Chapter 21: Reported

Seeing Widow Xia’s agitation, Auntie Li glanced at her. “If it’s not yours, why are you so worked up?”

Widow Xia, unable to bear Auntie Li’s taunts, rushed forward. “Li Guihua, if I hear you talk nonsense again, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Li Guihua’s already harsh face became even colder.

“You dare be impolite to me, Widow Xia? Then come on! Let’s see how impolite you’ll be.”

“You…”

Widow Xia couldn’t help herself and attacked. They soon began to fight, exchanging harsh words.

“Widow Xia, maybe that’s your child. You were widowed not long ago, and I noticed something was off. Now I think about it, you were pregnant back then.”

Widow Xia’s expression froze. She had indeed become pregnant with Jianhua shortly after her husband’s death, but she couldn’t admit it.

“Li Guihua, you’re a liar! I’m a respectable woman, and you’re slandering me! I can’t live like this!” She fiercely pulled Li Guihua’s hair.

Auntie Zhao, seeing the escalating fight, went to call for help.

Villagers arrived and separated them.

“Alright, alright, stop fighting! We’re all from the same village. Talk it out.”

“Yes, Li Guihua, just say less.” The villagers knew about the rumors surrounding Widow Xia.  She must have overheard something, leading to the fight.

Widow Xia cried on the ground. “You’ve all been spreading rumors about me. How can I live like this?”

Village Chief Wang Yougen arrived, learned what happened, glared at Li Guihua, and said, “Alright, disperse. Don’t spread rumors. Let’s wait until the matter is investigated before discussing it.”

After everyone left, Tang Xiaorou emerged from the shadows.

Li Guihua’s words directly alluded to Widow Xia’s pregnancy.  If she noticed, others must have noticed too.  The difference between a pregnant and non-pregnant woman is obvious. Others might have noticed Widow Xia’s changes.

Tang Xiaorou quietly left.

Qin Xueqiong saw her daughter return. “Xiaorou, why are you back so late? Were you seen in Qingshan Village?”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I was careful. No one saw me.”

Qin Xueqiong relaxed. “That’s good.”

Tang Xiaorou told Qin Xueqiong about the situation in Qingshan Village. “Things have loosened up, but if you’re too blatant, you’ll be noticed. Widow Xia is in trouble.” She had already made her arrangements; someone would report it.

As Tang Xiaorou predicted, Widow Xia was reported.

“Village chief, you must investigate who reported me. I have no grievances with anyone in the village. Who would want to harm me? Don’t you know how much trouble this will cause me?”

Widow Xia was afraid of being questioned.

Fortunately, she held her tongue. They only received a report and couldn’t do anything without evidence.  But she worried they would find out something, and she and Old Man Tang would suffer.

Wang Yougen hadn’t expected this. He couldn’t let Widow Xia make false accusations. “Don’t worry, it’s not related to you. You’ll be fine. But we don’t know who reported it. Don’t say anything. What if it’s not someone from our village?”

“Village chief, besides the villagers gossiping, who else would know about this? Someone in the village must be trying to harm me. Village chief, you must help me!”

Wang Yougen sighed. “We’ve seen how hard-working you’ve been all these years. I’ll tell the villagers not to gossip anymore. Stay home and don’t go out unless necessary.”

Widow Xia knew this was all Wang Yougen could do. Finding the person who reported her was impossible.

Feeling dejected, Widow Xia returned home, filled with worry.  She knew the consequences would be dire if the truth came out. She couldn’t sit still and wanted to find Grandpa Tang but couldn’t be seen. She contacted him using their usual secret method.

But Grandpa Tang didn’t come.

Looking at the empty house, Widow Xia felt resentful.  She had always been alone.

Meanwhile, Li Guihua secretly went to the cornfield and dug up a handkerchief containing three yuan from the field ridge.

Delighted to find the money, Li Guihua thought the person was trustworthy.  If she had more opportunities like this, she’d do it again.

After getting the money, Li Guihua left happily.

Tang Xiaorou watched everything.  She continued her plan.  Those who received the report would target Widow Xia.  She just needed them to discover the truth.

She went to the Tang family’s house secretly.

On the way, she saw a fainted boy Yao Bingcheng, who lived next to Widow Xia.  She remembered him because his name was different from other village children’s names.  She didn’t expect to meet him here.

Tang Xiaorou checked his pulse and found he had fainted from hunger. She quickly woke him. “Eat something; you’ll faint again.”  It was just mild hypoglycemia; otherwise, it would be more troublesome.

Yao Bingcheng took a large steamed bun and bit into it fiercely.

Tang Xiaorou gave him a water bottle. “Don’t choke.”

Yao Bingcheng did choke a little. After drinking water, he felt better. He stopped eating and anxiously looked at Tang Xiaorou. “Sister, can you check on my grandmother? She suddenly fainted. I was going to get help, but I fainted too.”

Tang Xiaorou didn’t delay.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Only Grandma Yao and Yao Bingcheng lived in the Yao family’s house. The Yao family had been wealthy landowners, but during the war, they donated all their wealth, and the men went to war.  Their family dwindled, but because of their generosity, they weren’t affected by the later movements.  However, the villagers distanced themselves from them, and the grandmother and grandson were struggling.

“Sister, let’s go inside.”

Inside, Grandma Yao was lying in bed with her eyes closed. Tang Xiaorou quickly checked her pulse and said to Yao Bingcheng, “Get an embroidery needle.”