Lu Zhengan packed up his things, took a snack from the house and went down the mountain.

CHAPTER XIV

Because the summer harvest is not far away, most of the people in the village are already busy preparing for the upcoming summer harvest. So when Lu Zhengan entered the village with a snack, only under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, a few elderly people were chatting.

Although Lu Zheng'an is not low, he can see the group of old men and old ladies in front of him, and he still has to stop and say hello.

However, what Lu Zhengan didn't expect was that the old people who smiled when they saw him on weekdays had a faint expression this time, and even a few of the old men glanced at Lu Zhengan with disdain in their eyes.

Seeing everyone's expressions like this, although Lu Zhengan was puzzled, he didn't have time to delve into it. After saying hello to everyone, Lu Zhengan wanted to raise his feet and leave.

At this moment, the old man, who was leaning on the locust tree and was playing the big dragon with people, suddenly stopped him.

"Zheng'an, what are you busy with these days? I don't see you come to the village to talk. ”

The old man who spoke was Lu Zhengan's own family, Lu Ming, the fourth in the clan. Although he is not young, he is the same generation as Lu Zhengan's father.

However, this old man was the last village chief of Lujia Village, who was strict, fair and just, and had a lot of prestige in the village. Whenever there is a dispute in the village, and if there is a dispute, most of them will ask this old man to help administer justice.

Because of the early death of his parents, Lu Zhengan was raised by Mr. Lu since he was a child. Lu Ming pities him for having no parents at a young age, and has always favored him a little more than ordinary children and nephews. Although it is not so cold and warm every time we meet, it is the first time that the tone is so cold.

"A few days ago, I bought some chickens and ducks from the town, and I was thinking about making a chicken pen again at home. No, there is not enough hemp rope at home, so I went to Uncle Changgen's house to borrow a bundle to use first. ”

Lu Ming glanced up at Lu Zhengan, and the movements of chess in his hands kept stopping, but the words he said made Lu Zhengan feel confused.

"Zheng'an, you kid is honest and responsible, not a person who competes with others. But there may be some wind that blows you, so sometimes you have to pay attention to your actions and don't let people poke your backbone in the back. ”

As soon as the fourth uncle Lu Ming's words came out, Lu Zhengan thought that he and Li Erwang went down the mountain to sell fish, and the old man overheard it. was worried that the sister-in-law of Li Erwang's family would make trouble for herself, so she thought of mentioning herself a few words.

Seeing Lu Zheng'an nodding, Lu Ming spoke again: "You are also twenty years old this year, and you have participated in the Mid-Spring Festival once." Can there be a phase? You're not young, and it's time to start a family. ”

Hearing this, how could Lu Zhengan continue to be silent: "Fourth uncle, this matter is not in a hurry......

Hearing Lu Zhengan's words, Lu Ming immediately put down the pebble in his hand, and the corners of his mouth full of wrinkles were tense and displeased.

"How can you not be in a hurry! Do you have to wait for someone to chew your tongue behind your back? ”

After Lu Ming's words fell, the people around him looked at the uncle and nephew under the big locust tree with a look of watching the play.

And Lu Zhengan is no matter how stupid he is, he also heard the error in Lu Ming's words at this time. His eyes were fixed on Lu Ming and he asked, "Fourth uncle, I don't understand what you are saying. ”

"Don't you know what gossip has been rumbling about in the village lately?" Lu Ming stood up with the locust tree, pulled the coat he was wearing, and set his eyes in a certain direction of Lujia Village.

Hearing Lu Ming's question, Lu Zhengan wrinkled his brows and said: "Fourth uncle, you also know, I don't like to wander around the village, where do I know what gossip is in the village." ”

Seeing that Lu Zhengan didn't seem to be lying, Lu Ming glanced at the old guys who were listening with their ears pricked up, and asked straight to the point: "Then what's the matter with you and the lively family?" ”

As soon as Lu Ming said, 'Lively Family', Lu Zhengan was stunned for a while, and he didn't remember who it was. Seeing this, Lu Ming reminded him again: "It's the widow of Zhou in our village who keeps festivals for her husband." ”

As soon as he heard that it was Widow Zhou, Lu Zhengan suddenly remembered the 'festival' with their mother and son a few days ago, and he didn't know whether to be angry or laugh for a while.

