“It must have been the Ji family!”
Pei Zhongmou gritted his teeth.
“They must resent us and wanted to steal our belongings before being sent to the countryside.”
Pei Yu’an immediately agreed.
“That’s right. I humiliated Ji Junxiao yesterday, and he beat me up. This has to be his revenge.”
The three of them turned to look at Lin Ranran at the same time.
Startled, she hurriedly shook her head.
“I don’t know. They never told me anything.”
Convinced that the Ji family was responsible, Lin Su’e cried as she cursed,
“It has to be those father and sons! They’re all skilled fighters. Stealing a few things would be easy for them. We have to report this to the police and have them arrested!”
Lin Ranran had only wanted to empty the scumbag cousin’s house.
She hadn’t expected to drag the Ji family into trouble.
She quickly stopped them.
“Aunt, you absolutely must not call the police.”
Pei Zhongmou glared at her.
“So you’re protecting them?”
Looking aggrieved, Lin Ranran hurriedly explained,
“Uncle, you’ve misunderstood.”
“The Ji family is about to be sent to the countryside, isn’t that right?”
“If you report them for theft now, they’ll definitely be arrested and investigated.”
“If the stolen items are found, that’s one thing.”
“But if they aren’t found, they’ll certainly accuse the Pei family in return.”
“I also heard they’ve already applied to reopen the corruption investigation.”
“If they manage to find new evidence… they might not even end up going to the countryside.”
The moment Pei Yu’an heard that, his face changed dramatically.
“Ranran, is that true?”
“They really applied to reopen the case?”
Lin Ranran nodded with complete confidence.
“Yes.”
“I heard from a reliable source that they’ve already submitted the application.”
Pei Zhongmou’s expression darkened.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
“Ranran, keep a close eye on the Ji family.”
“If anything happens, report it to your cousin immediately.”
“And don’t spread today’s incident.”
“I’ll investigate it in secret.”
“I’d like to see who has the nerve to steal from me.”
Lin Ranran secretly rejoiced.
Outwardly, however, she remained serious.
“Don’t worry, Uncle. I know what to do.”
“An’er.”
“See Ranran out.”
Father and son escorted Lin Ranran to the gate.
She deliberately sighed.
“I was just about to gain control of the Ji family’s finances.”
“Now it looks like that’s impossible.”
Feeling sorry for her, Lin Su’e pulled another five hundred yuan from her pocket and stuffed it into Lin Ranran’s hands.
“Take this and deal with the Ji family.”
“Even though the jewelry is gone, you must still take control of their money.”
She still has money?
Lin Ranran accepted it with a smile.
“Don’t worry, Aunt.”
“I’ll definitely succeed.”
Pei Yu’an also rewrote another IOU for her.
Holding it in her hands, Lin Ranran was overjoyed.
Now that scumbag owed her four thousand yuan.
This trip had been incredibly rewarding.
Life with a cheat ability really was wonderful.
Standing outside the Pei family’s gate, Lin Ranran looked around for quite a while.
Her handsome husband was nowhere to be seen.
He must have gotten tired of waiting and gone home first.
Fine.
Let him.
Now that she had money, it was the perfect time to go on a shopping spree and completely stock up her space.
Afraid someone might recognize her, she put on a face mask and covered herself carefully.
Passing by a consignment shop, an idea suddenly came to her.
She might as well sell everything she’d taken from the Pei family.
She had no interest in using secondhand furniture anyway.
Walking straight inside, she approached the manager and lowered her voice.
“Manager.”
“I have a batch of used furniture.”
“You understand… it can’t be traced.”
“I’d like to sell it cheaply.”
“Would you dare buy it?”
The manager carefully looked her up and down before replying,
“I’ll have to see the goods first.”
Lin Ranran smiled confidently.
“I’ve already placed everything in the alley nearby.”
“Come take a look.”
The manager followed her there.
The moment he saw the furniture, his eyes widened.
Every single piece was genuine, high-quality furniture.
Although used, the wood was obviously first-rate.
Seeing his reaction, Lin Ranran knew she’d already won.
“This entire batch.”
“Two hundred yuan.”
“What do you think?”
The manager looked troubled.
“That’s rather expensive.”
“One hundred.”
“That’s my limit.”
Lin Ranran calmly analyzed,
“Manager, hire a few skilled carpenters to sand them down, repaint them, and make a few adjustments.”
“Then sell them to the state-run supply cooperative as new.”
“You’ll recover your costs after only a handful of pieces.”
