The next morning, Lin Wanqiu took Shen Nian'an to school and paid special attention to the village's activities. She noticed that the villagers were looking at her strangely; some hesitated to speak, some avoided her from a distance, and others whispered behind her back. When they saw her approaching, they quickly shut their mouths. She became even more certain that someone was up to something.
Just as she was about to go and ask Aunt Wang about the situation, she saw Zhang Lan carrying a cloth bag, walking slowly over with a gloating smile on her face: "Wanqiu, I heard you've been doing quite well lately? But I've also heard that some people have better reputations, but they're also more unlucky. They've even killed off their husbands, and now they want to kill off others!"
Lin Wanqiu's heart sank; she knew Zhang Lan definitely knew something. Suppressing her anger, she said coldly, "Sister-in-law, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! My child's father was a hero; he sacrificed himself for the country, not because I cursed him to death. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll go to the brigade secretary and report you, and make you apologize to me!"
Zhang Lan was startled by Lin Wanqiu's imposing manner, but she still stubbornly insisted, "I'm not making this up; many people in the village say so. Besides, you're a widow, always showing your face in public, and you even dare to treat people. Who knows what kind of evil methods you're using!" With that, she turned and left, afraid that Lin Wanqiu would really report her.
Watching Zhang Lan's departing figure, Lin Wanqiu pondered to herself—although Zhang Lan was talkative, she didn't have the guts to spread such vicious rumors in the village; someone must be behind it. Remembering the hostility Shen Laotai and Lin Moli had shown her before, she became suspicious and decided to go to the village to ask around, hoping to find out who was behind it all.
She turned and walked into the village. Just as she reached the old locust tree at the village entrance, she heard several women whispering under the tree. Their voices were not loud, but every word reached her ears clearly.
"Do you think Lin Wanqiu is really a jinx to her husbands? Otherwise, how could someone as good as Shen Tingzhou have died so young?"
"I think so! Haven't you seen how much better her life has become since her husband died? She's raising chickens and getting medical treatment. Who knows what kind of evil methods she's used to suck all the good fortune away from her husband!"
"And another thing, last time she treated Grandpa Wang, she only used some cheap medicine powder, and Grandpa Wang got better. How could it be so miraculous? Maybe she made a deal with some unclean thing!"
Lin Wanqiu stood behind the tree, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh. These words were like sharp knives, stabbing painfully into her heart. She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and strode up to the women, her voice clear and bright: "Aunties, I heard everything you just said. I want to ask, what have I, Lin Wanqiu, done to wrong you that you have to speak ill of me like this?"
The women were shocked by Lin Wanqiu's sudden appearance and their faces paled. They all lowered their heads, avoiding her gaze. One of them, Aunt Liu, who was usually close to Lin Moli, forced a smile and said, "Wanqiu, we were just chatting casually, don't take it to heart..."
"Just chatting?" Lin Wanqiu sneered, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Just chatting and you think I'm a jinx? Just chatting and you think I use evil methods to cure diseases? Do you know that what you've said has made my son a laughingstock at school, and he doesn't even want to go to school anymore! If you have any evidence, show it; if you don't, apologize to me!"
Aunt Liu was intimidated by Lin Wanqiu's imposing manner. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. Aunt Li, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to smooth things over: "Wanqiu, they just heard it from others, they didn't mean it. Don't be angry, we'll go apologize to your son right away, okay?"
Looking at Aunt Li, Lin Wanqiu's anger subsided slightly. She knew that most of these villagers had been misled by Lin Moli and didn't genuinely want to harm her. She sighed, her voice softening, "Aunt Li, I know you're all kind people, just easily deceived. I, Lin Wanqiu, have never done anything wrong. Shen Tingzhou was a hero; he sacrificed himself for the country, not because I cursed him. I treated everyone using the medicine powder left by the old doctor, not some evil method. If anyone dares to talk nonsense again, I'll go to the village secretary and report her, making her give me and my son an explanation!"
Hearing Lin Wanqiu's words, the villagers nodded in agreement, indicating they wouldn't spread rumors again. Looking at them, Lin Wanqiu secretly decided—warnings alone wouldn't work; she needed to find evidence of Lin Moli's lies and expose her true colors in public to completely dispel the rumors.
Aunt Li stopped, a troubled look on her face: "Wanqiu, you... just say what you have to say."
Lin Wanqiu looked at her and asked bluntly, "Aunt Li, I heard some people in the village say that I'm a 'husband-killer' and that I use evil methods to treat people. Do you know who said that?"
Aunt Li hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Wanqiu, I heard it from someone else. They said... they said it was your distant cousin, Lin Moli. She came to the village a few days ago and told many people that your husband died young because you were cursed and brought bad luck to your husband. She also said that you use 'witchcraft' to treat people, otherwise how could you cure so many diseases..."
Lin Wanqiu felt a chill in her heart. It really was Lin Moli! She had long known that her cousin was scheming, but she never expected her to use such vicious methods to ruin her reputation. She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and said to Aunt Li, "Aunt Li, thank you for telling me. Don't worry, I haven't done anything wrong, and I didn't kill my husband. Those rumors are all false, and they will be cleared up one day."
Aunt Li nodded and sighed, "Wanqiu, I know you're a good person, and I don't believe those rumors either. But some people in the village are foolish and believe these things, so you have to be careful." Lin Wanqiu smiled and nodded, "I know, thank you, Aunt Li." After saying that, she turned and walked towards where Lin Moli lived—Lin Moli was her distant cousin who had come to her for help after her family suffered a disaster some time ago. She had taken her in out of kindness, but she hadn't expected to let a wolf into her house. When she reached the door of the side room where she used to live, she heard Lin Moli's sweet voice coming from inside, talking to Old Lady Shen.
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