Lu Ming watched Lu Zhengan's expression change, and knew that there must really be something between the two.

"In the past few days, there have been rumors in the village that you have bullied Zhou's sister-in-law's mother and son, you are an honest child, you should know what to do and what not to do. The popularity of the lively family in the village is good, if you really have something to do, the people in the village must be more towards her. ”

And more importantly, Sister-in-law Zhou is still a widow who keeps festivals for her husband, no matter who is right or wrong in this matter, most people will tend to Widow Zhou. After all, not everyone has the courage to keep the festival for their husbands, but on this point, others have no different feelings about her in their hearts.

Lu Ming's voice was not loud when he said this, obviously he was also worried that Lu Zhengan really had something to do with Widow Zhou. However, seeing Lu Zhengan's calm expression, he was also a little relieved in his heart.

At that moment, a group of seven or eight-year-old children ran towards us. Lu Zhengan glanced at Zhou Xuanbao and saw that Zhou Xuanbao was among them, and called Zhou Xuanbao over under the puzzled gaze of everyone.

Zhou Xuanbao was about to go to the river to catch fish with Tie Niu and other children in the village, when he heard Lu Zhengan call him, he wanted to pretend not to hear. However, after seeing the honey three knives that Lu Zhengan took out from the paper bag, Zhou Xuanbao immediately stopped.

When Lu Zhengan saw him coming, he shook the snack in his hand at him, "Your dog almost bit my chicken to death on the mountain that day, do you remember?" As long as you tell Mrs. Lu honestly, this snack will be yours. ”

The conditions in Lujia Village are average, not to mention dim sum on weekdays, even the sugar residue has never been seen.

What's more, Zhou Xuanbao's father died unexpectedly, although the Zhou family has dozens of taels of silver in compensation, but now Zhou Xuanbao is still young, and the future is still long, where does Zhou's widow dare to spend money. Dim sum is the time of the Chinese New Year, so he will be willing to buy one for him to satisfy his hunger.

Therefore, after Zhou Xuanbao heard Lu Zhengan say that as long as he told the events of that day, he could get a snack, he swallowed his saliva and immediately nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice.

"That day, that day, my mother and I led my little black up the mountain to pick wild vegetables, and when I passed by his house, my dog saw that his house was open, so he ran in and almost bit the chick he just bought......"

Zhou Xuanbao was afraid that if he didn't tell the truth, Lu Zhengan wouldn't give him snacks. So he didn't dare to hide the events of that day at all, and told Lu Ming and everyone present about it as he could.

Lu Zheng'an stood aside and looked at Lu Ming's increasingly dark face, and reached out to hand the honey knife in his hand to Zhou Xuanbao.

Adults may have a lot of eyes and may tell lies, but not many six- or seven-year-olds dare to lie in front of adults.

After listening to Zhou Xuanbao's retelling, the surrounding people probably understood that someone must have deliberately created Lu Zhengan's rumors behind his back, and deliberately used the contradiction between him and Zhou's widow to smear him.

It's just that Lu Zhengan has always been taciturn, he doesn't usually go down the mountain, and he doesn't have much contact with the people in the village......

What others can think of, Lu Ming can't see an old man like him. was silent for a moment, and seeing that Lu Zheng'an had no sadness or joy on his face, it seemed that this matter had nothing to do with him at all, thinking that he must have brought it to him like before, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

"Okay, just know what's going on, if you have something to do, go and get busy first, and come to the house for dinner when you're free."

Lu Zhengan originally wanted to see everyone's reactions, but seeing that Lu Ming seemed to want to take it lightly when he said this, he finally couldn't help frowning. "Thank you for your kindness, but this matter ......"

Hearing this, Lu Ming waved his hand without waiting for Lu Zhengan to finish speaking. "Let's do this first, I can't find who did it right now, just find an opportunity to clarify it in the future."

