That afternoon, Lin Qian, exhausted from a long day, dragged her weary body toward the educated youth settlement. As she passed the Bagua Center under the big tree in the village, she heard the familiar voices of several middle-aged women.
"That Lin Qian, she doesn't look like a decent girl at all. I heard she's had some shady dealings with a lot of men!" a mean-looking middle-aged woman said sarcastically, her eyes filled with disdain and disgust. "How can a young girl like her be so promiscuous?"
"Exactly, exactly! I wonder what tricks she used to get a house built. She's probably up to something shady!" another woman chimed in, her face full of malice. "We've lived in this village for so many years and we can't even afford to build our own houses, but this outsider girl has already done it. She's definitely up to no good!"
"You bet she is! I think she's a vixen, always seducing men!" a wrinkled middle-aged woman chimed in. "Maybe she got that house by selling herself!"
At this moment, the middle-aged woman who had previously tried to help Lin Qian find a husband but was rejected and felt she had lost face also spoke up: "Hmph, last time I kindly introduced her to someone, but she was so tactless and rejected me outright, making me lose face in front of everyone. I think she's just arrogant and doesn't know her own worth!"
"Oh dear, that kind of woman, she just doesn't know what's good for her!" another middle-aged woman chimed in. "We'd better stay away from her, lest she corrupt us!"
As Lin Qian listened to these offensive words, her anger gradually rose. She communicated with 003 in her mind.
"003, Su Yao really acted quickly; these middle-aged women have already started gossiping," Lin Qian said angrily.
"Host, don't act rashly. We need to think of a way to deal with this," 003 reminded him.
"Respond? How can I tolerate their malicious slander?" Lin Qian said through gritted teeth.
“But host, acting impulsively might cause more trouble,” 003 said worriedly.
Lin Qian took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger, but the older women's words were getting more and more outrageous.
"I think she's a total slut, always flirting with men, and she's probably cheating on me!"
"Exactly! A woman like that would be a menace to the village!"
Lin Qian could no longer tolerate it. She rushed over and shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
The group of middle-aged women were startled by Lin Qian's sudden appearance, but they quickly regained their arrogant demeanor.
"Oh, what's wrong with talking to you? Did we say something wrong?" The mean-looking middle-aged woman looked at Lin Qian provocatively.
"This is malicious slander! I demand an apology from you!" Lin Qian said angrily.
"Apologize? Dream on! We're just stating the facts!" the woman who had been rejected for marriage said fiercely.
Lin Qian's anger flared instantly; she could no longer tolerate these baseless accusations and slanders. Like an enraged lion, she charged forward and grabbed the woman who had spread the most offensive rumors—Li Cuilan, the village's notorious gossip. Her eyes blazed with fury as she angrily demanded, "Try spouting nonsense again! Tell me, where did you hear these rumors?"
Li Cuilan trembled with fear at Lin Qian's imposing manner. She stammered, "I...I heard it from someone else."
"Who told you that?" Lin Qian asked through gritted teeth, increasing the pressure on her hand.
Li Cuilan replied in a panic, "Wang Guifang told me."
Lin Qian stared at her coldly and said, "Come on, take me to her!" After saying that, she grabbed Li Cuilan and headed towards Wang Guifang's house.
Along the way, many villagers followed to watch the spectacle, whispering among themselves.
"Lin Qian usually seems quite quiet, but I didn't expect her to be so scary when she gets angry."
"That Li Cuilan deserves it, all she does is gossip all day long."
A short while later, Lin Qian and the others arrived at Wang Guifang's house. It was a dilapidated mud-brick house, with some farm tools scattered haphazardly in the yard.
Lin Qian released Li Cuilan and pointed at Wang Guifang, asking, "Is it her who told you this?"
Li Cuilan pointed at Wang Guifang and said loudly, "It's her!"
Wang Guifang tried to argue, "Li Cuilan, don't make false accusations! When did I ever say those things?"
Li Cuilan was furious. She cursed loudly, "Wang Guifang, you dare to do it but not admit it! You were the one who spoke ill of Lin Qian to me, and now you're trying to renege on your promise!"
The two immediately started arguing fiercely.
Lin Qian interrupted them impatiently: "Alright, stop arguing! Wang Guifang, did you say it or not?"
Wang Guifang's eyes darted around, avoiding Lin Qian's gaze, and she replied guiltily, "I... I heard it from Aunt Zhao. I just said it casually, I really didn't mean it!"
Lin Qian snorted coldly, her tone filled with anger: "Let's go, let's go and confront Aunt Zhao right now!"
Lin Qian glared at Wang Guifang fiercely, then released her grip. Wang Guifang stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
At this moment, Wang Guifang's family was having dinner. On the table were several dark-colored wild vegetable buns and a small bowl of thin porridge with a few vegetable leaves floating on top. Wang Guifang's husband, son, eldest daughter-in-law, and two grandsons sat around the table.
Hearing the commotion outside, the eldest daughter-in-law muttered discontentedly, "Your mother has been called in again. She's always causing trouble for the family!"
Wang Guifang's husband frowned, put down the sweet potato in his hand, and said irritably, "That old woman, she never keeps her mouth shut, she's bound to cause trouble sooner or later!"
The son ate his porridge silently, seemingly used to this situation.
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