Within a few days, the news of the major case that occurred in Qingxi Town spread far and wide, especially in the neighboring Lanyuan Town. When Grandma Fu went out to buy groceries, she heard people talking about it everywhere she went. She felt uneasy and didn't bother to choose what she wanted. She just bought some random things and went home.
Just as I reached the street corner, I was stopped by Sister Gu from the street behind me.
"Aunt Fu, have you heard about what happened in Qingxi Town next door?" Sister-in-law Gu asked.
A flicker of panic crossed Grandma Fu's eyes, and she quickly shook her head: "What is it? I don't know." With that, she turned to leave.
Aunt Gu held onto her tightly, refusing to let go: "Such a big thing, haven't you heard about it? It's all over town."
As she spoke, Sister-in-law Gu pointed at Lin Wan's house not far away and said, "I heard that the couple got involved too. They are so vicious. They actually used the guise of looking after young girls to sell them to the mountains. They should all be dragged out and shot."
"I still feel a little scared when I think about it now. I heard a while ago that Lin Wan could help introduce young men in the city. I even went to her, hoping she could introduce one to my Juanzi too. Luckily, it didn't work out."
After finishing her sentence, Sister-in-law Gu let out a long sigh of relief, looked at Grandma Fu, and asked, "By the way, I heard she also introduced someone to your Xiaolan..."
Grandma Fu got anxious when she heard this, and before Sister-in-law Gu could finish speaking, she denied it outright: "That's not true. Don't listen to those people's nonsense. They just mentioned it once, just like your Juanzi, and it didn't work out."
Sister-in-law Gu looked at Grandma Fu with a suspicious expression and said, "Really? But I heard from Grandma Li on the street that a couple of days ago, she saw you taking your Fu Hong and Fu Lan out with that Lin Wan..."
As Sister-in-law Gu spoke, she realized something, and her eyes widened slowly: "That day, Lin Wan wouldn't have taken you to find a match for your Xiaolan, would she? Where did you go for the matchmaking? It wouldn't have been Qingxi Town, would it? And coincidentally, it was during the two days when the incident happened in Qingxi Town. Your Xiaolan wouldn't have just been involved, would she?"
Grandma Fu was extremely flustered and impatiently pushed Sister-in-law Gu away: "I already said it wasn't true, why did you have to believe that gossipy old woman on the street?"
"I did take Fu Hong and Fu Lan out that day to help Fu Lan find a husband, but not with Lin Wan. We just happened to be walking together. My future grandson-in-law is the eldest grandson of the brigade leader of Xiao Gao Village. He's very handsome and capable. We've already arranged the marriage, but Xiao Lan is still young. We plan to stay for a couple more years before holding the wedding."
"Don't listen to those gossipy bastards. They're ruining Xiaolan's reputation. If I hear them again, I'll scratch your faces to pieces."
After Grandma Fu finished speaking, she went back home in a huff. When she got home and closed the door, she couldn't help but glance outside again. She saw that Sister-in-law Gu hadn't left yet. She was still standing at the street corner, and she was talking to someone else while pointing and whispering something at her house.
Grandma Fu felt a chill in her heart and regretted it deeply. Why had she believed Lin Wan's words and ruined her little granddaughter's life?
Her only consolation now is that on the day she returned, Fu Lan refused to stay at home and went to Xiaogaozhuang with Xing Zhaozhao, thus avoiding so much gossip. Otherwise, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to survive.
Fu Hong also had a tough day. She works in a textile factory, and from the moment she started work in the morning, her colleagues kept talking about things in Qingxi Town. She didn't want to get involved, but she also didn't want to seem out of place and arouse suspicion, so she had to force herself to stay awake and deal with it. She finally made it to lunchtime, but she was exhausted and rushed home.
When I got home, I found Grandpa sitting in the yard, smoking incessantly in a depressed mood, and Grandma sitting inside, wiping away tears sadly. No one had cooked dinner. I knew without asking that they must have been affected by the rumors outside. I didn't know how to comfort them.
"Xiao Hong is back?" Grandma Fu only realized Fu Hong was back after seeing her return. "Is it already this late? I haven't started cooking yet." As she spoke, she was about to get up to go to the kitchen to cook when Fu Hong stopped her.
"Let's skip it today. I'll just go to the state-run restaurant and buy something to eat," Fu Hong said.
Grandma Fu was reluctant: "That's so expensive."
"It's rare to have this, it's alright." Fu Hong comforted Grandma Fu, "Don't worry about what's going on outside, it'll all calm down in a couple of days."
When Grandma Fu heard Fu Hong mention it, tears welled up in her eyes again: "It's all my fault. I've wasted my whole life and even dragged Xiao Lan down with me. I'm just glad she's not home right now, otherwise she would be so heartbroken to hear those words."
Fu Hong's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. The news had spread throughout the town, and it was likely that the villagers in the countryside had also heard about it. Was Xiao Lan really alright there? She was somewhat worried.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Fu Hong went to open the door and saw that it was Grandma Qin from next door and Xiao Qin Shi, each holding a large bowl with rice and vegetables in it.
"I noticed there was no smoke coming from your house this morning, so I figured your grandma probably wasn't in the mood to cook. I brought you some food, nothing fancy, just make do with it," Grandma Qin said with a kind smile, handing over the large bowl.
When Grandma Fu came out and heard this, her tears flowed even more freely: "I'm sorry, Sister Qin, I didn't listen to you before."
Grandma Qin patted her hand comfortingly and said, "It's good that you know you were wrong. You'll be fine once this period is over. Look at our family, we got through even the toughest times."
Fu Hong thanked Grandma Qin, took the large bowl from her hand, hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Xiao Qin Shi beside her and asked, "I'm a little worried about Xiao Lan. I'd like to take the day off tomorrow to visit her. I wonder if Xiao Shi could take me with him?"
Xiao Qin glanced at Fu Hong and quickly nodded in agreement: "I was just thinking of going to see Sister Xing too."
Grandma Qin probably guessed what Fu Hong was worried about, and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, with Zhaozhao around, Xiaolan won't suffer any losses."
Just then, a series of loud banging noises came from Lin Wan's house next door, and all four of them immediately changed their expressions.
"Hurry up and eat, we're going back now," Grandma Qin said to Grandma Fu and Fu Hong, pulling Little Qin along.
Grandma Fu nodded repeatedly: "I'll have Fu Hong take the bowls back to you later."
After saying that, the four of them went home and quickly closed their doors.
As soon as the door closed, a commotion broke out at Lin Wan's house next door.
"What are you doing, you Lin? This is our Chen family's place. Who gave you the right to run wild here?"
"Bullshit! The great man said that women hold up half the sky, and this family also belongs to our Awan. Do you dare to deny what the great man said?"
"..."
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