For rumors, it is generally best to deal with it coldly. But now it's different from the past, the other party knows Widow Zhou's situation, and wants to pull him and Widow Zhou together, it's not just as simple as wanting to ruin his reputation!

After all, Widow Zhou almost gave up her life in order to reject those second-rate people. In the end, in the ancestral hall, she knelt in front of the ancestral rank and swore a poisonous oath to keep the festival for her husband, which was to drive away those who beat her idea.

Now at this juncture, if Lu Zhengan and Widow Zhou are involved, the surrounding gossip will only rain on him, and even if Widow Zhou is a noble person, it is possible to lose her life if she is spread like this.

Thinking that this rumor had been circulating in the village for a few days, Lu Zhengan's face darkened.

Fortunately, today I took a snack and let Zhou Xuanbao tell the truth in front of everyone, which can be regarded as a clarification. Otherwise, if the rumors are allowed to spread for a few more days, the consequences will be unimaginable......

Thinking of the stinky rat hiding in the gutter with bad intentions towards him, Lu Zhengan took a deep breath, and a plan slowly surfaced from the bottom of his heart.

He and Widow Zhou only had one contact that day, obviously the other party saw it in the dark, or Widow Zhou complained a few words when she was chatting with someone.

However, he does not usually have much contact with people, and there are only a handful of people who have a grudge.

Thinking like this, Lu Zhengan has several doubtful candidates. It's just that he doesn't have conclusive evidence on hand now, even if he has Lu Ming's support, it's useless.

If you can catch the current situation, it is the best.

After thinking for a while, Lu Zhengan said goodbye to Lu Ming and the others, and came to the house of the village head, Lu Changgen.

CHAPTER XV

When Lu Zhengan came to the village chief's house, the village chief happened to be absent, and only the village chief's daughter-in-law, Lu Yang, led her daughter to play at home. Seeing Lu Zhengan coming to the door, he hurriedly put down the bowl with paste in his hand and beckoned Lu Zhengan to come into the house and sit.

"No, auntie. I came here to borrow a bundle of fine hemp rope from your family, and there is not enough rope for the fence at home. ”

Lu Yang is a warm-hearted person, and he has always pitied Lu Zhengan for having no relatives and no reason, and has always taken care of him very much. Hearing that he wanted to borrow his own fine hemp rope, he wiped his hands with his apron and took a bundle of fine hemp rope from the utility room and handed it to him.

"Thank you, auntie, I'll give it back to you when I buy it from town in a few days."

Lu Yangshi: "Hey, what are you polite to this kid, what is not returned, you can just use it." ”

Lu Zheng'an borrowed a fine hemp rope and said a few words of gossip to Lu Yang's, and when he was about to say goodbye and go home, he saw that Lu Yang's seemed to think of something again, and hurriedly instructed his daughter Lu Yingchun, "Yingchun, you go to the kitchen to get some pickled toons from before for your brother Zheng'an to bring back, and let him go back to be steamed dishes." ”

Lu Zhengan just came to borrow something, so why was he embarrassed to ask for Lu Yang's things again. It's just that Xiao Yingchun's movements are very neat, and before he can say anything, he ran into the kitchen.

After Yingchun entered the house, Lu Yang turned his head to look at Lu Zhengan. "There have been some bad rumors in the village these days, I don't know if you have heard of it?"

Lu Zhengan knew that the aunt of the Lu family had specially reminded him, and immediately nodded to indicate that he already knew.

"When I entered the village, Uncle Si had already asked me. It happened that Sister-in-law Zhou's son was playing next to him, and I asked him to explain the situation that day in front of the old people in the village. ”

Hearing Lu Zhengan say this, Lu Yang was relieved.

