Chapter 100 : Rumors Spread

After dinner, Han Zhenyu waited for a while before going to the village with the prepared meat sauce.

A few days later, Chenchen and An an’s household registration was completed.

Everyone in the team also knew that Han Zhenyu and his wife had adopted two unwanted children.

Rumors spread quickly for a while, some claiming that the couple had raised someone else’s child for a hundred dollars.

Others said that the two children were actually Han Zhenyu’s children with a woman from outside the village.

The identity of this “wild woman” kept changing from a young girl to a widow, then to a married woman.

In the end, the rumor was that Han Zhenyu had an affair outside and brought back two illegitimate children. The details of the story were very elaborate.

If you didn’t know better, you might think they were talking about the child Han Zhenyu had with another woman.

By the time Su Xieqiu heard about it, there were already four, five, or even six versions of the story circulating in the village, each with different twists.

She lay on the kang and laughed, thinking, “This is good.”

Others thought that Chenchen and An an were Han Zhenyu’s illegitimate children, which in a way protected them.

Even though they had a bad reputation, it would only last for a few years. The village was far away, so no one would be bored enough to come and gossip about it.

If anyone really dared to spread malicious rumors, Su Xieqiu would show them the power of a madwoman.

“Aunt Su, what are you laughing at?” Chenchen, seeing that she couldn’t stop laughing, crawled to her side and asked.

After spending a few days together, Chenchen still felt a little uncomfortable but wasn’t as cautious as before and spoke more.

The little boy was very hardworking. He always wanted to help with any work and was very observant.

Su Xieqiu tucked the quilt under the sleeping An an, thought for a moment, and then told him about the rumors spreading in the village.

Although Chenchen was only four years old, perhaps because of the big events that had happened in his family, he understood many things.

“Chenchen, you don’t have to care about what the villagers say in the future, but don’t keep it inside. Come back and tell Uncle Han and me, and we will deal with it.”

Chenchen nodded obediently, “Aunt Su, I understand.”

Su Xieqiu was worried that he might not tell anyone if he was wronged, so she reminded him, “Chenchen, many people like to bully the weak and fear the strong. If you’re wronged and don’t tell us, they will bully you even more next time. So you must remember, if anyone scolds or hits you, you must tell me, and I will deal with them.”

Chenchen’s eyes became slightly red, and he nodded seriously, “I understand, Aunt Su.”

Su Xieqiu pinched his face and said, “Go to bed quickly. We have guests at home tomorrow, so we need to get up early.”

Han Zhenyu’s uncle had sent a message today, saying he would come to help chop firewood tomorrow and asked her to wait at home.

“Auntie Su, who are the guests?” Chenchen asked curiously.

Su Xieqiu smiled and explained, “They are your Uncle Han’s relatives. They’re coming tomorrow to help us chop firewood for the winter. If we don’t have enough, we’ll freeze during the cold months.”

“I know, I know. Uncle Han told me last time that the snow here is so heavy in winter, it could bury me and An an.” Chenchen was so happy that he sat up and gestured excitedly.

“Yes, it’s very cold when it snows, and we need a lot of firewood every day.” Su Xieqiu smiled and tapped his forehead, “Go to sleep now, and help me light the fire and cook tomorrow.”

Chenchen nodded, then crawled into the bed next to An an and fell asleep.

Su Xieqiu waited until the two children were asleep, then went to the small storage room, closed the door, and slipped into the space.

Han Zhenyu went on a business trip yesterday and wouldn’t be back for five or six days. Su Xieqiu wanted to take this opportunity to bring out some things from the space.

Looking at the items inside, Su Xieqiu realized she still had to go into the city.

Chenchen was already four years old. If she took out food for no reason, he would definitely ask where it came from.

Su Xieqiu opened a box of apples and oranges, all of which were quite large.

There were no oranges here, let alone cherries or strawberries. The only things she could take out were apples and pears.

She sighed. She couldn’t finish all the good things by herself, but she didn’t dare to take items that weren’t locally available. It was such a pity.

She had eaten a plate of cherries, strawberries, and some snacks before coming out, rubbing her stomach.

The next morning, Su Xieqiu got up before dawn.

She put on her clothes and tiptoed out of the room.

After washing up in the yard, she started boiling water and preparing breakfast.

Not long after, the people arrived to help chop firewood.

Uncle Yan Guowei brought his two sons. Uncle Du brought his 16-year-old eldest son Du Zhonghua, as well as Sun Dahan, Sun Dashu, and Han Lei.

The nine people filled up the firewood shed in one day, and there was also a large pile in the front yard, enough for them to burn through the winter.

Su Xieqiu made a big pot of braised pork offal at noon, adding tofu, potatoes, and black fungus.

In the evening, they insisted they didn’t want to eat there, but Su Xieqiu insisted they stay.

Sun Dahan, Han Lei, and Sun Dashu left after dinner.

Uncle Du and his friends sat for a while, mainly to learn about Chenchen and An an.

When they arrived in the morning, they were surprised to see two more children in the house, thinking they were just local village kids.

While chopping wood, they overheard Sun Dahan and his two friends talking about how the children had been adopted by Han Zhenyu. Uncle Du and his friends were shocked.

Su Xieqiu didn’t hide anything and explained the children’s backgrounds.

Uncle Du wanted to say something, but when he saw the two children sitting quietly, with the older one being a bit cautious, he swallowed his words.

Finally, he sighed and said, “Zhenyu is often away. If you encounter any difficulties, please let us know.”

Su Xieqiu smiled and replied, “Uncle, the children are very well-behaved. It’s not difficult to take care of them. Chenchen often helps me with chores.”

Uncle Du patted Chenchen’s head and praised him, “What a good boy.”

As they were about to leave, Yan Guowei said, “Zhenyu’s wife, the firewood in the back is a bit damp. You can burn the firewood in the front yard first.”

Su Xieqiu smiled and nodded, “I understand, uncle.”

She escorted them to the gate and handed the two bags in her hands to Yan Guowei and Uncle Du.

“Uncle, uncle, here are some vermicelli and black fungus. Han Zhenyu brought them last time. You can have some.”

She then said to Uncle Du “Uncle, there are two packets of snacks in the bag. They’re for my grandparents.”

Su Xieqiu had taken these things out of the space last night. Vermicelli and black fungus were sold at the supply and marketing cooperatives, but were often out of stock.

Since the items in the space couldn’t be eaten up immediately, she could bring them out and restock once a month, so they wouldn’t accumulate if not used.

Han Zhenyu’s relatives had been so kind to them, and Su Xieqiu wanted to return the favor.

If there were more items from the space that weren’t available here and she could explain where they came from, she would have given them more.

“I haven’t even finished what you gave us last time. Why are you giving so much again?” Uncle Du and Yan Guowei both refused firmly.

What kind of family is this? They keep giving things away. The couple doesn’t know how to live. Is Zhenyu’s salary enough for them?