Li Lian was working in the fields, her stomach churning with rage as she thought about what had happened the previous night. Just then, someone nearby struck up a conversation with her.
She immediately launched into a furious rant about Lin Qin.
"It’s all because of that wretch Lin Qin. She did such shameful things, dragging our reputation into the mud, and then she had the audacity to give me attitude! She’s becoming absolutely impossible!"
The woman was instantly intrigued. "Did Lin Qin really commit adultery?"
Li Lian’s eyes flickered; she neither nodded nor denied it.
To the bystanders, this was as good as a confession—it was just that Li Lian didn't want to say it outright. The others swarmed around her to press for details, quickly hemming her in.
Li Lian relished the feeling of being the center of attention. She cleared her throat with an air of self-importance and scoffed, "That wretch usually looks so quiet and subdued, but who knew she was so rotten to the core? And her dim-witted father protects her like a treasure, won't let anyone say a word against her. If he keeps indulging her like this, who knows what kind of disaster she’ll cause next!"
"Oh! We can’t have someone like that in our village; she’ll lead our young girls and wives astray!" one woman declared self-righteously.
Another immediately chimed in, "That's right! We can't keep such a scandalous creature in our village. We have to go talk to Lin Yi! We can't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch!"
"Have you all said enough?" Lin Qingxiang’s roar startled the group of women.
Li Lian turned around. Seeing Lin Qingxiang, she felt a pang of guilt, secretly wondering how much he had heard.
But then, Lin Qingxiang slammed his hoe into the ground just a foot away from her feet.
"Ah!" Li Lian tumbled to the side in terror, clutching her chest in lingering fear. Once she regained her composure, she shrieked, "Are you crazy?"
Lin Qingxiang scoffed and pointed at her. "Let me tell you something! We all know whether Lin Qin committed adultery or not. The police in the city and the sub-district director aren't blind. You dare to spread rumors about things that never happened? I’ll have the team leader and the village head deal with you!"
"What? What do you mean?" a woman asked, bewildered.
Lin Qingxiang glared at her, exasperated. "What do you think I mean? Is Li Lian a good person? She's rotten to the bone! You believe what she says? You've all got pig brains—stupid and slow! No wonder you’re being used as tools!"
The group of women turned beet red, their pride completely shattered. After Lin Qingxiang left, they turned their ire on Li Lian. What started as shoving quickly escalated into a brawl, with each woman landing a few blows on Li Lian to vent their frustration.
By the time the team leader arrived, Li Lian was lying in the field, wailing as if she wanted to die.
Lin Zhi arrived shortly after and hurried over to pull her up. "What happened? Who beat you like this?"
Li Lian wailed even louder.
In the end, the team leader called Lin Qingxiang and the women who had fought in for questioning. Lin Zhi was livid, but to his surprise, Lin Qingxiang was even angrier. As soon as he walked in, he pointed a finger at Lin Zhi’s nose and cursed, "You spineless coward! You can’t even keep your own wife in check, and you let her run loose—aren't you afraid someone will come to your door and put a sack over your head?"
Lin Zhi’s face darkened. "Lin Qingxiang, what are you implying?"
Lin Qingxiang gave a cynical, brazen smirk and recounted how Li Lian had spread rumors about Lin Qin.
The team leader’s expression shifted. He had heard whispers about Lin Qin’s alleged affair, but as it had only happened the night before, he hadn't had a chance to check with Lin Yi.
"Lin Qingxiang, are you saying Lin Qin is innocent? This isn't a small matter," the team leader said sternly.
Lin Qingxiang slammed the table confidently. "Team leader, if you don't believe me, just send someone to check with the police station near the Liu Family! Lin Qin reported it to the police last night. I heard the sub-district director was there, too; it’s probably all over the street by now. This is easy to verify. What makes me angry is that while we were in the dark, Lin Zhi and Li Lian went to the Liu Family last night, yet today I heard Li Lian spreading rumors everywhere that Lin Qin committed adultery. If you don't believe me, just ask them."
The women who had been deceived by Li Lian nodded angrily. "Team leader, we aren't unreasonable people, but we were just so angry. If Lin Qingxiang hadn't shown up, we would have gone to Lin Yi's house to demand an explanation. Li Lian intentionally set a trap for us to jump into!"
"Exactly! She’s truly vicious! She thought we didn't know what she was up to!"
Li Lian was frantic. "What was I up to? What was I up to? I didn't say anything! That’s what you thought yourself, what does that have to do with me? Did I explicitly say Lin Qin committed adultery? Did I say those specific words?"
"What were you up to? You just see that Lin Yi doesn't have a son, and you're plotting to get his land and house. Everyone knows it perfectly well. Do you dare say you don't covet Lin Yi's property?" Huang Guihua bluntly exposed Li Lian’s scheme.
"You deliberately misled them!" Lin Qingxiang added, showing no respect for Li Lian’s status as a married woman.
The team leader’s gaze toward Lin Zhi and his wife turned cold.
Lin Zhi was furious, but he had no recourse other than to trade insults with them. As Huang Guihua and the others kept making increasingly cutting remarks, he had no choice but to drag Li Lian away in disgrace. He certainly wasn't about to demand any "explanations" anymore.
Lin Qingxiang sneered triumphantly. Huang Guihua and the others, feeling deeply embarrassed, spoke briefly to the team leader before heading off to work.
The team leader sighed and patted Lin Qingxiang on the shoulder. "I know you're righteous, but you've offended Lin Zhi and his wife deeply today. Be careful—they might try to sabotage you."
"I'm not afraid of them! I’ve got seven or eight brothers, and I’ve got you as my cousin to cover me. If he dares to come after me, I’ll crush him!" Lin Qingxiang grumbled, already planning to visit Lin Yi later to warn him about the couple’s schemes.
By the end of the day, everyone in Shanglin Village knew that Lin Qin had been abused and framed by the Liu Family and that Li Lian had been spreading rumors about her. Even the talk of Lin Zhi scheming to take Lin Yi’s property had spread with vivid detail.
Some of the more upright elders even confronted Lin Zhi at his door. Since they were all from the same village, he had to address them as uncles and elders and couldn't forcibly chase them away, which infuriated him to no end.
Li Lian had it even worse. The villagers already sympathized with Lin Qin, and by spreading rumors at such a time and offending the village matrons, the label of being a cold-hearted schemer was one she would never be able to shake off.
When Lin Qin learned of the situation outside, she hid in her house and laughed.
Lin Yi brought a bowl of fish soup into the room, calling for Lin Qin and Liu Yaya to eat. Seeing how happy Lin Qin was, he couldn't help but shake his head. "Without a brother, you'll always be bullied. Dad is useless and can't get justice for you; I can only let you carry this burden alone."
Lin Qin didn't like hearing that. "Dad, why say such things? What if I don't have a brother? If I don't have one, I'll stand on my own! Even though Second Aunt is scum, she said one thing right: I was too weak before, which is why others dared to bully me. From now on, I will be tough. Whoever gives me grief will get it back ten, a hundred times over!"