371 You’re an orphan

Xiaoguo patted her back gently and said sadly, “I heard from the old village chief.”

Xiao Zhu wiped her tears and lowered her head. “I’ve been waiting for them for six years. I can’t believe that they passed away just like that. I really cannot believe it.”

Her tone was filled with hesitation and helplessness. Her parents were supposedly going on a trip. How did they become dead overnight? It was hard for her to accept the news.

When Xiaoguo first heard the news, she was also shocked. The first thing she thought of was Xiao Zhu’s feelings.

Zhao Yuyan looked at Xiao Zhu, who was a year younger than Yu Ling. She sighed sympathetically. What a pitiful child.

Yu Ling looked at the girl who was about her age and felt sorry for her.

At this moment, Xiao Zhu unloaded all the sadness in her heart while confiding in Xiaoguo.

Other than comforting her, Xiaoguo had no other choice. The last time they met, Xiao Zhu had talked about her family. Although she looked a little lonely at that time, her words were filled with anticipation and longing for them.

Now she was suddenly told about her parents’ death that happened six years ago. As a daughter, she was the last person in the village to know. How did that make her feel?

All these years of longing, and days of pining, had turned out to be a hollow dream.

All of this was Yu Zhizhi’s fault!

Although hiding the truth was not a long-term solution, this was definitely not the time to make it known to the girl.

Xiaoguo thought of Yu Zhizhi, who was still up to no good. A glint flashed across her eyes. She would not let her off so easily this time.

—-

The cause of the matter was like this. Ever since Yu Zhizhi was sent back to the village, she had been feeling indignant. Her hatred for Mrs. Yang had inexplicably shifted to Xiaoguo.

Ever since the day they boarded the ship, after Xiaoguo made her stunning appearance, Yu Zhizhi kept hearing endless praises about her in the village. Yu Zhizhi was already feeling indignant and jealous of Xiaoguo. When she heard those talk about her, she started to spread rumors about her.

After smearing Xiaoguo’s reputation and hearing the villagers’ disdainful discussion, Yu Zhizhi felt a perverted sense of satisfaction.

From then on, things got out of hand. The more the rumors spread, the more ridiculous they became. When there was nothing left to fabricate about Xiaoguo, Yu Zhizhi started making up stories about the other madams and young ladies. She told the villagers that none of the nobles who boarded the ship were good people. They were all people who disregarded human lives and looked down on others.

Listening to the insults of the villagers who did not know the actual truth, Yu Zhizhi was overjoyed.

Once, when she was spreading rumors about Xiaoguo, Xiao Zhu overheard her and subconsciously retorted her.

Yu Zhizhi was not going to let her mess things up, so she started retaliating as well.

The more they talked, the angrier they became.

Yu Zhizhi was furious to hear someone defend Xiaoguo. When she saw the doubtful expressions on the faces of the surrounding villagers, she could feel the fire raging in her. She rolled up her sleeves and was ready to teach Xiao Zhu a lesson.

Xiao Zhu was even less afraid of her. She gathered her courage and placed the tray in the distance. She rubbed her palms together and looked warily at the approaching figure.

Seeing that something interesting was going to happen, the villagers rushed over and surrounded the two of them. However, there were also a few people who tried to stop the fight. But in the midst of the commotion, they seemed rather insignificant.

Xiao Zhu was still young, so she was definitely not a match for Yu Zhizhi, who was much taller than her. However, she was agile and wasn’t too severely disadvantaged.

Yu Zhizhi stopped panting and looked at Xiao Zhu, who had a smug look on her face. She was extremely furious. She wiped the blood off her face and malice silently emerged from within her.

“Hmph! You’re indeed an orphan without parents. You’re so gullible!”

“Hey!”

“Stop it! Stop it!”

“Zhizhi, don’t spout nonsense!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Stop talking. Let’s all disperse!”

“Let’s go, let’s go…”

As soon as Yu Zhizhi finished speaking, the surrounding villagers interrupted her, seemingly afraid that she would continue.

