The village woman's mouth was indeed sharp; in just one morning, the rumor had gone from "looking at buttocks" to "touching buttocks."
If the rumors continue for a few more days, it's possible that Lin Mo will be portrayed as a rapist who's about to be slapped in the face.
*Sigh*
Rumors and gossip are undeniable.
To prove his innocence, he ultimately had to propose marriage to himself to shut people up.
Then she would step forward and shyly express her acceptance of the marriage proposal.
Let's see if you dare to act recklessly and go against my wishes again.
The sensitive words drew snickers and laughter from those around him, and Su the carpenter turned pale.
“Son, speak up quickly and explain things properly to your Uncle Su to clear up the misunderstanding. We can’t let misunderstandings cause trouble between our fellow villagers.”
Lin's mother was strong because she was a mother, but since there was no man in the family, she could only be timid and dare not offend anyone.
Lin Mo thought to himself that he must have been blinded by greed in his past life to have stubbornly clung to this crooked tree of hers.
That's incredibly absurd.
After internally cursing himself, Lin Mo knew that rumors and explanations were futile and would only be seen as sophistry by others.
Going with the flow is the only way to dispel rumors and gossip.
"There really is a misunderstanding. I didn't touch Xiaoxiao," Lin Mo patiently explained first.
“She was bitten by a snake on the mountain that day. It was probably a venomous snake, which could be fatal. I just happened to be passing by, and when I heard it was a venomous snake, I knew I was in big trouble.”
"I only glanced at the bitten area while covering it, and didn't look at anything I shouldn't have, let alone touch it."
After the explanation, the villagers whispered amongst themselves, their expressions unclear as to whether they believed it or not.
Carpenter Su glanced back at his daughter, Su Xiaoxiao, who was ashamed of explaining herself. Following Lin Mo's explanation, she hurriedly nodded repeatedly, trying her best to show that it was true and that Lin Mo hadn't lied.
After receiving a response from his daughter, Su the carpenter's anger subsided somewhat.
However, Lin Mo's next words reignited Su the carpenter's anger:
"Uncle Su, I really like Xiaoxiao. We're both nineteen now, it's time to talk about marriage."
"...?" Carpenter Su thought he might utter something.
Unexpectedly, not only did he fart, but he also pooped a huge pile.
"Wow, Lin Mo, you ate bear bile?" Aunt Zhang, a village woman who had come to see the sights, exclaimed in surprise.
"You dare to covet Su the carpenter's daughter?"
"What's the difference between this and a toad trying to eat swan meat?"
"Hahaha."
Before Su the carpenter could utter a word in his astonishment, the villagers watching the scene began to chatter, making all sorts of sarcastic remarks.
"Lin Mo, quickly apologize to Carpenter Su, and this matter will be over. Instead of playing the ostrich, you're still showing off." Miao Qingsong was worried that Carpenter Su would grab a weapon and beat someone up, so he spoke up to defend Lin Mo.
Lin Mo smiled:
"Looking down on ostriches? An ostrich can kick a wild boar to death with one kick."
Carpenter Su was so angry he almost fainted. Su Xiaoxiao, who was hiding behind him, heard those words and, after her initial surprise, her cheeks turned red and purple.
Being proposed to in front of so many people is so embarrassing.
But Lin Mo's tone was anything but joking.
His expression was very serious:
“Uncle Su, I know that when proposing marriage, one should prepare one gift, three gold pieces, and five large items. Give me three months, and I will formally propose marriage once I have everything ready.”
The air seemed to freeze at these words, and the villagers watching the scene all looked on in astonishment.
"Haha, hahaha!" At this moment, Xu Zhenting appeared out of nowhere and burst into laughter:
"A gift consisting of three gold pieces and five other items—do you know how much that costs?"
"The gift money should be at least 99 yuan. Gold costs 25 yuan per gram. The five items include a Phoenix bicycle worth 160 yuan."
"You can't even afford meat for 80 cents a pound during the Lunar New Year, and you're already boasting as soon as you have a chance to breathe!"
"Hahaha!"
Xu Zhenting just wanted to join in the fun, but he didn't expect to hear such a funny joke.
Lin Mo didn't even glance at him. Right now, this bastard was always spouting nonsense and making fun of him every day.
But it is indeed the generally accepted truth.
Therefore, one needs time; don't underestimate a young person's potential.
"Oh dear, who can argue with that? Getting married drains a family's savings and leaves them with debts everywhere."
"Lin Mo, stop bragging."
Carpenter Su was so angry with Lin Mo that he almost fainted.
He came here specifically to make Lin Mo explain things clearly in front of everyone, so as to prevent rumors from spreading in the village.
To my surprise, they didn't offer a single explanation and that was it.
And everyone heard it, that Lin Mo is just a toad trying to eat swan meat.
The fact that Lin Mo, who was lazy and loved to eat, was thinking about his daughter would spread throughout the village in less than half a day.
How will Xiaoxiao ever be able to hold her head up in the village again!
Carpenter Su, who never intended to use foul language, was actually brewing a torrent of curses inside his mouth.
However, at this moment, Lin Mo turned around and went back to his own yard, entering the kitchen.
The family hadn't been able to bear eating the pheasant they'd hunted before, so now they had half left. They'd salted it and hung it up to air dry for preservation.
He picked up half a pheasant and brought it back to Su the carpenter.
The moment that half-pheasant appeared, it instantly drew everyone's attention.
The sound of swallowing saliva rose and fell.
Lin Mo was well aware of the power of public opinion, and he preferred to avoid letting rumors spread that Su Xiaoxiao had been touched in the buttocks by him.
It's better to let people laugh at you for being a toad trying to eat swan meat; once you have a new topic, the old one can be put to rest.
Since I've been given a second chance at life, I don't care about saving face anymore.
"Slurp, pheasant, even stewed with wild mushrooms, that would be absolutely delicious." Miao Qingsong's family wasn't well-off either; the last time they ate meat was a few months ago during the Spring Festival.
He was so tempted by the salted pheasant.
Carpenter Su's eyes were fixed on the half-eaten pheasant; he could tell at a glance that it was a genuine pheasant.
After Old Lin passed away, the Lin family lost its pillar of strength.
Could it be that this brat has grown up and taken over his father's hunting skills?
Hunting skills are something you have to learn. Most people who want to go hunting in the mountains will just randomly hunt in the wild forest and end up with nothing.
Lin Mo spoke to Carpenter Su in a polite and refined tone, even courteous:
“Uncle Su, when I went into the mountains that day, I happened to run into Xiaoxiao who had been bitten by a snake.”
"Even a grass snake with mild venom is still poisonous. You can take this half pheasant to help Xiaoxiao recover."
In a daze, the pheasant caused Su the carpenter to vaguely sense that Lin Mo, that brat, seemed to be getting a little better.
At least he went hunting instead of staying at home being lazy, good-for-nothing, and dishonest.
Hey! What are you all doing here?!
Suddenly, a furious shout came from behind them.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Mo stuffed the rope with the pheasant hanging from it into Su the carpenter's hand, and Su the carpenter subconsciously gripped the rope tightly.
Turning around, I saw Chen Gang, the production team leader, and Wu Fengshou, the old village chief.
Chen Gang's face was incredibly sour.
"None of them go to work in the fields; all they do is dawdle and loaf around!"
"When the year-end distribution comes, one work point won't even be worth seven cents. Don't come crying to me then!"
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