Du Chunzhi first bought some rice and flour, then had a few pounds of meat sliced, purchased glutinous rice and zongzi leaves, and finally went to the fabric shop to pick out a few scraps of cloth.
Seeing that the boat was about to depart and recalling the days in the Capital when she would while away the summer heat with a fan, she added a box of pastries and a package of tea leaves to her haul.
Du Chunzhi arrived at the pier carrying her bamboo basket and a large hamper on her back. Zhao Laoliu glanced at her and gestured toward the spot she had occupied that morning; she hurried over and sat down.
The boat was filled with people from Songjia Village. Seeing Du Chunzhi's large hamper, they grew curious. "Auntie Du, what do you have in that hamper?"
The villagers were notoriously nosy; if she said it was nothing, they would only come over to lift the lid and see for themselves. Not wanting to be pried into, Du Chunzhi was just about to make up an excuse when Zhao Laoliu spoke up: "It’s my stuff. I left it at the restaurant."
Du Chunzhi seized the opening immediately. "That's right, that's right. The restaurant manager asked me to bring it along for him."
Zhao Laoliu handed the fare he had just collected back to her. "Thanks for the trouble. This is for your errand."
Fine, he was going to help her all the way, it seemed.
Once they heard the hamper belonged to Zhao Laoliu, no one on the boat dared to gossip. The crowd just smirked, suggesting that since Zhao Laoliu had brothers in the county seat, he must have been buying festival gifts for them.
When it came down to it, they just thought a woman was an easy target for bullying.
"Auntie, you've been building walls and going to the market—the ten taels Song Yao gave you are all gone, right?"
"How did you guess so accurately? I’m actually quite a bit in debt."
"What’s in that basket, Auntie? Did you buy meat?"
"No, I saw someone clearing out dry grass, so I asked for some to line the chicken coop."
Chatting like this, back and forth, they soon returned to Songjia Village.
Before the boat even docked, a group of young boys was running wild everywhere, shouting, "Du Chunzhi is back! The green-brick fiend is back!"
What on earth? What kind of nonsense were they shouting?
The shouting caused quite a stir; a crowd gathered at the ferry landing in a flash, and even the Village Chief, Song Huaiyu, had come.
Seeing this spectacle, Du Chunzhi was a bit dazed. Why had everyone run over here? Were they planning to welcome her in a procession?
The boat pulled into the dock, and the group disembarked one by one. Du Chunzhi and Zhao Laoliu exchanged a glance; she pointed to her large hamper, then picked up only her small bamboo basket.
The Village Chief stood on the bank with his hands behind his back, face stern. "Du Chunzhi, I hear you were throwing bricks and hurting people in the county?"
Du Chunzhi found it amusing. "Uncle Chief, where did you hear such a thing?"
"Didn't you say it yourself? That you were possessed by a fiendish aura and were going to kill someone to consecrate the bricks?"
What a load of rubbish! Du Chunzhi thought to herself: I only scared Widow Zhao by saying I was feeling irritable and wanted to smack someone with a brick—how did she spread it? How did it turn into killing?
What do you call this? One person tells a lie, two people spread the hearsay, and by the third, it becomes a tiger. Rumors truly travel fast!
Just as Du Chunzhi was about to explain, Song Yao and his son rushed over. Song Yao coughed twice and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, you all know what Du Chunzhi used to be like, don't you?"
"That's right. Honest, reliable, never caused trouble or squandered money—she wasn't a troublemaker."
"Farmers fear a house-wrecker above all else. As long as she wasn't wrecking the house, those folks in the Song family could just boss her around."
Song Yao sighed. "Don't forget, the last time we were at the Chief's house, she was filing complaints and throwing punches—it was completely different from before!"
At this moment, Song Yao felt the joy of finally being able to turn the tables; he acted so convincingly that even he began to believe his own performance. "I discovered her odd behavior days ago. She was always wandering out in the middle of the night, and there was a scent of blood on her. The more I looked at her, the more gloomy her expression seemed, and her gaze was truly terrifying."
