Chapter 60.1

Seeing Lu Nong frown, Sister Qin expressed her sympathy. “This must have been revealed by Huo Xiaoling, the confused one. If she didn’t say it, how could others know what you two said?”

“I’m asking you, what do you plan to do? If not, should we go see Zhao Xin?”

Lu Nong was at a loss for what to do. She absentmindedly petted the small white dog, then confided in Sister Qin, “Sister Qin, Zhao Xin is a very strange person. I don’t want to get involved with her.”

Sister Qin smacked her thigh. “Ah, finally someone who thinks like I do. Huo Xiaoling used to be so hardworking, but look at her now. It’s like she’s turned into a different person, always arguing with Old Cui.”

Lu Nong did not want to visit Zhao Xin. The young lady lived carelessly and would not be swayed by moral obligations. The gossip had already spread throughout the compound. If she went to see her, it would only show that she felt guilty.

She would just end up being the laughingstock.

Besides, she sensed that there was an urgency from Zhao Xin in this situation. Did that mean there had been progress on Pei Ji’an’s side?

If so, she needed to remain steady and unyielding.

With that in mind, Lu Nong reassured Sister Qin, “It’s fine. Don’t worry. That day, it was Pei Zheng who saved her, not the other way around. There’s no reason for me to rush over just because she’s sick. I don’t owe her anything, and we’re not that close.”

“That makes sense,” Sister Qin nodded. “I’m not as clever as you.”

The more Sister Qin pondered, the more convinced she became. She said disdainfully, “She didn’t even thank you. Where does she get the face to ask you to see her? Those people are so thickheaded. They’re not clear on anything.”

Lu Nong smiled in response.

“Enough of that,” Sister Qin said, changing the subject. She looked Lu Nong up and down, then remarked with a smirk, “Has Old Pei been eating something good lately? You look radiant, far more effective than any skincare product. If you have any good tips, please share them with me.”

The cold weather made Lu Nong’s face appear even more rosy, and there was a hint of spring in her eyes. Her lips were temptingly red, resembling a snow-covered beauty.

Lu Nong touched her lips and realized that coming out today might have been a mistake. She should have stayed home instead.

Sister Qin continued talking, casually expressing her dissatisfaction with her own husband. “My husband, Old Zhang, is really not doing well lately.”

“…”

Lu Nong felt a cold sweat at Sister Qin’s tendency to speak openly about intimate matters. She still had trouble adjusting to such frankness.

“Sister, please don’t tease me anymore.”

Sister Qin brushed it off: “What’s so embarrassing about it? Once you’re married, it’s just part of life. You’ll understand when you experience it yourself. Women have plenty of idle talk. They can tell who’s good and who’s not just by looking at each family’s daughters-in-law. Everyone in the compound knows the truth about all the men.”

“It’s only because Old Pei didn’t have a wife before that he didn’t realize the situation. If they saw you looking like this now, the ladies would certainly have plenty to say about Old Pei.”

Lu Nong: “…”

She rolled her eyes and thought she could offer Sister Qin some deer blood to relieve some of her stress. “Sister, Pei Ji’an’s old comrade gave him a lot of dried deer blood. I can give you some later.”

“Oh, it’s deer blood? I thought it was some folk remedy. Deer blood is really a good thing. You should keep it for Old Pei,” Sister Qin refused.

“Don’t worry, Sister. We have plenty at home. I promise you won’t run out,” Lu Nong insisted.

Sister Qin refused once or twice, but she saw that Lu Nong really wanted to give it to her, so she had to agree. “That’s great. Let’s let Old Zhang try the deer blood too.”

After saying goodbye to Sister Qin, Lu Nong headed home. After walking a few steps, she unexpectedly encountered Ruan Yufang and Ye Huihui. The mother and daughter were dressed elegantly and were confronting an ordinary-looking girl.

Ye Huihui said, “Don’t come back here. We don’t welcome you.”

Ruan Yufang glared at her daughter. “How can you speak to your sister like that? Yuesheng has her struggles too. We should understand her when she comes to ask for your father’s support.”

Her tone was very sarcastic.

Ye Yuesheng was not one to be bullied. She sneered, “I have nothing to do with the Ye family. I’m not here to look for Ye Quan today. Please don’t get the wrong idea. In the future, let’s just act like strangers. Also, tell Ye Quan not to come looking for me again.”

Lu Nong had no intention of getting involved. She held the little white dog in her arms and planned to walk past the three of them.

