Grandma Ye angrily threw the vegetables in her hand on the ground: "Nonsense, what does my Caiping have to do with him?"
Granny Zhao frowned: "What brings the magistrate here?"
"Speaking of which, the county magistrate is our local official, so how come he suddenly became so close to you, Caiping? This is not normal."
Grandma Ye was taken aback. She didn't know either, so she said, "Because of the incident where someone stole cassava?"
Granny Zhao: "That's even more foolish. A petty thief, worth the magistrate coming in person? If you don't have any other connections, we don't believe it."
Ye Caiping's face darkened. Although Granny Zhao's words were harsh, they represented everyone's opinion.
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of merchants like her in Yue'an County. What makes her worth the county magistrate condescending to come to such a small village to find her?
The matter of the yellow cassava could not be made public, so what outsiders saw was that the county magistrate had suddenly become friendly with her.
Old Mrs. Ye said angrily, "This, this, this... it must be because the magistrate likes to drink spicy soup! The more time you spend together, the more you get along, and naturally your friendship will improve."
“Let me tell you, the reason why rumors are spreading outside is because bad people are spreading them. They can’t stand seeing our family getting along well with the county magistrate.”
"Who's spreading rumors? Could it be the magistrate's wife?"
Grandma Ye choked for a moment, both happy and frightened: "How would you know... no, how could you think that?"
Old Mrs. Ye desperately wanted to clear Ye Caiping's name and let everyone know that she had been framed by the county magistrate's wife out of jealousy. But since she was the magistrate's wife, she dared not speak ill of her outside.
Granny Zhao said, "When I went to the county market this morning, I heard a rumor that Caiping was having an affair with the county magistrate. The magistrate's wife is very angry and wants to find a husband for Caiping."
As she spoke, her eyes lit up, and she fully unleashed her imagination: "I do believe in Caiping's character."
"I've heard this kind of thing too many times. If a villager glances at a widow, his wife will cause trouble for her and even introduce her to men to prevent future problems! Tsk tsk tsk, I see, I understand now."
The more Granny Zhao sorted through it, the more she realized it made sense.
Old Mrs. Ye was relieved that Granny Zhao understood: "This matter... I didn't say it... Anyway, my Caiping and the magistrate are completely innocent."
It wasn't that they exposed the magistrate's wife's sinister nature, but rather that even outsiders could see it.
Ye Caiping said, "Aunt Zhao, it's enough that you know my difficulties."
Granny Zhao then let her imagination run wild: "So the matchmaker who suddenly started arranging marriages for you recently... was she the one who brought her here?"
“There weren’t so many matchmakers coming to our door before. Caiping, you’re different now. Even if you were divorced, you’re good-looking and can earn money. Matchmakers have to weigh the conditions of both parties when arranging marriages. With your current conditions, they wouldn’t dare to say that you’re a scumbag.”
Speaking of this, Grandma Ye felt very wronged and nodded with tears in her eyes.
Granny Zhao clicked her tongue twice: "Caiping, it's not that I've corrupted you, you're just too kind. The magistrate's wife treated you like that, you have to fight back."
Ye Caiping said, "The county magistrate already knows about this, and he will reprimand her."
"Pshaw, what's a little lesson that doesn't hurt? You just did what she feared most. If you ask me, although the magistrate is a bit old, he's still our local official. You won't lose out by following him."
"The magistrate's wife is afraid you two will have something going on, but you insist on marrying the magistrate, then oust her and take her place as his wife, which will infuriate her!"
Ye Caiping's face immediately darkened.
Grandma Ye looked horrified. Although it sounded pretty good, she still felt something was wrong: "My dear daughter-in-law, if you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you. This is ruining Cai Ping's reputation."
Granny Zhao curled her lip: "Reputation? Although it is very important, as long as you sit in the position of Madam, who would dare to say a bad word about you? Just like now that you are rich, even if people curse you in their hearts, they would not dare to say it."
"If you can really become the wife of an official, it will be the glory of our Qinghe Village."
"Besides, if it really comes to fruition, both Jin'er and Huan'er will become daughters of officials, and they can marry into any family they want. There are so many benefits!"
Ye Caiping said sternly, "Aunt Zhao, you're not allowed to talk nonsense anymore. If you spread these kinds of things, your son and grandson won't be able to work in the workshop anymore."
Granny Zhao's face changed drastically: "No, no, no... I'm just trying to help you and give you some advice."
Ye Caiping sighed softly, "Alright, I know you mean well, Auntie. But you can't spread this kind of thing around, or I won't let you off the hook."
"I promise! I swear! If I, Chen Daniu, were to say such a thing, then... then... I'd get a sore on my tongue."
"Alright, I trust Auntie." She had Zhao Pozi's children and grandchildren firmly under her control.
"I'm off then." With that, she dashed off.
As Zhao Pozi left Ye Caiping's house, she walked and thought to herself.
The more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel. It's really frustrating to be unable to talk about gossip!
Right, she can't say things like Caiping tried to oust the magistrate's wife, but she can say how the magistrate's wife plotted against and framed Caiping!
Granny Zhao became more and more excited as she thought about it.
But knowing that the magistrate's wife was not someone to be trifled with, they dared not spread the word in the village or town, but instead went to the county to spread it.
He skipped lunch and rushed to the county.
She sat down at a food stall and overheard someone talking about the magistrate's affair with Ye Caiping. She responded with just three interjections: "Ah," "Ya," and "Tsk tsk," and naturally blended in with the conversation.
Then he shared half of his insights, and the rest was guessed by others.
It turned out that the county magistrate's wife had spilled the jar of aged vinegar, plotting against a poor, divorced woman.
First, they ruined the reputation of the woman and the magistrate so that the two would completely avoid suspicion. Then, they tried to find her a husband, cutting off her future options.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
