Chapter 83 Public opinion can melt metal, and accumulated ashes can destroy bones.

Gu Baobao chuckled at its antics and was about to say something when a series of slightly hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, followed by Li Jinhua's low, anxious voice:

"Baby! Comrade Gu! Are you home?"

Gu Baobao got up to open the door.

Outside the door, Li Jinhua looked anxious. Seeing her, she quickly pulled her aside, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then lowered her voice and said urgently:

"Baby, you're finally back! Do you know what's going on in the family compound right now? People are talking about you everywhere!"

Gu Baobao helped her sit down on the stone bench, poured her a glass of water, and maintained her gentle smile.

"Aunt Li, please don't rush, tell me slowly. What gossip are you talking about?"

"Oh dear! What else could it be!"

Li Jinhua slapped her thigh in frustration.

"It's Wang Yunxia from that performing arts troupe! She went around telling people that she invited you to the Mid-Autumn Festival performance, but you put on airs and didn't give her any face, looking down on group activities! She even said that you came from the countryside and now that you're an expert, you're arrogant and condescending!"

She became increasingly angry as she spoke:

"Bullshit! I saw it clearly on the beach that day! You risked your life to jump into the sea to save that kid, Gou Dan!"

"I was so tired after getting ashore I could barely lift my arms! Would someone like that look down on group activities? Would they put on airs?"

"But...but so many of my sisters-in-law and aunties believed it!"

Li Jinhua's face showed sadness and helplessness.

“Some of them… well, they’ve all had a tough life, they haven’t seen much of the world. When they hear you’re also from the countryside, and now you’re in such a special situation, they inevitably feel a little… well. And then Wang Yunxia said those things, and they…”

Gu Baobao listened quietly, her face showing neither anger nor grievance, only a calm understanding.

She gently patted the back of Li Jinhua's hand:

"Aunt Li, thank you for telling me all this, and thank you for believing in me. The innocent will clear themselves, and some things can't be rushed."

"But……"

Looking at her calm face, Li Jinhua felt even more distressed.

What a wonderful girl!

So calm even after being wronged!

"No! I can't stand by and watch you be wronged like this!"

Li Jinhua suddenly stood up.

"I'm going to find those gossipy people right now! I'll explain things to them!"

"Aunt Li,"

Gu Baobao called out to her, shook her head, her eyes clear and firm.

"It's no use. If you go and explain now, they'll just think you've been bribed, or that I'm guilty for making you explain."

She paused, her voice softening slightly, yet carrying a convincing power:

"I'll handle this myself. Don't worry."

Looking into her all-seeing eyes, Li Jinhua felt inexplicably calmer, but her heart still felt heavy.

After giving her a few more words of advice, Li Jinhua left with a worried expression.

After seeing Li Jinhua off, Gu Baobao closed the door, her calm expression slowly fading, revealing a cold sneer.

[Defu, did you hear that?]

She thought to herself,

The fire has started.

System Defu:

[Host, is there anything this system can do? For example, anonymously spread the glorious deeds of Wang Yunxia, ​​her aunt Wang Xiuhong, and her cousin Su Xiaoyu? Let everyone know about this family's 'fine traditions'?]

【No,】

Gu Baobao shook her head, her eyes deep.

That's too low-level, and it would easily leave evidence against us.

She walked back to the stone bench, but did not continue writing her lesson plan.

Moreover...

A very faint, expected smile curved the corners of her lips.

Listen, haven't the firefighters arrived already?

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, another steady, powerful, yet suppressed angry footstep came from outside the courtyard gate.

Immediately following was Lu Zhanming's deep, cold voice:

"Baby, open the door."

Lu Zhanming stood outside Gu Baobao's courtyard gate, his posture as straight as a javelin, but his face was so gloomy it could drip water.

He was stopped on the road by Li Jinhua on his way back from the political commissar's office.

