Someone in the crowd quickly explained the entire situation to He Liang.
He Liang frowned and looked toward Ye Xiu’e.
He Liang didn’t fully understand what was going on, but Ye Xiu’e did.
This was clearly a trap Su Wangcai had carefully arranged to smear her reputation.
She stood up and stared coldly at Cheng Da and his wife.
The couple felt uneasy under her gaze and avoided eye contact.
Wasn’t Su Wangcai the one who said Ye Xiu’e was seriously ill and about to die?
Why did she look perfectly fine?
Su Wangcai and Xu Shi were puzzled as well.
At noon, she had looked pale and even coughed up blood. How had she recovered so quickly?
If Su Wanwan knew what they were thinking, she would definitely recommend makeup remover to them.
Ye Xiu’e looked at Cheng Da and his wife.
“You’re trying to accuse me of stealing with nothing but your words. What evidence do you have?”
Cheng Da tugged at his wife’s sleeve, signaling for her to speak.
She shot him a look of irritation.
Why did he always hide behind her whenever something happened?
“The meat patties are the evidence,” she said. “And one hundred yuan went missing from our house too. If you didn’t steal it, who did?”
Ye Xiu’e snorted.
“Those patties were given to me by your grandmother. She can testify to that. As for the hundred yuan, I’ve never seen it, much less taken it.”
The thought of Old Madam Cheng finding out she was causing trouble for Ye Xiu’e made Cheng Da’s wife feel guilty.
But then she thought of the twenty yuan Su Wangcai had paid her and forced herself to continue.
“What? Are you planning to drag my mother-in-law here to testify? She went to visit relatives in the city and won’t be back until tomorrow.”
Su Wanwan’s heart sank.
What terrible timing.
Ye Xiu’e said,
“Even if you found the meat patties, where’s the money? If you can’t find the money, what right do you have to accuse me?”
Cheng Da’s wife wasn’t someone who would back down easily.
“The money was stolen by you. How would I know where you hid it? You should be the one answering that.”
Ye Xiu’e countered,
“My sister-in-law and I both went to your house to help with the delivery. Why are you so certain that I’m the thief?”
The woman pointed at the biscuit tin.
“Isn’t it obvious? We found the meat patties with you, so you must have taken the money too.”
Some villagers who had been watching finally spoke up.
“Didn’t you accuse Xiu’e before the patties were even found?”
“That’s right. Both daughters-in-law went there. Why are you only blaming Xiu’e?”
Xu Shi’s expression darkened.
How had this suddenly become about her?
“It was me who told the Cheng family!” Su Wangcai suddenly declared.
“Last night, I caught those two hiding in their room eating meat patties.
They only went to the Cheng family yesterday, and my wife was with her.
So why did they give meat patties to her but not to my wife?
Obviously because she stole them.
When I went to ask the Cheng family about it, it turned out they were missing one hundred yuan too.”
A voice immediately rang out from the crowd.
“Maybe they didn’t give your wife any because nobody likes her!”
Su Wanwan silently gave that person a thumbs-up.
Exactly right.
Su Wangcai nearly exploded with anger.
“Who said that? Come out here! I’ll beat you up!”
“I did. What are you going to do about it?”
A large, muscular man stepped out of the crowd.
He was over six feet tall.
Most people in the village were thin and undernourished, but he was strong and broad-shouldered.
He was famous for being the toughest fighter in the village and came from a decent family.
Very few people dared provoke him.
Ye Xiu’e had once treated him when he was sick.
He had tried to pay her extra, but she refused.
Because of that, he firmly believed she would never steal.
The moment Su Wangcai recognized him, his arrogance disappeared.
This man was known for fighting hard and fast.
Su Wangcai definitely didn’t want to challenge him.
“Hehe… so it’s you. Nothing, nothing. I was just joking.”
The man snorted and said nothing more after seeing Su Wangcai back down.
Su Wangcai feared him, but Xu Shi didn’t.
Surely he wouldn’t dare hit a woman in front of the brigade leader.
She sneered,
“They say widows attract trouble. Looks like that’s true.
See? A man is already jumping out to defend her.”
Some people in the crowd chuckled.
The man clenched his fists in anger and almost charged forward before several villagers held him back.
Ye Xiu’e was furious as well.
Pointing at Xu Shi, she shouted,
“What nonsense are you talking about? Believe it or not, I’ll tear that filthy mouth of yours apart!”
Xu Shi had long been jealous of Ye Xiu’e.
Every time they went out together, Ye Xiu’e received all the appreciation.
Old Madam Cheng gave Ye Xiu’e meat patties while Xu Shi didn’t even get a glimpse of them.
Whenever they went out, men always looked at Ye Xiu’e.
Xu Shi felt invisible standing beside her.
The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became.
She had endured it only because she wanted to learn medicine from Ye Xiu’e.
Now that she had learned most of what she wanted, she no longer needed to pretend.
All her jealousy and malice came pouring out.
“You’re both so angry. Did I hit a nerve?
No wonder Xiu’e rejected every marriage proposal before.
Turns out she already has a lover!”
That was the last straw.
“I’ll rip that filthy mouth off your face!”
Ye Xiu’e lunged at her.
The two women immediately began fighting.
The villagers rushed forward to break them apart.
Little Su Wanwan also ran over and wrapped her arms around Xu Shi’s leg.
“Bad woman! Don’t hit my mommy!”
Seeing her daughter rush into the fight, Ye Xiu’e immediately stopped, afraid Wanwan might get hurt.
At the same time, Su Wangcai pulled Xu Shi away.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Su Wanwan quietly released her grip.
No one noticed that while hugging Xu Shi’s leg, a tiny syringe had appeared in her hand.
Xu Shi only felt a brief sting, like an ant bite.
By the time she looked down, the syringe had already vanished.
“You ugly freak! Get away from me!
You caused Cuifen to be burned like that. I won’t let you off!”
Xu Shi raised her hand to slap Su Wanwan.
Ye Xiu’e gasped and immediately stepped in front of her daughter.
The two women were about to fight again when He Liang shouted loudly,
“Enough! Stop right now!”
His face was dark with anger.
Did these women not even acknowledge him as brigade leader anymore?
They had already fought once in front of him and now wanted a second round.
He originally hadn’t wanted to interfere in family matters.
But if this continued, the whole situation would spiral out of control.
If word spread, it would damage the reputation of the entire production team.
“What are you all doing?
We’re supposed to work together as a community.
How can you keep fighting among yourselves?”
Ye Xiu’e shot Xu Shi one last glare and led Su Wanwan to the side.
Although she was thinner than Xu Shi, she was much stronger.
Xu Shi had gained nothing from the fight except losing a small clump of hair.
Still unwilling to accept it, Xu Shi said,
“Team Leader, she started it first. She—”
“Enough!”
He Liang cut her off.
“And you’re blaming her?
Have you heard the things you were saying?
Liu Qiang already has a wife. What will people think if they hear such rumors?”
Liu Qiang was the man who had defended Ye Xiu’e earlier.
Xu Shi lowered her head resentfully.
But He Liang continued lecturing her.
“You spend all your time spreading baseless gossip.
You’d be better off using that energy to hoe a few more fields.”
Ye Xiu’e had always been careful about keeping her distance from other men.
She was never alone with them.
He Liang knew that very well and wasn’t about to wrongly accuse her.
Seeing the brigade leader speak up, Cheng Da’s wife hurriedly returned to the main issue.
“Team Leader He, you have to help us!
Ye Xiu’e stole money from our family!”