Chapter 1107: Dredging Up Old Horrors

Chapter 1107: Dredging Up Old Horrors

The women’s eyes darted around the immaculate interior, taking in the tasteful arrangement of furniture, the gleaming floors, and the artfully landscaped courtyard where blossoming crabapple trees cast delicate shadows.

A murmur of admiration rippled through the group. “Gu Zi, you’re truly a woman of refinement!” one exclaimed, fanning herself for dramatic effect.

Gu Zi, momentarily overwhelmed by the chorus of praise, offered a modest smile. “Just childproofing, really. Little ones and sharp corners don’t mix.”

She gestured toward the kitchen. “Let me brew some herbal tea. It’s perfect for cooling off in this heat.”

As she slipped away, Su Bing took charge of entertaining the guests with the effortless poise of a seasoned hostess half his age.

The women watched, enchanted, as Su Bing poured tea with steady hands.

“Southern women,” one of the ladies sighed, elbowing another. “They say the water down there breeds beauty and brains, and now I believe it. Try finding a Northern girl this elegant and hardworking!”

Her companion cackled. “Oh, ours are pretty enough, but the ones who labor end up with hands like shovel blades! Did you see Gu Zi’s fingers? Smooth as jade, that one.”

When Gu Zi returned with a tray of fragrant tea, the compliments pivoted to her parenting. “These children of yours!” clucked one woman, pinching Su Le’s cheek. “Raising them so well-mannered and clever—it’s witchcraft, I tell you!”

The lively chatter was interrupted by another knock.

Su Bing sprang to answer, revealing Jiang Nan from next door, her arms laden with preserves. The widow—locally revered for her devotion to her in-laws—received a hero’s welcome.

“Come see!” the women trilled, pulling her inside. “Gu Zi’s home smells like a spring garden! And this tea—heavenly! We’ve been lounging here like pampered empresses.”

A knowing smirk passed between two women. “Of course, none of this would matter if her man weren’t so generous. Have you seen how he hustles? Money, muscle, and brains—that husband of hers spares no expense keeping his porcelain princess comfortable.”

Gu Zi busied herself sorting through the mountain of gifts—eggs, cured meats, fresh produce, even a jar of precious white sugar—enough to feed them for a week. Touched by their generosity, she insisted they stay for lunch, but the women recoiled in mock horror.

“With three children underfoot? We’d be monsters to add to your burdens!” They shuffled toward the gate, though not without lingering glances at the idyllic courtyard.

Jiang Nan lingered last. When the others were out of earshot, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “That Jiang Yao’s been released. Snake like that always remembers who stepped on its tail. Best keep your husband close.”

Gu Zi’s smile didn’t waver, though her grip tightened on the doorframe. “This isn’t the Wild West, Jiang Nan. Besides—” She nodded toward Big Yellow, now gnawing a beef bone with unsettling vigor. “Our security system comes with teeth.”

For a fleeting second, something flickered behind Jiang Nan’s eyes—too quick to decipher. “Well then,” she said, adjusting her scarf with a tight laugh, “I’d best go stew my in-laws’ lentils before they revolt.”𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

As the gate clicked shut, Gu Zi exhaled slowly.

Odd, she mused. Every warning about Jiang Yao seemed to trace back to Jiang Nan, always draped in doom like a funeral shroud. Yet the other villagers? They laughed over tea without so much as a glance toward the past.

Most telling of all—who dredges up old horrors for fun? Unless, of course, they’ve got skin in the game.

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