He explained, “Originally, these IOUS were held by the villagers. After she repaid the money, I collected all the IOUS. However, she has not returned to the village in recent years, so I have been
unable to return the IOUS to her.”
The elderly man then pushed the box toward Josie and said, “Now that you no longer owe the village anything, you should take these items back with you.”
The elderly person’s words moved several of those present to the verge of tears. “The villagers may be poor and lack formal education, but they still uphold their basic sense of duty and conscience. Although we are unable to care for her, we cannot simply stand by and watch her die in the village.”
“I have served as the village branch secretary my entire life, overseeing all aspects of village affairs. Although I was unable to achieve poverty alleviation and prosperity, I ensured that no incidents ever occurred in the village,” the elderly man sighed.
The elderly man assured, “Back then, people were primarily concerned with having enough to eat and wear. Although living conditions have improved in recent years, they still would not think of taking advantage of a young girl.”
“At my age, I probably already have one foot in the grave, and there is no reason for me to lie. I swear
to heaven that neither I nor any man in the village has ever bullied Josie. We have lived our lives with
a clear conscience, fulfilling our duty as human beings by raising an orphaned girl. She’s made a name for herself now, and people are out to slander us. If this continues, no one will bother themselves with taking care of an orphaned child in the future,” the elderly man pleaded.
The elderly man concluded, “Respected professors and leaders, our relationship with Josie has always been above reproach and entirely proper. I swear that nothing described in the anonymous letter has ever occurred between us.”
When the elderly man finally finished speaking, everyone present could not help but raise their arms to wipe away their tears, feeling deeply aggrieved and humiliated.
Indeed, this matter concerns not only the reputation of Josie, but also that of the old village secretary and all the men in the village.
If framed nicely, it could be said that Josie had slept with everyone in the village for money. But she was an orphan after all. If word of this rumor had gotten out, it would have seemed as if the whole village was bullying a naive young girl.
There was no doubt that the narrative would have been painted as such: An orphaned girl faced considerable hardship, relying on manual labor in her village to pay for tuition. Yet she succeeded and
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left the mountains behind. Just when her life was finally starting to improve, someone had to smear her with such slander.
Such a narrative would make anyone angry.
+21
Delilah was about to explode with anger. “Which bastard could be so shameless as to fabricate even something like this? It just shows how rotten they are on the inside! Hadley, this matter absolutely cannot be tolerated! If the school can’t handle it, I’ll call the police. I refuse to believe the perpetrator can’t be dealt with.”
For Josie, compared to the rampant rumors in her previous life that she could not defend herself against, what she faces now is already the mildest harm. After all, the matter was reported only to the school and did not spread widely online.
But seeing Delilah in tears, Josie felt a pang in her heart and suddenly felt so wronged.
She stepped forward, helped Delilah to sit down, then raised her hand and gently caressed the area
above Delilah’s heart.
Josie comforted, “Don’t be upset, professor. It’s not worth it. I’m really fine, honestly. I know you all
trust me, and the school is willing to investigate seriously. The old branch secretary can vouch for me,
and that really makes me happy.”
“I am not intimidated by these malicious remarks. Truly, my conscience is clear. Others may speak as they wish, but we cannot control everyone. The only thing I can do is make myself stronger, braver, and work harder to rise above. Then, I’ll be able to defend myself against such maliciousness,” Josie
declared.
“Foolish girl!” Delilah felt her heart squeeze. “A young woman’s reputation is of utmost importance. The person who reported you acted with malicious intent and has committed an unforgivable offense. They must be made to pay the price for what they have done.”
Josie was moved to tears. She reached out and hugged Delilah. “Thank you, professor. Thank you!”
“Oh, my silly girl, it breaks my heart. How could you be so…” Delilah trailed off.
Delilah continued quietly, her eyes filled with tears, as she held Josie in her arms. “Fortunately, it’s all over now. From now on, I will look after you, and all the hardships you have endured will help you become a better version of yourself. In the future, you are sure to be blessed with good fortune.”
Others could not help but shed tears as well. The experiences Josie endured from childhood onward were truly heartbreaking.
For a moment, no one spoke, and no one interrupted Delilah and Josie.
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At that moment, an abrupt sobbing sound arose, “Professor, I apologize. I should not have spoken
carelessly about Josie. I was wrong, and I understand my mistake. However, it was not intentional.
Someone else had prompted me to say it.”
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