Shen Ying, worried that they might hurt Jiang Yu, increased the pressure on their hands. Seeing that they couldn't gain any advantage, some of them started to sit on the ground and throw tantrums.
Of course, Jiang Yu didn't indulge them. She called to Shen Suisui in the room and asked her to bring her a candied hawthorn.
With a satisfying crunch, the hawthorn flavor burst forth. Jiang Yu remarked that snacks from this era were truly delicious. Seeing her licking the candy stuck to the corner of her mouth, the man's gaze softened with a hint of doting affection.
Because the snow showed no sign of stopping, it wasn't long before the people outside were shivering from the cold. They wrapped their cotton coats tighter around themselves and glared fiercely at the two men.
"Jiang Yu, you're enjoying your meal here, but have you forgotten about the child who passed away a couple of years ago? I wonder if he'll see you in a dream and say he wants to eat candied hawthorns too."
Zhang Xinhua looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand and swallowed hard. Finally, she smacked her lips twice.
Few people knew about the child's death, but when they heard the gossip, they craned their necks to listen, completely disregarding the freezing weather.
However, she only learned about it when she overheard Li Xiuying talking about it. Already somewhat skeptical, she realized the truth of the matter when she saw Jiang Yu's unusual reaction.
The original owner of this body never interacted with the villagers, and although her family knew this, no one ever spoke of it. Now that Zhang Xinhua had brought it up, both Jiang Yu and Shen Ying felt uncomfortable.
"You all probably don't know yet, right? Comrade Jiang Yu gave birth to a child three years ago, and it's said that the child died in this kind of snowy weather. I wonder what sins she committed in her past life that made her child pay for them."
Now you're showing this kind of attitude again, aren't you afraid something else might happen to your family?
Zhang Xinhua paid no attention to the two men's gloomy expressions. She was always outspoken and thought that no matter what she said, no one could do anything to her.
Thinking this, he looked at Jiang Yu with a hint of provocation in his eyes.
These words undoubtedly crossed Shen Ying's bottom line. The tall figure pressed closer step by step, making it feel like he was about to strangle her at any moment.
"What are you doing? If you move any closer, I'm going to call for help."
By the end, her heart was in her throat. She shuffled back guiltily, trying to avoid meeting those sharp eyes.
Seeing the man's behavior, Jiang Yu worried that someone might die at her doorstep, so she slapped Zhang Xinhua across the face first.
Everyone could clearly see that her right cheek was swollen.
"Ah! Someone's being hit! The Shen Ying family is hitting someone!"
The quick-thinking woman yelled loudly, bringing Shen Ying back to her senses. Watching Zhang Xinhua jump and hop like a clown, the women who had come with her exchanged bewildered glances.
The person who wanted to lend a hand glanced at Shen Ying, worried that he was really going to hit someone, and lowered their hand that was raised in mid-air.
There were also plenty of people here who were just there to watch the show.
"You're right, I'm hitting you. You've come to cause trouble time and time again and still haven't learned your lesson. I remember all the grudges you've committed. If you don't let me have an easy time, you can forget about patting yourself on the back every day."
Although Jiang Yu had disliked her for a long time, she still had some use for this woman later on. So she didn't get rid of her directly.
The commotion at the door grew louder and louder, attracting many neighbors who were shoveling snow to come out and see what was going on. Seeing that it was Zhang Xinhua and her group of women again heading to Shen Ying's house, it was obvious they were just looking for trouble.
Everyone is just curious about what the reason is this time.
She thought Zhang Xinhua would obediently go home after being slapped, but instead, she became even more aggressive. Seeing the growing crowd, she acted like a madwoman, constantly talking about how she had been secretly eating alone.
She wouldn't dare mention the child's problem even if she had ten lives; the look Shen Ying gave her just now could have killed her.
Among the crowd, there were many discerning people who knew Shen Ying's character, so they didn't believe her words at all.
“Daqiang’s wife, you’re not young anymore. You’re always gossiping about this and that in the village. If you’re so idle, why don’t you do some handicrafts to earn some money?”
The speaker was Uncle Shen, whose New Year couplets were pasted a bit crooked. He had excellent calligraphy skills and was the go-to person for writing notes for weddings and funerals in the village. He was a highly respected figure in the village.
When Zhang Xinhua heard someone mention her, she was about to yell at them for being nosy, but when she saw who it was, she just glanced at them and surprisingly fell silent.
"Anyway, if the Shen family doesn't give me some food, I'm staying here. If something really happens, they won't be able to escape responsibility."
Zhang Xinhua's stubbornness grew increasingly unreasonable, and in the end, she simply sat on the threshold of Jiang Yu's house, like a mangy dog.
"With such heavy snow, everyone please be careful on your way home. I believe you all heard the announcement over the loudspeaker yesterday. I won't say anything more about those who spread rumors."
Jiang Yu's meaning is very clear: he's just openly and honestly driving people away.
Those who came with Zhang Xinhua were eager to go. Since she had already said so much, they figured they might as well endure the ordeal.
"What are you all doing? Have you forgotten what you said when you came? Are you going home empty-handed, only to come here and be a source of amusement for others?"
Seeing that everyone was about to leave, Zhang Xinhua scolded them in a low voice. They were caught in a dilemma, unable to leave or stay, so they simply remained in place.
"Aren't you ashamed?"
Jiang Yu rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky, her tone full of contempt.
"What are you all doing here in this heavy snow? Uncle Chen, you're so old, be careful not to catch a cold. Aunt Li, if your legs aren't feeling well, just stay home and rest. The way back isn't easy either."
From the crowd came the voice of village chief Shen He'an. He was wearing a straw hat, leaning on a cane, and his shoulders were covered with a thick layer of snow. He had to pat the snow off his body every few steps.
From the village entrance to here, who knows how long he walked? The footprints on the ground were so numerous they almost buried a person.
Upon seeing the onlookers, he reminded everyone to be careful as he walked. When he arrived at Shen Ying's house, he stopped again to brush the snow off his clothes.
“Village chief, during this blizzard, only their family had stored up food. No one would believe they didn’t know something beforehand.”
Zhang Xinhua adopted a villainous tone, her voice feigning grievance. Now that the person in charge had arrived, she was determined to see if Jiang Yu could continue to be so stubborn.
"I'm here to talk about this. We received a call from above. Everyone, please stay home and wait. If there's any emergency, they'll send someone over. Don't worry."
The village chief's words left Zhang Xinhua speechless. Could it be that they were all in cahoots, lying to her all along?
With things having come to this point, there was no point in lingering. The crowd dispersed, and before Zhang Xinhua left, Jiang Yu whispered in her ear, in a voice no one else could hear:
"I will investigate what you just said to everyone."
Zhang Xinhua stared at her blankly, then remembered what she had just said about her son's death two years ago, and a chill ran down her spine.
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