Chapter 60
The incident ended with Maizi covering her face and running away in tears.
Qiu Chi didn't stop her, instead letting go of her hand.
As for her so-called friends, they walked away as if nothing had happened the moment Qiu Chi looked at them.
Qiu Chi paid them no mind and headed straight up the mountain.
Qiu Chi easily caught a rabbit, then skillfully gutted it by a small stream. Starting a fire was also simple. The only problem was when it came time to roast the rabbit…
The sight was unbearable.
The final result was that it was cooked and edible.
Qiu Chi ate the entire rabbit without a change in expression, deciding she would never cook for herself again.
She picked a few wild fruits before heading back down the mountain.
By now, news of last night's events had already spread throughout the small village. Old Woman Zhou, who was out in the fields, didn't miss the chance to slander Qiu Chi.
However, in everyone else's eyes, Qiu Chi was just an eight-year-old child. As long as she wasn't bothered by the rumors and gossip, they couldn't harm her.
As for feudal superstitions, those were forbidden now.
Old Woman Zhou could only say that Qiu Chi had gone mad, did no work, was gluttonous and lazy, and was getting too big for her britches.
Qiu Chi didn't take any of this to heart, and neither did most of the other villagers.
However, the gossip about Qiu Chi didn't last long. A new piece of news soon followed that was far more captivating than anything involving an eight-year-old girl.
Wasn't the story of Maizi from the Zhang family sneaking into the reed patch with a recently arrived educated youth far more interesting?
However, no one knew exactly which educated youth it was, so they could only speculate.
The very day the rumor spread, Zhang Maizi confronted Qiu Chi with a kitchen cleaver. "Zhou Erxi, you bitch! You've ruined my reputation! I'm going to kill you!"
Qiu Chi found it laughable. "Weren't you the one who went into the reed patch with Educated Youth Sun? And as for how quickly the news spread, you should thank your dear friends. I'm sure they put in quite an effort."
Since Zhang Maizi had dared to threaten her with a cleaver, Qiu Chi felt no need to hold back.
And just like that, the villagers no longer had to guess the identity of the educated youth.
"Aaaah! How dare you say that! I'll kill you!"
Qiu Chi didn't try to snatch the cleaver from Zhang Maizi's hand. Instead, she said, "Isn't this a good thing? Since you and Educated Youth Sun are interested in each other, and now everyone knows about it, you can just get married, can't you?"
Zhang Maizi stopped in her tracks.
Before she could properly consider it, Old Woman Zhou's voice cut through the air. "Murder! Zhang Maizi is trying to kill my Erxi!"
The onlookers thought, ...Here she goes again, trying to swindle someone.
Zhang Maizi quickly dropped the cleaver and retorted, "I'm not! Don't talk nonsense!"
"Shut up!" Qiu Chi snapped.
Old Woman Zhou didn't even glance at Qiu Chi. She walked forward, picked up the cleaver Zhang Maizi had dropped, and went inside.
Old Woman Zhang, who had just rushed over, immediately roared, "Old Woman Zhou, have you no shame? That's my family's cleaver!"
Without turning back, Old Woman Zhou replied, "What do you mean, yours? It's in front of my house, so it's mine now. Your Maizi tried to kill my Erxi. You should count yourself lucky I'm not demanding compensation."
Old Woman Zhou went inside and shut the door. Left with no other option, Old Woman Zhang grabbed Zhang Maizi by the ear. "You wretched girl, can't you stay out of trouble? What kind of mess are you making every day? Hurry up and come home with me, you're a complete disgrace!"
As Zhang Maizi was dragged home by her grandmother, the onlookers hurried over to question Qiu Chi.
"Erxi, how did you know Maizi and Educated Youth Sun were in the reed patch?"
"Erxi, what else do you know? Tell your auntie, I promise I won't tell anyone else."
Qiu Chi watched this scene unfold, speechless.
How the hell did things turn out like this?
She went straight into the house, shutting out the crowd of women eager for more gossip.
The affair between Zhang Maizi and Educated Youth Sun had become such a big deal that it would be difficult to resolve unless they got together.
Zhang Maizi, for her part, was quite pleased. "Mom, stop hitting me! If I get together with Educated Youth Sun, everything will be fine. Besides, I'm already at the age for marriage prospects."
Hearing this, Old Woman Zhang felt another urge to hit her. "You wretched girl! What can that Educated Youth Sun do besides look pretty? He can't even do a proper day's work."
Zhang Maizi giggled. "But he's from the city! He's educated, and his family sends him lots of things. I definitely won't lose out by marrying him. I'm not that stupid, you know."
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