Chapter 197: The Harm Caused by Rumors

Facing Chen Hong's relentless questioning, Yang Qing immediately raised both hands in surrender.

Wife, we're together every day, what do you think I can do?

Besides, I've been handing in my grain quota on time—you know how that feels.

You can't wrongly accuse me.

Chen Hong originally brought this up herself, yet she felt guilty.

After all, she came from a village where clan ties were deep and feudal influence was strong.

Confronting her husband face-to-face also took great courage from her.

Yang Qing's counter-question immediately made her lose confidence.

You really haven't?

Yang Qing nodded firmly.

Certain and definite.

Chen Hong grabbed Yang Qing's ear and twisted it hard to vent her anger, then said fiercely.

You'd better not let me catch you, or you'll regret it.

After saying that, she still thrust out her fist in a gesture, telling him that next time she'd greet him with this.

Yang Qing assured her again.

Wife, I promise to keep myself pure.

Only then did Chen Hong let him off.

Having escaped disaster, Yang Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems I've been too arrogant lately, making even Chen Hong, who usually tolerates him a lot, almost unable to hold back.

If the old lady were here, she'd surely say, "You bastard, you're flirting with other women right out in the open—do you still think you're innocent?!"

Of course there's another reason.

That is, someone spread rumors about him.

First it was the work at the steel mill, then now it's the rumors.

Both are clearly aimed at him.

After making peace with his wife, Yang Qing didn't go anywhere that afternoon, just staying with Chen Hong.

Only after dark did Yang Qing bring the fish back inside.

After dinner, Yang Qing began making the crispy fish.

Scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, fennel, spices, mushrooms.

Soy sauce, vinegar, rock sugar.

First lightly fry the fish, then remove it to drain the oil.

After frying the scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, fennel, and spices until fragrant in the oil pot, pour them into the ceramic jar.

Then layer the fish into the ceramic jar, larger pieces at the bottom, smaller ones on top.

Finally pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, and rock sugar.

Cover the lid, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer low for four or five hours.

Yang Qing's home has two stoves, one in the couple's room and one is the old lady's kang stove.

One pot per stove—just right.

To prevent Big Flower from causing trouble, Chen Hong caught Big Flower again.

At ten p. m., the crispy fish began cooking, filling the house with aroma.

Until three or four a. m., the fish was done; Yang Qing cleaned up the pot, then put it away, and only then went to sleep.

The next morning, the residents of the Siheyuan even failed to smell the crispy fish, because the aroma had mostly dissipated.

Only those who got up in the middle of the night faintly seemed to smell the aroma drifting from Yang Qing's home.

Yang Qing could say he had perfectly concealed his crispy fish.

Returning to the Long-term Rental Center, Wan Ling was already there.

Upon seeing Yang Qing, she immediately jumped over and pulled him along as they walked away.

Hurry up, I've obtained permission to acquire private property.

Let's go reclaim the houses first, then talk.

With houses, they could earn money through operation, instead of being idle as they are now.

Hearing there was work, Yang Qing's spirits lifted.

Following Wan Ling, they went out.

Their long-term rental business sprang back into activity.

As time passed, the rumors about Yang Qing grew ever more frenzied.

Everywhere were rumors about Yang Qing's scandalous love affairs.

Although Yang Qing had been mentally prepared, he hadn't expected things to blow up this much.

What do you do when others spread rumors about you?

Don't bother arguing, because it's useless; rumors spread the way they first caught attention, and compared to your plain, boring truth, people prefer dramatic, twist-filled rumors.

Does that mean we just let them slander us?

No, just muddy the waters.

This time he didn't alert the people of the big compound, but instead added some rumors outside.

For example, the story that Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu couldn't avoid telling.

For example, the love-hate entanglements of the old man and old woman.

For example, Xu Damao and his rural concubines.

For example……

……

Anyway, almost everyone in the compound got hit.

For a while, everyone in the Siheyuan felt uneasy.

The rumors about Yang Qing began to fade slowly.

The unlucky ones were Gu Ning, Qin Huairu, and Liang Ladi; most of the rumors in the Siheyuan were about them.

As a result, they didn't even dare to greet Yang Qing when they saw him again.

The rumors even spread to the subdistrict office and the police station.

"Investigate, find out who's behind this for me."

"This is literally smearing mud on our faces."

The rumors are hard to investigate, because they keep evolving and changing as they spread.

Maybe someone just praised a woman's beauty, and in the process of spreading, it could turn into the story of Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian.

However, it just happened to be during the New Year, when there were many things going on; they only gave the rumors a cursory look, and when they couldn't find any results, they had to let it drop.

However, the investigation by the subdistrict office and the police station deprived the rumors of any ground, causing them to dissipate quickly.

Besides, the subdistrict office's clarification finally restored peace to the compound's rumors and gossip that had been going on for days.

As the saying goes, the common people have a scale in their hearts.

Or put another way, the masses' eyes are bright as snow.

Yi Zhonghai and Yang Qing became an indelible mark of this rumor.

This has already been considered an established fact by most people.

Anyway, everyone has already tacitly accepted it in their hearts.

As for the impact.

Liang Ladi and Gu Ning were still okay, but Qin Huairu's household had been in an uproar lately.

Jia Zhangshi seized on the previous occasion when Yang Qing spoke to Qin Huairu, using the embarrassing thing as leverage, and wouldn't let go.

Whenever they argued, she would bring up Yang Qing to disgust Qin Huairu.

"Ah ah ah……

"Dong Xu, come up and look at your wife; this slut can't keep herself for you, she's fickle."

Qin Huairu was almost driven mad by anger; during this period, because of these rumors, wherever she went people pointed and gossiped about her.

Especially this wicked mother-in-law, who did nothing to help her, instead fanning the flames and constantly trying to ruin her reputation.

"Jia Zhangshi, try saying another insult?"

Jia Zhangshi stomped her feet.

"Slut, slut, a slut who hooks up with men everywhere."

Slap……

Qin Huairu finally couldn't hold back and struck out.

Since she had already struck out, she didn't care about her reputation anymore.

"You old hussy, you're not clean yourself, yet you keep saying others aren't clean."

"Say, are you base or not, base or not?"

While saying that, she kept slapping Jia Zhangshi's face.

Jia Zhangshi was dazed by the slap, thinking, "Who am I? Where am I?"

Soon she realized she had been bullied.

"Qin Huairu, you dare hit me?"

"Good heavens, you hit an old person, you hit an old person—Qin Huairu hit an old person?"

"I'll fight you to the finish."

Saying that, she flung her hands out to scratch Qin Huairu's face.

Qin Huairu already hated her to the core, her mind filled with rage.

Jia Zhangshi lunged, and Qin Huairu swung her hand out—slap slap slap……

Sounds kept ringing out on Jia Zhangshi's body.

Because Qin Huairu's heavy, forceful swings had knocked away Jia Zhangshi's hands, Qin Huairu herself didn't suffer much injury.

Only a few claw marks appeared on her arms.

"I'll whip you to death, you disrespectful old thing."

"What do you think you are, some kind of good thing?"

"Who was it that became a disciple for Jia Dongxu's sake, sleeping with her son's master?"

"In the midnight cellar, it's that shameless beast, calling out for spring in there?"

"You such a hussy, what face do you have to make my far?"