Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

A commotion erupted from the surrounding crowd.

"You're talking nonsense, Liu Yuanchao, you're asking for it!" Liu Ping'an was so angry that he almost threw his pitchfork.

Zhou Rui raised his hand, stopping Liu Ping'an. Liu Ping'an and his brother were good friends with Zhou Ping, but they admired Zhou Rui the most. When Zhou Rui raised his hand, Liu Ping'an suppressed his anger. He knew Zhou Rui would stand up for their family.

"You said Aunt Liying was having an affair, did you see it?" Zhou Rui's eyes narrowed, his expression chilling.

"I didn't see it, but that's what everyone's saying?" Liu Yuanchao shouted, sticking out his neck.

"Everyone? Which 'everyone'? Call them out and let's see. Look at all these villagers around here; they can all stand up for you." Zhou Rui pointed around.

"Everyone says that, that's what we all say."

"Who called everyone? Everyone from there. Liu Qingguo, did you say that?"

Liu Qingguo shook his head.

"Ninth Aunt, did you say that?" Zhou Rui asked Zhou Guifang of the Zhou family again.

Shake head.

"Fifth Master Liu, did you say that?"

He still shook his head.

Zhou Rui turned around and stared intently at Liu Yuanchao: "You said everyone says that. Look, no one around here has said it. Tell me, whose name is 'everyone'?"

Zhou Rui suddenly raised his voice at the end of his sentence, startling Liu Yuanchao. The onlookers burst into laughter.

"Whose name is 'Everyone'? That's hilarious."

"Yeah, Ruiwa's words are really funny. But they also make sense. So many people haven't said it, why call everyone?"

"Ruiwa, don't nitpick with me. Even if no one here has said it, there are still people who know."

"Yes, that's why I'm asking you who said that, who can prove your sister-in-law is cheating on you?"

"I can't say. Wouldn't I become a traitor if I did!"

Zhou Rui was furious at Liu Yuanchao's attitude. "If you're going to act like this, don't blame me for using magic to defeat magic."

"Second Master Liu, I have something to say. I know why Liu Yuanchao wanted to kick Aunt Liying out. He planned that after kicking his sister-in-law out, there would be no one to support the two brothers, Liu Ping'an and Liu Shunli. Then he could live off the Liu family's extinction and seize their house and private land."

"Rui boy, don't talk nonsense." When Master Liu saw Zhou Rui's behavior, he immediately stopped him, as this concerned the reputation of the entire Liu family.

"I'm not making this up. Everyone told me, that's what everyone's saying," Zhou Rui said seriously. "And don't ask me who said it, I would never be a traitor and tell the person who told me."

"Haha... Ruiwa is really funny. Isn't that what Liu Yuanchao just said?"

"I know Liu Yuanchao wets the bed, that's what everyone says, so don't ask me who said it."

"I know Liu Yuanchao likes to eat shit, everyone says so..."

The surrounding noise suddenly grew louder, with everyone mimicking Zhou Rui's tone and teasing Liu Yuanchao. This put immediate pressure on Second Master Liu, as he was the head of the Liu family business. If he couldn't clarify the situation, the Liu family's reputation would be ruined.

Snap! Old Master Liu's cane slammed down on Liu Yuanchao's back.

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

Having no other choice, Liu Yuanchao could only point behind him and say, "My second and third cousins ​​said it."

Liu Chuang and Liu Yong quickly backed away.

"Come here." Old Master Liu slammed his cane on the ground.

Master Liu still had some authority, so Liu Chuang and Liu Yong had no choice but to step forward.

"Did you two witness Li Ying cheating on you?"

Liu Chuang and Liu Yong's eyes darted around, avoiding eye contact with Liu Erye. Finally, Liu Yong stammered out his answer.

"We heard it from others too."

Looking at Liu Yong's shifty and sleazy appearance, Zhou Rui pressed him directly, "Oh, someone else again? Who is this 'someone else'? You can't possibly not know their name again, can you?"

"I don't remember, but someone whispered something in my ear when there were a lot of people, and I didn't pay attention at the time." Liu Yong still had some quick wit.

"Second Master Liu, I've also heard someone mention to me that his son isn't his biological son. Liu Yong was born a eunuch, and his penis is completely impotent."

