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墨書 Inktalez
“Su Yuanchun! What does it matter if a brainless woman like you grows into a hundred-meter tall tree? I won’t stoop to your level; arguing with you would only show that I lack intelligence as well, which is too embarrassing. Yulan, let’s go.”
A slow voice rang out, followed by a crisp voice calling, “Make way, make way, our young lady is coming through.”
Xie Youshun had not yet managed to pull Xiao Lihua away when a crowd pushed in from behind. It was not easy for the few of them with children to squeeze out, but at that moment, as the crisp voice sounded, the onlookers parted to make way. Xiao Lihua and the others happened to be right at the edge of this passage and could clearly see the person coming out from inside.
Xiao Lihua thought that this girl named Xiao Ziyi seemed to have quite a status; otherwise, how could her maid clear the way with just a few words? Moreover, considering her tone and choice of words earlier, she was clearly an intelligent girl, much better than Su Yuanchun, who mocked others sharply on the street.
At this moment, two girls walked over. The one in front was petite and beautiful, simply adorned with a gold-inlaid jade hairpin. She wore a purple top embroidered with orchids and a white skirt below, exuding a fresh and elegant demeanor typical of a refined young lady. The one behind her was obviously a maid, her face slightly angry, indicating that her mistress had been wronged, and she was fuming.
Xiao Lihua observed Xiao Ziyi, realizing that the girl wasn’t particularly short; in fact, her well-proportioned figure made her look quite graceful. She wondered how tall Su Yuanchun must be to use such reasoning to mock someone. Her gaze involuntarily drifted inside and she caught sight of another girl.
That girl was indeed tall, with an excellent figure and stunning looks, adorned with pearl earrings and wearing silk wrapped in satin that could almost blind someone’s eyes.
Xiao Lihua felt amused; comparing the two girls, Xiao Ziyi was clearly from a long line of aristocrats while Su Yuanchun seemed like a nouveau riche. Standing together, there was no comparison; Xiao Ziyi completely overshadowed Su Yuanchun. Unless Su Yuanchun had an impressive family background to win over a man or resorted to some tricks, she stood no chance against Xiao Ziyi.
Now Su Yuanchun’s face turned red. Those few words from Xiao Ziyi made her feel humiliated. She wanted to argue but found that the crowd that had parted earlier had now closed in again, separating her from Xiao Ziyi.
“Make way!”
Su Yuanchun shouted angrily. Seeing the smiles on those faces felt like mockery to her; her delicate face twisted slightly in frustration.
People began to retort all at once: “This path isn’t yours! If you want to get through, just push your way through! It’s really embarrassing for someone from your family to shout like this!” Clearly, everyone was siding with Xiao Ziyi, making it obvious they were against Su Yuanchun.
Su Yuanchun’s face turned even redder with anger. She wanted to curse but feared what these people might do to her. If those men touched her or grabbed her inappropriately, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. While she was stamping her feet in frustration, she spotted Xiao Lihua. With a flick of her willow-like brows, she directed all her anger at Xiao Lihua.
"You are that rough servant girl who seduced my cousin and then went after my uncle, aren't you? Oh! You got married? I thought you would continue to work as a maid for someone else to find a better future! Turns out you married a villager. You really understand now, don't you? You get what you deserve; don't always dream about climbing the social ladder and becoming a phoenix! What are you so happy about here? You're already a mother, yet you're still thinking about sneaking around with my uncle and cousin? Be careful or you'll get another beating!"
Su Yuanchun was furious, speaking sharply to vent her anger, her chin raised as she looked down at Xiao Lihua.
As soon as the people around heard Su Yuanchun's words, their attention immediately shifted to Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua felt Xie Youshun's grip tighten around her hand. She finally understood why he had pulled her away earlier. Upon reflection, she realized that the original Xiao Lihua had indeed worked as a maid for the Gao Family, and this Su Yuanchun was a relative of the Gao Family who recognized her. It seemed that Xiao Lihua hadn't changed much over the years; she was easily recognizable.
"This young lady, what nonsense are you talking? I did work as a maid for the Gao Family, but I swear to heaven, if I ever did anything shameless like you said, may I be struck by lightning. Although I am just a country woman, I know that women should have dignity. At least I wouldn't be like you, endlessly accusing others of seduction in public. You just finished criticizing that young lady and made her lose face, then took it out on me. I'm not someone to be bullied; the dignity of a villager is not something to be trampled on! If my husband misunderstands me because of this, I'll take a knife and cut you down, then hang myself at your door. Do you believe me?!"
Xiao Lihua glared at Su Yuanchun. She didn't care about swearing to heaven; after all, it wasn't her who seduced anyone. The original Xiao Lihua was long gone; even if heaven struck her down, it wouldn't matter.
Su Yuanchun's eyes widened in shock; she didn't expect Xiao Lihua to respond like this. Pointing at Xiao Lihua, she said, "You actually dare to lie! Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
"It would strike you instead!"
Xiao Lihua thought she couldn't let the good deeds of the original Xiao Lihua fall on her shoulders. After all, in her memories, the original had only flirted a little in front of those young masters and hadn't done anything too outrageous. She refused to admit it and insisted she was wronged; this was the only way to restore her reputation!
