Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 39: We Have Your Back

"You come with me to the house and get the white cloth! I saw it with my own eyes—there was nothing on it! Don’t you even think about denying it, Song Qingya!"

"The white cloth? And what’s that supposed to prove?"

Fang Huihui retorted loudly.

"I saw Village Chief Fei washing the bedsheets himself! So what about it? You want to come inspect his hands to see if they’re clean?"

Everyone was stunned. For a moment, no one knew what to say.

The village chief was washing bedsheets?

That was simply unbelievable!

What on earth was going on?

Since things had already come to this, there was no longer any need to keep it a secret.

Fang Huihui had initially been worried the couple would be too embarrassed by the matter and wouldn’t want it made public.

Before she spoke, she glanced over at Fei Jin and Song Qingya.

Although Song Qingya’s eyes were slightly red-rimmed, she still managed a smile.

"It’s alright, Sister-in-law Fang. You can say it. I’ve already been the subject of so much nasty gossip. What’s a little more?"

Hearing his wife’s words, Fei Jin felt even worse.

He immediately took Song Qingya’s hand and gently rubbed her back.

His expression was grim as he said to Zhou Huaihua, "Auntie, this was supposed to be a private matter between the two of us, not something to be discussed publicly. But if you insist on slandering Qingya and ruining her reputation, then I have no choice but to set the record straight today."

"What are you talking about, Ajin? Are you still going to protect her?"

Zhou Huaihua was convinced that Song Qingya had already been unfaithful to Fei Jin.

’That time she jumped into the river, wasn’t that because she wanted a divorce to be with some other man?’

’She must have done something to wrong Fei Jin before they were even married!’

So, seeing Fei Jin defend Song Qingya so fiercely, Zhou Huaihua found it even more incomprehensible.

Zhou Huaihua decided to turn up the heat.

"Ajin, I remember how you came out of the bridal chamber on your wedding night and sat outside the entire night. Didn’t you realize something was wrong back then?"

Fei Jin couldn’t listen anymore and finally cut her off.

"That’s because Qingya has always been in poor health! We didn’t do... *that*!"

"What?"

Zhou Huaihua plopped right down on the ground.

"Impossible!"

Zhou Huaihua practically roared.

"What do you mean, impossible? I saw some dirty marks on the sheets with my own eyes..."

Fang Huihui said, huffing with anger.

"Qingya is very shy; how could she be as shameless as you? What young person would just go around talking about things like this?"

A friend who had been gossiping with Fang Huihui a couple of days ago quickly chimed in, "That’s right, I can prove it too. That day, Huihui saw Village Chief Fei washing the sheets with her own eyes. That already proves Xiao Song is innocent. But Huihui told me not to spread it around, so I kept my mouth shut for two days."

With someone testifying for her, Song Qingya could now continue her performance.

She felt the drama wasn’t quite satisfying enough, so she decided to add more fuel to the fire.

Song Qingya lowered her head, looking full of self-reproach. "It’s all my fault... I’m sorry, Auntie. It’s because I was so frail. It took me several months after marrying him to get my health back. I failed to fulfill my duties as a wife."

"Silly child, how could this be your fault? Any man with a conscience wouldn’t do *that kind of thing* when his wife is sick!"

An auntie said regretfully, slapping her thigh.

"That’s right. This just shows how much Village Chief Fei cares for you."

Another woman chimed in from the side.

"It’s been so hard on you, you poor child. Why did you suffer such injustice without saying a word?"

The more the older women looked at Song Qingya, the more they pitied her.

She had come from the city, marrying into this place from so far away, living all alone in this unfamiliar town.

She had been sick for so long, and on top of that, she had to endure the judgmental stares and whispers of those around her.

Looking at her, their hearts ached for her, and one by one, they stepped forward to comfort her.

That’s how country folk were.

Their emotions were simple. Once they decided someone was a good person, they would help and support them with all their hearts.

An old granny in a headscarf tightly gripped Song Qingya’s hand.

"You’ve suffered,"

she said, her voice trembling.

"I’m so stupid. I actually believed Zhou Huaihua’s nonsense... Ugh, never mind that. From now on, if you’re ever wronged, you come tell me. I’ll have your back!"

The others who had misjudged her because of the rumors now felt deeply regretful.

They all crowded around to express their apologies.

"Me too! How could I have so easily believed those rumors? Look at this girl—she has such a good personality and is so lovely and beautiful. How could she possibly do something that would bring shame to the whole village?"

an auntie said, her face full of guilt.

Someone else next to her agreed, "I told you all before, but none of you would believe me. You just have to see how well Village Chief Fei treats her normally to know those rumors aren’t true. If Qingya were that kind of person, would Village Chief Fei still treat her so sincerely? He’s famous for not tolerating any deceit."

"That’s right," a young woman added with a nod. "And that auntie... at first, everyone thought her words were more believable since she lives with the young couple. Who would have thought that the most hurtful and painful words would come from a relative?"

In an instant, everyone present turned their gazes to Zhou Huaihua.

"Zhou Huaihua, what do you mean by gossiping about a married couple behind their backs? Are you deliberately trying to ruin their relationship because you can’t stand to see Village Chief Fei happy?"

"I... I’m Ajin’s aunt. How could I not want what’s best for him?"

Zhou Huaihua stammered, flustered.

"Really?"

The other person didn’t express any belief.

They just threw out a simple, one-word question.

Fang Huihui lived right across from them and saw everything clearly.

Before, she had held her tongue out of respect for Village Chief Fei and didn’t want to stoop to Zhou Huaihua’s level.

But now that she saw how fiercely Village Chief Fei was defending his wife, she had no more reservations.

She knew in her heart it was time to tell the truth.

Fang Huihui gathered her strength and went straight for the jugular.

"Before Song Qingya married him, didn’t Village Chief Fei give you all his money to manage? And look how you managed it! Aunt Zhou, tell the truth. When Village Chief Fei got married, you weren’t even willing to give any gift money. Didn’t he have to apply to his superiors for a three-month subsidy just to afford the wedding?"

"Is that true?"

"That’s not all! I saw Zhou Huaihua stewing meat every day but never giving any to Village Chief Fei. When I asked her about it, she actually said that eating in the canteen was good enough for him and that the meat had to be saved for Fei Jun!"

"Taking someone’s money and supplies only to mistreat them in return... A person like that is no better than an animal."

"That’s going too far. Does his uncle really not know?"

"His uncle? He’s probably in on it with her,"

someone guessed with a cold laugh.