Chapter 91: The Quarrel

Chapter 91: The Quarrel

However, Sister A Shu's method of cooking loaches wouldn't work in their own home. It called for sugar, which was expensive. This kind of dish was beyond the means of ordinary families; he assumed Second Uncle's family only indulged in it occasionally.

Thinking this, Lin Yushu ate with a blush of embarrassment.

As Second Aunt had mentioned, villagers typically avoided loaches, eels, and field snails. Besides their strong fishy taste, many common folk considered these foods "unclean" because they lived in muddy environments, deeming them dirty and unfit for consumption.

Furthermore, loaches and eels helped by eating insects and loosening the soil in the rice fields. Thus, farming families who relied on the land for their livelihood were even less inclined to eat them, despite their abundance in the fields.

He had noticed something about Sister A Shu since she began teaching: she was a remarkable woman with her own ideas, unconcerned with external opinions. Just as she not only ate these "dirty things" usually consumed only by ducks and geese but also made them so delicious. In the future, he wanted to emulate Sister A Shu—to disregard others' judgments and prioritize his own comfort!

Lin Shu had no idea that Lin Yushu could glean such insights from eating loaches and field snails; she simply ate what she wanted.

After the meal, Lin Shu playfully swatted away Zhou Ye's hand as he instinctively reached to clear the dishes. Instead, she and Lin Xiaopu each took a few bowls and plates to wash under the bamboo water pipe.

"Mom, I can handle it. You should go to the main room and teach," He Guixiang urged.

Lin Shu didn't argue, smiling as she said, "Mom, you're running late today to chat with Third Aunt about spinning hemp. Third Aunt might come looking for you here soon."

"I'll leave after washing these bowls. If we chat here, we might disturb you. It's better to go to Third Aunt's house."

"Disturb us? Even Brother A Ye hammering away in the yard doesn't bother us. How could a casual chat between you and Third Aunt be a problem?"

He Guixiang still felt it was better to go to Zhang Qiaohua's house. After tidying up the bowls and plates, she picked up her bamboo basket containing hemp work and prepared to leave.

But before she could step out of the yard, Wang Yingen, Li Chunmiao's son, rushed in shouting, "Oh no! Oh no, Sister A Shu! Someone is ruining your reputation—"

Wang Yingen, sturdy as an ox, charged in and nearly collided with He Guixiang, who was about to leave. He Guixiang almost fell over from the impact.

"You boy, why are you in such a panic? Speak slowly. What's going on?"

Wang Yingen scratched his head apologetically. "I'm just in a hurry. My mother told me to come quickly and inform you."

"What were you shouting about? Who is ruining A Shu's reputation?" He Guixiang asked urgently.

Zhou Ye, hearing the commotion, strode over quickly and frowned. "What's happening?"

Lin Shu, Lin Xiaopu, and Lin Yushu followed closely behind.

Wang Yingen looked up at Zhou Ye, momentarily stunned by his tall and imposing presence. He quickly explained, "Uncle Zhao San is insisting on dividing the family! It's a huge commotion this time. Village Head Grandpa has been called over, and many people are gathered to watch. Then, the Zhao family's second daughter-in-law started saying bad things about Sister A Shu, claiming she instigated Aunt Lin to cause trouble. Aunt Lin argued with her, and then somehow, others in the crowd also began saying bad things about Sister A Shu..."

Wang Yingen's explanation became a bit muddled, but Zhou Ye understood the gist.

Zhao Ersao was blaming Aunt Lin and A Shu for Zhao Laosan's insistence on dividing the family. Moreover, some people in the crowd who held a grudge against A Shu were fanning the flames.

Lin Yushu frowned and said, "Sister A Shu, there's no need to teach today. You and Brother A Ye should go see what's happening. We can't let a few sharp-tongued women ruin your reputation."

Lin Shu was furious. "I'm going, of course I'm going! We must go!"

Once a woman's reputation was tarnished, it would be hard for her to marry in the future. Moreover, other village women would keep piling on more accusations. Why? Because once your reputation was damaged, people would believe anything bad about you.

"Sis, I'm coming with you! I want to see which gossipy women are spreading rumors about you!" Lin Xiaopu was also seething with anger.

Since returning, his sister had always been kind to everyone, greeting people politely. Yet some still spread rumors about her? It was infuriating.

