Chapter 341: Chapter 341: The Informant Must Be Phoenix Golding
"It has to be someone from our own village," Shane Thorne said with conviction. "Who from another village would be so meddlesome? Besides, outsiders wouldn’t know that Third Brother’s family is raising rabbits. Only a fellow villager could know."
"But no one in the village should know either," Byron Thorne said, just as confused. "I told my wife not to say a word about it to anyone, and we’re raising them in the backyard. There’s no way anyone could know."
"You can’t wrap fire in paper. Living in the same village, it’s inevitable that word gets out." Shane Thorne didn’t believe a secret could be kept. ’In this world, only the dead can keep secrets.’
Tang Xiaonan said quietly, "I know who reported us."
The moment the work team arrived, she had guessed who the informant was. It could only be Phoenix Golding.
"Who?"
"Phoenix Golding."
Tang Xiaonan used the woman’s full name. ’Someone like her doesn’t deserve to be called a teacher.’
"How do you know it was her?" Shane Thorne asked, curious.
Tang Xiaonan recounted the time she ran into Jacqueline Spann while cutting grass on the mountain. "My cousin and I were talking about the rabbits, and she was just down the slope, completely silent. My cousin only spotted her after she accidentally slipped and fell. She was acting so sneaky."
She added, "Other than that one time, my cousin and I never let anyone know we were raising rabbits."
Even if other villagers found out, they wouldn’t do something as wicked as reporting them. Everyone had bent the rules a little, so nobody’s hands were clean. Only Phoenix Golding’s family hadn’t done a single thing to violate the rules. They raised only one pig and six chickens, and their private plot didn’t exceed the limit by a single inch. They followed the official directives to the letter.
Only Jacqueline Spann and Phoenix Golding had a motive. Jacqueline was able to get Sherman Golding’s family to try and steal Adrian Hawthorne’s land, which proved she was petty and extremely vengeful. Since the first attempt to take the land failed, she would definitely try again.
As for Phoenix Golding, she was an even more obvious suspect. She had suffered one defeat after another at the hands of Tang Xiaonan’s mother recently, and her reputation was getting worse by the day. She hated the Thorne family more than anyone, giving her the strongest motive of all.
Besides this mother-daughter duo, Tang Xiaonan couldn’t think of any worse villains in Millstone Peak. Even someone like Iris was, at worst, a back-biting gossip and a petty thief. She wasn’t capable of something so malicious and underhanded.
"That bitch again! She’s like a damn ghost you can’t get rid of," Byron Thorne snarled, slamming his fist on the table, his face contorted with rage. "Hmph, her good days are numbered!"
Preston Thorne’s brow furrowed. ’If it really is Phoenix Golding, I won’t let her off easy, either.’ However, he thought it best to go to town tomorrow and ask around before jumping to conclusions. ’You can’t take a child’s words at face value.’
As Tang Xiaonan listened to the three brothers talk, she noticed that while their words dripped with contempt for Phoenix Golding, they didn’t mention Jacqueline Spann at all. In fact, judging by Preston Thorne’s tone, he still seemed to admire Jacqueline quite a bit.
"It’s a shame about that Jacqueline Spann. A good kid like that, held back by parents like hers. What a waste," Preston Thorne sighed.
The village chief’s wife chimed in, "The girl really is a good kid. She’s pretty, a hard worker... she does all the chores at home. Phoenix Golding is so lazy she won’t even wash her own underwear."
"I was actually thinking about proposing a match for my Jianguo in a few years. Jacqueline is two years younger than him, a perfect age difference, and they get along well. But with a mother like that..."
The village chief’s wife shook her head as she spoke, her heart filled with regret. Phoenix Golding’s reputation was now fouler than a cesspit. With a mother who was unchaste, gluttonous, and lazy, Jacqueline Spann’s marriage prospects looked grim. In any case, she no longer approved of the girl. It didn’t matter how wonderful Jacqueline was; she would never let her family become in-laws with a hussy like Phoenix Golding.
Byron Thorne remained silent, offering no opinion. Jacqueline Spann was just a kid; he didn’t give her much thought. Preston Thorne, however, shared the village chief’s wife’s regret. He truly believed Jacqueline Spann was an excellent girl.
Tang Xiaonan couldn’t hold back any longer. "Ms. Spann isn’t nice at all," she blurted out. "She’s a bad person."
