At first, Lin Nian was a little panicked, but as the summer vacation days ticked by, all that was left in her heart was resentment.

’How could this be? She was a transmigrator, so why was she being led around by the nose by a local?’

Lin Nian knew very well that in this era, reputation was extremely important. So one time, she pulled aside the older girl from next door and, ’unintentionally,’ told an embellished version of the incident between Qin Jiao and Shen Yi.

After she was done, she made a point of adding, "Now, I’m only telling you. You absolutely can’t tell anyone else."

Usually, when you tell someone not to spread something, it just gives them a greater desire to pass it on.

Before long, the story spread to the neighboring Three Families Village.

And into the ears of Feng Lan.

And that’s what led to the earlier scene where she aggressively and passive-aggressively berated Qin Jiao.

Although it didn’t bring about consequences for Qin Jiao as severe as those in her past life, it was enough to get the gossip mill turning.

Sometimes, even if something isn’t true, if the rumor circulates for long enough, the person at the center of it might even start to believe it.

So, Qin Jiao decided to give her a taste of her own medicine.

Lin Nian felt uneasy. She forced a smile and said, "Uncle, who was that phone call from just now? My teacher never said they’d call me during the break. Besides, the teachers should be on vacation by now too."

The convenience store owner said, "I wouldn’t know about that. That’s just what the person on the line said."

"What else did they say?"

"They said... Ah, nothing, never mind. If they call again, I’ll come get you."

Lin Nian’s expression froze. She had a strong suspicion that something bad had been said about her on that call, but she had always been cautious and wouldn’t have given her teacher any ammunition against her.

’Could it be because Qin Jiao found my student ID before?’

Lin Nian was itching with anxiety. After a moment’s thought, she gave the convenience store owner a yuan and said, "Uncle, I need to make a call."

"Alright, go ahead. Just don’t take too long."

Lin Nian snatched up the receiver. Of course, she had no intention of actually calling her teacher. She just wanted to check the caller ID so she could call the number back.

But...

This phone had no caller ID, not even redial!

Lin Nian was so angry she almost slammed the receiver down!

A few days later, rumors about Lin Nian started circulating in the village. Rumors are like a rolling snowball; they don’t just get bigger, they also pick up other things along the way.

"Did you hear? That girl from the Old Lin Family is dating a boy at school, and a teacher caught them!"

"I heard she’s already pregnant! Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought!"

Lin Nian’s face turned livid with rage!

And it didn’t end there. Mrs. Lin had given birth to four daughters before finally having a son. Lin Nian was the third, and with two older sisters above her, her life at home had been quite comfortable—she never had to do any chores.

After this incident, Mrs. Lin slapped her right across the face. "We pay for you to go to school, and this is what you learn?"

Father Lin was off to the side, drinking and eating peanuts while listening to a storytelling show on the radio. He paid it no mind, merely frowning at his wife to say, "Keep it down. I’m trying to listen to my show."

Lin Nian clutched her face, a vicious light glinting in her downcast eyes.

’You’ve got some nerve, Qin Jiao! I really underestimated you!’

Just as Lin Nian was being engulfed by this storm of gossip, Qin Jiao’s family of four was preparing to move to the county seat.

They didn’t have many belongings. Su Yun’s second brother, Su Lei, had found a small three-wheeled vehicle with a cargo bed to help them move.

The sunflower seeds in Feng Lan’s hand dropped to the ground.

"Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, you’re moving to the county seat?"