Under her gaze, Park Guk-chang couldn't help but feel intimidated, but he still forced a smile and replied, "I'm not doing this for myself, but for the sake of my fellow villagers. There are some things they can't say directly, so I'm expressing them on their behalf."
He put on a dignified and respectable air, and the villagers couldn't help but look at him with admiration.
In reality, only he knew in his heart that he truly could not tolerate people like Jiang Huaiyu.
She was just an ordinary woman, yet she insisted on showing her face in public and even served as a teacher in a private school. Wasn't this corrupting social morals?
Worse still, she encouraged other women to enroll in the school. As soon as the daughters in the family heard about the private school, they all clamored to go and study. Now they were unwilling to help in the shop or take good care of their younger brother, and they bothered him all day long, making him feel extremely annoyed.
All this trouble was caused by Jiang Huaiyu.
He was absolutely unwilling to let her continue in the role of husband.
Jiang Huaiyu stopped looking at him and turned her gaze to the crowd. She stared at the curiosity, doubt, and even sympathy in their eyes, then slowly spoke, her voice as melodious as a gentle drizzle: "There are fierce tigers in the mountains. If someone is unaware of the wild beasts lurking there and mistakenly enters the forest, only to be devoured by a tiger, would you blame that person, blaming them for being born with a body vulnerable to tigers? Or would you condemn them for being restless and venturing into the forest to provoke wild beasts? A tiger's nature is to devour living beings, so what wrong has that person done?"
Everyone was speechless for a moment.
Bai Yujing seemed to understand her intentions. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes. He stepped forward, gently took her hand, and stood firmly beside her.
Tears welled up in Yang's eyes as she clung tightly to her side.
Jiang Huaiyu continued to press, "You all understand that the fault is not mine, so why are you making things difficult for me like this? Why should an innocent woman suffer misunderstanding, slander, and even be driven to a desperate situation, or even take her own life?"
"If your own sisters, wives, or daughters were abducted, would you treat them the same way?"
Park Guk-chang shrugged indifferently and replied, "Madam Bai did not choose to take her own life, and the matter has been made clear. I have apologized to you on behalf of the villagers, and I believe that those rumors will no longer bother you in the future."
Jiang Huaiyu said firmly, "Since you all agree that the rumors circulating outside are false and that I am innocent, why won't you let me continue teaching at the private school? Isn't this a manifestation of prejudice and an accusation against my innocence?"
Park Guk-chang curled his lip in disdain and retorted, "That may be true, but your reputation has been damaged. How can you still shoulder the responsibility of educating the younger generation?"
"So, does Mr. Park believe that the fault lies with the people when tigers eat people?" Jiang Huaiyu's rhetorical question was like a sharp sword, piercing straight to the heart.
Park Guk-chang was speechless, then angrily waved his sleeve: "I don't argue with women."
Jiang Huaiyu's gaze swept over everyone present, and they all avoided her eyes, as if afraid of being hurt by her sharpness.
Although people sympathized with her plight and were grateful for her sacrifices, deep down they still had reservations about entrusting their child to her.
Jiang Huaiyu seemed to have anticipated this, as her face showed neither sadness nor anger.
“I know that although you no longer hurt each other with rumors, you may not be completely convinced of the truth. I stand here today to tell you that even though I fought to the death with Chao Wei and escaped from the brink of death to preserve my dignity as a woman, even if I really suffer something unbearable, I will never silently endure it and swallow this bitter pill.”
Her words moved everyone present, and they were all shocked by her outspokenness.
Jiang Huaiyu's gaze was firm as she continued, "I firmly believe that any woman would feel fear when faced with such misfortune, but we cannot succumb to fate's arrangements, because the fault does not lie with us, but with those bloodthirsty tigers. The weaker we appear, the more others will shift the blame onto us. Therefore, we must be strong. If we don't even love ourselves, how can we expect others to uphold justice for us in this world?"
"What you say is absolutely right, madam."
Bai Yujing turned his head slightly, looking at her with deep affection. The worry in his eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a firm trust.
At first, he was worried that his wife would be harassed by those malicious rumors.
However, the reality was beyond his expectations; he had underestimated her strength.
Huaiyu possesses an indomitable spirit.
On that gloomy day, he embarked on his journey to the mountain villa, his mind racing with countless thoughts and imagining all sorts of possibilities, but ultimately settling on a simple wish: as long as she could still breathe, everything else could be put aside for the time being; her safety was the most important thing.
Upon hearing this, a variety of complex expressions appeared on the faces of those around him.
The women's eyes glistened with tears; they felt deeply for the woman. Some of the men showed disdain, some felt ashamed, and others fell into deep thought.
In the silence, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly rang out.
The crowd spontaneously parted to make way for an old woman sitting on the ground, heartbroken and frantically pounding the ground with her hands.
This old woman is a well-known figure—Grandma Liao, who sells tofu at a street stall.
Grandma Liao's cries grew louder and louder, her mournful wails echoing in everyone's ears.
"Well said, well said!"
She wept bitterly, recounting her grief in broken sentences, "Back then, my granddaughter suffered bullying from evil people. Nothing had happened, yet those malicious individuals spread rumors, subjecting my innocent granddaughter to endless humiliation. In the end, unable to bear the pressure, she jumped into the river and committed suicide with tears in her eyes. It was those evil people who forced my granddaughter to her death, leaving this old woman to bury her child!"
Upon hearing this, those around him showed expressions of sympathy and pity.
They had heard something of that old story. Grandma Liao's son and daughter-in-law had long since passed away, leaving only her and her granddaughter to rely on each other. They sold tofu in town, and although their life was hard, they were able to support themselves.
However, as Grandma Liao's granddaughter grew into a beautiful young woman, she attracted the covetous eyes of some ill-intentioned individuals. Taking advantage of Grandma Liao and her granddaughter's vulnerability, one day while Grandma Liao was out, they secretly broke into their home, intending to assault her granddaughter.
Fortunately, Grandma Liao returned in time and drove away the villains. Unfortunately, someone saw a man coming out of their house, and all sorts of vile rumors began to spread.
Overwhelmed with grief, Madam Liao wept uncontrollably. "My beloved granddaughter! She was only thirteen, in the prime of her youth. I was just about to find her a good husband, but cruel reality drove her to this desperate end... If only someone had spoken those kind words to her back then, perhaps she wouldn't have jumped into the river and taken her own life..."
Her face was covered with glistening tears, and her eyes revealed a deep sorrow as she gazed at Jiang Huaiyu.
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