Chapter 307: Rumors and Rumors

Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Rumors and Rumors

Rumors spread like a plague. In less than half a day, they had festered and reached every nook and cranny of the village.

On her way to work, Widow Xie saw clusters of people here and there, talking animatedly. From time to time, they would point toward the northeast.

She sidled up to one group to eavesdrop and immediately exploded with rage. She rolled up her sleeves and got into a shouting match that lasted for half the day. Only after she’d cursed them into submission did she hurry off to find Ji Huan.

Upon entering the backyard, she wasted no time on pleasantries, grabbing Ji Huan and trying to drag her outside.

Ji Huan was baffled and asked her what was going on.

Widow Xie was so angry she was practically fuming.

"Those shameless, disgusting wretches! They’ll blame you for anything and everything! What does Mrs. Meng hanging herself have to do with you? And they’re spouting lies about you seducing Song Jing, just making things up out of thin air! Aren’t they afraid of being struck by lightning? Come on, let’s go confront them! I swear I’ll tear their old faces off and stomp them into the dirt today!"

She tried to pull Ji Huan forward, but Ji Huan stood her ground.

Widow Xie thought she was scared.

"Don’t be afraid. They can’t turn black into white. If it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen! Didn’t you tell me before that we can’t just let people make up stories about us?"

Ji Huan lowered her gaze. "Aunt Xie, this time it’s not a made-up story. What they’re saying is true."

A quarter of an hour later, having learned the whole story, a crestfallen Widow Xie followed Ji Huan back into the main room.

"So you and Song Jing... it’s real?"

"Yes."

"And Mrs. Meng tried to hang herself because she found out about you two?"

Ji Huan couldn’t deny it.

Widow Xie collapsed into a chair, muttering, "Heavens above."

"Oh, Wuan, you kept this secret so well. I didn’t have the slightest inkling."

But then again, it wasn’t the kind of thing one could announce to the world with great fanfare.

When it came down to it, this was the hardship of not having parents.

If Ji Lianbai and Mrs. Wei were still alive, Ji Huan would have had someone to confide in, someone to arrange her marriage. She wouldn’t have needed to...

Now that she was the head of her own household, wasn’t she forced to handle everything herself?

Other matters were one thing, but this involved a man and a woman—and not just any man, but the eye-catching Scholar...

"Tell me... where did all your usual cleverness go? How could you be so foolish about this!"

Widow Xie wanted to scold Ji Huan, but her heart ached for her even more.

People are always biased. If it had been anyone else involved today, she probably would have been just like the gossips outside, thinking the girl was shameless and having pipe dreams.

’Is a Scholar so easy to latch onto? Is a Scholar someone a farmer’s daughter can marry?’

But since it was Ji Huan, Widow Xie couldn’t help but change her stance.

Song Jing was a good catch, but Ji Huan was no slouch either. Forget a Scholar; she was more than good enough for someone even better.

Widow Xie truly believed from the bottom of her heart that Ji Huan was outstanding in every way, different from other girls.

Her biggest disadvantage was that her parents had died young, forcing her to establish her own household as a woman.

In most people’s eyes, no matter how wonderful she was, marrying a farmer was the best she could hope for. Marrying a Scholar was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

What’s more, there was the huge obstacle of Mrs. Meng.

Mrs. Meng had always been proud and arrogant. Even if a fairy descended from the heavens to marry her son, she would still find fault.

They had only known her to be narrow-minded and prone to overthinking, but who would have thought she was so extreme that she’d get stuck on something and refuse to let go?

"And she calls herself a mother! How can her heart be so cruel!"

Those who wailed and cried about wanting to die were, nine times out of ten, just trying to scare people. In contrast, someone like Mrs. Meng, who would hang herself without a word, was truly ruthless.

Ruthless to others, and even more ruthless to herself.

The more Widow Xie thought about it, the more terrified she became.

It was a good thing she was rescued. Otherwise, wouldn’t Ji Huan and Song Jing have been cursed to death by the villagers? Especially Ji Huan—even if the gossip didn’t kill her, she would have been condemned for the rest of her life.

She chanted a few Buddhist prayers, then something suddenly occurred to her.

"Do you think Mrs. Meng leaked this on purpose? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? The rumors started right after they left the village."

