told her to have more self-respect.

Fengxia had a bellyful of grievances with nowhere to confide in, and she couldn't stand being pointed at and gossiped about whenever she went out. She almost jumped into a well, but after struggling for half a year, she finally gave in and married a good-for-nothing who was completely mismatched with her.

Fengxia's affair was still fresh in Wang Yun's mind, and he couldn't suppress his grief and indignation: "How vicious! Are we just going to let them throw mud at you like that?"

"Of course not!" Fang Qiao raised her head and said coldly, "I am a human being, not a lamb to the slaughter. I will never kneel on the ground and wait for them to cut my throat. People can come up with solutions. I refuse to believe that I, Fang Qiao, will be trapped in this predicament!"

In her past life, she was thrown into chaos by Cheng Baidong's death, and the postpartum hemorrhage severely damaged her vitality, leaving her bedridden to recuperate. This led to a series of wrong turns, and she unknowingly awaited the fall of death's scythe.

She refused to believe that she would repeat the same mistake if she had the chance to do it all over again!

Wang Yun was worried about leaving Fang Qiao alone at home, so before going to work she repeatedly told her: "If anything happens, have Tian Tian go to the farm to call me, and I'll come right back. Be alert, and if you notice anything amiss, go hide at Auntie's house next door. With outsiders around, they'll be more careful."

Fang Qiao agreed seriously.

Wang Yun then went to work with a heavy heart.

Because she was thinking about Fang Qiao, she was absent-minded while working in the afternoon.

After finishing work, she didn't go home immediately. Instead, she kept her ears open and looked around to see if any small groups were gathering together and gossiping.

Actually, Wang Yun noticed that everyone was looking at her strangely in the afternoon. However, everyone knew that she and Fang Qiao had always been close, and she had even moved in with Fang Qiao today. So, when it came to gossip about Fang Qiao, they avoided her. Once their eyes met, they would hurriedly look away, their eyes darting around, clearly indicating that they had something to hide.

This feeling of being subtly excluded was terrible, and Wang Yun saw it and was anxious.

In the end, Zhang Fang and Chen Qiuyu, who shared a room with her at the educated youth settlement, secretly pulled her aside and told her the fresh rumors that had just surfaced that day.

“Wang Yun, people outside are saying that Fang Qiao cheated on Cheng Baidong, and the child in her belly isn’t Cheng Baidong’s.”

"It is said that Fang Qiao had been having an affair with Li Jinlong, a good-for-nothing from the next village, for a long time. Li Jinlong even said that Cheng Baidong was dead and that the house and money he left behind would eventually belong to Li Jinlong."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yun exploded: "What did you say? That scoundrel Li Jinlong really said that?"

"Shh, Wang Yun, keep your voice down!" Zhang Fang grabbed Wang Yun's arm, nervously looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was paying attention.

Chen Qiuyu said, "Everyone's saying that Li Jinlong got drunk at noon today and boasted that he was about to make a fortune. People were curious and kept asking him questions, and that's how he accidentally let it slip."

"He let the cat out of the bag! I think he's just deliberately drunk and faking it all, spouting nonsense!" Wang Yun roared. "You little bastard, why don't you take a good look in the mirror and see what a toad you look like? You dare to say you're having an affair with Fang Qiao? Please, with Cheng Baidong as a shining example, even if Fang Qiao were blind, she wouldn't even look at this ugly monster!"

Chen Qiuyu sighed, "Actually, we don't believe Fang Qiao would be interested in that good-for-nothing Li Jinlong, so we came to tell you right away. Go back and inform Fang Qiao, so you don't suffer in the end because you don't know anything."

Wang Yun nodded: "I understand, thank you for informing me. I'll tell Fang Qiao when I get back."

After a pause, Wang Yun asked again, "Are many people outside aware of this?"

Chen Qiuyu and Zhang Fang exchanged a glance, then nodded heavily.

Zhang Fang: "It's basically spread everywhere. It started in the village and then spread to the farm. Qiu Yu and I found out relatively late."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yun felt as if a heavy stone had been lodged in his heart.

What happened at noon became known to everyone in just one afternoon. If no one deliberately spread the word, she would never believe it.

Wang Yun looked unwell, and Chen Qiuyu felt bad too.

Less than two years had passed since Fengxia was forced into marriage by rumors, and now that Fang Qiao's husband had just died, rumors about her immediately emerged. The female educated youth had vague guesses about the reason, and couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for their kind.

A woman's reputation is so important; who knows if she'll be next?