Chapter 161: Using Bad to Defeat Bad

Lu Chuan pulled Fang Yuan toward the wide-open door, looking even more incredulous than she was. “Did she come here just to disgust me on purpose? Fang Yuan, she must be my enemy, right?” Otherwise, how could someone be so malicious as to try to sow discord between husband and wife?

Fang Yuan angrily corrected him, “She was trying to disgust me.” She shot Lu Chuan a glare—why was he dragging her into his mess?

Then she turned to Lu Chuan and snapped, “Did my Fang family ever bully you?” That was a real blow to the gut.

Fang Yuan always zeroed in on the point, and Lu Chuan couldn’t help but admire her. “Let’s not fall for it. Calm down. Now’s the time to use our brains.”

Fang Yuan was fuming. “I don’t have that kind of thing.”

Pfft—Zhang Xiaole couldn’t help but laugh. Zhu Xiaosan, trying not to laugh, jumped in to smooth things over for Fang Yuan. “Who wouldn’t be upset? That woman really crossed the line just now. No wonder Fang Yuan lost her cool.”

Lu Chuan shot the two bystanders a glare, then tried to coax Fang Yuan, “Well, you can’t not have it. What you said just now was great. That woman is just angry because her scheme failed, so she’s trying to disgust us on purpose. That’s all she’s got.”

Fang Yuan was still seething. “And you think she could have more tricks up her sleeve?”

Lu Chuan replied, “Whatever tricks she has, it’s got nothing to do with us. Apart from us as a couple, everyone else is an outsider.”

Fang Yuan couldn’t stay mad at Lu Chuan after that. He was right—there was no point getting angry over an outsider.

She turned to Gong Er and snapped, “You’re no good either. Get lost.” Whatever patience she had was reserved for Lu Chuan.

Gong Er’s face darkened. He shouted at Lu Chuan, “Lu Chuan, this is your wife? How can she talk like that? If you keep spoiling her, we’re done as friends.”

Lu Chuan glanced at Gong Er, wishing he could kick him out. “We were never friends to begin with. Don’t come around anymore.”

Without a second’s hesitation, he kicked Gong Er out. Anyone who didn’t wish them well as a couple was no friend of his.

Gong Er was left humiliated, muttering curses in the yard, “Lu Chuan, now that you got into college, you look down on people.”

Fang Yuan retorted, “Don’t drag others into this. He just looks down on you. Don’t you know what kind of person you are?”

If I don’t spoil my wife, should I spoil you? Or do you think I’m as brainless as you are?

Gong Er stormed off. Zhu Xiaosan looked a bit worried. “Gong Er’s a petty man. Now that you’ve pissed him off, he might try something nasty.”

Zhang Xiaole scoffed, “He can’t even clean up his own mess, yet he’s out here playing matchmaker. What’s he going to do?”

He added bitterly, “Damei was looking for him all over at noon. He’s good at hiding, though.”

Fang Yuan asked, “What’s Damei got to do with him?”

Zhang Xiaole explained, focusing on how Gong Er was no good—flirting with girls at school while Damei from the village was devoted to him.

Damei didn’t even dare tell her family. She’d already turned down several matches her family suggested.

Fang Yuan snorted at that and walked out. Gong Er wanted to mess with her? Did he really think she was someone to be trifled with? She’d show him first.

Zhang Xiaole watched Fang Yuan’s back, getting anxious. “What’s she up to now?”

Then he worried, “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I? She’s not going to go tell Damei, is she? I don’t want to be the village gossip.”

Zhu Xiaosan glanced at Zhang Xiaole, thinking, If only you’d realized that before you started gossiping.

And really, did he forget who Fang Yuan was? The little sister of the Fang family’s five tigers—she was no pushover.

Lu Chuan reassured Zhang Xiaole, “Relax, relax. Fang Yuan won’t drag you into this.” His wife was reliable.

But honestly, Lu Chuan wasn’t sure if Fang Yuan, in her current rage, might act recklessly.

He added, “Fang Yuan doesn’t know many people in the village.” That didn’t comfort Zhang Xiaole at all—he still felt uneasy.

Fang Yuan might not know many people, but just knowing Sister-in-law Sun next door was enough.

Originally, Fang Yuan wanted to use the village loudspeaker to broadcast where Gong Er was hiding, so Damei could find him easily.

But the village chief might not listen to her or help her out.

So she went to Sister-in-law Sun, calling over the wall, “Sister-in-law, can I ask you something?”

Sister-in-law Sun was quick to respond. She’d been itching to join the excitement. “Oh, Fang Yuan! If there’s anything I don’t know in this village, it’s not worth knowing. You’ve come to the right person. Ask away.”

Zhang Xiaole tugged Lu Chuan’s arm. “Who needs to know anyone else? Sister-in-law Sun is nicknamed ‘Sun Half-the-Village’—she’s the village news broadcaster.”

Zhu Xiaosan nodded vigorously. This was going to be big.

Lu Chuan said, “Trust my wife. Fang Yuan knows what she’s doing.” He covered Zhang Xiaole’s mouth to stop him from talking.

