Chapter 104 : Vicious Rumors

When Miao Lili and Shen Wanxia saw Su Xieyun return in disarray, dragging her luggage, they exchanged a meaningful glance.

They already knew that this new educated youth was Su Xieqiu’s cousin.  

Miao Lili and Shen Wanxia, both from Jinshi, had joined the team along with Su Xieqiu. Although they had never openly clashed with her, their relationship had always been strained.  

Previously, everyone knew that Su Xieqiu had married a “gangster” and was leading a difficult life in her husband’s family, which secretly pleased many of her peers.  

But who could have expected the “gangster” to turn into a regular worker seemingly overnight, and even build a large, tiled house in the village?  

Su Xieqiu’s fortunes had changed drastically. She went from being pitied by others to being envied, creating a stark contrast.  

While the rest of the educated youth lived hard lives, working in the fields and enduring cramped accommodations, Su Xieqiu lived in a spacious tiled house and didn’t even need to labor in the fields. This disparity stirred feelings of discomfort and unspoken resentment among the others.  

Miao Lili approached with a bright smile and asked enthusiastically, “Hello, Su Xieyun. I’m Miao Lili from Jinshi. I joined the team last year. Your luggage looks heavy, do you need help carrying it up?”  

Although Su Xieyun was in a sour mood, she forced a smile in return at this show of goodwill from the experienced educated youth.  

“Not yet, thank you. I haven’t made my bed.”  

“Let me help you set up your bedding,” Miao Lili offered warmly. Even Shen Wanxia joined in, smiling as she introduced herself.  

“My name is Shen Wanxia. I also came here last year. We’ll be living in the same room from now on. Let me know if you need help with anything.  

We’ve been here longer and know the ins and outs of the village. Feel free to ask us anything,” she said kindly.  

After being so coldly rejected by Su Xieqiu, the warmth from Miao Lili and Shen Wanxia moved Su Xieyun. It also deepened her resentment toward her cousin.  

‘Even strangers are willing to help, but that cruel cousin doesn’t care about family ties at all.’  

Miao Lili, feigning curiosity, asked, “Didn’t you go to your cousin’s place? Why didn’t she let you stay?”  

Su Xieyun felt a bit awkward but managed to look aggrieved as she said, “She’s doing well now, married to a good man, and doesn’t even recognize her parents and siblings anymore. What chance does a mere cousin like me have?”  

Of course, she left out the part about how she had mistreated Su Xieqiu in the past. She made it seem as though she were the innocent victim of Su Xieqiu’s heartlessness.  

Miao Lili frowned, her expression one of displeasure. “Why is Su Xieqiu like this? Ignoring the educated youth who came here with her is bad enough, but driving out her own cousin? She only married a regular worker, what’s so special about that? Why does she act so high and mighty all the time?”  

Hearing this, Su Xieyun felt touched, thinking Miao Lili’s words were spoken on her behalf. She looked gratefully at the two women and asked, “Does Su Xieqiu ignore you educated youth as well?”  

Shen Wanxia sighed and nodded. “Ever since she married Han Zhenyu, she hardly interacts with us anymore. She refuses to participate in any activities organized by us educated youth. She’s probably afraid we’ll take advantage of her family.”  

Miao Lili sneered, adding with a hint of sarcasm, “She’s busy at home taking care of her husband and the kids. How would she have time for us?”  

The two women exchanged a knowing laugh.  

At this, a thought struck Su Xieyun, she recalled seeing two small children behind Su Xieqiu earlier.  

Noticing the sly expressions on Shen Wanxia and Miao Lili’s faces, she suspected there was some hidden secret, one likely related to her cousin.  

‘Could there be more to Su Xieqiu’s life than meets the eye?’

Thinking of this, Su Xieyun became extremely excited. She couldn’t wait to ask, “Shen Xieyun, Miao Lili, what’s going on? Did Su Xieqiu marry a man who already had children?”  

She had always wondered how a formal worker from the city could marry someone as foolish as Su Xieqiu. ‘It turns out he already had children from a previous marriage,’ she thought with disdain.  

‘Being a stepmother is nothing special. Look at her acting so high and mighty.’  

She smugly concluded that once her uncle and aunt found out, they would surely see her as a disgrace and never let her step foot into their home again.  

Shen Wanxia and Miao Lili exchanged a glance and shook their heads, smiling mysteriously. “It would’ve been better if it was just a second marriage,” they replied.  

“What do you mean?” Su Xieyun was confused. “If it wasn’t a second marriage, then where did the children come from?”  

As the thought dawned on her, her eyes widened in shock. “Could it be that the two children’s origins are… questionable?”  

The other educated youths in the room perked up, eager to hear more gossip.  

Miao Lili smiled slyly and began sharing the most unpleasant version of the village rumors, adding her own embellishments.  

“I heard that Han Zhenyu had those two children with some woman he met outside. The mother of those kids wasn’t decent, she found someone better and abandoned both Han Zhenyu and the children.  

Kicked out of his own home, Han Zhenyu needed someone to care for the kids while he worked. But none of the respectable girls in the area would marry him.  

Your cousin, trying to avoid working in the fields, stripped off her clothes in broad daylight to seduce him. Han Zhenyu isn’t much of a decent man either, so he grabbed her right there. A lot of people saw it happen, it was truly shameful.”  

Everyone in the room was stunned by this scandalous account. Miao Lili glanced at Su Xieyun with mock concern and said meaningfully, “Good thing you’re not staying at her place. Who knows if you’d even be safe.”  

Su Xieyun, clutching her chest in exaggerated fear, felt utterly validated in her disdain for Su Xieqiu.  

‘To think she had the nerve to act so cold and heartless toward me after stooping so low herself,’ she thought angrily.  

She decided to share her own version of events to further tarnish Su Xieqiu’s image.  

“Do you know why my second uncle and aunt sent Su Xieqiu here?” she began.  

“Why? Is there some hidden reason?” Shen Wanxia asked curiously.  

Nodding gravely, Su Xieyun twisted the truth to suit her narrative.  

“When the street committee arranged for her to go to the countryside last year, my uncle originally wanted her to join a production team closer to Haishi City. Connections were already in place. But then, she did something utterly shameless, she fell in love with her second sister’s fiancé. She even threatened to commit suicide unless her second sister gave up her fiancé for her. My uncle and aunt were so embarrassed and desperate to avoid a scandal that they sent her to this remote place. But even here, she’s been anything but quiet.”  

She sighed theatrically. “If my uncle finds out about the mess she’s made here, he’ll be furious.”  

This revelation shocked Miao Lili and Shen Wanxia, as well as the other two female educated youths in the room.  

“Stealing her sister’s fiancé? Stripping in broad daylight to avoid labor? Who does things like that?” one of them exclaimed.  

The group continued discussing, adding more exaggerations with each retelling.  

—

By dinnertime, the story of Su Xieqiu and Han Zhenyu had spread among the newly arrived educated youths. Most of them looked down on Su Xieqiu, feeling she had disgraced them all by association. They decided to distance themselves from her in the future to protect their own reputations.  

However, a few more observant individuals chose not to get involved in the gossip.  

‘These are just one-sided accounts from a few older educated youths,’ they thought. ‘The details don’t add up, and the stories seem too far-fetched to be credible.’  

Some also felt that even if the rumors were true, it was Su Xieqiu’s personal choice and had nothing to do with them.  

As for Su Xieyun, her actions struck them as suspicious. ‘How could someone who just arrived and needed a place to stay immediately start spreading slander about her cousin? She doesn’t seem like a good person either.’