Zhang Qian was stunned and instinctively asked, "What?"

"Sister-in-law Zhu did come to buy mung bean cakes from me, and she did give me money, but she only had a crumpled fifty-cent note. It's the first time I've heard that fifty cents can support her family," Si Nian said, and the surrounding area fell silent.

Zhang Qian opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. At that time, she only saw Zhu Yun give money but didn't see how much.

Zhu Yun was also stunned, looking at her in shock.

Si Nian glanced at her and said calmly, "I know it's not easy for Sister-in-law Zhu. Since she helped my family on my wedding day, I gave her quite a bit, which led everyone to think she was willing to spend money on so many cakes."

"In fact, I didn't take any money for the cakes. Not only did I not take money, but I also planned to ask Sister-in-law Zhu to help me buy mung beans and start a small mung bean cake business. So, the money she had was for buying mung beans. Because I didn't let her tell anyone, she lied, making you all think she was secretly saving money. Right, Sister-in-law Zhu?"

Sister-in-law Zhu was still in a daze, completely confused.

It wasn't until Si Nian winked at her that she suddenly came to her senses, realizing that Si Nian was helping her. If things went as Si Nian said, her mother-in-law wouldn't have any evidence of her hiding money, nor could she kick her out and force her to divorce her husband.

Zhu Yun just hadn't expected Si Nian to help her like this. They hadn't interacted much and had only met the day before her wedding.

Since she didn't talk much, she could count the times she'd spoken to Si Nian on one hand.

If it weren't for feeling sorry for the child and wanting to buy some mung bean cakes, she wouldn't have interacted with her at all.

She hadn't expected Si Nian to lie on her behalf.

For a moment, Sister-in-law Zhu's eyes reddened with gratitude as she looked at Si Nian and nodded, "Yes, that money belongs to Si Nian."

The people around were surprised to learn this and looked a bit astonished.

But what Si Nian said made sense. Most of the people there had attended her wedding.

Many had tasted Si Nian's mung bean cakes, and a lot of people had praised her for being skillful and clever.

The Zhou family was known as the wealthiest in their village, and Zhou Yueshen's attitude towards Si Nian made everyone hold her in high regard. Everyone wanted to maintain a good relationship with her.

Since Si Nian had spoken, naturally, no one doubted her.

However, Zhang Qian didn't believe it, because she hadn't seen Si Nian give Zhu Yun any money at all. It was clearly a lie!

She immediately said, "You're lying. That money was clearly hidden by my sister-in-law. Just now she said it was money she earned from doing needlework! If you gave it to her, why didn't she say so? Sister-in-law, you're too much. If you don't want to give money, just say so. Do you really need to conspire with an outsider to deceive us? We're not fools!"

Zhang's expression immediately turned sour upon hearing this, having been uncertain before.

Her gaze towards Si Nian also became unfriendly.

This city girl marrying into their village had been quite controversial from the start.

Although everyone had praised her, Zhang thought it was because they were all sycophants trying to curry favor with the Zhou family.

She felt disdain, thinking that her family wasn't so poor they couldn't afford meat and didn't need to flatter a junior for some favors.

Now that Si Nian was meddling in her family affairs, she disliked her even more.

Si Nian shrugged, completely unconcerned by their suspicious looks, and said lightly, "Of course I didn't say anything because I was just starting out. The business hasn't even begun, so there's no need for me to spread the word everywhere. If I fail, wouldn't that be embarrassing? To avoid such awkwardness, I asked Sister-in-law Zhu not to tell anyone. I didn't expect it to cause her so much trouble."

"You barely know my sister-in-law. Who would believe you?"

Si Nian smiled, "Whether you believe me or not is your business. I don't know you, and I don't care if you believe me. Why should I care about the opinion of an outsider?"

Hearing this, Zhang Qian turned red with anger.

Seeing Si Nian's confident and unruffled demeanor, the surrounding people were mostly convinced.

But Zhang was unwilling to let it go. Although the money wasn't much, it was still money, and once it was in her hands, there was no reason to give it away. She immediately said, "What nonsense! You and Zhu Yun don't even know each other. Why would you ask her for help? Our family doesn't have that many mung beans!"

"I may not know Sister-in-law Zhu well, but I remembered her because she worked diligently when she helped at my house. Seeing how much she liked my mung bean cakes, I thought of starting a mung bean cake business. When she mentioned her family had mung beans, I asked her for help. Is asking someone to buy mung beans really such an outrageous thing?"