Xiao Lihua had no good feelings toward the Gao Family either. After this provocation, she recalled more things; although the original Xiao Lihua was vain, the beating she received was indeed quite unjust.
Su Yuanchun trembled with anger as she pointed at Xiao Lihua. How could such a small villager dare to bully her? It was truly outrageous!
At that moment, Shitou shouted loudly: "Don't bully my mother! My mother is a good person!"
"Good person! My mother is good!" Muto chimed in from the side.
Xiao Lihua felt a great joy in her heart, thinking that having a son was good, and at this moment, she knew she had her mother to protect her!
Xie Youshun pulled Xiao Lihua behind him and said to Su Yuanchun, "I know my wife's character. Miss, you shouldn't speak carelessly. Although we are just country folk, we are not people who can be easily slandered. I believe your uncle and cousin would agree that you are in the wrong!"
Su Yuanchun's face turned pale. She thought that if her uncle and cousin knew she had offended Xiao Ziyi and had now provoked this family, they would certainly not be pleased; even her aunt would not be happy. Meanwhile, someone nearby mentioned that they had seen Gao Gongzi somewhere else and suggested calling him over to ask about Xiao Lihua's innocence. Upon hearing this, Su Yuanchun immediately took her maid and left. As a result, the onlookers were even more convinced that she was talking nonsense.
Once the crowd dispersed, those at the second-floor window of the tavern returned to their tables, shaking their heads in mockery as they recalled what had just happened.
"The Gao Family is truly unfortunate to have such a cousin; it’s really embarrassing for them. If I had such a cousin, I would have distanced myself long ago."
A man dressed in a blue silk robe laughed. With his slender eyes, he looked at the man in black across from him and said, "That Xiao Family young lady was quite impressive; you two seem like a match made in heaven. Haven't you always wanted to find someone to manage your household? I think she would be perfect. What do you say? Are you interested? If you are, you should act quickly; don’t let a beautiful flower be wasted on the Gao Family's pile of dung. That would be such a pity!"
The man in black glanced at him and replied, "Isn't it you who has intentions? Don't drag me into this."
"Then what were you staring at down there so intently? Don’t tell me you were looking at that Gao Family cousin; that's too frightening!"
"You can't even let me eat in peace."
The man in black shot him a glare and said slowly, "That villager indeed had some flirtatious behavior back then."
"How do you know?" the Azure Robed Man asked curiously. "Did you see it when you were at the Gao Family? That villager must have been quite bold to dare make such a vicious vow; doesn’t she fear being struck by lightning?"
"A country villager daring to do such things wouldn’t fear heavenly punishment," the man in black scoffed, recalling how that villager indeed had engaged in such behavior but was also used by others and ultimately got kicked out; it served her right. Now she refused to admit it, which made the Gao Family bear the reputation of wrongfully accusing an innocent person. It seemed beneficial for her while also providing some advantage for himself!
Xiao Lihua was unaware that someone upstairs knew about what happened back then; even if she did know, she wouldn't care. She only wanted to live her small life.
Zhang Lianxiang held Xiao Lihua's hand to calm her down. This time, she truly believed that Xiao Lihua had been wronged. No wonder she had been like this all these years; a woman who was wronged in such a way would find it unbearable. The timid would be afraid of being looked down upon, while those with a fiery temperament, like Xiao Lihua, would undergo a drastic change in character, perhaps even considering ending their own life.
Xiao Lihua smiled and said it was all in the past and that they should not bring it up again.
After this incident, they decided not to continue shopping and headed towards Guan Zhenzi's place, preparing to take the Ox Cart back to the village.
Once home, Xiao Lihua cooked dinner for the family of four. Xie Youshun went back to work in the backyard, and the two children played for a while before returning to sleep. Xiao Lihua was inside mending clothes. The original Xiao Lihua had indeed been quite lazy; she hadn't done a single stitch. Xie Youshun and the children's clothes were all torn, and mending them was quite a project—she could only tackle one piece at a time.
"Come over and see if the outhouse I fixed is okay; if not, I can make changes," Xie Youshun said to Xiao Lihua. Watching her sit on the kang sewing while the two children slept beside her made him feel as if his heart was being warmed by hot water.
Xiao Lihua got off the kang and said, "It's fine; we went to bed early last night, so we don't need to nap today."
Xie Youshun was perceptive; he understood that Xiao Lihua was just describing things. He had fixed the outhouse very well, and Xiao Lihua was quite satisfied. She thought about finally being able to use a clean place for sanitation, which made her very happy, her face full of smiles.
"In the future, if you encounter anyone from the Gao Family when I'm not around, you should keep your distance. Those people are not easy to deal with; don't let yourself get hurt," Xie Youshun advised Xiao Lihua. He thought that regardless of whether the old Xiao Lihua had really done those things or not, he didn't care when he looked at the current Xiao Lihua.
"I understand. I don't want to run into them either; we just want to live our own lives," Xiao Lihua replied.
Xiao Lihua knew that Xie Youshun meant well for her. She thought this man was quite reliable, and they should just live well together from now on. As for the Gao Family, she hoped never to see them again in her life.
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