Axe felt Qin Junyao's anger growing, shaking her arm. "Sister Qin, let's go home. Youcai is hungry."
"Sister Qin, look at me. I'm Youcai, the Youcai with the character for wealth, not the Youcai with the character for talent," Axe said with a big smile on his chubby face, tilting his head at Qin Junyao.
Qin Junyao took a deep breath, patted Axe's head, turned to remember who had told the lie, and took Axe home.
She could have rushed up and argued with the woman, or even beaten her up, but that wouldn't have solved the problem.
Grandma had always said that if the gossiper wasn't speaking to your face, then rushing to hit them was wrong.
Upon arriving home, Qin Junyao asked Axe to go play with Qin Xiaoyu and then pushed open the door to Qin Grandma's room.
Qin Grandma, who was counting copper coins, was startled by the sudden opening of the door and threw the broom used for sweeping the kang towards the entrance.
Qin Junyao dodged it with a tilt of her head.
"You're courting death! Coming to bother me first thing in the morning," Qin Grandma said, pointing at Qin Junyao with a few copper coins in her hand.
Qin Junyao, still upset, walked to the edge of the kang and knocked over the dozen or so stacks of copper coins Qin Grandma had neatly arranged in stacks of ten, scattering them everywhere.
"You little brat, you dare dodge? I'll make you dodge, you little pup, I'll make you dodge!" Qin Grandma grabbed copper coins from the kang and threw them at Qin Junyao.
Qin Xiaoyu, who had been watching from the doorway, quietly closed her grandmother's door and pulled the still-curious Axe away from the battlefield.
Qin Grandma looked at her granddaughter squatting on the ground picking up copper coins and asked again, "You were so far away, did you really see who said it, and hear clearly what they said?"
"Grandma, it's true. Otherwise, I can tell you right now what Mom and my second aunt are saying in the kitchen, and you can go out later and confront them."
"Hiss, do you have clairvoyance and telepathy? How far can you see and hear?"
Qin Junyao put the copper coins in her hand into a money bag. "Grandma, is this the time to talk about this?"
"What's wrong? In the past, some people in the village even said your third uncle was born to me and some other man outside."
"Third Uncle needs a good reputation for his studies, and my eldest and second brothers need good reputations for their marriages. You taught me this, Grandma. Reputation is sometimes more important than life." Qin Junyao placed the money bag on the kang and spoke to Qin Grandma.
"And I also told you that people shouldn't be dragged down by their reputation."
Qin Junyao sighed. She really wanted to know who Qin Grandma had been in her youth. Even a literate maid of the second rank could be taught so exceptionally.
She was a little angry hearing those words, but her grandmother seemed unfazed. Had she heard too much to be harmed?
If the rumors were about herself, she wouldn't care. But if they were about Qin Grandma, Qin Junyao would not be happy.
Qin Grandma opened the money bag, took out the copper coins, and counted them. "Alright, it's not a big deal."
"Later, tell people in the village that you and Xiao Chuizi have agreed to a betrothal verbally, and only the matchmaker is missing. The rumors will die down on their own."
"Heh, Grandma, stop counting. It's five hundred and forty-one copper coins," Qin Junyao was now immune to her grandmother mentioning her engagement to Zhao Liangcai and could ignore it.
"Get out, get out, get out, get out."
After Qin Junyao left the room, Qin Grandma stuffed some copper coins into her sleeve, grabbed a steamed bun from the kitchen, and went out.
These rumors were quite interesting. She needed to find out who had started them.
Qin Junyao, feeling displeased, pulled Qin Daniu to Salt County. She wanted to spend money.
Qin's father, holding the silver his mother had given him the previous day, followed them to Salt County. The donkey was to be replaced with a cow.
In the afternoon, the father and son returned. The ox cart was loaded with a vinegar crock containing two hundred jin of vinegar, an iron pot, a scale, farm tools, and drying racks for medicinal herbs. It was a mess of many things.
If the drying racks could have fit on the ox cart, Qin Junyao would have bought them too.
Qin's father drove the ox cart, touching the increased amount of silver in his pocket and wondering if his mother would scold him when they returned.
The donkey and donkey cart had been sold, but the cow and ox cart were bought with his daughter's money.
If he and Daniu hadn't stopped her, his daughter would have wanted to buy three cows, just enough for the three of them to each have one.
As they entered the village, the villagers' discussions, without Qin Junyao needing to listen carefully, all reached her ears.
By now, the gossip had spread to quite outrageous levels.
Qin Grandma had become a lone star of misfortune, and the Qin family were all reincarnated vengeful spirits.
They possessed the great art of moving, not only able to move other people's gold and silver treasures but also to absorb their luck.
When they first arrived, they were refugees. Now they had a place to live and meat to eat. Look, they even had an ox cart and a cow.
"You guys think the yellow rain and sand a few days ago was caused by them?" Qin Junyao heard this as the ox cart passed a villager.
Qin Junyao's left hand flicked, and a piece of wood fell into her hand. She tossed it from her left to her right, and with a *swoosh*, it flew directly towards the person's face.
The ox cart was moving, and the aim was a bit off. It happened to hit the person's mouth.
The person's upper lip immediately swelled up high, and blood began to flow from their mouth.
The crowd of onlookers all looked at the square piece of wood on the ground. "Oh my god!" they cried and scattered.
Qin's father and Qin Daniu, seeing Qin Junyao's hand move and someone cry out in pain, simultaneously turned their backs to Qin Junyao.
They saw nothing, heard nothing, and knew nothing.
The arrival of the ox cart attracted the attention of the children playing in the courtyard. The items on the cart also drew the attention of their neighbors.
Those who wished to continue their good relationship with the Qin family came forward to help move the vinegar crock. Those who believed the rumors kept their distance and watched.
"How much silver did it cost?" Qin Grandma asked Qin Junyao about the newly purchased items.
"Not much."
"Then I'll ask your father. You can take their 'grass roots' as payment for these helpers."
Qin Junyao turned to look at Qin Grandma, surprised by the rapid change in her attitude.
"What are you looking at? You must have heard the village gossip on the way back. Anyone who stays close to us at this time either has upright character or is in charge at home."
"Sigh, they've spread so many rumors about us now, we're like green-bottle flies in a chamber pot."
"Ah?" Qin Junyao didn't understand.
"Dreadfully wicked."
Qin Junyao scratched her head. What was her grandmother talking about? Suduan Novel Network.
"Today's matter, Mrs. Qian started it, Village Chief Hao helped spread it, and your second uncle will be back soon. He can be quite intimidating."
"Let's eat first. We need strength after eating."
Qin Grandma left these words and turned to go inside, telling Qin's mother and Qin's second aunt to make more noodles, as they were having guests for dinner today.
With minced meat made from cured meat, wide noodles like trouser legs, and spicy but not hot chili oil, they ate heartily.
After resting for a while, Qin Grandma tightened her headscarf.
She waved her hand.
"Let's go."
Qin Xiaoyu had two dried chilies hidden in her sleeve.
Qin's mother and Qin's second aunt encouraged each other. Qin's father and Qin Daniu's eyes were resolute. Qin Erniu found a suitable weapon in the courtyard.
Qin Junyao looked bewilderedly at her family walking ahead, then at the Hou family and the villagers who had just eaten, following behind.
What were they going to do? Where were they going?