Doted By The Regent King
Chapter 195 What Did We Do Wrong?

Chapter 195: Chapter 195 What Did We Do Wrong?

Madam Zhou brought Old Scholar Zhou into the conversation, and the village chief, feeling slightly uneasy, touched his nose and cleared his throat lightly.

"My father once said, Village Chief, you have always been fair and strict, and he admired you the most. I want to know, Village Chief, what wrong have my daughter and I committed?" Madam Zhou lifted her head, her eyes were determined as she looked at him.

What had they done to be treated this way?

"Have we committed burglary or arson? Why won’t they let us live?" Madam Zhou asked as tears fell.

The village chief choked and became even more uneasy.

"As for Wufu," the village chief began but didn’t know how to continue; he knew the source of this trouble preceded the present.

"It’s also because the child has a fierce temperament and can’t stand others speaking ill of us," Madam Zhou said with a bitter smile, "They say there’s always gossip in front of a widow’s house. For so many years, my daughter and I have lived our lives on edge, we even moved here to avoid trouble and yet, we’re still maligned. Village Chief, do you also believe such idle talk?"

"I know you’ve had a hard time," the village chief said with a sigh.

"If you know it, then why do you still want to drive us away?" Hongyu couldn’t help but speak up, "We’ve done nothing wrong. It’s all just village gossip. Instead of confronting the real troublemakers, why are you trying to force us out?"

"Hongyu, show some respect," Madam Zhou rebuked.

Hongyu, indignant, stood by Wufu’s side.

Wufu didn’t move; she wanted to see how far Madam Zhou could go.

"Village Chief, I just want to ask one thing, what exactly have we done wrong?" Madam Zhou defiantly asked.

The village chief found himself unable to answer.

As the village chief, he naturally knew that over the years, the mother and daughter had lived quietly and law-abidingly. But as the saying goes, ’A widow’s doorstep is fraught with gossip.’ Whether Madam Zhou was truly a widow or not, for years everyone had treated her as one.

Gossip begets gossip, and once it starts, anything could be said.

He also couldn’t resist the villagers’ repeated visits, and that was why he came, but faced with Madam Zhou’s questioning, he inevitably felt guilty.

Wufu walked over with a smile and performed a courtesy, "Village Chief, might I have a word?"

The village chief looked at her – the girl was neither servile nor overbearing, confident and composed, completely unlike her former inferior and gloomy self. Could people really change that much?

Seeing that Wufu had given him an out, he nodded and followed her to the doorway.

"Village Chief, my mother is just a tender-hearted person, and it is not her intention to pressure you. I hope you won’t take it to heart," Wufu said with a smile.

The village chief cleared his throat and said, "I know you’ve had it hard."

"Village Chief, your kindness is appreciated." Wufu smiled again and continued, "Actually, I also know you came here only because of the pressure from the villagers. But my mother is right, what wrong have we committed? Have we committed burglary? My mother has never quarreled with anyone, and as for me, I only fought back after being bullied to the extreme. I believe that if any villager were bullied, they wouldn’t keep quiet like a quail, right?"

Naturally, unless one was truly timid and afraid, anyone with a sense of pride wouldn’t tolerate being bullied.

"You also have a fierce temperament, everyone is just scared," the village chief said.

"Reputation is important. They claim our family does indecent work, but that kind of slander is more than we dare to accept. Even if I would, you, Village Chief, would beat me to death because after all, this is Wozi Village. Would it sound good if such rumors spread? Everyone has daughters, and Wozi Village is only so large," Wufu said with a gentle smile.

The remark caused the village chief’s brow to furrow.