Chapter 41 Bad News

  "Alas! I'm talking about the Zhao family, it's indeed not easy for one person to support a whole family. However, many times it's still good to go out and move around more, listen to what others are saying, and see if there's something different in their eyes when they look at you!"

  Li's heart tightened, her words had already shown that the rumors had begun to spread, but she hadn't received any news herself. She couldn't help but ask again: "What have you heard?"

  "This... actually if you just let your wife and little son pay more attention, it should be fine..."

  "You've already hinted at it, so you must know something. If you didn't plan on telling me, why bother reminding me?"

  Mrs. Li's words were not very pleasant to hear, but Mrs. Wu didn't mind, knowing that if her own son and daughter-in-law had such rumors, she would also be unable to remain calm. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Mrs. Li. Her husband had died young, her eldest son was useless and had abandoned her and his brother, leaving her to raise the family alone. If the Shen family hadn't insisted on marrying their daughter off, it would have been fine, but they had placed too much emphasis on keeping their promise, pushing their daughter into the Zhao family's clutches, ruining the poor girl's life and also implicating this woman who had suffered all her life, forcing her to raise another person.

  "Actually, these words had been circulating since you last went to the Yuan's house for a delivery, it's just that... after what happened, people in town also understood, haven't you noticed that fewer and fewer people have been looking for you to deliver babies recently?"

  It's not just getting less and less, it's actually none at all!

  "It's actually the Yuan family that isn't worth anything, if it were someone else they would have already saved the child and people would be grateful, but this Liu woman is something else, not only is she ungrateful, but she also..."

  It's not necessary to say more, Li also roughly understood the reason. At first, Li was busy preparing the money to compensate the Yuan family and didn't pay attention to it. However, after the Yuan family's money was compensated, no one contacted her about the childbirth matter, and even the embroidered handkerchiefs she made were sold at a reduced price. Li had some feelings in her heart, but she never thought that it would be the Yuan family...

  "She just wants to slander me, and also involve Huan'er and Qiao'er..."

  "You're stupid! On that day, didn't Chun Xing from their family come to your house looking for your son? Your wife was worried that you would follow too. What happened after they went to the Yuan's house, do you know? You were busy in the delivery room, but what people said about it afterwards is really... "

  Here is the translation:

  At this point, Wu Li glanced secretly at Li and saw that her expression was serious but she didn't stop him, so he continued with a bigger tone: "It's said that Xiuzhuo and your wife were outside, using their concern for you as an excuse, exchanging flirtatious glances... They also said they don't know why your wife suddenly fainted, Xiuzhuo he..."

  Li bit her teeth and endured it, she wanted to hear the whole thing, after all, how were these words passed down? She clenched her fist on her thigh: "Continue!"

  "He immediately disregarded everything and supported his sister-in-law, finally standing beside her with his arm around her waiting for you..."

  Outsiders didn't know, but Li was the one involved, so how could she not be clear that on that day her daughter-in-law went into the delivery room as soon as she entered the Wu's house, and even when she came out, she was carried out horizontally. How did she then spread those unbearable words to her son?

  A surge of unnamed fire suddenly burst out, she stood up coldly and loudly shouted: "That Yuan family is too deceitful, that day Huan'er she..."

  "Mother!"

  Shen Huan's timely appearance interrupted Li's attempt to clear up the misunderstanding, not that Shen Huan was unwilling to clarify. Having just come out of Wu Erniang's room, she overheard her mother-in-law and Wu Li talking like this - how could she not be angry? But thinking twice, what's there to get angry about? She herself had done nothing wrong, so why bother with the previous Shen Huan who cried and made a fuss, or even her own substitute in the Zhao household, who spoke no more than three sentences a day to Xiao Shu. All that nonsense about flirting and being overly attentive was just rumors!

  "Rumors stop at the wise, some things are not explained by saying them out loud, people won't believe it just because you explain it, their mouths are on someone else's body, what can we do about how they want to talk about us? If we don't stand up for ourselves, they will definitely say that we defaulted, something is going on between me and my younger uncle... these things can't be explained clearly."

  Li heard Shen Han's words and her anger dissipated a lot, but she still couldn't help feeling wronged for her. It seemed that for this daughter-in-law of hers, the only word that could be used to describe her was "wronged". Marrying into the Zhao family was already a disadvantage; losing her husband and having to observe widowhood was even more so; now she had to bear these reputations, it was all just wronged.

  Shen Huan slowly walked to Li's side, holding onto her arm, still with a faint smile on her face. As she spoke, she didn't forget to nod and smile at Wu Li: "Thank you, Aunt Wu, for worrying about me. Let's not talk about that day at the Yuan's house, I was just like the previous days, helping out in the delivery room. Even if I hadn't entered the delivery room, wouldn't people still have made up rumors? Since I, Shen Huan, married into the Zhao family, I am a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family. As long as the Zhao family doesn't give me a divorce letter and my mother-in-law doesn't drive me out of the Zhao's house, I am the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhao family."

