Chapter 50 Ignore Those Mad Dogs
"Who?!" Xu Yao shouted in a low voice, with a hint of trembling and vigilance in her voice.
Outside the window, the moonlight danced and the branches swayed, making a rustling sound, as if something was scratching the window paper, or more like scratching Xu Yao's heart.
She stared at the window, her heart beating like a drum, as if it was about to jump out of her throat.
"Meow..." A soft cat's cry broke the silence of the night.
Xu Yao finally felt relieved, it turned out to be a wild cat.
She let out a long sigh, patted her chest, and smiled at herself, feeling that she was a little paranoid.
That’s right. She hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since she had a falling out with the Sun family.
I was always worried during the day, fearing that the scum in the Sun family would do something weird again. I had nightmares at night, all of which were filled with Sun Zhiqiang's distorted face and my third sister's sinister smile.
She was really scared, afraid that the Sun family would harm her family, especially her frail and sick father.
Whenever Xu Yao thought of his father's hunched figure and weather-beaten face, his heart ached.
She couldn't imagine what she would do if her father was hurt because of her.
This worry was like a huge rock pressing on Xu Yao's heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
She became more and more haggard, with sunken eye sockets and a pale face. Even her big, lively eyes had lost their former luster.
However, this is how life is. The more you fear something, the more it will come.
Early the next morning, as Xu Yao had just gotten up, she heard a noisy discussion coming from outside.
Her heart skipped a beat and an ominous premonition came to her mind.
She walked out of the house quickly and saw the village gossips gathered together, pointing at her house and whispering.
"Hey, have you heard? That girl from the Xu family is really not simple!"
"That's right. She's already hooking up with that soldier before she even breaks off the engagement. How shameless!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, you really can't judge a person by his appearance. He usually looks very honest, but I didn't expect him to be so coquettish behind his back!"
“…”
Those dirty words, like sharp knives, pierced into Xu Yao's heart.
She just felt dizzy and almost couldn't stand.
"You...what nonsense are you talking about?!" Xu Yao asked loudly, suppressing the anger in her heart.
"Oh, you still dare to quibble? Everyone knows it, why are you still pretending to be pure?" A sarcastic voice sounded. Xu Yao looked up and saw that it was the village's notorious gossip - Widow Wang.
"That's right, that's right. You did something shameful and you're still afraid of people talking about it? You're really hypocritical!" The others also followed suit.
Xu Yao was so angry that she was shaking all over. She knew that it must be her third sister who was behind this!
This woman is really haunting. She won't be satisfied until she is forced into a desperate situation!
Grievance, anger, unwillingness...all kinds of emotions intertwined together, Xu Yao could no longer hold back her tears and they burst out.
She bit her lips tightly to prevent herself from crying out loud.
At this moment, a pair of warm and powerful hands held her hands tightly.
Xu Yao looked up and saw that it was Xue Han.
Xue Han's eyes were firm and gentle, like a ray of sunshine in winter, dispelling the coldness in Xu Yao's heart.
He held Xu Yao's hand tightly, as if telling her: Don't be afraid, I am here!
Xu Yao's heart calmed down instantly.
She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, raised her head, and looked at those who were gossiping with a firm gaze.
"The clear ones are clear, and the turbid ones are turbid! You can say whatever you want, I, Xu Yao, have a clear conscience!"
"Oh, you're quite good at talking! I think you're just feeling guilty!" Widow Wang refused to give in.
"Enough!" Xue Han roared, interrupting Widow Wang.
He glanced at Widow Wang coldly, with a look as if he wanted to eat her alive.
Widow Wang was so frightened that she trembled and dared not say a word.
"Yaoyao, ignore these mad dogs, let's go!" Xue Han took Xu Yao's hand and strode away.
After returning home, Xu Yao could no longer hold back and threw herself into Xue Han's arms, crying bitterly.
Xue Han patted her back gently and comforted her: "Yaoyao, don't cry, I know you have been wronged. Believe me, I will definitely seek justice for you!"
Xu Yao raised her head, looked at Xue Han with tears in her eyes, and said with a sob: "Xue Han, what should I do? I don't want the villagers to misunderstand me, and I don't want my dad to worry..."
"I know, I know..." Xue Han wiped the tears from her face distressedly, "Yaoyao, don't worry, I have a way to completely solve this problem."
"What method?" Xu Yao
"Let's hold a village meeting and expose all the bad things that happened in the Sun family so that everyone can see who is the real bad guy!" Xue Han
Xu Yao hesitated for a moment and said, "But... is this really okay? What if..."
"Nothing will happen!" Xue Han interrupted her, "Yaoyao, do you believe me?"
Xu Yao looked at Xue Han's determined eyes and her heart was filled with courage.
She nodded and said, "I believe you!"
