Zhang Cuihua glanced at the open gate of Aunt Wang's courtyard and her heart sank. She knew something was wrong.

Did she overhear what I said to Gouzi while we were standing at the door?

Zhang Cuihua was extremely anxious.

When Jiang Wanwan saw the panic and unease on Zhang Cuihua's face, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

Everything was as she expected.

Aunt Wang glanced at Zhang Cuihua mockingly and launched into a tirade. "She really knows! I was chopping wood in the yard just now, and the gate wasn't closed properly, so I overheard everything Zhang Cuihua and Wan'er were saying."

You've all been fooled by Zhang Cuihua! She and her dog, drawn by the aroma of meat, arrived at Old Jiang's house and banged on the door. Judging by their manner, they seemed eager to break down Old Jiang's door so they could sneak in and beg for some chicken soup.

When Wan Yatou came to open the door, Gou'er immediately lay down on the ground and threw a tantrum, wanting to drink chicken soup. Wan Yatou simply told Gou'er that she didn't have any mushrooms or wild vegetables at home, and Gou'er happily ran home and brought back a big basin of them, insisting on giving them to Wan Yatou.

Wan Yatou and Aunt Jiang declined, but Zhang Cuihua insisted on giving them to Wan Yatou, saying that these mushrooms and wild vegetables were a gift for Wan Yatou when she returned to Old Jiang's house. I listened carefully, and Wan Yatou never once mentioned that she wanted to exchange chicken soup with Gou'er and Zhang Cuihua for mushrooms and wild vegetables.

It was only because Wan Yatou and Aunt Jiang were kind-hearted that they offered Zhang Cuihua and Gou'er chicken soup. However, the chicken they killed was an old hen that hadn't laid eggs in three years, and they were worried that if Zhang Cuihua and Gou'er drank the chicken soup, their whole family would be dragged down with them and suffer bad luck.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cuihua dared not drink it any longer. She grabbed her dog and immediately ran out of Wan Yatou's yard. "You all know Zhang Cuihua's character," she said. "She didn't even get the chicken soup, and now she's being offered a whole basin of good mushrooms and wild vegetables. Of course, she won't have it!"

As soon as Aunt Wang finished speaking, Jiang Wanwan's eyes reddened and her peach blossom eyes filled with mist. She sniffed and said, "It's just as Aunt Wang said. Those mushrooms were the gift that Grandma Cuihua said she would give me. Also, I don't know why, as soon as I opened the door, Grandma Cuihua hurriedly asked me if we had caught a pheasant, and asked where we caught it."

As she spoke, Jiang Wanwan wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

Upon hearing this, the villagers of Dashui Village immediately realized that they had been deceived by Zhang Cuihua.

"Fine, Zhang Cuihua, you're shameless! You actually want to trade mushrooms and wild vegetables for chicken soup? How about I bring some mushrooms to trade for chicken soup with you, okay?"

"This is something Zhang Cuihua would do. The other day, my dog, Gou Dan, climbed a tree and stole four bird eggs, but Zhang Cuihua tricked him out of three of them. Now she's going to Old Jiang's house again, begging and pleading for chicken soup."

"Pah! I bet Aunt Cuihua thinks Wan'er's family caught a pheasant in the mountains. She not only wants to come over to scam chicken soup, but also wants to find out where she caught the pheasant. Tsk tsk, how shameless."

"Bah! And we were even speaking up for you! You want back what you gave away, and then you turn around and blame others? You're the most shameless person in the entire Da Shui Village!"

......

The villagers of Dashui Village were full of a sense of justice, and when they remembered that they had been wronged by Zhang Cuihua, they cursed her even more fiercely.

Zhang Cuihua's face flushed red, the color of a pig's liver. She quickly sat up from the ground, grabbed the dog, and slunk away—