Si Nian sighed, "I'm new here and not familiar with everyone. Sister-in-law Zhu was the one who offered to help me, so I thought of asking for her help and even planned to invite her to make mung bean cakes with me. I didn't expect you, Auntie, to think of me this way. Given that, I certainly won't dare to ask for help again."

Her words, spoken with such genuine feeling, made everyone feel a bit embarrassed.

Although Si Nian had been around for a while, she had only just gotten married, and people only started to get to know her from her wedding day.

Previously, they had heard she was a good cook, and anyone passing by the Zhou family would stop to take in the smell before continuing on.

Everyone at the farm praised her for constantly making delicious food for Zhou Lao Da.

Everyone was envious.

No one expected Si Nian to be so kind-hearted, willing to include Zhu Yun in her business just because Zhu Yun had helped her.

This also provided a clear explanation for why Zhang Qian said she saw Zhu Yun giving money to her natal family.

Zhang Qian and her mother were left speechless.

They didn't believe it, but Si Nian's explanation was logical and irrefutable.

"Si Nian, are you really planning to teach Zhu Yun how to make mung bean cakes? Could you also teach me? My kids love your mung bean cakes, and I'd like to try making them myself."

"Yes, yes, everyone says your cooking is delicious. We'd love to learn from you."

"Do you need mung beans? I have some at home. I can sell them to you at a good price."

The attention of the crowd had completely shifted to Si Nian's idea of teaching how to make mung bean cakes.

Not only were the cakes delicious, but learning to make them could also open up small business opportunities. Who wouldn't want to make some extra money?

Everyone envied Zhu Yun for this opportunity and thought Zhang's family was foolish for not seizing it. Forget about making mung bean cakes; just maintaining a good relationship with Si Nian could mean cheaper meat in the future.

Most assumed Si Nian would be reluctant, but she surprised them with a generous smile and said, "Sure, anyone who wants to learn is welcome. I know how to make many types of cakes. If you're genuinely interested, feel free to come to me."

She didn't rely on this for a living, so using this method to build good relationships with everyone didn't cost her anything.

The surrounding people immediately became excited.

"You're so generous! Unlike some people."

"I have plenty of mung beans at home. I'll give them to you for free."

"Yes, and if you teach us well, I'll pay you a fee. We shouldn't take advantage of you."

In this way, the conflict with the Zhang family was resolved.

Seeing Si Nian surrounded by enthusiastic villagers all vying for this opportunity, Zhang suddenly felt a pang of regret.

She hadn't expected things to turn out like this. Her daughter had given her a few pieces of the mung bean cake, and she found them so delicious that she assumed her daughter-in-law had spent a lot of money, which made her very angry.

If she could learn how to make such delicious cakes, starting a small business in town would be very profitable.

But she hadn't anticipated losing such a great opportunity.

Even though Zhang didn't want to flatter the Zhou family, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss when she missed out on such a good opportunity.

Unable to hold back, she said, "Si Nian, I didn't mean to blame you. It's just that the third daughter-in-law didn't inform me about this, and I was unaware, so I misunderstood. Please don't let this affect your relationship with the younger generation. I still hope you all get along well. By the way, I was the one who asked my daughter-in-law to help your family."

The surrounding people immediately began to scold her for her shamelessness upon hearing this.

Zhang was clearly worried that Si Nian would no longer teach her family, which is why she changed her attitude. Just a moment ago, she had been speaking with a mocking tone.

Upon hearing Zhang's words, Si Nian not only didn't get angry but responded with a kind demeanor, "Auntie, you're overthinking it. How could I blame Sister-in-law Zhu for such a thing? She's already endured so much because of me; I'm grateful to her."

While Zhang was feeling awkward, Si Nian continued, "It's partly my fault for asking Sister-in-law Zhu to keep it a secret, which led to this misunderstanding. It's not your fault; it's all mine."

Her words of forgiveness and responsibility won everyone's admiration.

Many gave her a thumbs-up, saying, "What a good kid!"

"Yes, Zhang, your daughter-in-law is an adult. It's normal for her to have some private matters. You're making a fuss over a bit of mung bean money and even talking about divorce. It's really over the top."

"Good thing Si Nian is here. If something serious had happened, you'd still blame her."

"Exactly. Nowadays, who doesn't have a little money on hand? Making a big deal out of nothing."