The more Widow Xie thought about it, the more convinced she was that this was the truth.

She slammed the table and shot to her feet.

"That venomous woman, Mrs. Meng! She left, but not before setting a trap for you. I think she intentionally wants to ruin you! She’s pushing all the blame onto you while clearing her son’s name completely... No, this won’t do. Let’s go find her!"

But Ji Huan didn’t think so.

"If Mrs. Meng did that, wouldn’t she be afraid that after my reputation was completely ruined, I’d have nothing left to lose and just cling to Song Jing relentlessly? She’s a smart woman."

"Then who could it be?"

Ji Huan shook her head.

’When something happens, it always leaves a trace. No matter how careful she and Song Jing were, there must have been moments of carelessness. It’s possible someone with ill intentions saw something.’

But it didn’t matter now.

"What do you mean it doesn’t matter? We have to go out there and set them straight! It wasn’t you who seduced Song Jing, it was Song Jing who seduced you!"

Widow Xie felt that didn’t sound quite right either and corrected herself, "You two have... what’s it called... mutual feelings! You both fancy each other!"

Ji Huan smiled. "Aunt Xie, whether I seduced him or he seduced me, as long as we were involved, the matter can’t be cleared up. Even if it was mutual, without our parents’ blessing, we can’t escape criticism. So why bother? At best, we’d just drag someone else down with us. It’s not necessary."

Widow Xie was exasperated. "It’s come to this, and you’re still thinking of him!"

"Not entirely." Ji Huan paused, then said, "Do you really think those people outside care about the so-called truth? If the truth doesn’t match their expectations, they’ll just stick with whatever version is more sensational. You could shout until you’re hoarse, and it wouldn’t do any good. They’d just think you have a guilty conscience and are making excuses."

"So we just sit here and do nothing? Let them say what they want?"

"Let them talk. No matter how high a fire burns, if you don’t add more wood, it will eventually burn itself out."

’If the rumors were completely false, then of course you could confront them directly.’

’But if the rumors are a mix of truth and lies, they can’t be easily cleared up. Or if clearing your name means someone else has to pay the price, then silence is the best response.’

Widow Xie sighed. "Don’t be so foolish in the future. You see? When things like this blow up, it’s always the woman who suffers."

Ji Huan raised her hand and promised solemnly, "What happened today will never happen again!"

The rumors were rampant, with people saying all sorts of nasty things. The stories grew uglier by the minute.

Everyone thought Ji Huan would hide at home, too afraid to go out. But unexpectedly, over the next few days, the villagers saw more of her than usual.

She went to Fifth Grandpa’s place to order storage baskets, sought out Shi Yong for help building wooden racks... she just seemed very busy.

When she ran into people who pointed and whispered about her, she not only remained perfectly composed but would even greet them proactively. She actually seemed to be in a good mood.

This left everyone a bit bewildered.

’This doesn’t look like someone with a guilty conscience. She’s not putting on a brave face at all.’

’Shouldn’t she be weeping, too ashamed to face anyone?’

’Could it be...?’

Just as everyone was feeling half-convinced and half-doubtful, another version of the rumor emerged.

"Is it true? Did Song Jing really say that himself?"

"Of course it’s true! My husband was delivering vegetables to a restaurant in town and happened to see a group of students from the academy eating there, Song Jing included. It seems he’s heading to the Prefecture City for the exam, and his classmates were giving him a farewell dinner... Song Jing drank a lot that day and was pretty drunk. One of his classmates teased him, saying that if he passed the Advanced Scholar exam this time, he could take care of his marriage while he was at it. And guess what Song Jing said?"

"What’d he say?"

"He said he does have someone he wants to marry, but she doesn’t think he’s good enough. Not only did she sternly reject him, but she also scolded him for being frivolous and disrespectful."

"Whoa! Who is this person who’d turn down even the Scholar!"

"His classmates also started hooting and hollering, pressing him to say who it was. Song Jing just said her surname is Ji and she lives in Dafeng Village, then lightly brushed it off."

A surname of Ji, living in Dafeng Village.

Outsiders might not get it, but the moment the villagers heard this, it all clicked into place.

So, after all this commotion, it turns out the Scholar’s love was unrequited!

In that case, they had really wronged Ji Huan...