Chapter 494: Meeting
The next day, the villagers started work as usual, busy since early morning. However, things were a little different on Millstone Peak today. Everyone was still savoring last night’s gossip and was very concerned about the situation of its main subject, Phoenix Golding.
"Silas, have you heard about what happened with your Phoenix?" a troublemaker, unafraid of blowing things up, asked Phoenix Golding’s father, Silas Golding, directly.
Silas Golding’s face was darker than the bottom of a pot, and his son, Linden Golding, was the same. The father and son hoed the ground with their heads down, not saying a word. Of course they knew. How could they not? Phoebe Huxley’s voice was louder than thunder.
Before dawn, they had gone to see Phoenix Golding, wanting to ask for details. But Phoenix Golding was so sick she was unconscious, unable to even open her eyes. Vernon Spann was out fooling around and hadn’t come home. The grandson they used to dote on now just disgusted them. ’If he really is Storm Xavier’s spawn, we have to send that little bastard back to the Xavier family. We can’t bear this shame.’
Since Phoenix Golding was still unconscious, the father and son had no choice but to come to work. Even if it meant facing the ridicule of the entire village, they had to be here to earn their work points.
Linden Golding was even more worried that his wife would actually go through with divorcing him. ’These past few days, I’ve gone to my in-laws’ house several times and pleaded with them. I finally got my wife to relent; she promised to come back in a couple of days. But with all this drama, I’m afraid she’ll be coming back to file for divorce this time.’
’I’m also worried Phoenix Golding’s scandal will affect my daughter’s future marriage prospects. When arranging a marriage for a girl, the most important thing is a clean family reputation. I myself investigated thoroughly before getting married. If a family had an unchaste relative, I wouldn’t have wanted to marry into it.’
’Then again, who really knows what kind of person you’re bringing home when you get married?’
’Judging others by my own standards, other men must think the same way. My daughter probably won’t be able to find a good family now.’ Linden Golding ground his teeth in hatred. The more he had respected Phoenix Golding in the past, the more he loathed her now.
’I must have had the worst luck for eight lifetimes to be stuck with such a slut for a sister. Damn it!’
"Linden, did you know your sister was paraded through town yesterday?" the troublemaker persisted, refusing to let it go. The other villagers saw the dark expressions on the father and son’s faces and moved further away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire if a fight broke out.
"Ooh, they stripped her naked. Too bad I didn’t go to town yesterday."
But a few people weren’t afraid, taunting the father and son to their faces. Silas Golding managed to hold back, but Linden Golding was young and hot-tempered. How could he possibly endure it? He swung his hoe at the villager who had shouted the loudest. Luckily, the man reacted quickly, rolling on the ground to dodge the blow. Linden Golding then threw down his hoe and started grappling with him. It took a great deal of effort for the others to pull them apart.
The villager who’d been attacked angrily patted the dirt off his clothes and sneered, "So your sister cheats and sells her body, and I’m not allowed to talk about it? If you have the energy to hit me, you should use it to keep your family’s whore in check! Your family has completely shamed all of Millstone Peak!"
Linden Golding’s face was flushed red, his neck thick with rage. If people hadn’t been holding him back, he would have started fighting again. Silas Golding walked over and shot him a fierce glare, his expression terrifyingly grim. He dragged his son away; they wouldn’t be able to get any work done today.
Watching the father and son’s furious and pathetic retreat, the villagers actually felt a flicker of sympathy. With Phoenix Golding’s scandal, the ones most affected were Silas Golding’s family. They wouldn’t be able to hold their heads up high anymore. And Linden Golding’s daughter... her future marriage prospects were probably ruined.
In any case, they certainly wouldn’t let any of their relatives marry a girl like that. ’Her own aunt is a common whore; the niece is bound to be a bit like her. Who would want to marry a girl like that into their family!’
Phoenix Golding didn’t leave the house all morning, and Jacqueline Spann didn’t dare to either. She was afraid of the humiliation. Her grandfather and uncle had come over earlier and thrown a tantrum. Since Phoenix Golding hadn’t woken up and Ulysses Spann had gone to school, they had taken all their anger out on her.
Even though she didn’t want to go out, they were running low on firewood at home, not even enough to cook lunch. Jacqueline Spann had no choice but to carry a basket on her back and go up the mountain to gather some. After gathering the firewood and heading back, she unexpectedly ran into Clayton Xavier not far from the Hawthorne family’s house. Jacqueline Spann froze on the spot.