By dusk, Xue Zhi finally returned to the village.
Some villagers who had already finished dinner were chatting beneath the large tree at the village entrance. When they saw her arrive in a horse carriage loaded with goods, they quickly called out to stop her.
“Madam Xue, where have you been? Why are you only coming back now?”
Seeing the cart full of items, everyone grew curious.
Xue Zhi replied casually, “I went to town.”
One woman craned her neck, trying to peek inside the carriage. “These things must have cost quite a bit. Madam Xue is really capable.”
Then she added probingly, “But I heard that when you left after the divorce, you took nothing with you. So where did the money for all this come from?
If Madam Xue has such a good way of making money, don’t keep it to yourself.”
The others eagerly echoed:
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“We’re all from the same village. If you’ve struck it rich, don’t forget to help us too.”
Someone else, full of envy, flattered her. “That wicked mother-in-law of yours was blind. A hardworking and capable daughter-in-law like you is hard to find. Good thing you left. Better than letting those ingrates benefit from you.”
“Exactly! I bet Li Honghua regrets it to death now.”
“Oh right, Xue Zhi, now that you’re divorced, have you thought about remarrying? What kind of man do you like? Auntie can introduce you to someone even better than the Fu family.”
Young widows often attracted attention.
Just then, a woman in the crowd sneered sarcastically.
“You’d all better be careful.
Whether that money is clean is another matter entirely.
She just got divorced, yet she moved into Scholar Fu’s house and suddenly has enough money to buy all this stuff.
If you ask me, the source of that money is suspicious. Who knows which man she seduced to get it?”
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Xue Zhi turned her head toward the speaker and smiled faintly.
“Oh my, I was wondering who it was. So it’s sister-in-law.”
Then she suddenly corrected herself.
“Ah, my mistake. What sister-in-law? It should be Madam Fu. What did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly. Could you repeat it?”
Madam Fu—Sun Xiaoqian—was Xue Zhi’s former sister-in-law.
In her previous life, Sun Xiaoqian had slandered her countless times.
She was lazy, deceitful, and always shirking work. If Xue Zhi hadn’t been taking the brunt of Li Honghua’s abuse, Sun Xiaoqian would never have been able to slack off so freely.
She had stolen household goods to support her natal family, even stolen money several times, then framed Xue Zhi for it while poisoning Li Honghua’s mind against her.
Xue Zhi had been wondering whom to deal with first.
Conveniently, the woman had delivered herself to the doorstep.
Sun Xiaoqian loudly repeated herself.
“I said your money is dirty!
Did you hear that this time, Xue Zhi? Dare to tell everyone where it came from?
If not from men, how could you get so much money in just a few days?”
Then, as if struck by realization, she shouted:
“Xue Zhi! You must’ve seduced Scholar Fu, right?
Everyone says you’re just renting his house—but privately, where did you get the rent money? And now all this money for these goods?
You shameless slut! Are you really that desperate for men?”
The more Xue Zhi listened, the tighter her fists clenched.
Taking a deep breath, she stared straight at Sun Xiaoqian with a half-smile.
“Sun Xiaoqian… who exactly is desperate for men?
Why doesn’t your son, Da Dan, look like Fu Qiang at all?
He doesn’t look like you either.
Nor does he resemble anyone in the Fu family.
Tell me…”
She slowly emphasized the final words.
“Who do you think he looks like?”
Her tone was full of warning, her sharp gaze making it clear:
If Sun Xiaoqian kept causing trouble, she would expose everything publicly.
Sure enough, Sun Xiaoqian’s body jolted violently. Panic spread across her face.
“Y-you… what nonsense are you talking about?
You’re slandering me! Yes, slandering me!”
How did Xue Zhi know?
What else did she know?
When had she found out?
Did anyone else know?
In mere moments, Sun Xiaoqian stiffened with terror, unsure what to do.
Xue Zhi snorted disdainfully.
“Hmph. Since you say I’m slandering you, then couldn’t I also say that you’re slandering me?
Madam Fu, leave some room for others, so we can all meet again in peace someday.
If one day I accidentally let something slip…
Don’t blame me.”
Sun Xiaoqian froze.
When had Xue Zhi become so sharp-tongued?
It was like she had become an entirely different person.
Could it really be because of that incident when she jumped into the river?
Had she truly changed overnight?
Xue Zhi then suddenly put on a sorrowful expression and turned helplessly to the crowd.
“Today I went to town and found some work.
The shopkeeper heard about my circumstances and pitied me, so he advanced me some wages.
Yet none of you believed me. Instead, you all guessed the worst of me.
Ah… I’m all alone in this world. How will I survive in the future?”
As she spoke, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, pretending to cry.
Some still doubted her.
“Where exactly did you find work, Madam Xue?”
“Oh, nowhere special,” Xue Zhi replied lightly. “I’m just working as an embroiderer at Jinxiu Tower. It doesn’t pay much.”
Immediately, several women skilled in sewing widened their eyes.
“Xue Zhi, that’s amazing! You actually got work at Jinxiu Tower?”
“Are they hiring? I can embroider and sew too. Put in a good word for me!”
“Me too!”
“I can do it too!”
“Xue Zhi, please help us get in—”
Before they could finish, she interrupted calmly.
“I’m only an embroiderer there. I have no influence.
If you want work, go ask yourselves.”
Then she added,
“It’s getting late. I won’t disturb everyone any longer. I’ll be going.”
The villagers watched the carriage roll away, sighing endlessly.
Some felt ashamed of their ugly suspicions.
Others, still bitter, resented Xue Zhi for refusing to recommend them, thinking she feared competition.
But a few had already shifted their attention to Sun Xiaoqian.
“Sun Xiaoqian… what did Xue Zhi mean just now?
Your son Da Dan… is he really not Fu Qiang’s child?”
Sun Xiaoqian’s eyelids twitched. She spat at the speaker and cursed furiously.
“What nonsense are you all talking about?
Xue Zhi and I hate each other. She said that on purpose!
You idiots actually believe her lies!”
Then she sneered bitterly.
“She’s the one who climbed into Scholar Fu’s bed and landed herself a respectable job at Jinxiu Tower.
Look at all of you, trying to flatter her and beg her to get you jobs there.
Bah!
Daydreaming fools.”