“The rest will be pure profit.”
“You’ll even earn merit for bringing money into the collective.”
“If I weren’t pregnant—and if the other consignment shops weren’t so far away—would such good business ever come to you?”
The manager slapped his thigh.
“Fine!”
“Two hundred it is!”
Before leaving, Lin Ranran deliberately reminded him,
“Manager…”
“These goods absolutely can’t be exposed.”
“You’d better be careful.”
“Don’t let anyone see them.”
He nodded repeatedly.
“Of course.”
“Don’t worry.”
With two hundred yuan safely in hand, Lin Ranran felt wonderful.
Still smiling broadly, the manager added,
“Miss, if you ever have more good merchandise… remember to come to me.”
Lin Ranran casually asked,
“What about silver and jewelry?”
“I could sell them to you cheaply too.”
His eyes immediately lit up.
“Yes!”
“Of course I’ll buy them!”
Lin Ranran took out a pile of silver ornaments and jewelry.
She deliberately kept the gold.
Gold prices would soar in the future.
She wasn’t willing to sell it.
The manager stared with his eyes wide open.
“This…”
“Miss… you…”
For a brief moment, he wondered whether she might be some capitalist speculator.
If he reported her…
Bah!
What benefit would that bring me?
He already dealt with the black market.
He could easily resell these items there for a hefty profit.
As long as everything stayed secret.
“Manager.”
“I’ll sell these for only one-third of the market price.”
“You understand.”
The manager immediately nodded.
“I understand.”
“I won’t report you.”
This transaction earned Lin Ranran another one thousand yuan.
Those silver bracelets were incredibly valuable.
The manager’s grin nearly reached his ears.
Today had been a tremendous success.
Originally, Lin Ranran intended to shop at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
Then she changed her mind.
The department store carried far more products and better-quality goods.
After changing her appearance once again, she headed straight for the department store.
The moment she walked inside, she looked like a little animal that had stumbled into a treasure trove.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
From the food section…
To household goods…
To textiles…
To hardware…
She bought without hesitation.
At the same time, she knew buying too much at once would attract attention.
If someone labeled her a capitalist…
She’d be finished.
So she divided her shopping into more than ten separate trips.
Each time she changed into different clothes and wore a different mask.
No one recognized her.
After every purchase, she slowly carried everything into a nearby alley…
And quietly stored it all inside her space.
By the time she reached the alley…
Everything had already disappeared.
After buying nearly everything she wanted, she finally stopped.
With so many supplies…
Life in the countryside would no longer be a problem.
Passing by the market, she paused again.
She bought a fragrant roast chicken…
A crispy roast duck…
As well as rice seeds, vegetable seeds, and flower seeds.
When she passed a bookstore, her feet refused to keep walking.
She ran inside and bought a huge stack of books.
Life in the countryside would be much easier with plenty of books to read.
Only after buying nearly everything she needed did Lin Ranran finally head home, completely satisfied.
Meanwhile…
At the Ji family home…
Everyone sat around the dining table.
The dishes had already been served.
Yet not a single person picked up their chopsticks.
Madam Ji repeatedly glanced toward the doorway, her face filled with anxiety and hope.
Nearly an hour passed.
Everyone’s stomachs growled with hunger.
Still…
No one dared begin eating.
Madam Ji firmly declared,
“We’re waiting for Ranran.”
“If she doesn’t come back… nobody eats.”
Father Ji had already been in a terrible mood these past few days.
Now that the family had finally gathered for a meal…
His daughter-in-law was nowhere to be seen.
His expression grew increasingly unpleasant.
“Wait for her?”
“You honestly think she’s coming back?”
“Big Brother, you’re really generous.”
“You actually escorted her to the Pei family.”
“Wasn’t the green on your head bright enough already?”
Ji Junyao complained bitterly.
The moment Madam Ji heard those words, her eyes immediately reddened.
Looking at Ji Junxiao, she pleaded,
“Son…”
“You probably left before Ranran was finished.”
“She must be angry.”
“Hurry.”
“Go bring her home.”
“Big Brother, don’t!”
Ji Junyong quickly stopped him.
“She’ll only humiliate you together with that Pei guy.”
“Exactly.”
“Lin Ranran is too vicious.”
“She wants to drive our whole family into ruin.”
Ji Junshan added angrily.
Father Ji’s face darkened further.
“Enough!”
“Eat!”
“If anyone says another word… you’ll stand outside in the courtyard as punishment!”
