Chapter 244 Jealousy
In another corner, a pair of eyes, laced with venom, were fixed on Gu Baobao.
Zhang Pandi.
When she pushed Gu Baobao down, she thought she was just teaching this chubby, stupid girl a lesson. She never expected it to almost lead to someone's death. Even more unexpectedly, Gu Baobao didn't die and seemed to have become a completely different person, rising to great heights.
She herself was sold by her terrified family to a fifty-year-old bachelor in the deep mountains overnight.
That old bachelor had a violent temper and would beat and scold her at the drop of a hat; she never had a good day.
Last autumn, the old bachelor fell to his death while chopping wood in the mountains, and she became a widow. Her family, coveting the meager savings left by the old bachelor and her labor, took her back to Qinghetun.
She was filled with hatred! She hated that Gu Baobao was lucky to be alive, and that Gu Baobao was living a life a million times better than hers!
She blamed all her misfortunes on Gu Baobao, and even hated the Zhang family who had sold her.
During her time back, she heard that Gu Baobao had become a miracle doctor on the island, then went to the capital, made great contributions, and married a military officer... With each story she heard, the venomous fire in her heart burned even brighter.
Why should that dark-skinned, stupid, and lowly girl have achieved what she has today?
In what way is Zhang Pandi inferior to her?
But they ended up like this!
She also saw the pomp and circumstance of Gu Baobao's return to the village, saw Lu Zhanming, and saw Ye Ke's equally resentful eyes.
Two women consumed by jealousy and resentment "coincidentally" met behind a dilapidated haystack at the end of the village on the afternoon of the second day after Gu Baobao returned to the village.
"Pah! Look at her slutty appearance! Dressed like a capitalist's daughter! And she brought so many men back with her, who knows what they're up to!"
Zhang Pandi spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground, her eyes like poisoned hooks.
Ye Ke touched her stomach, her voice cold and menacing:
"She's lucky; she married a capable man. I heard she's arrogant and disdainful in the capital, offending quite a few people. I don't think her glory will last!"
Zhang Pandi's eyes lit up, and she leaned closer:
"Sister-in-law, what have you heard?"
Ye Ke lowered her voice and embellished the bits and pieces she had overheard from the educated youth settlement:
"What else could it be? She lives a life of luxury, flirts with foreigners, and practices feudal superstition, using all sorts of random herbs to fool people... In a place like the capital, how could someone like her possibly get away with this?"
The two got along better and better as they talked, and the more they talked, the more they felt that Gu Baobao was bound to have a lot of bad luck sooner or later.
A wicked plan began to take shape in their minds.
"Talk is cheap,"
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhang Pandi's eyes.
"We have to expose her true colors! Let everyone in the village see what kind of person Gu Baobao really is!"
How do I do it?
Ye Ke's heart raced, a mixture of fear and a twisted sense of pleasure.
"First, write a letter of complaint! Write it to the county, write it to the city! Write that she leads a corrupt life, has overseas connections, and engages in feudal superstition!"
Then spread rumors about her in the village, saying that she offended a big shot in the capital and came back to lay low! And also…
Zhang Pandi lowered her voice.
"The Gu family is suddenly so successful, and I heard Gu Baobao even received a national award. Who knows how many good things they have hidden away, even gold! Now that we've mentioned this, a lot of people are getting envious, and they'll be in for a world of trouble!"
Ye Ke was overjoyed, as if she could already see Gu Baobao being scorned and the Gu family being raided.
"Okay! Let's do it this way! I'll go back and write the letter right away! I learned how to write a report at the educated youth settlement!"
The two hit it off immediately and went their separate ways.
Ye Ke hid in the dark and cold side room of the Zhang family's house, and by the dim light of a kerosene lamp, racked her brains and wrote a three-page letter of denunciation.
It contains the most slanderous and defamatory statements imaginable:
It is said that Gu Baobao lived a luxurious life in the capital, wearing gold and silver, had contact with unidentified overseas people, used feudal superstitions and traditional Chinese medicine to swindle and deceive, and had a depraved mind, etc.
It also implies that the Gu family may be hiding a huge amount of money of dubious origin.
She wrote the letter, then secretly went to the commune and mailed it.
It was as if what was sent was not a letter, but a dagger that could kill Gu Baobao.
Meanwhile, Zhang Pandi was also busy.
She began whispering and mysteriously spreading "insider information" among her acquaintances:
"Hey, don't be fooled by her current success. I heard from a distant cousin of mine in the county that she messed up with some people in the capital and couldn't stay there anymore, so she ran back to lay low!"
"Exactly! Look at the people she brought back. They look like friends, but who knows what they're up to? Maybe they're just watching her!"
"Where did the Gu family get so much money? They have cars and servants to take care of them? I bet Gu Baobao took something she shouldn't have, or..."
Well, it's hard to say, but its origins are definitely questionable! Who knows, it might even be hiding a large yellow croaker!
Rumors spread quietly in the small village like a virus.
Some villagers who were initially just envious began to have their doubts.
Yes, Gu Baobao has changed so much and risen so quickly. Is there really nothing wrong behind this?
The Gu family was busy preparing for the wedding and received a constant stream of congratulatory guests. The villagers, who were actually trying to find out more, did not initially notice these undercurrents.
Only Lu Zhanming, while walking around the village with Gu Baobao, keenly noticed the undisguised malice in Zhang Pandi and Ye Ke's eyes.
He lowered his head, leaned close to Gu Baobao's ear, and spoke in a cold tone:
“Wife, do you know the woman in the gray coat by the haystack with eyes like a venomous snake, and that pregnant educated youth hiding behind the Zhang family’s door? The way they’re looking at you is strange.”
Gu Baobao glanced at him in the direction of his gaze, her expression calm and unwavering:
"The one in the gray coat is Zhang Pandi, the one who pushed me down back then. The pregnant one is called Ye Ke, she's an educated youth, we didn't have much contact before, we weren't familiar with each other."
Lu Zhanming frowned.
He remembered Zhang Pandi; Bao Bao had mentioned him. As for Ye Ke, although they weren't close, the resentment and jealousy in her eyes were palpable even from a distance.
When these two get together, nothing good ever comes of it.
"Baby, try not to go out alone these next few days. When you go out, make sure I or a security guard are with you."
He held her hand tightly and whispered his instructions.
Gu Baobao leaned against him and softly hummed in agreement, but she didn't really care.
They're just clowns.
Her current focus is more on the upcoming pilot program for barefoot doctor medicine kits and on observing the special medicinal herbs that may exist in the back mountains.
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