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Li Shi walked in and glanced around the room, noticing the injury on Liu Siniang’s forehead, which furrowed his brow. Just passing by the village and seeing the crowd, he inquired and learned of Liu Siniang’s situation. Without hesitation, he hurried over.
“Brother Shitou, just one word from you. Did Siniang ever bother you?” Su Zhi relayed Dazhu’s wife’s words to Li Shi, hoping to divert attention away from him. Now, the focus was on breaking the lies of Dazhu’s wife.
“No.”
Dazhu’s wife panicked at his response. “Brother Shitou, don’t cover for Liu Siniang. Didn’t she pester you this morning? I saw it myself. Tell the truth!”
Li Shi frowned and said, “That was an accidental encounter. I never tell lies. Even if you don’t believe me, I can find a witness. There was someone there at the time, a seller of calligraphy and paintings. He witnessed it, and he’s a literate person with good character. If you don’t believe me, we can ask him to testify!”
Su Zhi looked at Dazhu’s wife and said, “See? It’s nothing like what you said. Brother Shitou and Siniang didn’t have any improper relationship at all. You just saw Brother Shitou lend a hand to Siniang and assumed they were up to something. Your actions have tarnished their reputations. Today, it was exposed, but if it hadn’t been, Siniang would have been unjustly accused. A woman’s reputation is crucial. What if she had been wrongly labeled? Could your conscience bear it?”
“That’s right! Dazhu’s wife, you really need to change. Not only do you spread rumors based on hearsay, but now you’re also falsely accusing others! These two people simply had an accidental encounter, and you’re making a big deal out of it. If you accidentally bump into me, does that mean you want to fight? Everyone, take note. If she bumps into anyone in the future, make sure she pays for any medical expenses!”
Li Qing’s wife spoke with a smile on her face. She had always been at odds with Dazhu’s wife wife and didn’t hold back when mocking her.
The onlookers now completely believed that Siniang was innocent. They felt disdain for Dazhu’s wife, who had caused suspicion and violence against Siniang by spreading rumors. They criticized her one by one, exposing not only her current actions but also her past misdeeds, including incidents from when she first married into Riverside Village. It was a string of scandals, showing just how disliked Dazhu’s wife was.
Dazhu’s wife’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger as she retorted, “I didn’t see it wrong! They were definitely getting cozy! Besides, this Liu Siniang always pretends to be weak and evokes sympathy. She’s clearly flirtatious! I suspect my judgment is correct!”
“I say, Dazhu’s wife, are you jealous because she’s prettier than you? I remember you wouldn’t even let your husband help carry a bundle of firewood for his younger sister. Are you annoyed because your husband always seems to be eyeing this younger sister-in-law of yours?” Someone in the crowd shouted loudly, eliciting laughter all around.
“Whoever’s spouting nonsense, step forward!” Dazhu’s wife shouted, silencing the male voice from earlier. Then, another woman spoke up, saying, “Dazhu’s wife, who gave you the right to interrupt others? Your husband, Dazhu, is already an adopted son. Don’t come here stirring up trouble for no reason! Even if you’re your mother-in-law’s favorite, you’re not considered a proper daughter-in-law!”
“If she’s not a proper daughter-in-law, does that mean she’s a thief?” Another man chimed in, sparking another round of laughter.
Dazhu’s wife was seething with anger, but as a woman, she didn’t dare to get into a physical altercation with the people outside. All she could do was fume with embarrassment, her face flushed with anger, while muttering insults under her breath. She didn’t dare to curse too harshly, afraid that someone among the crowd might come forward and hit her.
Aunt Jinhua turned to Li Qing’s wife and said, ” Granny Zhao, do you see this? It’s all because of Dazhu’s wife careless accusations. You’ve wronged your daughter-in-law! Siniang is timid and didn’t even dare to tell you when she lost the money. It was Shen Zi’an’s wife who insisted on giving it to her. With such a timid nature, how could she possibly be bold enough to do something improper? In my opinion, even if your daughter-in-law’s innocence were questioned, would it be appropriate to spread such rumors? If her reputation suffers, will your family’s reputation improve? After all, she’s your son’s wife now. Your daughter is grown up too. If this affects her, it wouldn’t be good, would it?”
Upon hearing Aunt Jinhua’s remark about her being grown up, Zhao Xiaohua pretended to shyly lower her head, but she sneakily glanced at Shen Zi’an and Li Shi. She thought to herself, “Shen Zi’an has married someone else, and Li Shi isn’t bad either, although he still lacks money, without even a decent-sized house. If only he could have a big tiled house and a few dozen acres of good land, then I might consider marrying him. But when her eyes caught Li Shi glancing at Liu Siniang, even though it was just a fleeting look with a furrowed brow, she felt displeased. Why was he looking at Liu Siniang for no reason? Wasn’t she attractive enough? Wasn’t she just a withered flower married off to someone else?”
