Chapter 724: Chapter 726: News Reaches Yang Family Village
Xiaoxiao and Yang Ming rushed back to Yang Family Village, spurring their horses on. As they passed the main square, they were drawn to the sound of a group of women’s loud voices.
"Let me tell you, today in town I heard something unbelievable."
"What is it? Tell us."
"That foster daughter recognized by the Yang Family, she didn’t marry into Lin County as the Yang Family claimed, but instead married into our County’s wealthiest Chu Family."
"It must be that Young Master Chu who always visits our village, right? Isn’t that a good thing? Last time, Young Master Chu himself said that they were engaged."
"The point isn’t that, the point is that people outside are spreading rumors that the Yang Family’s foster girl lost her innocence before her wedding."
"What? That really happened?"
"Rumors, I don’t believe it."
"That Miss Wang doesn’t look like that kind of person."
"Don’t be so sure it’s not true. Those people are giving very specific details, saying Miss Wang has a mole on her back—how would anyone know if it weren’t true?"
"By that logic, isn’t Young Master Chu cuckolded?"
"..."
"..."
Everyone was enjoying the gossip immensely, but Xiaoxiao and Yang Ming had never imagined that this incident would so coincidentally be heard by the people of Yang Family Village, and even spread within it.
If this continued, things would probably end badly. Wang Xiangxiang and the others would return in a couple of days, they couldn’t let this stand.
"Wife, wait here, I’ll go over."
"Don’t, how can you, a grown man, fight with those old women? Let me go." Xiaoxiao said, leaping down from the carriage with vigorous steps towards the crowd.
With a clap of her hands, Xiaoxiao startled everyone, causing them all to turn around.
Stepping into the center of the crowd with a grim expression and pursed lips, Xiaoxiao said, "You all seem to be having a great time chatting, aren’t you?"
Seeing Xiaoxiao’s foreboding face, someone in the crowd quickly spoke up, "No, no, Scholar’s wife, we were just blathering."
"Blathering yet you still spoke?" Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow.
"We won’t talk anymore," a few people promised repeatedly.
"Let me tell you, aunties, the affairs of large households are not something we little commoners know about; sometimes they invent things just to compete. Did you really believe it?"
"We didn’t believe it, not at all," several people said, looking embarrassed, as if they had been caught badmouthing someone.
Xiaoxiao continued, pausing for effect, "I’m telling you, if my sister comes to our village and gets upset over your idle gossip, you all will be in big trouble."
"If that happens, I’ll take each one of you to the government office for spreading rumors," she threatened.
Fearful at the mention of the government office, they assured her, "Scholar’s wife, we won’t speak nonsense anymore, rest assured."
"My sister did indeed marry into the Chu Family, and that’s because Young Master Chu liked her so much that he whisked her away. Think about it—if my sister weren’t pure, would Young Master Chu act like that? That’s the position of a young lady of the house, not a concubine. Even if Young Master Chu agreed, would his parents?"
The crowd nodded, finding Xiaoxiao’s words reasonable, "Scholar’s wife, now that you explain it, it does make sense. We will absolutely not spread rumors anymore."
"Good, I trust you aunties. I’ll be going now, bye!" At that moment, Xiaoxiao smiled and waved goodbye to everyone, but as soon as she turned around, the smile vanished. These people just love to chatter about nonsense, reveling in chaos.
It’s difficult to avoid rumors; Xiaoxiao knew it was futile but still needed to scare them a bit, trying to prevent the situation from escalating.