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Su Zhi was very satisfied with the performance of her three little ones. She chuckled inwardly but maintained a stern expression on her face, pretending to be very angry. She glared at Sun Shi, looking as if she couldn’t bear to see the children being bullied, much like a mother hen protecting her chicks, standing in front of the three kids.
“Hey, why are you crying? I didn’t even hit you!”
Sun Shi was initially speaking loudly but was taken aback when Yueyue and Xinger started crying. She had only intended to approach and say a few words to make others misunderstand Su Zhi, thinking that if Su Zhi cared less about what others thought, they wouldn’t treat her poorly in the future. Then, she could easily manipulate Su Zhi. People, especially women like Su Zhi who usually acted gentle and capable, cared a lot about their reputation. However, just as she finished speaking, Yueyue burst into tears. She hadn’t done anything to her, so why was this child crying?
“You didn’t hit them, so why are they crying so loudly?”
Among the people walking towards the Shen family, there was Shugen’s Wife, frowning while holding Xiaosuo. Xiaosuo ran over to pat Yueyue and Xinger, urging them to stop crying.
When Shugen’s Wife made her comment, others chimed in. Some who had heard Sun Shi’s previous words were starting to doubt Su Zhi’s respect towards Sun Shi.
Although over the past six months, the villagers had come to understand Su Zhi better and no longer viewed her as a jinx, seeing her as a respectable woman, they were aware of how she had been separated from the Shen family. They knew that the Third Branch of the Shen family had played a leading role in this separation. Hence, even though they thought highly of Su Zhi, there was still some underlying discontent towards the Third Branch of the Shen family. Therefore, when they heard Sun Shi shouting, they began to suspect that Su Zhi might be holding a grudge and picking a fight with Sun Shi.
Regarding the Shen family’s separation, although Shen Zi’an and his wife were indeed sent to live on the east side of the river, it seemed like they had been wronged. However, the villagers sympathized with them and didn’t see anything wrong with what the Shen family had done. Back then, everyone considered Su Zhi a jinx, and not separating her would have meant trouble for the whole family. The Shen family had accepted this daughter-in-law even though they had been deceived into marriage and even provided medical care for her. In the villagers’ eyes, this was already going above and beyond, especially considering they had also divided their property, even though it was meager. However, this was partly because Su Zhi had spent a considerable amount of the family’s money.
Furthermore, when Shen Zi’an was building his house, all the Shen brothers pitched in to help. Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang shi also visited occasionally, showing their care and concern for their son.
As a result, in the eyes of the villagers, the Shen family and Shen Zi’an’s couple seemed to be a harmonious family without any grudges.
As for the Third Branch of the Shen family, although the villagers did not view them favorably, every family had a couple who could stir up trouble. In their eyes, it wasn’t too out of line, as long as it didn’t escalate to physical violence. After a quarrel, they would still be a loving family.
This was what common folk thought. This was why, even though Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi had separated from the main family, they still had to deal with them. The best they could do was limit their interactions, but they couldn’t completely avoid them. Otherwise, the gossip in the village could drown you.
Because of this, when Sun Shi shouted just now, others looked at Su Zhi with a hint of suspicion. They thought she might still hold a grudge from the separation, leading to her conflict with Sun Shi. While they couldn’t control the situation, they would certainly believe that Su Zhi was holding onto that grudge, which would essentially mean holding a grudge against her parents. In this day and age, harboring resentment toward one’s parents was considered highly disrespectful.
Sun Shi had intended to use this incident to suppress Su Zhi, but she hadn’t anticipated that merely touching Yueyue lightly would make them cry, not even touching Xinger. Now, it seemed like she was being accused of hitting the children, and Su Zhi was the one arguing with her, shifting the blame onto her. This made her really frustrated.
“I have no idea why they’re crying. I just touched them, and they started crying.”
Sun Shi looked at the displeased faces of the people around her and realized they had sided with the Fourth Sister and Fourth Brother. They believed she is being glared by Su Zhi because she hurt children.
Su Zhi spoke loudly, “Third Sister-in-law, you may not have hit my child Xinger, but your grip was too strong. Look at how Xinger is crying. I asked you to let go. What did I do wrong for you to say my eyes are on top of my head? It seems like your fingers have turned into wasp stingers. How else could you make my child cry like this with just a touch?!”
Upon seeing the three children, the villagers noticed Yueyue blinking her watery eyes, Xinger’s eyes reddened, and Xiaori, although not crying, was rubbing his arm, furrowing his little brows. They all thought the child must be in pain. Sun Shi claimed it was just a touch, but it seemed far too forceful. They couldn’t fathom how someone could treat a child like this, even if they weren’t their own kin. This led some of the older men and women to start reprimanding Sun Shi.
