Before Wang Shufeng could speak, Lin Qiao smiled understandingly and said, “Since everything’s been cleared up, I’ll take my leave. Mother-in-law, you don’t need to make a fuss. If the money’s really gone, we can report it to the police.
It’s so late and everyone’s still here—is it just to get back your own bowls and dishes?
I don’t know which belongs to whom, so I won’t stay and add to your trouble.”
Without looking back, Lin Qiao walked off without a trace of attachment.
Wang Shufeng stood there dumbfounded. She had long forgotten about the bowls and dishes, and when her eyes swept the yard, there wasn’t a single intact bowl left.
The crowd finally realized what had happened. Their eyes turned accusingly toward Wang Shufeng—now that it concerned their own interests, she couldn’t just say a few words and brush it off!
Xu Zhaodi was the first to speak up: “Shufeng, you owe me an explanation. I kindly lent you all the bowls and chopsticks from my house for the banquet. I barely got to eat, people even got beaten, and all my borrowed dishes are broken. How am I supposed to eat tomorrow morning?”
“Exactly! If it weren’t for Xiangyang’s wedding, who would lend you their bowls? Now there’s not a single one left in my house. My husband’s going to make a scene tomorrow for sure!”
“Yeah! Borrowing other people’s things without taking care of them—Wang Shufeng really isn’t a good person!”
“Before, we may have all been deceived by her. Every day she’d grab a few sunflower seeds and talk about her former daughter-in-law’s faults. Everyone said Wang Shufeng liked things clean—but I’ve never seen her do any work.”
As the crowd grew louder, Wang Shufeng was stunned. What could she do now?
Even if she wanted to compensate, she couldn’t. Her family fortune had truly been emptied!
Lin Qiao ignored the chaos behind her. She had thought Wang Shufeng wouldn’t return home today. Now that she had, there was no way Lin Qiao would obediently stay at the Liu household. Did they really expect her to stay and do chores for them?
Not a chance!
She also didn’t plan to go back to the Yuan household tonight. If she returned now, and the Yuan family discovered their pigs missing in the morning, they’d surely make a scene.
She wasn’t afraid of the Yuan family—she’d just done too much today and wanted to enjoy a proper sleep, uninterrupted.
Right! She hadn’t taken anything—so don’t even try to pin the missing pigs on her!
Lin Qiao left the village and slipped into a secluded corner, entering her space.
Inside, the plants were lush, and the treasured chickens and pigs were lively and adorable.
After taking a bath, she lay down on the bed, utterly exhausted from the day.
Lin Qiao reviewed her performance today and found it commendable—even her acting had improved.
Earlier, when she cried at the Liu household, she almost believed her own tears.
Even the chicken bones she had prepared in advance in the space came in handy at the crucial moment.
Today, the Liu family’s three generations had all lost face.
Liu Meili tried to tarnish her innocence, so Lin Qiao ruined her reputation first.
Liu Xiangyang liked domestic violence, so she broke his arm.
Liu Xiaomei liked framing others, so she let her taste being falsely accused.
Wang Caixia liked to smear her daughter-in-law—after this experience, even if someone still believed her in the future, they’d have to think twice!
As for the Yuan family, Yuan Mingzhu would probably not have an easy time resting after giving birth!
The scheming but foolish second aunt had hidden back at her parents’ house.
Wang Caixia wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. If Yuan Mingzhu wanted her to serve during confinement, the Yuan household would surely have a fuss.
All of this was just a small appetizer—the real game had only just begun.
In short, today’s first battle was a success!
She planned to go up the mountain tomorrow to see if there were any edible plants to transplant into her space.
In the afternoon, she would return to the Yuan household for entertainment, leaving the Liu household to deal with the mess in their yard.
When Liu Xiangyang was discharged, she would go back to comfort him properly.
Lin Qiao fell into a sweet dream on the soft, large bed.
Suddenly, she jolted upright!
She finally remembered what she had forgotten—how could she have forgotten Su Peilan!
That was the original owner’s biological mother!
And the original owner’s brother, Lin Xuan. Back then, Lin Baiyanlang Jun Cai had married into the Yuan family.
Yuan Mingzhu considered Lin Xuan, only seven years old, too young to work, though he could eat. She feared that as he grew up, Lin Xuan would compete for their family inheritance, so she absolutely refused to let Lin Jun Cai bring him along.
All these years, Lin Xuan had lived with Su Peilan. She had no idea how he was doing now.
Since coming to the Yuan household, the original owner had been endlessly busy, with no leisure. Without the stepmother’s permission, she didn’t dare return to the Su household—not even dare mention it.
After marriage, life was even more like sinking in a quagmire, worse than in the Yuan family.
She had never seen Su Peilan before her death; the only memory of her mother was a gentle, smiling woman.
Lin Qiao closed her eyes, deciding to take the time tomorrow to go back and check.
A faint light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Most families in Dongshan Village were still asleep. Outside a dilapidated adobe house, a woman carrying a worn basket whispered inside:
“Xiao Xuan, wait for your mother at home. Don’t go out by yourself. I’ll be back as soon as I finish cleaning the manure.”
A cough came from inside: “Mother, it’s still early. Rest a little longer.”
“You have to start early. If you wait too long, there’ll be nothing left. Sleep a bit more; I’ll be back quickly.”
Her voice faded, and Lin Xuan realized his mother had left.
He coughed a few times, pulled off the covers, dressed, and went into the yard.
The firewood he collected yesterday on the mountain hadn’t been stacked. His small arms struggled to lift the axe as he chopped at the damp wood.
Lin Xuan remembered what other children said when he left yesterday:
“Your sister married? Why doesn’t she come back to see you?”
Had she really forgotten them, as those bad children claimed?
When he was young, Lin Xuan always stuck to Lin Qiao—he was his sister’s little shadow.
Two years ago, missing her terribly, he secretly went to Xiguan Village.
He saw Lin Qiao working non-stop in the yard. She hadn’t gone on to a better life, as his mother had said.
Yuan Mingzhu, upon seeing him, beat him and sent him away. Did his sister know he had come to see her? Wiping the tears from his eyes with her sleeve, she shook off the thoughts and focused on chopping wood.
On the first night in this world, Lin Qiao had slept deeply, her happiness beginning when she found an egg in the chicken coop.
Early in the morning, she made herself a hearty breakfast. Though the pigs weren’t ready to slaughter yet, she could wait—meat always went rotten in her pot otherwise.
After tidying up, Lin Qiao went into the mountains, catching two wild rabbits, a pheasant, and some long-lost mountain delicacies, and only then was satisfied.
The original owner had left Dongshan Village six years ago. She had never returned, and her mother had never visited.
Lin Qiao didn’t know whether they had started a new life.
While enduring suffering in the Liu household, besides her father, the original owner always longed for her mother to find her and rescue her.
Lin Qiao’s feelings were complex. She couldn’t fully empathize with the original owner, but now that she had taken her place, she hoped to go back and see them, fulfilling at least this wish.
Dongshan Village was over an hour’s walk from Songzi Mountain Village. By the time Lin Qiao reached the village entrance, it was past noon. She walked a little further before seeing the dilapidated adobe house from memory.
The house was even more run-down than she remembered.
At the broken gate stood a few young men in military-style uniforms with red armbands.
The leader shouted loudly: “Su Peilan, come out quickly and come with us!”