As Liu Yuzhi asked, Yun Qinghuan knew for sure that someone had been badmouthing her.
When Lu Sunhua came to see her at noon, many people saw it. Those people might be scheming against her behind her back.
Liu Yuzhi’s expression stiffened, and she said awkwardly, “There’s nothing unpleasant. They just said you’ve become close to Lu Sunhua. Mom knows that it’s that boy bothering you again. If you go out next time, let Naihan accompany you. It saves him from bothering you every day.”
She looked at Yun Qinghuan somewhat remorsefully, “I can’t protect you.”
Liu Yuzhi also knew about Lu Sunhua bullying the original owner in the past. When she learned about it, unlike the villagers who thought the original owner was not virtuous, her first reaction was that the original owner had been wronged.
She even advised Bai Wensong to treat the original owner better.
Back then, although Lu Sunhua was the son of the brigade secretary, he dared not provoke the original owner because Bai Naihan also held a position in the brigade, and Bai Wensong, being tall and tough, was fierce in fights. Lu Sunhua didn’t dare to bother the original owner.
Now that Bai Wensong had left, and Bai Naihan was injured and retired, no one could restrain Lu Sunhua. Hence, he came to trouble Yun Qinghuan again.
Those people not only didn’t keep quiet, as Liu Yuzhi said, but they also said particularly nasty things.
For example, Yang Guihua, who had lost face in front of her at noon, came in the afternoon to gossip about Lu Sunhua and Yun Qinghuan at the village entrance. She claimed that Yun Qinghuan, as a widow, would surely not endure loneliness and had now hooked up with the son of the brigade secretary, getting involved in an unclear relationship.
She even told Liu Yuzhi that Lu Sunhua was just playing around with Yun Qinghuan and wouldn’t seriously consider marrying her. After all, he was the son of the brigade secretary, wealthy and influential. He could marry any decent girl he wanted.
Yang Guihua also warned her to be careful, so her daughter-in-law wouldn’t end up getting pregnant from fooling around with other men.
Her words were sour and extremely malicious.
Back then, Liu Yuzhi was so infuriated by these remarks that she had a stomachache and scolded Yang Guihua harshly.
However, not only did Yang Guihua scheme against Yun Qinghuan, but many others also made derogatory comments. While Liu Yuzhi could scold Yang Guihua, she couldn’t possibly scold everyone.
Fortunately, Liu Yuzhi had almost finished her work at the time. Otherwise, if she were in a bad mood and didn’t do the remaining work well, she wouldn’t have earned a full day’s labor points.
Now, she wasn’t blaming her daughter-in-law, but expressing concern and self-blame for not being able to protect her well.
She was afraid her daughter-in-law had suffered grievances at noon and was worried she might keep it to herself.
Upon hearing her words, Yun Qinghuan felt warmth in her heart and couldn’t help but reach out to hold Liu Yuzhi’s hand. “Mom, don’t worry. Lu Sunhua probably won’t come looking for me again. I guess he’ll avoid me the next time he sees me.”
After all, she had made Lu Sunhua howl in pain at noon.
“What happened?” Liu Yuzhi was a bit puzzled.
Why would Lu Sunhua avoid her daughter-in-law?
Yun Qinghuan didn’t explain too much. After all, in Liu Yuzhi’s eyes, she was a delicate daughter-in-law. She just smiled and said, “It’s nothing. It’s just that my younger brother was present today. He can testify that I wasn’t bullied.”
She looked at Bai Naihan, signaling him to explain as well.
Liu Yuzhi also looked over. “Naihan, were you there too?”
“Yeah.” Bai Naihan took a bite of the steamed bun, glanced at his sister-in-law, suppressed a smile, and said, “Mom, I can indeed testify that my sister-in-law wasn’t bullied.”
He figured she probably wouldn’t be bullied in the future either. After all, who could have expected someone who looked so delicate to be so fierce in a fight.
Upon hearing her son’s words, Liu Yuzhi felt relieved but still cautioned, “Although you weren’t bullied this time, be careful next time. Who knows what tricks that cunning Lu Sunhua might pull.”
Lu Sunhua, relying on his father being the head of the brigade, often engaged in unpleasant activities.
As he grew older, Lu Sunhua failed to court a girl from a reputable family. Despite his high standards and shady deeds, known to some extent, people refrained from speaking out due to his father’s influence.
Even parents who cared for their daughters hesitated to marry them off to him.
“Mom, I understand,” Yun Qinghuan obediently responded.
After dinner, Yun Qinghuan wanted to wash the dishes, but Liu Yuzhi insisted, “Let Naihan do it. Focus on your own tasks.”
Looking at Bai Naihan, who was diligently cleaning the tableware, Yun Qinghuan felt a twinge of guilt. He took care of the chickens, washed the dishes, and did various chores, despite being in a wheelchair.
Noticing An’an watching her closely, Yun Qinghuan felt a bit uneasy. Following Liu Yuzhi’s suggestion, she asked Bai Naihan to handle the dishes.
The guilt flashed briefly but soon faded away.
In the courtyard, Yun Qinghuan accompanied the little one for bedtime preparations and asked, “An’an, is there something you want to tell me?”
Copying her, An’an, brushing his teeth, mumbled, “Mom, did you see the words I wrote?”
Yun Qinghuan suddenly realized that the little one wanted her to praise his writing.
‘No wonder he kept looking at me.’
Unable to suppress a smile, Yun Qinghuan said, “Of course, I saw it. An’an’s writing is really excellent! When Mom first started writing, she couldn’t write such difficult characters, but An’an not only wrote them but also wrote them correctly and accurately.”
Pleased with the praise, An’an pursed his lips and smiled.
Yun Qinghuan continued, “Later, Mom will draw a star for you. When you collect twenty stars, you can make a small request to Mom. As long as it’s within Mom’s capabilities, I will definitely fulfill it for you.”
The little one’s eyes lit up, saying, “An’an wants to get lots and lots of stars!”
She gently touched the little one’s head, feeling his soft hair. “So, An’an, you have to work hard. You can earn stars not only by doing homework but also by helping with household chores and being helpful to others.”
The little one seemed eager to try.
“Does sweeping the floor count?”
“Yes.”
Listening to the lively conversation between mother and son outside, Liu Yuzhi couldn’t help but smile.
She glanced at her younger son and suddenly asked, “Do you know about Xia Yuhua’s situation?”
The man’s hand paused, then resumed washing the dishes as if nothing happened. “I’ve heard some things.”
Liu Yuzhi looked concerned. “Naihan, Mom knows you’re a proud person, but in our current situation, you…”
She glanced at her son’s legs, hesitating to speak harshly. Instead, she said, “Girls are tender-hearted. If you listen to Mom’s advice and go comfort Xia Yuhua, who used to like you a lot, she might change her mind. Now she seems close to that comrade from the educated youth group, probably just to make you jealous. If you go and comfort her, she’ll likely come back around.”
∞
Translator Note
Next release
– Dec. 26 (12am)
[Advance Chapters]
«Christmas 24-hour round mass release has finally been completed, yay!!
Fortunately, I’ll grace you guys with extra advance chapters to fill up that tiny little space of curiousity…»
If you like/appreciate my work, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi.
🌸
∞
- Psalm 117
“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!”
