Chapter 64: Report to the Commune

When Qiu Yinuo didn’t join her side and even spoke up for Qian Zhiya, Zhou Xue’s face turned an ugly mix of blue and white from anger.

“I see now, the two of you are in this together,” Zhou Xue suddenly acted as if she had come to a grand realization. “No wonder she spoke up for you the moment she arrived. Qian Zhiya, you shameless tramp, who knows how many men you’ve seduced behind the scenes to do your bidding.”

“Everyone think about it—whose man hasn’t been lured over to hover around Qian Zhiya?”

Once an idea like that took root, even if there was no real evidence, people’s minds would still start connecting the dots.

The surrounding crowd began murmuring.

“I think I saw Daniu helping her return a hoe the other day.”

“I also saw the second son of the Wang family bringing her some cucumbers.”

“I’ve really seen it all now. These city girls are so shameless.”

“I honestly thought she was a dignified woman who looked down on everyone, but I had no idea she was so lowly behind the scenes.”

Qian Zhiya wasn’t foolish. She immediately understood what Zhou Xue was trying to do. She was trying to twist the narrative into something scandalous, suggesting an improper relationship. And once rumors like that started, there would be no way to defend herself.

Even if she tried to explain later, the damage to her reputation would already be done.

At that thought, a chill ran down Qian Zhiya’s spine.

She felt a wave of panic so intense that her body trembled. To the onlookers, it clearly looked like she had been caught.

Tears streaming down her face, she choked out, “It’s not true. You’re all mistaken. Back then, Brother Daniu also helped other people return their tools, not just me. And as for the Wang family’s second son, his family’s backyard is right next to our collective land. He accidentally picked one of our cucumbers and came to apologize in person.”

But no one believed her anymore. Her explanations had come too late.

Qiu Yinuo frowned. Qian Zhiya had fallen into the trap—desperately trying to defend herself, which only made her seem more guilty.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xue wasn’t about to back down. She knew the village delinquent, Qiu Qianjin, had long harbored delusions—like a toad lusting after a swan.

 “Qian Zhiya, dare you say there’s nothing between you and Qiu Qianjin?” Zhou Xue sneered. “I saw it with my own eyes, he was the one who helped you carry your harvest to the granary. If you didn’t offer him something in return, why would he ignore his own family’s work to help you?”

Qiu Yinuo’s fists clenched as she listened. That worthless idiot.

No one else could match the level of pathetic devotion her brother had reached.

Zhou Xue was smart—she pushed all the blame onto Qian Zhiya.

While throwing Qian Zhiya under the bus, she also tried to avoid offending Qiu Yinuo.

But there was no such thing as getting the best of both worlds, and Qiu Yinuo was never one to suffer silently.

She spoke coldly, “My brother helped out of kindness, and somehow that’s been twisted into an issue of improper conduct between men and women? Qian Zhiqing, if your character is that questionable, then let’s report it to the commune. Let them investigate thoroughly.”

Everyone present was stunned. No one had expected Qiu Yinuo to go so far as to suggest sending the matter to the commune.

At that point, even a small issue could escalate into something serious.

Zhou Xue’s eyes lit up with a flash of satisfaction. She hadn’t expected Qiu Yinuo to escalate it so dramatically.

Qian Zhiya was already so frightened that she couldn’t even speak. She just kept shaking her head, overwhelmed like a tragic heroine from a melodramatic romance, which only irritated Qiu Yinuo for no reason.

What was the point of having a mouth if you couldn’t explain yourself? If you couldn’t talk your way out of it, then curse someone out!

If cursing didn’t work, then play along and make up lies right back—let’s see who ends up worse off in the end.

Crying wouldn’t help at all.

Fortunately, she wasn’t actually her sister-in-law—otherwise, Qiu Yinuo would have kicked her right then and there.

Once things reached the commune, even if they found nothing in the end, Qian Zhiya’s reputation would still be ruined. Worse, it might even delay or destroy her chances of returning to the city. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life facing the dirt, toiling endlessly in the fields.

“Sister Qiu, I didn’t do anything. There’s nothing between me and Qiu Qianjin. Please don’t report us to the commune.” By now, Qian Zhiya had lost her usual arrogance. She just hoped Qiu Yinuo would spare her.

Qiu Yinuo shook off her hand. “Qian Zhiqing, if you and Jinzi are really innocent, then there’s nothing to fear.”

At that moment, the Village Head arrived, just in time to hear about the shocking news of the report to the commune.

He hurriedly stopped Qiu Yinuo. “Why can’t we just talk things out? Why does it have to go to the commune? If this blows up, won’t it be our village that loses face?”

“Village Head, you’re downplaying a big problem. This issue won’t be resolved with a simple apology. Who knows, it might happen again, and again. The only way to end this is to completely eliminate this poison,” Qiu Yinuo responded firmly.

“Zhou Zhiqing, you’re an adult now, and you need to take responsibility for your actions and words.”

Qiu Yinuo turned to look at Qian Zhiya. “Qian Zhiqing, if you and my brother really are innocent, then there’s no reason to fear an investigation. Regardless of whether this gets blown out of proportion or not, your reputation will still be damaged. If you step back now, those who slandered you won’t stop. They’ll just take it a step further.”

Hearing this, Zhou Xue began to feel uneasy.

She had been so pleased when Qiu Yinuo escalated the situation, but now she regretted it.

She had just been talking nonsense, and once the commune started investigating, the truth would come out. In the end, she would be the one in trouble.

Qian Zhiya quickly realized Qiu Yinuo’s strategy and immediately understood what she was getting at. “Yes, Sister Qiu, you’re right. I’ve done nothing wrong, so why should I be afraid? I’m not afraid of the investigation at all. The ones who should be afraid are the ones trying to frame me.”

The Village Head’s face twitched in frustration as he listened. “Qiu Yinuo…”

“Village Head, today this is about my brother’s reputation, and I won’t back down. Under your leadership, our village has always been united, friendly, and helpful. But there will always be one or two people trying to ruin the peace. You’ve always been kind-hearted, trying to give them another chance, but some people just keep pushing their luck, taking advantage of our village’s honesty.”

“Today, there’s this rumor, tomorrow it will be something else. Village Head, you have bigger things to handle. Do you really want to waste your time on these trivial matters every day?”

These words stoked the Village Head’s pride. The compliments felt so good that for a moment, he felt less like a village leader and more like a city official.

Yes, as Village Head, his role was to set an example, not to be bogged down by petty issues every day.

Fired up, he immediately sent someone to contact the commune leadership, while Zhou Xue was left speechless.

She tried to stop the messenger, but before she could react, the person was already gone.

Qian Zhiya felt less fearful now, and she looked at Qiu Yinuo with gratitude.

The commune had received the news and quickly sent people to investigate. This was not something that could be resolved in a day or two.

As the commune questioned the events, Zhou Xue became unusually agitated. Many details were inconsistent, and soon the flaws in her story became apparent.

By this point, Qian Zhiya had regained her composure. After recounting the events, she said with indignation, “I hope the comrades at the commune can bring justice for me.”