Aunt Lin was happy with the ruckus she had created. This time she was sure to trap Jiang Yan completely. Just then one of the village women approached Aunt Lin, she asked, "What's going on here? Why are you all shouting at that girl?" Aunt Lin was waiting for this opportunity to tarnish that girl's reputation thorougly.
"Oh, it's just this foster child of ours," Aunt Lin said, her voice filled with fake concern. "She's been staying out late at night and ruining her own life. She's so disrespectful and ungrateful. She even steals from our house!"
The village woman looked shocked and concerned. "That's terrible! How can she do that?"
Aunt Lin continued to cry, "I just wish she would be more filial and respectful. She's ruining Ning Yue's reputation too with her behaviour."
Ning Yue nodded in agreement, adding, "It's true. Jiang Yan's behaviour is unacceptable, and it's affecting our entire family."
The villagers listened intently, and Aunt Lin continued to manipulate the situation to her advantage, hoping to turn the village against Jiang Yan.
The village woman, Aunt Shi supported her, "She's a disgrace to our village," she said. "She doesn't deserve to be here."
Aunt Lin wiped away her fake tears and continued her tirade, "And now that she's gone back to the Jiang Family, who are so rich and powerful, I can't do anything to stop her. We just have to endure her disrespectful behaviour until she decides to leave on her own."
Ning Yue nodded again, adding, "Yes, we're all just victims of her selfishness. But mom please don't cry anymore, just let her be. After she is bored, she will leave on her own."
As Jiang Yan stepped out of the house, the villagers' eyes quickly turned towards her. They saw the bag in her hand and immediately jumped to conclusions. Accusations of theft were hurled at Jiang Yan.
Aunt Lin and Ning Yue exchanged glances, silently congratulating each other on their successful plan to turn the villagers against Jiang Yan. They watched with satisfaction as the other women berated Jiang Yan, their words harsh and unrelenting.
One of the villagers charged, "You think just because your family is rich, you can do whatever you want? You're nothing but a thief!"
The villagers murmured in agreement, and another person chimed in. "She's right. You think you're better than us just because you have money? You don't belong here. Go back to your own family and leave us alone!"
But despite the onslaught, Jiang Yan remained surprisingly calm. She listened quietly to their accusations, her eyes never leaving the ground. And when the villagers had finally exhausted their anger, she lifted her head and spoke with a voice that was steady and clear.
"Grandma Lui is in the hospital," she explained, her voice steady and clear. "She is badly injured and the doctor said she needs to be under observation for a week."
Jiang Yan's tears flowed freely down her cheeks, as she pretended to be vulnerable and weak in front of the villagers. She was well aware of Aunt Lin and Ning Yue's plan to tarnish her reputation and make her look like a thief.
But Jiang Yan was no ordinary 18-year-old girl; she was a shrewd and cunning businesswoman, a leader in her own right at the age of 28. Did they think that she won't be able to act?
Through her tears, Jiang Yan recounted her harrowing experience of searching for her missing grandmother in the forest. "Grandma Lui usually comes back before dark, so when she didn't, I went to look for her," she explained. "I found her lying at the bottom of a cliff, battered and barely conscious. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to act fast to save her."
Jiang Yan wiped her tears, trying to compose herself as she continued, "I climbed down the cliff, and managed to carry Grandma Lui up to safety. Right now, she is in the hospital. I came back to the house just now to gather some of her belongings so I could stay with her and take care of her."
Her clothes were tattered and smudged with mud, evidence of her desperate efforts to save her grandmother. Jiang Yan wasn't sure if she was still acting or if her tears were genuine as the memory of her grandmother's bruised body weighed heavily on her heart.
The villagers could see the truth in her words, and their accusatory shouts and scolding softened as they realized their mistake.
The other villagers murmured among themselves, some of them nodding in agreement with Jiang Yan's story. Aunt Lin and Ning Yue looked on helplessly, realizing that their scheme had backfired.
"I believe her," said an elderly woman, her voice firm. "Jiang Yan has always been a respectful and honest child. I don't think she would ever steal from anyone."
