Chapter 73

When Xia Qingning got off work and returned home, Maimiao’s house was already surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. It was noisy inside, and everyone was craning their necks to look inside.

The commotion was huge, and more and more people came. Those who arrived first were telling the newcomers what had happened:

“I heard it was a young man who went on a blind date with He Shanshan first, but he didn’t like her. Instead, he liked Maimiao, who happened to walk by. Today, he asked the matchmaker to come to her house to propose marriage. He Shanshan happened to see this and ran to their house to cause a scene.”

As soon as Xia Qingning entered the courtyard, she had already guessed what had happened. However, she underestimated He Shanshan’s stupidity. If she had any brains at all, she would have known that she was the one who would be embarrassed if this matter got out of hand.

If anyone else encountered this situation, they would be trying to handle it discreetly. But she, on the other hand, went to their house to make a fuss, as if she was afraid that people wouldn’t know that she wasn’t liked. Wasn’t this humiliating herself?

Sure enough, the next second, Xia Qingning heard whispers from the crowd:

“Didn’t the man make it clear to her?”

“How could he not make it clear? He made it clear the next day. He just didn’t like her.”

“Ah! Then why did she go to Maimiao’s house to cause a scene? Isn’t she ashamed?”

“Right, if she hadn’t come to make a fuss, we wouldn’t even know about this. Now that she’s made a scene, everyone knows.”

“The main thing is that she’s not in the right. He doesn’t like her, and he made it clear. You can’t force a cow to drink water, right?”

Inside the house, He Shanshan was already furious. She completely ignored what others were saying. Now, she was determined to get an explanation from them.

She stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at Maimiao’s nose and yelling without any regard for decorum:

“You little b*tch, Maimiao, you dare to steal a man from me? Don’t you look in the mirror and see what you look like? Only a blind fool would like you.”

“Comrade He, please stop making a scene here. Go back to your own home. It’s embarrassing for everyone.” The young man named Xiao Wu spoke.

It was clear that he was very tactful and didn’t want to make things too ugly. Even though He Shanshan called him a blind fool, he didn’t argue with her.

“Now you know it’s embarrassing? Bah!” He Shanshan spat, completely ignoring her image. She immediately turned her anger towards Xiao Wu, asking in a sharp and piercing voice, “Are you blind? In terms of figure, in terms of appearance, how is she better than me? Tell me, what do you like about her?”

“Oh, Shanshan, it’s not that you’re not good enough. It’s just that your fate with Xiao Wu hasn’t arrived. Go back first, okay? Auntie will introduce you to a better one later.” The matchmaker saw that the situation was not good and quickly stepped forward to persuade her.

After all, she was the middleman for both marriages. Now that both families were arguing like this, it would make people think she was unreliable. This wasn’t the time to argue about right and wrong. The most important thing was to persuade them to leave first.

“Who needs your introduction? Ha, you should match them up with these shameless sluts! You old fool, I think you’re crazy for wanting to get your commission!” He Shanshan was in a fit of anger. She didn’t like anyone and cursed at whoever she saw.

The matchmaker didn’t expect He Shanshan, an unmarried girl, to have such a foul mouth. She was stunned for a moment and forgot to retort.

After cursing at the matchmaker, He Shanshan turned to Xiao Wu again, still arrogant and relentless. She asked, “You have to tell me clearly today. Do you think I’m not good-looking or my figure is not good enough? Why don’t you like me?”

“Different people have different tastes. Even if you were a beauty, you’re not my type. Why are you making a fuss here?” Xiao Wu tried to maintain basic courtesy and reason with her.

“Haha… Of course, I’m not your type.” He Shanshan suddenly laughed as if she had realized something. “I can’t learn those tricks of those sluts and vixen that you like.” Then, she turned to Maimiao and asked viciously, “Did you plan this all along? Knowing he was going to come on a blind date with me, you deliberately dressed up and went to seduce him! How shameless you are! Do you throw yourself at every man you see?”

Her words were so vulgar and offensive that Maimiao couldn’t take it anymore. She retorted loudly, “He Shanshan, don’t think everyone is like you. You always talk about seduction…”

“You didn’t seduce him? You didn’t seduce him, so he would like you, you ugly monster!” He Shanshan laughed sarcastically, her eyes darting between Xiao Wu and Maimiao. There was a strange smile on her face, “Heh, I was wondering why he didn’t like me. I guess you two have already slept together.”

“He Shanshan!”

“Comrade He!”

Two shouts rang out at the same time. Li Qiulian and Xiao Wu both looked at He Shanshan with disgust.

“How can you say such dirty words, you unmarried girl…” Li Qiulian, who had been silent all along, couldn’t help but shout.

Most of the onlookers were women. They naturally knew how important reputation was for a woman. Hearing Li Qiulian’s words, they couldn’t help but criticize He Shanshan:

“This He Shanshan must be crazy. Without any evidence, she dares to say anything.”

“Maimiao has always been a well-behaved good girl. How can He Shanshan ruin her reputation like this?”

“Other people don’t want to be with her, so she slanders them. How vicious is this girl’s heart?”

Just as everyone was criticizing He Shanshan, Wang Mingfang, who had gone to buy vegetables, finally returned to the courtyard. As soon as she entered, she saw her daughter surrounded by people, pointing and gossiping. Her heart sank. She didn’t know what trouble this clueless girl had gotten into again.

After figuring out the situation, Wang Mingfang knew it was bad. If this matter wasn’t handled well, her daughter’s reputation would be ruined. She would probably not be able to marry into a good family later.

She tried to calm down and immediately went forward, pulling He Shanshan, who was still spewing insults. She winked at her, telling her to shut up. Then, she kept bowing and apologizing to Li Qiulian:

“Auntie Qiulian, I’m sorry, I’m sorry… It’s my fault for not teaching her well. I apologize to you here. Please don’t be angry with a child.”

The reason she apologized so humbly was because Li Qiulian was the women’s director. If she got angry and reported her daughter for malicious slander and ruining someone’s reputation, He Shanshan would not only not be able to enter a state-owned factory in the future, but she might even lose her current temporary job at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Hearing Wang Mingfang’s apology, Li Qiulian was still angry. She looked at her with disgust and unceremoniously chased them away:

“Wang Mingfang, you’re just in time. Take your daughter back and discipline her properly! She’s like a shrew. Where is there any sign of a girl?”

Wang Mingfang knew that she couldn’t leave now. She had to help her daughter regain her face. Otherwise, the reputation of being a “shrew” would spread, and her daughter would probably never find a good husband.

No! Her daughter’s reputation couldn’t be ruined! But the situation was very unfavorable for them. She had to come up with a convincing explanation to help her daughter clear her name. She adjusted her emotions and quickly came up with a plan.