Xiao Guo patted her back gently and said sadly, "I heard what the old village chief said."

Xiaozhu wiped away her tears, lowered her head and whispered, "I have been waiting for them for six years. I don't believe they died just like that. I really don't believe it."

His tone was full of hesitation and helplessness. He couldn't accept that the person who had just left the house could become a dead person. No matter who it was, he couldn't accept it.

When Xiaoguo first heard it, he was also very surprised, and the first thing he thought of was Xiaozhu's feelings.

Zhao Yuyan looked at Xiaozhu, who was one year younger than Yuling, and sighed with sympathy. She was also a poor child.

Yu Ling looked at the girl who was about her age and felt a little sorry for her.

At this moment, Xiaozhu poured out all her sorrow to Xiaoguo.

Xiaoguo had no other choice but to comfort her. When she mentioned her family during their last meeting, she seemed a little lonely, but her words were full of anticipation and longing for them.

Now she was suddenly told that they had actually died six years ago. As a daughter, she was the last person in the village to know about it. How could she feel?

All these years of longing, of waiting day and night, turned out to be nothing but a dream, in vain.

And all this is Yu Zhizhi’s fault!

Although keeping it secret is not a long-term solution, this is definitely not the time to make it public.

When Xiaoguo thought of the still dishonest Yu Zhiwei, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He would definitely not let her off easily this time.

–

The cause of the incident was this: Ever since Yu Zhizhi was sent back to the village, she had been unwilling to accept her fate, and her hatred for Madam Yang was inexplicably transferred to Xiaoguo.

Ever since Xiaoguo made a stunning appearance when she boarded the ship that day, she could even hear occasional voices in the village praising her. Yu Zhizhi was already unwilling and extremely jealous, and after hearing such voices again, she subconsciously snorted and retorted.

After discrediting Xiaoguo, Yu Zhizhi felt a perverse sense of satisfaction as she listened to the villagers' disgusted discussions.

From then on, the rumors got out of control and became more and more outrageous. There was nothing good to say about Xiaoguo, so they started to make up stories about other ladies as well, saying that none of the nobles on board the ship were good people and that they were all people who took human life lightly and looked down on others.

Listening to the insults and curses from other villagers who didn't know the truth, Yu Zhizhi felt extremely happy.

Once, when she was telling rumors about Xiaoguo, Xiaozhu happened to hear it and subconsciously refuted it a few sentences.

Yu Zhizhi was sure that she would not let her mess things up, so she started to grumble along.

The more they talked, the angrier they became.

Yu Zhizhi was even more furious when she heard someone defending Xiaoguo like that. When she saw the villagers around her starting to look suspicious, she got even more angry. She quickly rolled up her sleeves and started preparing to teach her a lesson.

Xiaozhu was not afraid of her at all. She plucked up her courage and put the tray far away. She was also ready and looked at the approaching figure vigilantly.

When the villagers saw that there was something exciting to watch, they rushed over and surrounded the two men. Some of them tried to persuade them to fight, but their voices were insignificant amid the noise.

After all, Xiaozhu was still young, so she certainly couldn't beat Yuzhiwei who was half her body taller than her. But she was agile and didn't suffer much.

Yu Zhizhi stopped panting and looked at Xiaozhu who was showing smugness. He was suddenly furious and wiped the blood off his face, with malice emerging silently.

"Humph! You are indeed an orphan without a father or a mother. You are such a liar!"

"well!"

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"Zhizhi, don't talk nonsense!"

"Yes, yes, stop talking, just go away!"

"Let's go, let's go, let's go~"

As soon as Yu Zhizhi finished speaking, the villagers around her interrupted her one after another, as if they were afraid that she would continue talking.

Xiaozhu's hands were shaking, and she stared at her fiercely, shouting, "I'm not an orphan! I have a father and a mother!"

Yu Zhizhi casually picked his ears, then looked at her with a sneer, "You are not an orphan, you have parents, but they died six years ago. You are an orphan~"

"well!"

Before Yu Zhizhi finished her words, disapproving voices could be heard around her, and they were talking loudly in an attempt to cover up her voice.

The scene was very noisy, but Xiaozhu could still hear the original words from the other party's lip movements. Suddenly, his face turned pale, and he looked at her with wide eyes. The blood in his body stiffened and flowed back, his head felt heavy and his feet felt light, and he was shaking like a sieve.

"You're lying, you liar!"

Even so, Xiaozhu still didn't believe her and continued to accuse her of being a liar word by word.

But Yu Zhizhi pushed aside the crowd that wanted to stop her, and when people hadn't reacted, she came in front of her, stared at her, and said word by word, "You are an orphan, your parents died of illness a long time ago, six years ago..."

After Yu Zhizhi finished speaking, the villagers finally reacted and, ignoring her resistance, forcibly pulled her away from Xiaozhu.

The villagers who stayed where they were tried to touch the pale-faced Xiaozhu, but before they could touch her, she suddenly ran away.

Halfway through the meal, he did not forget to pick up the plate, muttering to himself, "She is a liar, she deliberately lied to me, a big liar! My parents are not dead, they just went away, I am not an orphan! I have a father and a mother, they are still alive, they just went away! Big liar! Yu Zhizhi is a big liar! I have a father and a mother..."

The other villagers who stayed where they were looked at Xiaozhu who was heading towards the village chief's house. They looked at each other in annoyance. If they had known earlier, they would have stopped her. What were they seeing?

Yu Zhizhi, who was being taken away with her mouth covered, saw Xiaozhu's stumbling back and let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was really satisfying.

Xiaozhu arrived at the village chief's house in a state of daze, muttering to herself, and walked straight in without even knocking on the door.

The old village chief and his family had just finished their meal and were washing dishes. When they saw Xiaozhu, the old village chief's wife immediately called out to her, "Are you full? Grandma will make you some more."

Without hearing her answer, the old village head's wife looked up from the stove and looked at her worriedly, "What's wrong, Xiaozhu?"

At this time, the old village chief heard the noise and came out. He noticed Xiaozhu's abnormality at a glance. When he was about to ask her what was wrong, she spoke.

"Grandpa Village Chief, my parents are still alive, right?"

"Why do you think of asking this?" The old village chief is indeed a veteran. He answered without changing his expression or heartbeat. Instead, he glanced at his stiff lady next to him with dissatisfaction.

"You're still alive, right?"

Xiaozhu was obsessed with this question at the moment. Seeing that the old village chief avoided the question, she couldn't help but shed tears.

When the old village chief saw the guilty looks on the faces of the villagers who had caught up with him, he instantly became furious. He knew that these guys were unreliable!

"Grandpa Village Chief!"

"...Xiaozhu..."

The old village chief was silent.

Xiaozhu was eager for him to tell her the answer, but he obviously disappointed her. Silence is often the best answer.

From that day on, Xiaozhu couldn't remember how she got home, how she locked the door, or how she lay down on the bed.

For the next three days, no one in the village had seen Xiaozhu. Feeling guilty, the villagers sent representatives to knock on her door every day to deliver meals to her.

The old village chief was even more worried, and he sent young men to climb over the wall every day to check on Xiaozhu. He and his wife took turns to comfort her loudly through the door.

It was he who personally promised Xiaozhu's parents that they would take good care of Xiaozhu.

He also promised personally not to tell the then young Xiaozhu about the news of their death.

He also promised to keep it a secret until she grew up and could bear it, and then tell her the truth.