By afternoon, the winter sky had dulled to a pale gray. Ruan Yue was squatting in her yard, peeling potatoes for dinner, when the first click-clack of gossip arrived.
It came in the form of Auntie Zhang, the unofficial news agency of Linhe Village. She waddled past Ruan Yue's gate, carrying a basket of turnips, her voice pitched high enough for half the lane to hear.
"Eh, did you hear? That Ruan widow went to the well this morning and scared off Shouguo while he was talking to Xiuxiu!"
From the next yard over, Auntie Liu's voice rose. "Scared off? Hah! I bet she was just staking her claim. You know how she is — no man can get close to a pretty girl without her getting jealous."
"Jealous? Of Xiuxiu?" Auntie Zhang snorted. "Please. I heard she's trying to be friends with her now. Probably wants to use her to get close to… you know who."
"You mean Shen Wenxiu?" Auntie Liu gasped. "Ohhh, that makes sense! Didn't she chase him like a madwoman last year?"
Ruan Yue sat there, potato knife in hand, listening to the "friendly neighborhood news" turn her morning act into a strategic seduction plan.
The system was quiet for once, which was somehow worse.
Finally, she sighed, set down the knife, and stood up. She opened the gate and stepped onto the road. The two women froze mid-gossip, mouths still open.
"You two," Ruan Yue said, voice flat. "If you've got so much energy to waste, maybe I should tell the production captain you're free to weed another mu of field this week."
Auntie Zhang's face turned the color of old radishes. "We were just… talking—"
"Then talk about yourselves," Ruan Yue cut in. "I don't remember volunteering my life as your entertainment."
She turned and went back into her yard, shutting the gate with a decisive thunk.
Inside, she felt no triumph — just the familiar prickle of annoyance. In this era, gossip spread faster than the flu and stuck harder than pig dung on boots. If she let it spiral, she'd wake up one day to find her name smeared across the entire commune.
> New Side Mission Generated: Clear reputation within Linhe Village. Reward: 10 survival points.
She groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. Do you want me to become the village saint or something?"
> Negative. Saint status unnecessary. Goal: make villagers believe you are not a threat.
She muttered, "Same thing."
But maybe… just maybe… she could kill two birds with one stone — keep Xiuxiu safe, block Shen Wenxiu, and slowly turn the village's watchful eyes away from her.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Because when she went to bed that night, she overheard two passing boys whispering outside her window:
"They say Widow Ruan was smiling at Xiuxiu this morning."
"Smiling? Must be planning something."
Ruan Yue buried her face in her pillow and wondered if it was possible to transmigrate again.