Listening to Li Jinhua anxiously and angrily recount the rumors and gossip about Gu Baobao circulating in the family compound,

Lu Zhanming felt a surge of violent rage erupt from the deepest part of his heart, instantly burning through his limbs and bones!

His baby!

He so wanted to hold her in his palm, afraid of frightening, hurting, or hurting the little girl!

He couldn't bear to speak loudly, and he had to restrain himself from even slightly showing a burning gaze!

How could a group of gossipy women slander and smear us in such a vile and despicable way?!

Just because of a few divisive and inflammatory remarks from Wang Yunxia?!

Is it because his baby is too outstanding, too dazzling, blocking some people's path, or... simply because some dark hearts are jealous?!

"Bang--!"

Lu Zhanming slammed his fist hard against the brick wall next to him!

He smashed a shallow crater into the hard red brick wall, and fine brick fragments fell down in a flurry.

His hand broke open instantly, bleeding, but he was completely unaware.

He felt an unventable rage in his chest, which burned so intensely that his eyes turned red.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, forcibly suppressing the urge to rush to the performing arts troupe, drag Wang Yunxia out, and snap her neck.

cannot.

Don't act impulsively.

What the baby needs now is to solve the problem cleanly and decisively, to completely clear his name, and to make those who gossip behind his back never dare to say another word!

Instead of acting impulsively and making things worse, plunging the baby into a more complicated media storm.

Lu Zhanming closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all the anger in his deep eyes had been frozen, leaving only a kind of cruel calmness and decisiveness.

He straightened his collar, wiped the blood from the back of his hand, and strode towards Gu Baobao's courtyard.

Before knocking, he took another deep breath, trying to calm his expression.

He didn't want to frighten the baby.

The door opened.

Gu Baobao stood inside the door, looking up at him with her little face.

Sunlight shone from behind her, casting a fuzzy halo around her.

Her face showed no particular expression, no tears of grievance, no angry accusations, only a calm and even slightly questioning clear gaze.

But the more this happened, the more Lu Zhanming's heart ached.

How strong and resilient must his baby be to remain so calm in the face of such slander?

"Brother Zhanming?"

Gu Baobao frowned slightly as she looked at his gloomy face and the obvious scar on the back of his hand.

"What happened to your hand? Come in quickly, let me take care of it for you."

She stepped aside to let him in, then turned to get the medicine box that was kept in the room. It contained some basic medicinal herbs and gauze that she had taken out of her spatial storage earlier.

Lu Zhanming followed her into the courtyard, watching her slender figure busily searching for the medicine box. A mixture of heartache and anger surged within him, almost tearing him apart.

"Baby,"

He spoke, his voice hoarse from trying so hard to suppress his emotions.

"I've heard the gossip in the family compound."

Gu Baobao walked over with a medicine box. Upon hearing this, she paused for a moment, then casually opened the medicine box and took out disinfectant cotton balls and gauze.

"Yes, Aunt Li just told me."

Her voice remained soft and sweet, devoid of any discernible emotion.

"It's okay, it'll be fine in a while."

"fine?"

Lu Zhanming's voice suddenly rose, then he immediately realized his tone was too harsh and quickly lowered it, but it was filled with even more heartache.

"How could nothing be wrong?! They talked about you like that! They slandered you like that! How dare they?!"

Gu Baobao took his hand and carefully used a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant to wipe the broken wound on the back of his hand.

Her movements were light and focused, her long eyelashes drooping down, casting a faint shadow under her eyelids.

"Because they outnumbered us, because they had a preconceived notion, because they... perhaps they were already a little resentful."

Gu Baobao's voice was very calm, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.

"Many voices can melt metal, and accumulated ashes can destroy bones. Hasn't this always been the case throughout history?"

Lu Zhanming looked at her downcast eyes, at how she had clearly suffered a great injustice, yet was still calmly analyzing the situation.

The way she comforted him felt like an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

His baby shouldn't have to endure this.

She should always be well protected, always sunny, and always have that clear, carefree smile.