When they arrived at the Zhao family's house, they found the courtyard gate shut tightly, but a crowd of villagers had gathered outside to watch the spectacle. It was just after breakfast, and even some men on their way to the fields had stopped to join the crowd.

As soon as Lin Shu arrived, she heard two or three women in the crowd making sarcastic remarks about her, arguing with Li Chunmiao.

"That girl who returned from Old Lin's second branch seems smiley, but who knew she'd be such a troublemaker! Lin Zhaodi has been married into the Zhao family for so many years. There have been arguments before, but it never reached the point of dividing the family. What nonsense is this, especially while the old couple is still alive!"

Li Chunmiao frowned and interrupted, "Enough! Shouldn't you be ashamed, gossiping behind a young girl's back? I've met Lin Shu a few times; she's a good girl."

"Sister Li, why are you always defending that girl? Did you get something from her too, like Zhao San's wife? Were you bribed?"

"What's wrong with me saying something? It's better than you gossiping about a girl you've never even interacted with!"

"We haven't met her, but Auntie Gao has! Auntie Gao, tell us, what did that Lin Shu girl do when you shared the ox-cart with her?"

This Auntie Gao was Gao Shi, who had shared the ox-cart with Lin Shu and the village head's eldest daughter-in-law on market day.

Gao Shi, taking advantage of the crowd, raised her voice and said to Li Chunmiao, "Sister Li, don't be fooled by that girl! When I shared the ox-cart with her going to town market, not only did she sulk the whole time, but she also called me 'Auntie,' deliberately making me sound old, and then acted innocent. Hmph! I see right through her bad intentions!"

"Auntie Gao! You... how could you say such things about me?" Lin Shu's voice suddenly interjected.

With Zhou Ye protecting her, she easily pushed to the front of the crowd. Her gaze fixed squarely on Gao Shi. She swayed unsteadily, as if deeply hurt.

Gao Shi had never been afraid of arguments since childhood; even sharp-tongued women like Lin Zhaodi couldn't out-argue her. Facing Lin Shu directly, she remained unruffled. "Oh, Lin Shu, you're here to watch the drama too? Did you know that because of the fish you gave yesterday, Zhao Laosan and Lin Zhaodi are now arguing about dividing the family?"

Lin Shu looked completely baffled. "What? Uncle Zhao San and Aunt Lin are really dividing the family? And it's because of the fish I gave?"

"Stop pretending! Lin Zhaodi is being so stubborn this time; you put her up to it, didn't you?"

Tears shimmered in Lin Shu's eyes. "Auntie Gao, why are you slandering me like this? Since I returned to Tianshui Village, I've stayed at the village end. I've only met Aunt Lin two or three times. I had extra fish from yesterday's catch, so I casually gave her a couple of small crucian carp. How could giving someone fish be wrong?"

As Gao Shi opened her mouth to retort, Lin Shu took a breath and cut her off. "And about the market day, it was my first time on an ox-cart. I felt queasy from the bumpy ride, so I might have looked a bit pale. Auntie Zhang can testify to that. How did it become me deliberately acting coldly towards you, Auntie Gao? It was my first time meeting you; why would I act coldly towards you? I treat everyone in Tianshui Village with the utmost kindness. I never act coldly towards anyone."

Then, she glanced at a few women who looked somewhat familiar, perhaps having met once or twice. Tears glistened in her eyes as she asked, "Aunties, have I ever acted coldly towards you when we met? I'm new to Tianshui Village. I want to be kind to everyone, to have everyone like me. Why would I act coldly towards anyone? Auntie Gao, why are you saying such things about me? (Sob)..."

Seeing her cry, Zhou Ye's face darkened. He clenched his fists but remained silent.

He knew A Shu was clever and was defending herself, but she must also feel genuinely wronged to shed tears like that.

She saw the good in everyone in the village, but some simply didn't appreciate her kindness.

Several other village women had seen enough.

"Auntie Gao, that's too much! How can you make up things that never happened? I met Lin Shu once when I was picking mushrooms on the back hill. She greeted me politely as 'Auntie,' with a smile like a flower. How could you say she acted coldly towards you?"

"Yeah, I've met Lin Shu too. She's very polite. I was initially worried that since she came from the capital, she might look down on us villagers. But she never once complained about our village. She greets everyone politely, calling them Uncle or Auntie."

