Chapter 296 Hidden in Schemes
They keep using her as a target of gossip, making her sound like a piece of trash! Who gave you the audacity?!
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her face turning even redder. She suddenly lunged forward, as if about to pounce, but the woman next to her quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, afraid that she would actually start a fight.
"Second Sister-in-law!"
Qiao Wanyin rushed over, grabbed her wrist, and said urgently, "What's wrong? What happened? Don't get agitated, calm down!"
Li Hongmei turned around abruptly, and upon seeing Qiao Wanyin's face, her eyes instantly reddened, her lips trembled, and her voice suddenly became low and hoarse: "Little sister... you're finally back... these people... are bullying us too much! I heard at home that you were being gossiped about, and I was so angry that I couldn't eat, so I rushed over... afraid that you would be bullied!"
She raised her finger, pointing directly at Sister Liu and the other two women, her fingertips trembling, her teeth grinding together: "Those women... just now, in front of so many people, they were cursing you... saying how shameless you were, how you disgraced the family..."
She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, her throat tightened, and she swallowed the rest of her words back, as if uttering those foul words would defile her.
She just stared intently at those people, her eyes seeming to spit fire.
Sister Liu's face stiffened, and she forced a smile, but her tone was somewhat weak: "Director Qiao, don't listen to her nonsense. She just said it casually, just to have some fun, she didn't mean anything by it, and she didn't really want to harm you."
Qiao Wanyin stared at her quietly, her gaze sweeping over her evasive eyes, stiff lips, and slightly trembling fingers.
She already had a pretty good idea of what was going on—what these people were saying was probably not just "a few idle words," but a premeditated slander.
Her mother-in-law had privately reminded her a couple of days ago that there were already some rumors circulating in the village, and that she should be more careful when she went out.
So it was true.
"Just something offhand?"
Li Hongmei laughed angrily, her voice suddenly becoming sharp, "This is called spreading rumors! Malicious slander! I, as the second sister-in-law, know best what kind of person my sister-in-law is! She's magnanimous, doesn't hold grudges, and always gives way to others, but I, Li Hongmei, am not that kind of coward! I won't swallow this insult! Anyone who dares to bully her is bullying our Qiao family!"
Qiao Wanyin's heart jolted, as if she had been hit by something.
The way Second Sister-in-law was desperately protecting her didn't match the "rumor-spreading mole" that Liu Piaopiao had secretly told her about yesterday.
Liu Piaopiao confidently stated that the person who stabbed her in the back was Li Hongmei, who was jealous of her becoming the kindergarten director and thus spread rumors and caused trouble everywhere.
But now, it seems that her second sister-in-law has risked her dignity to stand up for her, even at the cost of breaking ties with the entire village.
If she really spread the rumors, why would she go to such lengths to defend herself in public?
Isn't this like lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot?
"Second sister-in-law, stop making a scene."
Qiao Wanyin gently patted her back, her tone softening and reassuring, "I'm fine, look, I'm alright, aren't I? Let's go home, don't argue with them here."
Li Hongmei refused to back down, pulling her hand away and still pointing at Sister Liu's nose, her voice echoing throughout the courtyard: "Listen up, all of you! From now on, if anyone dares to say another bad word about my sister-in-law, no matter who your relative or neighbor is, I, Li Hongmei, will fight you to the death! We farmers may not have power or influence, but we have backbone! We have guts! We are not afraid of you gossipy shrewish women!"
More and more people gathered, forming a dense crowd outside the courtyard. Some peered over the wall, while others whispered amongst themselves.
Their eyes gleamed with curiosity, their lips moving rapidly as they whispered amongst themselves, their words like needles pricking at their ears: "This girl is usually quite well-behaved, how come she suddenly..."
"I heard something happened in the city?"
"The Qiao family has always been well-behaved, how come she's so indecent?"
Qiao Wanyin was too lazy to pay attention to these people. Her brows furrowed into a knot, and her face was as cold as frost in winter.
She grabbed her second sister-in-law Li Hongmei's wrist and pulled her towards the house, her voice low but firm: "Forget it, second sister-in-law, let's go home... Don't waste your breath on these idle people."
"no!"
Li Hongmei suddenly swung her arm, with such force that Qiao Wanyin almost lost her balance.
She turned around, facing the crowd, her eyes bloodshot, and her voice boomed like thunder, "Listen up, folks! My sister-in-law is a clean person, completely innocent! She's always been law-abiding and has never done anything shameful!"
She pointed directly at the people who were pointing and gossiping, "Anyone who dares to fabricate stories or embellish them is going against me, Li Hongmei! I'm not afraid of trouble or people in my life!"
"I'd rather risk my life than not get to the bottom of this with you!"
Her chest heaved violently, her voice trembling but refusing to back down, "Do you know that rumors can kill? A single sarcastic remark can ruin a person's life!"
Qiao Wanyin stood in the courtyard, her feet treading on the withered leaves scattered by the wind, watching her second sister-in-law's trembling back in anger.
Those thin shoulder blades twitched slightly under the old cotton-padded coat, as if the spine was bent by an invisible burden.
Her heart felt like it was stuffed with a tangled mess of hemp, tightly bound, both astringent and suffocating, making it hard to breathe.
Who exactly is spreading the rumor?
Was he here for her, or to disrupt this family?
"Little sister, don't take it to heart."
Li Hongmei returned at some point, carrying a bowl of steaming brown sugar water. Wisps of white steam rose up, blurring the weariness in her eyes.
Her voice softened, as if an angry block of iron had melted into warm water. "Those gossipy women are just jealous of how well you live. You married well, have a respectable job, come home dressed neatly, and speak with knowledge—they're jealous, so they vent their anger by gossiping."
Qiao Wanyin took the bowl, and as soon as her fingertips touched the rim, warmth shot straight to her heart from her palm, as if a warm current was slowly melting the ice in her chest.
She whispered, "Second sister-in-law, thank you so much."
The sound was so soft it almost seemed to dissipate in the wind.
Li Hongmei waved her hand, as if brushing away an annoying fly, "What are you thanking me for? We're family, blood is thicker than water. Your father passed away early, your mother is frail, and you're the most promising child in our Qiao family."
As she spoke, she sat down on the stone bench next to Qiao Wanyin, her shoulder gently resting against hers. "Besides, you've helped us so much in the city—finding a factory job for Li An, introducing your younger brother to a tutoring school, and even bringing back gifts for the New Year... How could I just watch others trample on you without saying a word?"
His words, scalding with passion, struck Qiao Wanyin's heart with every single one.
She suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her throat tighten—was she being too cautious?
Is it because you've been away from home for so long that you see everyone as someone with ulterior motives?
"Second sister-in-law..."
She hesitated for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the bowl, her voice low, "Recently... has anyone been asking you about me?"
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