Chapter 8: Passing by the Village Entrance, How Many People Ruined Their Reputations

Lu Xunye and Fu Bojing were repairing their broken-down jeep.

Fu Yichen held a cigarette in his mouth, leaning against the car door, smoking leisurely. The smoke curled around him, creating an alluring scene. A simple act of smoking, yet it captivated people.

Tut tut tut—

When Su Luoluo’s tractor passed by, she happened to see Fu Yichen’s Adam’s apple rolling and he exhaled a puff of white smoke. Her eyes were wide open. What he exhaled was not white smoke, but fairy air, the fairy air that floated into her heart.

It was her!

Fu Yichen paused his smoking, looking towards the woman on the tractor.

He didn’t expect to see her here.

“Aaah… This is eye-searing! Give me back my innocent eyes that haven’t witnessed an ugly monster flirting! I’m going blind!”

Lu Xunye looked up, just in time to see Su Luoluo raise her eyebrows. He looked disgusted, shouting in exasperation.

Fu Bojing remained unusually silent.

Tut tut tut—

The tractor drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Cough cough…”

Lu Xunye’s mouth had been open too wide, and he’d inhaled a mouthful of dust.

Qingshan Village.

The village’s gossip network – the aunties and grandmothers – were dressed plainly, masters of disguise. A bench, a small stool, three handfuls of melon seeds, and four gossip stories blossomed.

Zhang San’s sheep died at the head of the village, and by the time the news reached the end of the village, it had become someone’s mother dying.

Even the yellow dog at the village entrance had to lower its head when passing, afraid of being blamed for eating all the village’s “shit” (figuratively, all the gossip).

Their eyes met, and a flurry of whispers ensued. Countless people’s reputations were instantly ruined.

As Su Luoluo passed by on her tractor, she became the center of a heated discussion.

“Goodness, who did I see? Old Yang’s second daughter-in-law passed by on a tractor, and she bought a whole bunch of stuff!”

“That lazy good-for-nothing, where did she get the money? She must have emptied Old Yang’s house!”

“I heard she’s going to run away with the money.”

“Even if Old Yang sold everything, he wouldn’t have that much money. I think she’s doing what those unscrupulous women do, selling herself.”

“Maybe she’s having a baby for a rich man. I heard a young woman from the next village did that, got 5,000 yuan, and built a brick house.”

…

Su Luoluo didn’t know that as she passed by, dozens of different stories were being spun about her life.

The tractor stopped at her doorstep.

Su Luoluo and the driver carried the goods into the house.

Seeing so many things brought into the house, the three children’s eyes widened in shock. The bad woman had gone robbing!

Zhu Yanhua, the eldest sister-in-law, holding a child under the eaves, was also stunned by the amount of goods.

But she quickly put the child down and went to help.

The three children had never seen so many good things: rice, meat, candy, and biscuits.

Wow—

So much delicious food!

They happily followed the adults, bustling around their small house.

After everything was moved in, Su Luoluo pulled up a chair and sat down to rest.

Zhu Yanhua saw a large bag of white rice and felt a pang of pain. The village mostly ate coarse rice; this fine white rice was a rare treat. And then there was the meat, fish, candy, and biscuits – so expensive! This sister-in-law was so wasteful. She should have bought chicks and ducklings instead; next year, they could have eggs.

But she dared not say anything. This sister-in-law had a terrible temper.

Niuniu’s big eyes stared at the candy and biscuits on the table, and a clear liquid dribbled from her mouth.

Niuniu quickly wiped her mouth.

Xiao Fan’s eyes were also glued to the food.

Xiao Lei, though trying to control himself, kept glancing at the food.

Niuniu, a small child like a gas canister, waddled towards Su Luoluo, pointing at the candy and biscuits and asking, “Mama, can, can I, eat?”

Niuniu was young, forgetful, and silly. Plus, Su Luoluo had given her cloud cakes and egg custard before, and let her sleep on the bed, so she wasn’t as afraid of her anymore.

