Chapter 40: This Woman is Not Simple

When everyone heard this, they all perked up, ears straining towards the direction of the wooden house, as if they had really heard some noise coming from inside.

“I think I really heard something. Could it be that wild boar really went in there?” One villager rubbed his hands together and excitedly shouted to those around him.

Soon, the villagers’ eyes shone as they stared towards the wooden house, and some of them couldn’t wait to rush over there.

The closer they got to the wooden house, the louder the noise inside became, and their expressions grew more and more eager.

Inside the wooden house:

“He Erpao, are you crazy? If you dare to touch me, I won’t let you go!” She stood in the corner, panic in her eyes, shouting at him.

She had come here to wait for Jiang Hong, but instead, it was He Erpao, this good-for-nothing, who showed up.

He Erpao looked at her awkwardly. “Yang Tao, I really have no choice. If I don’t force you into this, I’ll be the one suffering. I know I’m not much, but you can rest assured, if you’re with me, I’ll treat you well.”

At this moment, Yang Tao’s face turned pale, and the sight of his yellow teeth made her feel disgusted.

“Who wants to be with you? Stop flattering yourself. Do you think you’re worthy of me? What a joke!” She looked at him with disdain.

He Erpao had initially felt a bit guilty towards her, but hearing her disdainful words, his heart twisted. He immediately pounced on her, holding her tightly and saying, “I’m not worthy of you? You’re an old maid. If it weren’t for me wanting you, you wouldn’t even be able to get married now. Only I would look at you. You’re still thinking about Jiang Hong, but does he even like you?”

Yang Tao could smell his foul breath and felt like vomiting. Her face turned even paler as she struggled. “He Erpao, I warn you, if you dare touch me, I’ll report you for assault!”

He Erpao, who had just been about to kiss her, froze when he heard her words.

These days, such things were taken very seriously. If this woman reported him, he would be in serious trouble.

Compared to death, this punishment didn’t seem so bad.

In the brief hesitation, suddenly, the wooden house door was pushed open from the outside with great force.

The two people inside were revealed to the villagers standing outside.

“Oh my god, who’s so shameless, hugging and embracing inside?” Just as everyone was stunned, someone suddenly shouted, snapping the others out of their daze.

He Erpao and Yang Tao, slow to react, separated from each other.

Yang Tao, at this moment, felt like dying. With so many people seeing her and He Erpao in an intimate position, the whole village would be buzzing with gossip about her secret meeting with him in the woods.

Thinking of the horrible rumors that would spread, she wished she could disappear.

Seeing the gleam of gossip in everyone’s eyes, Yang Tao let out a cry, clutching her head as tears welled up and ran out of the wooden house.

Among the crowd, Li Yiyi, watching her run away, curled the corners of her mouth into a smug smile.

Inside the wooden house, some of the men surrounded He Erpao, curiously asking about what had just happened.

“He Erpao, look at you. Who would’ve thought that someone like you could actually have a woman? Not even the high-status Yang Tao from the village would look down on you. Impressive.”

“Yeah, He Erpao, you sly dog. Come on, tell us, what kind of trick did you use to make Yang Tao, someone no one would want, fall for you?”

He Erpao looked around at the villagers, his vanity swelling with satisfaction.

In the past, he was looked down upon in the village because his mother had married into the village from elsewhere. After both his adoptive father and his real mother passed away, he became the subject of gossip behind his back.

But now, these villagers were all patting him on the shoulder and asking him questions, and their warmth made him feel like he was finally being respected like a normal person.

“It’s nothing. With women, all you need is a little sweet talk, and they’ll follow you. Yang Tao’s the same.” He said, his face full of pride.

Outside the crowd, Li Yiyi looked at his smug expression, curled her lip, and pulled Jiang Jianshe, who had been summoned by the villagers, towards Jiang Hong, who was standing a little further off.

“Third Uncle,” Jiang Jianshe said, his eyes sparkling with admiration as he looked at his uncle, who he had always admired.

Jiang Hong knew that these villagers had been called over by his nephew. He patted Jiang Jianshe’s shoulder and praised him, “Good boy, well done.”

Hearing the praise from the uncle he had looked up to since childhood, Jiang Jianshe blushed and lowered his head.

In less than half a day, the news of Yang Tao meeting He Erpao in the bamboo forest spread throughout the village.

Yang Tao, having fled back home, stayed inside, too scared to leave. It wasn’t until her mother forcibly pushed the door open that she was shaken out of her fear.

“Stupid girl, are you trying to kill me? I introduced you to so many good men, but you didn’t like any of them. Instead, you go for the village good-for-nothing He Erpao? He’s a pile of mud, how could you like him? You’re driving me crazy!” Her mother angrily yanked her daughter, who was lying in bed, up and started scolding her.

At first, Yang Tao didn’t want to pay attention, but when she heard her mother’s last words, her eyes suddenly cleared, and she grabbed her mother’s arm tightly. “Mom, what did you just say? How did you know about me and He Erpao?”

“How would I know? Now the whole village knows about you and He Erpao meeting in the bamboo forest. You’re a fool! How could you like someone like him? You’re driving me crazy!” Her mother sat down on the bed, wiping her eyes, crying.

“Already spread everywhere? How did it spread so quickly?” Yang Tao anxiously pulled on her mother’s arm.

Although her mother was also angry about what her daughter had done, what could she do? She was her own daughter, so she couldn’t just ignore her.

“I think this matter won’t die down soon. Your aunt lives in the city, you should go hide there for a while. When the rumors die down, you can come back to the village.” Her mother quickly came up with a plan.

She then slapped Yang Tao’s shoulder and scolded her again. “You fool, how could you like someone like He Erpao? Don’t expect me to agree to your marriage with him.”

Yang Tao slapped the bed with her hands, her eyes red as she cried out, “I didn’t! How could I like He Erpao, that good-for-nothing? I was framed!”