"Auntie?!" The aunt holding the rolling pin gasped.
"Oh my goodness! She's already calling her aunt?!" The old lady who was rinsing her mouth almost dropped the enamel mug in her hand.
This isn't a title you can just call anyone!
How far has this relationship progressed?
It seems that what this girl said about 'leaving my clothes' is probably true!
Is that Guan kid trying to back out now?!
Guan Yuanxiu and Qin Yue, who were inside the door, felt their vision go black when they heard these outrageous words.
Qin Yue was so angry that she swayed, and Guan Yuanxiu quickly supported her.
He Sheng was both anxious and angry, his face flushed red, and he retorted loudly, "You're talking nonsense! I never called that! You're lying! You're a bad person! Get out of here!"
However, the child's eager defense seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the adults' preconceived facts and Lin Wei's superb performance.
The neighbors looked at the Guan family's gate with even more complicated expressions, filled with disdain and a sense of excitement at the prospect of something good happening.
Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Lin Wei sneered inwardly, but her face showed even more sorrow.
She slowly stood up, tears finally streaming down her face at just the right moment. Facing the doorway, her voice trembled with despair, "Uncle and Aunt, I know, maybe I did something wrong that displeased you... But Hongqi and I are truly together... How could you... How could you teach a child to be so heartless..."
Her move, a feint of retreat to advance, a reversal of right and wrong, nearly drove the Guan family to the brink of ruin.
At this critical moment, a cold and steady voice rang out from behind, "Who is truly in love with you? Comrade Lin Wei, please have some self-respect, and please immediately stop slandering my family and my brother!"
Everyone turned around and saw that Guan Wenru had been standing at the entrance of the alley at some point.
Beside her stood He Yanzhi, his face cold and his uniform full of military attire.
Guan Wenru's cold rebuke was like ice water poured into a hot oil pan, temporarily silencing the crowd.
She and He Yanzhi hurriedly returned.
However, before she could expose Lin Wei's lies, the neighbors, who loved to watch the drama unfold, especially those blinded by jealousy and a sense of justice, began to chime in with their opinions.
The old woman who lived in the right courtyard and was the first to speak to Lin Wei, as if she had some solid evidence, pointed at Lin Wei and said to Guan Wenru:
"Wenru, it's not that I'm criticizing you! I recognize this girl! Last year... Hongqi brought her back for a visit!"
She looked at Lin Wei for confirmation, "Miss, was that you back then? I remember you were wearing a red plaid smock one day?"
Lin Wei immediately nodded in agreement, sobbing softly, "Yes, Hongqi took me out for a walk that day, and we did run into you."
The old lady felt even more confident after receiving confirmation.
She turned to Guan Wenru and the elderly couple from the Guan family inside the door, her tone accusatory, "Look! Hongqi has already brought her home to meet his parents! How could their relationship be fake?"
Now that girl has come to my door saying that the red flag dress is still with her, isn't that obvious?
"Your Guan family is living a good life now, but you can't be like Chen Shimei, who dared to do things but didn't dare to admit them!"
With her taking the lead, the other neighbors, who were already feeling envious and resentful about the Guan family buying a car and opening a restaurant, seemed to have found an outlet for their grievances and joined in:
"That's right! Professor Guan, Professor Qin, you are both cultured people, you understand the principles better than we do!"
If this girl really follows the Red Flag, and then doesn't marry him, wouldn't his life be ruined?
"You can't be this dishonest! You took advantage of a girl and then just want to dump her?"
"Look how wronged that girl is! She's crying so pitifully! Where's your Hongqi? What's with her hiding?"
A torrent of accusations came crashing down on the Guan family. They didn't care about the truth at all; they were simply indulging in the pleasure of judging their wealthy neighbors and demonstrating their own moral superiority.
Lin Wei silently shed tears at just the right moment, her shoulders trembling slightly, perfectly portraying the image of a pitiful and weak woman who has been abandoned.
Amidst the chaotic accusations, Lin Wei raised her tearful eyes, looked at Guan Wenru, and asked in a choked voice, as if her pride had been pierced yet she was forcing back her sorrow:
"Sister Wenru, Uncle and Aunt, do you...do you look down on me because I'm not a Beijing resident and therefore not good enough for Hongqi?"
This question was like lighting the final fuse!
"Oh! So you're complaining about their household registration!"
"I knew it! Now that they're successful, their standards have risen, and they look down on girls from other places!"
"Snobbish! What a snob!"
The neighbors seemed to instantly grasp the truth, and their voices of disdain and accusation grew even louder.
This almost certainly confirms the Guan family's reputation for being materialistic and abandoning their lovers after starting a relationship.
They selectively ignored the fact that Guan Hongqi himself had just been discharged from the military and was still unemployed.
Furthermore, they overlooked the kind and benevolent nature of the Guan family couple throughout their lives.
He simply disguised his jealousy of the Guan family's sudden rise in economic status with a cloak of morality and vented it to his heart's content.
Guan Yuanxiu and Qin Yue were so angry at this accusation that they trembled all over, their lips quivering, but they were speechless.
The triplets were both anxious and angry as they watched their grandparents being surrounded and attacked by the crowd.
He Sheng wanted to rush up and argue with the neighbors who were talking nonsense, but He Yi held him back tightly.
Faced with the overwhelming, indiscriminate accusations and Lin Wei's insidious instigation, Guan Wenru took a deep breath.
She knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully.
Her sharp gaze swept over the chattering neighbors, finally settling on Lin Wei's feigned pitiful face. The anger in her heart subsided, transforming into a cold, resolute resolve.
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