By the time Qian Chunhua returned to Huanghualing, it was already past noon.

Every household had already eaten lunch, and the villagers were once again gathered beneath the old locust tree, chatting and gossiping—mainly about the Zhao family’s recent scandal.

From a distance, someone spotted Chunhua.

“Isn’t that Chunhua? Why does she keep going out every day?” Zhang Qiurong’s voice rang out.

She had believed the rumors spread by Li Cuihong before, but after Chunhua explained things, Zhang Qiurong changed her mind.

Still, seeing Chunhua out and about again, and not sending her child to school, she couldn’t help but start doubting again.

Maybe what Li Cuihong said was true after all?

Li Cuihong, who happened to be sitting under the tree too, snorted, “My dear sister-in-law sure knows how to scheme. She came up with an excuse just to sever ties with our family.

Now that she’s broken away, no one can control her anymore. Perfect excuse to go out every day and mess around.”

She then added upon seeing Qingsong, “That rotten woman even takes a child along to cover up her antics!”

Zhang Qiurong nodded in agreement.

With the child in Chunhua’s care, he was basically doomed.

Li Lianyan chimed in at just the right moment, “I always thought Chunhua seemed quiet and proper. Who knew? People really can’t be judged by their looks. It’s always the quiet ones who turn out to be the most shameless.”

Li Cuihong cackled, “Exactly—she’s the definition of a repressed flirt.”

Zhang Qiurong and Li Lianyan quickly nodded, “Yes, yes, we never would’ve guessed Chunhua was like that.”

Sun Hongying frowned as she looked at the three women.

They really didn’t know when to shut up.

Just last night, Chunhua had come to their house to collect her household registration booklet and had even brought two jin of brown sugar as a thank-you gift.

Not that Sun Hongying cared much about the sugar—her family could afford it—but the gesture itself was warm and considerate.

Unlike others, who always acted like it was their due when someone helped them.

Besides, from Chunhua’s conversation with her father-in-law—the village chief—it was clear she had proper manners.

Even her father-in-law had praised her afterward.

So hearing the three women now slandering Chunhua made Sun Hongying very unhappy.

When Chunhua arrived with Qingsong in tow, Sun Hongying spoke up, “Chunhua, did you go into town? What did you buy?”

She asked this on purpose—to show the villagers that Chunhua hadn’t gone off to fool around, but had real business to handle.

Chunhua didn’t know what had happened, but she smiled warmly at the question. “Yes, I went to the county. I bought some cloth and cotton to make winter clothes for the kids.”

Before Chunhua finished, Sun Hongying stepped forward, took the basket off her back, and began rummaging through it.

Caught off guard, Chunhua was momentarily stunned.

She was not pleased that Sun Hongying acted so presumptuously.

But then Sun Hongying pulled out the cotton and a piece of printed fabric, spread it open, and loudly said to Li Cuihong, “See for yourself. And you were accusing Chunhua of fooling around? She’s clearly a mother doing the responsible thing—buying fabric and cotton to make her kids winter clothes—and you smear her name like that?”

Seeing the fabric and cotton, Li Cuihong nearly choked.

This wasteful woman—spending silver like water!

She and Zhao Yongqiang had the same plan in mind.

Even though they’d given Chunhua two hundred taels of silver, they still saw it as temporarily being kept with her.

They were planning to get it back.

But they hadn’t expected Chunhua to be so good at spending money.

It made Li Cuihong feel as though Chunhua were spending her money—each coin like a stab to the heart.

Only now did Chunhua realize that Sun Hongying had spoken up for her.

She gave her a grateful nod.

Then she turned her gaze to Li Cuihong. That foul woman was slandering her again in the village.

As Chunhua stared, the gossiping women under the tree quickly distanced themselves from Li Cuihong and her gang.

Only Li Cuihong, Li Lianyan, and Zhang Qiurong were left, standing there isolated, under Chunhua’s sharp gaze.

Chunhua nodded slowly. Very well—so it was the three of you slandering me.

She wasn’t one for arguing, so she figured she might as well fight.

She stepped forward and kicked Li Cuihong in the stomach, sending her crashing to the ground.

Li Cuihong had expected Chunhua to attack—just like last time, when she’d pulled her hair. But she hadn’t predicted this sudden kick.

She let out a loud wail, then scrambled back to her feet, ready to fight back.

But Chunhua calmly pulled out a stun baton from her sleeve—actually retrieved from her space—and set it to the lowest setting.

At the sight of the electric baton, Li Cuihong froze mid-charge.

She still remembered that shock all too clearly.

“Hahaha…” The bystanders watching under the tree burst into laughter.

Li Cuihong smoothed her hair and glared at Chunhua. “I won’t stoop to the level of a shrew like you.”

With that, she turned and left without looking back.

Only Li Lianyan and Zhang Qiurong remained.

The two exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to do—now that their ringleader had abandoned them.

Chunhua turned a cold gaze on Zhang Qiurong.

She had already explained things last time by the river. And now? So quickly led astray again by Li Cuihong?

“Not… not me! It was Li Cuihong who said it!” Zhang Qiurong stammered as she backed away and quickly made her escape.

Li Lianyan, emboldened by her age, assumed Chunhua wouldn’t dare touch her.

Acting like a senior, she began lecturing, “Chunhua, as your elder aunt, I must say—you’re a married woman. How can you run around every day?

Those of us who know you may understand you were buying cloth for the kids. But others might think you’re out meeting some wild man!”

Chunhua sneered. “You’ve got a big face, huh? Whose aunt are you again? I already cut ties with Li Cuihong’s family. Why are you still acting all high and mighty?”

Sun Hongying chimed in, “Exactly! You’re not even relatives anymore—what right do you have?”

Chunhua continued, “And if I ever hear another rumor about me sneaking off to meet men, I’ll personally deal with each of you one by one. Don’t blame me for being rude.”

As she spoke, she raised the stun baton slightly, making Li Lianyan shrink back instinctively.

Chunhua clearly wasn’t playing nice anymore.

Li Lianyan, too, quickly fled under the mocking laughter of the villagers.

“Thank you for helping me, Hongying,” Chunhua said sincerely.

Sun Hongying smiled, “It was nothing. We know what kind of person you are—honest and quiet. You used to just take it when people bullied you.”

Chunhua froze for a moment. She hadn’t expected such words from Sun Hongying.

But that “honest girl who didn’t talk back” was the original Chunhua—not her.

After thanking her again, Chunhua led Qingsong away from the old locust tree.

There had been a moment when she wanted to share the news she’d heard at the noodle stall earlier.

But she held back.

She knew what the villagers thought of the original Chunhua. At best, they thought she was honest; at worst, they thought she was stupid—bullied by Zhao Yongqiang and Li Cuihong for over a decade.

If she started talking about dangers outside the village, no one would believe her.

So Chunhua decided to hold it in and tell the village chief privately later that evening.