Lin Changjin arrived at the village headquarters.

Within ten minutes, his angry voice echoed through the loudspeakers of the Upper Lin village: “Attention, residents of Upper Lin village! Recently, there have been many rumors circulating, hurting both the children and their families.”

“The child is healthy, why are you spreading false rumors? You don’t know anything, and you spread it like you’ve seen it with your own eyes.”

“Every family has children, put your hand on your heart—how would you feel if someone spread rumors about your child behind your back? If anyone thinks it’s no big deal to say a few things, come to the village headquarters and talk to me. I’ll spread a rumor about your entire family.”

“I’ve lived this long, and it seems like I’m going backwards. Instead of thinking about how to improve your own life, all you do is gossip and spread trouble.”

“One last thing—stop spreading rumors!”

“I will have people moving around the village in the next few days. If I catch anyone spreading rumors, I’ll make sure they pay the price. If you want to gossip, go ahead!”

Since becoming the village head, Lin Changjin had always handled things with a tough approach. When he said he would make someone’s family clean up after the mess, he meant it.

This rumor had to be nipped in the bud.

Besides, Lin Yongcheng had helped him with his son, and didn’t want to offend Bai Zhu and his wife.

If the couple was willing to stay in Upper Lin, that was good for the village.

But if they spread rumors about their child, they’d ruin the relationship. If that family wanted to leave, they would regret it.

People said that Bai Zhu had spent his pension money to help his son-in-law build a house, and that the couple was willing to follow their daughter and son-in-law. But did that really mean they had no options left? Could they really not leave?

Bai Zhu had worked as a military doctor for many years, with extensive experience. If he wanted to work at the county hospital, they’d be begging for him. What use was Upper Lin to him?

If they wanted to leave, they could do so at any time. There were plenty of ways.

The only ones who couldn’t leave were the locals. A house was like half a life here. They couldn’t leave, nor could they bear to leave. If they did, they wouldn’t survive.

And yet, these people still dared to spread rumors about other people’s children?!

Lin Changjin was really angry.

After turning on the loudspeaker, the other members of the village committee gathered around, including the village secretary Lin Shiyuan.

They had also heard rumors for several days and believed them without a doubt.

Lin Changjin had just visited the Bai family, and after coming back, he was furious, leaving everyone around him confused.

“What’s going on? Is the child from Yongcheng’s family alright?”

“What could be wrong with the child? It’s just those people spreading rumors.”

“What have they been up to these days?”

“It’s not a big deal. Their youngest child has a fever from teething. The whole family was so worried they couldn’t sleep, so the child’s face looked bad.”

“……”

The people present were immediately speechless.

A child getting a fever from teething, was it really such a big deal for their family? The whole family was so worried they couldn’t sleep, and Lin Yongcheng didn’t even go to work, staying home to look after the child.

They all found it ridiculous.

Lin Changjin saw the strange expressions on their faces, and it immediately made him feel better. Finally, someone could understand his feelings; it wasn’t just him who couldn’t make sense of it.

He still couldn’t understand it.

The child was just teething, was it really necessary for their family to make such a fuss?

Unfortunately, he couldn’t ask this directly.

“I always say that among the younger generation, Yongcheng is the most promising. I never expected that a child teething would cause such trouble for their family. And they even have a doctor in the family. Is he really that anxious too?” Lin Shiyuan, the village secretary, shook his head helplessly.

Yes, they even had a doctor in the family. This wasn’t their first child, so logically, they should be more experienced and calmer than others.

But it left the outsiders completely baffled.

“I always thought I was the one who spoiled the children the most in Shanglin Village, but I never did it to this extent. Their family really is something!” Lin Dazhuang was genuinely impressed, unable to help but give a thumbs up and added, “I give up, I can’t compare to them!”

“Don’t be too optimistic.” Lin Changjin shook his head. “You can see how much they value their child from such a small thing. I just came back from their house, and Yongcheng and his wife were so angry they were cursing. Bai Dafu and his wife don’t know yet, but when they find out, they’ll be just as mad.”

He feared that Bai Shu would leave Shanglin Village.

Li Qiurong was not an ordinary village woman; she had once been a teacher, an educated person. She wouldn’t be afraid of going elsewhere to make a living.

They might not be able to keep her here.

The only ones who could keep them in Shanglin Village were their daughter and two granddaughters.

They had spread rumors about their granddaughter and offended them badly. Could they just swallow this insult?

Lin Changjin’s worries quickly woke up the others.

In the past, there had been no barefoot doctors in Shanglin Village.

Small illnesses were something people had to endure themselves. If it became too much, they would go to the nearby Liangtian Village, but the doctor there charged a hefty fee.

Now, things were so much more convenient.

If they angered Bai Zhu and he left, they would never be able to bring him back.

…

Lin Changjin didn’t name names in the broadcast, but everyone in the village knew who it was about. Probably only Bai Shu and Li Qiurong didn’t know.

The two of them were sighing after hearing it.

The child was healthy, and yet people were spreading such malicious rumors behind their backs. How vicious was that?

