240 Grumbling

Qin Qingyuan took a step back to avoid the woman’s outstretched hand. He was smiling and speaking politely. He looked at people like an innocent deer, which made people feel pity for him. It made people ignore his actions just now.

“I have been lying down a lot these days. My body is a little sore and tired. The weather is good today. I’m out to bask in the sun to get rid of the mold. I’ll also pick up some firewood to go home.”

“Hey, I think you should take your mother and sister to the temple to burn incense and pray. What is gone is bad luck.”

The woman said again, but was pulled by the person beside her. She glared at the person in dissatisfaction. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Uncles and Aunties, you guys continue chatting. I’ll be going back now. My mother is still waiting at home.”

Qin Qingyuan still had a gentle smile on his face, as if he didn’t hear what she had just said. He bowed to everyone again, turned around, and left.

Looking at his slightly weak figure slowly walking away, the villager who had dragged her away just now said in slight disapproval, “Why did you say those things just now? Qingyuan is a good kid. Aren’t you stabbing a knife into his heart?”

The aunt who was talking to Qin Qingyuan, pouted and said in disdain, “What good kid? I’m afraid you’ve all been deceived by him. Don’t you have any suspicions about him being bitten by a poisonous snake?”

“What do you suspect?”

Someone asked out of curiosity.

“How long did Madam Wang kneel and cry outside the Qin family’s first branch’s house? Why did it have to be when Lady Qin came back that Qin Qingyuan was about to die? Didn’t you hear what Lady Qin said? If we calculate according to the time Madam Wang took to cry and beg, Qin Qingyuan would have been bitten by a venomous snake. he would’ve been dead long ago, and she wouldn’t have saved him.”

As soon as the aunt saw someone agreeing, she immediately regained her spirits.

After she voiced out her suspicions about Qin Qingyuan, someone in the crowd also said, “Yes, yes! I went to help that day, and Qin Qingfei admitted that Qin Qingyuan was just bitten by a poisonous snake. She went to find him. If that’s the case, isn’t it deliberately taking the snake bite at the exact time when Lady Qin returned?”

“That’s right, with the excuse of having to pay for medical expenses and so on, can’t you beg Lady Qin to reduce the fine? Everything you say makes sense!”

More and more people agreed, and many women went to help that day. With one after another, they managed to piece together the matter.

“I say, don’t make wild guesses. Don’t you think that Madam Wang and her two children are miserable enough? Even if there was really a plot against Lady Qin, it must have been done by that bastard Qin Xu! How old were Qing Yuan and Qing Fei? You guys watched her grow up. Don’t you know that she’s a good child?”

A woman who had a good relationship with Madam Wang stood up for them. Seeing that everyone’s expressions seemed to be wavering, she added more strength, “We’ve all seen through what kind of life Madam Wang is living in the Qin family. With a father like that, if he threatens to punch and kick Madam Wang, would that child dare to not listen?”

Her words were right on point. Everyone knew that Qin Xu looked gentle, but when he hit his wife, he was fierce. He especially picked inconspicuous places to hit, and those wounds were hidden under her clothes.

He was selfish but he has never been seen taking money from his family. On the contrary, the old Qin family was almost emptied by him.

Not to mention anything else, during the days when Qin Qingyuan and Madam née Wang were injured, he had only come back once and sold one acre of the family’s land.

Needless to say, all the money still went into his pocket.

At the thought of this, everyone felt that it was something Qin Xu would do in order to get away with the fine.

“You’re right. Qin Qingyuan has been sensible and polite since he was a child. It’s not bad to say that he’s the smartest and most promising child in our village. I also think that he was forced to do that. He’s so young, so he wouldn’t have such thoughts.”

The villagers, who had initially sided with qin Qingyuan’s scheme, now sided with Qin Xu’s scheme.

Even the man who had said that Qin Qingyuan was a scheming man started to waver.

“Okay, okay, whether it’s Lady Qin’s family or second Qin’s family, whether they live or not has nothing to do with us. It’s fine if you say it, but don’t you have any work at home? Don’t you have to be busy? Hurry up and disperse.”

Someone inadvertently looked up and saw that the sun was approaching the middle of the sky, so he quickly called out.

“Exactly. Why is it already noon? We didn’t even talk much.”

“Hurry up, hurry up. I still have to weed my field today. I didn’t do anything all morning. I’m too embarrassed to go home for dinner.”

“Who said it wasn’t! I still have to go back to my mother’s house. It’s a twenty-mile journey, I’m afraid I’ll have to come back after a few words!”

Everyone dispersed as they spoke. No matter if they were running towards their homes or the fields, they all left in an instant.

Only the aunt remained standing in the same spot, tilting her head and mumbling to herself, “Could it be that I was wrong?”

Madam Née Wang came out with a pile of bedding. She was prepared to take off the quilt covers to wash them and dry the cotton covers inside to prevent the weather from suddenly turning cold.

There were still dirty clothes soaked in the basin on the ground next to her. She had instructed Qin Qingfei to wash them out, but when Madam Wang came out of the room, she only saw Qin Qingfei pushing the clothes in the basin with her fingers with a look of disgust.

“It’s not dirty, why should I wash it? If the water is used up, I won’t be able to carry it!”

“You child, I only asked you to help me with some things a while ago. What if you get despised by your in-laws after you get married?”

Madam Wang couldn’t help but complain.

In the past, she couldn’t bear to let her daughter suffer, but now there were only the three of them in this family. Even if she couldn’t bear to, she had to be ruthless.

“We’ll talk about it when the time comes. I’m still young. Besides, how can I get married without a dowry?”

Qin Qingfei complained unhappily. “Also, if I do too much housework, my hands and face will become ugly and wrinkly, just like my mother. Who will want me then?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a bundle of firewood was thrown beside her. A branch fell into the basin, splashing water all over Qin Qingfei’s body.

“Argh! What are you doing!”

Qin Qingfei jumped up in shock and pushed her wet bangs away with her hands, only to find Qin Qingyuan walking past her with an expressionless face. She immediately shouted in anger.

Qin Qingyuan turned his head slightly and glanced at her. His cold gaze made her scream abruptly stop.

Her brother seemed to be in an extremely bad mood, so it was better not to provoke him at this time.

“Qingyuan, you’re back?”

When Madam Wang saw her son return, she also forced a smile and greeted him.

He had entered the mountain with a chopper and rope before dawn and had only returned now. The expression on his face was even uglier than before he had left. It was not known if he had heard some gossip outside.

Wang-Shi wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare. Her son had always been sensible and polite, but ever since he had been bitten by a poisonous snake, his temperament had changed greatly. Now, his eyes were always cold, making her, as his mother, feel her heart palpitate when she saw them.

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