Accidentally entered a high gate

Just as Zheng Chunfang finished thinking, she heard the middle-aged woman say loudly, "Stop talking nonsense. Go to our office and ask around. I have a very good relationship with Xiao Ma. I'm asking you, is your granddaughter fatter, or is Xiao Ma's daughter fatter? Don't you dare lie through your teeth."

A: "..." Why is she opening her eyes like that... Wait, Ma Lifeng's daughter really does seem quite chubby. "Yes... it seems like little Ma's daughter is chubby."

"It's not just a guess, it's a sure thing. When we went to the brigade where Xiao Ma was working to help the farmers, they all said that Xiao Ma's daughter was probably... quite chubby. They all said that Xiao Ma was very good to his daughter and his wife."

Whew... I almost said the wrong thing. People from the riverside brigade all say that Xiao Ma's daughter might have eaten, and that only Xiao Ma could afford to raise her.

"The brigade where Xiao Ma went to work in the countryside used to only have a primary school, not a junior high school. Later, the country started to popularize junior high schools, right? The brigade where Xiao Ma went to work responded to the country's call and added a junior high school. When Xiao Ma found out, he had his wife attend junior high school as well."

"When his wife went to junior high school, he didn't let her bring the child to class; he took care of the child himself. During those two years when his wife was in junior high school, he was both the father and the mother."

"But he doesn't find it tiring at all."

"The people in the brigade where Xiao Ma went to work in the countryside all said they had never seen such a good husband and such a good father as Xiao Ma."

Zheng Chunfang: "..." Sister, can you only say that my husband is good to my daughter? Her daughter will always be her husband's daughter. But that's not necessarily true for her. She's now actively studying high school subjects not only because she feels that learning more knowledge is never a bad thing, but also because she wants to get closer to her husband and her in-laws.

A: "He's so good to his daughter, why doesn't he keep her with him?"

B: "He's already married to his wife, yet he still makes her go to junior high school. Is he out of his mind? Or does he think his wife is uneducated?"

"You're the one who's out of your mind. Xiao Ma is just responding to the national call; isn't the country going to make junior high school education universal? As for why Xiao Ma didn't bring his daughter along? She has a grandmother to look after her, so why bring her? Bringing her would only get her into daycare. How many babies can a daycare worker look after by herself? How many can a grandmother look after by herself?"

B: "..." You're the one who's mentally ill!

A: "..." That's true. But, "Her mother-in-law doesn't seem to want to help her take care of her. Her daughter looks like a little beggar, except for being chubby."

They just didn't want to attract kidnappers. Everyone in the riverside village says Xiao Ma's daughter is prettier than both of them combined. Xiao Ma and her husband are both quite good-looking. How good-looking could she be? Prettier than both of them combined!

"You say someone looks like a little beggar just because they're a bit dirty? Anyone who's ever raised a child knows that even if you change their clothes eight times a day and wash their face eight times, they still won't be clean."

"What do you mainly look at to see if a child is doing well? Do you mainly look at whether they are chubby or not? Of course, there are exceptions, like those who can eat whatever they want and not gain weight, but those are very rare."

A: "..." That's true. "So I misunderstood?"

"You've definitely misunderstood. Don't talk nonsense."

A: "I'm not going to talk about it anymore. Didn't you have a... um, didn't you have a grudge against Ma Lifeng? Why are you so eager to explain for him?"

"Who said I have a grudge against Xiao Ma? We're good friends. I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going home to cook." The middle-aged woman said as she walked home, telling them not to spread rumors.

A and B: "..."

The others: "..."

Zheng Chunfang: "..."

Zheng Chunfang took a different route home, wondering whether the woman had a grudge against her husband, or if they were particularly close, or if she wanted to mend things. From her words, it seemed she was one of those people who went to her hometown to inquire whether she and her husband were a real couple or just pretending.

As soon as Zheng Chunfang got home, she told Ma Lifeng what had happened. When she spoke, she emphasized what the middle-aged woman looked like. "Do you know who she is? Do you know why she spoke up for us?"

"I know. Her name is Tian Jinglan. At first, she wanted to introduce her niece to me, and later she wanted to confirm that I was a rabbit. Now she probably thinks she has divine protection and wants to make amends."

Zheng Chunfang was about to ask, "Do city people believe in this too?" when she remembered that the people who had inquired about her hometown were scared out the very night they stayed at her house.

As Ma Lifeng poured her water, he said with a smile, "Those people who went to the riverside brigade to inquire are being very nice to me now."

Zheng Chunfang also found it quite funny. "You could say we've turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise?"