Everyone started siding with Si Nian and spoke in her favor.

Zhang felt something was off but couldn't react immediately. Being reprimanded by everyone made her feel like she had indeed done something wrong, leaving her speechless.

Zhu Yun was dumbfounded by what she was witnessing.

In the past, even though relationships with others were decent, whenever there were conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, people generally didn't interfere and only watched the drama. At most, they would advise her to bear with it if things got too serious.

So Zhu Yun never dared to argue back.

Who would have thought that the situation she couldn't resolve herself would be effortlessly turned around by Si Nian? With just a few words, she had everyone siding with her, speaking up for her, and even scolding her mother-in-law.

Zhang, being a bully who picked on the weak, was usually only aggressive at home. Now, being chastised by so many people, she was afraid of being embarrassed and worried that the news would spread and shame the Zhang family.

She couldn't get a single word out.

Zhang Qian stamped her foot in anger!

More than anyone, she knew this wasn't the truth.

She was good friends with Zhou Tingting, and during their phone conversations, Zhou Tingting always said that Si Nian was a deeply scheming and malicious woman! She hadn't believed it before, but now she did!

She had planned to take the money from Zhu Yun to buy herself new clothes.

Now, not only could she not get the money, but she was also being pointed at and criticized by everyone.

As an unmarried young lady, if word got out, how could she face anyone!

And now, her mother didn't dare say a word. If she spoke up, everyone's attention would surely be on her.

She was so angry she was at a loss for words.

Just when she thought it was over, Si Nian spoke again: "It's my fault for not seeing Zhang Qian earlier, letting her see and misunderstand. Otherwise, she wouldn't have thought that the money was Zhu Yun's, given to her family, and mistakenly believed Zhu Yun was hiding money and spending it recklessly. It was my carelessness that led to her misunderstanding."

Her remorseful expression instantly drew everyone's attention to Zhang Qian, whose face was now grim.

Yes, it was Zhang Qian who had claimed to see Zhu Yun hiding money and giving it to her family, which had caused such a fuss.

Since she saw it, shouldn't she have asked more questions instead of misunderstanding so badly?

Could it be that she had eavesdropped on their conversation?

Thinking of this possibility, the crowd's gaze towards Zhang Qian changed.

After all, sneaky behavior was really disgraceful.

Si Nian then generously said, "But it's okay. This time, I have explained clearly. I just hope next time Zhang Qian won't misunderstand. It's not something to be secretive about. You can just ask me directly."

"Exactly, if you see something, just ask openly and clarify. Why cause all this trouble?"

"Your third brother isn't even back yet, and because you saw things wrong, his wife almost got driven away. What you did was wrong, Zhang Qian!"

"Yes, Zhang Qian, why sneak around?"

"You almost made everyone misunderstand."

The crowd's criticisms came one after another, making Zhang Qian almost unable to lift her head.

Zhang Qian glared at Si Nian with hatred. This wretched woman twisted the facts, and yet, everyone believed her!

Furious, she exclaimed, "That's not how it is at all! I didn't hear it that way."

Desperate to clear her name, Zhang Qian knew that if she didn't explain herself, rumors would spread, and her chances of marriage would be ruined.

Si Nian, however, feigned surprise, covering her mouth, "Oh my! You really did eavesdrop? I thought you just saw from afar and misunderstood."

Zhang Qian: "Damn it!"

The crowd's disapproval towards Zhang Qian grew, now laced with disdain.

For someone her age to eavesdrop on others' conversations was truly disgraceful.

The villagers felt sorry for Si Nian, who simply wanted to start a small cake business but ended up being spied on and misunderstood.

They consoled her, saying not to take it to heart, assuring her that most villagers were friendly, and it was just a few people with ill intentions.

Zhang "ill intentions" Qian: "..."

The crowd escorted Si Nian back to the Zhou family's doorstep, reluctant to leave.

Si Nian found their behavior both amusing and heartwarming.

Though the villagers were prone to gossip, their intentions were mostly innocent, which made them easy to deceive.

While she had lied to them to help Zhu Yun, Si Nian considered it a kind deception.

She did plan to teach some villagers how to make cakes, which would not only strengthen neighborhood bonds but also enhance the Zhou family's reputation.







Thank you very much for your concern. ヾ(^▽^*)))

I will turn this concern into motivation to speed up recovery and update.↖（^ω^）↗