Her sister dared to ask for food!

Xiao Lei was startled. Before, he had been slapped for just glancing at a meat bun in her hand.

He was worried the bad woman would kick his sister.

But…

“You can eat, but wash your hands first.”

Su Luoluo pinched Niuniu’s cheek and smiled.

Niuniu, overjoyed at the prospect of eating, turned to Xiao Lei and Xiao Fan, shouting, “Brothers, wash hands, can eat, candy!”

Xiao Fan remained still, his gaze shifting from the candy and biscuits to Xiao Lei.

Xiao Lei didn’t believe the bad woman would be so kind as to give them candy. She was probably playing them, like she had many times before – promising them food, then scolding them as jinxes and burdens, unworthy of food.

But facing his sister’s hopeful gaze, Xiao Lei couldn’t say that she was lying.

He gritted his teeth and took Niuniu’s hand to wash their hands.

Perhaps after his sister experienced the woman’s cruelty more, she wouldn’t believe her anymore.

Xiao Fan also ran to wash his hands.

After they washed their hands, Su Luoluo gave each of them three White Rabbit milk candies.

Xiao Lei stared blankly at the candy, still disbelieving. He actually had candy.

Xiao Fan’s face lit up. He peeled the wrapper and immediately popped a candy into his mouth. It was a bit long, and half of it stuck out, with saliva dripping down.

Niuniu, instead of eating her candy immediately, held one out to Su Luoluo with a big smile, “Mama, eat, delicious!”

Candy was rare in the countryside; Niuniu probably hadn’t had any before, yet she offered it to Su Luoluo first.

The little girl’s eyes shone brightly, as if reflecting the best things in the world.

Su Luoluo looked down at the small hand, too small to hold the candy.

“Open your mouth.”

She took the candy, peeled the wrapper, and said to Niuniu.

“Ah…”

Niuniu opened her mouth wide.

Su Luoluo put the candy into Niuniu’s mouth.

“Sweet!”

Niuniu tilted her head, squinting her eyes in enjoyment.

Su Luoluo chuckled at her adorable expression and poked her puffed cheeks.

Jingjing, the three-year-old daughter of the eldest sister-in-law, also wanted candy, but she was afraid of Su Luoluo and only dared to peek from behind a wooden pillar.

Xiao Lei had seen Jingjing. He hid a candy in his pocket for her.

Su Luoluo turned and saw the little girl hiding behind the pillar. She was thin and small, her clothes patched, and a small bell on her wrist.

“Jingjing, do you want some candy?”

She took three candies from the table and offered them to Jingjing.

Jingjing, forgetting her fear at the sight of candy, stretched out her chubby hand and waddled towards Su Luoluo.

“Call me pretty sister.”

Su Luoluo put two candies in Jingjing’s pocket, peeled another, and offered it to Jingjing’s mouth, coaxing her.

“Pret…pretty…sister!”

Jingjing looked up, calling out in a milky voice.

Su Luoluo laughed and gave Jingjing the candy.

Xiao Lei looked at Jingjing with an indescribable expression. That bad woman wasn’t pretty at all! She was the ugliest woman in the village. Jingjing was easily swayed.

“After you’ve eaten the candy, try on the clothes and shoes to see if they fit. If they don’t fit, you can exchange them.”

Su Luoluo glanced at Xiao Lei’s bare feet.

The three children’s shoes were worn out.

Xiao Lei was shocked. The bad woman didn’t buy those clothes and shoes for her nephews and nieces, but for them? Had she hit her head?

“Yay! I, I have, new clothes!”

Niuniu jumped up and clapped her hands.

Although Xiao Lei was suspicious of the bad woman, he still took his siblings to wash their hands and try on the new clothes and shoes.

Jingjing watched enviously, but she was well-behaved, unlike other children who would cry and fuss if they didn’t have what others had.

Su Luoluo turned her head and saw what her sister-in-law was doing, and quickly stood up.