Guo Xiaomei looked at Li Xiangli's surprised expression and felt delighted. She lifted her head smugly, wrapping her slender arms around Feng An's hand, "Brother Feng, didn't I tell you that my third sister-in-law has a lucky fate? You didn't believe me, did you? But here she is, a living person standing right in front of you."
Feng An gave a cold snort, "Even if she's a living person, she's no better than dirt, Xiaomei. Don't have unnecessary interactions with people like this. You're pure-minded, be careful or she might deceive you. I fell for her tricks myself."
Of course, Feng An's words were completely false. It had been him who had pursued Li Xiangli, but now, in order to save his reputation, he was shifting all blame onto her.
In truth, Feng An had genuinely wanted to marry Li Xiangli as his concubine at first. After all, she was beautiful. But then everything spiraled into a scandal that embarrassed him. Li Xiangli being beaten wasn't much in his eyes, but the accusation of adultery that arose afterward was disastrous. His father had nearly beaten him to death over such a scandal that tainted their family name.
At this time, Guo Xiaomei had gone to the Feng family herself to explain everything, declaring that Li Xiangli had seduced Feng An, and that Feng An was also an innocent victim of her schemes. Only then did the Feng family let Feng An off the hook, and Feng An had, as a result, grown close to Guo Xiaomei.
Now, they were openly showing their affection.
Guo Xiaomei said with a "naïve" tone, "Really? Then I'll listen to Brother Feng."
Li Xiangli couldn't stomach their nauseating dialogue and nearly threw up. Guo Xiaomei was still pretending to be delicate at this point? She knew exactly what kind of person Guo Xiaomei was.
"If you don't want to deal with me, why did you deliberately come here to block me? Acting as though I'd be eager to interact with you," Li Xiangli said with a fully exasperated expression.
Guo Xiaomei became upset, "What? Did I block you? We just happened to pass by here. Maybe you found out that Brother Feng was coming here today and waited for us intentionally? You must still be thinking about Brother Feng, aren't you? Tch tch, you're shameless. I'll definitely tell my mother about this..."
Before she could finish, Jiang Dong interjected angrily, "Xiaomei, she's still your third sister-in-law. She's a single mother with hardships—why dredge up the past like this? Let bygones be bygones. She's already suffered enough. You should think twice before involving your mother in this."
Guo Xiaomei lifted her head proudly, acting like a spoiled princess, "So what? She did these things herself. Who's stopping me from telling my mother? She deserves it."
"You!" Jiang Dong was furious.
Li Xiangli scoffed, "Guo Xiaomei, who do you think you are? You only act powerful in your own family. I'm no longer a part of the Guo family. Do you really think that your mother can control me or threaten me?"
Guo Xiaomei was momentarily speechless. She had forgotten that Li Xiangli had already been disqualified from the Guo family.
Jiang Dong exclaimed, shocked, "What? You've been expelled from the family?" He had spent three to four days in the mountains, completely unaware of the outside events.
Li Xiangli calmly nodded, "Yes, expelled."
"What? How can this happen?!" Jiang Dong's anger was immediate.
Feng An gave another cold snort, "She brought this on herself by having an adulterous affair. Almost ruined my name because of her actions. Why shouldn't she be disqualified? Women like her are stains wherever they go. The Guo family should've driven her out long ago!"
Jiang Dong was seething, "You started this with Xiaomei's schemes and pursued her first!"
Li Xiangli interjected, directly addressing the tension, "Jiang Dong, don't say anything. I chose this myself. I'm fine with it."
"Xiangli..." Jiang Dong said urgently.
Guo Xiaomei smirked maliciously, "So you're trying to be strong now, huh? Look at what's in this basket of yours. I thought it might be some rare treasure, but turns out it's just wild vegetables and mountain shoots. You're truly poor and foolish, aren't you, Xiangli? Why live like this? If you really can't make it, come to my mother and beg. Maybe she'll forgive you if her mood is good."
Guo Xiaomei was always arrogant and used this high-handed tone, as if looking down on others. Then, she turned sympathetic, "Alright, Brother Feng. She still wants to maintain some dignity. Let's not force her into a corner."
Feng An nodded in agreement, his voice soft, "Fine. Let's not stoop to her level. If we see her again, just ignore her. Don't let her actions tarnish our reputations."
Xiaozhu and Le'er were furious at their words, their faces scrunched up. These two people were simply disgusting. But their mother hadn't said a word, and they dared not speak out. Aunt Chen had always praised them as the most obedient children in the village.
Li Xiangli wasn't affected by their taunts. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Feng Gongzi seems to be so tender-hearted. Xiaomei, did you hear that? From now on, when you see me, don't dare to come over and bother me. Don't act like today, waiting here just to exchange a few words with me. Otherwise, don't blame me if your reputation is dragged down with yours."
Guo Xiaomei hissed angrily, "What are you talking about? I wasn't waiting for you!"
Li Xiangli blinked innocently, "Not waiting for me? This path only leads to the back mountains. Are you and Feng Gongzi heading there to dig wild vegetables like us, or are you hunting?"
Feng An glared at her, "A man of my standing can't do such rough work."
"Then what are you doing there?" Li Xiangli laughed faintly, "Could it be that you're trying to escape into the mountains for personal affairs? Oh, you wouldn't want anyone to know, would you, Xiaomei? Such things should stay private, but you're broadcasting them openly. Isn't that a bit reckless?"
Guo Xiaomei turned bright red, furious, "Li Xiangli, you're ridiculous!"
Li Xiangli feigned innocence, "Did I say anything untrue? You tell me, what could you possibly do in the back mountains?"
Guo Xiaomei hesitated but knew this confrontation was intentional.
Feng An's veins bulged with anger as he pointed at her, "I can't believe you're this shameless! You're actually saying these things to me!"
Li Xiangli smirked coldly, "Feng Gongzi did these things himself, yet you accuse me of shamelessness? Take a good look in the mirror. Who's truly shameless?"
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.