Chapter 64: Chapter 64 No Room for Weakness Chapter 64: Chapter 64 No Room for Weakness Her voice was clear and her words extremely distinct, “I know that because of my parents’ issues, everyone in the village looks down on me, but I too was born and raised in Siyang Village. From the day I learned to walk, every step I took was under the watchful eyes of all the uncles and aunties in the village. I want to ask, all the uncles, uncles, aunties, and sisters-in-law, have you ever seen me acting improperly?”
The villagers looked at each other, instinctively shaking their heads.
That’s right, the Chiang Family’s Young Lady is looked down upon by many. Because no one knows who her father is, and her mother got pregnant before marriage and is probably not alive anymore.
But truth be told, Chiang Xiao had always lived under their watch, like an isolated gourd, not even the young girls would play with her, let alone men.
“To be fair,” said a woman, “the Chiang Family’s Young Lady is always alone—how could she be involved with anyone?”
Chiang Xiao looked at her, an auntie around forty years old; for a moment, she forgot the woman’s name, so she could only offer a thankful smile and then continued speaking.
“Nobody is more afraid of making mistakes than I am,” Chiang Xiao’s eyes reddened slightly as she spoke resolutely, “I absolutely cannot tolerate having groundless accusations of misconduct thrown at me! Niu Guiying, if you don’t clear things up today, we’re not finished.”
Niu Guiying was truly taken aback at first, for she had never seen Chiang Xiao .
But she quickly collected herself, “Pah! You? Not finished with me? You little wretch, you really think you’re something, huh? Am I framing you? We’re closest to Nameless Creek here, and you’re always running this way. Qian Mengzi has said before that those promiscuous wretches don’t come here during the day; we don’t come here late either. Other than you, who else could it be?”
As Niu Guiying said this, whispers immediately started amongst the people.
“That’s right,” they said.
This area is close to Bai Gu Mountain, and basically nobody comes here after the sun has set.
But Chiang Xiao often stayed here until the sun dipped below the horizon—meaning, she wasn’t afraid.
Therefore, it was indeed possible that she was the woman in the sweet potato field.
There were quite a few people in the village who harbored animosity towards Chiang Qingzhu. In her day, Chiang Qingzhu was known for her beauty, attracting numerous suitors from miles around, making many women both jealous and resentful.
After Chiang Qingzhu’s incident, there was no shortage of people kicking her while she was down.
Back then, how many people shouted to parade the whore around the village?
Although over a decade had passed, this jealousy and resentment seemed to have partly transferred onto Chiang Xiao.
Immediately someone muttered under their breath, “With a shameless mother like hers, her daughter can’t be any good either.”
“Back then, Chiang Qingzhu made so many men’s hearts itch; this Chiang Xiao is young, but she’s acting like a vixen already.”
“They say she’s young, but her mother was just 17 when she gave birth to her…”
These softly spoken venomous discussions added layer upon layer of ice to Chiang Xiao’s heart.
Her gaze swept across those people, memorizing each of their faces.
“Have you seen me come here at night?” Chiang Xiao ignored them and fixed her gaze on Niu Guiying, “Have you?”
She usually stayed at most until sunset—when had she ever come here at night?
Niu Guiying couldn’t answer.
Chiang Xiao pressed further, “If having been here makes one suspicious, then on that day, your Da Ni was also here!”
At her words, Niu Guiying burst out in rage and lunged at her, raising her hand to slap her face.
“I’ll smack you dead, you bastard! How dare you sling mud at my Da Ni!”
Chiang Xiao’s eyes were filled with icy resolve; she knew that in this matter, she could not show the slightest weakness, otherwise she would end up doomed like in her previous life!
She grabbed Niu Guiying’s wrist and fiercely pressed down on her pulse point.