Song Zhenqing chimed in, adding oil to the fire. "That's right! Our whole family was terrified. We were afraid she would bring disaster to the village, so we didn't dare keep her; that’s why we thought about sending her to the Wang family. The head of the Wang family is a renowned philanthropist in the area; he could have quelled her malice. But who could have imagined!"
Song Zhenqing faked a tear. "She has a silver tongue, and she actually went and accused my great-grandmother and the Wang family’s matron! All our good intentions have gone to waste!"
People are forgetful, and when their own safety is concerned, they change sides instantly. Besides, Song Yao bore the surname Song, making it easier for him to win the trust of the villagers of Songjia.
The villagers chimed in, their stories growing increasingly bizarre.
"It’s more than just a fiendish aura; she’s possessed by a demon."
"A relative of Song Kuang's saw it in the county with their own eyes—Du Chunzhi throwing green bricks at people, leaving them covered in blood. If she hadn't been pulled away, it would have been a death!"
"She's always sneaking out in the middle of the night—isn't that a wild boar spirit?"
"No wonder she took the coarse grain from Song Yao’s house; wild boars can't eat fine rice bran."
"There have been strange noises at the edge of the village lately. She's been building those walls to hide inside and eat living creatures!"
The crowd’s censure was like molten gold; it could melt bones. Even those who didn't believe it were starting to waver, worried about the safety of their own families.
"Uncle Chief, a person like this can't stay in the village. What will we do if our chickens go missing?"
Du Chunzhi laughed in anger. "I'm not a weasel."
Song Zhenqing jumped up and down. "It’s too scary! What if she climbs over the wall in the middle of the night and digs out your heart?"
Du Chunzhi grabbed Song Zhenqing and gave him two sharp slaps. "Say that again?"
Song Zhenqing shrieked, "See! Didn't I tell you she'd go mad?"
At this moment, Song Huaiyu spoke up: "Du Chunzhi, it is truly dangerous to let you stay in the village. You have two choices: either we send you to the officials, or you move up the mountain. There is a grass hut left behind by the mountain guard; it’s just the place for you."
No wonder they went to such lengths; no wonder they spent so much time setting the stage. It seemed this was their true goal all along.
Du Chunzhi stood with her back straight. "I won't choose either path. What will you do then?"
"Then I shall choose for you."
"You found a pretext to drive me out so that the house I just finished repairing would be left vacant. Tell me, Uncle Chief, who do you intend to move in there?"
As soon as she said this, several families looked eager. Du Chunzhi sneered. Was the fiend important? Were the green bricks important? Who cared if she had actually hurt anyone?
Everything was just a pretext.
They were simply bullying her because she had no one to rely on, slapping a crime on her to drive her away, and stealing the house with the walls and roof she had fixed.
"You say I’m carrying green bricks with me?"
Song Yao said loudly, "That’s right, they're in that bamboo basket."
"If they aren't in the basket, will you compensate me with all your remaining belongings?"
Hearing that his belongings were at stake, Song Yao instinctively took a step back. Du Chunzhi continued, "Who said my green bricks were for hitting people? That brick had been soaked in spices for days; it was practically brimming with auspicious energy. The young ladies in the county love things like that; they put them on their tables to ward off evil. I had just arrived in the county when someone bought it. How could it possibly still be in the basket?"
"If you don't believe me, that's fine—it'll be one tael of silver for a look. Uncle Chief, why don't you go first?"
Song Huaiyu said nothing. Paying silver was out of the question; he wanted someone to snatch the basket. Unexpectedly, Du Chunzhi added, "If no one is paying, I will go to the County Yamen to report this. It wouldn't be my first time; I'm very familiar with the place."
"And since the Prefect is currently at the County Yamen, the thought of such a disturbance breaking out in Songjia Village... hehe."
Song Huaiyu felt a chill at her laughter and hurried to ask those around him, "Is the Prefect really at the County Yamen?"
Song Kuang shouted from the back of the crowd, "He arrived this morning! He isn't leaving until after the Dragon Boat Festival races."
Du Chunzhi took a step forward. "I went to the county to sell an auspicious green brick, and yet Song Yao slanders me as being possessed by a fiend. Uncle Chief, whom do you believe?"
"Do you, or do you not, want to look inside my bamboo basket?"