Xiao Zhu’s hands were trembling. She shouted while glaring at Yu Zhizhi, “I’m not an orphan! I have a father and mother!”

Yu Zhizhi picked her ears leisurely and looked at her with a sneer. “That’s true. You’re not an orphan. You have parents, but they died six years ago. You’re an orphan…”

“Hey!”

Before Yu Zhizhi could finish speaking, there were already disapproving voices around her. They were all talking loudly in an attempt to drown out her voice.

The scene was very noisy. Xiao Zhu could still hear the exact words from the other party’s mouth. Immediately, her face turned pale and she looked at Yu Zhizhi with widened eyes. The blood in her body was coagulating and flowing backwards. She was shaking and feeling light-headed.

“You’re lying, you’re a liar!”

Even so, Xiao Zhu did not believe her. She continued to accuse Yu Zhizhi of being a liar.

However, Yu Zhizhi pushed aside the crowd that was trying to stop her. Before anyone could react, she came in front of Xiao Zhu and stared straight at her. She said word by word, “You’re an orphan. Your parents died of illness long ago. That was six years ago…”

After Yu Zhizhi finished speaking, the villagers finally reacted. Ignoring her resistance, they forcefully pulled her away from Xiao Zhu.

The villagers who were left behind tried to touch the pale-faced Xiao Zhu. But before their hands could touch her, she suddenly started running.

Halfway through, she did not forget to pick up her tray while mumbling to herself, “She’s a liar. She lied to me on purpose. Big liar! My parents are not dead. They are away on a long trip. I’m not an orphan! I have parents. They’re still alive, but they’re on a trip! Big liar! Yu Zhizhi is a big liar! I have parents…”

The other villagers who were left behind looked at Xiao Zhu, who was running towards the village chief’s house. They looked at each other in dismay. If they had known earlier, they would have stopped Yu Zhizhi. Why did they just stand by and watch?

Yu Zhizhi, who had been escorted away with her mouth covered, saw Xiao Zhu’s stumbling back and heaved a sigh of relief. She broke out in laughter. It was really gratifying.

Xiao Zhu was completely out of sorts. She muttered to herself as she arrived at the village chief’s house, barging in without knocking.

The old village chief’s family had just finished eating and were washing the dishes. When they saw Xiao Zhu appear, the old village chief’s wife immediately called out to her, “Have you eaten? I’ll make you some food.”

When she didn’t answer, the old village chief’s wife looked up at her worriedly. “What’s wrong, Xiao Zhu?”

At this moment, the old village chief heard the commotion and came out. He noticed Xiao Zhu’s odd behavior immediately. Just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, she spoke.

“Grandpa Chief, my parents are still alive, aren’t they?”

“Why are you asking this?” The old village chief was indeed experienced. He answered Xiao Zhu without batting an eyelid. He even tossed a disgruntled look at his wife, who was looking stiff and tense.

“They are still alive, am I right?”

At this moment, Xiao Zhu was obsessing over this question. Seeing that the old village chief was avoiding the topic, she could not help but start to cry.

When the old village chief saw the guilty expressions on the faces of the villagers who had caught up with the girl, anger instantly surged through him. He knew that these fellows were not reliable!

“Grandpa Chief!”

“… Xiao Zhu…”

The old village chief fell silent.

Xiao Zhu desperately wanted him to tell her the answer, but he had clearly disappointed her. Silence was often the best answer.

From that day on, Xiao Zhu had no recollection of how she got home or locked the door, or landed on the bed.

For the next three days, the villagers did not see Xiao Zhu. Feeling guilty, the villagers sent representatives to knock on her door and deliver food to her everyday.

The old village chief was even more worried. Every day, he would send young men to climb the wall to check on Xiao Zhu. He and his wife took turns to comfort her through the door.

Back then, he had personally promised Xiao Zhu’s parents to take good care of her.

He had also personally promised to keep their deaths from Xiao Zhu, who was still young at that time.

He even promised to keep it a secret until she was old enough to accept the truth.

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