"Wenwen, you weren't like this before!" Su Xiaoxiao cried loudly, as if Fu Wenwen had done something to her. Su Xiaoxiao's cries immediately drew attention from others.
"What's going on? Wenwen, don't always bully Xiaoxiao. Why do you always make Xiaoxiao cry!" Liu Zihua stood up from the field. Seeing Su Xiaoxiao crying, he instinctively thought Fu Wenwen was being willful and unreasonable again.
"If stealing my money is considered bullying her, then I am bullying her. Should I not bully her?" Su Xiaoxiao thought Fu Wenwen would de-escalate the situation, but Fu Wenwen directly yelled back. The topic of money instantly made everyone stop their work and look over.
"Lin family's daughter-in-law, did she steal your money?" a woman asked curiously.
"Big sister, she lied to my parents, saying I was sick and needed a lot of money. As a result, my parents sent ten yuan over. She secretly took my money and spent it. If I hadn't seen my parents' letter today, I wouldn't have known she did such a thing. Do you think she's a thief?" Fu Wenwen explained to the woman, showing no regard for Su Xiaoxiao's reputation and directly tearing apart her disguise.
"Oh my! Ten yuan! That's quite a lot!" The woman beside her was startled. Ten yuan was half a month's full work points for them.
This was indeed stealing money.
"Fu Wenwen, you're talking nonsense! How could Su Xiaoxiao do such a thing!" Liu Zihua glared at Fu Wenwen, defending Su Xiaoxiao.
"Liu Zihua, speaking of her taking my money, you benefited from it too! She bought you gifts with my money. Otherwise, given her circumstances, how could she have the money to buy you such an expensive notebook and pen," Fu Wenwen sneered, pointing at Liu Zihua.
"Wenwen, don't be like this. I didn't do it on purpose. I just needed some funds temporarily. I'll return it to you!" Su Xiaoxiao said with red eyes, crying profusely.
"Is that so? Can a simple 'I didn't do it on purpose' excuse you from taking my money without my permission? If I had wanted to check if my parents had sent me a letter today, I might not have known about this, would I? This isn't the first time you've done this. Did you tell me? The previous ten yuan, and the five yuan before that, what else have you hidden from me?" Fu Wenwen said loudly. She wanted to tear off all of Su Xiaoxiao's pretenses and let everyone see what kind of person she truly was.
"Could there be some misunderstanding here?" a woman chimed in.
"Big sister, if you don't believe me, ask someone who can read to come over. I can read my letter to everyone publicly!" Fu Wenwen said earnestly. Hearing Fu Wenwen say this, everyone felt that Fu Wenwen was likely telling the truth, and their gaze towards Su Xiaoxiao changed.
Especially those households Su Xiaoxiao had visited before, they couldn't help but frown, recalling if anything was missing from their homes when Su Xiaoxiao visited.
Such a person with sticky fingers shouldn't be allowed to stay in the village.
Seeing the surrounding people pointing and whispering, Su Xiaoxiao's heart sank. If she were convicted today, how would she be able to stay in the village in the future?
"Wenwen, it's not like that. Your condition hasn't been right lately. I wrote a letter to your aunt and uncle, but it was for your own good. Don't be angry, I will return the money to you." Su Xiaoxiao cried.
Hearing Su Xiaoxiao's words, Liu Zihua's impression of Fu Wenwen worsened.
He felt that Fu Wenwen was making a mountain out of a molehill and deliberately bullying Su Xiaoxiao, making her look bad.
"Fu Wenwen, don't push it too far. Xiaoxiao already said she'll pay it back. You're still being so aggressive. Are you going to keep this up?" Liu Zihua said with a dark face, glaring at Fu Wenwen.
Fu Wenwen rolled her eyes at Liu Zihua, unable to bear looking at this idiot.
"If you don't consider taking things without permission as stealing, then what do you consider stealing? What 'inner circumstances'? Who told me? How come I don't know I was sick, yet you used my supposed illness as an excuse to ask my father for money? Even if you didn't tell me, you claimed it was a loan? Who borrowed it from you? Where's the IOU? Did I sign it?" Fu Wenwen ignored Liu Zihua and faced Su Xiaoxiao directly.
Su Xiaoxiao hadn't expected Fu Wenwen to be so unreasonable, not even giving her an out.
"Wenwen, I'll return it to you. I'll return it to you right now! Don't be angry." Although it pained her, Su Xiaoxiao found all the money she had on her. It added up to only three yuan and ninety cents.
"I... I will return it to you." Su Xiaoxiao, holding her meager three yuan and ninety cents, carefully tidied it and presented it to Fu Wenwen.
Seeing Liu Zihua glaring at her, Fu Wenwen stopped Su Xiaoxiao. "Su Xiaoxiao, I'll lend you the rest of the money. It's only fifteen yuan!"
Saying that, she took out a "Da Tuan Jie" from her pocket and handed it to Su Xiaoxiao. Then she took out another two yuan. Adding Su Xiaoxiao's three yuan, it made exactly fifteen.
"You're lucky. You have a man willing to lend you money. I'll make my stance clear here today. Su Xiaoxiao, we're done! Don't come looking for me again. I don't want to be your sister anymore. You've scared me. Also, return everything you took from me! Not a single item can be missing." Fu Wenwen said loudly to the pale Su Xiaoxiao.
"Wenwen, I can explain..." Su Xiaoxiao didn't expect Fu Wenwen to suddenly change so much. She wasn't the Fu Wenwen who used to cater to her every whim.
Before, no matter what she said, Fu Wenwen would believe her, and wouldn't make her look bad in public like this.
"There's nothing to explain. Take care of yourself from now on!" Fu Wenwen had no mood to listen to her explanation. She was already contemplating what delicious food to buy with the money. She and the little one needed to replenish their strength.
"Fu Wenwen, you can't leave." Su Xiaoxiao was so anxious she started crying. Liu Zihua couldn't stand it and immediately rushed in front of Fu Wenwen, blocking her.
"Liu Zihua, what are you doing blocking me?" Fu Wenwen pulled the little one back two steps to keep her distance from him. "Do you want to act like a hooligan in broad daylight?"
"Fu Wenwen!" Liu Zihua gritted his teeth.
"You think I don't have proof? That it's just against her?" Fu Wenwen took out the letter from her parents and waved it in front of Liu Zihua. Just as Liu Zihua was about to take it, Su Xiaoxiao's face changed drastically. She pulled Liu Zihua, stopping him from taking the letter from Fu Wenwen.
Liu Zihua glanced at Su Xiaoxiao. Seeing her teary-eyed, looking pitiful, soft, and helpless, a man's protective instinct surged within him.
"Lin family's daughter-in-law, looking at them being so intimate, are they dating?" The woman next to Fu Wenwen gently tugged Fu Wenwen's clothes and whispered.
"Who knows? From the looks of it, if I said they weren't dating, would you believe me?" Fu Wenwen winked mischievously. "Anyway, I don't believe it."