Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

Xiuying pondered for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "Village chief, fellow villagers, I think we can raise funds to buy lime for the village. Those who are well-off can contribute more, and those who are less able can contribute less. Many hands make light work, and I believe we can raise enough money to buy lime this way."

After hearing this, everyone fell silent and thought about Xiuying's suggestion.

After a moment, a neatly dressed middle-aged man stepped forward and said, "Xiuying, that's a good idea. My family's harvest is pretty good this year, and I'm willing to pay more."

Then, a sister-in-law holding a child also said: "Although my family is not rich, we can still give a little and show our support."

More and more villagers responded and expressed their willingness to donate money to buy lime.

The village chief looked at everyone and said excitedly, "Great! Our village is united. I believe we can overcome this difficulty!"

In the warm sunshine, although there was still worry on the villagers' faces, their eyes were full of determination and hope.

The village chief looked at the excited crowd and said in a loud voice, "Then it's settled. After lunch, everyone will collect donations under this old locust tree."

The sunlight filtered through the branches of the old locust tree, casting dappled shadows. The villagers nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll come after dinner."

"No problem, Village Chief."

Everyone responded to each other, and then dispersed to go home for lunch.

The old locust tree gradually became quiet, with only the rustling sound of the breeze blowing through the leaves, as if it was also looking forward to the arrival of noon.

Amidst the crowd, Guangzong trotted back home and breathlessly told Tian Guilan, "Mom, Xiuying suggested collecting donations to buy lime. We'll do it under the old locust tree after lunch."

When Tian Guilan heard this, her eyes narrowed and she said sarcastically, "Everyone, come up with the money. It's going to be a lot of money. Xiuying is definitely trying to pocket the money herself, and I won't let her have her way."

As she spoke, Tian Guilan stood up, dusted herself off, and walked out.

Guangzong called out from behind, "Mother, where are you going?"

Tian Guilan said without turning back, "I'm going to find Hongmei. We have to work it out. We can't let Xiuying succeed."

Tian Guilan hurried to Hongmei's house and shouted before she even entered the door: "Hongmei, come out quickly, I have something to tell you."

Hongmei came out of the house and asked in confusion, "Sister Guilan, what are you so anxious about?"

Tian Guilan took Hongmei's hand and told the story again, exaggerating it. She gritted her teeth and said, "We can't let Xiuying's conspiracy succeed."

Hongmei frowned and said hesitantly, "Sister Guilan, could it be that we misunderstood Xiuying?"

Tian Guilan glared at Hongmei and said, "Girl, why are you still speaking in her favor? I won't let her go anyway."

The two of them conspired in the yard, planning to make trouble for Xiuying at the fundraising meeting after lunch.

Zhou Xiaoxiong in the yard was silently sorting out the miscellaneous items in his backpack, and he heard every word of the malicious conversation between Tian Guilan and Hongmei.

He frowned and thought to himself, "This won't do. I can't let them wrongly accuse Aunt Xiuying."

Zhou Xiaoxiong calmly picked up the backpack and shouted into the house, "Mom, I'm going to the fields."

After going out, he hurriedly walked straight towards Xiuying's house.

When they arrived at Xiuying's house, Zhou Xiaoxiong stood by the window outside the kitchen and knocked gently.

Taohua, who was cooking, heard the noise, turned to look at the window, and asked, "Who is it?"

Zhou Xiaoxiong lowered his voice and said, "Sister Taohua, it's me, Xiaoxiong. I have something important to tell you."

Taohua wiped her hands, walked to the window, opened it, and looked at Zhou Xiaoxiong in confusion: "Xiaoxiong, what's wrong?"

Zhou Xiaoxiong anxiously told Taohua everything he had heard: "Sister Taohua, my mother and Hongmei are plotting to do something bad to Aunt Xiuying at the fundraising meeting at noon. Please think of a solution quickly."

When Taohua heard this, her expression changed instantly and she said, "Xiaoxiong, thank you for telling us. You should go back quickly and don't let them find out."

Zhou Xiaoxiong nodded, turned around and ran away. Taohua was in the kitchen, worried, and hurried to the main room to tell Xiuying about this matter.

After lunch, the villagers gathered under the old locust tree to collect donations. The sun was scorching, but it couldn't match the people's enthusiasm.

Tian Guilan and Hongmei stood in the crowd, their eyes meeting from time to time, secretly planning bad ideas.

Li Shenghui was busy registering the amount of donations when Tian Guilan suddenly shouted, "Who will be in charge of the donation money? Don't let someone embezzle it!" She glanced at Xiuying with a sarcastic tone.

When everyone heard this, there was a moment of confusion.

Hongmei took the opportunity to agree, "Exactly. With so much money, you have to explain it clearly."

Li Shenghui stopped writing, looked at them calmly and said, "Everyone is watching this money. It will be used to buy lime to prevent the plague. There will be no embezzlement."

Tian Guilan insisted: "Humph, who knows? If you say you can't do it, then it can't happen?"

At this time, the village chief stood up and said seriously: "Don't be suspicious. Everyone knows Xiuying's character."

But Tian Guilan and Hongmei did not give up and continued to fan the flames among the crowd, and the scene became somewhat chaotic.

Just when the situation reached a stalemate, Aunt Li stood up and shouted, "Tian Guilan, Hongmei, stop making trouble here! Xiuying has worked so hard for the village, and you are slandering her maliciously. Have you lost your conscience?"

Tian Guilan's expression changed, and she said, "What does this have to do with you?"

Aunt Li snorted coldly, "I just can't stand you bullying good people like this! Don't think that everyone doesn't know what you're thinking."

The village chief's face was gloomy. He said, "Tian Guilan, Hongmei, if you continue to cause trouble, you will not be allowed to stay in this village!"

The two were so frightened that they dared not say a word.

At this time, a respected elder said: "Don't let this little thing delay your work. Hurry up and raise funds. The most important thing is to work together to prevent the plague."

Li Shenghui, who was in charge of registration, held a pen in his hand and asked expressionlessly, "Tian Guilan, Hongmei, how much are you donating?"

Tian Guilan rolled her eyes, took out a copper coin from her pocket, and said reluctantly, "That's all I can donate. No more."

Li Shenghui frowned and wrote down the number.

Hongmei looked embarrassed and hesitated for a long time before she took out a few pitiful copper coins and said, "I, this is the only amount I can donate."

Li Shenghui looked up at them, said nothing, and continued to register. The surrounding villagers saw how stingy they were and couldn't help but whisper about them.

"You only donated so little, and you still have the nerve to make trouble here."

"That's right, instead of helping, you're just causing more trouble."