"You can tell if you stole something from me by turning your pockets inside out. What I lost was a silver bracelet."
"Turn it over then!" Wang Qian angrily turned out the outside pocket of her clothes.
clang!
The silver bracelet fell on the stone slab with a crisp sound.
The onlookers looked at Wang Qian and then at the bracelet.
"Huh?" Wu Xiu'e asked in surprise, "Shiyue, isn't this the bracelet I gave you?"
The Chen family was so poor that most of Wu Xiu'e's jewelry from her youth was sold during the years when they were most short of food and clothing.
The reason she kept this bracelet was because it was a relic left to her by her mother.
Wu Xiu'e was reluctant to sell it no matter how difficult it was.
Later, Zhao Caifeng withheld their food and medicine, so Wu Xiu'e picked the flowers and planned to sell them to pay off the debt, but Chen Dingguo repeatedly stopped her and refused to let her go.
This time Chen Shanhe married Jiang Shiyue, and she took out the bracelet and gave it to Jiang Shiyue.
The silver bracelet is actually not worth much money, but it is a family heirloom, so it can be considered a souvenir.
Wang Qian's face flushed red. "I didn't steal it. I really don't know how this bracelet got into my pocket!"
"It can't be that it ran into your pocket by itself, right?" Jiang Shiyue bent down to pick up the bracelet, rubbed the marks where it was bumped, paused slightly, picked up the bracelet, and squinted at the sun.
Li Chuntian: "..."
She didn't see any trace of guilt on Jiang Shiyue's face.
Others didn't see it, but she saw with her own eyes that when Jiang Shiyue came out of the inner room, she took the bracelet off her wrist and threw it back in.
Nowadays, clothes are generally loose, so it is easy to put something in them quietly. Wang Qian happened to be sitting at the time and did not feel the weight of the bracelet.
"You must have put it there!" Wang Qian pointed at Jiang Shiyue and accused her, "Why would I steal a silver bracelet? It's not like our family can't afford it."
"You mean I took my bracelet and stuffed it into your pocket?" Jiang Shiyue asked back, "This is the first time we met today, right? Do you believe me when I stuffed the heirloom my mother-in-law gave me into your pocket on our first meeting?"
"I..." Wang Qian felt that what Jiang Shiyue said made sense, but she really didn't steal.
Her hesitation seemed to the onlookers to be a guilty conscience.
Liu Jianping simply waved his hand, "Alright! You two should come back with me and make a statement!"
"It really wasn't me!" Wang Qian stamped her feet anxiously. Her eyes swept over the dejected Zhao Caifeng, and she pointed at her and shouted angrily, "It was you! You must have stolen Jiang Shiyue's bracelet and put it in my pocket."
Jiang Shiyue: “…”
I didn't expect this development either.
"Qianqian, are you so anxious that you're confused? Why should I steal the bracelet for you?" Zhao Caifeng still spoke softly to Wang Qian.
"Just to please me! It's not like you haven't stolen things for me before. This time when you came back from looking for Chen Shanhe, you even stole a skirt for me!" Wang Qian was very happy to sell Zhao Caifeng.
A few days ago, Zhao Caifeng came back from the army and ran to her house and said that she had bought her a skirt.
The size actually didn’t fit, but Wang Qian liked the pretty skirt so much that she accepted it. She even wanted to wear it when she came today.
But Zhao Caifeng refused to give in, and finally she had no choice but to tell the truth that she had stolen Jiang Shiyue's things, as it would be bad if she saw it.
Jiang Shiyue lost a skirt during the earthquake and thought it had fallen in a hurry, so she didn't think much of it. She never expected that it was actually stolen by Zhao Caifeng.
Although Zhao Caifeng was usually shameless, she was unwilling to admit to such a shameful thing as stealing. "Don't accuse me! I don't know what skirt it is. Qianqian, stealing is not a good habit! You will never find a husband if you do this."
The last sentence was added deliberately by Zhao Caifeng.
She also had a sudden inspiration and thought of ruining Wang Qian's reputation so that Wang Qian could not get married and Jiadong could take advantage of her.
As for what happened to the bracelet, she didn't care.
"Zhao Caifeng!" Wang Qian was surprised, panicked, and filled with hatred. "That skirt is right here at my house. How could I have it if you hadn't stolen it? Jiang Shiyue is right here. How could she not recognize her own skirt?"
"Who knows? Maybe you stole it while working at the supply and marketing cooperative."
"Bullshit! Zhao Caifeng, if you hadn't begged my godmother to come to our house, we wouldn't bother with your family's mess! Don't forget what you promised my mother. Wait until I get home and see if I don't tell my mother."
"When I came to your house to ask for your hand in marriage, I never thought you were such a habitual thief! You steal clothes and bracelets!"
While watching the fun, the onlookers couldn't help but express their opinions.
Even though their voices were not loud, I could vaguely hear a few words.
“I didn’t expect…”
"The Wang family... this is..."
"Fortunately...marry..."
Ever since her brother's success, Wang Qian had heard nothing but praise at the commune. The faint whispers of gossip were like thorns in her back, making Wang Qian feel like she was standing naked in the crowd. She had never seen Zhao Caifeng so shameless, and she couldn't explain where the bracelet came from. "Wow!" she cried out, "It's not me! It really isn't me!"
The dry explanation could not convince anyone, and there was also Zhao Caifeng who took advantage of the situation to make things worse.
"If you say it's not you, then it's not you? Didn't your bracelet grow long legs and run into your pocket?" Zhao Caifeng knew that she had no hope of turning things around, so she held on to Wang Qian, hoping to ruin her reputation and prevent her from getting married.
"Mom!" Chen Jiadong ran back in a hurry.
Jiang Shiyue looked behind him and saw Yangyang jogging in. She hurried over and squatted in front of Yangyang who had stopped. She checked him carefully and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was safe and sound. She smiled and said, "Thank you, our Yangyang."
Yangyang shook his head.
"Jiadong? What are you doing back at this time, you little bastard?" Zhao Caifeng could be shameless in front of anyone, but she turned her back to Chen Jiadong, not wanting him to see her ugly side.
"Mom, I heard everything. I know you robbed my uncle's house for me. You flattered the Wang family for me. But mom, I won't marry Wang Qian." Chen Jiadong clenched his fists and spoke in a firm voice.
"Why?"
"You said you won't marry me?"
Wang Qian and Zhao Caifeng spoke at the same time.
Wang Qian didn't like Chen Jiadong, but her self-esteem was hurt by being rejected by someone she didn't like.
And she has suffered too much injustice today.
"Mom, I know you're doing this for my own good. I also know you've been hoarding the money my uncle sent me and withholding Grandpa's medicine just to save it for me. But, Mom, I'm a man! I'm the pillar of support for the family. You always say my dad is a coward and has no future. You always think the Wang family is so good. But, Mom, you know how spoiled Wang Qian is. If I marry her, what kind of life do you think I'll have after marriage?"
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