"I know I'm not related to Grandma Lui by blood, but she has been taking care of me for the past 14 years. I owe her my life, and I want to do my filial duty for her, no matter how small," Jiang Yan said, her voice breaking with emotion.
She then turned to Aunt Lin and Ning Yue, "I don't understand how you can sit here and chat while Grandma Lui is missing. I had to go out and look for her myself. Where were you two?"
Her words cut through the air like a whip—aggrieved, yet steady, laced with quiet accusation.
Eyes turned toward Aunt Lin and Ning Yue, first with curiosity, then narrowing with suspicion.
Aunt Lin and Ning Yue exchanged a panicked glance, their earlier ease vanishing in an instant. They hadn't even noticed Grandma Liu was missing—too wrapped up in idle gossip and teacups. They had just assumed the old woman had gone to bed early, as she often did.
But now, under Jiang Yan's piercing gaze and the silent judgment of the villagers, that assumption no longer felt harmless. It felt like negligence.
Ning Yue opened her mouth to speak, but the weight of the crowd's doubtful stares silenced her before a single word could escape.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" one of the villagers scolded Aunt Lin and Ning Yue. "Jiang Yan is doing her best to take care of Old Madam Lui, and all you two can do is gossip and spread rumours. You should be grateful to have her here."
Aunt Lin attempted to salvage the situation. "I didn't know-" she started, but the villagers were not willing to hear any further excuses.
"How could you not know where your own mother-in-law is?" another villager questioned. "It's your responsibility to take care of her when your husband is not around."
An elderly woman chimed in, "Why didn't you tell us earlier? We could have helped you."
Jiang Yan wiped her tears and explained, "I didn't want to burden anyone. I just wanted to take care of Grandma Lui and make sure she was okay."
Aunt Lin and Ning Yue exchanged uneasy glances, realizing that their plan to damage Jiang Yan's reputation had backfired. Aunt Lin attempted to save the situation by asking, "Well, why didn't you say something when you returned? We believed that you were stealing from us."
Jiang Yan lowered her gaze just slightly, the perfect picture of wounded dignity. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft—almost too soft. But it carried.
"I wanted to," she said, eyes glimmering with restrained hurt, "but even before I could speak, everyone looked at me like I was a thief."
She paused, letting her words hang in the air like mist.
"I was only trying to help Grandma Liu… and I came back with her safe. But instead of asking, I was accused. It's alright, though." She looked up with a faint, pitiful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I suppose I've always been an outsider here."
A ripple of discomfort passed through the crowd. The villagers, now shifting uncomfortably, avoided meeting her eyes. Several glanced at Aunt Lin and Ning Yue with growing distrust.
"She's right," someone muttered.
"She didn't have to do it, searching for her alone. She's not even family…"
The murmurs grew louder. Heads nodded.
Seeing their expressions change, Jiang Yan gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, the image of quiet resilience.
"Anyway," she added softly, "now that the truth is clear, I'd like to return to the hospital. Grandma Liu still needs someone by her side."
The villagers murmured in agreement. A few even stepped aside to clear her path. Aunt Lin and Ning Yue stood frozen, heads bowed, wilting under the villagers' disapproving glares. Their scheme had crumbled, and the shame of it was now public.
Some villagers began whispering among themselves—praises this time. They spoke of Jiang Yan's sense of duty, her kindness, her strength. How she had stepped up, even when she had no obligation.
Jiang Yan felt the tension slowly lift, the weight she'd carried beginning to shift. She wiped at her tears, stood straighter.
"I'm grateful for your kind words," she said to the crowd. "But I must go now and take care of Grandma Liu. Thank you for understanding."
The villagers nodded, many of them watching her with newfound respect. Jiang Yan turned, walking away with calm purpose. Aunt Lin and Ning Yue shrank back, exposed and defeated.
And as she stepped out into the fading light, Jiang Yan allowed herself a small, quiet smile.
They had underestimated her—and they paid the price.
It was only a small victory. But it was hers.
And it was just the beginning.
***