Ke'er did not speak of her mother's faults. Du Xiang felt a bitterness in his heart, but he could not blame his mother. After all, his mother was thinking of his future prospects. Although her ideas were somewhat foolish, they were genuinely for his own good.
"Auntie Qi, Miss Qi, we will restrain our mother's words and actions from now on. As for today's matter, it was caused by our carelessness. As I said before, I will comply with any request you have, and will not shirk my responsibilities in the slightest," Du Xiang said loudly.
"What if I ask you to stop studying from now on?" After a moment of silence, Qi Zhenzhen spoke slowly.
The Du family's mother and daughter had worked hard to support Du Xiang's studies, hoping he would achieve success. If he couldn't study, how could he achieve success?
Du Xiang gritted his teeth, "A true man stands by his word, and once spoken, a horse cannot catch it. Since I have promised to agree to any of Miss Qi's requests, there is no reason to go back on my word. I, Du Xiang, am not a coward, and I can find a way out even without studying."
Qi Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow, finding a bit of backbone in him.
"Zhenzhen, you can't do this. Brother Xiang likes studying so much, you can't cut off his path," the Du family's daughter-in-law said in a panic. "At worst, at worst, just let Brother Xiang marry you as you wish. But you can't be too proud. You're just a country girl. If Brother Xiang finds a better marriage in the future, you must be generous and give up the position of the main wife. Don't worry, our Du family is not ungrateful. You will always have a place in our home."
What the hell!
Qi Zhenzhen couldn't help but curse inwardly. Where did this Du family's daughter-in-law get her confidence? Did she think her son was a gold ingot that everyone liked?
The Du family's daughter-in-law's words silenced everyone in the room. It wasn't that what she said was reasonable, but that she was so shameless that no one knew how to respond.
Yun Shi gasped for breath, grabbed the broom used for sweeping, and began to whip the Du family's daughter-in-law, scolding as she did, "I thought you were a good person, treating you as a sister. Whenever there was anything that could help your family, I thought of you first. Zhenzhen wanted to go into the mountains to save someone, and I was afraid and worried, but in the end, I didn't stop her. Wasn't it because I saw how hard your life was? My daughter saved your son with all her heart. I know your life is not easy, and I refused the money you sent. In the end, this is how you thank me? Don't say your son has only studied for a few years, even princes and nobles are not something we covet. Get out, get out of here!"
Yun Shi, who was usually as gentle as water and always spoke softly, had never been so emotional.
She couldn't stand the thoughts and intentions of the Du family's daughter-in-law anymore, which showed how disgusting she was.
Du Xiang wanted to protect his mother, but his grandmother stopped him. "Your Auntie Qi is just hitting you a few times. If she slanders my daughter like this, I would even have the thought of killing her. Raising a wolf and being ungrateful, that's exactly what your mother is like. Brother Xiang, no matter what you do in the future, with a mother like this dragging you down, just you wait and see, it won't be good!"
"You standing here is dirtying my house," Yun Shi said, hitting the woman from the house into the yard. She panted and spat.
Qi Zhenzhen quickly helped her and gently stroked Yun Shi's back. "Mother, take it easy. It's not worth getting angry with people like this. If they spread rumors to ruin someone's reputation, we can directly report them to the yamen. Why bother getting angry yourself?"
The Du family's daughter-in-law was a selfish little woman. At most, she would act sneakily behind people's backs. If it came to the surface, she would be more timid than anyone.
"I've already agreed to let Brother Xiang marry you, why are you still making a fuss?" the Du family's daughter-in-law said angrily. "I am Brother Xiang's mother. If you want to enter my family, you must please me, your mother-in-law."
Oh my goodness, she was completely immersed in her own fantasy.
Did she think that Qi Zhenzhen would marry Du Xiang no matter what?
"Sun Shi, who told you that I was going to marry Du Xiang?" Qi Zhenzhen asked, smiling instead of getting angry. "First, let's talk about looks. Du Xiang is only moderately handsome. Second, let's talk about family background. You don't need to compare with other families, just compare with mine. Can your Du family compare? Third, what you are proud of, you think Du Xiang is accomplished because he studied. In my opinion, he is nothing special. Du Xiang can read and write, and I, Qi Zhenzhen, am no worse than him."
"Is my Brother Xiang so good that you don't want to marry him?" the Du family's daughter-in-law asked, very surprised.
Before, she had been focused on not letting Qi Zhenzhen hinder Brother Xiang's future prospects. Now, after hearing her speak so poorly of Brother Xiang, the Du family's daughter-in-law began to feel indignant.
Qi Zhenzhen did not reply to the Du family's daughter-in-law. She picked up the broom Yun Shi had thrown aside and directly escorted the woman out. Then, she looked at the Du family's mother-in-law and Du Xiang expressionlessly. "Are you leaving on your own, or should I force you out?"
The Du family's mother-in-law sighed. She had originally hoped to mend the relationship between the two families, but now it seemed there was no chance. It was all that foolish woman's fault. She thought she was doing what was best for Brother Xiang, but she didn't realize she might have wasted a good opportunity for him. But as things stood, what could she do?
Du Xiang helped his mother out. He stopped at the doorway. "What I said still counts."
The Du family's daughter-in-law stood timidly at the Qi family's door. Seeing her mother-in-law and son come out, she didn't dare to approach, only looking at them with apprehension.
"Brother Xiang, tell your mother to go back with you," the Du family's mother-in-law said tiredly. She was so angry with this foolish woman that she felt like she was going to die, but she had stayed with her son for so many years, and had taken good care of her and Brother Xiang. If she really drove her away, she couldn't bear it. She could only restrain her properly in the future and tell Brother Xiang not to listen to her.
The Du family's daughter-in-law finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been terrified just now. What if her mother-in-law got angry and didn't let her return to the Du family? What would she do then?
On the Qi family's side, Song Mingyue and her mother comforted Yun Shi and Qi Zhenzhen. Seeing that it was getting late, they bid farewell and went home. Not long after they left, Li Shan's wife arrived, also concerning this matter. Yun Shi was still feeling depressed and urgently needed someone to vent her unhappiness. She recounted the entire story. Li Shan's wife was a fiery tempered woman, and she angrily cursed the Du family's daughter-in-law as ungrateful.
"Sister-in-law, it's really nothing. The clear will clear itself," Qi Zhenzhen comforted Li Shan's wife. "It's just rumors. With time, they will dissipate. Don't worry, I won't be depressed over these inexplicable rumors."
Two days later, the rumors changed versions—
The Qi family's daughter saved the Du family's young man. The Du family's mother and daughter-in-law, grateful for the Qi family's daughter's life-saving grace, wanted to propose marriage to the Qi family's daughter, but were directly refused by the Qi family's mother and daughter. The Du family's daughter-in-law felt her face was lost, so she spread rumors, thinking that if they ruined the Qi family's daughter's reputation, they would get what they wanted.