Sheng Ning remembered the incident; she had done such a dreadful thing. At the time, Qin Cuifen was also washing her clothes and was rambling on, saying many untruthful things about other people. Sheng Ning believed her and took her anger out on the clothing.

 “I’m sorry, Mom!”

 “It’s fine. You were still young then and didn’t know any better.”

 Sheng Third stood outside, carrying the farming tools in his hand, and called out impatiently, “Hurry up! If we dawdle any longer, it’ll be noon soon!”

 “Coming!” Shen Luhua said.

 The family soon left for work. Sheng Ning tidied the house a little and then divided the dirty clothes into separate batches. With her washboard, laundry powder, and plastic basin, she headed to the river right outside the village.

 She wasn’t a stranger to the chore of washing clothes. In prison, new inmates were bullied, and she was made to do the laundry for everyone she shared a room with. She had to do the laundry for a full year until someone new took her place.

 As she walked in the village, everyone stared at her with strange expressions on their faces, and a few even whispered among themselves.

 Sheng Ning gathered that the others heard what she did the other day and were now talking badly about her behind her back! She merely pretended she didn’t notice and continued on her way to the river, where she quickly finished the laundry.

 Just as Sheng Ning was about to leave, Mrs. Qin came ambling over with a basin of clothes at her hip. She noticed her from afar and called over, “Well, well! If it isn’t the murderer from the Sheng family! You’re allowed to roam free? You sure are bold.” When Sheng Ning entered the city, Mrs. Qin didn’t dare to go directly against her, but now that Sheng Ning had offended the village head’s family, life for the Sheng family in the village was going to go downhill.

 She had long resented Sheng Ning’s beauty—they were the foxy looks of a sl*t to her—and she couldn’t wait to kick her while she was down.

 At the mention of the word “murderer,” Sheng Ning’s temper flared. Memories of everything she experienced while in prison flashed before her eyes. She had calmed herself down with much effort, but now her hatred surged forward again.

 Unyielding, she glared at Mrs. Qin.

 “Wh… Why are you looking at me?” she stammered. “You had the guts to murder someone, but yet you take offense when someone mentions it? Or do you like hearing people call you a vixen?”

 “You saw me murder someone?” she asked. “Who did I murder?”

 “Didn’t you try to murder the village head when you rammed that bench into him? If he didn’t have such good luck, he would’ve died.” Mrs. Qin’s words were harsh and glib. She raised her voice and directed her words toward all the other women laundering their clothes by the river. “Tell me, everyone! Am I wrong, or wasn’t she trying to kill the village head?”

 “I saw it with my own eyes. That blow of hers was definitely vicious.”

 “Exactly! The village head was bleeding heavily from the head when he fell to the ground. I hear he’s still bedridden!”

 The people around them all merrily agreed with each other and gloated as they looked at Sheng Ning.

 “So you’re that vixen who tried to kill my brother,” an angry voice rang out from within the crowd. A woman in her twenties rushed up to Sheng Ning and raised her hand to slap her across the face.

 Naturally, Sheng Ning wasn’t going to allow that. She caught hold of the woman’s hand and flung it away from her.

 “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked. “You’re going to hit me?” Sheng Ning wasn’t made of straw. After all the suffering she went through, one thing she managed to pick up was how to fight like a she-devil and defend herself.

 “I’m avenging my brother.” The woman had slits for eyes and thin lips.

 Sheng Ning recognized her. She was the village head’s sister, and her name was Ding Laidi. She’d been an arrogant and domineering girl ever since she was young, and was the other woman in the village no man wanted to marry.

 “Your brother deserved it,” Sheng Ning said coldly. If she were smart, she would’ve hit the village head a few more times last night.