Compared to ordinary neighbors, there was still some uncertainty.
Ding Dayang's biological parents and his wife, as soon as they approached, discovered something was wrong. They all felt that the person they had just rescued didn't quite resemble Ding Dayang.
"Something's wrong, you're not Dayang."
"This... this is a woman, right?"
"Dad, Mom, what are you talking about? I'm not Dayang, I'm a ghost! Ah, what, my voice..."
Ding Dayang had just recovered from the pain and hadn't noticed the changes in his body yet. It wasn't until he opened his mouth to refute his parents' doubts that he realized his voice was wrong, significantly softer and clearer than before.
It definitely didn't sound like a man's voice.
At the same time, not only his parents but also all the onlookers could hear that the person they had just rescued was speaking with a woman's voice.
This immediately left many people stunned. Those who had come earliest and felt they had clearly seen the person struggling in the cesspit was indeed Ding Dayang, were even more bewildered. They wondered if their memory was playing tricks on them, or what was happening, how did it change?
Were their brains not working well, and their eyes also failing them?
Before anyone could discuss, Ding Dayang, who had discovered his voice was wrong, quickly felt his body and became even more terrified. He truly kept roaring with a broken voice, asking how this could happen, how he had become a woman, and what was going on.
Then he even yelled at them.
To get everyone to scram.
Although everyone wasn't afraid of him as a person, they were quite afraid of the still unwashed sewage water on him. As he frantically shook his body, diluting the sewage water and driving away the onlookers, very few people could resist. Everyone scattered. Even if they didn't go home, they at least kept their distance, not daring to get close to spectate.
However, from a distance.
It didn't actually affect everyone's gossiping.
"What on earth is going on? I remember it was Ding Dayang who fell in earlier, right? How did he become a woman? Was I mistaken earlier, or did Ding Dayang change from a man to a woman? This is too absurd..."
"I feel like it really might be Ding Dayang. His curse words are the same, but how could a perfectly normal man fall into a cesspit and turn into a woman?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's retribution."
"Didn't he just beat his wife and daughter yesterday? Perhaps some passing immortal sister couldn't stand it and just turned him into a woman."
"But if he really turned into a woman, what will Sister Wuhua do? Two women can't be together, can they?"
"Should we invite Granny Zhu the shaman over to take a look?"
"Husband Hu the shaman is also said to have some abilities."
"What does this have to do with us? We just came to watch the fun. We're actually concerned. If we invite someone, who will pay? Oh my, why is he still on the ground screaming crazily like he's having a fit? He's covered in sewage, isn't that disgusting? He should at least clean himself up first."
"Too disgusting, I'm going back to cook!"
"You can still eat?"
"Forget it, I'm not watching anymore. If you find out for sure whether he changed from a man to a woman, remember to tell me when you pass by my house. Thanks."
"Alas, what a sin!"
"Why is Sazhu running away with such a panicked look?"
"He beats his wife even when he's not drinking. He's probably scared, or worried about bringing bad luck if he stays here."
While the neighbors, hundreds of meters away, were still discussing or turning back home, Ding Dayang finally stopped fussing and resignedly accepted the reality.
He listlessly began to clean his body.
At the same time, he didn't forget to ask the men to avoid.
After a rough wash, he went back inside to clean himself thoroughly. He used half a bar of soap and scrubbed his entire body until his skin was almost raw. Only then did he come out again.
Although his height hadn't changed, and his facial features were largely the same, some subtle, strange changes were enough for anyone to see at a glance that he was now a woman. For instance, his skin was slightly more delicate, his facial features softer, his face relatively smaller, and his overall frame seemed to have slightly shrunk.
His biological mother and wife, who had gone in to help him bathe, came out with a dazed expression, feeling conflicted and troubled by Ding Dayang's sudden transformation.
They didn't know what the current situation was.
Nor did they know what to do in the future.
Ding Dayang didn't show himself for long. After greeting his parents and siblings, he soon felt that everyone's gaze was humiliating him. He returned to his room and locked the door, refusing to come out. No matter who called him, he wouldn't come out.
However, his parents, elder sister, younger brother, and the village chief didn't leave because he wouldn't come out. They sat in the living room, still finding it hard to accept, discussing how to handle this matter. For example, should they invite superstitious figures like shamans to help examine the situation, or should they send him to the hospital.
Of course, there was no shortage of blaming Wu Hua during the process.
But no matter how much they discussed, no one suspected Ding Yun, nor did they suspect Wu Hua. They only thought that Ding Dayang himself had some unknown problem, or had offended some demons or ghosts outside, thus incurring retribution.
When it was mentioned that he might have offended some demons or ghosts.
Ding Dayang's elder sister, younger brother, and younger brother couldn't help but complain, fearing they might be implicated. They kept asking Wu Hua if anything strange had happened recently.
Of course, besides that, they also specifically went to the locked door of the room and loudly questioned Ding Dayang, who was hiding inside, if anything strange had happened, or if he knew why this had occurred.
With the situation having progressed to this point, Ding Yun basically didn't need to worry about anyone suspecting her, or about any major accidents, like someone's death. So, she quickly said she had a slight headache and returned to her room to rest.
However, her presence or absence had no impact on everyone.
They were still arguing amongst themselves.
And as time passed, more and more people gathered. It was unavoidable. Ding Dayang had fallen into the cesspit around ten o'clock, and was rescued no later than quarter past ten.
At that time, most people were either busy in the fields or working and commuting. Those who had time to come and watch the spectacle were in the minority. However, as it approached eleven o'clock, and then half-past eleven, except for those who had gone to work in other places, the rest were returning.
Upon hearing that such a major event had occurred, and that Ding Dayang had allegedly changed from a man to a woman, who wouldn't be curious? They would come to see, even skipping their meals. Thus, his house naturally became more and more crowded, and they couldn't be driven away.
The polite ones just inquired.
The impolite ones directly peeked through the windows.
They were practically about to smash the windows and the door of the room where Ding Dayang was locked up and rush in to have a look.
As for Ding Dayang's grievances, depression, anger, and reluctance to be seen, who cared when there was a spectacle to watch? The more familiar the friends, the more lively they became.