Mama Wang had been in a terrible mood ever since hearing the rumors about her son the day before. She had not even gone to the market for groceries that morning. Papa Wang was worried she would make herself ill from anger and stayed home to keep her company. Once Wang Cheng explained everything, her smile finally returned, and she happily pulled Papa Wang out to buy groceries.
Wang Cheng sighed helplessly. This was how they reacted to nothing more than a rumor. If they ever learned he really was with a man, who knew how furious they would become? The more Wang Cheng thought about it, the darker his future with Chu Yifeng seemed.
The miniature pig, finished with its meal, rooted around his feet. It was clearly a miniature pig rather than a wild boar, yet it constantly liked pushing things with its head. Wang Cheng picked it up and looked directly into its piggy face. “You have the best life. Every day all you do is eat and sleep. No worries at all.” The pig grunted as though disagreeing, almost as if saying, I have worries too.
“What worries could you possibly have?” Wang Cheng tugged one of its ears. “No one in this house skimps on your food. A pig living as well as you should know how lucky it is. At least no one’s planning to slaughter and eat you.”
The miniature pig twisted its head away.
When Mama Wang and Papa Wang went to the market, quite a few villagers had already heard the gossip about their son. Some jokingly asked whether it was true. Mama Wang had been holding in a bellyful of anger, so she immediately denounced Wang Ningkai and his girlfriend right in front of one such person. The listener finished hearing the story and promptly went off to tell everyone else.
In truth, the villagers had found the rumor strange too. Wang Cheng hardly looked poor. His family employed dozens of people, and everyone had heard their jam business was doing very well. If a man in his circumstances still needed someone to support him, then more than ninety percent of the men in Guanjia Village would need to find a patron just to survive.
“Have you heard? Wang Ningkai went to the shopping center with his girlfriend to buy shoes, and the sales staff kicked them out.”
“I heard. That family really is no good. Imagine targeting your own relatives like that. They couldn’t afford the shoes themselves, so they accused Wang Cheng of being kept by a man. Does he think his is the only wealthy family in Guanjia Village? What a snob.”
“Exactly. Who needs relatives like that?” A group of aunties stood together loudly discussing Eldest Uncle’s family, never noticing the two women behind them. They were Madam Li and Madam Zhang. Madam Li’s face was livid. Only when one of the women noticed them and quickly signaled the others did the group realize they had been overheard. Gossiping behind someone’s back was one thing; being caught by the person involved was another, so everyone quickly dispersed.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, ignore them. They’re all just jealous because your family has money.” Madam Zhang pretended to comfort Madam Li, while the schadenfreude in her eyes was barely concealed. This time, Madam Li had nearly used her as a weapon. Fortunately, she was clever enough not to fall for it completely.
After learning from Wang Ningkai’s girlfriend that Wang Cheng was supposedly being kept by a man, Madam Li had very much wanted to spread the story. But after considering the risks, she chose to tell Madam Zhang instead. She knew Madam Zhang had grievances with Wang Cheng and hoped to use her to circulate the rumor.
Madam Zhang was not stupid. She more or less guessed Madam Li’s intentions. Still, she genuinely resented Wang Cheng for refusing to let her son work at the jam shop, only to hire Guan Jiahe and Guan Ying afterward. It made her feel as though he were deliberately targeting her family. So she sought out a village woman known for both loose lips and a love of gossip, casually repeated what Madam Li had told her, and let the woman do the rest. The gossip immediately spread, always tracing back to Madam Li.
Madam Li never guessed this layer of the scheme. After hearing Madam Zhang’s words, she hated Wang Cheng’s family even more. Ever since they moved to the same place, nothing had gone well for her household.
Wang Ningkai only learned about the matter when his girlfriend told him afterward.
Once Madam Li saw the rumor spreading through Guanjia Village and everyone discussing Wang Cheng, she called her future daughter-in-law. The girlfriend thought the plan had succeeded. Wang Ningkai initially acted disapproving, but once she told him Wang Cheng’s reputation in the village had already been ruined, he merely frowned and told her that if she made decisions like this again, she had to discuss them with him first. He never actually criticized her for doing it. In the end, the two were birds of a feather.