On their way home, Bai Shu turned to look at Li Qiurong and said, “If the village chief had to use the loudspeaker to clarify, it means the rumors must have spread widely. It’s not a small matter. I never heard any rumors at the health station. Did you hear anything?”

Li Qiurong replied, “No, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Some people spread rumors, just find them privately and deal with it. But if it’s already reached the village chief, the rumors must have spread far and wide.” She suddenly furrowed her brows, a bad premonition rising in her: “We haven’t heard any whispers, could it be about our family?”

Bai Shu gave her a deep look, and his heart sank.

If the rumors were about them, and their little Bai Guo was the one being slandered?

The couple exchanged a glance, seeing the fire of anger in each other’s eyes.

When they got home, they heard from Bai Ji that there were rumors circulating outside. The two of them just sneered. Their child was fine, and those people were just spiteful!

If the rumors were about their death, they might not be as angry, but their little Bai Guo wasn’t even half a year old, she couldn’t even talk yet. Who had she offended?

Even though the village chief’s broadcast had cleared things up, warning people not to spread more gossip, Bai Shu was still furious. It didn’t feel like enough to vent his anger, and he still felt uncomfortable.

Bai Shu came up with a solution: “When Yongcheng returns to the county, let him check for any small courtyards available for rent. If he finds a suitable one, we’ll move the whole family to the county.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Li Qiurong immediately agreed. “If we move to the county, you won’t have to worry about the child, and you won’t have to go back and forth.”

They couldn’t tolerate rumors about little Bai Guo.

Good people get taken advantage of, and if they let it slide today, people would think their family had no temper.

If it happened once, it would happen again.

The house was technically paid for by Bai Shu and Li Qiurong, but in fact, their money wasn’t used at all. They could rent a small courtyard in the county for as long as they liked.

Once Bai Ji worked at the hospital, their family would have an additional income and ration coupons every month. Could they still not afford to support a family of six?

And Bai Shu himself, was it really hard to get a job at the hospital?

Not at all, it was all up to whether he wanted it.

Lin Yongcheng knew his in-laws were really upset, so he quickly nodded, “I’ll find someone to inquire about it when I get back. Find a courtyard with a well, something more convenient.”

Money was not a problem. Lin Yongcheng’s income alone could support the whole family.

He had a salary from the security department at the mine, and the transportation team frequently asked for his help.

Every time he drove a vehicle, there was an additional subsidy. It was more than enough to support a family of six.

If his in-laws wanted to move to the county town, then let them go.

Lin Yongcheng had no objections.

Bai Ji opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she kept quiet.

That night, she began to worry.

“Moving to the county town is fine now, but what about in the future?”

“We’ll deal with the future when it comes. Mom and Dad are angry right now, just let them be. Don’t you worry about their health? Someone needs to teach those gossipers a lesson. They’ve lived a long life, but they’re still spreading rumors about a child who’s only half a year old. I’m curious to see their regret when they realize their mistake.” Lin Yongcheng paused, then continued, “Once Mom and Dad move to the county, they should be cautious. Don’t reveal too much about themselves, and avoid getting too close to others.”

People are social creatures, so keeping them from interacting with others is impossible.

As long as they aren’t too close with anyone and don’t reveal too much information, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Lin Yongcheng was confident in his in-laws.

Bai Ji’s expression still looked troubled.

“What if they meet someone they get along with?”

“Mom and Dad are both smart. Even if they go to the city, no one can easily manipulate them with a few words. Even if they get along well, they’re still outsiders.”

“I’m still worried.”

“Don’t overthink it. Our family will be fine.”

Everyone wanted to move to the city, hoping to get access to commodity grain.

But is life in the city really that good?

If their family had no problems, living in the county town would be a good choice.

The problem was that Li Qiurong had studied abroad when she was young, and if anyone found out, their whole family would be in trouble.

This was Bai Ji and Lin Yongcheng’s biggest concern.

In the past, Li Qiurong’s colleagues, as well as many people who knew them, were aware of this.

It was because of this that Lin Yongcheng gave up a promising future and returned to the countryside, draining his savings to build a house for his in-laws in their hometown.

Bai Ji gave up her job at the hospital, took their child, and returned to the countryside with him, even persuading Bai Zhu and Li Qiurong to go together.

After returning to the countryside, Bai Ji had been preventing them from contacting their old friends, almost cutting off all ties with the past, which made her feel a little more at ease.

They had quit their jobs and moved to the Shanglin brigade, and the villagers understood.

In the countryside, most people believed that sons were the most important.

They saw continuing the family line as more important than life itself.

From their perspective, Bai Zhu and his wife had no son, and their daughter had married far away.

The couple could only live with their daughter, so they eagerly followed their son-in-law back to the countryside.

Here, no one would be curious about their past.

In Shanglin brigade, the villagers would only think of them as foolish, giving up the commodity grain to live in the countryside and suffer, while envying Lin Yongcheng’s good fortune.

But once they moved to the county, all kinds of people would come out of the woodwork.