"That family claimed the old doctor's medicine killed someone and wanted to drag him to town. It caused quite a stir back then, and the old doctor was nearly beaten to death. He eventually compensated the family with a hundred yuan, and that's how it was settled," Zhang Cuihua said.
"You can't blame the old doctor for this, can you?" Fu Wenwen frowned. This situation was clearly wrong. How could the old doctor be blamed? It was obvious the family hadn't listened to advice, and the elder must have suffered internal injuries from the fall.
"Ah, it's not something that can be explained in a few words. The person is already gone, and no matter how he explained, no one would believe him. Many people in the village thought his medicine had killed the person. Besides, the medicine was expensive. A few small pills cost one yuan. Who could afford that!" Zhang Cuihua shook her head. At this point, the old doctor was like a mute eating bitter melon, with suffering he couldn't express. No one would listen to his explanations.
People would only believe that the old man who fell indeed died overnight after taking his medicine, and he couldn't clear his name.
"You absolutely must not get involved in this matter," Zhang Cuihua warned. "You married Lin Feng, which means you are now a person of Honghe Village. Don't get entangled with those educated youths anymore! Listen to me, sister, I won't harm you."
Fu Wenwen nodded. "Thank you, Sister Cuihua. I was ignorant before, and I won't do anything foolish again."
When Fu Wenwen left the Liu family's home, besides washed duvet covers and bedsheets, she also received fresh vegetables from Zhang Cuihua. Fu Wenwen hadn't yet learned the skill of polite refusal and couldn't stop the enthusiastic Zhang Cuihua.
Carrying her things out of the Liu family's home on the way back, Fu Wenwen saw someone from a distance. The upward curve of her lips instantly vanished, and she walked past expressionlessly.
There was only one road home; otherwise, she would have turned and left immediately.
Su Xiaoxiao stood by the roadside and, upon seeing Fu Wenwen, immediately stepped forward.
She reached out to hold Fu Wenwen's hand as soon as she approached. Fu Wenwen, carrying her things, sidestepped Su Xiaoxiao's grasp. Su Xiaoxiao, however, did not lose her smile. "Wenwen, I've been waiting for you for a long time. You're finally back."
Fu Wenwen had taken all the money, and she still owed Liu Zihua twelve yuan. Su Xiaoxiao's good days had come to an end, and her living conditions had plummeted. She couldn't bear to eat sweet potatoes for another day.
She had to mend her relationship with Fu Wenwen, suppressing any resentment.
"Is there something you need? By the way, it seems you haven't returned my things yet. Are they too much to carry? Do I need to come and get them myself?" Fu Wenwen looked at the undisguised calculation in Su Xiaoxiao's eyes. Her kindness to the original owner had always been for her own gain. It was only because the original owner had been doted on by the Fu family since childhood and was naive that she had been so unsuspecting of Su Xiaoxiao and easily fooled.
"Wenwen, what are you talking about! Aren't we sisters for life? Why are you treating me like this? I already said I didn't do it on purpose. You know my family's situation; I was truly desperate." Su Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat. If those things were returned to Fu Wenwen, she would have nothing.
"Sisters for life? If you've forgotten, I can remind you. We broke off our relationship yesterday. I really can't accept being your sister. You lived a good life with my money; doesn't your conscience bother you? Because my family's conditions are not good, you morally blackmail me and take my money as a matter of course?" Fu Wenwen said with a cold laugh.
"Wenwen, how can you think that way? You said, 'What's mine is yours,' and that we are one..." Su Xiaoxiao looked at Fu Wenwen with an injured expression. Fu Wenwen, looking at such a shameless person, felt her fists itch.