After speaking, Lin Nannan noticed Lu Heng staring at her silently. Thinking he might have a different opinion, she hesitated and asked, “Do you disagree with what I did?”

“No,” Lu Heng quickly clarified when he saw she had misunderstood. “You did nothing wrong, but my situation is a bit complicated…”

Lin Nannan didn’t understand. “What’s so complicated? Even if there are things that can’t be said outright, they’ll find another excuse. They would never allow you to be slandered and have dirt thrown on you.”

Lu Heng was momentarily speechless.

As they spoke, a commotion erupted in the courtyard. Clearly, quite a few people had been drawn over.

“Mom and Dad are back…” Lu Heng said, conflicted.

Since this matter involved him, he felt he should go out and face it himself—otherwise, Nannan might be bullied.

But in his current state…

“Don’t worry, I’m here. Stop overthinking. I hate people who play these sneaky games the most,” Lin Nannan said as she got up to head outside. The way she moved, one might think she was ready for a fight.

By the time Lin Nannan stepped out, Lu Yuan was already furiously explaining the situation to their family, while Lu Ding calmly added details. Han Yan, standing there alone, could barely contain her frustration.

She felt like her mother had completely ruined things for her.

If she had known the Lu family would defend Lin Nannan so fiercely, she wouldn’t have shown up at all.

“Auntie, this is all my fault. I believed my mother’s nonsense and thought it was Sister-in-law who caused trouble, so I came to tell Brother Ah Heng. I didn’t expect Ah Yuan to misunderstand.”

Since she couldn’t avoid it, she decided to admit fault quickly—better that than getting dragged into even bigger trouble.

Since she claimed she didn’t know the truth, the Lu family wouldn’t hold it against her.

But Zhang Xiaofeng wasn’t buying it. She coldly responded, “Han Yan, this is the Lu family’s matter—we’ll handle it ourselves. And as for what your mother said, when the military people arrive, she can explain it herself.”

Her usual kind demeanor was completely gone.

Her pride and joy—her eldest son—had already suffered enough. Now, he was being falsely accused? This was absolutely intolerable. She would not let this slide.

Han Yan forced a smile, wondering what was so special about Lin Nannan. How had she managed to win over the entire Lu family in just one night?

If she dared to ask, the Lu family would simply reply: “There’s no reason. Lin Nannan was willing to marry Lu Heng, so we will protect her and never let her be bullied.”

By now, most of the villagers had figured out what was going on. Many began pointing fingers at those who had spread false rumors, making them panic. Some were even on the verge of tears, desperate to defend themselves. In the end, all blame landed on He Ye, who wasn’t even present.

The Lu family only grew angrier as more details came to light—especially upon hearing things that Lin Nannan and Lu Yuan hadn’t even known about.

“You all watched Ah Heng grow up. Don’t you know what kind of person he is? And yet, you spread these kinds of lies? What exactly are you trying to do?” Zhang Xiaofeng was so furious that she clutched her chest, struggling to breathe.

Lin Nannan immediately rushed to support her. “Mom, don’t get worked up. Take a deep breath—slowly exhale…”

The Lu family panicked. Some fetched water, others brought a chair, all scrambling to help her.

Lying inside the house, Lu Heng was filled with anxiety but utterly helpless. He didn’t even dare to call out loudly, afraid of agitating his mother further.

His once-proud status as a soldier had been reduced to that of a cripple—and now, people were slandering him. This was like a knife stabbing straight into his mother’s heart.

At this moment, he fully agreed with Lin Nannan’s approach.

This situation needed to be dealt with permanently.

A clear warning had to be sent so that these people would stop their endless scheming and hurting his family.