Meanwhile Xue Ning's parents hid a smile at their words. They had always wanted to get even with these people, but for the sake of keeping friendly relations in a small town, they were forced to hold their tongue more than once.
Yue Niang in particular, was the target of many malicious comments by these women, who eagerly spread rumours that she was a vixen out to seduce their husbands and sons. It didn't matter that they were all lies, everyone latched onto it like a starving man to a buffet, spreading it around.
Jealousy was a disease, and the entire town was infected with it! Things got so bad for a time that they had to dip even deeper into their savings to ensure that their restaurant survived, because no one would visit them, claiming that her food was poisoned or drugged.