"Nothing... nothing, just wandering around."
Shumei looked guilty, and she casually said something to Wen Dazui and hurried home in a panic.
Although Niu Erwa did not do anything to her, Shumei still felt sick. She returned home and quickly boiled some water for a shower, hoping that taking a bath would make her feel better.
She decided to keep the matter to herself, and after taking a shower, she went about her daily routine of washing, cooking, and curing the bacon. When Ji Zong came home that night, she did her best to conceal her inner uneasiness, not revealing a single word to him.
It's really one thing after another. Now the villagers of "Little Taiwan" have one more topic to talk about after dinner. The news that Tang Boyi and Kang Shumei have an affair spread like wildfire in the village. After they spread it, it seemed to have become an indisputable fact.
No matter how often someone is confused, a bystander can see things more clearly. If you walk too many times at night, you'll eventually encounter a ghost. One day at the brick factory, a few workers, having stopped by to get some water, chatted about Shumei and Boyi, and Jizong happened to overhear them. They'd been discussing this more than once or twice before, but no one expected Jizong to overhear them.
"Do you think Ji Zong really doesn't know, or is he pretending to be ignorant?"
"Isn't it? Look at him and Boyi, they're as close as brothers, but he feels so comfortable wearing the green hat! Haha..."
When everyone heard what the worker said, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I think Ji Zong is sick. Maybe he wants to have a child and is asking his brothers for help on purpose!"
A younger man, taking advantage of the crowd's cheerful laughter, quietly and tentatively asked the older seniors. As soon as he said this, everyone stopped laughing and was about to chime in agreement, but Ji Zong, who was hiding behind a pile of bricks, rushed out and stopped them.
"What nonsense are you talking about? We were so good to each other on weekdays, but I never thought you would put the blame on me behind my back."
When everyone saw Ji Zong rushing out, they all stood up and left. After all, gossiping behind someone's back wasn't a good thing to do. Besides, they all worked together and would see each other every day. No one wanted to have an unnecessary conflict with Ji Zong.
Ji Zong believed there was no smoke without fire, and since he'd heard it, he had to get to the bottom of it. He grabbed the young man who'd spoken last and punched him in the face. "You're a few years younger than me, but I didn't expect you'd be so good at gossiping. Tell me, repeat what you just said, from beginning to end."
"Brother Ji Zong, I'm not gossiping. I just heard it from someone else. Now everyone in the village knows about this, and you're the only one who's still in the dark."
This thin young man was obviously a little afraid of Ji Zong, and he spoke softly to Ji Zong.
"Tell me, what did you hear? Tell me everything without missing a word."
After the young man finished explaining the whole story, Ji Zong threw him out, "Nonsense!"
"If you don't believe me, why don't you ask Brother Boyi? It's easy to be confused by the people involved, but it's easy to be clear by the bystanders!"
The young man sat on the ground with his back to his chest, complaining aggrievedly. He just listened to what others said, but he didn't expect to bring trouble upon himself. He felt very uncomfortable.
Ji Zong then looked around for Boyi and hurried over to where he was stacking bricks. His face was darker than Bao Gong's. But after all, they were brothers who had grown up together, so Ji Zong really didn't know how to start.
Seeing Ji Zong standing there with a heavy look on his face, Boyi nudged Ji Zong's waist with his elbow.
"What's wrong? Are you worried?"
"No... no no no."
"You! You are a straight talker who can't lie. Your face has betrayed you."
Boyi looked around and whispered in Jizong's ear, "Is it because of your illness?"
"How do you know?"
Ji Zong screamed in surprise. He had kept the secret so well, how could Boyi know about it?
"Oh! I heard it from Wen Dazui, but she knows everything. I'm afraid most of the villagers already know it. At this point, you should relax a little and don't worry too much about it. Let everything take its course and live your life as it comes."
"Since you've heard all this gossip, have you heard any other rumors?"
Ji Zong followed up the conversation, trying to clear up the confusion within him. Although he tried to convince himself that those were just rumors—one was the woman he deeply loved, the other was his brother, a man he'd grown up with—how could he not believe them? But he still had this huge knot in his heart, and if he didn't get rid of it, he was afraid he'd be unable to sleep or eat in the future.
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