Miao Miaomiao looked over, her expression freezing at once.
It was her?
She had felt for a long time that someone was secretly watching her, but she never expected it to be her third sister!
No—she was her own sister. Where could such deep hatred possibly come from?
In the original owner’s memories, there was no grudge against this third sister either.
Miao Miaomiao stared at her, utterly puzzled, yet the facts were obvious: this younger sister simply couldn’t stand to see her doing well.
Speculation and profiteering was a serious crime, and she didn’t hesitate at all to report her, completely disregarding any family ties!
“Z-Zhao… Instructor Zhao…”
The moment Huzi saw who it was, his legs went weak. He helplessly clutched Miao Miaomiao’s arm, tears streaming down his face.
“S-sis… what do we do?”
Instructor Zhao from the Red Committee had long been stationed at the commune, specializing in cracking down on speculation and profiteering in the villages.
Miao Miaomiao’s face turned cold as she appeared to be thinking of a way out.
On the other side, however, Miao Qingqing clearly had no intention of giving her any chance.
She strolled down leisurely, her brows and eyes full of schadenfreude as she watched her about to be arrested.
“Second Sister, just surrender obediently. Maybe your little sister here can even plead for leniency for you. Hehe.”
She had waited a long time for this day. Ever since she discovered one night that this woman was sneaking out, she had known something was fishy.
So she secretly followed her—and ended up discovering that her second sister was privately selling dried mushrooms.
Heh, that was speculation and profiteering!
With such a perfect handle, how could she not make full use of it? Hehe!
Miao Qingqing’s smile was radiant, the smugness on her face completely undisguised.
Seeing that expression, Miao Miaomiao felt even more confused. This Miao Qingqing didn’t look like a sister at all—she looked like a sworn enemy who wanted her dead.
There had to be something going on here.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she carefully sized up the thin woman before her.
As for what exactly the hidden issue was, she hadn’t figured it out yet, but one thing was certain: Miao Qingqing truly despised her. She was an enemy.
Miao Miaomiao withdrew her gaze and returned to her usual calm composure.
“Instructor Zhao, what a coincidence. Are you out enjoying the night scenery too?”
She turned and greeted the instructor with a smile.
Instructor Zhao, however, stared at her with a stern expression.
“Comrade Miao Miaomiao, what exactly is in that sack of yours?”
“Leaves,” Miao Miaomiao answered crisply, without the slightest trace of fear or nervousness.
“Hahaha—leaves?”
Miao Qingqing laughed so hard her legs nearly gave out. She pointed straight at Miao Miaomiao.
“What a great excuse… Instructor, don’t listen to her sophistry. There must be dried mushrooms in that sack.”
“Qingqing, it really is leaves,” Miao Miaomiao said coldly, her eyes carrying a clear warning.
But Miao Qingqing showed no fear at all, raising her voice even higher.
“Second Sister, don’t try to threaten me. Your little sister here believes in sacrificing family for righteousness!”
Miao Miaomiao smiled.
“Wow, Third Sister, you’re so upright and impartial. One day we really should award you a plaque in the village ancestral hall.”
“You!”
Miao Qingqing was so angered by the sarcastic jab that she was momentarily speechless.
“Enough, stop arguing!”
At this moment, Instructor Zhao spread his hands to stop them.
“Whether you’re secretly selling goods or not—we’ll know once we open the sack. Someone, open it.”
“Yes…”
Several comrades responded and quickly stepped forward to untie the rope.
Seeing this, Huzi could barely stand. Though usually bold, he was still just a child after all.
“Wuwuwu, I know I was wrong…”
Crying, he almost dropped to his knees.
But beside him, Miao Miaomiao firmly supported his arm, not allowing him to kneel.
“Huzi, we didn’t do anything wrong. Why should we kneel?”
“Huh?”
Huzi was so stunned by her words that he even forgot to cry.
Once the two comrades opened the sack, its contents were finally revealed.
They really were leaves.
“Reporting to Instructor Zhao, the sack contains dried leaves and pine needles. There’s nothing else.”
One of the comrades reported.
“Hm?”
Instructor Zhao extended the torch forward and took a closer look. It truly was nothing but leaves.
“Huh?”
He turned his head and looked at Miao Qingqing in disbelief.
Upon hearing this, Huzi finally lowered his hands from his face, his trembling body settling down as well.
“No… how could this be?”
Miao Qingqing couldn’t believe it. She stepped forward to look into the sack, then abruptly turned and glared at Miao Miaomiao.
“You! You figured it out from the start, didn’t you?!”
Miao Miaomiao raised a smile.
Earlier, when she had gone back inside to fetch her headscarf, she had already swapped out the goods.
Crossing her arms, Miao Miaomiao looked utterly innocent and confused.
“Third Sister, what are you talking about? I really don’t understand.”
She had no intention of laying her cards on the table with an enemy.
Experts die from talking too much.
Feigning ignorance and keeping the other party guessing—that was the right move.
“You! You… I’m so mad I could die!”
Miao Qingqing stomped her foot, her face full of resentment and unwillingness.
“Mad you to death, mad you to death, mad you to death so you buy flowers to wear—bleh bleh bleh… big idiot, silly turtle, twisting and crawling everywhere!”
Huzi wasn’t afraid of her at all. Singing a childish taunt while pulling faces, he vented all his pent-up anger at her.
“Alright, alright, let’s withdraw.”
Even Instructor Zhao shot her an annoyed look.
“Comrade Miao Qingqing, next time don’t make such a fuss. Come back only when you have solid evidence. Don’t casually waste public manpower and resources, alright?”
“Uh… yes.”
After the scolding, Miao Qingqing’s face alternated between pale and flushed.
“Hehehe…”
Seeing her suffer a setback, Miao Miaomiao felt genuinely pleased.
But she had no intention of letting it end there.
“Instructor, she framed me like this—are we just going to let it go?”
Just as the instructor had taken a few steps away, Miao Miaomiao called out to stop him.
“Hm?”
Instructor Zhao turned back in confusion, frowning at her.
“Then what more do you want?”
Miao Miaomiao rested her hand on Huzi’s shoulder and said quietly,
“She scared my little brother half to death just now. Shouldn’t she compensate him for the economic loss?”
She tapped him lightly, and Huzi immediately put on a trembling, terrified act.
At the mention of compensation, Miao Qingqing instantly shouted,
“Miao Miaomiao, I just made a mistake—it was a misunderstanding! Don’t push your luck and refuse to let it go!”
“Is that so? But my brother here is still shaking. When we go back, we’ll need to take him to see a doctor, which will cost money. If you don’t compensate, who is his family supposed to ask for that money?”
Miao Miaomiao argued calmly, with clear reasoning.
The instructor pondered for a moment, then reminded her with some difficulty,
“Comrade Miao Daniu, Comrade Miao Qingqing is your own sister.”
His meaning was clear: since they were sisters, she should let it go.
That wouldn’t do at all.
When she reported her just now, did she ever think about sisterhood?
“Instructor, I understand that she’s my sister. But Huzi isn’t her brother. He’s the one who suffered here. Shouldn’t the compensation be paid to him? Lately it’s been damp and rainy. Huzi’s grandma often can’t get a fire going. Out of filial piety, he heard that I had some dried leaves stored and came to ask for them, just to make it easier for his grandma to cook. And yet—such a kind, filial child was almost arrested for speculation and profiteering!”
As she spoke, Miao Miaomiao cast a cold glance at Miao Qingqing, as if she were a truly unforgivable criminal.