Aunt Wang's face was in a panic, and she quickly retorted, "I didn't!"

"Not yet, you..."

"Brother Shuanzi!" Xu Xingchen stopped Shuanzi from arguing with Aunt Wang. "No need. I'll explain it next."

Jun Haoyue carefully helped her walk a few steps forward, "I wonder if you have heard a story?"

The villagers looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"The story of the boy who cried wolf."

The villagers looked confused; none of them had heard of this story.

Xu Xingchen slowly told the story: "There was a village with a shepherd boy. He felt that herding sheep every day was too boring, so he decided to play a trick on people. On the first day, he shouted from the mountain: "Wolf, I'm coming!" The villagers heard it and ran up the mountain to save him, but the shepherd boy laughed and said that the villagers had been deceived. The villagers left angrily. On the second and third days, the shepherd boy repeated his trick. The villagers were very angry at the shepherd boy's repeated lies and did not believe him. After a few days, the wolf really came. No one came to save him no matter how much the shepherd boy cried from the mountain."

"Aunt Wang, do you know what this story tells us?"

Aunt Wang was furious. "Widow Xu, what do you mean? Are you trying to say I'm a wolf?"

Xu Xingchen felt like she was a hopeless case. She shook her head and said, "Aunt Wang, you keep telling people I'm having affairs with this person and that person, but the truth is never what you say. You should think about why the villagers don't believe you anymore."

"You! Who said no one in the village believed me!...Old Qian, do you believe what I say?"

The person called Lao Qian hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands to indicate that he did not believe it. She asked another person, and the other person's reaction was exactly the same.

Aunt Wang slumped over, but Xu Xingchen didn't say anything final. She left a way out for a better future. She said directly, "Aunt Wang is going to help me with the greenhouse in the future anyway. As for the misunderstandings you may have, you'll know for yourself once you see them."

The flesh on Aunt Wang's face trembled and she was speechless.

The fat aunt who had come with Zhou Xiaoniang spoke up at this time: "Aunt Wang, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but Xu Xiaoniang is still so young. Even if she got close to a man, it's normal. Can she stay single for the rest of her life? As long as it's not against the law, you should control your mouth and say less."

She looked at Jun Haoyue again and said, "Isn't that right, her cousin? You must also want your cousin to live a happy life, right?

"As your younger brother, please keep an eye on us. I see there are still quite a few single men in our village. You can check them out when the time comes, so that the wealth won't go to outsiders."

Xu Xingchen was terribly embarrassed. Hey, hey, hey, why did this become a massive marriage-advocacy scene? Did she look worried about getting married? The most important thing was that her "husband" was missing, not dead! She was a widow!

Jun Haoyue nodded and shook his head expressionlessly. He agreed with the first sentence. He hoped that Xu Xingchen could live a happy life, but he disagreed with the second half of the sentence.

Zhang Xiaochun, who also came to look for someone, happily agreed when she heard this: "Yes, yes, Sister Xu and cousin can also take a look at the girls in our village." If the atmosphere did not allow it, she would have jumped up on the spot.

Jun Haoyue's throat rolled over, and he replied meaningfully: "I will personally witness my cousin's happiness, so there is no need for you to worry."

After saying that, he half-knelt down in front of Xu Xingchen and said with his head tilted: "Cousin, let's go back."

Xu Xingchen didn't want to stay here and be persuaded to get married anymore, so she immediately climbed onto his back, eager to leave.

Jun Haoyue left first on the pretext that Xu Xingchen had injured his foot and needed to return to the village for treatment.

Zhang Xiaochun was simply mesmerized by the domineering yet gentle Jun Haoyue tonight. How great it would be if she was on his back! Last time in the mountains, she was carried all the way down the mountain by Jun Haoyue, and he didn't even hold her arm.

Looking at Xu Xingchen on Jun Haoyue's back, Zhang Xiaochun was filled with jealousy. She was obviously just a cousin, so why should she monopolize Jun Haoyue's goodness?

......

Xu Xingchen injured his foot and was unable to move, so the task of planting wheat seedlings fell on Jun Haoyue's shoulders.

That day, Jun Haoyue put her on the homemade rocking chair in the yard to bask in the sun, and he carried a bucket of water to water the potatoes and wheat seedlings in the experimental field.

The winter sun is not dazzling, but very warm.

Xu Xingchen squinted like a cat, swaying on the recliner. The years were quiet and good, with An Nuan by his side, and a handsome guy who was pleasing to the eye. It was simply heaven, okay?

If this is the treatment for a foot injury, she would rather stay injured for a few more days...

She suddenly realized that she had actually developed such a lazy and slack mind! She quickly raised her hand and slapped her cheek, trying to wake herself up.

"What are you doing?"

Jun Haoyue frowned and looked at her. He was watering the plants when he heard the "pa pa" sound of a seal slapping its belly. He followed the sound and saw that it was Xu Xingchen slapping himself.

The slapping sound stopped abruptly. Xu Xingchen was still covering his face, his voice muffled through his fingers: "Nothing, just trying to wake myself up."

Jun Haoyue understood, raised his chin, and looked at her calmly. Xu Xingchen felt a little uncomfortable with his blunt gaze, so he changed the subject and said, "The wheat seedlings should be in ear today, right?"

"Yes, it's ripe. I've already harvested it. After lunch, I can notify Mrs. Zhou and the others to start sowing again in the greenhouse."

Xu Xingchen nodded. She still believed in Jun Haoyue's ability to get things done.

Aunt Wang's house.

Aunt Wang sat in front of the brazier in the house, looking towards the door frequently, as if someone was coming, and she felt a little restless.

Zhang Tiansheng yawned and got up. He opened the door curtain and shouted, "Mom, I'm hungry. Is there any food?"

"Tian Sheng, get up. Mother has baked some steamed buns and is baking them in the stove. Come and eat them." Aunt Wang sent Zhang Tian Sheng to the kitchen, picking up the charcoal in the brazier in her hand, her mind elsewhere.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

"Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang, are you home?"

Aunt Wang was so frightened that she stood up immediately, dropped the iron hook in her hand that was picking up charcoal, walked back and forth on the spot, and went into the inner room.

Zhang Tiansheng, who was in the kitchen, was chewing a steamed bun. He muttered as he walked out, "Here they come, who is it——"

It was Zhang Xiaochun who opened the door. Zhang Tiansheng immediately became annoyed and left nonchalantly without asking her why she came.

Zhang Xiaochun had her own purpose and was in no mood to leave Zhang Tiansheng. She skipped into the inner room and said, "Aunt Wang."

Aunt Wang was relieved when she heard that it was Zhang Xiaochun's voice. She was glad that it wasn't Widow Xu who sent someone to look for her.

"Aunt Wang, are you going to Widow Xu's greenhouse today?"

“Yeah… Yeah.”

"Take me with you, I'll go and help too." Zhang Xiaochun said flatteringly.

Aunt Wang frowned. Was Zhang Xiaochun crazy? How could she help someone she disliked?