Chapter 38: Gossip and Rumors

“I’m furious, why don’t you say it’s this little girl who made me angry? You still don’t know why Jin Bei dislikes Tan Yanlu, do you? You don’t know why she made my two sons harm others, do you? I know, your precious daughter has taken a fancy to Lian Xiuran from the educated youth residence. But Lian Xiuran comes from such a good family, how could he possibly be interested in your little girl? Your daughter went crazy, causing trouble for Tan Yanlu out of nowhere, just because Tan Yanlu is beautiful and she saw her as a rival. She repeatedly caused trouble for her, and if it weren’t for her, none of this would have happened. This is the good daughter you’ve raised. Your little girl is a troublemaker, causing unrest in the Jin family, and now she’s almost killed the old man.”

Wife of Jin Lao San mercilessly exposed Jin Bei’s petty thoughts. Jin Bei’s face turned pale, her secrets laid bare in front of so many people, it was like tearing her face off and trampling it on the ground. Tears streamed down Jin Bei’s face as she turned and ran into the house. Her running away only confirmed the truth of her petty thoughts in the eyes of the onlookers.

The crowd began to whisper among themselves, this was quite the scandal, and Jin Bei’s reputation was largely ruined. Accountant Jin and his wife were red with anger, and now the first and third branches of the Jin family were at each other’s throats. In the end, it was the poor brigade leader, who had been busy all morning and hadn’t even eaten lunch, who came to mediate and drove the onlookers away.

With no more spectacle to watch, everyone gradually left, and Jiang Pan Yu and Tan Yanlu returned to the educated youth residence. After a nap, Jiang Pan Yu went to fill her water bottle, only to find it already full. Tan Yanlu, wearing a straw hat, came in and said, “I filled it for you when I got up at noon, it’s warm and ready to drink. Let’s go, the threshing ground is already beating the drums.”

Jiang Pan Yu didn’t think much of it at first, but after the Gossip System scanned it, it told her that Tan Yanlu had added a drop of Spirit Dew to the water. Yes, the legendary Spirit Dew that can cleanse the meridians and nourish the body, speeding up recovery! Tan Yanlu was generous indeed, giving her such a precious thing, and it didn’t betray Jiang Pan Yu’s efforts on her behalf.

Jiang Pan Yu accepted it calmly, feeling quite happy inside. If Tan Yanlu could shed tears for her, then her previous efforts were worth it. Jiang Pan Yu took a sip from her water bottle and then went out with Tan Yanlu to gather at the threshing ground.

During the afternoon work, the village was abuzz with gossip about the Jin family, but the most discussed topic was Jin Bei’s infatuation with Lian Xiuran. Jiang Pan Yu recalled from the mermaid’s memory that there was also a rumor about Tan Yanlu falling into the water and being heroically saved by Gao Shaolin. At that time, the educated youths at the residence didn’t get along with Tan Yanlu, so naturally, they didn’t stand up for her. The rumors grew more and more intense, becoming particularly nasty, and wherever Tan Yanlu went, people would gossip about her, making her extremely dislike Lianshan Village.

As the events unfolded, Gao Shaolin saved Tan Yanlu once again, but this only deepened Tan Yanlu’s entrapment in the cage of a tarnished reputation.

However, now the rumors persisted, but the protagonists had changed. This time, it was Lian Xiuran and Jin Bei who became the subjects of gossip.

The past grievances between Jin Bei and Tan Yanlu were also brought up. People have always been curious about such scandalous affairs.

Jin Bei, unwilling to leave her house because of this, had some bold individuals directly approach Lian Xiuran, even asking him about his thoughts on the matter.

Of course, he wasn’t pleased! No matter how good-tempered Lian Xiuran was, he couldn’t stand people constantly pairing him with Jin Bei. The more the rumors spread, the more they could turn falsehoods into truths.

Lian Xiuran didn’t want to settle down so early, and he certainly wouldn’t compromise with the rumors to marry a selfish Jin Bei.

In a fit of anger, he publicly declared that he wouldn’t marry within the village.

He only wanted to be a progressive youth for now and wouldn’t consider marriage at this time.

Even if he were to consider marriage, he would look for a girl he liked and who shared his ideals.

This statement almost explicitly said that Jin Bei wasn’t the girl he liked or wanted to marry.

When Jin Bei, who was hiding at home, heard this news, she was deeply distressed and reportedly cried for several days.

As for how this news spread outside, it started with the two daughters-in-law of the Jin family.

The three branches of the Jin family had already split, although they still lived in the same courtyard, they began to live separately.

Because the division of the family assets was unfair, Old Woman Jin and Old Man Jin favored their eldest son.

Accountant Jin got the lion’s share, naturally leaving the two younger brothers at a disadvantage.

Because of this, the relationship between the second and third branches of the Jin family and the eldest branch naturally deteriorated.

Living in the same courtyard, they couldn’t stand each other, and it was the second and third branches who spread the news about Jin Bei.

When Accountant Jin found out, he was furious but helpless, so he sent Jin Bei to stay with her mother-in-law for a while, planning to bring her back after the storm had passed.

By now, it was already August, and the weather in the northern province was starting to cool down.

One had to wear outerwear and long pants when going out, and it felt cold after work in the evening. The educated youth residence also started heating the heated brick beds at night.

When Jiang Pan Yu first slept on the heated brick bed, she was truly amazed because it was so warm and comfortable.

The only downside was that it was a bit too dry, so she needed to drink water frequently.

During this period, her water bottle was often taken by Tan Yanlu to fetch water, and she occasionally added a bit of Spirit Spring and Spirit Dew to it.

Nourished by these good things and having eaten various nutritional candies and biscuits during this time, Jiang Pan Yu actually grew a bit taller, and her newly grown hair wasn’t as yellow as before.

After scanning Jiang Pan Yu’s body, the Gossip System told her that, due to adequate nutritional supplementation, she had returned to a normal level of health. From now on, her physical development would be very rapid.

At this time, it was even more important not to neglect nutrition. Whether she could grow tall and well, and whether she could become a curvaceous beauty, depended on her nutritional intake during this period.

Jiang Pan Yu didn’t take things lightly and dared not be picky about food. She ate whatever was available, aiming to seize the final growth spurt to build a strong body.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was Mid-Autumn Festival. The Brigade leader consulted a few experienced farmers in the village who were skilled at predicting the weather. After confirming that the next half month would have good weather, the village decided to wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival to begin the autumn harvest.

Since it was a holiday, the village granted a rare day off. Jiang Pan Yu and Tan Yanlu came to the town for the second time since they had moved to the countryside. They were there to buy mooncakes, as how could one celebrate the festival without them?

However, the mooncakes available now were mostly filled with sweet potato, and some of the more luxurious ones had egg yolk fillings, but they couldn’t afford those. They only bought the cheapest sweet potato-filled mooncakes, using food stamps and money, purchasing half a pound each before heading back.