However, Ye Huihui, with her sharp eyes, spotted her. As Lu Nong walked by, Ye Huihui shouted, “Shameless vixen!”

Lu Nong stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her, sneering, “Say that again.”

“Vixen! Vixen! I said it!” Ye Huihui twisted her neck defiantly, glaring at Lu Nong.

With a loud slap, Lu Nong struck Ye Huihui across the face.

“Ah! How dare you hit me!?” Ye Huihui looked at Lu Nong in disbelief.

“I dare! Didn’t I just hit you? What? If you think that’s not enough, come here and stretch your face out. If you dare to do that, I dare to hit you again,” Lu Nong replied casually.

“Ah!! Mom, she’s bullying me. She…” Ye Huihui screamed. Being slapped in front of her sister made her feel humiliated. She raised her hand to retaliate.

“Shut up!” Ye Huihui’s mother, Ruan Yufang, intervened, looking cautiously at Lu Nong. “Quickly apologize to Aunt Lu.”

In recent days, everyone in the compound had been watching what happened with the Shen family and Shen Yimei. Ruan Yufang was especially aware of it.

It all began when Pei Mingxia’s attitude changed drastically overnight. She now spoke of Shen Yimei with nothing but disdain and hatred.

She also told them that the matter of “Pei Ji’an and Shen Yimei” was all Shen Yimei’s own imagination and her brother knew nothing about it from beginning to end, and all of them were deceived by Shen Yimei.

After being deceived for so many years, everyone had a sense of what had happened, except for Pei Mingxia, who had been kept in the dark. However, there was nothing she could do about it. Shen Yimei came from a good family and had a successful brother supporting her. As a result, Shen Yimei could be arrogant for another decade while they had to tolerate it.

Ruan Yufang had never seen Pei Mingxia so furious, and she found it somewhat amusing. Finally, Pei Mingxia had shown some intelligence.

No one expected the Shen family to fall.

Ruan Yufang didn’t know what had happened, but she knew the Shen family was gone, Shen Yimei had left, and Pei Mingxia was ill.

She didn’t believe for a moment that the situation of the Shen family had nothing to do with Lu Nong. This woman was not simple. In just a few months, she had won over Pei Ji’an and toppled the arrogant Shen Yimei, removing the thorn of “Pei Ji’an’s ex-wife” from her heart.

Ruan Yufang couldn’t claim that if she were in Lu Nong’s position, she would do better than Lu Nong. It was truly shocking and admirable, and she dared not offend her.

Ruan Yufang’s family wasn’t as well-off as Shen Yimei’s and Pei Mingxia’s, but she was still able to stand alongside them as one of the “three golden flowers.” She relied on her ability to assess the situation and only bullied those she knew she could overpower.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten that she had a foolish daughter.

“I should apologize? Why should I!?”

Ye Huihui had been spoiled by Ruan Yufang since childhood. She had only suffered at the hands of Pei Zheng, and no one dared to lay a finger on her, let alone slap her.

At that moment, she didn’t understand her mother’s warning, thinking Ruan Yufang wasn’t siding with her. She felt deeply wronged and shouted loudly:

“I won’t apologize! Mom, I heard what you said privately. Auntie Shen was harmed so badly by her. She’s a… bastard! She hit me, and you still want me to apologize? Are you really my mom?”

She was still terrified after being slapped by Lu Nong and didn’t dare to call her a “vixen” again.

Ruan Yufang: “…” I am your biological mother, but I also want to beat you to death.

Lu Nong smiled, while Ye Yuesheng on the side had a mocking look on her face. Seeing their reactions, Ruan Yufang was furious, especially at being laughed at by Ye Yuesheng, the daughter of her husband’s ex-wife.

It was too late to stop her daughter from speaking her mind. Ruan Yufang could only awkwardly smile at Lu Nong, saying, “Comrade Lu, please don’t take it to heart. Huihui is being childish, and I apologize on her behalf.”

She then turned to Ye Yuesheng and forced a smile, saying, “Yuesheng, since you didn’t come to see us, you should get back to your own matters.”

Ye Yuesheng found it amusing to watch the farce between the mother and daughter. Her long-held frustration finally eased a bit. Ruan Yufang was nothing much. No matter how much she looked down on her mother, she was still apologizing to another woman.

After coming to that realization, Ye Yuesheng smiled brightly at Lu Nong, giving her a look that said, “Well done,” before leaving with a lighthearted stride.

Lu Nong watched her leave, utterly speechless. She, a passerby, had become the one confronting the Ye family, while the original contenders had turned into bystanders. The Ye family women were truly something else.