She was capable of throwing feces into other people’s pots.
Later, that household couldn’t take it anymore and had to move away.
"Sigh... misdeeds pile up, and there’s always retribution."
"Enough, enough, stop talking! Didn’t you see the village chief getting involved with her?"
"But the truth of the matter clearly isn’t like that."
"Who says it isn’t? It was eighteen years ago, who can still make it clear? Did you see it?"
"If not, better keep quiet."
When Sheng An went out to take out the trash, he overheard a lot of idle gossip and couldn’t help but relay those words when he got home.
"Dad, did you hear? A ’sent-down youth’ from our village who went back to the city has now returned to recognize her daughter."
"Oh! Which ’sent-down youth’ has such a conscience?" Shen Luhua mocked.
It wasn’t entirely her fault for mocking; many of the young intellectuals who were sent to the countryside couldn’t adapt to the rural life and tried every means, unscrupulously, to get back to the city.
Which village didn’t have a woman who encountered such scum? Left alone to raise a child, subjected to people’s pointing fingers and tragic outcome?
"The child was abandoned back then, now they want to come back and find her? No way! If it was me, I would definitely not acknowledge."
"Mom, it’s not a man, it’s a woman," Sheng An said, rather admiringly. He had heard about many men abandoning their wives and children, but it was rare for women.
"It’s the Qin Family, heard the person has significant backing, even drives a sedan! We went to Uncle Xu’s place yesterday, just so happens he wasn’t home, we didn’t see them."
Sheng Laosan put down the dustpan in his hands and suddenly stood up.
Shen Luhua and Sheng An were startled and looked at him in surprise.
Sheng Laosan’s face turned red and then white, his fists clenched tightly. "An’an, what exactly did you hear? What is the name of that ’sent-down youth’?"
"I don’t know yet." Sheng An shook his head. Although the Qin Family was high profile, they had never previously mingled with the villagers. The only one who really spoke to them was Xu Laodi.
"Then go ask for me, find out the name of that ’sent-down youth’," Sheng Laosan said anxiously, urging Sheng An to go immediately.
"But I still need to go sell bean sprouts," Sheng An looked at her prepared basket, reluctant to part with it, and didn’t move.
"Hurry up and go." Sheng Laosan yelled, startling both of them.
"Dad, don’t be angry, I’m going now," Sheng An sniffed and dropped what was in her hands and ran out.
Shen Luhua felt uncomfortable seeing her daughter yelled at. Although she didn’t say much in front of the child, she couldn’t hold back when Sheng An left.
"Lao San, what’s wrong with you? What does the ’sent-down youth’ have to do with you? It couldn’t be the one who abandoned you back then, right?" She hadn’t forgotten that when she married in, Sheng Laosan had a previous wife who ran away.
Sheng Laosan sighed, his weather-beaten face looking much older. "The ’sent-down youth’ has nothing to do with me, but it’s related to Ningning."
"What did you say? Make yourself clear."
"You better wait until An’an has asked before talking!" If it weren’t for Su Yun coming to seek, he was prepared to take it to his grave and never mention it.
Ningning’s life was already hard enough; if she found out her dad wasn’t her biological father. This girl, who tends to overthink, definitely couldn’t bear it.
Anxious and flustered, Sheng An ran out from home and marched to the small store at the east end of the village, sure enough, she saw Xu Laodi.
She knew she would find him here.
Xu Laodi was someone who loved to stir up excitement, loved to take small advantages. He enjoyed sneaking up to the store’s entrance, to scrape off a bit from anyone buying food.