Seeing that no one believed her, Old Madam Wu grew even more anxious.
“Village Head, that wretched girl really doesn’t have any silver in her room!”
Village Head Zhang wasn’t a fool. Old Madam Wu’s behavior had become so obvious that there was no way he could miss it.
“Whether there’s silver or not, won’t we know once we report it and have the authorities investigate?”
Lin Wan casually tossed out the suggestion.
Compared to Old Madam Wu’s desperate attempts to convince everyone, Lin Wan remained remarkably calm.
And it was precisely that calmness that caused those who had begun doubting her because of Old Madam Wu’s words to believe her once again.
Reporting a case to the authorities was no joke. Once the government became involved, the matter would definitely be investigated thoroughly. If Lin Wan were lying, why would she insist on reporting it?
On the contrary, Old Madam Wu’s constant attempts to stop it seemed highly suspicious.
Village Head Zhang had already figured it out.
The person who had sneaked into Lin Wan’s room was most likely Old Madam Wu herself.
The old hag was troublesome enough on ordinary days, but now she had apparently started stealing too!
Another village head might have tried to suppress the matter to protect the village’s reputation, but Zhang was different. He had always been fair and upright. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have repeatedly protected Lin Wan and her brother from Old Madam Wu’s unreasonable bullying, nor helped them keep their farmland.
Today she had stolen from Lin Wan’s home.
Tomorrow she might steal from someone else’s.
Village Head Zhang knew her character well. If she wasn’t taught a lesson, she would eventually throw the entire village into chaos.
“We’ll report it. Right now. I’ll accompany you myself.”
His decision was final.
He happened to have acquaintances at the county yamen, and accompanying Lin Wan would make things easier for her.
The moment Old Madam Wu realized he truly intended to take Lin Wan to report the case, she panicked completely.
“No! You can’t report it!”
Lin Wan looked at her in surprise.
“You’ve tried to stop this over and over again. Could it be that you’re the one who stole my silver?”
Instantly, every suspicious gaze turned toward Old Madam Wu.
She spat on the ground and cursed.
“Bah! You little slut, stop talking nonsense! There was no silver under your bed—I didn’t even see a single copper coin!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Lin Wan nodded knowingly.
“So the person who sneaked into my room really was you.”
The crowd immediately erupted.
“I knew it! Old Madam Wu really did steal silver?”
“What’s so surprising about that? I suspected her from the beginning!”
“Exactly. She’s always taking advantage of people and doing sneaky things!”
The villagers discussed the matter among themselves.
After all, Old Madam Wu had practically confessed it herself.
The evidence was right there.
Old Madam Wu: “…”
In her panic she had let the truth slip.
With so many people hearing it, there was no taking the words back.
Since the cat was already out of the bag, she simply doubled down.
“So what if I entered your room? I’m your grandmother! What’s wrong with entering your room?”
Lin Wan blinked.
“But my silver is missing now.”
“Bullshit!” Old Madam Wu cursed. “There was no silver in that room!”
This damned girl had suddenly become unbelievably difficult to deal with.
“You say there wasn’t any, but does that make it true?” Lin Wan replied calmly. “I know better than anyone where my own money was hidden.”
The calmer she remained, the angrier Old Madam Wu became.
Normally she was the one framing and accusing others.
Now she had somehow become the accused.
There was no way she could swallow that humiliation.
“You say there was silver, so there was silver? Then I’ll say you stole fifty taels of gold from me!”
At this point she was so furious that she was barely making sense.
The whispers around her grew increasingly unpleasant.
She was telling the truth, yet nobody believed her.
Instead, everyone believed the nonsense coming from that little wretch.
To her surprise, Lin Wan nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. My word alone doesn’t count.”
“That’s exactly why I want to report it.”
“The authorities’ judgment counts, doesn’t it?”
Old Madam Wu’s face flushed bright red with anger.
But she knew one thing for certain:
She absolutely could not allow Lin Wan to report the case.
If the matter really reached the authorities, she would never be able to explain herself.
After all, she had undeniably entered Lin Wan’s room.
Just then, Lin Yaozu came running over to watch the excitement.
Seeing her precious eldest grandson, Old Madam Wu immediately found another excuse.
“No! We can’t report it!”
She quickly said, “Lin Sheng is going to take the imperial examinations in the future. If this matter becomes public, what if it affects his prospects?”
That was what she said aloud.
But what she was actually worried about was her beloved grandson, Lin Yaozu.
Lin Yaozu was also attending school. Even his name—Yaozu, meaning “bringing honor to the ancestors”—revealed Old Madam Wu’s expectations.
She was counting on him to pass the examinations and bring glory to the family.
If the matter reached the authorities and somehow affected him, what then?
Lin Wan, however, had nothing left to lose.
“The silver is gone. How is Lin Sheng supposed to continue studying?”
“As for the examinations, those are completely out of the question now.”
“This report is being filed today.”
From beginning to end, her position never wavered.
No matter what Old Madam Wu said, Lin Wan’s answer remained the same:
Report it to the authorities.
She knew perfectly well that if she showed even the slightest hesitation or weakness, Old Madam Wu would seize upon it immediately.
And then all of today’s carefully staged performance would have been for nothing.
“You’re Lin Sheng’s own sister!” Old Madam Wu shouted, eyes bulging. “How can you be so vicious? Aren’t you afraid he’ll hate you in the future?”
In the past, manipulating Lin Wan had always been easy.
Why had the girl suddenly become completely immune to threats and persuasion?
Just then, a youthful voice rang out from the back of the crowd.
“I won’t study anymore!”
“Big Sister, report it. I support you!”
Lin Sheng had heard about the trouble at home while he was at school and immediately rushed back.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, he had already heard most of what had happened.
At twelve years old, he understood more than people gave him credit for.
He knew his sister would never harm him.
And in this world, she was the only family he had left.
Compared to her, giving up his studies meant nothing.
Following the voice, Lin Wan looked up.
A thin figure emerged from the crowd.
Although Lin Sheng was already twelve, years of poverty had left him noticeably frail and undernourished.
Yet despite his thin frame, he walked forward with determination, stopping beside Lin Wan and taking hold of her hand.
“Big Sister, whatever decision you make, I’ll support you.”
His gaze was unwavering.
If not for his sister stopping him in the past, he would have long ago wanted to sever all ties with the Lin family.
To him, Lin Wan was his only real family.
Their eyes met.
A faint smile appeared in Lin Wan’s eyes.
“Mm.”
In the original novel, Lin Sheng had only been mentioned briefly.
Just a single sentence.
Because of poor health, he died in the examination hall during the provincial autumn examinations.
But now that he had become her younger brother, she would never allow him to meet the same fate.