Honestly, even if Lu Chuan didn’t stop him, Zhang Xiaole wouldn’t dare mess with Fang Yuan. He’d seen what she could do.

Zhu Xiaosan couldn’t resist—he opened the window in the freezing cold and stuck his head out to listen.

Fang Yuan asked openly, “Sister-in-law, do you know Gong Er? I heard there’s a girl from his school dating him. She just came to my house looking for him.”

Sister-in-law Sun was shocked. “Of course I know him, the second son of the Gong family. So that’s why your house was so lively just now? I hadn’t heard about this! Where’s Gong Er now?”

Fang Yuan shook her head. “No idea.”

Then she promptly withdrew from the wall. She didn’t say another word.

Sister-in-law Sun was left anxious. “Fang Yuan, wait—say a bit more! I only heard half of it. I’m dying to know!”

But Fang Yuan was already back inside. That was exactly the effect she wanted. If you’re anxious, go ask around.

Zhang Xiaole patted his chest. “It’s over, it’s over. Now that Sister-in-law Sun knows, everyone will know.”

Zhu Xiaosan said, “Isn’t that good? At least Damei won’t be fooled by Gong Er anymore.”

Zhang Xiaole looked at Fang Yuan, who walked back in as if nothing had happened, and was full of admiration. He couldn’t stay calm. “They won’t trace this back to me, will they?”

Fang Yuan looked at him, confused. “What’s it got to do with you?”

Zhang Xiaole almost believed it really had nothing to do with him. “But what if someone asks who told you?”

Fang Yuan replied naturally, “Sun Hongyan said it.”

Wow, she sounded so convincing that Zhu Xiaosan started to doubt whether he’d missed hearing Sun Hongyan say it earlier.

Zhang Xiaole stared at Fang Yuan in disbelief. “Will that work?”

Fang Yuan said, “If I say so, then it’s true. What’s there to be afraid of? None of them are any good. I didn’t say he was with Sun Hongyan—that’s already being nice.”

Zhu Xiaosan patted his chest, relieved it wasn’t true. “Isn’t it bad to spread rumors?”

Fang Yuan shot back, “Is stealing someone’s man any better?”

Zhu Xiaosan shook his head. “Definitely not.” He was just echoing whatever Fang Yuan said, like an old lady. Lu Chuan hadn’t had a chance to get a word in the whole time—he was thoroughly exasperated.

Fang Yuan concluded, “Then use bad to deal with bad. I think it works just fine.”"

"**Chapter 162: Who Can Outdo Me at Scheming?**

Zhu Xiaosan and Zhang Xiaole were completely outmaneuvered and could only nod along, “We think it’s a great idea too.” They didn’t dare say otherwise.

If Lu Chuan hadn’t stopped Fang Yuan, she would’ve gone straight out to tell Sister-in-law Sun, and that girl would’ve been called Sun Hongyan by now.

Zhang Xiaole gritted his teeth. “Fine, but Da Mei is definitely not going to be happy about this during New Year’s. Still, it’s better than letting her be strung along all the time.”

Then he looked at Fang Yuan, uncertain. “Will this really work?” He’d never done anything this big before and was honestly nervous.

Fang Yuan acted as if the whole thing had nothing to do with her, completely calm. “Just wait and see.”

She even went over to Lu Xiaosan, asking him for a favor: when he saw Gong Er, to help pass on a message.

Lu Xiaosan was much more familiar with the village than these bookish types. For him and his childhood buddies, tracking down Gong Er’s whereabouts was a piece of cake.

The result? Things went even better and faster than Zhang Xiaole and the others expected. Not even twenty minutes later, Da Mei was already out looking for Gong Er.

They couldn’t help but admire Fang Yuan’s knack for reading people—Sister-in-law Sun was just that effective, and Lu Xiaosan was just that reliable.

Lu Xiaosan was always happy to help, and he made sure Da Mei knew exactly where Gong Er was. Sure enough, she caught him right away. The whole thing played out perfectly.

Zhang Xiaole and Zhu Xiaosan looked at Fang Yuan with newfound respect. Who said this girl was dumb? They didn’t believe it for a second.

Originally, no one in the village knew that Gong Er and Da Mei were seeing each other. Gong Er had kept it very secret.

But once word got out that Gong Er was dating a girl from school, Da Mei panicked and confronted him. There was no way to keep it under wraps after that.

Both Gong Er and Da Mei got caught by their parents, and both families got dragged into the mess.

Lu Chuan and his friends watched the drama unfold from across the courtyard wall.

Fang Yuan was as cool as ever. “That’s what you get for being sneaky and trying to mess with me. Let’s see you talk your way out of this. Who could possibly out-scheme me?”

Zhang Xiaole saw both families getting involved and started to panic, stomping his foot. “This is bad! What do we do now?”

Fang Yuan replied, “Why are you so timid? You don’t have a shred of a village secretary’s steadiness. So what if it’s a big deal? Let it blow up. Are you salt or vinegar in this situation?”

Zhang Xiaole was chastened into calming down. “Don’t worry, I never wanted to be village secretary anyway. If my dad steps down, you take over. You’re steady enough.”

