Chapter 14 Rice Exchange
The closer they got to home, the more people talked about it. Their opinions varied, and some even implicated her.
"Tsk, the Chen family has been out of food for a while now, where are they going to get white rice to exchange for brown rice?"
"Who knows! Who can afford to buy white rice these days?"
"Old Chen's eldest daughter-in-law has been hiding quite a lot of things; who knows, maybe the white rice is hers?"
"Didn't Old Chen's eldest daughter-in-law repay the grain loan yesterday?"
"You believe her? Let me tell you, I'd rather believe Wu Laizi than Chen's eldest daughter-in-law."
Wu Laizi was a notorious scoundrel in the village. He was not only a rogue, but also a liar who never told the truth.
Wan Qiqi was helpless; these people actually compared her to Wu Laizi!
Is she that kind of person?
Before even entering the courtyard, I could already hear crying coming from inside.
"Why is my life so miserable... The grain I just got back..."
Li Chongniang's cries could be heard even through the crowd, growing louder and more intense with each sob.
Wan Qiqi finally understood: the couple had gone to town early that morning to exchange white rice for brown rice, only to be robbed when they returned!
Villagers surrounded the earthen wall, craning their necks to see what was inside and whispering among themselves.
Looking at the crowd of people gathered at the entrance of the courtyard, Wan Qiqi couldn't help but think to herself: These people are really idle. They come to watch as soon as something happens!
She squeezed into the courtyard, slammed the gate shut behind her, glanced around, grabbed a bucket of dirty water, picked up a ladle, and started splashing it onto the earthen wall.
In an instant, someone who couldn't dodge was splashed with dirty water and cursed, "Wan Qiqi, you heartless bastard, you splashed me all over!"
"Oh, Aunt Zhao! I'm so sorry, I just thought it was hot and I wanted to water the wall." Wan Qiqi gave a natural, harmless smile, as if she really meant it unintentionally.
Aunt Zhao grumbled and cursed for a while, then wiped the water from her hair and walked home.
Wan Qiqi glanced at the people surrounding her again, her eyes sharp.
Everyone felt that Chen's eldest daughter-in-law had reverted to her old ways, and even gained a bit more cleverness. They all turned around and left, not wanting to waste their breath on this vicious woman, nor wanting to be entangled with her.
After shooing away the crowd, Wan Qiqi turned around and glanced at Li Chongniang sitting in the courtyard.
Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered in tears, one hand was covering her stomach, and with each sob she cried out, the other hand kept slapping her knee.
The moment Li Chongniang looked up, her eyes met Wan Qiqi's. She timidly lowered her head, not daring to look at her, and murmured, "Why is my life so miserable..."
She was afraid that Wan Qiqi would blame her for this, so she could only do this, exaggerating her identity as the victim.
Chen Yongxing stood beside her, his face still showing some bruises, and his clothes were torn in several places.
When he saw Wan Qiqi, he lowered his head and dared not utter a sound.
The elder sister-in-law gave the white rice to the mother, but he and the insect mother took the rice away without saying a word.
Originally, I just wanted to replace white rice with brown rice so that the family could have more meals, since my wife is pregnant and can't always eat rice bran.
But who would have thought that while he was taking a piss, a bandit rushed out, stole the rice, and even caused the insect girl to fall.
When he ran after him, his companion beat him up by putting a bag over his head!
I had heard rumors of thieves in other villages, so I kept my doors and windows locked at night. But I never expected that thieves would be so brazen in broad daylight. They not only stole my grain, but also assaulted me.
Chen Yongxing was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. He didn't know how to face Wan Qiqi. The family had finally managed to get some food, but they had lost it.
Wan Qiqi sighed and threw the bamboo basket on her back to the ground. "It's good that everyone is alright!" She seemed somewhat helpless.
After the words were spoken, not only Chen Yongxing and Li Chongniang, but even Wang Shi was shocked.
Wan Qiqi actually said, "It's good that everyone is alright?"
In the past, if anything of hers was lost from the house, even something as small as a sesame seed, she would make a huge fuss. But now that her food rations have been lost, she seems so nonchalant.
For a moment, everyone looked at Wan Qiqi with surprise.
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