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The future daughter-in-law of the Shen family, who had been promised in childhood, left her future mother-in-law’s house without saying a word and didn’t return for several hours. Eventually, the entire village went searching and found her in a deep pit outside the village, accompanied by a man. This news spread throughout the village before Xiao Ping’er returned to the Shen family. Naturally, everyone suspected something was amiss and began to speculate.
The fact that a young man and woman were found together naturally sparked gossip, especially since they were discovered in a secluded forest outside the village. Even the most innocent minds couldn’t help but consider the implications.
Among all the rumors, one detail stood out: Xiao Ping’er had been bitten by a snake, and Song Dashan had helped suck out the venom. The wound was on her shoulder. Although rural customs didn’t emphasize chastity as severely as urban areas, there was still concern about a woman and man being in such close proximity, especially with physical contact involved, even in a life-saving situation.
So the word spread, tarnishing Xiao Ping’er’s innocence in the eyes of the villagers.
Upon hearing the reports, both the Shen and Xia families turned pale with shock and concern. Aunt Xiao nearly fainted, but her worry for her daughter kept her on her feet as she hurried outside to see Xiao Ping’er. By then, Xiao Ping’er and Song Dashan had already been carried back.
Physician Huang, the local doctor, was summoned to treat them. He found that Xiao Ping’er had indeed been bitten, and although some venom had been extracted, it wasn’t entirely removed because the bite was on her shoulder. Moreover, due to the prolonged exposure, the situation was critical. Song Dashan, who had sucked out the venom with his mouth, was also poisoned and in a similarly precarious condition.
“I’ll prepare some medicines for them first. I’m not sure how effective they’ll be. This snake is one of the most venomous here, and they’ve been poisoned for quite some time. If they had been treated earlier, there might have been more hope. Right now, we can only hope for the best,” physician Huang remarked solemnly.
Physician Huang frowned as he examined the snake that had been brought back. He was just a village doctor, not an expert in snake venom, so he had little confidence in his ability to treat them. He extinguished any hope in the families’ hearts, thinking that if they survived, it would be fortunate, but if not, it wouldn’t be his fault.
Aunt Xiao burst into tears immediately. Gripping Xiao Ping’er’s hand, she cried loudly. Uncle Xiao and his son also stood nearby, their eyes red with tears. They couldn’t believe that a simple outing had brought their beloved daughter and sister to the brink of death.
On hearing this, Sun Shi remarked quietly from the side, “Why cry? If she were my daughter, it would be better if she died early and cleanly.”
“What did you say? Say that again!” Aunt Xiao’s eldest son, Xiao Dalu, heard Sun Shi’s words. Already distraught over his sister’s snakebite, he was instantly enraged. His eyes widened with anger as he glared fiercely at Sun Shi, as if he could devour her on the spot. Uncle Xiao and Aunt Xiao also heard, and they too glared at Sun Shi with resentment, causing her to step back in fear.
“I’m speaking the truth! How could your girl go out to the woods outside the village with a man? They must have had a secret rendezvous. She’s already betrothed! How could she seduce another man? And that Song Dashan is my Sister-in-law’s Zhu’er’s fiancé, her future brother-in-law! This is just… outrageous! What did our Zhu’er ever do to wrong her? This snakebite is Heaven’s way of teaching her a lesson!”
Sun Shi was determined to sabotage the engagement between Xiao Ping’er and Shen Ziju, sparing no effort to belittle Xiao Ping’er.
Sun Shi’s voice was loud enough for everyone inside and outside to hear, and many began to doubt Xiao Ping’er and Song Dashan’s appearance in the woods as she insinuated. Yet, most leaned toward believing Sun Shi’s version of events.
Xiao Dalu shouted defiantly, “You’re talking nonsense! My sister would never do such a thing! And Dashan isn’t like that either! They definitely just happened to meet there! It’s not what you think!”
Sun Shi snorted dismissively. “Happened to meet? They happened to meet in just the right place, didn’t they? Out there in the woods beyond the village!”
With those words, even those who had been skeptical now believed that Xiao Ping’er and Song Dashan hadn’t just coincidentally met. The woods, although not far from the village, were generally avoided due to the adjacent graveyard. People in the village were not afraid of desolation, but crossing a graveyard was something most would avoid. Considering Xiao Ping’er was a young woman from outside Riverside Village, why would she go there alone? She must have been accompanied by someone, otherwise, how could she dare to go alone? Surely, she had gone to meet Song Dashan.
Uncle Xiao frowned and stated firmly, “My daughter has always been honest. She’s already betrothed and came here today to formalize that engagement. Why would she do such a thing? There must be a misunderstanding! Once my daughter wakes up, we’ll ask her and everything will be clear! Please stop spreading rumors here.”
Shen Ziping muttered quietly nearby, “What misunderstanding could there be? Even if there is, our Shen family cannot accept a woman who has been touched by another man. Never mind my Fifth Brother being a scholar, even if he were an ordinary man, we wouldn’t accept such a woman. It’s a matter of honor!”
Aunt Xiao, upon hearing these words, started crying again.
Uncle Xiao clenched his fists in anger, but he couldn’t find any words to say. Even if Song Dashan had only touched Xiao Ping’er’s shoulder to help her with the snakebite, it was still her shoulder, not just an exposed hand! Now, not only the Shen family but likely everyone in Riverside Village viewed his daughter in this light. He turned to look for Shen Ziju, but where Shen Ziju had been standing, there was now no one. His heart sank.
Xiao Dalu was furious and wanted to confront Shen Ziping, but he restrained himself. Despite his youth, he knew his limits and didn’t want to cause more trouble for his sister. He could only clench his fists tightly and stomp his feet on the ground, venting his anger as best he could.
Aunt Xiao went over and grabbed Shen Zhang Shi’s hand, wiping away tears as she said, “Sister Zhang, our Ping’er, our Ping’er is a good girl. You… you can’t disgrace her like this!”
Shen Zhang Shi didn’t say anything, her expression grim.
“Disgrace her? Then what about me and Fifth Brother?!” Shen Zhu stomped her foot nearby, her eyes red, and she turned away, pushing through the crowd and running off.
“Zhu’er, Zhu’er, don’t be upset. We’ll ask Dashan when he wakes up!”
Shen Zhang Shi shook off Aunt Xiao’s hand and chased after Shen Zhu.
With Shen Zhu’s words and tears, Shen Zhang Shi followed in pursuit. The villagers in the courtyard all thought, “Yeah, the Shen family is really unlucky. Their future son-in-law and daughter-in-law actually got into this mess together. It’s like a slap in the face, or rather, both sides of the face got slapped!”