The evening newspaper had already been delivered to the village by then. The village store, the village chief's office, and several households in the village had all subscribed to the newspaper.
As usual, Uncle Chen took out the evening paper from the newspaper box, intending to spread it out in the yard to read.
The front page headline was about the mudflat accident.
Uncle Chen's eyelids twitched when he saw the title.
Upon closer inspection, the newspaper in his hands felt incredibly heavy, almost too heavy to hold.
His hands trembled, and his face turned deathly pale.
"Old Chen, I asked you to go to the Lin family to pick up Xiao Tuanzi. Why are you standing at the door in a daze?" Aunt Chen called out while washing rice.
Uncle Chen threw the newspaper on the stone table, didn't answer, and walked out with his hands behind his back.
Aunt Chen asked suspiciously, "You got angry just because you picked up a child?"
She muttered to herself, then stepped into the main room, intending to go out and take a look later.
Just as Aunt Chen pressed the cook button on the rice cooker, Uncle Chen came in carrying the little dumpling. After putting her down, he picked up the newspaper and started reading intently.
"When is our daughter coming back?" Uncle Chen suddenly asked, his face grim.
…
By the time Lin Ziyan and Fatty returned to the village, the news on the front page of the evening paper had already spread throughout the village.
As they walked along the dirt paths in the village, they encountered several elderly women who looked at them with knowing eyes and left in a hurry without even saying hello.
The chubby girl looked completely bewildered: "Have you noticed that they look at you like you're scrutinizing a criminal?"
After she finished speaking, goosebumps appeared all over her body.
Lin Ziyan smiled and shook her head. She couldn't tell what it looked like, but news must have reached the village.
Many people are probably waiting to see the Lin family make a fool of themselves.
After all, the Lin family is too conspicuous now, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities are out of place with the villagers.
Some families in the village still can't afford bicycles; they already use cars for transportation.
The two parted ways at the Lin family's gate and went their separate ways.
As soon as the chubby girl entered the door, her father pulled her aside and closed the front door.
"Dad, what are you up to, all mysterious?" The chubby girl rubbed her wrist.
Her belly is a little bigger now, and her hands and feet are starting to swell. Pressing on them leaves an indentation, and when he pulled her, there were even finger marks on her wrists.
Aunt Chen spoke first: "Are you crazy? Why are you pulling her like that? What if she falls?"
Uncle Chen, realizing he was in the wrong, coughed a few times and said, "I was anxious, I forgot just now."
"Daughter, quickly take a look at today's evening paper."
The chubby girl's smile faded, and she took the book, reading it quickly and solemnly.
Just as Ayan suspected, this mudslinging was simply thrown at them? And it was written so logically and clearly; if she didn't know the inside story, she would have started cursing.
Words can kill without shedding blood; so that's what it means.
Uncle Chen was extremely anxious: "Girl, we can't make money through dishonest means, or the villagers will gossip about us."
"Now everyone in the village knows, and I'm too scared to go out after reading the newspaper."
"Dad, you don't actually believe what the newspaper said is true, do you?" The chubby girl rolled her eyes, found a wicker chair, sat down, and gently stroked her belly.
If even her father thinks this way, she can't even imagine how serious the consequences will be if this public opinion escalates.
Aunt Chen stood to the side, feeling as if a stone was pressing on her heart: "What happened? Why are you trembling all over?"
Uncle Chen briefly recounted the news from the newspaper, trying hard to keep his hands from shaking too much.
Things have been going too smoothly lately, and he's been feeling uneasy about it for a long time.
Many people were waiting for his family and the Lin family to suffer a major setback, and now that they have, he feels cold sweat pouring down his back.
Aunt Chen leaned against the stone table next to her, her legs trembling as she sat down.
If it turns out to be true, will the girl be arrested and imprisoned?
The chubby girl looked at the two old people speechlessly. Had she scared herself?
“How could we do such a thing? Don’t believe the truth just because you read fake news.” After saying that, the chubby girl poured herself a glass of water and drank it in one gulp.
Uncle Chen sat down, his expression grave: "How could the city's evening paper be fake news?"
"Tell me honestly, did you really do what the newspapers said?"
Aunt Chen looked at her nervously, her eyes questioning.
"No, last night..." The chubby girl simply told the whole story, including what happened today when she went to sign the contract, and continued...
"The investigation team has now found relevant evidence, but it is not convenient to release it yet."
Uncle Chen breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't what the newspapers said; otherwise, he would have locked the door and wouldn't have let his daughter out tomorrow.
Now that such a big thing has happened, he just feels a headache; making a lot of money is never a good thing.
Aunt Chen patted her chest: "You scared me to death! I thought you were going to get arrested..."
Fat girl: "..."
"Who will be arrested?" Cao De pushed open the door and came in just in time to hear Aunt Chen's words.
On his way back today, the villagers gave him strange looks.
I never expected to hear this when I got back.
The chubby girl smiled and handed him the newspaper, then picked up an apple from the table and started eating.
The little boy was already holding her, carefully pressing his ear against her belly to listen.
"I thought something serious had happened. This news is so vague, yet it still made the front page. It seems the evening paper has run out of news." Cao De lightly flicked the newspaper.
Uncle Chen looked at him: "Why is it so vague?"
"The news report didn't even include any comparisons of figures or expert testing; it was all just the reporter talking to themselves," Cao De briefly shared his thoughts.
Uncle Chen quickly reread the news, nodded, and realized that he had been too concerned and confused, but Cao De's analysis made some sense.
Fatty: "Dad, you don't really think we did something bad, do you? You don't trust your daughter at all?"
Uncle Chen glared at her and whispered, "I'm just afraid you might accidentally go the wrong way."
…
On the Lin family's side.
After returning home and reading the headline of the evening paper, Lin Ziyan raised an eyebrow.
By so blatantly exposing the address and other details, aren't you afraid of a reversal?
Perhaps even if things turn out differently, they won't care as long as the other party achieves their goal...
At most, the journalist who wrote the fake news will be punished, while the writers will remain unscathed and still achieve their goal.
"Ayan, this is clearly aimed at the breeding company. You need to prepare in advance," Grandma Lan said calmly after reading the report.
She never doubted that Lin Ziyan would do bad things. Would someone who really wanted to do bad things be exposed so easily?
Lin Ziyan nodded: "Teacher, they came for me; they touched on their interests."
A reporter from the morning paper will definitely come to the village to interview tomorrow, and the villagers' reaction will likely be quite strong.
Grandma: "We don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either. This is a peaceful era, and you can't just label people like that."
"We'll stay home for the next few days and see who dares to come looking for trouble."
Lin Ziyan laughed out loud, feeling warm inside: "This time, Grandma, please don't get into fights, ignore everything else, and just stay in the yard cutting paper and drying beans?"
Grandma glared at her. If she got really angry, she wouldn't be afraid to take action later, as she still had the strength.
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