Not long after Fang Qiao entered Auntie's house, she heard Cheng Hongmei shouting at the door.
"Fang Qiao! Come out! I know you're at your aunt's house!"
The sound was sharp and loud, which frightened Tian Tian so much that her eyes filled with tears, and she clung to her body.
There were many people outside, so Fang Qiao asked Aunt Cheng to look after the child for a while: "Aunt Cheng, please let Tian Tian play at your house for a while."
"Auntie, Auntie, no, I want to be with you." Sweetie was reluctant and clung tightly to her leg, refusing to let go.
Aunt Cheng bent down and picked up Tian Tian: "Little Tian Tian, be a good girl and stay at Auntie's house to play. Don't cause trouble for your auntie."
Sweetie is an understanding girl. Knowing that Fang Qiao's decision wouldn't change, she gradually stopped crying.
"That damned Guihe, a bully at home, what else can he do besides bully orphans and widows? Time and time again, he's committed a heinous crime, doesn't he fear being struck by lightning!"
Aunt Cheng cursed under her breath, then said to Fang Qiao in a soothing tone, "Don't panic, and don't go out. Just stay at my house for a while. My son has already climbed over the wall from the backyard. He's fast, and he'll definitely get your grandma here to stand up for you within half an hour."
"Thank you, ma'am," Fang Qiao said softly.
"Don't thank me. I've watched Bai Dong grow up since he was a child, and I've never been able to stand how Gui He and his wife bully children like that. It's one thing for Huang Yan to be a bad stepmother, but Gui He is the biological father, and he looks like a stepfather too. He's heartless."
Aunt Cheng knew perfectly well what was going on and said, "Xiao Qiao, don't be afraid. Those rumors circulating outside today are just ignorant young people in the village spreading nonsense. Anyone who's old enough to understand knows they're made up and nobody believes them. Just wait and see, lies can't become the truth. Those two have ruined your reputation, they'll get their comeuppance sooner or later!"
Fang Qiao believed what Aunt Cheng said.
But whether others know it's a lie is one thing, whether they'll speak up for her is another.
Didn't the villagers know in their past lives that the so-called 'bastard' was a lie told by the Cheng family?
Don't they know that the claim that "she cheated on the martyr" is just a smear campaign the Cheng family is trying to make against her?
I know.
But in the end, only a handful of people stood up for her. The rest either stood by indifferently or treated her tragic experience as a joke, then embellished it as gossip to tell people in other villages.
As a result, the rumors spread further and further, becoming more and more outrageous, until finally, the falsehoods became the truth, and her reputation grew increasingly tarnished.
Over time, no one cared whether she was really wronged or not; they would just say with contempt, "It's her, that shameless slut."
She never wants to experience being splashed with dirty water again!
She will never forget those humiliating days.
Fang Qiao lowered her eyes, and under Aunt Cheng's worried gaze, she clenched her fingers, turned around, and walked to the door.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered outside, and the noisy commotion suddenly stopped the moment Fang Qiao appeared.
Fang Qiao was too calm; her calmness didn't seem like that of a young person who had just experienced a huge change.
She stunned Cheng Hongmei and Huang Yan, who looked at each other for a moment, speechless and unsure of what to say.
Cheng Gui and that old dog hid in the back and didn't show themselves, and they also pulled their son Cheng Yajun away from showing himself, but they secretly nudged Huang Yan's arm with their elbows, signaling her to step forward.
Having received the hint, Huang Yan stepped forward and actively fought on behalf of the Cheng family.
Ha, he knows he handled this badly. A grown man bullying a widow, he'll lose all face if word gets out.
The woman bore all the bad reputation, while the father and son enjoyed the benefits. That cunning man really played his cards right.
However, this also gave Fang Qiao a glimmer of hope for breaking the deadlock.
Have a good reputation.
If she has any self-respect, she still has a way to go.
Fang Qiao stood at the gate, taking in the scene below, and couldn't help but curl a mocking smile at the corner of her mouth.
Huang Yan was stung by the mocking smile on Fang Qiao's lips. She thought Fang Qiao was being sarcastic, so she wiped away a tear and went back to her performance.
She said sadly, "Xiao Qiao, I know it's unfair to make you a widow at such a young age. You're only in your twenties, still young. I don't blame you if you can't keep the widowhood. Your father-in-law and I don't expect you to keep the widowhood for Bai Dong forever. We also know in our hearts that it's only a matter of time before you remarry."
But you shouldn't have done that, you absolutely shouldn't have gotten involved with that other man while Bai Dong was still alive. Even the child in your belly isn't Bai Dong's. Now that he's dead, you don't even have a child to be with him in his final moments. It's so pitiful. You were husband and wife, how could you do this to him!"
Huang Yan's acting was very convincing; at the end, tears even welled up in her eyes.
Cheng Hongmei immediately chimed in, "That's right! My brother treats you so well, and you still cheat on him! You shameless woman, you're really shameless! Our Cheng family doesn't want a daughter-in-law like you. You and your bastard child, get out of the Cheng family house right now!"
Fang Qiao almost sneered.
"Cheng Hongmei, you think you can just leave because you tell me to? Who do you think you are? Tell your parents to come out and talk to me."
"You!" Cheng Hongmei's face turned pale with anger.
Huang Yan immediately retorted, "Xiao Qiao, I know you feel wronged that your man died, but the child in your belly is of unknown origin..."
"What a joke! Cheng Baidong has only ever been the one man in my life. How come the child in my belly isn't his now that he's in trouble?"
Fang Qiao interrupted her rudely, rolling her eyes: "You should just shut up. When Bai Dong was alive, you, his stepmother, treated him like you were dead and never cared about him. Now that he's dead, don't come back to life and disgust people."
Huang Yan looked at Fang Qiao in disbelief, unable to believe that such harsh words came from her mouth.
"How dare you speak to me like that! I am your elder!"
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Fang Qiao's eyes: "If you're not kind as an elder, don't blame the younger generation for talking back."
"Well, you're a married woman, and you're still having an affair! You're shameless, what's wrong with me saying a few words?"
"You're saying I'm having an affair? Where's the evidence? Some scoundrel just wants to throw mud at me with a few words. You wish!" Fang Qiao retorted.
She knew very well that she absolutely could not accept this slander! Nor could she show any sign of weakness!
Only by becoming assertive, righteously and forcefully rebuking them, tearing them apart and exposing their greedy and ugly nature, and making everyone else condemn them, could she extricate herself from the vortex of scandal.
Otherwise, once these people leave, countless versions of what happened today will be fabricated and spread. Even if there is no evidence to prove that she committed adultery, she will still be caught up in gossip.
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