Half an hour later, Xie Jiajiao was weakly supporting Jiang Ye as they headed north toward the village where the team leader, Jiang Tao, was working. Behind them trailed a large crowd of men, all eager to watch the unfolding drama.
At the northern edge of the village, because Jiang Tao was working there today, the villagers were quieter than usual, heads down, focused on their tasks rather than gossiping.
Well, everyone except one.
That was Wang Laidi's man, Jiang Mazi.
He had only been loosening the soil with his hoe for a few minutes before wanting to take a break, his eyes darting around as if looking for someone to chat with about what had happened at noon.
Like, did Xie Zhiqing really start seeing the landlord's brat?
Why on earth would she be so reckless?
Even if she couldn't bear the hardship of the fields, she should at least find someone with a clean reputation, someone who would care for her—someone like him.
Sigh...
Why did Xie Zhiqing have to go and choose Jiang Ye?
Just as Jiang Mazi was sighing in frustration, his sharp eyes caught sight of Xie Jiajiao's graceful figure. Excited, he accidentally slammed the hoe onto his foot, blood immediately flowing.
But Jiang Mazi seemed oblivious, still staring dreamily at Xie Jiajiao.
The others working nearby noticed he'd stopped moving and glanced over in curiosity. One exclaimed, "Mazi, your foot's bleeding!"
Though the voice wasn't loud, the village was filled with sharp ears, and soon everyone had turned to look.
"Mazi, what are you thinking about?"
"You've been farming for over ten years, how do you manage to hit your own foot with your hoe?"
...
The long-suppressed chatter burst forth, sparked by Jiang Mazi's injury. The villagers stopped their work, gathering around to tease him endlessly.
Jiang Tao saw the scene and darkened. Clearing his throat, he ordered the crowd to disperse.
He then picked two burly young men to carry Jiang Mazi to the village doctor, Old Lin.
Jiang Mazi, who had been dazed all along, suddenly struggled fiercely as he was being carried off. Unable to break free, he pointed toward where Xie Jiajiao had come from and shouted hoarsely, "Xie Zhiqing! Why are you here?"
His cry drew the honest workers' attention back, and they all turned their heads, gazing toward the west side of the village.
"Where's Xie Zhiqing? I don't see her."
"Forget Xie Zhiqing for a moment. Look at that huge crowd. Something's going on."
"Hey, isn't that tall guy leading the group Jiang Ye? Could it be Jiang Ye's gotten into a fight with the workers at the north side again?"
"Maybe—he's done it before."
...
Jiang Tao frowned at the noisy voices around him and snapped, "What are you all chattering about? If you have energy to gossip, then hoe another mu of land."
With that, the villagers fell silent and dispersed.
Satisfied, Jiang Tao glanced at Jiang Mazi and said, "Why are you still standing there? Waiting for your blood to run out before you die?"
"Mazi—"
Before Jiang Mazi could finish, the two men frightened by Jiang Tao's scolding covered his mouth and hurried him away.
Just as Jiang Tao finished his reprimand, Xie Jiajiao and her group arrived.
Before Jiang Tao could say anything, Xie Jiajiao was already crying, her tears like rain.
"Team leader, you have to stand up for me," she pleaded, holding Jiang Ye's injured hand out in front of him, her face full of fear. "Jiang Xiu is taking revenge on personal grudges, deliberately making things difficult, trying to get me killed. If it weren't for my fiancé, I might have lost my life."
Jiang Tao's forehead throbbed as he listened to Xie Jiajiao's confused words.
Meanwhile, those who had followed along eagerly began recounting the terrifying scene in vivid detail.
"Team leader, you didn't see how scary it was just now."
"Exactly!"
"That hoe flew through the air in a flash. If Jiang Ye hadn't stopped it, Xie Zhiqing's neck would've been cut wide open."
...
With everyone piecing together the story and Xie Jiajiao's dramatic additions, Jiang Tao roughly understood what had happened.
But he didn't rush to judgment just because Xie Jiajiao was the victim. Instead, he sent for Jiang Xiu.
Jiang Xiu was found dozing lazily under a tree. Woken from her nap, she was full of resentment.
"Dad, what do you want with me? I'm busy!"
"Busy?" Jiang Tao kicked her on the butt and snorted coldly. "Busy drooling?"
Jiang Xiu twitched her eyelids, instinctively wiping the corner of her mouth. Feeling the still-wet dampness, her arrogance faltered, and she meekly said, "Dad, I was just tired and taking a quick nap."
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, Jiang Tao gave Jiang Xiu a warning look before asking, "Xie Zhiqing says you've been making things difficult for her. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
The kick had cleared Jiang Xiu's head. Hearing her father mention Xie Jiajiao, she sensed trouble.
Could it be that Xie Jiajiao pretended to be nice to her face but was secretly complaining to her father?
Thinking this, Jiang Xiu quickly scanned around—and sure enough, she caught Xie Jiajiao glaring daggers at her.
No wonder she's a city intellectual youth—there's a lot of scheming going on inside that head.
Jiang Xiu cursed Xie Jiajiao fiercely in her heart, but with Jiang Tao present, she forced a strained smile.
"Dad, it's a misunderstanding—an absolute misunderstanding!"
"This is what happened. This afternoon, I just wanted to joke with Xie Zhiqing, deliberately telling her to work at the north side of the village. Who knew Xie Zhiqing is so honest? Before I could finish, she just turned and left."
Jiang Tao asked, "So you just let Xie Zhiqing go to the west side of the village?"
Caught off guard by her father's interruption, Jiang Xiu's face flushed, but she pressed on stubbornly, "Dad, I thought maybe Xie Zhiqing wouldn't be able to work and would come back. Besides, there were so many people working then, I got distracted and forgot. Dad..."
The more she spoke, the more animated she became, as if her explanation was perfectly reasonable—a mere harmless joke.
But she failed to notice the growing disappointment and coldness in Jiang Tao's eyes.
A father knows his child best.
Jiang Xiu might fool everyone else with lies, but never Jiang Tao.
Smack!
The sharp slap echoed through the air.
The villagers watching all froze.
"Jiang Xiu, is this how I taught you to behave all these years? Lying nonstop!"
"Dad! I didn't!" Jiang Xiu protested.
Jiang Tao pointed at the gathering crowd, his voice icy.
"Should I call out the neighbors who saw everything this afternoon to come out and confront you?"
Jiang Xiu instantly went pale.
She knew her father was a man of principle—he couldn't tolerate even the smallest impurity in his eyes.
But she was his own daughter!
How could he side with outsiders against her?
Yet Jiang Xiu also knew that now her father had said this, no matter how much she denied it, he would definitely do just that.
So, with reluctance and bitterness, Jiang Xiu apologized to Xie Jiajiao.
"I'm sorry, Xie Zhiqing."
Unlike Jiang Xiu, who resented Jiang Tao's tough love, Jiang Ye's lips curled into a mocking smile. Though he spoke of fairness, he was clearly biased toward his own daughter.
Though Jiang Tao claimed to be impartial and righteous, he knew how to compromise to minimize the damage and protect Jiang Xiu.
No wonder some people are so ungrateful and betray their benefactors.
The thought stirred a dark anger in Jiang Ye's eyes.
Suddenly, Jiang Ye felt his big hand tugged gently.
Xie Jiajiao's protective voice whispered in his ear.