There were quite a few people nearby, and those who heard the noise all looked over. Upon seeing what was happening, they gasped and froze. Song Ning straightened up and looked back. Seeing the scene before her, all she could say was, "Zhou Ling'an, you'd better pray for yourself."
Wang Cuicui intended to embarrass Song Ning, but instead of Song Ning falling, she ended up falling flat on her face.
Instead of pouncing on Song Ning, she knocked Zhou Ling'an down, her hair coming loose and landing directly on Zhou Ling'an's face.
Song Ning grimaced, unable to bear the sight; only Zhou Ling'an could understand the sheer pain.
The people around them didn't react for a moment, and no one stepped forward to help the two up.
Zhou Ling'an quickly brushed the hair away from his face, gasped for breath, and his face turned green.
Wang Cuicui was also stunned by the fall. Finally realizing what had happened, she quickly got up from the ground and ran down the mountain without even raising her head.
The onlookers exchanged glances, then looked at Zhou Ling'an, whose face was grim. He said nothing and lowered his head as he headed down the mountain.
As soon as the two left, everyone's eyes were on Song Ning. Song Ning patted the leaves off her body, her expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened, humming a little tune as she continued to dig up her saplings.
They say rumors are rampant and gossip is a fearsome thing. Although the main characters have left and the excitement is over, rumors have begun.
When she came down the mountain, news of what had happened there spread, and it became more and more outrageous.
It is said that Wang Cuicui, seeing Zhou Ling'an's lustful nature, pounced on him in public.
It's said that when Wang Cuicui fell, she was facing Zhou Ling'an's face, and the two might have even kissed. Zhou Ling'an even had his arm around Wang Cuicui's waist, their actions were very intimate.
It was also said that Wang Cuicui patted Zhou Ling'an's butt before getting up, showing great audacity.
They described it so vividly that they had almost come up with names for their child.
Everyone is saying that Wang Cuicui actually managed to accomplish what Song Erya couldn't; she's truly a heroine.
Song Ning never expected things to turn out this way. Wang Cuicui clearly wanted to steal her medicinal herbs, but she ended up losing more than she gained, and accidentally tackled Zhou Ling'an.
Song Ning shook his head, but he guessed that Wang Cuicui was secretly delighted.
After all, if word gets out that he didn't marry her, there's no way to salvage the situation.
Song Ning didn't join in the fun, but Aunt Zhao arrived later.
As soon as she entered, Aunt Zhao hurriedly asked, "I heard that Er Ya was also present at what happened between the Wang family's young lady and the Zhou family's young man today?"
Aunt Zhao and Liu Yuelan both focused their attention on Song Ning.
Song Ning nodded: "Yes, I was there too."
"Oh dear, the village chief's wife just went to the Wang family's house!"
"So fast? They're already going to propose marriage?" Song Ning asked in surprise.
Aunt Zhao slapped her thigh and clicked her tongue, "Oh dear, what's the point of proposing marriage? That's just a way to sever ties."
"So, this is true?" Liu Yuelan asked from the side.
"Isn't that right? Besides Er Ya, quite a few people saw it. I heard that Wang Cuicui wanted to pounce on Er Ya, but Er Ya hid behind Zhou's boy, which is why this happened." After saying that, Aunt Zhao gave Song Ning a meaningful look.
Song Ning: ?
Honestly, she had no intention of hiding behind Zhou Ling'an. She had clearly hugged the tree next to her, and even scraped her hand because of it. Who knew that Zhou Ling'an would come over just like that, and Wang Cuicui pounced on her right then and there.
"That village chief's wife is not someone you can easily marry, Er Ya. You'd better stay away from her if you see her in the future," Aunt Zhao said worriedly.
The village chief's wife was notoriously domineering in the village. It was rare for the village to produce such a scholar, and the whole family doted on their son, Zhou Ling'an. They were very proud and wanted their son to marry a woman from a wealthy family, fearing that he would be held back by the girls in the village.
If there were any bad rumors about Zhou Ling'an in the village, Madam Yu would definitely give him a piece of her mind.
Back when Song Er Ya was clinging to Zhou Ling An, her mother's eyes would practically pop out of their sockets every time she saw Er Ya.
Song Ning sighed. Luckily, the original owner of this body didn't succeed last time, otherwise she would have been strangled to death by Zhou Ling'an's mother.
"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I understand."
Aunt Zhao and Liu Yuelan chatted for a few more minutes before getting up to go back.
As soon as Aunt Zhao left, Liu Yuelan looked worried: "Er Ya, tell your mother, were you hiding behind her?"
"No, it's all just rumors circulating outside. Wang Cuicui wanted to make things difficult for me, so I avoided her. That's why Wang Cuicui pounced on Zhou Ling'an," Song Ning explained patiently.
Hearing this, Liu Yuelan was relieved and nodded: "That's good, it's good that there's nothing wrong."
Zhou Ling'an is now a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), which means he has one foot in another social class. He will eventually rise above his station.
It wasn't that Liu Yuelan was lowering herself; such a person was simply beyond their reach.
Moreover, Liu Yuelan knew the temperament of the village chief's wife, Yu Shi. She was a formidable woman who could not be easily subdued by ordinary families. Her eldest daughter-in-law was also strong-willed when she first married into the family, but she was soon subdued by Yu Shi and now obeys whatever Yu Shi says without daring to utter a word in her defense.
Knowing that Liu Yuelan was worried, Song Ning smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. Didn't I say that I've given up on him? I definitely won't have any other thoughts about him in the future."
Liu Yuelan also felt sorry for her daughter, and gently held Song Ning's hand, saying, "Er Ya, you've suffered so much..."
The rumors in the village changed after the village chief's wife, Yu, went to the Wang family.
People originally thought that the Wang family's little girl was about to rise to a higher social status, but who would have thought that Madam Yu would act so quickly, fearing that Wang Cuicui would rely on Zhou Ling'an.
Who would dare to offend the scholar's own mother? I heard that the Wang family didn't dare to say anything. After Yu left, the sound of Wang Cuicui wailing came from the Wang family. It's estimated that she won't be showing her face for a while.
The Wang family dared not express any dissatisfaction with the village chief's family, so they blamed everything on Song Ning.
Song Ning was quite indifferent to this; it was just basic procedure, and she was already used to it.
After dinner and before going to bed, Song Ning finally had time to enter her spatial dimension.
She had already planted the saplings she dug up yesterday into her space and watered them. The saplings were visibly much more vibrant now. The two plots of land on the other side were still bare, and nothing had happened.
The next morning, Song Ning was awakened by noises outside.
Exclamations of joy came from outside; in the hazy state, they seemed to be the voices of Liu Yuelan and Song Dahai.
Song Ning groggily got out of bed and, as soon as she opened the door, saw Liu Yuelan and Song Dahai happily twirling around in the yard.
Upon seeing Song Ning emerge, Liu Yuelan immediately rushed forward excitedly, exclaiming, "Er Ya, your father's leg is healed! His leg is healed!"
Song Ning was stunned and didn't react.
Seeing this, Song Dahai took a few steps in front of Song Ning and said, "Er Ya, Daddy's leg isn't lame anymore!"
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