"It seems like Sister-in-law Zhou has poor eyesight?" Wuyou, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, a gentle smile on her lips, but with a hint of coldness mixed in.
"What do you mean?" Sun Xiaoying felt humiliated, and her voice rose two pitches, sharp like a hedgehog raising its quills when facing danger.
"How could they be a man and a woman alone? I was only gone for a short while. Did I become invisible in Sister Zhou's eyes?" Wuyou raised an eyebrow, not noticing the slightest change in Sun Xiaoying's attitude.
"And me..." Dr. Liu, who had heard the commotion outside, also came out, his brows furrowed tightly, his gaze towards Sun Xiaoying filled with disapproval. He had originally thought this girl was a good person—diligent, beautiful, obedient, and well-behaved—but everything that had happened today had completely changed his perception of her, causing his impression of Sun Xiaoying to plummet.
"The four of us were together before, so where did this 'alone man and woman' thing come from? You have to take responsibility for making things up without evidence."
“You…” Sun Xiaoying opened her mouth, wanting to refute, since what she had already decided in her heart was impossible to change. But seeing the disapproving looks in the eyes of the people around her, which were almost tangible, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
"Xiaoying, stop talking. This is your fault. Apologize to An Jin right now and pay for her medical expenses." Zhou Jiajun hurriedly tugged at Sun Xiaoying's sleeve to stop her from saying anything more, afraid that she would offend someone again. He looked at An Jin with a look of apology.
"I'm sorry—" Sun Xiaoying shouted reluctantly, her eyes slightly red and filled with humiliation. Her words and eyes showed no remorse whatsoever, but rather were full of grievance.
“It was my fault. I’ll pay your medical expenses. Is one yuan enough?” Sun Xiaoying said, taking out a few loose one-yuan coins from her pocket and reluctantly stuffing them into An Jin’s hand.
He held the reins of the Zhou family's finances, so this one yuan was nothing to him. Even if her attitude was bad, no one would say anything more because of the one yuan.
“Zhou Jiajun, tell me, where have you and your mother been all day? I’ve been so worried about you, you know that?” Turning her head, Sun Xiaoying’s gaze returned to Zhou Jiajun, and she began to question him.
"Sister-in-law Zhou doesn't know yet? It makes sense, you've been busy fighting with our Xiao Jin since you arrived, how could you have time to care about your mother-in-law?" Wuyou glanced sideways, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips, her words carrying a hint of mockery.
“Yan Zhiqing, I’m only being polite to you because you’re an educated youth in the village. If you’re deliberately trying to pick a fight with me, I won’t be so lenient.” Sun Xiaoying retorted sharply, showing no fear whatsoever.
“Yan Zhiqing is right. You are indeed unfilial. I thought you were a good person. Your mother-in-law often spoke well of you in front of us. But look at what happened today. You are unreasonable, disrespectful to your mother-in-law, and making trouble.”
Dr. Liu is old and the only doctor in the small clinic in the surrounding area. He is highly respected and ranks among the top in the village in terms of seniority, status, and reputation. The old man doesn't want to get involved in these disputes, but Sun Xiaoying's actions today have indeed gone too far, and she's made a scene right in front of his clinic. If he doesn't intervene, people will look down on him.
Sun Xiaoying knew Liu's status in the village and felt a little wronged. She thought he had done a good job, so how did he get these three reputations? How could she face people after this got out?
"Dr. Liu, have you been misled by others? What did I do wrong? Do you have to use such a serious word to condemn me?" With her eyes reddening, Sun Xiaoying began to cry, showing a bit of weakness, which barely masked her somewhat shrewish and unreasonable image.
“I heard from Xiao Zhou that you’ve been taking care of your mother-in-law lately. This morning she had a high fever that wouldn’t break. If it weren’t for An Jin’s medicine, she probably wouldn’t have made it. Can you say you’ve taken good care of her? If you had taken good care of her, she wouldn’t have had a high fever all night.”
Dr. Liu shook his head and sighed inwardly. As an elderly man himself, seeing Zhou's mother so miserable, he couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.
“I…” Sun Xiaoying’s eyes flashed. He hadn’t been paying much attention to the old woman lately, just leaving her food and leaving without bothering to check on her health. But it had only been a month, how could it be so serious? The old man must be exaggerating.
If she remembered correctly, Zhou's mother died about two years after she left Zhou Jiajun in her previous life. How could she have died so easily? The other party must be exaggerating.
"I had some things to do yesterday. I brought my mom her lunch and then went on with other things. I had no choice! When you're busy, you inevitably neglect her. How could I have imagined it would cause such a serious incident? Even if I made a mistake, Dr. Liu, you can't pin this on me!"
Sun Xiaoying pursed her lips, finding a flimsy excuse for herself. The more she spoke, the smoother it became, as if it were true.
"Fine, I've watched you grow up since you were a child, I never expected you to be so sharp-tongued. Since that's the case, this old man won't give you any face." Older people don't like others crying and acting pitiful in front of them. Sun Xiaoying's little tricks were exposed in front of Dr. Liu. The other party was clearly trying his best to clear his name and smear this old man.
An Jin, standing to the side, understood what Dr. Liu meant. He opened his mouth to stop him, after all, this was a family scandal, and if it were revealed, it would inevitably embarrass people. Before he could speak, Wu You tugged at his sleeve, shook her head slightly, and pulled him aside to apply the medicine. She also kept some attention on Sun Xiaoying and the others, waiting for the follow-up to the matter.
“You’re busy, yes, everyone’s busy. But no one is too busy to cook for their family. Let her take her medicine! I had your mother-in-law checked out before, and she’s severely malnourished. That doesn’t happen overnight. You’re really a good daughter-in-law!”
Dr. Liu's words were sharp, completely tearing away the last veil of pretense. Zhou Jiajun lowered his head, his face buried in the shadows, his expression unreadable, which inexplicably added to his gloom and helplessness.
Actually, he had already figured out the whole story, but he just didn't want to accept it. Now, Dr. Liu has made the choice for him; this wife is really not as wonderful as he imagined.
"Hehe, some things are known only to heaven, earth, you, and me. If you're going to say that, there's nothing I can do about it. I just hope you treat your mother-in-law well. After all, it wasn't easy for her to raise your husband. She's so old, she won't be a burden to you for many more years."
Dr. Liu's words came out like a machine gun, giving no one a chance to interrupt. The others listened with great interest, pointing and whispering about Sun Xiaoying.
Sun Xiaoying's reputation in the village will plummet from this day on, becoming the subject of gossip, and her good name, cultivated over many years, will vanish in an instant.
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