"Most of the people in our village are sensible, and it will be fine if things are said." Speaking of this, Lu Yang hesitated for a moment, and then asked again, "Then who have you ever sinned?" ”

After Lu Yang finished speaking, he hurriedly smiled and continued: "My aunt knows that you have always been honest and steady, and you have never held grudges with others. However, that person deliberately involved you with the bolt treasure and his mother, obviously he has a grudge against you or the bolt treasure and his mother, otherwise it would be difficult for ordinary people to do such a lack of morality. ”

Lu Zhengan frowned and thought about it when he heard this, "I also think that someone must be deliberately making trouble behind his back, but there is no evidence, so I don't want to say much." ”

"It's really such a reason, in short, you pay more attention to the mountains alone, and let your uncle go to your place more when he is free." Lu Yang nodded and said.

While speaking, Lu Yingchun had already run out with a bowl full of toons. Seeing that Lu Zhengan hadn't left yet, the little girl ran to Lu Zhengan with a bowl and handed it to him.

"Thank you, little Yingchun, my brother will bring you snacks to eat in a few days."

When Lu Yingchun heard this, she immediately nodded happily, and the pigtails on her head flicked with her movements, looking very playful and cute.

Lu Yang looked at his daughter with a doting face: "Don't get used to this girl anymore, she still had a toothache two days ago, and it probably hurts even more to give her a snack." ”

The Lu family has always had more male babies and fewer female babies, and Lu Yingchun is the daughter of the village chief. Regardless of whether others are stammering or really favoring, Lu Yingchun has never suffered any grievances. However, the little girl was taught very well by the village chief's wife, although she was squeamish, she never played sex, and she was very likable.

"It's right for your sister to pet some, but you really can't eat too much sweets, wait for my brother to go to the town to find other delicious ones for you to bring back."

……

Coming out of the village chief's house, Lu Zhengan deliberately went to find Li Erwang.

At this time, Li Erwang was helping the family to remove the dung, and when he saw Lu Zheng'an coming, Li Erwang smiled embarrassedly, looked back at the hall, and then pointed to the door and motioned for him to go outside to talk.

Li Erwang didn't expect Lu Zhengan to take the initiative to come to him, and his honest face was full of happiness. "Brother Xiaoan, why are you here?"

Lu Zhengan didn't detour in front of Li Erwang, and went straight to the point: "Go to the village chief's house to borrow something, when I just entered the village, I heard rumors in the village that I and Sister-in-law Zhou are not clean, have you ever known about this?" ”

Hearing this, Li Erwang nodded. "I've heard about it, but I don't believe that Brother Xiao An will be such a person. But I really don't know what to say to you......"

Lu Zhengan didn't care much about what Li Erwang thought in his heart, but just said, "It's okay, it's just that I want to ask you for help with something." ”

Li Erwang immediately agreed: "You say, as long as I can do it." ”

Seeing him like this, Lu Zhengan couldn't help but smile, "Don't worry, it's not a difficult thing." You often go out to herd sheep, do you know who in our village goes to Hualongshan the most? ”

As soon as the words fell, Li Erwang replied without thinking about it: "Except for Ge Pozi in our Lujia Village, who else has nothing to run over there in." However, her family's land is at the foot of Hualong Mountain, and she often goes to the mountain to collect some mushrooms or herbs to subsidize the family. Except for her, no one in the village would run so hard to Hualong Mountain. ”

After Li Erwang finished speaking, he immediately understood what Lu Zhengan meant. looked at Lu Zheng'an with a stunned expression: "Brother Xiao An, don't you suspect that Mrs. Ge ......?"

Speaking of this, Li Erwang immediately looked around in silence, and only then did he relax when he saw that there was no one around. "Ge Pozi is a little mean, but she won't make such rumors, right? I heard that Sister-in-law Zhou is still her distant niece, if it is really her, this, this is too lacking in virtue......"

Lu Zhengan: "I didn't say that it was her, and I don't know who is spreading the nonsense now." After all, I've never had a grudge against anyone, and I can't think of anyone who wants to harm me. ”

Although Lu Zhengan said so, he had already guessed a rough idea in his heart. Although he is not a troublemaker, he is not that fearful.

Now that the other party's slap has been drawn to his face, then he will be a saint if he shrinks his head and ignores it!

"Whoever it is, anyway, you can help me keep an eye on it these days."