  It's not true that I'm not angry, Shen Huan, no matter how calm she was, when saying this, couldn't help but emphasize her tone and volume, the anger that had just been suppressed in her heart slowly rose up: "So no matter what you heard outside, Auntie Wu, just listen to it and forget about it. Don't take it to heart. How I live my life with my mother-in-law and younger uncle is none of these gossiping women's business!"

  "I said, Zhao's wife, why does your words sound so awkward? I'm just kind enough to remind you and your mother-in-law, letting you pay more attention in daily life?"

  "Thanks, Auntie. I still say the same thing - our family just minds its own business and doesn't bother anyone else. Can those gossipmongers really see how we eat and interact with each other from several streets away? And can they even see how I behave with my brother-in-law? Only my mother-in-law knows what's going on, and she doesn't think there's anything wrong with me as a daughter-in-law. Let others say what they want, don't get angry, Mom. My brother-in-law doesn't even have enough time to read books every day, don't add to his troubles."

  Shen Han said a few words, Wu Li's mouth opened several times but couldn't connect the conversation. She pointed out that those words were rumors made by some people, and if Wu Li continued to speak, it would seem intentional. On the other hand, Shen Han also brought up her younger brother's daily reading habits, which was another reason for Wu Li to shut up. After all, Zhao Xiuzao was a scholar, whether he passed the exam or not, at least now, in the eyes of ordinary people like Wu Li, it was a title that couldn't be offended, let alone the townspeople who still looked up to this Zhao scholar.

  The atmosphere was a bit stiff, Shen Han's face had a smile on it, but it was a cold smile, as if she could see right through Wu Li Shi. Wu Li Shi felt a bit embarrassed, this was the first time she saw her daughter-in-law being so overbearing, and in her heart, she also had some understanding, but didn't want to believe that the trustworthy Wu Li Shi would be that kind of person.

  "What's all this nonsense? Come and have your meal quickly."

  Lao Wu's voice broke the stiffness in the room, Shen Huan withdrew the sharpness from her eyes and turned around with Li Shi, smiling to listen to her mother-in-law being polite to the guests: "Sorry for the trouble."

  After dinner, Shen Huan and Li Shi did not stay any longer and went together to see Wu Er's wife before returning.

  "Han Er, just now you went alone to see your daughter-in-law, what did you two talk about?"

  Li saw Shen Han being quiet all the way, thinking that she was still upset about what happened earlier. She usually put on an air of not caring about anything, but Li also understood clearly from her words against Wu earlier that she was actually unhappy in her heart as well.

  "What? I went in earlier and Second Aunt was sleeping, I just took a glance at the baby and came out, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hear your conversation with Wu Aunt. Mother, don't blame me for eavesdropping!"

  Upon hearing this, Li felt even more unwell in her heart. She stopped in her tracks and placed her hand on Shen Huan's handback, softly sighing: "Huan'er, I've really wronged you. My heart still doesn't feel right, don't hold it in, tell Mother about it."

  "Mother! It's nothing, can't you really think that I would care about what Wu Shu said? Of course not! I'm just angry that she would spread rumors!"

  "You think..."

  "You actually know that too, don't you?"

  The sky wasn't completely dark at this moment, Li looked at Shen Han's determined eyes with the faint light, she couldn't help but think of what Zhao Xiuzhuo had said: She has changed too much!

  "It doesn't matter whether it's her or not, what's important is that she can be so 'kind' as to remind you, and she must also discuss this with others. Besides, Mother, you've been busy lately, have you heard anyone else say such things? Why haven't you or I heard any rumors, but only she has? The Yuans didn't make things difficult for us back then, probably because they didn't want people to know that she only cares about her grandson and not her daughter-in-law. What's the benefit of offending us?"

  Li looked at the woman in front of her, who was usually cheerful and carefree, but actually had a clearer mind than anyone else. She couldn't help but feel some emotion, after all, this woman was really a victim! The entanglements between their own family and the Wu's were not something that could be explained in just a few words.

  "Alright, let's forget about this for now, I'll head home and cook something to eat. That meal that upset me earlier really didn't fill me up."

  "Hmm, I thought it was just me who wasn't full yet!"

  The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a smile and walked briskly towards home.

  Shen Huan lay in bed thinking about what Wu Er's wife had said, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried. When she went in, Wu Er's wife was awake, it was just that the content of their conversation wasn't convenient to tell Li Shi, so Shen Huan had lied.

  Once again in her mind, the genuine and grateful smile of that woman who was still a bit weak after childbirth appeared: "Thank you so much for your help, it felt very comfortable when you put your hand on my belly..."

  It turns out... this ability doesn't just allow oneself to feel the situation of the baby in a pregnant woman's belly, but also allows the mother to feel the feedback from the ability... This seems like bad news...