Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Reversal Upon Reversal
Two versions of the rumor battled for dominance in Dafeng Village.
At first, each had its supporters and they were neck and neck, but slowly, the second version gained the upper hand.
But some people weren’t convinced.
"What’s so special about Ji Huan? If Song Jing really liked her, wouldn’t she just throw herself at him? It’s ridiculous to think she’d refuse! I still think she was the one who seduced Song Jing."
Most of the people saying this were girls of the same age as Ji Huan.
Who in Dafeng Village didn’t want to marry Song Jing? Several families with daughters of marriageable age had fought openly and schemed secretly for the chance.
But ever since Mrs. Meng had made her stance clear, everyone had given up hope and acted as if nothing had ever happened.
Since no one had a chance, there was no reason for jealousy or envy.
But now, out of the blue, Song Jing—a man completely out of their league—was suddenly entangled with Ji Huan. Who could possibly feel good about that?
And so, former rivals stood together, united against a common enemy, convinced that the shameless Ji Huan had seduced Song Jing.
They had been cursing her out for days and still hadn’t vented their anger when suddenly, there was a major reversal: The Scholar had unrequited feelings for Ji Huan, but Ji Huan wasn’t interested in the Scholar?
Then what did that make them, who couldn’t even dream of touching the hem of the Scholar’s robes?
The disparity was too great. It couldn’t possibly be true!
"Why couldn’t it be true? Think about it. If Ji Huan had really seduced Song Jing, would Mrs. Meng have let her off so easily? Anyone who knows her knows she’s not the soft type. Trying to kill herself just because someone wronged her is absolutely not something she would do! There can only be one truth—her son was the one who fell in love, and she had no other way to stop him, so she tried to hang herself!"
This was the explanation that most people agreed with.
"And look at Ji Huan. She’s going about her business without even a frown. What do you call that? A clear conscience. She hasn’t done anything wrong, so of course she’s not afraid."
"That’s true. If it were me, I’d probably be too scared to leave my house for a year..."
"Oh, give me a break! You’re a middle-aged woman, practically a grandmother. Why would the Scholar ever be interested in you?"
"Well, if I’d been born ten or twenty years earlier, who knows..."
Everyone tittered and laughed together.
"Speaking of which, Ji Huan isn’t even interested in the Scholar. Her standards are pretty high, huh?"
"It’s not necessarily that her standards are high. Maybe she’s just clear-headed and knows they’re not from the same world..."
"Then she really has had the worst luck, being cursed out for all these days for no reason."
One young girl, though she now believed Song Jing was the one who initiated things, still felt indignant. She muttered, "It’s not like she was cursed for nothing. Why don’t we see Song Jing liking anyone else? He only likes her. At the end of the day, isn’t it because she doesn’t follow the rules?"
"By your logic, if you get robbed on the street, you can’t blame the robber, only your own bad luck? Didn’t you hear that Song Jing said Ji Huan sternly rejected him and even scolded him for being frivolous and disrespectful? She’s already done that, so how else is she supposed to ’follow the rules’? You can control what people do, but you can’t control what’s in their hearts! If you’re so capable, why don’t you make Song Jing stop liking Ji Huan and like you instead!"
The young girl was thin-skinned, after all. Her face flushed red, and she stomped her foot before running off.
Those who remained didn’t dare say any more sour words.
In truth, those who spoke up for Ji Huan weren’t necessarily motivated by a sense of justice. Many of them simply didn’t get along with Mrs. Meng.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say. They were naturally happy to say a few words in Ji Huan’s defense, taking the opportunity to trample on Mrs. Meng and her son in the process.
Serves her right for being so high and mighty! For ignoring everyone! Who was she to look down on people when she couldn’t even control her own son?
Previously, Song Jing had been so outstanding in every way that people couldn’t find anything to gossip about. But now that this slip-up had occurred, the focus of public opinion instantly shifted from Ji Huan to him.
Song Jing, who had just been placed on a pedestal by the masses, was dragged right back down. Anyone who mentioned him had to make a joke or two.
"So the Scholar isn’t so amazing after all. He offers to carry her shoes, and she won’t even give him a second glance. Tsk tsk, how pitiful."
