"That’s more like it. You can’t eat a hot bun in one bite. Take your time."

Old Master Tate breathed a sigh of relief. The boy was finally listening to reason. Adrian Hawthorne put the grass back, then grabbed a few eggs and tucked them into his pocket. He intended for Old Master Tate to feed them to the ox later. Adrian had bought the eggs with his own money to give the animal some extra nutrition.

"I heard the Thorne family and the Golding family had it out yesterday. It seems it was over that little girl, Tang Xiaonan. I overheard some people talking about it when I was digging for shepherd’s purse earlier."

Rosalind Green shared the news she had gathered with her son. She didn’t really interact with the other villagers, even doing her laundry at home instead of by the river. The village women all looked down on her, and frankly, she had nothing to talk about with them either.

Rosalind had just been up on the mountain digging for shepherd’s purse. It was early spring, when the sprouts were at their most tender. She’d also found some Indian aster—both were wild vegetables currently in season. Adrian Hawthorne and Old Master Tate both loved shepherd’s purse dumplings, so whenever Rosalind had a spare moment, she would go dig some up to make for them. Now that they had meat, flour, and ample seasonings, her cooking had improved by leaps and bounds. She was always trying out new, delicious recipes every day.

Adrian Hawthorne stopped, his brow furrowing slightly. ’That chubby girl went to school, didn’t she? I haven’t heard little Fatty Tang’s chirping for a few days, and it’s honestly a bit weird. What exactly happened?’

"It seems Tang Xiaonan was hit by Phoenix Golding at school. Phoenix Golding is her teacher, and she nearly broke the girl’s arm. So Phoebe Huxley beat up Phoenix Golding, and Phoenix’s brother got a beating too. The two families are really going at it. Phoenix Golding was also exposed for..."

Rosalind’s face flushed. She was too embarrassed to say the indecent details out loud, so she just mumbled, "Anyway, Phoenix Golding was doing... some unsavory things, and Phoebe Huxley exposed her for it. Kenneth, you should tell Grandpa Tate to stay away from the Spann family’s girl in the future. That family is no good."

Although the villagers often called her a vixen, Rosalind Green was, in reality, a deeply conservative and virtuous woman. She’d had a strict, traditional upbringing, teaching her to know her place, follow the rules, and never step out of line. Any other woman, abandoned by her husband for four years without a single word, would have long since taken up with another man to provide a better life for herself and her son.

With Rosalind’s beauty, finding a man to protect her and her son would have been effortless. But despite her gentle and seemingly frail nature, she had never once entertained such a thought. Even while suffering daily physical and psychological torment, her fidelity to her husband had never wavered.

Therefore, Rosalind utterly despised the unchaste Phoenix Golding, and by extension, she now looked down on Jacqueline Spann as well. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Like mother, like daughter. Phoenix Golding was promiscuous, so the daughter she raised naturally wouldn’t be very virtuous either. In comparison, Rosalind felt that Tang Xiaonan was practically an angel.

"Is Tang Xiaonan alright?" Adrian Hawthorne asked, a little worried.

’That chubby girl looks fierce, but she’s actually useless in a fight. With that small frame of hers, she can’t beat anyone. It must have been easy for an adult like Phoenix Golding to handle little Fatty Tang. But I don’t get it. Phoenix Golding is a smart woman. Why would she provoke the Thorne family for no reason at all?’

"It sounds pretty serious. They said her arm was nearly broken. Otherwise, Phoebe Huxley wouldn’t have gotten so furious. You know, Tang Xiaonan is the apple of her eye."

Adrian Hawthorne’s frown deepened. He wanted to go to the Thorne family’s house to check on her. ’Little Fatty Tang is very delicate. If she’s injured, she definitely won’t be at school. She must be at home.’ He had just reached the doorway when a clear voice called out from outside, "Aunt Green, is Mr. Hawthorne home?"

His frown instantly smoothed out. Adrian Hawthorne primly pulled his foot back, picked up a broom, and began sweeping casually. Tang Xiaonan had reached the doorway. Leaning on the doorframe, she struggled to step over the threshold, but after trying for a good while, she still couldn’t make it. Her tailbone hurt too much.