Chapter 3 - 3: The Accusation
"Uncle Gui, no good deed should be belittled. Even if Auntie Lin donated only a single grain of rice, it would still represent good intentions." The person speaking was Gu Hongwei. He wore a gray jacket with several patches, a pair of old cloth shoes showing his toes through the hole. Despite his ragged clothes, he stood erect, a dignified sense of spirit emanating from his youthful, lean face.
All of these people were helping him. Regardless of their circumstances, they were not obliged to assist him. So, they would be in no wrong not to help. There was no reason to condemn them for a supposed lack of charity.
Li Guigen was counting on Gu Hongwei to remember the kindness of the five yuan and to care for him in his old age. He thus made no attempt to argue with Hongwei's words.
Si Boyi and Lin Fengying, too, knew that the money they had donated was indeed too small a sum. They didn't say much and were about to leave when they heard a clear voice.
"Mom, you guys finished donating so quickly?"
Everyone looked towards the voice and saw Tong Yao, with a white gauze over her head, walking towards them with a smile.
Most of the women in the village didn't like Yao. They found her to seem like a little temptress, up to no good. Especially when she smiled, it felt as if she were enticing everyone. Moreover, her delicate, willowy figure hardly seemed capable of hard labor. Nevertheless, they had to admit that her smile was indeed quite attractive, attracting the stares of some men.
Oh dear! Whatever happened to Si Chen? Such a beautiful wife at home and he hadn't touched her for more than a month.
"Yaoyao, how come you..."
Lin Fengying was a bit anxious. These people loved to gossip, and Yaoyao, having grown up in town, was not accustomed to their slanderous talks.
Tong Yao interrupted her with a smile, "Mom, I should have come along earlier with you. I got lost and wandered around for a while before I found this place."