TFWYH – Chapter 134 Gossips

It was now the slack farming season, and the villagers were idle to the point of boredom.

At the entrance of the village stood a large yellow fruit tree, its branches spreading wide enough to blot out the sun—clearly very old.

Under the shade of the tree, where the breeze was cool and refreshing, villagers often gathered.

The women stitched shoe soles and gossiped.

The men drank wine and chatted about family affairs.

Since it was still early, most of the men hadn’t woken yet, so the tree was mostly filled with women.

From afar, a group of women watched Tang Wan and the others approach, whispering and pointing.

Everyone had eyes: lately, large carriages kept coming to the village, each more lavish than the last—and they all went straight to Ling Erfang’s house.

Tang Wan often carried things home too—food, clothes, household goods—every single item rare and precious to villagers, the kind of things even during New Year’s they would hesitate to buy.

And looking at the second branch’s family now—

Madam Jiang’s face was glowing with health. Though she wore a plain light-green robe, the fabric was obviously expensive.

Ling Yue looked taller, no longer the sallow and thin girl of the past, but now rosy-cheeked and radiant.

Even little Ling Chen, who only occasionally appeared in the village, had become as cute as a carved jade doll, like a golden child by the Goddess of Birth herself.

And then there was Lord Yu, whom Tang Wan had invited over, both a doctor and the head of an academy. Was this the sign of his recovery?

Anyone with eyes could see—the second branch was clearly thriving.

The village women felt sour in their hearts. On one hand, they secretly laughed at the old Ling family for “losing a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds,” but on the other, they regretted not lending a hand when the second branch had been struggling. Now they couldn’t even get a scrap of benefit.

What irritated them most, however, were Aunt Yang and Widow Hong.

Everyone here was just a village woman—so why did only those two get to cling to powerful thighs?

Especially Widow Hong. You’re just a ruined shoe—what makes you so special?

As the group drew closer, the village women exchanged glances and winks.

Finally, a woman who considered herself close to Aunt Yang stepped forward.

“Well, Aunt Yang, heading out again?”

“That’s right!” Aunt Yang didn’t think much of it. She and this Madam Shen did have a decent relationship, having bonded over gossip.

Since she wanted to speak on behalf of the Ling family and make those who had once looked down on them regret it, her tone carried a hint of pride. “Yue’er opened a shop in town. Widow Hong and I don’t have much to do, so we go help out. Hehehe…”

The group of women immediately perked up at this.

Madam Shen widened her eyes in surprise. “Oh my, Yue girl is still so young and already has her own shop? She’s even more capable than some men.”

Ling Yue frowned slightly and cast Aunt Yang a look before calmly replying, “No, it’s my sister-in-law’s. I just help manage it.”

“Hehehe… so it’s Wan Niang’s then. She hasn’t even been married that long, and already has her own shop. Town girls really are more capable than our village girls!”

Madam Shen swore she meant it as praise, but jealousy twisted her words.

Tang Wan couldn’t be bothered. She gave her a cool glance, then looked away, not the least bit interested in conversation.

Madam Shen’s smile froze. Inside, she cursed Tang Wan for being ungrateful. Her eye then caught Widow Hong quietly laughing, which made her burn with fury.

You—a worn-out shoe used by a thousand men—dare laugh at me?

So Madam Shen raised her voice deliberately: “Wan Niang, don’t blame your auntie for speaking bluntly, but our village has plenty of women with clean family backgrounds. Why bother letting someone unclean help you? Someone that filthy might be sick. You’re running a shop—what if she infects your customers? You’d ruin your own reputation!”