Chapter 145 Old Debts
"It's nothing, really nothing... It's just a small misunderstanding, we'll clear it up once we talk it out."
As she spoke, she quickly reached out and snatched the kitchen knife away.
"Your wife stole our family's heirloom jade ruyi, which has been passed down for generations!"
Song Yazhi suddenly stood up from her chair, her voice so loud it almost pierced eardrums.
"Caught red-handed, yet still denying everything, and even daring to point a knife at me! If something goes wrong, who am I supposed to tell?"
Fu Li'an's eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he had been stabbed by something.
How could something like this happen while he was away from home?
His gaze first fell on his mother Song Yazhi's tightly clenched hand.
After looking at him for a moment, he slowly turned his head and his gaze fell on his wife Qiao Wanyin's face.
"Qingqing, tell me, what exactly happened?"
Qiao Wanyin's lips tightened slightly, and she was about to open her mouth to explain...
"Brother Li An!"
Fang Wanyu suddenly took a step forward, her eyes immediately reddening as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Her voice trembled slightly: "Don't blame Sister Wanyin, she probably just thought the jade was pretty and got a sudden urge to take a look. She'll return it after a few days... Really, she definitely didn't mean to steal it. She's not a bad person..."
Qiao Wanyin: "..."
Every word she said sounded like a plea for mercy, but in reality, it was defining her behavior.
I really want to slice her face in half!
"Sister Wanyu is really good with words."
Qiao Wanyin spoke slowly.
She paused, then looked up and stared directly at Fang Wanyu.
“As I just said, this jade was found inside Li An’s cotton-padded coat. That old coat has always hung in the corner of the attic, and I never touch it. It still smells strongly of mothballs, but this jade…”
She suddenly raised her hand, her fingertips pointing directly at the object in Song Yazhi's hand.
"Have you smelled it? There's not a trace of camphor! It's clean, smooth and new, clearly just put there! Don't you know who did it?"
Fu Li'an's expression darkened, as if he had sensed something unusual.
"Mom, let me see this."
Song Yazhi handed it over very reluctantly.
She was still muttering to herself, "The evidence is right here, what are you still looking at? They've been caught red-handed and they're still trying to deny it... I've wasted my time raising them!"
Fu Li'an took the jade ruyi and examined it carefully.
He brought the jade closer to his nose, and a faint sandalwood scent wafted out, completely out of place with the camphor smell in the house.
“Brother Li An”.
Seeing the atmosphere become tense, Fang Wanyu quickly spoke softly.
"Aunt Song must be tired from your journey. It's normal for her to be in a bad mood. How about... we have Sister Wanyin apologize first, and then we can let this matter go. Let's not make things too ugly and hurt our relationship."
"Go over there my foot?"
Qiao Wanyin interrupted her directly, raising her eyes to glare at Fang Wanyu, her anger almost bursting forth.
"What I hate most is people who admit their mistakes before they've even figured things out, and I especially hate it when people try to downplay or ignore things! Now that we've opened up, let's be clear about it! Don't try to fool me, and don't expect me to be a sucker!"
She took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart, and then looked straight at Fu Lian.
“Li An, do you remember the last time I went back to the city with you? That was three months ago. Mom said that’s when the jade ruyi was lost.”
“We’ve been together for so long, eating and living together, have you ever seen me touch this jade? Not even once! I haven’t even mentioned it! You’re trying to pin this on me? I, Qiao Wanyin, am not the kind of person who steals or steals, and I would never stoop to using something like this to decorate my image!”
"They found it right here in our house as soon as they arrived today. Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence?"
Fang Wanyu's expression immediately changed, her eyes flickered, and she dared not look directly at the other person.
But she quickly composed herself and said softly, "Wanyin, what do you mean by that? You don't mean Auntie deliberately framed you, do you? I... how could I dare to do that? We're family."
Upon hearing this, Song Yazhi became even more furious, her eyes turning red.
"Qiao Wanyin! You're guilty and denying it, yet you dare say I'm accusing you? The things disappeared silently, but were found as soon as we searched? You think that's a coincidence?"
"Adong, look at her!"
She turned to Fu Li'an, her finger trembling as she pointed at Qiao Wanyin, her voice filled with heartache, "That jade is a family heirloom left to me by your maternal grandparents! This outsider doesn't even understand our family rules, yet she dares to steal our ancestral treasure! If word gets out, where will the Fu family's reputation be?"
She originally thought that under the pressure of everyone's attacks, Fu Lian would also waver, doubt her, or even stand by and watch coldly.
But he didn't.
Unexpectedly, when so many people were attacking her, Fu Li'an would stand by her side without hesitation, using silence and attitude to create a barrier for her.
No wonder she chose this man!
Her eyes flickered slightly, and a barely perceptible smile unconsciously curved her lips.
She hadn't misjudged him; Fu Li'an was ultimately someone she could entrust her life to.
"Do you know her?"
Song Yazhi sneered, her gaze sweeping over Fu Li'an's face.
"You've only known her for a few days? Less than a month, right? What was she like back in the countryside? Do you know if she has a good reputation? Have you investigated what kind of person she is? Or did you just believe her based on her face alone?"
"Everyone knows she has a lover named He Dayong in the countryside! And there's a man in Gangcheng named Fang Xiaolin, who supposedly sent her money and wrote her love letters! You're still protecting this kind of woman? You still plan to treat her as your wife? What will the neighbors think of our Fu family? How can you face your parents?"
Fu Li'an frowned, staring intently at his mother.
"Mom, who told you these things? Who's been gossiping behind your back, bringing up these old stories and trying to pin them on Qingqing? Have you ever considered that someone might have ulterior motives?"
Song Yazhi's eyes darted away, as if something hidden had been touched.
She forced a strong stance: "Does it matter who said it? What matters is that it's all true! Do you think anyone could make it up? So many people are saying it, how could it all be fake?"
Fang Wanyu knew she couldn't escape, and her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.
“Brother Li An, it was…it was Auntie who asked me, and I…I just told her what I’d heard…Back then, everyone loved to gossip, and I didn’t think much of it at the time, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to say it. I never expected it to turn out like this…”
"Fang Wanyu".
Fu Li'an's voice suddenly rose, his tone as cold as ice.
"Talking nonsense carries consequences! Spreading rumors without discernment ultimately harms innocent people. A single 'gossip' can ruin someone's reputation, do you understand?"
Fang Wanyu shrank back, taking half a step back.
“Brother Li An, I really didn’t make things up… I just… I just heard it from someone else, and I… I didn’t mean it…”
Song Yazhi slammed her hand on the table, the sound particularly jarring in the quiet room.
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