“Wasn’t that just a last resort? With Lu Heng in that condition, only a fool wouldn’t realize how hard life would be. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t marry him.” He Ye, thinking about how the Lu family had declined a marriage alliance with her family, felt a wave of relief. Otherwise, it would have been her daughter Yan Yan suffering now.

After all, her family didn’t have a daughter to swap in a marriage.

“To be honest, the Lu family is quite heartless. Knowing full well that Lu Heng is paralyzed and could die at any moment, they still dared to let him marry. Isn’t that just ruining a fool’s life?” She spoke without restraint, her eyes filled with schadenfreude.

The gossip-loving villagers gathered together, chattering away. Some said Lin Nannan was lucky to be taken care of by the Lu family, while others accused the Lu family of being deceitful, tricking Lin Nannan. No one had a positive outlook.

After all, one was a fool, and the other was paralyzed—a perfect match, both incapable of taking care of themselves.

When people get carried away, they lose all sense of reason and say things they normally wouldn’t. He Ye was in such a state. She pulled another gossip-loving village woman aside and said boldly, “You say they’re heartless, but I think Lu Heng must have done something wrong. Otherwise, why would he come back so pitifully? I heard it was the village chief and the Lu family who went to bring him back… They claim it happened during a mission, but look—how long has Lu Heng been back, and has anyone come to visit him?”

The gossipers exchanged glances, as if they had stumbled upon some secret, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Are you saying there’s something fishy going on?”

“Maybe he really did something shameful and had to slink back in disgrace!” He Ye grew more animated, her voice rising. “Remember that guy from the neighboring village who retired after earning merit? There was a big celebration, and he was given a lot of rewards. But look at Lu Heng—there’s been no fanfare, no word from the Lu family. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

“That’s nonsense!” Lu Yuan trembled with anger, unable to hold back her retort.

The village women, seeing that it was Lu Yuan, looked embarrassed, having been caught gossiping.

Only He Ye showed no remorse. Seeing that it was Lu Yuan and Lin Nannan, she sneered mockingly, “Then tell me, why is it that your brother, who was so severely injured, hasn’t made any noise about it?”

Lu Yuan had no idea about any of these details, but she believed in her brother. Her eyes reddened with anger.

“Sister-in-law, don’t stop me. I’m going to fight her!” She realized she was being pulled back and saw that it was Lin Nannan holding her. She immediately shouted.

“Fight what? If there’s any question about merit, we can just ask,” Lin Nannan said, pulling her back.

Lu Yuan was stunned. “Ask? Ask who?”

The others were also curious.

Lin Nannan raised an eyebrow, scanning the crowd, and said with a light smile, “Ask the military. If your brother really did something shameful, and the military let him come back, wouldn’t that be covering up for him? How could we allow such a thing? Even if he’s my husband, I’d have to report it to avoid causing panic in the village…”

After saying this, she noticed the expressions of those who had been gossiping earlier change. The smile on her lips deepened. “On the other hand, if someone is spreading rumors and damaging your brother’s reputation, they must have some grievance against the military, right?”

Since Lu Heng had served in the military, Lu Yuan knew a bit more about these matters. Hearing Lin Nannan’s words, her eyes lit up. She realized this was a better approach than getting into a fight and immediately supported her. “Quick, sister-in-law, let’s go. The village chief must know where my brother’s unit is. Let’s go and get this cleared up.”