The cold wind was biting. The weather in the North was getting increasingly vexing.
Ye Zhinan finished her own tasks and, after discussing with Sister Hong, came to work with her mother.
Although her father had taught her to bide her time, she would never tolerate those who dared to bully others.
Wei Shiqi rarely sat at her own workstation. Her newly - painted nails made it seem as if she wasn't there to work.
When she saw Ye Zhinan and her mother, she was stunned for a moment, then walked over with a teasing smile.
"What wind has blown you here? Is the farm work in the fields too hard for you to bear?"
Ye Zhinan snorted and ignored her. But she noticed several pairs of eyes sizing them up.
"Are they the ones?"
Han Xiangmei nodded and then tightly grasped her daughter's arm. "Just go easy."
Mom has her own ideas!
Ye Zhinan thought her mother would stop her and had even prepared a speech in her mind. But she didn't expect such a response.
She patted Han Xiangmei's hand and walked towards those people.
Those people were all family members of exiled criminals. Having arrived a few years earlier, they had become local bullies.
Han Xiangmei had always worked silently, leaving work just as quietly, adhering to the principle of minding her own business. So far, she had managed to stay out of trouble.
However, when they slandered her daughter, she couldn't tolerate it. She tried to defend herself, but they attacked without hesitation. Fortunately, Sister Hong arrived in time to prevent a major incident.
Thinking of her mother's injured hand, Ye Zhinan felt heart - broken. Her father could endure, her mother could endure, but she couldn't.
She came for an explanation and to settle the score. But when she saw those people with the strong and inexplicable hostility in their eyes, she felt that this matter was not simple.
"My mother said there were some misunderstandings with you ladies."
She was polite and considerate. She noticed that the expressions of those people changed slightly when they saw her.
"We've already said it was a misunderstanding. Why are you still coming to question us, Miss Ye?"
The speaker was Lady Liu, with a strong northern accent. Her eyes were wide open as if she was about to argue, but her hand was firmly grasped by another woman.
"Miss, we have no other intentions!"
The woman who grabbed her was Lady Yan. She was short in stature and her eyes were shifty. When she spoke, she seemed to be looking elsewhere.
"Why are you afraid of her? Are you afraid she'll do something to us in broad daylight?"
Lady Liu angrily shook off the other woman's hand. As she spoke, her eyes also unconsciously glanced elsewhere.
Ye Zhinan noticed the subtle changes in their expressions and was even more curious to find out what they were up to.
"I can't do anything to you. But you did something to my mother. So you must give me an explanation."
"Miss Ye, you have power and influence. Don't bother with us little people. There are dozens of people in my family. We don't want to cause trouble. So please forgive us for what happened that day. Is that okay?"
A typical scheming woman. One was bluffing, the other was acting submissive. Lady Yan was much smarter than Lady Liu.
While they were singing their duets, some onlookers had gathered around. They were pointing and whispering, and some even tried to mediate.
"Lady Liu, just listen to Lady Yan. Don't provoke the Ye family. Be careful of evil spirits possessing you."
"That's right. We're all criminals in exile. If something happens to us, there's no place to seek justice."
"What evil spirits possessing? My daughter is innocent. How can you slander her like this?!"
Before Ye Zhinan could say a word, Han Xiangmei couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed out of the crowd and shouted angrily.
Mom is amazing! No wonder she was the wife of a grand tutor. She has such imposing manner!
Ye Zhinan once again admired her mother's might. But after listening for a while, she realized that all this was because she had become the so - called unlucky person in people's mouths.
But how did she become unlucky?
She secretly glanced at Wei Shiqi beside her. Wei Shiqi was admiring her nails without a care in the world, seemingly not interested in what was going on here at all.
Just then, Lady Liu let out a scream and fell backward. By the time everyone reacted, she was lying on the ground with her eyes closed.
"This is the evil spirit attacking!"
Someone shouted. Lady Yan's legs went weak and she knelt on the ground.
"Oh, Miss Ye, you're magnanimous. Please forgive us!"
"Get out of the way. Let me take a look!"
Ye Zhinan didn't care about the terrified expressions of others. She rushed forward, but was blocked by Lady Yan.
"Please forgive us!"
Ye Zhinan shook her off and stared directly into her eyes.
"Aren't you afraid of me anymore?"
After saying that, she felt the obstruction loosen. She quickly stepped forward to check Lady Liu's breathing.
Thank goodness. There was no danger to her life!
"Lady Liu just fainted from the fall. There's no danger to her life. Don't just blame me. It's obvious that someone pushed her."
She briefly treated the wound and looked around. Everyone was looking at her sideways.
Han Xiangmei shook her head at her.
"I was too confused just now to notice who it was."
"There's no one else. Isn't it just a case of the thief crying 'Stop thief'?"
The voice came from behind. Wei Shiqi stared straight ahead, clearly targeting Ye Zhinan.
Everyone followed her gaze and stepped back, isolating Ye Zhinan and her mother.
"What are you all standing around for? Why aren't you working?"
Sister Hong heard the commotion and rushed over immediately. Seeing Lady Liu lying on the ground, she quickly ordered someone to carry her home.
After dispersing the crowd, she pulled Ye Zhinan aside and whispered.
"I allowed you to come, but you can't bite the hand that feeds you and cause trouble for me! You're the target of everyone's criticism now. It's better not to be a hero!"
"I owe you for today's matter, but I didn't do it. Why should I admit it?"
Ye Zhinan didn't expect Sister Hong to also persuade her to let it go. She felt even more depressed.
"Why are you so stubborn? The rumors will fade away eventually. But if this matter reaches the ears of the higher - ups, it won't be so easy to resolve."
After hearing this, Ye Zhinan's eyes gradually cooled down. Her gaze was as cold as ice in winter, looking into the distance.
Should she just let it go?
Even if she wanted to, the world wouldn't allow it.
Since hitting her head, Lady Liu had become crazy. During the day, she would go to the Ye family's door and curse, saying all kinds of nasty things.
Ye Yingfeng couldn't do anything because of his inconvenience. He could only stand at the door with a stick to prevent the crazy woman from entering.
Ye Zhinan wanted to argue, but was always stopped by Han Xiangmei.
"Mom, just let me go and see Lady Liu. I can cure her."
Ye Zhinan was confident.
But Han Xiangmei's words dispelled her idea.
"Someone has already gone to see her."
"Who?"
Ye Zhinan looked at her mother with a more profound and surprised look in her eyes.
"Wei Shiqi took a witch there this morning. It should have had an effect. That's why Lady Liu hasn't come."
Ignoring Han Xiangmei's obstruction, Ye Zhinan insisted on going to find out.
She didn't believe that Wei Shiqi was so kind as to do something to save the dying and heal the wounded. A person like her was bound to cause some trouble.
Before she even reached the Liu family's house, she saw a thick column of smoke rising from there. Alarmed, she immediately ran towards it.