Chapter 198: Dad Lends a Hand

Duan Dajie acted mysteriously, pulling her into the Courtyard, glancing left and right, and whispered, "Mei Yueqin, you don't know yet, do you? It was Chen Gui who reported A An."

Mei Yueqin said, "I just heard about it too—is it true or not?"

Duan Dajie shook her head and said, "Who knows if it's true or false? Anyway, that's what everyone's saying—I'd say it's probably true eight or nine times out of ten."

"You know, a fly doesn't bite a seamless egg."

"Why not blame someone else, yet the rumor specifically points to Chen Gui?"

Wu Ping also said, "What Duan Dajie says makes sense—no wind, no waves."

"Dad, you're supposed to go to the Village Committee later, so why not ask Chen Gui then?"

Wu Yingwei nodded: "Yes."

Duan Dajie spoke indignantly, "How could Chen Gui do such a thing? You're just jealous, Yingwei—you can't let him off easily."

"This time it's a report; next time it could be slander."

Wu Yingwei nodded.

Duan Dajie also said, "Later I'll go to the shop and talk it over with people."

Mei Yueqin saw Duan Dajie out with a smile, and they chatted a bit more.

They returned to the Courtyard.

Wu Ping and Wu Yingwei had already brought breakfast to the table; Mei Yueqin washed her hands, sat down, and couldn't help asking, "Dad, was it A An who did it?"

Wu Yingwei nodded.

Although the village often gossips, it couldn't possibly spread this fast.

Wu Ping laughed, "A An did exactly the right thing."

"Chen Gui must be feeling awful right now."

"His own misdeeds being spread everywhere—he might even be scared."

Wu Yingwei gave a cold snort: "He—"

"He'll definitely feel bad, but he won't be scared."

"Chen Gui will investigate who's spreading the rumors; if he finds out, it probably won't end well."

Wu Ping stared: "Huh?"

"If you put yourself in his shoes—if he had reported Wu An and then the village was buzzing with it, he'd probably be terrified and just try to prove his innocence."

"He would never think of going after the people spreading the gossip."

"Otherwise,"

"People are different."

"A good horse gets ridden; a good person gets taken advantage of."

"Chen Gui isn't so easy to deal with."

Wu Yingwei finished his meal quickly, picked up his tea cup, and headed for the Village Committee.

To his surprise, Chen Gui was already at the Village Committee; seeing him walk in, Chen Gui greeted him with a smile: "Yingwei, I heard your second son went out to sea again this morning."

Wu Yingwei nodded.

Chen Gui continued on his own, "Everyone else sets off at dawn, but he only leaves in the early morning—so slow, you couldn't even catch a hot meal if you ate shit."

"As his father, you should remind him not to get lazy just because he's made a little money."

"Once a person gets lazy, they're prone to ruin."

"I'm not just scaremongering—your second son used to be outstanding, even got into college, but then he was suddenly expelled and turned into a good-for-nothing."

"This is a lesson from past mistakes."

"It's hard enough to turn things around—don't let him slip back into ruin, or..."

Wu Yingwei slammed his tea cup down on the table with a bang, the loud noise cutting off Chen Gui's words.

At that moment.

The Old Village Chief walked in with a cane, saw Wu Yingwei glaring at Chen Gui, his face not surprised—evidently he'd heard Chen Gui's remarks outside as well—and said, "Chen Gui, lay off a bit."

Then he turned to Wu Yingwei and said earnestly, "Yingwei, although Gui's words are unpleasant, if you think about it, they actually make some sense."

It seemed the Village Chief was giving both sides fifty lashes each, but in reality his words still leaned toward Chen Gui.

Chen Gui gave an embarrassed laugh: "I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."

"I'm just speaking frankly, but it's hard to hear."

"Who knows if Yingwei can't take it—then I'll just keep quiet."

Other Village Committee members followed him in; one saw Chen Gui smiling and said, "Gui, you can still laugh?"

"Do you realize the whole village is saying you reported Wu An?"

Chen Gui jumped to his feet: "What?"

"How could this be... this matter I—"

Everyone looked at him.

Chen Gui paused, then said in a stiff tone, "This is a rumor; how could I possibly do such a thing?"

For some reason, everyone felt a bit disappointed.

This guy Chen Gui is quick-witted and quick-tongued, yet he didn't blurt out anything he shouldn't have.

Chen Gui asked anxiously, "Is it really spreading everywhere?"

Everyone nodded.

Even the Old Village Chief said, "The rumors are outrageous."

"On my way here, plenty of people asked me if it's true."

Chen Gui looked at Yingwei and said, "Yingwei, this is a rumor."

You should understand me—I could never do something like this.

You won't believe it, will you?

Wu Yingwei said: "I also think it's impossible; you're so old and crafty—if you did this, you'd surely keep yourself spotless, and the rumor couldn't possibly spread everywhere."

Chen Gui had originally wanted to nod in agreement, but upon reflection, it didn't seem like something good to say.

Wu Yingwei continued: "I personally believe you, but that's what everyone in the village is saying."

"Well, a fly doesn't bite a seamless egg—think about it: do you really have no problem?"

"Besides, everyone in the village is saying this; you still need to find a way to prove your innocence, or else the rumor will only get more outrageous."

Chen Gui shouted: "Of course I have no problem!"

He indeed participated, but was only responsible for keeping watch.

The person who reported it wasn't him.

He knew Wu An would suspect him, but you can suspect all you like—anyway, you have no evidence, so the best thing is to gossip behind his back; he doesn't care at all.

But spreading rumors like this, he can't take it.

He, Chen Gui, is someone who cares about face.

The rumor is everywhere; even if it's not him, it's as good as him.

He's not taking the blame for this.

Wu Yingwei took a sip of tea and said: "Why not talk about someone else, yet you're the one being singled out?"

"You say you didn't do it."

"Then find out who did it."

"Otherwise, you're just making someone else take the blame—maybe the person spreading the rumor wants you to take the fall."

Chen Gui's expression changed.

Yeah.

Maybe Wu Yingwei is right—someone is deliberately trying to make him take the blame!

Chen Gui slammed the table and shouted: "I'm going to find out who's spreading this nonsense!"

Having said that, he hurried out the door.

Wu Yingwei set down his teacup; that's all he could do.

Chen Gui looked around, busy as could be, but found nothing, and suspected even more that Shen Nan was behind it.

Wu Yingjin asked: "Gui brother, how are you going to handle this?"

Chen Gui puffed on his cigarette, speaking gloomily: "What else can I do? The shit's already landed in my pants—I can only try to contain it."

"No matter what you say, without evidence, no matter how widespread the rumor, it's still just a rumor."

He's taken on this black pot, but not fully.

It's just unpleasant.

Even though he knows Shen Nan set him up, he can't go confront him, because even if he did, Shen Nan would surely deny it and only strain their relationship further.

If a hot-headed youngster ends up arguing with him, it would only make things worse.

For now he still needs to maintain a good relationship with Shen Nan; it's not yet time to break ties.

This matter can only be noted against him for the time being.

Later, when Shen Nan develops in the village, there will be plenty of chances to make up for it.