Don't just drink-have some peanuts, too

Shen Yunzhi and Xiao Yao reached the village entrance.

A group of older men and women who had long since finished lunch were sunning themselves, playing cards, and chatting there.

The village entrance.

Where rumors gathered and fermented.

It could make you thrive or ruin your reputation.

The village entrance intelligence bureau rivaled the Jinyiwei, the most mysterious organization in the universe.

The first older woman to spot Shen Yunzhi immediately called out to her.

"Yunzhi? I heard you were back ages ago. Is that your boyfriend beside you?"

Shen Yunzhi: "..."

Xiao Yao: "..."

Startled, Shen Yunzhi hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, no! He's just my colleague."

[Sisters, what should we call Yunzhi's boyfriend when she gets one?]

[Brother-in-law?]

[Younger brother-in-law?]

[That guy.]

[Yunzhi's man, obviously.]

[Yunzhi's man, huh? It's been so long since anyone called me that.]

[...]

[I can't with you.]

[I surrender.]

[Don't just drink-have some peanuts, too.]

[If you've had too much to drink, take some cephalosporins to settle down.]

A group of older women eagerly prepared to pull Shen Yunzhi into a chat.

For the first time, Shen Yunzhi felt what intimidation was and took a step back in fright.

One woman said, "Your colleague's so handsome. Why aren't you interested in him? When did you get back?"

Shen Yunzhi answered vaguely, "A couple of days ago."

The woman asked, "How long are you planning to stay in the village?"

Shen Yunzhi remained vague. "A couple of days."

The woman asked, "When are you leaving?"

Shen Yunzhi was still vague. "In a couple of days."

The woman asked, "Do you have lots of men pursuing you?"

Shen Yunzhi could barely keep up the vague answers. "More or less."

The woman unleashed the ultimate deadly triple question. "With so many men pursuing you, you must have a boyfriend! When are you planning to get married? Why didn't you bring him home?"

Shen Yunzhi said, "He has a home."

The woman said, "Oh, so that's why...? Wait, no."

Just then.

Wang Dezhen's aggressive voice suddenly rang out behind her.

"Shen Yunzhi!"

Shen Yunzhi hurriedly freed herself from the older woman's claws and looked at Wang Dezhen with gratitude all over her face.

Wang Dezhen: "?"

What was that look supposed to mean?

Was she looking down on her?

Did she think nothing of her?

Wang Dezhen had been feeling somewhat uncertain.

But the thought of all the aunts and other female relatives following behind her immediately bolstered her again.

Wang Dezhen marched over, full of swagger, to settle the score with Shen Yunzhi.

A crowd of relatives whose names were impossible to recall followed behind her.

They looked menacing.

Wang Dezhen and her husband, Shen Yonggui, had already discussed everything with these meddling women.

They had laid out every method and its pros and cons for the couple, explaining exactly how to pressure and guilt-trip Shen Yunzhi into handing over money.

Wang Dezhen approached, but before she could deliver the threatening speech she had spent so long preparing.

Shen Yunzhi spoke first. "Here to demand money?"

The words on the tip of Wang Dezhen's tongue abruptly stuck. "Yes... How could I possibly be here to demand money! I-I raised you for fifteen years, whatever else you might say. Now you're some rich young lady, and you've forgotten how hard I worked back then..."

Shen Yunzhi made a stop gesture, cutting off Wang Dezhen's impassioned speech.

Then she said, "Admit that you've repeatedly come to make trouble for me just to get money, and I'll give you a million right now."

Even Wang Dezhen's flying spit abruptly settled to the ground. "..."

The meddling women who had come up with countless ways to deal with Shen Yunzhi: "..."

Th-that easy?

Shen Yunzhi watched at her leisure as Wang Dezhen and Shen Yonggui exchanged strange looks.

Wang Dezhen still had some sense and kept feeling that Shen Yunzhi couldn't possibly agree so readily.

Before she could stop Shen Yonggui, the million had already gone to his head:

"So what if we are! We raised you all these years, brought you up healthy and pretty, and now you're throwing your weight around in front of us. Are you saying you're not worth a million?"

"You actually believed that bullshit?" Shen Yunzhi said sarcastically. "Don't your pig ears slap your face when you shake your head?"

"..." Shen Yonggui nearly died of anger at that one remark.

With his explosive temper, he raised his hand to teach Shen Yunzhi a lesson.

But if they really started fighting, there would be no chance of getting any money.

The relatives behind him all held Shen Yonggui back.

Some soothed the furious Shen Yonggui, while others began condemning Shen Yunzhi for her outrageous disrespect.

"How can you talk like that, child? They're still your adoptive parents!"

"Back in the day, people around here strangled baby girls as soon as they were born. They worked so hard to raise you, and you don't feel the slightest gratitude?"

"Now you've made something of yourself, you won't acknowledge your poor relatives."

Wang Dezhen played along and began making a scene, sitting down on the ground again and slapping her thighs as she wailed:

"My life is so bitter! I'd have been better off raising a dog! I gave her good food and drink and couldn't bear to make her do any work, and all I raised was an ungrateful wretch!"

Plenty of shrewish village women liked doing this.

When they ran out of options, they started throwing tantrums.

The Shen Fans were nearly beside themselves with anger at the couple.

Couldn't bear to make Shen Yunzhi do any work?

The way Shen Yunzhi had swung that hoe practically fast enough to smoke in the field earlier made it obvious she was an old hand.

Without having done it since childhood, there was no way she could have worked that efficiently.

[Teacher Shen even has calluses on her hands... I caught a glimpse earlier.]

[Good food and drink? Teacher Shen probably only stopped doing chores after leaving this place at fifteen. If those calluses haven't faded in five years, just how much work did she do growing up!]

[There are still haters saying Teacher Shen is unfilial for not giving them money.]

[This couple's true colors are on full display. How can anyone still feel sorry for these bloodsucking parents!]

[So certain people's fave deserves sympathy for getting depression, but our Teacher Shen, who was born a wealthy heiress yet was worked like an animal by these people for fifteen years, doesn't deserve any?]

[Exactly! How long did Jiang Yunli even live in the village before they tormented her into depression? Teacher Shen endured fifteen years of torment!]

The Jiang Fans who had been posing as haters instantly disappeared with guilty consciences.

In the livestream.

The meddling women Shen Yonggui and Wang Dezhen had brought also began pointing fingers at Shen Yunzhi:

"Never mind your parents. Who in this village hasn't helped you? Now that you're rich, you won't even pay to dig a single well for the villagers!"

"When your family was too poor to afford food, didn't the Zhang family often bring you eggs?"

"When Second Granny Wang used to pick up her grandson on her three-wheeler, she often picked you up from school along the way, too. I haven't seen you remembering her kindness!"

These women had only dared say these things after discussing them privately.

They were broadening the scope of their attack, using emotional blackmail.

Hadn't Shen Yunzhi always remembered the villagers' kindness?

They wanted to see how Shen Yunzhi would get out of this after being put on such a high pedestal.