Fang Minjuan felt somewhat exasperated. "But if he doesn’t like you, what can we do? Besides, he’s transferred to a local post now to protect the Huo Family. Even if he were willing to marry you, we wouldn’t want you to follow him and suffer." Pan Huixin leaned on her mother’s shoulder. "Mom, I still don’t understand. He was promoted not long ago, and then suddenly he transferred. Why would he leave Beijing to go to such a small place?" Fang Minjuan had heard her husband mention this before. Some people were targeting the Huo Family, so Huo Jingrui had given up a promising future and transferred to a local position to protect the other members of the Huo Family. Of course, this was a story deliberately leaked by the Huo Family. However, it was true that some people had their sights set on the Huo Family. That was how they managed to fool everyone into believing that Jingrui had been forced to compromise to protect the careers of the other family members. Many people in the compound felt sorry for Jingrui. Fang Minjuan patted her daughter. "Those people never wanted the Huo Family to become too powerful; naturally, they wouldn’t let Jingrui stay in Beijing." Pan Huixin, thinking of what Jingrui had said, asked, "Mom, I heard that Jingrui’s fiancée is an orphan. What do you think the Huo Family members would think if they knew about this?" Fang Minjuan immediately understood her daughter’s idea. "Alright, leave this to me." Pan Huixin knew her mother was always smart; she would certainly understand what she meant. If I can’t have him, then no one else gets to be happy either. It didn’t take half a day for the news to spread throughout the compound: the Huo Family’s fourth son, having supposedly given up on himself, had found a country girl who was also an orphan. When Jiang Jingya found out, she was so angry she almost flipped the table. "If I find out who’s spreading these rumors, mark my words, I’ll go to their door and give them such a scolding they’ll wish they’d never been born! This is infuriating." She was fuming at home when she heard her daughter return. Huo Jiayuan hadn’t originally planned to return to the compound today, but after receiving a call from Auntie Zhang, she hurried back. "Mom, you’re not actually getting angry over this, are you? That would be playing right into the hands of those gossipmongers." Hearing this, Jiang Jingya had to admit it made sense. "Right, I can’t let them have their way. Besides, as long as your brother likes her, who cares what other people say? I really shouldn’t let this idle gossip get to me." Feeling better, she shouted towards the kitchen, "Auntie Zhang, I’m hungry! Let’s have dinner early tonight." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 Auntie Zhang, seeing she had calmed down, smiled and replied, "I’ve been keeping food warm for you. It’s ready now; I’ll bring it right over." Huo Jiayuan then remembered something. "Mom, next time Brother calls, ask him to take a photo with his future sister-in-law and send it back." Jiang Jingya’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Exactly! Why didn’t I think of that? Once the photo arrives, let’s see how they can possibly keep mocking us." While they were talking, their eldest daughter-in-law, Gui Hongmei, walked in. "Auntie Jiang, what meal is this you’re having?" Jiang Jingya looked at Gui Hongmei. "What are you doing back here?" Gui Hongmei sat down opposite Jiang Jingya. "Naturally, I heard some gossip and came back to see what was going on." Jiang Jingya’s expression hardened instantly. She didn’t believe for a second that her eldest daughter-in-law had such good intentions; she was probably here to gloat. Sure enough, before Jiang Jingya could speak, Gui Hongmei said, "I tried to set up your younger brother-in-law before, but you wouldn’t agree. You even said it was for my own sake. Well, now your younger brother-in-law has gone and found himself a country girl, and the whole compound must be laughing their heads off at us." Hearing this, Jiang Jingya slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Are you just here to provoke me, is that it? And what’s wrong with someone from the countryside? As long as my son likes her, that’s all that matters! If I, his mother, don’t mind, then you, as his sister-in-law, are certainly overstepping your bounds!"