Zhu Xiaosan nodded in agreement. With that kind of presence, Fang Yuan was even better than Zhang Xiaole—no, better than the village secretary himself.

Fang Yuan said, “I’m just a bit better than you. Watch and don’t get involved.”

Lu Chuan moved to separate Fang Yuan and Zhang Xiaole. He didn’t like seeing anyone else in Fang Yuan’s eyes.

Zhu Xiaosan, quick on the uptake, noticed Lu Chuan’s behavior and quietly edged two steps away from Fang Yuan, sneaking a glance at Lu Chuan. With a wife who could stir up this much trouble, how did he ever fall for her? And yet, he treasured her.

Outside, Gong Er flatly denied being involved with Da Mei, and as for the girl from school, he wouldn’t admit to that either.

He wanted to keep things quiet but also keep Da Mei on the hook. Smart kid.

But Sister-in-law Sun wasn’t having it. “Really? Then why has Da Mei been looking for you for days? Don’t tell me you’ve got a girl at school and you’re stringing Da Mei along back here. We’re all from the same village—you’re being shady.”

What a talent Sister-in-law Sun was—she hit the nail right on the head. Zhang Xiaole shivered at her words.

He turned to Lu Chuan, “It really wasn’t me who told her. I swear I never said a word to Sister-in-law Sun.”

Lu Chuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax, Sister-in-law Sun doesn’t need you to tell her anything.” Half of what she spreads is just her own guesswork and intuition. She’s a master at reading between the lines.

Fang Yuan, with a look of disdain, sincerely advised Zhang Xiaole, “You’d better not work in the village. You’d have the whole place acting dumb. Just watch the show.”

At first, Da Mei was crying, but after hearing Gong Er’s words, she suddenly snapped, “Gong Er, are you saying we’re not together?”

Gong Er panicked and tried to signal her to stop talking.

But Da Mei wasn’t just talking nonsense—she was so agitated she blurted out, “I’m pregnant. Gong Er, I’m pregnant, and you’re still saying we’re not together?”

In this village, something like this was a once-in-a-decade scandal. The place exploded. Both families were too shocked to keep fighting.

Da Mei’s mother collapsed to the ground, wailing her heart out.

Even Sister-in-law Sun didn’t dare say a word. She realized she’d stirred up a hornet’s nest—she’d practically been part of the whole thing.

Gong Er backed up a couple of steps, face panicked. “N-no, that’s not true!”

Da Mei shot back, “I knew it, you just want to dump me. I’ve been looking for you for a month and you’ve been dodging me.”

Da Mei’s family snapped out of it. This brat was trying to deny everything. “Gong Er, you bastard, how could you treat our girl like this?”

The whole Zhang family rushed over and gave Gong Er a beating—everything else could be discussed later.

Gong Er’s family didn’t even dare intervene. This was way beyond what the two families could handle. Zhang Xiaole’s dad was going to have his hands full.

Zhang Xiaole watched the scene spiral out of control and was completely panicked. “What do we do? How did it get this big?”

Fang Yuan said, “It’s got nothing to do with you. Unless they come after you. You’re Da Mei’s savior, aren’t you? What else could you have done for a pregnant girl?”

Then Fang Yuan laughed, “What a great thing—get engaged, get married, have a baby. Looks like there’s going to be a wedding in the village.”

The problem was, Gong Er didn’t want any of this. Didn’t you hear how he talked about Lu Chuan? Gong Er was always mocking Lu Chuan for marrying a country girl, and now look at him.

Zhang Xiaole and Zhu Xiaosan looked at Fang Yuan together—this was a woman you did not want to mess with.

She’d handed Gong Er’s own tricks right back to him, and all it took was Sister-in-law Sun. Just like Fang Yuan said, she wasn’t salt or vinegar in the mix—she was above it all.

Lu Chuan was still buttering her up, “This is great. Now we know what kind of person Gong Er is, and Da Mei won’t be so hung up on him anymore. Isn’t that what you were always worried about? Now you don’t have to.”

Zhang Xiaole felt like he wasn’t worthy to stand with this couple. “But I never wanted it to turn out like this.”

Fang Yuan’s words were always on point, “The child isn’t yours, you’re not the one dating her, so what does it matter what you want? What’s the use?”

Zhang Xiaole was left speechless. “You’re right, that’s exactly how it is.”

Zhu Xiaosan could only nod. He’d really learned something today.

Fang Yuan said, “That’s just how it is. However you think about it is just wishful thinking. The real question is what Da Mei wants. Look at her now—she’s calling the shots. I don’t believe Gong Er will dare mess around anymore.”

Zhu Xiaosan timidly asked, “So this has nothing to do with us?”

Fang Yuan answered calmly, “It never did. What, you think Da Mei’s mom is going to give you a Good Samaritan award?”

Zhu Xiaosan and Zhang Xiaole shook their heads together. “No way, not at all.”

Zhu Xiaosan said, “Lu Chuan, I want to go to university. I want to go to a university in the provincial capital. I need to broaden my horizons.”

Zhang Xiaole echoed, “Absolutely, we have to study, we have to go.” If he learned even half of what Fang Yuan knew, his dad would be giving her an award.

163."