Chapter 17 Slinging Mud Arbitrarily

A group of old women immediately shut their mouths.

As An Hao passed by the bridgehead, she saw the gossiping women chatting idly and greeted them with a smile, "Aunties are all here!"

"Wow, where are you off to, An Hao?" Yang Yonghua spit out a mouthful of melon seed shells, her eyes fixated on the basket on An Hao's back.

"I went to the town to buy some things. You aunties keep chatting, I'll be heading back now." An Hao didn't want to waste time idly chatting with them and briefly answered before she started to leave.

"What's the hurry? The aunties aren't going to eat you, are we?" After finishing off the last couple of seeds in her hand, Yang Yonghua clapped her hands, approached, and asked, "What did you go to town to buy? Let your auntie have a look."

"Nothing special, just some food and necessities." An Hao was polite in her response; she knew that Yang Yonghua was notoriously difficult to deal with, and she didn't want to cause trouble for herself.

"What kind of good stuff have you got there? Let your auntie feast her eyes." Yang Yonghua didn't wait for An Hao's consent and began to rummage through her basket.

"Hey… Auntie…" An Hao wanted to stop her, but it was already too late.

"Oh my, this hair accessory is really pretty!" Yang Yonghua, with her shamelessly thin skin, took a liking to the hair accessory An Hao had bought and unabashedly asked for one, "Give one to your auntie, won't you? It's so beautiful!"

"I'm sorry, Auntie! I'm selling these. Besides, I only have so many items in stock; giving one to you and none to the other aunties wouldn't be right. If I gave them away, I'd have none left. Once I earn some money, I'll specifically pick one out for you." An Hao knew how thick-faced Yang Yonghua was—if you were too embarrassed to refuse, she would take advantage of you.

Yang Yonghua's face darkened as she threw the hair accessory back into the basket, waving her hands dismissively with a look of displeasure, "Fine then, go on your way! If you won't give it, then you won't. For all I know, the thing might not even come from a good place and could dirty my hands!"

An Hao's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, "Auntie Yang, what do you mean by that?"

"An Hao, your Auntie Yang didn't mean anything by it. You better go now!" Yang Juyun, who had been standing to the side and saw that the situation was turning sour, quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"What does she mean? You don't know? Trotting off to the grove late at night with Wang 'the idiot'—slept over, did you? Tell me, how much did the village chief's wife pay you for a night's sleep?" Yang Yonghua shouted at the top of her lungs, ensuring that all the passersby knew what was going on.

"Auntie Yang, where did you hear these slanderous lies about me!" An Hao was annoyed. "One must have solid evidence to make such statements. Spouting nonsense and slinging mud without proof is unacceptable!" Despite her wish to avoid trouble, she wasn't afraid to stand her ground.

"Who's spouting nonsense? An Hao, you little wench, watch your mouth! If you talk about evidence, I saw it with my own eyes!" Yang Yonghua stood with her hands on her hips, pointing at An Hao accusingly.

"Oh? You saw it with your own eyes?" An Hao wasn't upset; she even chuckled, "Well then, I should ask you, Auntie. What were you doing out in the grove late at night if not at home?"

Her remark made several of the gossiping women turn to look at Yang Yonghua.

An Hao continued, "Auntie Yang, Uncle Zhang is a decent man. Everyone in the village knows you bully Uncle Zhang, but even bullying has its limits!"

No sooner had An Hao spoken than the gossiping women looked at each other, all seeming to understand something.

"Yonghua, you couldn't possibly be…"

"An Hao! You wretched girl! Today I'll rip that foul mouth of yours!" Secretive about her own affairs and thinking she had kept them well hidden, Yang Yonghua was furious to have been exposed by An Hao, her face turning purple as she lunged forward, ready to scuffle with An Hao.