As soon as Song Wei heard the news, she dropped what she was doing, hoisted Heidan onto her shoulder, and bolted to the scene of the commotion.
“Team leader, I’m just going to the latrine. I’ll be back in a bit!”
Before the team leader could respond, she had already disappeared.
Team Leader: …
Like her, the sharp-eared old ladies, grabbed their grandchildren and rushed to the village chief’s house with surprising agility.
Gao Le wasn’t about to miss the drama either, especially since he was already slacking off.
“Team leader, I suddenly have diarrhea. Gotta go!”
“Wait for me, sis!”
Behind them, the team leader’s furious roar echoed: “You two little brats, get back here!”
Song Wei and Gao Le ran even faster.
Song Wei paused for a moment and asked Gao Le, “Did you bring any sunflower seeds?”
Gao Le grinned. “Of course! Zhao Su and I just bought a fresh batch from town. They’re roasted and fragrant!”
The two rushed to the scene, securing prime spots for eavesdropping thanks to Song Wei’s good rapport with the older women.
“Song Zhiqing, over here! We saved a spot for you!”
Carrying Heidan on her shoulder, Song Wei darted over, Gao Le close behind.
In the courtyard of the village chief’s house, an argument had already erupted. The aunts and grandmas in the village were all good at quarreling and their voices were very loud.
“Village chief! Get out here and bring your granddaughter Wang Xiaohua with you!”
The village secretary’s wife, flanked by her sons and a crowd of other men, stood with an imposing aura.
The village chief’s family was taken aback by the aggressive turnout.
The old village chief’s face darkened as he growled, “What is the meaning of this?”
“Meaning? Your shameless daughter is what this is about!” the village secretary’s wife shouted. “She knew full well Luo Zhiqing was set to marry my Xiaowan, yet she went off hugging and cuddling with him the day before the wedding! I won’t even repeat the disgusting things they said about marrying my daughter only to divorce her to ruin her reputation! Your Xiaohua is absolutely vile. My daughter has never wronged her, so why would she do this?
“And as if that wasn’t enough, we didn’t even go after her, and yet she’s been running around spreading lies—calling my daughter unchaste, unreasonable, and heartless! How could such a venomous person exist in our village?”
The onlookers gasped as they finally got the full story. They hadn’t expected Luo Yecheng and Wang Xiaohua to stoop so low. Had the marriage gone through, Jiang Xiaowan’s life would have been utterly ruined.
“So Luo Zhiqing and Wang Xiaohua were hooking up behind her back.”
“No wonder the village secretary didn’t want his daughter marrying him. Who would let their beloved daughter marry someone like that?”
“But seriously, Luo Yecheng fell for someone like Wang Xiaohua? What’s wrong with his taste?”
“Shameless! And all those rumors were started by Wang Xiaohua? Unbelievable.”
The crowd’s whispers and disdainful stares made the village chief’s face darken even further.
“What proof do you have? Don’t you dare slander my daughter! Maybe your Xiaowan was dumped by Luo Zhiqing and you’re just looking for someone to blame!”
Wang Xiaohua’s mother emerged to argue as well.
“My daughter witnessed with her own eyes and heard with her own ears. Not only Wang Xiaohua, but Lin Xiaocao was involved too. The two even fought over Luo Yecheng! Many of the village elders saw it.”
Several older women immediately spoke up in agreement.
“True! I was there. Those two girls were fighting like cats and calling him ‘Brother Yecheng.’”
“I saw it too. Luo Yecheng tried to run, but I grabbed him myself!” said one woman proudly.
With so many witnesses, the village chief’s daughter-in-law was rendered speechless, her rebuttals dying on her lips. She glared angrily at the nosy elders.
But the elderly women stood tall, meeting her glare with defiance. Did she want to compete in a staring contest? No problem! Their combined glares were unmatched!
“So what if that’s true? My daughter must have been tricked by Luo Zhiqing. If you can’t control your own men, don’t blame it on my Xiaohua!”
Jiang Xiaowan’s mother let out a cold laugh. “Your Xiaohua still has the audacity to play the victim? What kind of decent girl knowingly gets involved with a man who’s about to marry someone else? Everyone in the village knew about the wedding!”
“She’s already done something so disgraceful, and now she’s spreading lies about my daughter? How do you raise a child to be this shameless? Whoever marries your Xiaohua in the future is doomed!”
Before anyone could reply, Wang Xiaohua stormed out, glaring daggers at Jiang Xiaowan’s mother.
“I’ll marry whoever I want! If Xiaowan doesn’t want Luo Yecheng, then I’ll marry him instead!”
Song Wei nearly burst out laughing. Wang Xiaohua’s family was desperately trying to salvage her reputation, and here she was, sabotaging herself. This idiotic teammate was working overtime to make things worse.
Gao Le was so stunned that he forgot to spit out the sunflower seed shell in his mouth. “Is Wang Xiaohua okay in the head?”
The elderly women around them, munching on seeds they’d scrounged from Gao Le, shook their heads in unison.
“Good thing she’s not my granddaughter. I’d smack her with my shoe. What kind of brain comes out and admits to something like this?”
Others nodded in agreement, thankful that Wang Xiaohua wasn’t their problem.
Wang Xiaohua, meanwhile, was basking in her delusional confidence. “Luo Yecheng is handsome, educated, and from the city. Marrying him will bring honor to our family! If Xiaowan can’t appreciate him, that’s her loss. She’ll regret it later!”
The crowd collectively cringed. Was this girl completely out of her mind? Honor? She was dragging her entire family’s name through the mud.
The village chief, his face beet red with anger, trembled as his mustache twitched violently. “You—shut up! Stop spewing nonsense!”
He bent down, took off his shoe, and began hitting his granddaughter.
Wang Xiaohua’s mother, equally furious, joined in the scolding and swatting.
Jiang Xiaowan’s family watched with satisfaction. Serves them right!
One of the elderly onlookers chimed in, “Good! She deserves a beating. She’s completely out of line.”
Others nodded in agreement, their sunflower seeds crunching in approval.
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