"And I thought he was so capable! Turns out he’s got less game than me. Back in the day, my wife fell for me at first sight!"
"I never would have guessed. Scholars have such wandering eyes..."
"Ah! You can’t say that. He’s at that age. It’s perfectly normal to be stirred by feelings of love..."
"It’s just a shame his heart was stirred at the wrong time—right as winter is setting in..."
"HAHA! Good point, good point..."
People admire a flawless jade, but they take even more pleasure in seeing that white jade stained with a blemish.
At least it proved that the person they thought was so high and mighty was, in fact, no different from ordinary folk like them.
Besides, the Scholar wasn’t really a resident of Dafeng Village anymore, so what was there to worry about?
And so, the embarrassing tale of Song Jing’s rejection spread far and wide, while Ji Huan, the original focus of the drama, faded completely into the background.
When people mentioned her, it was mostly with a mix of sympathy and curiosity.
Who wouldn’t be curious about the person who had captured the Scholar’s affection, only to reject him?
Everyone wanted to see Ji Huan, to chat with her and find out just why she wasn’t interested in the Scholar.
But Ji Huan, contrary to her usual behavior, kept her doors shut tight and no longer ventured into the village.
The siblings from the eldest branch didn’t know the inside story. They worried for several days, unsure how to comfort Ji Huan. Later, when they saw her acting as if nothing was wrong, they too came to believe the second version of the rumor.
On this day, after work, the siblings from the eldest branch left first, while Widow Xie stayed behind.
It was precisely because she knew the truth that she was now even more confused.
"Wuan, which story is actually true? What did Song Jing say...?"
"Aunt Xie, Song Jing is lying."
Even Ji Huan herself hadn’t expected that the filth slung at her would be washed away so easily, that her name would be cleared just like that...
According to her earlier estimates, it should have taken two or three months, or even half a year to a year, for things to calm down.
"But weren’t you two mutual... Why would he lie?"
"Aunt Xie, let me ask you, ever since Song Jing’s words spread back to the village, has anyone still been chasing after me and cursing my name?"
If anyone else had said it, it would have been useless—people would just assume Ji Huan was desperately trying to save face.
But since the words came from Song Jing’s own mouth, people had no choice but to believe them.
After all, for a distinguished Scholar to like a girl and be rejected was not something to be proud of. He would have been trying to hide it, not broadcasting it himself.
Widow Xie finally understood. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
"You refused to push the blame onto him, and what does he do? He goes and snatches it to dump on himself."
Originally, Widow Xie had been a little resentful toward Song Jing.
He had no sense of manly responsibility. He’d already confessed his feelings to Wuan, so what was this about abandoning her halfway through?
But Ji Huan said that if he were to disregard his mother’s life or death just to be with her, then he wouldn’t be the Song Jing she knew.
"Sigh, Song Jing is a good man. It’s a shame about you two... It wasn’t fated."
’Was it not fated?’ Ji Huan didn’t think so.
’To cross the river in the same boat as you, that is fate.’
’To reach the shore and go our separate ways, that too is fate.’
’Life’s road is long. To have been fortunate enough to walk a part of it with you, but not fated to hold your hand for a hundred years... No one has wronged anyone. It is all a matter of fate.’
’Fate can be complete, and fate can be incomplete, but she did not regret knowing Song Jing.’
’It was just... a little regrettable, that’s all.’
Seeing Ji Huan remain silent, Widow Xie thought she was worried about Song Jing.
"Don’t you worry about him. Idle gossip can be fatal to a woman, but for a man, it’s like a little scratch. At worst, he’ll get a reputation for being a romantic, and people will laugh about it for a while before it passes."
Things went just as Widow Xie had said. The rumors about Song Jing died down within two days.
The villagers weren’t stupid. It was one thing to join in the fun and poke a little fun, but no one wanted to truly offend the Scholar. Even though Song Jing had moved away, his uncle, the village chief, was still around.
Moreover, something new had happened in Dafeng Village, and everyone’s attention shifted elsewhere.
What was it?
That has-been child student from the Ji Family—Ji Liantang—was getting married!
And not long after the news of Ji Liantang’s impending marriage broke, something even bigger happened.