It was Sun Tian!
Teacher Sun, who had supervised Xia Xiaolan during her entrance examination.
Though shy by nature, Sun Tian displayed unexpected courage.
Xia Xiaolan never expected Teacher Sun would be the first to speak up for her. But this seemed to open the floodgates – Teacher Wang, Teacher Qi, and others hurried over, followed by a group of students from Class Three.
Someone had spread the news, and Teacher Qi already knew the situation before arriving. She was furious: “Are you acting like a grandmother? Your granddaughter Xia Xiaolan excels in her studies and is self-reliant. Though she’s temporarily living with relatives, she insists on earning her own tuition and living expenses. If you can’t take pride in her achievements, at least don’t deliberately destroy a promising student!”
Teacher Qi, being a married woman, was physically stronger than the timid Sun Tian.
Though Grandmother Xia was throwing herself around and making a scene, several female students came out, and together they finally managed to pull her off Xiaolan’s legs.
“Xiaolan, are you okay?”
“Xiaolan, your grandmother is terrifying…”
“That can’t be Xiaolan’s real grandmother!”
Xia Xiaolan hadn’t expected things to develop this way.
The young faces before her were so endearing. These female classmates – though they didn’t spend much time together normally, had gotten somewhat acquainted during final exams when they ate together.
Looking at their concerned faces, Xia Xiaolan was deeply moved.
Teacher Wang even knew Xia Ziyu, “You’re all family, why don’t you try reasoning with your grandmother? You also got into university from County No. 1 High School. Is getting into university easy? These remaining months could affect Xia Xiaolan’s entire future!”
Xia Ziyu swayed unsteadily, “Teacher Wang, grandmother is elderly and stubborn. I’m at a loss… Grandmother, please get up. We’re all family. I’ve never blamed Xiaolan. Just ask her properly about Second Uncle’s whereabouts, she’ll surely tell you.”
With Xia Ziyu’s intervention, Grandmother Xia stopped lunging at Xia Xiaolan, though she remained seated on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing for her son’s return. While Xia Ziyu appeared helpful, she glossed over Grandmother Xia’s accusations against Xiaolan, focusing instead on the day’s events – Xiaolan’s father had come to reconcile with her mother, but got injured and ran away. Since Liu Fen wouldn’t appear, Xiaolan should at least provide a public explanation.
Principal Sun viewed Xia Ziyu with suspicion, noting how her gracious manner carried something peculiar.
This mediation, while seemingly helpful, dealt Xia Xiaolan another heavy blow!
The girls from Class Three immediately disagreed with Xia Ziyu’s version.
Though Xia Ziyu’s name still hung on the school’s honor board, it meant nothing to the Class Three girls. They were Xia Xiaolan’s classmates and naturally took her side.
They criticized Grandmother Xia, and Xia Ziyu by association.
Xia Hongxia, seeing her cousin under attack, argued with several girls.
As the scene grew more chaotic, Chen Qing couldn’t hold back and berated Xia Hongxia: “I remember her – she’s Xiaolan’s cousin! She previously stopped me from speaking badly about Xiaolan. The Xia family truly has no decent people!”
“Why are you bullying Xiaolan?”
“Wasn’t it said that Xiaolan’s parents divorced? They don’t even support her education, and now they come to berate her?”
“They’re from Zhang’s restaurant – I’ll never eat there again!”
Nothing Grandmother Xia said carried any credibility. Xia Xiaolan’s silence was interpreted by the indignant students as heartbroken helplessness. Xiaolan was beautiful but never actively approached any male students. Chen Qing repeatedly explained that he and Xiaolan were just from the same village. Xiaolan, who excelled in studies, selflessly helped others improve, and maintained her integrity, was practically a goddess in the male students’ eyes.
When someone is bullied at the school gates, one person’s intervention easily ignites others’ passion.
This unexpected turn of events surprised not only Xia Xiaolan but also bewildered the Xia family even more.
Seeing Xiaolan surrounded by female students offering gentle comfort, Xia Ziyu’s hands clenched so tight her nails nearly pierced her palms.
Why?
Why had public opinion sided entirely with Xia Xiaolan?
How had Xiaolan gained such strong support among County No. 1 High School’s teachers and students?!
Xia Ziyu couldn’t believe it or understand why.
Xiaolan’s influence had grown unintentionally. Considering test questions and study methods too commonplace to keep secret, unafraid of competition, she freely shared information, unconsciously building a strong foundation of popular support.
Teachers appreciated her academic excellence and diligence.
Students admired her good grades and helpfulness.
Though Xia Xiaolan never sought to be virtuous, her intentional and unintentional actions earned her a reputation for high moral character. Even her refusal of the school’s financial aid, and insisting on working part-time to support her studies, became evidence of her noble character.
In Dahe Village, where Xia Dajun was timid and Liu Fen rarely spoke, young wives and unmarried girls all envied “Xia Xiaolan.”
So when rumors spread, the gossip eagerly piled on, trampling “Xia Xiaolan” underfoot… because back then, “Xia Xiaolan” wasn’t strong enough to be feared, and spreading idle gossip about her carried no risk of retaliation.
Now that Xia Xiaolan was beloved by teachers and students, though Xia Ziyu tried to weaponize public opinion again, she could start the rumor but couldn’t control its direction!
Instead, the teachers and students thoroughly berated the Xia family.
The bloodshot look in Liu Yong’s eyes vanished as he tried to secretly wipe away tears – his niece had endured so much, but finally, the slander against her was cleared!
Mrs. Huang, standing next to Li Fengmei, said, “This poor girl has it so hard. When selling eggs, she makes several trips to the county town daily. When she brings her mother to eat at my stall, she only splurges on an egg for her mother – plain noodles for herself.”
Mrs. Huang finally understood why Xiaolan encouraged her to compete with Zhang’s restaurant – they weren’t family at all, but enemies who couldn’t bear to see Xiaolan have even a slightly better life! If Mrs. Huang had a soon-to-be university student ranking second in the grade, she would cherish them, not trample them down! Even if divorce led to living with the mother, wasn’t she still their granddaughter by blood?
Though Grandmother Xia was rough and unreasonable, when everyone criticized her, she couldn’t argue back.
She wasn’t truly invincible – she had moments of fear. Several male students looked agitated; if she hadn’t been an elderly woman, they would have rushed to beat her!
Grandmother Xia crawled around on the ground, trying several times to stand but finding her limbs weak.
Xia Changzheng gathered his courage to help her up, and this time she rose quickly without any fuss. The Xia family and Xiaolan’s positions had reversed for the first time, letting them taste the humiliation of universal condemnation.
The teachers and students hadn’t even started cursing yet.
If Wang Jianhua hadn’t been supporting her, Xia Ziyu might have fainted.
Though Xia Xiaolan neither spoke nor fought back, so many people rushed to her defense. Was it just her face? Xia Ziyu couldn’t understand – village gossip naturally despised Xiaolan’s face, inherently carrying three parts jealousy, so why would female teachers and students stand up for her?
Could education eliminate jealousy?
She had studied extensively and even attended university in Beijing, yet why was she still consumed by jealousy?
Xia Xiaolan waited for the teachers and students to vent their anger before stepping forward. Wasn’t this just a battle of performance? To secure orders and meet sales targets, she had said all sorts of things. In terms of eloquence, how could a village woman like Grandmother Xia, who only knew how to repeat herself, be her match?
“Everyone, please calm down and listen to me. I’m very grateful for your righteous defense. County No. 1 High School is a warm family…”