Among everyone…
Father Ji hated Lin Ranran the most.
He had once been a dignified deputy commander.
Yet he had been completely manipulated by a single woman.
How could he ever swallow such humiliation?
And it was all because of his useless eldest son.
A proud soldier…
Drugged and trapped by such a vicious woman.
What a disgrace.
Father Ji shot Ji Junxiao a fierce glare.
Ji Junxiao quietly stood.
“You all eat.”
“I’ll bring her back.”
Even if he had to drag her home by force…
He would bring her back and give his family an explanation.
At the very least…
She should keep up the act until after they left for the countryside.
Now everyone was miserable because of her.
She was truly infuriating.
Madam Ji hurriedly reminded him,
“Be gentle with Ranran.”
“You must bring her home.”
Father Ji barked,
“You’re not going anywhere!”
“Ji Junxiao!”
“Stand in the courtyard for two hours!”
“No dinner!”
Just as Ji Junxiao rose to his feet…
Cheerful footsteps came from outside.
Everyone looked up.
Lin Ranran skipped into the house.
In her left hand was a glossy roast chicken.
In her right…
A fragrant roast duck.
“Ranran!”
“Be careful!”
Everyone’s hearts lurched as their eyes instantly fixed on her slightly rounded stomach.
Ji Junxiao reacted first.
He rushed over, caught her securely, and carefully guided her into a chair.
Only then did the entire family finally breathe again.
“Perfect!”
“I made it just in time for dinner!”
“I’m starving!”
“Honey!”
“Hurry and chop up the chicken and duck.”
“Tonight we’re having a proper feast!”
Lin Ranran cheerfully shouted, completely unaware of everyone’s stunned expressions.
The Ji family exchanged bewildered looks.
She had actually come back.
And she’d even brought roast chicken…
And roast duck.
Something was definitely wrong.
It had been nearly a month since anyone in the family had even smelled meat.
Every month they handed their salaries to her.
The little meat she bought…
She ate by herself.
Madam Ji always gave her own share to the pregnant Lin Ranran.
Everyone else could only watch.
Now…
She suddenly brought home roast chicken and roast duck.
Could they…
…be poisoned?
“Honey!”
“Hurry!”
“My arms are getting tired!”
Seeing Ji Junxiao standing there in a daze, she urged him.
He finally snapped out of it.
Quickly taking the chicken and duck from her hands, he hurried into the kitchen.
Madam Ji wiped away tears of excitement while immediately giving instructions.
“Yaoyao!”
“Go heat up the dishes again.”
“Your sister-in-law is pregnant.”
“She can’t eat cold food.”
Ji Junyao stood frozen, eyes as wide as saucers.
Only after hearing her mother’s voice did she stammer,
“O-Okay…”
“I’ll do it now.”
As she carried the dishes into the kitchen, she couldn’t help glancing back repeatedly.
What is Sister-in-law plotting this time?
After recovering from their shock, the younger brothers all looked at Lin Ranran suspiciously.
“Ranran.”
“You’re not too tired, are you?”
Madam Ji gently held her hand.
“I’m not tired, Mom.”
“Oh, right.”
“When I passed the pharmacy, I bought medicine for you.”
“This herbal medicine is excellent.”
“You can both drink it and use it externally.”
As she spoke, Lin Ranran took out a carefully wrapped packet of herbs and handed it over.
Madam Ji accepted it with trembling hands.
“These…”
“These are for me?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“You’re not in good health.”
“You need to take better care of yourself.”
“Ranran…”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Madam Ji burst into tears.
Lin Ranran then looked toward Father Ji, who had remained silent the entire time.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She knew he was still angry.
Tentatively, she called,
“Dad…”
Father Ji looked up coldly.
“Mm.”
Madam Ji quickly smoothed things over.
“Ranran, don’t mind him.”
“He’s had too many worries these past few days.”
“He’s just in a bad mood.”
Lin Ranran’s eyes reddened.
Her voice trembled.
“It was all my fault.”
“I was too immature before.”
“I hurt everyone.”
“I know I was wrong now.”
“I’ll truly turn over a new leaf.”
“Please…”
“Give me one chance to make up for everything I’ve done.”
Once again…
The entire family was speechless.
How could the selfish, unreasonable woman they knew…
Change so completely in a single day?
It was almost impossible to believe.
“I believe Ranran.”
Madam Ji was the first to break the silence, tightly holding her hand.
“Thank you, Mom.”
Just then…
Ji Junyao returned with the reheated dishes.