After receiving the phone call, Shen Lanxiang informed her supervisor and rushed straight home without delay. Today was truly a mix of joy and anger. The good news was that her seemingly clueless youngest daughter had passed the exam and even secured a decent job. The bad news was that those gossiping women had been spreading rumors about her family behind their backs.
If she hadn’t been so focused on her daughter’s results these past two days, how could she have missed those suspicious looks from that group of women?
The Yu family, huh? Fine. She was going to tear that old woman’s mouth apart right now.
So when the two sisters were on their way back, they heard shouting from the alley from a distance, mixed with their mother’s loud scolding voice.
He Qiutang: Wow. Didn’t expect it—Shen Lanxiang really knows how to argue.
“You black-hearted, rotten-hearted woman! Picking on us widows and children because we’re easy targets, huh? Spreading rumors outside—are you trying to ruin my daughter’s life? It’s only because our old man died early, and my second son is out on a work assignment, that you think you can bully us widows like this!”
“There are so many widows in this alley—tell me, which one of us haven’t you spread lies about? What do you even gain from this? You’re just vicious!”
From the tone alone, it sounded like Shen Lanxiang was at a disadvantage. But in reality, when you looked closely, it was Yu’s mother who was being held down and overwhelmed.
This was exactly Shen Lanxiang’s cleverness. She knew that most people here were just spectators, with only a few willing to speak fairly. So she deliberately brought all the “widows” into the spotlight.
At the end of the alley, Widow Hu heard this and gritted her teeth in anger. She stepped forward and helped Shen Lanxiang restrain Yu’s mother so she couldn’t escape.
“People always say widows attract gossip—but I think it’s not widows who bring trouble, it’s your filthy mouths!”
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, the crowd finally stepped in to break things up. Aunt Su felt extremely frustrated—today had been nothing but chaos. She just wanted to work quietly at the neighborhood office, handle paperwork, and wait for retirement.
After some effort, they finally separated the group.
Then, from behind the crowd, He Suqin shouted, “Mom!”
Everyone turned to see the two sisters returning and immediately made way for them.
He Suqin took out a statement from her bag. Just as she had expected, Xu Zikai had completely acted like a coward—he didn’t even dare show up in person. He was afraid that if he did, things might go against him. After all, this was the He and Yu families’ territory, and any blame would fall on an outsider like him. So he quickly wrote a statement clarifying that he had no relationship whatsoever with He Qiutang.
“Aunt Yu, I’ll ask you again—who exactly did you say my sister was dating at school?”
Yu’s mother’s face hurt from the confrontation. She muttered, “I, how would I know… Sui Sui! You little wretch, get out here!”
At the end, she was clearly resentful—if her daughter hadn’t talked too much, she wouldn’t have gotten into such trouble.
Yu Sui Sui slowly shuffled out from the house, nervous. “I… I heard it from Xu Zikai.”
He Suqin sneered inwardly. That was exactly what she needed to hear.
“So it was Xu Zikai, right? Then take a look at this statement.”
She held up the document for everyone to see before handing it to Aunt Su.
“My sister and I went to Xu Zikai’s home and clarified everything. He swore that he and my sister have absolutely no relationship whatsoever and that he has no idea where these rumors came from.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Sui Sui rushed forward in disbelief. “No… that’s impossible! He clearly said that!”
Her eyes were filled with shock and hurt. How could Xu Zikai lie to her? No—he wouldn’t lie. This must be fake!
Aunt Su, experienced and sharp, raised the statement high. “Yu girl, you better explain yourself clearly. It says right here there’s no relationship at all!”
She had even seen cases where people tore up evidence and swallowed it to destroy proof.
“I…” Yu Sui Sui faltered.
Just as He Qiutang was about to speak, He Suqin stopped her and addressed everyone:
“Since things have reached this point, everyone should understand now. My sister never dated that Xu Zikai, nor did she try to avoid going to the countryside by finding someone to marry. She earned her position at the daily chemical factory through her own ability. We also hope everyone stops spreading these rumors. Whoever started them, go find that person!”
With just a few sentences, she set the tone of the entire matter.
At this moment, Shen Lanxiang also stayed silent—when it came to big matters, she always listened to her eldest daughter.
“Aunt Su, you’re the neighborhood committee director. Even though the matter is cleared up now, wrongdoing shouldn’t go unpunished. If it weren’t for Xu stepping forward as a witness, who knows how long this dirty water would have been poured on us,” Suqin added, clearly directing the last words at Yu Sui Sui.
Even if Yu Sui Sui still had time before going to the countryside, if she held a grudge, no one knew what she might do. People who have nothing left to lose are often the most dangerous.
Aunt Su nodded. “Exactly. Since this matter is resolved, you should apologize properly. And since you caused trouble, the Yu family should compensate five yuan for mental distress. Go home and rest well.”
Some onlookers felt Aunt Su was simply siding with the He family because they were doing better now. After all, it was just a few rumors—did it really deserve five yuan compensation?
But even so, no one dared to speak up. The He family was not easy to mess with—Shen Lanxiang could slap someone senseless, and He Suqin could argue circles around anyone. Better to just watch the drama unfold quietly.