Upon hearing this tragic event, Jiang Huaiyu felt as if her heart was being pricked by a fine needle, and she felt endless sorrow for that young and innocent life.
"Grandma, please accept my condolences."
She walked quietly to Grandma Liao's side and carefully supported her body.
Grandma Liao suddenly knelt down, tightly grasped her hand, and said with tears in her eyes, "Bai family daughter-in-law, how could you know? This old woman is so unlucky. My son and daughter-in-law both passed away early, leaving only my granddaughter, Qianqian. We, grandmother and granddaughter, relied on each other and got through more than a dozen years. To encounter such a change, Qianqian has left me like this. I can hardly bear it!"
"What you just said—that a tiger attacking people is its instinct—I wholeheartedly agree. But if it were truly just a tiger, that would be better. When a tiger hunts, it has no malicious intent; it's simply seeking food out of hunger. However, what's even more infuriating is this cannibalistic world!"
Grandma Liao burst into tears and turned her gaze to the crowd present.
"Tell me, what exactly did the Bai family's daughter-in-law do wrong? And what did my poor Qianqian do wrong?"
Her heart-wrenching accusations made everyone present afraid to look her in the eye.
Jiang Huaiyu and Yang Shi hurriedly helped Granny Liao up.
She spoke softly, comforting her, "Grandma, I know the pain in your heart. Sisi really shouldn't have suffered such a terrible misfortune. But it's too late now, and there's nothing more I can do for Sisi. But I can promise that as long as I'm alive, I will tirelessly spread these words, so that more women like Sisi can learn to cherish themselves, learn to be resilient, and learn to fight for a sliver of fairness in this all-consuming world, instead of letting the perpetrators go unpunished and the victims suffer injustice."
As she finished speaking, a resolute light shone in her eyes.
Grandma Liao was very emotional, and several times she tried to speak but stopped, tears welling up in her eyes.
After a long while, her mood gradually calmed down. Then she gently grasped Jiang Huaiyu's palm and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Daughter-in-law of the Bai family, thank you. The resentment and hatred that had been building up in my old heart have finally been relieved today."
She gently lifted her sleeve to wipe away her tears, then let out a deep sigh.
"If my Sisi had met you sooner and heard your wise words, perhaps... she wouldn't have taken that tragic path."
Grandma Liao paused briefly, then continued, "I must go to Qianqian's grave and tell her these words, so that the child can find peace in the other world."
At this moment, outside the ancestral hall, many women wiped away their tears, and many men also had red eyes.
The old village chief was even more agitated. He stepped forward and said firmly, "Fellow villagers, do not underestimate the power of spreading rumors. Those baseless rumors can cost innocent people their lives. Tell me, would you want to see such a tragedy happen to your own family?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
The old village chief respectfully bowed to Jiang Huaiyu.
"Today, Mr. Jiang has revealed a profound truth to us with his wise words. We should feel ashamed of the words that slandered you in the past. Mr. Jiang, on behalf of all the villagers, I would like to express our sincerest apologies to you."
Seeing the old village chief's respectful attitude, everyone also apologized to Jiang Huaiyu with sincere expressions.
"Mr. Jiang, we were wrong."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled gently, “Although the world is cruel, human nature is inherently good. I hope everyone can truly understand this principle.”
At this moment, all misunderstandings have vanished.
The old village chief continued, “Everyone knows the situation of our village school. With its meager salary, it’s difficult to hire scholars or those who have passed the imperial examinations to teach. However, since Mr. Jiang took over the school, everyone has witnessed the children becoming more sensible and their knowledge improving. Therefore, I propose that Mr. Jiang continue to serve as the school’s lecturer. Does anyone have any objections?”
At that moment, the meeting room fell into a brief silence, and no one stepped forward to voice any objections.
Park Guk-chang was filled with resentment and was extremely annoyed that he had been overshadowed by this young woman, Kang Hoi-yu.
A look of concern appeared on his face.
"Fellow villagers, you must think this through carefully. Although Madam Bai's teaching may seem impeccable on the surface, do you know how the teachers at the academy reacted when they heard that the private school in Fushun Town had hired a woman as the main lecturer?"
His words carried a hint of sarcasm.
"They believed that it was absurd for a woman to serve as a teacher, let alone whether she was capable of it. After all, women are gentle by nature; how could they teach boys to aspire to establish themselves and pursue the path of the imperial examinations? Don't forget, these children, though young, are at a crucial stage of character building and foundation laying. How is a group of children following a female scholar any different from children playing? Wouldn't this mislead them?"
"Furthermore, although Madam Bai is innocent, how will the students feel about her involvement in such a serious case? Will they really be willing to accept her teachings?"
Silence fell upon everyone once again.
After all, the children in the private school are still young. Will Jiang Huaiyu's connection with this murder case frighten them?
Park Guk-chang observed the expressions on everyone's faces, secretly pleased with himself.
"Madam Bai has experienced fright and suffered grievances these past few days. In my opinion, she should rest at home for a while. As for the students of the private school, there will naturally be suitable candidates to take over. With the support of the villagers, I, Park Guochang, will not sit idly by."
He raised his arm and bowed to the crowd, looking very confident.
"We won't agree!"
Just as everyone was still deep in thought, the voices of a group of young people suddenly rang out, breaking the silence.
Everyone looked up in unison, and saw a group of students from a private school marching steadily towards them, dressed in dignified Confucian robes and wearing traditional turbans.
Among the students, Yao Zhe was walking at the very front. Upon seeing Jiang Huaiyu, he immediately bowed deeply to show his respect.
"I have long heard that you have been unwell. I wonder if you have recovered now? Due to some special reasons, I was unable to visit you in time. I hope you will forgive me."
Yao Zhe's parents were also present, and they looked somewhat embarrassed when they heard what he said.
Not only the Yao family, but also the other students' relatives present looked ashamed.
In fact, the students had been clamoring to visit Jiang Huaiyu for days, but their parents, worried about Jiang Huaiyu's reputation, did not want their children to have any connection with her. So they decided to keep all the children at home.
However, to their surprise, the children were all there.
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