Qiu Mei Harbors Resentment

One after another, the women spoke up, shifting all the blame onto Qiu Mei, before dusting off their clothes and heading down the mountain as if nothing had happened. Only Qiu Mei was left standing alone, her face pale.

She couldn't understand how things had turned out this way.

Qiu Mei stood dazed in place for a long time, her eyes filled with confusion. She didn't know how she would face the Gu family and the villagers anymore.

But very quickly, that confusion transformed into hatred. It was all because that bitch Du Yueyao had deliberately set a trap for her, making her lose face in front of those women. If Du Yueyao had made it clear earlier that she was going up the mountain to work for the country, she absolutely would not have dragged people up to catch her in an affair.

Qiu Mei's thoughts ran wild, and all the chaotic emotions in her heart turned into pure hatred for Du Yueyao.

...

On the other side.

Upon discovering that Du Yueyao had separated from the group, everyone immediately scattered to search for her.

"Second Brother of the Gu family, you are quite bold, leaving your wife alone on the mountain," the Village Secretary teased.

Gu Si watched the backs of the people dispersing to search, frowning slightly. Clearly, Du Yueyao had an important matter to handle on her own. Originally, he had planned to help her buy some time, but his eldest brother had discovered her absence too quickly.

"Du Yueyao is here," Gu Hui's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

"Comrade Xiao Du, where did you go?" someone in the crowd asked curiously.

"I dropped something on the way earlier. Not wanting to delay everyone, I went back to look for it myself."

"It's good that you found it." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued down the mountain.

Gu Hui leaned in and whispered in Du Yueyao's ear, "Thank you."

Thanking her for not exposing Qiu Mei's actions in front of everyone.

Du Yueyao shook her head slightly. She was no saint; she simply didn't want to make things difficult for the eldest brother of the Gu family, who had always stood up for her. The matter of the spy was highly sensitive, and without permission from the higher-ups, no one was allowed to disclose it.

After descending the mountain, everyone headed back to their respective homes.

In front of Gu Si's yard, Gu Feiyu was sitting with the two children.

"Uncle Gu, where is our father?" Gu Yingming asked.

"Your father has some business, so he'll be back a bit late. He asked me to watch over you two."

Facing the dark, bright eyes of the two children, Gu Feiyu could only tell a well-intentioned lie to hide Du Yueyao's situation. He hadn't expected the children to be so sensitive.

Gu Yingming immediately blurted out, "Is it that woman doing something bad again?"

Gu Feiyu froze for a few seconds before realizing that "that woman" in the boy's mouth referred to Du Yueyao. And what the boy said was indeed the truth, which left him temporarily at a loss for how to refute it.

Thinking back to the afternoon, Du Yueyao had brought the two children to deliver food to Gu Si—a scene that was truly rare. The two kids had been so carefree and radiant. But as it turned out, Du Yueyao's gentleness that day was merely to make everyone let their guard down, making it easier for her to run away.

Gu Feiyu couldn't bear to speak such a cruel truth. His silence made the children realize that their suspicions were correct.

Gu Yinghan's face fell. He had known all along that the past few days were just a brief dream. Now, the dream had shattered.

Gu Yingming, seeing his brother in a daze, immediately comforted him, "Don't worry, brother. I will find you a new mother who is ten thousand times better than that woman!"

"Xiao Ming, don't talk nonsense," Gu Feiyu scolded in a stern voice.

Being scolded, Gu Yingming immediately pouted.

Gu Feiyu patted Gu Yinghan's head and comforted him, "Xiao Han, don't worry. Your parents just have some matters to attend to; they will be back soon."

Gu Yinghan nodded vigorously.

Just then, the sound of the gate creaking open rang out, and everyone immediately looked toward the entrance. Gu Yinghan's eyes were filled with hope.

But the person who walked in was not his parents. Instead, it was Li Feifei. She walked in as naturally as if it were her own home, her voice gentle, wearing what she believed to be her friendliest smile.

The two boys showed clear expressions of disappointment.

Gu Feiyu suppressed his annoyance, but facing an outsider, he still managed a polite smile. "Miss Li, what brings you here?"

Li Feifei completely failed to notice the unusual atmosphere. She bent down to comfort the two little ones, "Your parents probably won't be back right away, so I came to see if you need any help here."