Xue Han smiled, so brightly and charmingly.
He gently held Xu Yao's face and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
Xu Yao's face instantly turned red like a ripe apple.
She lowered her head, not daring to look into Xue Han's eyes. She felt her heart pounding as if it was about to jump out of her chest.
"Yaoyao, let's get married once this matter is resolved!" Xue Han said affectionately.
Xu Yao suddenly raised her head and looked at Xue Han, unable to speak for a moment.
That afternoon, Xue Han went door to door to inform the villagers that a villagers' meeting would be held under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village the next morning.
As the news spread, the whole village was in an uproar.
Everyone is wondering what Xue Han is going to do?
As night falls, the Xu family's home is brightly lit.
Xu Yao and Xue Han were discussing tomorrow's plan. Father Xu was sitting on the kang, listening quietly with a gratified smile on his face.
"Dad, you should go to bed early. We have a tough battle tomorrow." Xu Yao walked to his father and said softly.
"Well, you should go to bed early too." Father Xu nodded.
"Don't worry, Dad. With Xue Han here, everything will be fine." Xu Yao said with a smile, his tone full of confidence.
Xue Han looked at Xu Yao. He walked to Xu Yao, gently put his arm around her shoulders, and said, "Yaoyao, go to sleep first. Leave the rest to me."
Xu Yao nodded, turned and walked into the inner room.
Xue Han looked at Xu Yao's back. He walked to the table, picked up a piece of paper, and began to write and draw.
"Zhiqiang, look at what you have done!"
The next morning the village square was as noisy as a disturbed beehive.
Under the watchful eye of the ancient, gnarled oak, the villagers gathered, their murmurs blending into a low hum of expectation.
The sunlight filtering through the leaves danced on the upturned face, forming a sharp contrast with the heavy atmosphere of expectation.
Xu Yao stood straight, a slight tremor revealing the turmoil in her heart, but her eyes were bright and sharp, flashing with firm determination.
Beside her, Xue Han stood like a granite statue, a silent and solid pillar of strength. His presence itself gave people a sense of security.
She held up a torn, crumpled piece of paper.
"This," she declared, her voice unexpectedly powerful, "is the IOU that my 'dear' third sister has been hiding. It proves that she borrowed a large sum of money from my family and deliberately 'forgot' to pay it back." The exclamations from the crowd were clearly audible, like a sudden gust of wind blowing through dry leaves.
She continued speaking, her voice becoming more and more passionate, and every word was like a hammer hitting the wall of deception built by the Sun family.
She recounted the years of hardship, the constant belittling, the backbreaking labor she endured while Sun wandered around, playing the role of a loyal friend to a widow and neglecting her own family.
Her words vividly portrayed their selfishness and hypocrisy, leaving the villagers indignant and speechless.
"And this," she added, pulling out a tattered little notebook, "is a record of everything I've done for the Sun family. Every penny earned, every chore completed, every sacrifice made. It proves their greed and my naivety."
There was a sense of anger in the air.
People began to whisper, and the voices grew louder and louder until they turned into a chorus of condemnation.
The whispers that started in the morning have now turned into a raging torrent, and the spearhead is no longer directed at Xu Yao, but at the Sun family.
The villagers' originally curious faces now turned grim with dissatisfaction.
Sun Zhiqiang's mother, with disbelief and anger on her face, stammered in denial, but her words were drowned out by the rising public opinion.
Sun Zhiqiang himself, usually so smooth and confident, was now pale and trembling, his eyes nervously darting around in the crowd, looking for a way to escape.
Even the manipulative Third Sister seemed flustered, her usual smug calm replaced by panicked confusion.
The climax arrived dramatically.
Xu Yao's voice was now full of the echo of victory, and she took out a series of letters, which were correspondence between Sun Zhiqiang and the third sister, hinting at their long-term secret relationship.
This revelation hit the villagers like a thunderbolt.
The buzzing grew louder, filled with gasps and shocked exclamations.
The Sun family was stripped of their lies and disguises and exposed, their faces flushed with shame.
They tried to defend themselves, but their voices were weak and powerless amid the storm of accusations.
Finally, unable to bear the opposition, they left in disgrace, defeated and humiliated, leaving behind only whispers and shaking heads.
A huge weight lifted off Xu Yao's heart, and was replaced by a feeling of excitement, a sense of freedom that she had not experienced in many years.
She looked at Xue Han, her eyes flashing with gratitude and a hint of something else.
He stared back at her, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Later that night, under a sky filled with millions of twinkling stars, Xue Han gently held Xu Yao's hand.
His warm touch sent shivers down her spine.
He leaned closer to her and spoke in a low voice. "So," he began, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "about that wedding..." He paused, his eyes resting on her lips, "I have a few ideas..."
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