Chapter 153: Afflicted by the Plague
Juying was beside herself with anger, but she felt completely drained of energy. Lu Xiangxiang’s eyes were also very red. Unbeknownst to her, overnight the entire village was abuzz with gossip about her and Lai Zi. The rumors were detailed and vivid, making it sound as if they were true.
When she went out to fetch water and wash clothes in the morning, several elderly people looked at her strangely. Especially Dezi, who ran straight towards her calling out "mom," followed by Lai Zi who came over, giving her a strangely cheerful smile and saying that Dezi was just missing his mother and mistook her for someone else.
Even though Dezi was not well-behaved, he was still just a kid. Yu Xueli always claimed she did not have such a son, but he was still flesh and blood, and Lu Xiangxiang knew she still thought of him from time to time.
So after a few words, she just carried her basin and left, not realizing that this scene had been completely misinterpreted by onlookers.
"Mom, don’t be angry. These are baseless allegations, all fake. Let Huang Maochun spout whatever she wants; it will blow over in a couple of days."
"How could it be that easy! It’s rare for the village wives to have something to gossip about. They’ll drag this from the beginning of the year to the end. Even if you don’t mind, what about Xiaobin? With such a bright future, if he gets any doubts in his mind, what then?"
Speaking of Shen Xiaobin, tears started streaming down Lu Xiangxiang’s face. Since meeting him, she understood what Sister-in-law Meng meant by the feeling of having a partner. The Shen Family’s life was hard, yet Shen Xiaobin would still often bring her things, like scarves, warm flasks, fabric, socks, and steamed buns made by Aunt Shen. He shared whatever he could with her, always thinking of her. They had even planned to speak to their families after the New Year to get married sooner.
"Mom, he... he won’t overthink it, he won’t harbor any suspicion. He’s a good man, we agreed to get married after the New Year."