“My sister-in-law isn’t timid at all! If she were timid, would she dare to kneel down and swear in front of so many people? It’s all an act! Vixens like her can pretend to be weak to seduce men!” Zhao Xiaohua’s words drew everyone’s attention to her face. People thought she was relentless, even more so than Dazhu’s wife. If someone from her family married someone from another family, there would be plenty of drama every day! She would surely turn a perfectly good household upside down!
Su Zhi glanced at her and said, “Whether a vixen is weak or not, I don’t know. But I do know that vixens always speak with affectation, and their faces are like they’ve been coated with a layer of flour.”
Although Zhao Xiaohua’s voice was sometimes a bit loud, it sounded as if she were pinching her nose while speaking, as if she wanted to appear more dignified. However, the effect wasn’t quite right, making people feel awkward when listening to her. Moreover, her face was currently coated with a layer of white powder, which, to Su Zhi, who was accustomed to sophisticated cosmetics, appeared to be the crudest kind of face powder. She seemed to treasure it, applying it thickly, probably thinking she looked beautiful. Little did she know that Su Zhi almost burst out laughing when she first saw it.
Su Zhi’s eyes were fine, and so were everyone else’s. Although they couldn’t judge whether Zhao Xiaohua looked good or not in their eyes, they all saw that her face was indeed coated with a layer of powder, just as Su Zhi had said. Many people laughed, especially the women who were envious of Zhao Xiaohua having such powder, laughing even louder.
Zhao Xiaohua stomped her foot in frustration and exclaimed to Shen Zi’an, “Brother Zi’an, look at the jinx you’ve married! She’s cursing at me!”
“My wife is not a jinx, and besides, she’s telling the truth.”
Shen Zi’an’s stern words to Zhao Xiaohua successfully elicited a smile from Su Zhi. Then, he glanced at Zhao Xiaohua, thinking that just now she seemed interested in Brother Li, but now she seemed to have some unusual feelings towards him. She had called someone else a Vixens, but it seemed she was the one after all. Su Zhi decided to tell her husband to stay away from Zhao Xiaohua in the future. Although it was ancient times and men could take concubines, Su Zhi couldn’t accept a third party in her relationship!
Some people laughed, thinking Zhao Xiaohua had brought it upon herself. Shen Zi’an valued his wife very much, and now that she wasn’t sick or ugly anymore and had shed the reputation of being a jinx, he was even more devoted to her.
Others began to criticize Zhao Xiaohua, telling her to stop talking nonsense and that Su Zhi was a lucky star, not a jinx. Many people echoed this sentiment. Now that Shen Zi’an’s family was wealthy and Su Zhi had even provided the idea and blueprint of the kang bed to everyone, the villagers in Riverside Village had changed their attitude towards her. That old Taoist who had called her a jinx probably had been mistaken. Initially, people followed along with what he said, but upon further reflection, they realized that the so-called misfortunes attributed to Su Zhi could happen to anyone. Blaming it all on one person was unfair.
Once people came to this realization, they not only stopped rejecting Su Zhi but also felt sorry for her. Now, when someone spoke ill of her, there were naturally many people willing to defend her.
Zhao Xiaohua glared angrily.
Su Zhi thought to herself that it seemed her reputation as a jinx was finally becoming a thing of the past. All the efforts she had made in recent days had not been in vain. She exchanged a smile with Shen Zi’an, thinking that their days ahead would be much better.
Aunt Jinhua once again advised the Old lady of the Zhao family to treat Liu Siniang well, praising her as the best daughter-in-law under the heavens. Others chimed in, and although Granny Zhao was somewhat stubborn, she knew the situation was not in her favor. She didn’t dare to offend the village elders, as doing so would make life difficult for her in the village.
Granny Zhao grunted in agreement to Aunt Jinhua’s words, then gave a stern look to her daughter-in-law, saying, “Why haven’t you helped your sister-in-law into the house to rest yet?”
Frustrated with being scolded and criticized, the daughter-in-law, though unwilling, complied and went to help Liu Siniang. However, Shugen’s Wife stopped her, so she assisted Liu Siniang back to her room.
With that, the situation was calmed, and the onlookers dispersed.
Granny Zhao escorted Aunt Jinhua and the others out, telling Shen Zi’an that she would definitely attend his housewarming party, regardless of whether she was invited or not.
After bidding farewell to Aunt Jinhua and the others, Su Zhi, Shen Zi’an, and Li Shi walked together.
“I wonder if Siniang will have anyone to take care of her in such a situation. She’s really pitiful, marrying into such a family,” Su Zhi sighed softly, feeling fortunate to be married to Shen Zi’an, who tightened his grip on her hand, determined not to let his wife suffer any grievances.
Li Shi walked quietly, his head bowed and his complexion not too good. When they reached the door of his house, he only exchanged a few words with Shen Zi’an before leaving, unlike his usual spirited self.
Su Zhi, having previously worked in human resources, was very observant of people’s behaviors. She had actually noticed that Li Shi’s attitude towards Liu Siniang wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed on the surface. His gaze towards her seemed somewhat special. However, Su Zhi wouldn’t say anything about it. Such matters couldn’t be speculated upon, especially in this era.