Chapter 42: The Gossiping Women Regret It

“Is it really worth it to risk becoming mute for this deranged couple, enduring a lifetime of throat pain?” Hu Zhaodi asked the group of gossiping women with her arms crossed, looking down at them.

The women’s faces shifted from green to pale. Even the dullest among them could realize, after hearing Hu Zhaodi’s words, that they had been used by Yang Dahui and his wife.

Used by Yang Dahui and his wife, they could only satisfy their urge to gossip while gaining nothing beneficial in return.

Now, not only were they suffering unbearable throat pain, but they also faced the possibility of becoming mute for life.

They were illiterate and somewhat foolish and ignorant, but now that Hu Zhaodi had opened their eyes, they all shot resentful glances at Yang Dahui and his wife.

Hu Zhaodi gave them a meaningful look before turning head inside.

Fifth Brother Ji was momentarily stunned but followed Hu Zhaodi into the house.

Outside the courtyard, the gossiping women exchanged glances and suddenly launched themselves at Yang Dahui and his wife.

Yang Dahui and his wife, taken aback for a moment, quickly rose to their feet and began to fight back against the women.

Though their voices were muted, the sounds of their scuffle reached Hu Zhaodi’s ears.

A slight smile appeared at the corner of Hu Zhaodi’s mouth as she stood by the door, watching the chaos unfold outside.

As a man, Yang Dahui fought ruthlessly, causing the women to grimace in pain. However, the women were no pushovers; they were bold enough in the village, and soon Yang Dahui found himself scratched across the face.

His wife fared even worse, her hair was a disheveled mess, and she had lost quite a bit of it in the struggle, her face marred as well.

Despite Yang Dahui’s physical advantage, facing five gossiping women proved to be too much.

After about a cup of tea’s worth of time, he began to falter, and soon both he and his wife were being chased away by the women.

Once Yang Dahui and his wife had been driven off, the five gossiping women returned to kneel outside the Ji family’s courtyard, this time with expressions full of regret and apology.

When Hu Zhaodi appeared before them again, one of the women, with tears in her eyes, looked at her imploringly.

In the next moment, she raised her hand and slapped her own face, filled with self-reproach.

“Slap! Slap!”

The sound echoed as she hit herself, her cheeks quickly reddening and swelling.

After a moment of surprise, the other women followed suit, raising their hands to strike their own faces.

Once their faces were all red and swollen, Hu Zhaodi spoke up, “Do you all realize your mistakes now?”

The five women nodded vigorously.

Hu Zhaodi looked meaningfully at them, her expression serious.

“Remember, don’t be foolish enough to let others use you as pawns. You won’t gain anything good from it, and you may end up ruining yourselves.

Have you thought about the immense harm your actions could cause to others?

Every word and deed you exhibit sets an example for your children. Are you not afraid that your children might turn out just like you?”

The five gossiping women lowered their heads in shame.

Hu Zhaodi reached into her pocket, and with a thought, five small, dark pills appeared in her palm.

She distributed the pills to each of the women and warned coldly, “Remember, if I hear about any more baseless rumors coming from you, I will ensure you remain mute for the rest of your lives.

If the situation is severe, I won’t hesitate to make your children share in the consequences of your slander.”

The women trembled, nodding frantically, their faces filled with regret.

Hu Zhaodi turned and walked into the house without even glancing at the five gossiping women.

The five women exchanged looks and swallowed the dark pills they held in their hands.

After a while, they could speak again, and their throats felt less painful.

One of them said, “Zhaodi is right; Yang Dahui and his wife used us, and we gained nothing while suffering so much. We can’t let this slide—let’s go settle this with them.”

Another woman, looking filled with guilt, added, “We really shouldn’t have made baseless accusations when we didn’t see anything. Zhaodi used to be so pitiful, and now she’s finally turned her life around as a young woman. If those rumors spread, how would she ever find a husband?

I was so foolish; I almost ended up mute myself. But Yang Dahui and his wife are so malicious, trying to drug Zhaodi. We definitely can’t let them get away with this.”

“Let’s go spread the word in the village about their wicked intentions so everyone knows what kind of people they are,” one of the women declared.

Without hesitation, the five women set out to make it happen.

The next day, the news of Yang Dahui and his wife’s plot to poison and harm Hu Zhaodi, as well as their attempts to seize her hard-earned money, spread throughout the entire village.

The Hu family heard the news as well. Yang and Hu Dashan gritted their teeth, filled with anger toward Yang Dahui’s family for their incompetence in not taking revenge on behalf of their family.

Early in the morning, Yang Dahui and his wife opened their door, planning to kneel outside Ji’s courtyard to beg for an antidote.

However, before they could step outside, they were met with pointed fingers and scornful shouts from the crowd gathered outside.

Villagers passing by their house spat in disgust, hurling accusations at them for being heartless.

The elderly couple had no choice but to shut the door and retreat back inside, wiping their tears.

Faced with the angry shouts of so many people, they lost the courage to step outside.

Yang Dahui and his wife struggled with sore throats, finding it difficult even to drink water, and their stomachs grumbled with hunger, but they couldn’t swallow anything.

Their disabled son lay on the bed, his eyes empty and filled with despair.

The thin walls of the house offered no soundproofing, and he could hear every accusation and insult from outside clearly.

They had failed, and now his parents had failed too!

He would never have a chance to find a wife again!

When he had first heard about his parents’ plans to drug Hu Zhaodi, hoping to force her into a relationship with him, he had felt so hopeful.

He knew Hu Zhaodi had no one to back her up; if they succeeded in their plan, she would have no choice but to marry him.

His parents were getting old and wouldn’t be able to care for him for long.

Once Hu Zhaodi entered his home, he was sure he could make her willingly look after him.

But before Hu Zhaodi even reached his home, and before the plan could be executed, his father’s position as the village head was stripped from him.

With Yang Dahui losing his position, he had almost no source of income left, making it impossible to even afford to buy a wife.

His hopes were utterly shattered!

“Father, Mother, how could you be so foolish! You shouldn’t have let this slip!” Yang Dahui’s disabled son couldn’t help but complain.

Yang Dahui and his wife shook their heads repeatedly, insisting they hadn’t told anyone anything!

But now, with their voices failing them, they couldn’t even defend themselves.

Their throats were in excruciating pain, and without the antidote, they would surely starve to death.

Yang Dahui glanced at his wife and took her hand, heading toward the door.

He couldn’t take it anymore; no matter how much they were cursed, he had to go find Hu Zhaodi and plead for the antidote.