Zhou Rui had no intention of speaking properly today; he just wanted to muddy the waters. Otherwise, even if things were made clear later, Xu Liying's reputation would be ruined.

"Haha... I also think Liu Yong is no good."

"You know what, Liu Yong and his two lads do look a bit like him; they're better looking than him."

"You're talking nonsense. I'm perfectly capable. All my sons are my own flesh and blood."

"Who are you calling a bastard? I'm going to beat you to death!" Liu Yong's two sons were so angry that they picked up sticks and were about to fight Zhou Rui.

"Alright, quiet down," Liu Erye shouted. Then he turned to Zhou Rui and said, "Can you stop causing trouble and speak properly?"

"I was speaking properly. Just because they say so doesn't mean I can't. If you really can't handle this through notarization, then you should notify the commune police station."

I've heard of a crime called defamation, which is the act of deliberately fabricating and disseminating false facts to damage another person's character and reputation; it can lead to arrest and imprisonment.

Zhou Rui didn't know if defamation was a crime, but he just wanted to use a name that no one knew to fool people for now.

"I...I don't know, I just heard it from someone, I really don't know!" Liu Yong was so frightened that he immediately covered his head and squatted down.

Zhou Rui then looked at Liu Chuang, who pointed directly at Liu Yong: "I heard it from Lao Si."

Zhou Rui finally looked at Liu Yuanchao.

Liu Yuanchao stubbornly stood there: "Since Fourth Cousin heard it, it can't be just a rumor, right?"

Zhou Rui couldn't hold back any longer and strode forward, slapping Liu Yuanchao across the face. *Smack!* A five-finger mark immediately appeared on Liu Yuanchao's face.

"You're supposed to be a vocational school graduate? Don't you know what 'baseless rumors' means? You're spreading completely fabricated things. I told you it takes two to tango, did you see it just now?"

Before Liu Erye and the others could react, Liu Yuanchao was slapped, and he was stunned by Zhou Rui's slap.

"Your parents died when you were twelve, and your older brother and sister-in-law raised you. When you were fourteen, your older brother also passed away, and your sister-in-law single-handedly supported the family. She not only raised Ping An and Shunli, but also supported you through vocational school."

"They say an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, but you ungrateful wretch, this is how you repay your sister-in-law. You conspired with outsiders to smear her and even tried to kick her out. What's the difference between you and an animal?"

"Do you know that after my brother died, my sister-in-law abandoned Xiao Nian Gao and ran away? I wish I had someone like Aunt Li Ying as my sister-in-law!" Zhou Rui roared.

"You said your sister-in-law cheated on you. Back then, she was raising two children and supporting you, a vocational school student, and she didn't cheat on you even though she was working so hard."

"Now that you're no longer a burden, Ping An and Shun Li can earn work points to help support the family. Why does Aunt Li Ying want to cheat on her now?"

"There are four sayings in the village: Chen Datou, the lazybones; Sesame, the weather forecaster; Zhao the Widow, the flirtatious one; and the chaste and virtuous woman, an unknown figure. This chaste and virtuous woman is the highest praise that everyone in the village gives to Aunt Liying. How dare you slander her?"

"Even Bao Zheng, the upright and just emperor, was raised by his sister-in-law and still knew how to repay her kindness. What about you? You're like Chen Shimei, who wanted to abandon his family after he became successful."

"Don't you know what kind of people your third and fourth cousins ​​are? Liu Chuang used to fight with your family over a house, and they already had conflicts. Liu Yong used to pursue your sister-in-law, and he even harassed her after your eldest brother passed away. Are you blind?"

Zhou Ruiqi's final kick landed on Liu Yuanchao's groin, causing Liu Yuanchao to fall to his knees.

Liu Yuanchao was, after all, educated and knew a thing or two about propriety and morality. At first, he was somewhat skeptical, but by the end, tears slowly streamed down his face.

Finally, he banged his head on the ground and burst into tears, crying, "Sister-in-law, I was wrong. I shouldn't have believed the rumors and wronged you."

Just then, the door opened, and Xu Liying slowly walked out, her face stubborn and defiant. She only smiled at Zhou Rui. Only then did she realize that Zhou Rui, in his most helpless moment, had fantasized about her being his sister-in-law.