Chapter 186
In the tradition of Daxia, a woman's chastity was valued above all.
He Huihui had been married before. She lived with the Wu family for many years, and surely she and her husband had done everything that should and shouldn't have been done.
She was twenty years old. However, during her years with the Wu family, she did no work, was kept well-fed, and became somewhat plumper, yet also fairer and more attractive.
But what did it matter? She had been married before. How could she compare to those pure, fresh, and innocent girls of fifteen or sixteen? Finding a good man who had never been married would certainly be difficult, let alone someone like Fang Zichen.
No one in the village yet knew about He Huihui's divorce, but the Wu family's roots were in Xiaorong Village. Every year they would close up their shop and return to the village for the New Year. The two villages weren't far apart. Several wives in the village had married into Xiaohe Village from Xiaorong Village. When they returned to their natal homes on the second day of the lunar new year, they would probably learn everything.
If Fang Zichen weren't with Zhao Ger, Aunt He wouldn't have the audacity to set her sights on him. But since Fang Zichen had been able to accept Zhao Ger, there was no reason he would not accept her daughter.
Zhao Ger naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to tell Fang Zichen about those sordid affairs of his. If she spread the word outside, and enough people knew, it would naturally reach Fang Zichen's ears. The more despicable Zhao Ger was made out to be, the purer her own daughter would appear in comparison.
By then, even if Fang Zichen learned her daughter had been divorced, when compared side-by-side with Zhao Ger, her daughter would seem much better.
Zhao Ger was stuck in the mire, covered in filth. Her daughter merely had dirty shoes. Naturally, that would have been easier for people to accept.
The first time she spoke ill of Zhao Ger, she was still somewhat afraid, trembling with fear that Fang Zichen would come looking for her. Later, seeing Fang Zichen didn't come, her courage grew.
"Fang boy, you can't behave like this!" Aunt He said: "I am your Uncle Village Chief's younger sister. Search your conscience, how much has my eldest brother helped you over these past six months? The place you live now even belongs to my eldest brother. It doesn't matter what you say about me, but to speak of my eldest brother like that, how can you face him? This is ingratitude!"
Fang Zichen found it ridiculous. He really did laugh out loud.
"I'm ungrateful? I've wronged him?"
The Village Chief came running over from the roadside: "Fang boy~"
Fang Zichen waved him over. When the man approached, he said: "Village Chief, you came just in time. Come, you tell your sister whether I've wronged you or not."
The Village Chief didn't know what was happening. He had just been on his way to the fields to pick vegetables when he saw the situation here seemed off, with many people gathered, so he ran over.
"Your father was saved by me," Fang Zichen said: "I don't hold a favor over you to demand repayment. For living in your He family's old house, I pay silver every month. When I took the county exam, he did vouch for me, but I also found work for He Xi. All things considered, it's you who owe me. I haven't received your kindness for nothing. In this life, apart from my parents, my grandparents, my eldest and second brothers, I have wronged no one."
He spoke very fast, but everyone heard him clearly.
Putting everything else aside, the life-saving grace alone was more than enough. Because of it, it was perfectly acceptable for Fang Zichen to live in the He family's old house. In fact, even if the Village Chief had to serve him like an ox or a horse, it would have been justified. Moreover, he still paid rent and had found a job for He Xi.
The matter of providing a guarantor was even less significant—just a trip there and back. He Daleng had said in the village that Zhao Ger treated them to good wine and fine dishes that day.
Wasn't that enough?
People hadn't known about He Xi and the rent before. Hearing it now, how could Fang Zichen owe the He family? Clearly, the He family owed Fang Zichen and had taken advantage of him.
The Village Chief didn't know what happened, but these words made his face flush red. He was about to speak when Aunt He stammered: "I didn't know about these things. But no matter what, I am your elder. You shouldn't speak to me like that!"
His hand itched with the urge to strike. Fang Zichen controlled himself with great effort, clenching his fist tightly: "What kind of elder are you to me? That you're older than me?"
When it didn't concern them, people had figured out what Fang Zichen was like. As long as they didn't provoke him, he was quite easy to get along with.
Someone laughed.
What kind of elder goes around speaking ill of a junior? Those words were nothing short of stabbing someone in the heart.
Zhao Ger was inherently insecure and sensitive. Fang Zichen had humored and coaxed him into being more optimistic and cheerful now. If he heard these words and discovered how despicable others thought he was, what would he think? How hurt would he be?
Having experienced it himself as a child, he understood better than anyone.
If not for his good upbringing, Fang Zichen would have already slapped her earlier.
"Actually, I know what you're plotting." He looked down at Aunt He, sneering: "But I'm not stupid, and I'm not interested in your daughter either."
"What?"
Everyone was stirred up. Those who loved drama directly asked: "Fang boy, what did you mean by that just now?"
Fang Zichen replied mockingly: "Does everyone not know? This old woman wants to push her daughter onto me!"
"Really? He Huihui... I knew something was off! No wonder she's been back so long this time without returning."
"Perfectly fine, how could she do this..."
"Aunt He has been bad-mouthing Zhao Ger all this while. I was puzzled, but now it all makes sense."
"Is He Huihui divorced, or was she cast out by her husband?"
"Whatever it is, it's all the same."
"So it sounds like He Huihui returned after a divorce. It hasn't even been two months yet! Aunt He is really in a hurry—she isn't even letting her daughter rest for a moment."
"Ah, I had thought Zhao Ger had offended her earlier. So it was for this reason. How wicked of her."
None of them were fools, and they quickly understood the connection.
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