Within a day, the reputation of the Song family’s mother and daughter plummeted in the village.
All sorts of rumors were swirling around.
One version said that the Song family’s daughter wasn’t as good-looking as An Hao, didn’t study as well as An Hao, and couldn’t win a fight against her, so the Song family’s mother and daughter, out of desperation, came up with this rotten idea to upset people.
The second version suggested that the idea came from Liu the witch, who must have had some unspeakable purpose or hidden agenda in advising them to do this.
These rumors reached the ears of An Hao, who felt that the second version was more likely.
However, that was just speculation; she had no evidence.
In any case, An Hao didn’t suffer any losses from this incident; she just had to put a bit of effort into cleaning the front door.
But Zhang Juyun was not so lucky; although her fever went away after the IV drip, she developed a condition where she couldn’t bear the sight of anything yellow-green or feces.
Just one glance would make her throw up, vomiting even the food from the night before.
Song Yueqin also couldn’t raise her head in the village anymore, and she didn’t dare to go to Qin Jian’s house again.
Every time she stepped outside, she would be pointed at and commented on by people, making her wish she could walk around with her face covered.
The commotion was significant, and the news spread all the way to the military.
At lunchtime, Tian Niu, Lin Chen, and three other little warriors who had been "up to no good" huddled together.
"Hey, have you guys heard? That old woman Song and her daughter are up to no good again," Lin Chen said.
Tian Niu was slurping noodles with big gulps; hearing Lin Chen’s words, he stopped and asked, "What kind of mischief are they getting into now?"
"Heard they went and splashed feces at the sister-in-law’s doorstep."
"What?" Tian Niu’s booming voice exploded, "That old bat is full of mischief, and she’s gone looking for trouble again. I think we were too lenient with them last time. We should clean them up for good."
Lin Chen, energized by the conversation, said, "Tian Niu, shall we take on another job? Really give her a thorough cleanup! I think last time we didn’t scare them enough!"
"Right! Tian Niu, you call it. Whatever you say, we’ll do it!"
"Yeah. Give her a hard time."
"Tian Niu, you give the word. Just say the word, and we’ll do it!"
As these five guys were discussing their mischief, they suddenly heard a gloomy voice from behind, "Last time you played ghosts, what do you plan to do this time?"
"Do what?" Tian Niu frowned deeply, and as he raised his hand, he suddenly saw Qin Jian standing behind them, hands clasped behind his back.
Tian Niu jumped in fright, quickly stood up with his bowl in hand, seeing Qin Jian’s somber face, his heart sank, sensing trouble.
Still, he forced a playful smile on his face, "Qin worker, have you eaten already? That was quick!"
Lin Chen and the few little warriors all saw the company commander’s face darken and didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
"Cut the crap," Qin Jian was stern, shooting sharp glances their way, "Tian Niu, what have you guys done? We were sent here by our superiors to work. Instead of working properly, why are you looking for trouble?"
"We did work," all five shouted in unison.
"What did you do?" Qin Jian furrowed his brow even more, his tone becoming stricter, "You call that work? Even you wouldn’t believe that if you said it out loud. Don’t think I won’t be harsh just because I led you here. But the next time something happens, I won’t show you any mercy! Look at what a fine job you’ve done, terrifying the common folk! I heard someone was so scared they wet their pants and were sick for days!"
"Pfft!" Hearing Qin Jian’s scolding and recalling Zhang Juyun’s cowardly reaction, Tian Niu couldn’t help but snort with laughter.
Qin Jian shot a cold glare at him, "Is something funny?"
Tian Niu struggled to suppress his laughter, trying to put on a serious face, "Qin worker, we just couldn’t stand watching them bully people! Taking their side was like playing the hero for the common folks!"