"Such a good thing?" One of the old women beamed, her previous gloom vanishing.
The old woman replied, "That's right. I heard that a girl from the Sun family ran into the county magistrate in town and told him about it."
The old woman next to them immediately perked up her ears and leaned over. The group was so engrossed in their conversation that they were completely unaware of Sun Miao'er's presence not far away.
"I heard..." the old woman gathered the group together and muttered to herself, "The Sun family girl came back from the city with her two younger brothers. The two children are dressed so elegantly now, and the clothes they wear are something we can't afford."
Someone else chimed in, "No wonder, he must have gotten involved with some wealthy man in the city. Otherwise, how could ordinary people so easily meet the county magistrate?"
Sun Miao'er felt a surge of anger. She knew perfectly well that she had reduced their rent, yet they were gossiping behind her back. But then she thought, isn't that how it is in the countryside? When she works in the city, there will probably be even more gossip.
"Alright, let's stop talking. If it weren't for that girl from the Sun family, we wouldn't have been able to get the rent reduced! It's that girl's skill that she was able to befriend such a wealthy man!" An old woman interrupted, and the group dispersed.
Sun Miao'er's mood improved considerably. See, there are still good people in the village, and not everyone is heartless.
"What are you ladies chatting about here?" Sun Miao'er walked forward with a fake smile and called out from behind.
The sudden sound startled the old women. Those who had been speaking ill of her earlier now avoided eye contact with Sun Miao'er.
The old woman who spoke well of them was naturally frank, and replied with a smile, "I heard from the constable from the city that you told the county magistrate about our village's affairs, and everyone is thinking about how to thank you!"
Sun Miao'er was too lazy to argue with them. Who knows when they might come in handy in the future? In this village, it's better to avoid trouble and have more people to speak up for you, otherwise, when things go wrong, everyone will kick you when you're down.
"Oh, so that's what it was about!" Sun Miao'er smiled calmly and waved her hand. "We're all neighbors in Fushui Village, so there's no need to be so formal. We see each other all the time, and the village chief has said we should help each other out. It's only right."
Sun Miao'er said this, and the old women who had been gossiping earlier lowered their heads in embarrassment, wishing they could disappear into a crack in the ground.
When she returned home after making her rounds, she heard Grandma Sun chatting with others inside.
Sun Miao'er was immediately puzzled. Her grandmother usually didn't leave the house, so who would come to the house at this time?
Once inside, they found a man in his thirties with a short beard sitting in the room, and a woman standing next to him, covering her face and sobbing.
"Grandma, what's this?" Sun Miao'er stood at the doorway, hesitant to step inside.
The moment she appeared, the conversation inside the room stopped abruptly, and the woman ceased her weeping.
Grandma Sun looked worried and sighed. When she saw her granddaughter come in, she could only force a smile and say, "Miao'er, don't you even recognize your aunt and uncle?"
Sun Miao'er suddenly remembered that Old Lady Sun had two daughters who had married out of the village. One married into the Jiang family in the neighboring village, and the other married an accountant in Pingnan City.
Grandma Sun nodded thoughtfully and said to the man opposite her, "Yu Tao, when Cai Ping got married, Miao'er was still young and it's not surprising that she doesn't remember."
The man looked up and sized Sun Miao'er up and down. Sun Miao'er felt very uncomfortable with his gaze, as if it were somewhat lewd.
"It's been so many years, Miao'er has grown into a beautiful young lady. Come closer, let your uncle take a good look at you." Jiang Yutao waved to Sun Miao'er, gesturing for her to come forward.
Sun Miao'er kept a certain distance from him. This man, with his triangular eyes and hooked nose, looked like a lecherous scoundrel, and probably had no good intentions.
Grandma Sun didn't want to openly stop her, so she said tactfully, "Yu Tao, Miao'er is shy and timid. Don't frighten her."
"Mother-in-law, what are you saying? I'm not some monster, why would Miao'er be afraid?" Jiang Yutao's triangular eyes narrowed even smaller, and his weasel-like appearance was truly disgusting.
Sun Miao'er played along, taking two steps back to create the illusion of being timid and cowardly to deceive Jiang Yutao. "Aunt, Uncle, hello."
Jiang Yutao nodded repeatedly, quite satisfied, and said, "Good boy, come closer."
Sun Miao'er simply ran behind Grandma Sun, hugged Grandma Sun's arm, and whispered, "Grandma."
"It's alright, come to Grandma's." Although Grandma Sun was puzzled, as Miao'er was usually quite bold, why was she so timid at this moment, she still protected her out of love for her son.
Grandma Sun pushed Sun Miao'er back a little and said, "Alright, Yutao, you're not a child anymore, so don't make things difficult for a little girl like Miao'er. Miao'er, go and make some food, your aunt and uncle haven't eaten yet."
Jiang Yutao was immediately disappointed and glared at Sun Caiping, who quickly chased after him to help.
After everyone left, Jiang Yutao's face turned cold instantly, and he said, "Mother-in-law, you should think carefully about what I just told you."
Grandma Sun looked miserable, but could only nod and hesitate, saying, "Okay, Yutao, let me think about it."
Sun Miao'er had just drawn a bucket of water from the well, and before she could pour it out, someone took it from her.
Jiang Caiping skillfully picked up the bucket and said, "Let me do it."
"Thank you, Auntie." Sun Miao'er carefully looked Jiang Caiping up and down. Her aunt was half a head taller than her. Her clothes were loose, and when a gust of wind came, the clothes clung to her body, outlining the lines of her ribs.
She was even thinner than me. Logically speaking, although the Jiang family were also farmers, Jiang Yutao's father was a student who had passed the imperial examination, so the family was not poor. How could they have raised their aunt to be so thin?
When Sun Miao'er returned from picking some vegetables in the field, she found that the kitchen had been tidied up and was neat and tidy everywhere, with even the nooks and crannies shining. She couldn't help but praise, "Auntie is so diligent. I usually have so much to do at home that I don't have time to take care of the kitchen."
"It's nothing, Auntie is used to doing it, it's easy for her." Jiang Caiping smiled, flattered, while still wiping the stove.
Sun Miao'er stepped forward to stop her, "That's enough, Auntie, there's no need to make it so clean. You'll need it every day anyway, so go and rest."
"Miao'er, is there anything else you need me to do? Just let me know." Jiang Caiping remained standing to the side, watching without leaving. She looked very uneasy, glancing around anxiously, as if she wanted to find something to do even if there was none.
Seeing how diligent she was, Sun Miao'er felt something was off. Ordinary women were clean and quick, but none were as self-disciplined as her. Even the maids in the Wang family were not as self-disciplined as her.
Or has she developed a conditioned reflex to working, which is why she feels anxious when she stops?
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