"You... you... you have the nerve to complain... You..."
Wu Cuizhi was about to let loose a string of curses, but Gu Jiaojiao spoke again, her tone casual. "Auntie, if you’re going to curse at me, I’ll go find the leadership right now."
"It’d be quite nice for all of us to attend an education class together then."
The curses on the tip of Wu Cuizhi’s tongue were immediately swallowed back down.
She, of all people, dreaded education classes the most. She’d get drowsy every time she had to listen. She’d rather be out in the fields earning a couple of work points than sit through one of those.
Besides, the classes were always held after a full day’s work. She was already exhausted from her labor, so having to sit through a class was simply torture.
With a belly full of rage and nowhere to vent it, Wu Cuizhi could only glare fiercely at Gu Jiaojiao before reluctantly sitting down.
Just after their "friendly" exchange, three more people arrived at their pile of grain.
"Gu Zhiqing."
Someone called her name. Gu Jiaojiao turned to see a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties smiling at her.
The woman wore a simple black jacket of coarse cotton, black pants, and what looked like a gray shirt underneath. It was the perfect attire for the weather, neither too hot nor too cold.
What surprised Gu Jiaojiao, however, was that the woman had greeted her first. She didn’t seem to recognize her.
But the woman’s eyes were kind, so Gu Jiaojiao smiled and replied.
"Auntie."
Aunt Zhao smiled and nodded, placing a small stool next to Gu Jiaojiao and starting to chat with her.
"Gu Zhiqing, I can’t thank you enough for yesterday. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid my daughter-in-law would have lost her baby."
Hearing this, Gu Jiaojiao immediately recognized her.
This was Wang Xiuhua’s mother-in-law, Zhao Tiezhu’s biological mother. Yesterday, when she heard her daughter-in-law was in trouble, she had dropped her work in the fields and rushed over. But it had been chaotic at the time, and Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t gotten a clear look at her.
She immediately offered a humble reply.
"Auntie, there’s no need to be so formal. I didn’t do much. Besides, anyone would have stepped in to help in Sister-in-law Xiu Hua’s situation."
Seeing that Gu Jiaojiao took no credit for her actions, Aunt Zhao grew to like her even more.
"No matter what, we will remember this kindness. If you ever need help with anything in the future, don’t hesitate to come find me."
But Gu Jiaojiao’s sweet calls of "Auntie" coaxed a beaming smile out of Aunt Zhao. With a manner like that, she would have been willing to help more even if the incident with Wang Xiuhua had never happened.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
’This Gu Zhiqing really has a way with words. No wonder Leng Yuan wasn’t interested in all those other girls he was introduced to, but ended up marrying Gu Jiaojiao. With a sweet voice like that, few could dislike her.’
She then added, "Don’t be so formal, Gu Zhiqing. It’s nothing for neighbors in the same village to help each other out."
Since Aunt Zhao had put it that way, Gu Jiaojiao could only nod and accept.
Although Aunt Zhao now saw Gu Jiaojiao in a new light, the people around them were dismayed.
The two middle-aged women who had come with Aunt Zhao wore long faces. If they hadn’t arrived late and found no other spots, they never would have sat with Gu Jiaojiao.
Therefore, they completely ignored Gu Jiaojiao.
And Gu Jiaojiao ignored them right back.
That was just her personality—she treated others how they treated her. She would never offer a warm smile to a cold shoulder.
Although she had decided to work hard and change everyone’s attitude toward her, that definitely didn’t mean she would go out of her way to curry favor.

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