"Yan girl, I heard that Mrs. Wu’s daughter-in-law cos from that kind of sordid background. Is that true?" a woman with a round, tender face curiously looked at Mo Yan, oblivious to how inappropriate it was to ask such a question in public.
At these words, everyone suddenly stopped their work and turned to stare at the round-faced woman, their faces filled with surprise. It was clear that they had not heard this rumor before.
The round-faced woman was only about twenty, sweet-mouthed and generous, the youngest daughter-in-law among those working there. Even if she occasionally said sothing disagreeable, no one would hold it against her. Over the past ten days, she had gotten along well with everyone, and there was nobody who didn’t like her.
Having blurted out such a question in the heat of the mont without thinking it through, the round-faced woman realized she had said the wrong thing as the room fell silent and everyone looked at her in disbelief. Sensing trouble and seeing Mo Yan’s expression turn cold, she quickly rembered her relationship with the Wu family and hastened to explain, "Yan girl, these are just rumors I heard, not sothing I ca up with."
Seeing the woman so frightened, Mo Yan’s expression softened sowhat. "I know it wasn’t you who spread the rumor, but could you tell where you heard it from?"
The twenty people had been carefully selected by her; they had good reputations in the village. She would need their help again in the future, and their character was a consideration in her choice. She liked this young daughter-in-law very much and believed that her question was just a slip of the tongue. However, the person who actually started spreading such a rumor was unforgivable!
The round-faced woman had also heard the gossip inadvertently. She had intended to keep it to herself but had blurted it out without thinking. Now eager to clear suspicion from herself, she hastened to reveal her source. "You know I stayed late the other day trying to finish that cotton-padded jacket. On my way ho, I overheard two people whispering at the corner of the wall. I heard them discussing this. It was dark, so I couldn’t see who it was, but one voice sounded familiar, like Sister-in-law Wang. The other was too soft to identify."
Sister-in-law Wang? Mo Yan frowned. How would she know about Liu Qingqing’s background? Had she been maliciously spreading rumors to tarnish the reputation of the Wu family and accidentally struck truth?
Seeing Mo Yan remain silent, the young daughter-in-law’s heart sank, wishing she could slap herself. If she lost this easy job over this rumor, it wouldn’t just an less money—it would also an losing face in the village. Who would like soone who gossiped?
Upon hearing this, Aunt Cai angrily said, "Those filthy words, coming from soone else’s mouth, I might believe a bit, but that Wang Family woman loves to stir up trouble. She’s just jealous of the Wu family’s prosperity and spreading rumors. I don’t believe a word!"
Her words dispelled any doubt in the other won’s minds, prompting them to agree, "That’s right, that woman’s mouth is never clean. It’s harder to hear good things from her than to ascend to heaven. We can’t believe her words."
"Yes, that woman’s mouth stinks worse than garlic. If we believe her, we’re falling into her trap. How will we deal with Mrs. Wu in the future?"
"Exactly, we can’t let that woman have her way! And what did Mrs. Wu ever do to deserve this? Also, to gossip so unconvincingly, the Wu family is wealthy and has Yan girl as their backing. Even marrying a girl from the city is within their ans; why would they settle for a girl from that kind of place? That woman is just not using her brain, thinking everyone’s as foolish as she is!"
"..."
Before Mo Yan could speak, the crowd began discussing fervently, already convinced it was Sister-in-law Wang’s envy of the Wu family’s good life that led her to spread such rumors, aiming to make the village shun them and bring sha to the Wu family.
Mo Yan let out a slight sigh of relief. Although the Wu family had already devised a solid story to counter any issues, if soone were to reveal Liu Qingqing’s past first, it would preoccupy the villagers’ minds, leading them to suspect her background.
Reviews
All reviews (0)