Su Zhi watched as the villagers scolded Sun Shi, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. She thought that these rural folks were simple but overly fond of drama, sometimes failing to distinguish right from wrong. Ironically, everyone in the Shen family who bothered her knew how to put on a show. Even the most temperamental Third Branch couple were adept at acting, not to mention Shen Zhang shi and others. Shen Youfu didn’t need to act; being a father, even if at fault, others would naturally expect him to act in his children’s and their spouses’ best interests.
In her mind, Su Zhi hoped that Shen Ziju would quickly rise in status and Shen Zhu would marry soon, enabling them to take their parents and the Third Branch far away, bringing some peace and quiet.
Sun Shi, feeling aggrieved, insisted, “I didn’t grip too hard. It must have been the Fourth Sister and Brother who made this child cry. Fourth Brother, you saw it too; I didn’t use force.”
Sun Shi looked at Shen Zi’an, feeling utterly wronged.
Shen Zi’an couldn’t support her. He sternly gazed at her and said, “Third Sister-in-law, it’s best for you to keep your distance from my wife and child in the future to avoid any further misunderstandings.”
Su Zhi, soothing Yueyue, remarked, “Exactly. With several children around, it was clear to others that you were too forceful, which is why I raised my voice a bit to you, Third Sister-in-law. If we adults argue next time, it might be hard to explain.”
Sun Shi felt angry, thinking that Su Zhi’s words made it seem like she had actually laid hands on the children. Moreover, if she were to falsely accuse Su Zhi again, others would likely side with Su Zhi. In reality, she was correct, as the bystanders now viewed Sun Shi as the one who had wrongfully complained first. Combined with her poor reputation, if she were to clash with Su Zhi again, most would assume she was at fault.
Su Zhi’s intention with her words had been to achieve this outcome. Observing the villagers’ reactions towards Sun Shi, she believed her goal had been accomplished.
“Wife, let’s go.”
Shen Zi’an helped Su Zhi onto the ox cart, patted the children’s heads, bid farewell to the villagers, cracked the whip, and the oxen started moving forward.
Seeing Shen Zi’an’s family leave and herself being mocked and laughed at by others, Sun Shi snorted, turned around, and went inside. Upon hearing the laughter and joy coming from the main house, she felt angry, thinking that everyone was only flattering Shen Zhu, leaving her outside to be bullied and ridiculed. Despite her resentment, as she approached the main house, she put on a smile, announcing to those inside that someone had come to visit the Rain Goddess.
The Shen family household was full of jubilation and excitement. Shen Zi’an’s family was in high spirits. Along the way, they met Liu Siniang, who was delighted to hear that Yueyue and the others had been selected as young participants. Liu Siniang had been married for several years without children like Su Zhi, and she adored the three children just as much.
“Liu Siniang, your younger sister-in-law wasn’t chosen. Will she come home and take it out on you?” Su Zhi inquired. She had heard about Liu Siniang’s hardships in the Zhao family, where she endured mistreatment and verbal abuse from Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua. This time, since Zhao Xiaohua wasn’t chosen as the Rain Goddess, although she congratulated Shen Zhu, Su Zhi noticed her obvious displeasure. Her smiles seemed forced, clearly masking her true nature to avoid showing her temper in public. Su Zhi worried that Zhao Xiaohua might unleash her anger once she returned home, possibly causing trouble for Liu Siniang.
Liu Siniang’s expression darkened slightly as she replied, “It’s fine. Even if she gets angry, she won’t do anything to me. I’ve endured these years, and she won’t go too far.”
Upon hearing this, Su Zhi sighed inwardly. The more confidently Liu Siniang spoke, the more anxious Su Zhi felt for her, but her concerns were ultimately futile, as it was Liu Siniang’s family matter.
“Liu Siniang, if they dare to lay a hand on you, just say you’ve been helping me with chores these days. They won’t dare to cross the line.”
“Thank you.”
Liu Siniang looked gratefully at Su Zhi. They had only been from the same village, playing together a few times in their childhood. She was surprised by Su Zhi’s kindness towards her now, even though she couldn’t do much to help her in return.
“Oh, your father came looking for you today. Since you were out, he came to me and said your mother is ill, asking you to go back and see her.”
Upon hearing this, Su Zhi thought of that troublesome family. Surprised by the news of her spirited mother falling sick, she decided it was best to go and visit. After all, it was her mother’s health at stake, and despite any reluctance, she felt obligated to fulfill her filial duties.
Upon returning home, Su Zhi noticed the White wolf family was not there. Calling out to Little black and the others yielded no response; they must have gone into the mountains. With the weather warming up, and more animals appearing in the mountains, the family enjoyed venturing into the wilderness.
Su Zhi prepared noodles for the family. After they finished eating and rested, the White wolf family returned home.