Their satisfaction did not last long. Madam Li called again shortly afterward, criticizing the girlfriend for making things up and dragging her son into it. She still did not dare scold her too harshly because the girlfriend’s family was currently somewhat wealthier than theirs. Then she explained how Wang Cheng had returned to Guanjia Village and completely reversed the situation. Now Wang Ningkai was the one whose reputation had soured. People were saying his company was not doing as well as before, and some even claimed it was close to bankruptcy. Wang Ningkai’s face immediately darkened.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Xiaoyan, Wang Ningkai’s girlfriend, asked when she saw his expression. Wang Ningkai tightened his grip on the phone so hard he nearly dropped it. “What else? Your brilliant idea. Now everyone in Guanjia Village is saying I’m useless and my company’s about to go bankrupt. That so-called plan of yours didn’t hurt him at all.”
“I thought it was something serious. If it didn’t work, it didn’t work. Let them say whatever they want. They’re just jealous of you anyway. You hardly ever go back to Guanjia Village, so you don’t even hear it. Why care?”
They aren’t talking about you, of course you don’t care. Wang Ningkai’s expression twisted slightly, but he still could not bring himself to say anything harsher. His company really had run into trouble. He had been too high-profile while pursuing Lisa, and after they broke up, his company encountered obstacles obtaining supplies. It failed to complete projects on schedule and lost several clients. Wang Xiaoyan’s appearance had happened to solve the company’s immediate crisis, so he did not dare offend her now. He might not return to Guanjia Village often, but he still had to go back eventually. Wang Xiaoyan genuinely liked him. Even after learning about his previous pursuit of the wealthy Lisa, she had never considered breaking up. So when Wang Ningkai suggested taking her to Guanjia Village to meet his parents, she readily agreed. After informing Madam Li, the two returned to the village the following day.
Several days passed, and the rumors gradually faded. Wang Cheng could go out without strangers pointing at him. During this period, he only spoke to Chu Yifeng by phone and did not meet him in person. He felt guilty enough that he did not dare interact with the man too openly. Then one morning, Wang Cheng suddenly received a call from Chu Yifeng saying he was coming over. Before Wang Cheng could ask why, he hung up.
“What’s he doing, showing up so suddenly?” Wang Cheng put away his phone and tried to make himself look natural before heading into the backyard.
Mama Wang had not gone to the small workshop today. She had more free time now and had cleared a patch of soil in the backyard to grow vegetables. In the past, the family had grown most of their own vegetables. At first it was because money had been tight. Later, with concerns about vegetables raised using too many pesticides, homegrown produce simply felt safer. Wang Cheng had loosened the soil for her the previous night.
“Mom, need any help?”
Wang Cheng called to Mama Wang, who was watering the plot.
“No, I’m almost finished.” Mama Wang did not turn around. When she finished watering and finally faced him, she found her son still standing there. “Why are you still here?”
Wang Cheng took the bucket from her. “There’s something I need to tell you. My friend, Boss Chu, just called and said he’s coming over. Sounds like he has something to do. Mom, make enough lunch for one extra person.”
“Mr. Chu? He didn’t say what it was about?”
Wang Cheng watched Mama Wang’s expression. Seeing nothing unusual, he relaxed. “No. But Fengxia Mountain is his project, so it isn’t strange for him to come by. Besides, we’re friends now. The boss-and-employee thing is in the past. I know you told me not to get too involved with rich people, but I think Boss Chu is decent. Having a connection with someone like him means if we ever need help later, we can ask him. Don’t you think?”
“You.” Mama Wang tapped him on the head in exasperation. “Friendship is supposed to be sincere. Are you telling me you became friends with him just so he could help you later? What would Mr. Chu think if he knew?”
“Mom, don’t worry. I definitely won’t tell him.” Wang Cheng switched the bucket to his other hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in reassurance.
Mama Wang did not know what to do with him.
And so, thanks to Wang Cheng joking around and steering the conversation, Mama Wang never thought in that direction.
Papa Wang was disappointed when he heard Chu Yifeng was coming. Guan Jiahe was out making deliveries, leaving only him and Guan Ying at the shop. Guan Ying was still unfamiliar with some things, so Papa Wang had to stay there. Since bringing lunch back and forth had also become troublesome, they now cooked their midday meal in the little kitchen behind the shop, with Guan Ying responsible for cooking.
Guan Ying was very capable with housework. Her cooking could not compare with Mama Wang’s or Wang Cheng’s, but it was still good. Ever since she finished middle school, she had often been the one preparing the family’s three daily meals.