The seedbed was located right in the middle of the field, and since the seedlings were nurtured in Nutrition Bowls, they were very easy to transplant. However, because Xiao Changyi always had to keep an eye on An Jing, the pregnant woman, it took him four full days to finish planting cotton on the entire two acres of land.
The cotton planting was completed on the thirtieth of March.
The rice paddy had been planted earlier by hired workers, so once the cotton was in, Xiao Changyi had little else to do besides looking after An Jing.
On April 2nd, seeing that the weather was nice, An Jing hadn’t seen Shi Xiaolan for quite some time and thought she should visit her. So she said to Xiao Changyi, "Husband, since I need to get out and move around anyway, let’s go see Xiao Lan later. It’s been a while since we’ve seen her, and I have no idea how she’s doing."
An Jing’s belly had grown significantly and she had only put on weight in her abdomen, making her body quite cumbersome. Her walk was even slower than a leisurely stroll, and throughout the journey, Xiao Changyi was extremely attentive, holding her hand and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, being careful to avoid any mishaps.
But before they reached the thatched cottage, they heard the cursing voice of An Fu’s wife, Mrs. Gong—
"...It serves you right for being divorced because you couldn’t bear a son. When you were divorced, my husband returned your dowry, he never wronged you. For you to gossip about him in front of An Jing and make it so he can’t work at the rice shop!"
Hearing this, An Jing and Xiao Changyi didn’t need to guess to know Mrs. Gong was scolding Shi Xiaolan.
Looking up, An Jing and Xiao Changyi saw that many people had gathered at the entrance of the thatched cottage’s yard where Mrs. Gong was loudly berating Shi Xiaolan.
Yu Yu and Niuniu were nowhere to be seen; they were probably inside the house.
As An Jing quickened her pace toward Shi Xiaolan, Shi Xiaolan calmly responded to Mrs. Gong, "I have never spoken ill of An Fu in front of An Jing and Brother Xiao to prevent An Fu from working at the rice shop. In fact, I heard from An Jing that it was An Fu who quit the job himself. That was in August last year, and I don’t know why you are creating a commotion here now."
It was because her family was too poor!
Mrs. Gong really hadn’t expected that within just half a year of her marriage into the An family, her life would get poorer day by day, to the point where her in-laws became the poorest family in An Village.
Although they weren’t starving to death, life was truly hard. If only An Jing had agreed to let her husband return to work at the rice shop back then, would her in-laws be in such a state now?
It was all An Jing’s fault!
She blamed everything on An Jing!
She hated An Jing with all her heart but knew that An Jing was formidable and beyond her ability to bully. So, she could only vent her anger on Shi Xiaolan, who was easier to pick on.
"You’re calling me unreasonable? It’s clear that you’re venomous at heart!" Mrs. Gong continued to curse. "You’re just resentful that my husband divorced you and don’t want our family to live well, that’s why you caused my husband to lose his job."
Shi Xiaolan’s brow furrowed deeply, "I’ve already told you it was An Fu who quit his job, so why are you still—"
Without even letting Shi Xiaolan finish speaking, Mrs. Gong sneered, "On the surface, it’s my husband who quit the job on his own, but in fact, it’s because you gossiped with An Jing and Xiao Changyi, forcing my husband to leave his job at the rice shop. If he hadn’t been unable to continue there, why would he quit such a good job himself?"
Shi Xiaolan was cut off again before she could finish, as Mrs. Gong added sarcastically, "You’re really lucky, being so well supported by An Jing even after being divorced."