Besides these women, several uncles who had been greeted by Lin Shu also chimed in.

Seeing more and more people speaking up for Lin Shu, Gao Shi's face turned dark. "Then what about her deliberately calling me 'Auntie'? How does my age make me an 'Auntie'?"

Lin Shu wiped the tears from the corner of her eye with her fingertip. "Auntie Gao, you referred to yourself as 'old lady,' so I thought you looked young but were actually of a higher generation. That's why I called you 'Auntie.' I never thought this misunderstanding would make you resent me so much."

At this point, most of the crowd were convinced by Lin Shu's explanation.

In her youth, Gao Shi had been quite pretty, considered one of the best-looking in Tianshui Village. But as she aged and bore several children for her husband's family, her face had sagged. She seemed to have aged rapidly, looking much older than her years, her features becoming less pleasant, and she could no longer be called pretty. So, Gao Shi hated nothing more than people implying she had grown old.

But Gao Shi was peculiar: she forbade others from calling her old, yet when arguing, she readily called herself "old lady" left and right.

Lin Shu probably offended Gao Shi by calling her "Auntie," leading Gao Shi to hold a grudge and take advantage of this opportunity to badmouth Lin Shu during the Zhao family dispute.

"You... you wretched girl, talking nonsense!" Gao Shi was furious. Lin Shu's put-on, artificial behavior that day was clearly meant to provoke her. How could she now claim it was an accident?

Lin Shu did not refute, only putting on a helpless act and speaking with grievance, "If Auntie Gao says I'm talking nonsense, then so be it. But the matter of Uncle Zhao San and Aunt Lin splitting up must not be pinned on me."

Seeing everyone siding with that little troublemaker, Gao Shi was spitting mad as she talked, "Fine, let's set aside the matter of the oxcart for now. How is Lin Zhaodi's decision to separate the household unrelated to you? If you hadn't stirred the pot behind the scenes, why would Lin Zhaodi suddenly want to separate? I came early today, and the Zhao family's courtyard gate wasn't closed yet. Second Sister-in-law Zhao said it herself—you egged Lin Zhaodi on, and then Lin Zhaodi got in Zhao San's ear."

Lin Shu put on a completely confused look. "But Auntie Gao, I've never spoken to Aunt Lin alone. When did I ever stir anything up? When I brought the fish last time, A Ye and Xiao Pu were both there. I left right after giving her the fish."

Gao Shi snorted coldly. "Zhou Ye and Lin Xiaopu are on your side, of course they'd take your side."

Tears welled up again in Lin Shu's recently dried eyes. "Auntie Gao, why are you so fixated on targeting me? Even if A Ye and Xiao Pu are on my side, Second Sister-in-law Zhao certainly isn't. She was there too and knows exactly how many words I exchanged with Aunt Lin. How can she possibly put the blame on me? Later, call her out—I want to confront her face to face!"

Hearing this, Gao Shi began to feel uneasy. Second Sister-in-law Zhao had said those words in a fit of anger, and it was unclear how much truth there was to them. As for Lin Shu giving fish to Lin Zhaodi, she had only heard about it from others.

With her confidence fading, Gao Shi retorted, "Those were Second Sister-in-law Zhao's words. Go confront her yourself if you want!"

Lin Shu frowned. "So, just because Second Sister-in-law Zhao casually said something, you believed it without question and started making up stories about me?"

"I, I... She's a member of the Zhao family. Wouldn't she know what her sister-in-law Lin Zhaodi is up to?"

The crowd: Is that all?

As the villagers' looks grew increasingly dissatisfied, as if she were the troublemaker, Gao Shi grew angrier. Remembering how Ma Shi had said that wretched girl was all over Zhou Ye in broad daylight, she was about to take a different tack when Zhou Ye suddenly spoke up.

"Auntie Gao, stop making wild guesses. The separation was Uncle Zhao San's idea. It has nothing to do with Aunt Lin, and even less to do with A Shu."

As soon as Zhou Ye spoke, the focus of the gossip instantly shifted. Eavesdropping villagers immediately asked, "A Ye, how do you know? Did Zhao Laosan mention it to you? What exactly happened? Tell us quickly—why would Zhao Laosan want to separate? When did he tell you?"

Zhou Ye's usually flat, monotone voice had a slight chill to it. "He mentioned it before A Shu even came to Tianshui Village."