Chapter 34 : Romantic Rumors

When Ma Xiuzhi came out of the room, Wang Xiaomei and Huang Shumin had already packed the clothes as instructed.

Ma Xiuzhi glanced at the clothes in Huang Shumin’s hands and suddenly remembered something. She turned to Wang Xiaomei and said, “Find two sets of clothes and take them along. Even though Fan Yanxing is staying in the hospital now, we should prepare extra clothes just in case.”

“Doesn’t Fan Yanxing have his own clothes? I saw his luggage in the room just now,” Huang Shumin asked, puzzled. Cloth coupons were rare, and it was even more difficult for a country family to save up enough to make a complete set of clothes, so everyone’s clothes could be counted. If they gave Fan Yanxing two sets, there wouldn’t be many clothes left for Liang Shuqiang.

“Fan Yanxing is just staying with us temporarily. It’s not polite to go through someone else’s luggage,” Ma Xiuzhi implied without stating it outright. Huang Shumin wasn’t foolish with the hint, she quickly grasped the underlying meaning.

Firstly, it’s polite not to meddle with other people’s belongings.

Secondly, Fan Yanxing ’s lavish spending was no secret in the village. Even though she had only recently married in, she had heard about it. If they tampered with his luggage now and something went missing, it would be impossible to explain, no matter how many excuses they made.

To avoid trouble and maintain good relations with Fan Yanxing , it was best not to touch his luggage.

“You’re right, Mother,” Huang Shumin said with a sheepish smile, feeling embarrassed for not thinking of it herself.

Ma Xiuzhi didn’t say anything more. With time pressing, she didn’t have the leisure to say much. Noticing that Aunt Zhang hadn’t arrived yet, she quickly instructed Wang Xiaomei to take paper and pen to find Liang Shuqiang and write a letter.

In this household, only Liang Shuqiang and Liang Qingqing could read and write. The others had read little and could only recognize a few characters.

Once Wang Xiaomei left, the others didn’t idle. They quickly went to the kitchen to prepare some easily preserved food.

Suddenly thinking of Fan Yanxing , Huang Shumin recalled recent village gossip. She glanced at the boiling water in the pot before looking at Ma Xiuzhi, who was sitting behind the stove. She opened her mouth but eventually closed it again.

Ma Xiuzhi, already feeling impatient, noticed Huang Shumin’s hesitation and furrowed her brow, feeling increasingly anxious.

Hearing this, Huang Shumin’s heart skipped a beat. She swallowed hard and hurriedly said, “I’m just worried about my little sister.”

“Aunt Zhang already said they are fine, didn’t she?” Ma Xiuzhi replied dismissively.

“But the people in the village are saying that my little sister is shameless and willing to do anything to climb the social ladder. They say she took advantage of Fan Yanxing ’s unconscious state and kissed him in front of everyone, trying to marry him. Mother, you don’t think that’s true, do you?”

Huang Shumin nearly blurted out these words, but regretted it as soon as she had spoken. Ma Xiuzhi’s expression instantly darkened and it was the first time Huang Shumin had seen such a cold look on her mother-in-law’s face.

“Qingqing did it to save someone! Don’t you know that, as the eldest sister-in-law?” Ma Xiuzhi raised her voice, her face twitching with anger. She hadn’t forgotten Huang Shumin’s earlier remarks about Liang Qingqing, so her words were harsher this time.

Huang Shumin felt aggrieved. It wasn’t her own words she was repeating—why was her mother-in-law taking out her anger on her? Besides, how could anyone know if Liang Qingqing was really trying to save someone?

Who rescues people by kissing them on the mouth? Even the gossips in the village hadn’t seen such behavior.

Moreover, who didn’t know Liang Qingqing’s past reputation? Just because she hadn’t been following Su Zhiqing around recently didn’t mean she had changed, she had merely switched targets and was now putting on a show!

The more Huang Shumin thought about it, the more convinced she became that her suspicions were correct. Her eyes reddened, and her voice became choked with emotion. “I argued back at the time, but those people wouldn’t listen. They said I was just making excuses.”

After speaking, Huang Shumin clutched her clothes, glancing at Ma Xiuzhi with some guilt. She had indeed argued back, but because she didn’t know the true situation and shared the same doubts as the others, she hadn’t defended Liang Qingqing effectively.

Ma Xiuzhi’s gaze fell on the tears welling up in Huang Shumin’s eyes. Regaining some composure, she scolded, “These gossipy people have nothing better to do than to pry into other people’s affairs!”

After scolding, and considering the family’s harmony, she sighed and spoke to Huang Shumin more gently. “Mother was just upset and said some wrong things. Don’t take it to heart.”

Since Ma Xiuzhi had said this, Huang Shumin, though still uncomfortable, could not continue to argue in front of her. She forced a smile and replied, “Mother, I didn’t take it to heart.”

Even if she didn’t take it to heart, her eyes were still red. Ma Xiuzhi looked at Huang Shumin but, recognizing that the fault wasn’t hers. Instead, she added, “Don’t worry about what they say. It’s all nonsense. If Qingqing had any interest in Fan Yanxing , she would have made a move long ago. Why would she wait until now when something has happened?”

