These weak defenses only confirmed Xu Xinghe's statement.
The villagers who had been watching began to whisper among themselves, and their gazes toward the girls held a hint of disapproval.
Even if they are outsiders, you can't just surround and insult them without any regard for the facts.
The parents of the girls were somewhat embarrassed upon seeing this.
After all that, it turned out that my own child had started the fight and was in the wrong.
But they were always protective of their own, and they felt that Xu Xinghe was just an outsider with no connections, so they weren't afraid of her. So they gritted their teeth and shouted, "Even if we started it, you can't really hit them! They're just young girls. You hit them so hard, their faces are all swollen. You have to apologize and pay compensation!"
"Yes! No matter what, you're wrong for hitting someone! You have to give us an explanation today!"
Xu Xinghe looked at their unreasonable behavior, but instead of getting angry, she smiled slightly, her tone tinged with sarcasm, "There were five or six of them, blocking my way and trying to take action, and I ended up hitting them. I ask you, fellow villagers, isn't this their own fault?"
She raised her voice and asked all the villagers, "I want to ask the elders and fellow villagers, if it were you, and five or six people attacked one person, and you were attacked in return, would you have the nerve to come to our door demanding medical expenses and an apology? Especially since they started the trouble first and attacked us first!"
The scene fell completely silent. Even the parents who were initially furious were speechless and unable to utter a rebuttal.
Yes, it's shameful for five or six people to surround one person and get beaten up. How dare they ask for compensation?
If word gets out, people from other villages will laugh at the shamelessness of the people from Lijia'ao.
The villagers who had been watching the spectacle were now buzzing with discussion.
Standing beside Xu Xinghe, Yi An watched her calm and composed demeanor as she argued her case with reason, and a sense of admiration rose in her heart.
This woman is not only skilled but also clear-headed; no wonder she dared to come back so defiantly.
Seeing that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, A-Cui anxiously tugged at her father's sleeve.
The village chief's face turned ashen. "Since you have the ability to hold them off, you don't need to use your hands. Just make them afraid. Why actually hit them?"
He changed the subject, emphasizing his words, "And you shouldn't hit someone in the face! You specifically targeted their face, which is the biggest mistake! You're an outsider, and we only accepted you and let you live in the village because of Brother Li's influence, but you turned around and hit the village girls. I think you're very dangerous and can't stay in Lijia'ao any longer!"
"I can waive the compensation, but you need to pack your things and leave now. Don't stay in the village and cause any more trouble!"
A Cui stood next to the village chief, a smug smile playing on her lips, looking at Xu Xinghe with disdain.
She knew her father would always stand up for her!
This ugly outsider is finally going to be driven away!
Wanting to compete with her for Yi'an Ge? That's just wishful thinking!
After hearing the village chief's words, Xu Xinghe not only didn't panic, but instead chuckled softly and looked at him sharply, "I see, I understand now."
Her gaze swept over the villagers present, and her voice was clear and loud, "Why do the girls of Lijia'ao, who are not yet married or have been set up with, dare to form gangs to block outsiders, beat people up, and arbitrarily accuse others of seducing men? It turns out the root of the problem lies with you, the village chief!"
“Fine, I can leave.” Xu Xinghe’s tone suddenly changed, turning icy. “But after I leave, I will tell the surrounding Stone Village and Peach Blossom Village everything that happened today, so that all the villages know that the girls in Lijia’ao are forming gangs at such a young age, bullying outsiders, calling them ugly freaks, and having no manners. They even start fighting over men before they’ve even met anyone. Can you really live a peaceful life marrying a woman like that?”
She deliberately slowed down her speech so that every word could be clearly heard by the villagers. "When the time comes, I'll see which village will dare to come and arrange a marriage with your Lijia'ao village!"
It is now 1968, and the people are so simple and honest that they are almost conservative.
If a woman with improper conduct is found in a village, once the news gets out, not only will the woman herself be unable to hold her head up, but the reputation of her entire family and even all the unmarried women in the village will be affected.
This is just the power of a single person. If so many girls in Lijia'ao were to be known for being unreasonable, ill-mannered, and jealous of men even before they've been matched with someone, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Xu Xinghe still remembers that last year in Hongqi Village, there was a girl whose marriage was called off by her husband's family because her cousin had cheated on her.
Even though this matter had nothing to do with her, all the unmarried women in the family were implicated, and no one dared to propose marriage.
Among the villagers present, many families had unmarried daughters.
Upon hearing Xu Xinghe's words, everyone erupted in anger, no longer caring about seeking justice for A Cui and the others, and began shouting at Xu Xinghe.
"You mustn't go around saying that! Our girl is perfectly fine; she hasn't done anything shameful!"
"That's right! This is Ah Cui and the others' fault, it has nothing to do with our child. You can't generalize and condemn everyone!"
An elderly woman with gray hair walked directly up to the village chief, her voice urgent, "Village chief! This can't be done like this! If people from other villages find out, how will our Xiaohua ever get married? She's going to be on a blind date next year, we can't let this ruin her reputation!"
“Yes, village chief!” another middle-aged man chimed in. “They did something wrong, they should be disciplined. How could you drive Miss Su away and let her go around talking nonsense? Isn’t that ruining the future of all the girls in the village?”
The villagers' attitude instantly reversed, from being united against outsiders to questioning each other internally.
The parents, who were initially furious, now calmed down.
They may be protective of their own, but if it affects the marriage prospects of all the girls in the village, that's a huge deal, far more serious than letting a child get slapped twice.
Ah Cui's smug expression froze instantly as she stared in disbelief at the scene before her.
She never imagined that this outsider would be so vicious, actually trying to ruin the reputation of all the girls in the village in this way!
The village chief's face turned extremely grim. He was bombarded with questions from the villagers and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
He was only thinking about standing up for Ah Cui, but he forgot that in rural society, reputation is more important than anything else, especially the reputation of an unmarried girl, which is the most important thing for the whole family.
Looking at the situation before him, Xu Xinghe chuckled softly, realizing that he had achieved his goal.
She didn't press her advantage, but calmly looked at the village chief. "Village chief, I didn't intend to make a scene. I just wanted to stay at Uncle Li's house for a while and fulfill my filial duty. But if you insist on forcing me to leave and try to distort the truth, then I can only ask everyone to judge for themselves. Besides, I never intended to find a man here. With my face, you're accusing me of seducing men. That's just too much."
She turned to the villagers who were worried about their daughters' reputations, "Fellow villagers, I didn't mean to implicate you all. But even a clay figure has some temper, and I can't swallow this insult. If they promise not to bother me again, I naturally won't go around talking nonsense, nor will I affect the other girls in the village."
Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately turned their attention to the village chief and those few families.
Now that things have come to this, everyone can see that they are in the wrong. If they just admit their mistake, the matter can be resolved and no one else will be implicated.
Looking at the anxious eyes of the villagers around him, and then at his own daughter, Acui, the village chief felt a mix of emotions.
It seems we can't get this back today.
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