Chapter 233 - 233 Gossip Center
233 Gossip Center
Shen Qiuhua grew accustomed to telling her daughter everything. She mainly talked about when Su Fengchen saved a woman and brought her to Old Madam Su’s house.
Su Binglan raised her eyebrows when she heard that. “She’s awake? Did she say anything?”
Shen Qiuhua was soaking the soybeans when she said, “She didn’t say anything when I asked her some questions because she’s mute. She’s also timid but gorgeous.”
She thought of the woman’s appearance when she went to Old Madam Su’s place that morning. Indeed, she was a little surprised. She didn’t even get a good look at that woman the day before.
Su Binglan smiled slightly. “That’s interesting.”
Shen Qiuhua sighed and said, “Exactly. Your grandparents and uncle are still waiting for her to wake up. Still, the woman is okay, so they’ll let her leave.”
Su Binglan was concerned. “But she can’t say anything, and they can’t just drive the woman away. She has to stay with them for now.”
“I know, but your uncle isn’t married yet. It’s not good for his reputation if that woman stays there,” Shen Qiuhua looked worried as she spoke.
After some thought, she continued, “That woman can stay at our house if she wants to, but she only trusts your uncle and is always on guard against others. It seems she has a problem.”
Su Binglan listened to her mother’s explanation and fell into deep thought. After a while, she said, “I checked her pulse yesterday, so she doesn’t have a problem. If she woke up like that, I could only guess something stimulated her.
“Perhaps the first person she saw was Uncle Fengchen, so that’s why she trusts him. Even if she’s on guard against others, we can only a.s.sume she’s a cautious person. Also, that woman probably has something going on.”
Shen Qiuhua asked, “Is there honestly nothing wrong with her?”
“Don’t worry, Mother. Everything will be okay.” Su Binglan patted her mother’s shoulder.
Although the villagers of Su Teng were warm-hearted and straightforward, they were also wary of outsiders. Since one of their village members had brought an unknown woman into their village, everyone was worried about getting into trouble.
Shen Qiuhua looked at her daughter’s calm and indifferent expression and felt more at ease. It seemed she had nothing to worry about. Otherwise, her daughter would not be so calm.
“Oh, your grandmother wants you to check on that woman to see if you can treat her. The quicker she recovers, the earlier she can return to her home.”
A woman’s reputation was important, especially in that era. Old Madam Su was worried she would cause problems if the woman stayed in her house for too long.
“There’s a random woman in their house, and it’s not something we can hide from the villagers. Your grandmother said we should tell others that the woman is her distant relative who came to seek refuge to prevent the villagers from gossiping.”
Su Binglan nodded. “I understand. I’ll go and check on her immediately.”
However, Shen Qiuhua was worried her daughter would be exhausted. “B-But you just came home. Don’t you need to rest?”
Su Binglan shook her head, saying, “I’m okay. I slept pretty well last night, so I’m not tired.”
She untied her horse and rode it to her grandparents’ place as she spoke. It had just rained, and no one went to work on the fields. Since the villagers had nothing to do, they gathered in groups of twos and threes to chat.
Everyone was enthusiastic when they saw Su Binglan. “Binglan, are you going to your grandma’s place?”
“Yes, I’m going to check on them,” she answered very naturally.
Someone said curiously, “A gorgeous woman went to your grandma’s house, Binglan. I just came from there. She was by Fengchen’s side when I saw him feeding the chickens and ducks.”
“Oh, yeah. Who is that woman, Binglan?” Everyone looked at Su Binglan, their eyes burning with a need for gossip.
Su Binglan could not help but chuckle. She thought the villagers were fascinating. Since there were no entertainment programs during that era, everyone enjoyed listening to gossip. The villagers even knew who was who at all times.
Still, Su Binglan did not get impatient. On the contrary, she found it fascinating. She explained, “That woman is my grandmother’s distant relative. Something happened at her home, so she came seeking shelter.
“Aunt Li, you saw her with Uncle Fengchen, right? She must be helping him feed the ducks and chickens since he’s too busy raising them these days. It’s good that a relative came over to help.”
Su Binglan’s words were graceful, and her expression was calm. The villagers could not get any more information from her even if they wanted to. They thought that perhaps they were overthinking the situation.
“So, that woman is a distant relative, after all.”
“Still, she’s gorgeous.”
Su Binglan said smilingly, “My grandfather told me how beautiful my grandma was when she was younger. Naturally, my grandmother’s relatives are also beautiful.”
Everyone thought that way, and it was indeed true. Old Madam Su was gorgeous when she was young, as some village elders had an excellent impression of her. Hence, no one doubted Su Binglan’s words.
Su Binglan walked and talked to everyone, soon arriving at her grandparents’ house. Only Old Master Su and Old Madam Su were home at that moment.
As soon as she entered the house, she could smell a unique fragrance. If Su Binglan guessed correctly, it smelled of grilled chicken and roast duck. Indeed, they smelled fragrant, as she could even smell them at the door.
Old Madam Su was drying chicken and duck feathers in the yard because she had washed them the day before. She had previously hung them to dry, but it started raining, so she took them in.
Since the weather had cleared, Old Madam Su took the feathers out again and dried them in the yard.
“h.e.l.lo there, Grandma!”
Old Madam Su heard her granddaughter’s voice, raised her head, and saw Su Binglan. She instantly revealed a loving expression on her face.
She asked with concern, “Binglan, you’re here. Your mother told me that you went to your sister-in-law’s place. Is everything okay?”
Su Binglan said, “Yinyin’s brother is fine, Grandma. Oh, I heard that the woman Uncle Fengchen brought home has regained consciousness.”
Old Madam Su stood up straight and sighed. “Indeed, she has, but she can’t speak. It seems like she can’t remember much, either. What should we do now?”
Previously, Old Madam Su was distraught and wanted to look for Su Binglan, but she was not home. Then Shen Qiuhua followed Old Madam Su home to check on the woman.
Su Binglan gently advised, “Don’t worry, grandma. I checked her pulse when Uncle Fengchen brought her here and found no issues. It’s not that she can’t talk.
“The woman must be in shock, so she did not speak when she regained consciousness. Besides, being in an unfamiliar environment is scary. She should be able to remember what happened soon.”
Old Madam Su heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that. “Thank goodness. That’s good to hear.”
With that, she lowered her voice and said, “Your uncle was afraid something might happen to the woman last night, so he stayed up and watched over her. The woman only trusts Fengchen because he was the first person she saw when she regained consciousness.”
Su Binglan inwardly sighed as trust was a precious thing. She knew her uncle possessed a gentle and scholarly air about him. Su Fengchen’s expression was always gentle, making others feel close to him.
Su Binglan talked with Old Madam Su when Su Fengchen returned with a basket and the woman. The woman was still tugging at Su Fengchen’s sleeve.