Raina nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes, it has nothing to do with the Thorne family. Let that slutty vixen do whatever she wants. If you two, mother and daughter, really have the guts, go ahead and seduce all the men in Clearspring Township together. I’ll even give you a plaque for it!"

"Mom, why would you give them a plaque? We could use that money for meat," Phoebe Huxley grumbled.

"What do you know? The plaque I’d give them would be special. It would have two words written on it."

"What words?"

"Village Bicycle."

Raina shouted the two words, and the crowd roared with laughter. Furious, Linden’s mother opened her mouth to start cursing, and in doing so, sucked in the fat maggot near her lips with a sharp inhale. No one else saw it, but Tang Xiaonan, who had been staring intently at the worms, saw the whole thing happen with perfect clarity.

Linden’s mother didn’t even realize it herself. She remained completely oblivious as the fat maggot popped inside her mouth. The sight made Tang Xiaonan feel sick to her stomach, her chest tightening in disgust. But she couldn’t tear herself away from the spectacle. ’This is even better than a movie!’

"You bitches! My Phoenix is a good, decent person! She’s a teacher respected by all! Did you actually see her having an affair? Keep spouting this nonsense and I’ll make you pay!"

Linden’s mother shrieked curses, ignoring the filth covering her body. She tried to jump up onto the ridge of the field, but after several failed attempts, she furiously scooped up dirty water and flung it at them.

Phoebe Huxley and Raina dodged the splash nimbly, their verbal assault growing even more merciless. The mother- and daughter-in-law took turns, tag-teaming her. In this two-on-one battle, they clearly had the upper hand.

"Respected by all, my ass! Your Phoenix Golding is a common tramp everyone’s slept with, cheaper than a bitch in heat! Why does she even bother wearing clothes? It’d be much more convenient if she just went to work naked," Phoebe Huxley shouted, slapping her thigh after each insult for emphasis.

"And that school! Honestly! There are so many high school graduates, and they insist on letting a tramp teach. Aren’t they afraid she’ll corrupt the children? If there were any other choice, I wouldn’t let our Xiaonan and Amanda go to school in Xavier Village. I have no idea what the school is thinking, not firing a stinking hussy like that!" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Raina’s sound effects were just as loud, her palm slapping with sharp cracks.

"She must have slept with the school district supervisor. How else could Phoenix Golding have landed a permanent position? Other people are full of book smarts; she’s just full of sluttiness. What could she possibly teach in her classes? How to sleep with men?"

The moment Phoebe Huxley’s voice faded, Raina’s palm started slapping again as she yelled, "Everyone, listen up! All of you with children starting first grade, especially if you have daughters! You need to teach them the right values! Don’t let them learn any whorish tricks from that bitch Phoenix, or you’ll bring shame upon eight generations of your ancestors!"

A stir went through the crowd of villagers, who began whispering amongst themselves. The words of Raina and Phoebe Huxley had truly sunk in and were having a considerable impact.

In that era, a young woman’s reputation was paramount. If their daughters truly learned bad habits from Phoenix Golding, they would never be able to marry well in the future, and their families would become objects of ridicule.

"You’re spewing absolute crap! Your mouths are filthier than a latrine! Who has Phoenix ever seduced? She’s a perfectly respectable teacher! You’re just jealous, so you’re slinging mud at her! I’ll be the death of you!"

Linden’s mother was hopping mad. She started running to circle around from another side, cursing all the while. But the mud in the paddy was deep, and her feet sank with every step. In her haste, she stumbled and fell several times, until she was so covered in sludge she barely looked human.

"Pah! Me, jealous of a tramp like her?" Phoebe Huxley shrieked, beside herself with rage. "You think I’m lying about her seducing my Felix? Selling her body just for a taste of meat! In all of Millstone Peak, only that bitch Phoenix Golding is capable of something so shameless!" Those dozens of pounds of meat were a wound that would never heal in her lifetime.