CHAPTER 267: CHAPTER 266 BAD PEOPLE CANNOT BE TOLERATED (PART 1)

"Watch out!"

Mu Shuangshuang and Lu Yuanfeng spoke almost simultaneously, then exchanged a quick glance and swiftly moved apart.

By the time Xia Guagua came to her senses, the person she intended to pounce on was no longer in front of her. Having exerted herself too much, she couldn’t stop in time and plunged headfirst into the muddy ground, resembling a clumsy fall.

Her face and hair were covered in mud, and her beautiful clothes were unrecognizable from their original color.

"Mu Shuangshuang, you’re too much!" Xia Guagua yelled at Mu Shuangshuang as she lifted her head.

Mu Shuangshuang rolled her eyes. This Xia Guagua was just too amusing. She tried to leap at Lu Yuanfeng in broad daylight and got dodged, then blamed her for the fall. Really, what a joke!

Seeing Mu Shuangshuang remain silent, Xia Guagua shouted even louder, "How dare you push me! I know you’re jealous of my good looks and my childhood friendship with Brother Yuanfeng, but you... you can’t just harm me like this!"

Xia Guagua’s words caught the villagers’ attention. Initially, everyone was busy picking the local fungus and paid no heed to this side, but when they looked up, all they saw was Xia Guagua covered in mud.

Meanwhile, Mu Shuangshuang, the accused, stood there with arms crossed. Compared to her, Xia Guagua instantly seemed like the underdog.

Sympathy for the underdog is usually a natural instinct, especially when people don’t know the full story. The side that seems weaker always manages to elicit unwitting compassion.

Now, the villagers were caught up in this sympathetic sentiment, looking at Mu Shuangshuang with accusatory eyes.

"Xia Guagua, don’t be too much. It was you who fell on your own, how can you blame it on Shuangshuang?" Lu Yuanfeng chided Xia Guagua in a low voice, frowning.

"Brother Yuanfeng, why are you always siding with her? She’s so vile and even hit me. Are you... are you entranced by her?" Xia Guagua looked at Lu Yuanfeng with deep affection, putting on a wounded expression in her eyes.

Being outside with many people around, Xia Guagua was sure Lu Yuanfeng wouldn’t do anything to her, so she spoke with confidence, even casting a provocative glance at Mu Shuangshuang.

Xia Guagua’s words led the villagers to point fingers at Mu Shuangshuang, their eyes revealing some disdain.

Lu Yuanfeng clenched his fist, addressing Xia Guagua’s repulsive face, "Stop your nonsense here. Shuangshuang never even touched you. You were the one who came over to us and fell on your own!"

When his clothes were cut like that, Lu Yuanfeng told himself that he could never be soft-hearted when it came to Xia Guagua.

He thought after she did such a shameless thing, she wouldn’t appear again. Who would’ve known she would start targeting Shuangshuang?

Utterly shameless!

Xia Guagua’s face, smeared with mud, turned ferocious. She couldn’t understand why, even now, he would stand by the despicable woman before her.

What’s so good about her, exactly?

As she thought of this, the hatred in Xia Guagua’s heart grew more intense. Suddenly, she knelt before Lu Yuanfeng, crying, "Brother Yuanfeng, please, don’t hit me. I... I won’t tell others about Sister Shuangshuang’s disgraceful deeds, I..."

Seeing this, Lu Yuanfeng’s face twitched as he raised his tightly clenched fist, intending to slam it hard onto Xia Guagua’s face.

But before he could touch Xia Guagua’s face, Mu Shuangshuang stopped him.

"Fengzi, her face is too dirty, don’t soil your hands."

Obediently, Lu Yuanfeng pulled back his hand, though his face remained frosty. He stared intently at Xia Guagua, resolved that if she dared to slander Shuangshuang again, he’d smash her with a punch.

Mu Shuangshuang looked at Xia Guagua with a half-smile. This woman’s acting skills were quite remarkable; in modern times, she might even win an actress award or something.

"Xia Guagua, with all your crying and fussing, claiming I’ve done some disgraceful thing, what exactly do you mean? If you can’t say, it proves you’re just trying to defame me, and I won’t be polite."

She didn’t care about the villagers’ gossiping gazes. If not for her parents’ reputation, she would’ve long smashed that woman’s face.

What Xia Guagua called disgraceful things were merely words off the top of her head. She hadn’t thought through what they specifically referred to. Being pointed out by Mu Shuangshuang made her panic, but she quickly regained composure.

"Those scandalous deeds you’ve done, you know them well." Xia Guagua gritted her teeth.

"I have no idea. Why don’t you tell, Xia Guagua!" Mu Shuangshuang pressed closer, suddenly turning to the crowd, "Uncles and aunties, you know, how would one be punished for ruining someone’s reputation in our Da Ning Dynasty?"

A nosy young wife exclaimed loudly, "Naturally, by cutting off their tongue and making them kneel to apologize!"

"Well said, Xia Guagua slandered me today. Everyone bear witness, if I hit her later, it’s because she’s slandering me!"

As soon as Mu Shuangshuang finished speaking, she backhanded a slap with a crisp "smack" sound. Xia Guagua was stunned; she hadn’t expected Mu Shuangshuang to actually hit her.

Mu Shuangshuang, disdaining the mud on her hand, shook her hand gently.

Lu Yuanfeng took out the cloth from his basket and handed it to Mu Shuangshuang, his concern evident from his expression: "Wipe it off, your hands are dirty!"

"Mhm!" Mu Shuangshuang wiped her hands clean right in front of Xia Guagua.

Owing to Mu Shuangshuang’s prior words and the fact she actually slapped Xia Guagua in front of everyone, the spectators’ doubts were dispelled.

Such scandalous deeds aren’t things everyone dares to do, especially not the honest daughter from Old Wang’s third family. She definitely wouldn’t commit such acts.

The villagers just treated it as a joke, watching Xia Guagua perform a solo act. With the show over, they went back to their own tasks.

Their gazes became friendly; Mu Shuangshuang knew the incident didn’t affect her anymore.

She reunited with Lu Yuanfeng, heading towards Niuwei Mountain in the north.

Xia Guagua remained where she was, crying bitterly. She couldn’t accept being slapped by Mu Shuangshuang, moreover... moreover, she gained no advantage.

After crying for some time, her view was suddenly obscured by a shadow. Xia Guagua hoped it was Lu Yuanfeng coming back for her. She lifted her head expectantly, only to see a face she least wished to see—Wang Fugui.

The son of Old Wang, the man with the most farmland in the village, relied on his family’s land and wealth. He loved nothing more than visiting the town’s brothel to toy with women or finding village wives and widows.

For a few silver taels, engaging in some disgraceful matters."

"Hey, isn’t this Xia Guagua from the neighboring village? What happened? Bullied, covered in mud like this, let your brother take a look!"