Chapter 295 What's wrong with you?
After she finished speaking, she deliberately puffed out her chest, as if to emphasize her stance and confidence.
But these words were like a needle, piercing Qiao Wanyin's heart mercilessly, deeply and fiercely.
She stood there, her ears ringing, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Can't even control his own family members"?
The words kept echoing in her mind, each one like a hammer pounding on her nerves.
Who was he saying that to?
Was it really because of her?
still……
Is it someone else?
Her mind went blank for a moment, as if something had exploded—her second sister-in-law?
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Her second sister-in-law, Chen Xiulan, although from the countryside and with a simple and honest personality, has never caused any trouble since marrying into the Qiao family.
She is diligent, capable, and hardworking, and lately she seems to have become a completely different person.
Every day, he gets up before dawn, takes a broom and sweeps the kindergarten yard, not even letting the dust on the windowsills and corners go untouched.
She also sewed quilts for the children by hand, making sure each stitch was neat and secure. Even the teachers in the kindergarten praised her for her skillful hands.
How could she do such a thing?
How could I possibly harm someone behind their back?
"Have you met my second sister-in-law before?"
Qiao Wanyin suddenly looked up, her gaze piercing Liu Piaopiao like a knife.
Her voice turned cold, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure: "You didn't just mention her casually, did you? Have you actually seen her? When did you see her? Where?"
Liu Piaopiao's eyes flickered, her pupils contracted slightly, and her fingers unconsciously curled up.
But only for a moment, she calmed down, snorted, and pretended to be nonchalant: "Your second sister-in-law? That country bumpkin? A country bumpkin who wears old cloth shoes and a headscarf all day long? Why would I see her? I'm not a charity director who has to go and comfort women in the countryside?"
That reaction is so fake.
It was so fake that she didn't even realize it herself; her voice was trembling slightly, and the smile on her lips looked stiff, as if it were pasted on.
Qiao Wanyin's suspicions grew like a snowball, becoming heavier and heavier until they almost weighed her down.
She wanted to press further, to push the issue even more, but just then—
The door to the rehearsal room creaked open slowly, the sound not loud, but it broke the tense atmosphere between the two.
A group of female soldiers emerged, laughing and joking, their uniforms neat and their steps light.
"Captain Fang! It's time to practice for the next performance!"
A short-haired female soldier called out from afar, her voice clear and loud.
Liu Piaopiao grasped at a straw, her expression immediately relaxing. She took two steps back and replied cheerfully, "Coming, coming!"
She gave Qiao Wanyin a look, a half-smile on her face: "Principal Qiao, I have important business to attend to, so I can't chat with you any longer."
After she finished speaking, she turned to leave, her steps hurried, as if afraid of being asked another question.
But just as she was about to disappear through the doorway, she suddenly stopped, without turning back, and simply said, "Remember this, evil deeds will be punished—I'll return this to you."
The moment she finished speaking, her voice was so low it was almost a whisper, yet it carried a chilling undertone, silently slithering into Qiao Wanyin's ears like a snake.
Qiao Wanyin stood there, watching Liu Piaopiao sway and walk away.
That figure was arrogant and domineering, yet it also revealed a hint of guilt.
She watched the figure disappear at the end of the corridor, her chest aching as if she had been hit hard with a blunt object, making it difficult to breathe.
Why did these rumors have to surface at this time?
Why did a whisper reach her ears just as she was beginning to sense something was amiss?
Was this premeditated?
And the second sister-in-law...
Why have you been avoiding people lately?
Several times she called her in the yard, but she would lower her head and walk away quickly without even saying hello.
They never ate at the table, always waiting until everyone had left before quietly going to the kitchen to heat up their food.
What is she hiding from?
Why did Liu Piaopiao avoid eye contact when she mentioned her second sister-in-law?
That was neither a coincidence nor an unintentional act.
That was out of guilt, to cover up, to deliberately provoke her emotions.
One question after another, like countless ants, swarmed and crawled in her mind, gnawing at her reason and patience.
She walked home in the twilight, the last rays of the setting sun casting long shadows across the path.
But her steps felt like they were made of lead, so heavy that she could barely lift them.
With each step she took, the doubts in her heart grew stronger, and with each step, Liu Piaopiao's words became more deeply ingrained in her mind.
"Evil deeds will be punished"...
These were words she had intended to use to warn Liu Piaopiao, but now they were thrown back at her verbatim.
Like a mirror, it reflected her inner unease and fear.
Liu Piaopiao's words were like an iron nail driven into her heart, impossible to remove or forget.
The more I think about it, the more it hurts; the more it hurts, the more I think about it.
As you turn the last corner of the residential compound, a sudden uproar erupts ahead, a cacophony of voices, a mix of angry shouts and attempts to calm things down.
Qiao Wanyin frowned and quickened her pace.
She looked up and saw that a large crowd had gathered around her courtyard gate, three or four layers deep, completely blocking the entrance.
Some people tiptoed to look inside, some whispered among themselves, and others pointed and gestured, their expressions varied.
And in the middle of the crowd stood a familiar figure.
The man, hands on his hips, face flushed, veins bulging in his neck, was yelling at several women in cadre uniforms: "Do you have any evidence? Do you have any witnesses? What makes you think I stole public property? Huh? I, Chen Xiulan, have never taken a single needle from anyone in my life, what makes you think you can slander me?!"
It's my second sister-in-law!
It really is my second sister-in-law!
Qiao Wanyin's heart sank suddenly, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
She rushed over and heard Li Hongmei's voice boom like thunder in the wind: "Anyone who dares to say another bad word about my sister-in-law, I'll tear their mouths off right now! Let's see who dares to utter another word!"
Qiao Wanyin froze on the spot, her feet seemingly nailed to the ground, unable to move.
Today, Li Hongmei was wearing a faded blue cotton shirt with frayed edges. The hem of the shirt fluttered in the wind, and her bangs were messy and disheveled, with a few strands sticking to her sweaty temples.
Her face flushed red, like a freshly steamed sweet potato in the stove, steaming hot, and her eyes flashed with a fierce determination that refused to back down.
Three women stood opposite her, whispering to each other with disdain. One of them was Sister Liu from the Zhang Regiment Commander's house next door, with her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed, looking completely unconcerned.
"Li Hongmei, what's wrong with you?"
Sister Liu scoffed impatiently and took a step forward. "We were just chatting for a bit, and we didn't name names. What's it to you? Why are you yelling at us?"
"gossip?"
Li Hongmei's voice suddenly rose, cutting through the air like a knife, "You call that gossip? That's clearly backstabbing and slander! Who is my sister-in-law? She's honest, hardworking, and never causes trouble, but you're the ones who are doing this."
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