The Thornes just weren’t as good at putting on a false front as Phoenix Golding’s family. They were always harsh and short-tempered, making them seem like villains at first glance. But in reality, it was Phoenix Golding’s family, who spoke like saints but had the hearts of vipers, who were the true villains of Millstone Peak.

"Xiaonan, let’s go over there." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Amanda Chapman pinched her nose shut and pulled Tang Xiaonan upwind. They had been standing downwind, and the stench was overpowering.

A large crowd had gathered upwind, all villagers out for their work assignments. They were all enjoying the spectacle, laughing and joking, completely unbothered by the stench.

The two girls were small, so they easily squeezed their way to the front. There, they saw Linden’s mother standing in the middle of a field, her body... a sight that defied description. A mess of yellow, black, and white... all of it dripping and trickling down. Tang Xiaonan had sharp eyes; she could even see several suspicious, white, soft-bodied creatures wriggling merrily on Linden’s mother’s head. One fat one was right by the woman’s mouth... Just a little closer... and it would have crawled right in.

Tang Xiaonan squeezed her eyes shut, but that only made her imagine the thing bursting open. A wave of nausea hit her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth, dry-heaving. She tried desperately not to think about it, but her brain seemed to be on autopilot, replaying the bursting image again and again, each time in slow motion...

GACK...

’Amitabha, what a sinful thought!’

"Bah! Everyone knows it’s *your* family that’s full of man-stealing, whoring vixens! All of Clearspring Township knows about the shameless things your Phoenix Golding gets up to! And she even tried to seduce my Felix! Hmph! You think my Felix would even look at that filthy tramp? Bah! He’d rather sleep with a sow than Phoenix Golding!"

Phoebe Huxley stood on the path above the field, hands on her hips, raining curses down on Linden’s mother below. Next to her lay two overturned, stinking manure buckets, and her own pant legs were splattered with filth.

This part of the path was quite high, more than a meter above the field. Tang Xiaonan could picture exactly how Phoebe Huxley had pulled it off. Linden’s mother had been working in the field, right by the edge of the path. Phoebe Huxley had been walking along the path, carrying buckets of manure on a shoulder pole, and then... she’d "slipped." Two entire buckets of filth had dumped right onto Linden’s mother, drenching her from head to toe. Not a single drop went to waste.

’The perfect time, the perfect place, the perfect setup—not a single thing was out of place. This little ’crime’ of Phoebe Huxley’s was truly brilliant.’

"The girls from our Millstone Peak have always been respectable and pure! Everyone praises the girls who marry out from our village. Out of all the villages in Clearspring Township, our girls are the most sought-after! But look at things now! Your Phoenix Golding, a single, stinking rat dropping, has ruined the reputation of our entire Millstone Peak! How are the rest of our girls supposed to find good husbands now? So what if a shameless wench like you eats a little shit? If you don’t get that vixen in your house under control, I’ll make your whole family eat shit every single day!"

Raina stood beside Phoebe Huxley, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law shoulder to shoulder, a united front against the enemy. The sight filled Tang Xiaonan with relief.

’A family should always be united.’

Besides, her grandma was being even more brilliant this time. What had started as a private feud between the Thorne and Golding families had, with just a few words from Raina, been elevated into a major issue concerning the marriage prospects of the entire village. After all, who didn’t have a daughter of marrying age?

The expressions of the spectating villagers shifted. Even members of the Golding family began to glare at Linden’s mother with hostility. Reputation was paramount, especially for a young woman. That Phoenix Golding could have her fun, but she was dragging down all of their daughters in the process. Damn her.

"Of course, we Thornes have nothing to worry about," Phoebe Huxley added. "Phoenix Golding is one of the Goldings. Her reputation will only tarnish the girls of the Golding family; she can’t harm the Thornes. Besides, everyone knows our Thorne girls are as capable as they come, with outstanding character. We’ll have no trouble finding them good husbands."