This was partly true. Given Liang Qingqing’s previous impulsiveness, she would likely have acted on her feelings as soon as she had them, rather than waiting for Fan Yanxing ’s accident to make a move.

However, this only told half the story. The Liang Qingqing of now wasn’t the same as before. She was no longer hasty, she preferred to take a more measured approach, striking precisely and acting cautiously.

She had indeed begun to show interest in Fan Yanxing but had it not been for the urgency of the situation, she would never have performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in front of so many people.

Because she cared about her reputation.

And she was afraid Fan Yanxing might think like those gossips, which could ruin her plans.

Fortunately, the outcome wasn’t as bad as feared.

“Well, who knows?” Huang Shumin couldn’t help but mumble. Just then, Wang Xiaomei returned with the note, and the noise covered Huang Shumin’s words, preventing anyone else from hearing.

“Give me the things. I’ll get them sorted and hand them over to Aunt Zhang later.” Ma Xiuzhi saw Wang Xiaomei and temporarily set aside her chaotic thoughts.

“Okay.”

—

“Thank you, Aunt Zhang. You’ve worked hard.”

After seeing Aunt Zhang off, Liang Junqiang closed the ward door and turned to Liang Qingqing and Fan Yanxing, explaining, “Mother asked Aunt Zhang to bring us some things.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Qingqing’s interest was piqued. She took a couple of steps forward, curious, and asked, “What did she bring?”

“It should be clothes and food,” Liang Junqiang said. He had already felt the package earlier and could vaguely guess its contents.

“Let’s open it and see. Is there a letter or something?”

As Liang Qingqing spoke, she opened the package. Just as Liang Junqiang had said, it contained several sets of clothes. Additionally, there were potatoes and sweet potatoes wrapped tightly in oil paper, as well as some cornbread.

Not finding a letter, Liang Qingqing was unwilling to give up. She rummaged through the pockets of the clothes and, indeed, found a note along with some cash. Ma Xiuzhi had evidently sent their entire stock and, fearing they might get lost, had tucked them into the pockets of the clothes.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing and Liang Junqiang’s eyes reddened. After a while, Liang Qingqing sniffled, set the cash aside, and opened the note. The handwriting was somewhat hasty but still legible, it was clearly written by Liang Shuqing. Given the urgency, the writing was quick, otherwise, Liang Junqiang would never have written so hastily, considering how meticulous he usually was with paper and pen.

The content of the note was full of concern, asking them to take care of themselves and Fan Yanxing , reassuring them that everything at home was fine and to not worry. It also mentioned that, since it was inconvenient to go through Fan Yanxing ’s personal belongings, they had sent Liang Shuqiang’s clothes instead, so the two of them could make do for a while.

From this, it was clear how respectful and proper the Liang family was.

Fan Yanxing glanced at Liang Qingqing’s reddened eyes and nose, his gaze darkening, his clenched fist tightening.

“Mother really shouldn’t have given us all this. What will we use at home?” Liang Qingqing’s lips curled in dissatisfaction, unable to suppress her grumbling. However, she understood that Ma Xiuzhi was concerned for her and Liang Junqiang , which made her eyes redder with emotion. She wiped her face, touched by the gesture.

Liang Junqiang sighed and said nothing, but his expression showed he shared Liang Qingqing’s feelings.

The atmosphere fell silent for a while until Fan Yanxing broke the quiet. “Qingqing still needs to take her medicine. Let’s get that done first.”

This reminded them that Liang Qingqing was about to take her medicine before Aunt Zhang arrived.

Fan Yanxing handed Liang Qingqing the cup of water from the table. She took it, but just then, a large hand covered hers. Startled, she almost dropped the cup, but he had been paying attention and prevented it from falling.

Her eyes widened in surprise. She glanced back and saw Liang Junqiang was busy with the clothes and hadn’t noticed their small interaction. She sighed in relief, then glared at Fan Yanxing .

She tried to pull her hand away but couldn’t.

Liang Qingqing couldn’t help but lower her voice and scolded, “Are you crazy? How can you be so close in front of my brother?”

Regardless of their relationship status, in this conservative era, even if they were courting, such intimate contact in front of people was inappropriate, especially with her own brother present. If others found out, there would be endless gossip.

Fan Yanxing  looked indifferent but was clearly concerned for her. He lightly squeezed her fingers before pulling his hand back and softly said, “We’ll be able to go back in a few days. Don’t be upset.”

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing was momentarily stunned, realizing he was comforting her. Her heartbeat quickened, each beat bringing a strange fluttering sensation.

“With you here, I’m not upset at all.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Liang Qingqing grabbed his hand that had yet to be withdrawn. Their palms touched, and the contact quickly became warm and slightly sticky, the surrounding air growing thick with a subtle intimacy.

In just a few seconds, Fan Yanxing ’s thoughts whirled around, his ears flushing red. His other hand, hidden under the blanket, was damp with a light sweat. He softened his voice and said, “I’ll stay with you.”

After saying this, he noticed something and gave Liang Qingqing a meaningful look. She understood and they both released their tightly clasped hands, pretending nothing had happened as they each turned their gazes away.