Chapter 35

Is Shuiqing’s mouth shiny from all the lies she’s told?

How come she said not to stir up trouble yesterday, but today she’s causing a scene!

Urgent shouts came from afar, Shuiqing quickly stood up, feeling a bit dizzy as she did so. After steadying herself, she walked towards the thatched hut.

Five children followed nervously behind her.

The person who had arrived was Zhang Xiaocao.

The fifteen-year-old girl had a worried expression on her thin face. When she saw Shuiqing, she quickly approached and blurted out anxiously, “Sister-in-law Shuiqing, Uncle Dama came to find my mother, saying your family doesn’t have any rice to exchange, that you just want to cheat us out of our sticky rice; My mother didn’t believe him, but he said your mother-in-law confirmed it, told us not to trust your words about exchanging rice, and urged us to come quickly to reclaim our sticky rice. Otherwise, if we don’t get the rice later, we’d have given away our sticky rice for nothing.”

Shuiqing felt her temples throb.

Her troublesome mother-in-law.

Absolutely useless, always undermining others, not even sparing her own son and daughter-in-law. No, she was even more active than strangers!

Xinghui reacted quickly and asked, “Xiaocao, what did your mother say?”

“My mother said she believes you! Our family is so poor, we can’t even feed the mice, if you were cheating for food, why would they come to us first? Worthless stuff, what’s there to cheat about? Besides, if you cheat once, won’t you get caught? Uncle Fan and Sister-in-law Shuiqing aren’t stupid, they wouldn’t need to resort to such tricks for a bit of sticky rice in the village.” Zhang Xiaocao repeated her mother’s words verbatim.

Shuiqing looked at Zhang’s mother with newfound respect.

Such a clear-minded person, truly burdened by her gambler husband.

Otherwise, with her diligence and insight, she wouldn’t have become the poorest family in Shanshui Village, living hand-to-mouth every day.

She reassured, “Xiaocao, don’t worry, our family wouldn’t cheat you out of sticky rice. Your Uncle Fan has already gone to the capital to fetch rice.”

Hearing that Uncle Fan had gone to the capital to fetch rice, Zhang Xiaocao felt relieved for their family.

She anxiously cautioned, “Sister-in-law, although my mother doesn’t believe it, it seems several households in the village do! They might come together to demand refunds from you. Plus, with the undecided ones, the situation could get very chaotic. My mother said you should be prepared, don’t let anyone take advantage of the chaos and steal your things.”

Shuiqing felt warm in her heart, a smile playing on her lips. She thanked Xiaocao sincerely, “Xiaocao, thank you for coming to tell me this in advance. When you go back, please thank your mother for me and tell her I understand. Don’t worry, I know what to do.”

Dealing with purchasing, especially with impoverished people, encountering such situations was normal. After all, for them, even the smallest matter could become a big deal, and any slight disturbance could easily be manipulated by ill-intentioned people.

Zhang Xiaocao still felt uneasy, but seeing Shuiqing’s calm demeanor, her anxious heart gradually settled down.

She didn’t know why, but she felt that Sister-in-law Shuiqing seemed like someone who had dealt with big business!

She gave herself the feeling that she didn’t care about these trivial interests.

But Uncle Dama was known in the village for being shrewd. If he stood up and said that Uncle Fan’s family was cheating and had no rice to offer, many households would believe him for sure. And many would follow him to come and make a fuss.

Then, if they rushed to snatch the rice, causing chaos and looting, how would Sister-in-law Shuiqing and the children be able to handle it?

Watching Zhang Xiaocao leave, Shuiqing’s smile faded from her face.

Her mother-in-law and that Uncle from the Fan family, Fan Dama, right?

Maybe Sun Jinhua was also adding fuel to the fire.

If they instigated others heavily, how many people would come today to demand rice, and how much would they hate them in the future!

Perhaps from now on, these families would have no peace.

She picked up a bamboo basket and instructed the two older children, “Yanqiu, Xinghui, I’m going out for a while. If anyone comes, you kids don’t rush forward, no matter what, your safety comes first; Even if it’s a big deal, say you’ll wait for your mother to come back, understand?”

Yanqiu and Xinghui, holding hands with their three younger siblings, nodded and promised, “Mom, don’t worry, we won’t be angry! And we absolutely won’t argue with them.”

“We’ll just continue to tend to the vegetable garden.”

“Mom, you can rest assured.”

Thinking about what needed to be done, even if Shuiqing felt uneasy, she had to go out.

There was no way, there were no communication tools these days, she couldn’t inform Fan Jin beforehand.

She had to hurry to the agreed meeting place from last night — otherwise, when Fan Dama brought people over later, she, the ‘key figure’, wouldn’t be able to escape.

And if Fan Jin didn’t come after waiting for a long time, and he returned with an empty ox cart, wouldn’t that confirm their accusations of cheating?

Shuiqing took a deep breath and hurried to the agreed-upon small forest, silently praying for the heavens to bless Fan Jin’s journey and ensure his safe return…

In the village, Fan’s mother, Fan Dama, and Fan Qian, along with a group of people, rushed to the last and most important household — the home of the old village chief.

The old village chief had already heard the rumors from his grandson and stood under the eaves leaning on his cane.

“Grandpa, please sit down, they’re still causing trouble,” Li Changlin, dressed in scholar’s robes, the only one among the younger generation of Shanshui Village who had pursued education, advised.

The old village chief affectionately tousled his grandson’s fuzzy head and casually asked, “Do you believe it?”

Li Changlin smiled and replied loudly, “Grandpa, I don’t believe it! Uncle Fan might not have succeeded in the imperial examinations, but his knowledge and character are unquestionable. He was the one who taught me the basics, provided expensive books, and even bought paper to bind them for you. If he were greedy, he wouldn’t just take money for the paper. If he sought fame, he wouldn’t secretly send it without the villagers knowing. If he expected gratitude, he wouldn’t say that taking money for the paper doesn’t owe him any favors. Moreover, the scholars at the academy praised my knowledge foundation, indicating that the person who taught me not only had excellent knowledge but also taught me well! Uncle Fan is talented. If he wanted money, he could easily seek employment at a noble’s mansion. Why would he bother with such petty gains in the village? I believe Uncle Fan genuinely wants to help our village!”

The old village chief’s eyes filled with even more affection as he uttered a barely audible acknowledgment.

He lifted his eyes, wrinkled with age, and gazed at the bustling crowd outside the earthen walls.

These people, the principles his twelve-year-old grandson understood, they didn’t grasp yet.

It wouldn’t be long before they realized what they had missed…

“Old village chief, you must intervene for us!”

“Our village has suffered a great calamity, and most of us have been deceived. It’s intolerable.”

“We must make sure Fan Jin and his wife return our belongings! If they dare not return them, our village won’t tolerate their presence!”