She put the sweet potatoes into Zhang Lan's bamboo basket and said, "Sister-in-law, don't forget what you said."

"I can't forget it! I can't forget it!" Zhang Lan, carrying the basket, smiled from ear to ear, turned around and walked out, her steps light as if she had found a treasure, without even saying a word of politeness.

Watching her retreating figure, Lin Wanqiu sneered: Just wait, in a few days, I'll make you pay back this sweet potato with interest.

For the next few days, Lin Wanqiu didn't mention borrowing grain, waiting for Zhang Lan to repay it on her own initiative. But as the next grain distribution day approached, Zhang Lan still didn't make a move, and even deliberately avoided her when they met on the road.

Lin Wanqiu knew that Zhang Lan intended to renege on her debt.

That morning, Lin Wanqiu took Shen Nian'an to a neighbor's house to help look after him, and then, carrying an empty basket, went straight to Zhang Lan's house.

Zhang Lan's family lived in the east wing of the Shen family's old house. A lot of firewood was piled up in the courtyard, and several patched clothes were hanging to dry by the door. Just as Lin Wanqiu reached the courtyard gate, she heard Shen Xiaohu crying inside: "Mom! I want to eat sweet potatoes! I want to eat sweet potatoes again!"

Then came Zhang Lan's voice: "Stop crying! We're out of sweet potatoes! If you cry again, I'll beat you up!"

Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly: No sweet potatoes? I bet they don't want to give them to the children and want to hide them for themselves.

She pushed open the door and went inside. The room was filled with the aroma of sweet potatoes, and there was an unwashed sweet potato peel on the stove. When Zhang Lan saw her come in, her face immediately changed, and she quickly hid the sweet potato peel behind her back: "Wanqiu? What brings you here?"

"I'm here to collect a debt." Lin Wanqiu cut to the chase, her gaze falling on the sweet potato peels behind her. "Sister-in-law, shouldn't you return the three pounds of sweet potatoes you borrowed from me last time?"

Zhang Lan's eyes flickered, and she chuckled dryly, "Wanqiu, look at my memory, I almost forgot. But... we really don't have any sweet potatoes left at home. You heard it too, Hu Zi was just crying for sweet potatoes. How about I give them back to you next time we distribute the grain?"

"The next grain distribution?" Lin Wanqiu raised an eyebrow. "Sister-in-law, that's not what you said last time. You said you'd return it to me immediately next time the grain is distributed, and even give me an extra half a jin. What, you've already forgotten after just a few days?"

"I...I didn't forget, I really didn't have any," Zhang Lan said, forcing a smile. "You know, there are many people in the family, and the few sweet potatoes we were all allocated were not enough. We've already eaten them all."

"Finished eating?" Lin Wanqiu walked to the stove and pointed to the sweet potato peels on the ground. "Then what's this? These sweet potato peels didn't just appear out of thin air, did they?"

Zhang Lan's face flushed red and then turned pale. She quickly explained, "This...this was given to me by the neighbor yesterday. There was only one. Hu Zi ate it, but I didn't."

"Really?" Lin Wanqiu sneered. "Then why do I smell sweet potatoes in the house? Am I mistaken?"

Zhang Lan was speechless when questioned, so she resorted to shamelessness: "Anyway, I just don't have any sweet potatoes to give you back! Do whatever you want!"

"What about me?" Lin Wanqiu raised her voice. "Let me tell you, Zhang Lan, today you either return my sweet potatoes, or you come with me to the team leader to settle this matter. Let the team leader see how you borrowed grain and didn't return it, and how you lied and cheated people!"

The mere mention of the team leader made Zhang Lan panic—the team leader hated people who borrowed things and didn't return them. If the team leader found out, not only would she be criticized, but the Shen family's work points might also be affected. She quickly grabbed Lin Wanqiu: "No! Don't go to the team leader! Let's talk it out, let's talk it out!"

"Easy to say?" Lin Wanqiu looked at her. "Then you have to give me back my sweet potatoes. Three jin, plus the half jin you mentioned, that's three and a half jin in total. Not a single liang less."

Zhang Lan gritted her teeth, thinking to herself: there were still five jin of sweet potatoes hidden at home, secretly given to her by Old Lady Shen. She had originally intended to keep them for herself, but now it seemed she had no choice. She steeled herself, turned and went into the house, dragged a cloth bag from under the bed, poured out three and a half jin of sweet potatoes, and put them into Lin Wanqiu's basket: "Here! Three and a half jin, count them!"

Lin Wanqiu took the basket, weighed it in her hand, and found the weight to be about right. She nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it. Sister-in-law, remember to return things on time in the future. Don't make me come to collect them again; it's embarrassing for everyone."

After saying that, she turned and left. Zhang Lan watched her retreating figure, stomping her feet in anger, but dared not chase after her. She could only curse inwardly: Lin Wanqiu, you just wait, one day I will get my revenge for today's anger tenfold!

Lin Wanqiu had just stepped out of the Shen family's old house when she ran into Old Mrs. Shen. Old Mrs. Shen's eyes lit up when she saw the sweet potatoes in Lin Wanqiu's basket: "Wanqiu, where did you get these sweet potatoes?"

Lin Wanqiu knew that Old Lady Shen must know about Zhang Lan borrowing grain, and now that she saw her holding sweet potatoes, she wanted to find out what happened. She deliberately sighed, "Mother, I got these back from my sister-in-law. Last time, my sister-in-law said that her family was out of food and borrowed three catties of sweet potatoes from me, saying that she would pay me back when the grain was distributed this time, but she reneged on the debt. I had no choice but to go to her house to ask for them back."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Shen's face immediately darkened: "That Zhang Lan! Didn't I tell her not to borrow grain from you? Why didn't she listen!" In fact, she had known about Zhang Lan borrowing grain for a long time and had secretly supported Zhang Lan in defaulting on the debt, hoping to make Lin Wanqiu suffer a loss. Now that she saw Lin Wanqiu take the sweet potatoes back, she was very unhappy.

Lin Wanqiu pretended not to understand her implied meaning and continued, "Mother, I have no choice. An'an and I are still waiting for these sweet potatoes to make a living. If she doesn't pay us back, I can't let the two of us go hungry."

Old Mrs. Shen was speechless, so she could only snort coldly, "Alright, alright, I know. You should leave now and stop getting in my way."

Lin Wanqiu didn't argue with her. She picked up her basket and happily went home. She knew that this time, her trip to ask for grain not only got her things back, but also made Old Lady Shen and Zhang Lan suffer a setback. They would have to think twice before trying to bully her again.

When she got home, Shen Nian'an saw the sweet potatoes in the basket and clapped her hands happily: "Mom! We have sweet potatoes to eat!"

Lin Wanqiu patted his head and said with a smile, "Yes, we have sweet potatoes to eat. An'an, if anyone borrows something from you and doesn't return it, you can't be as soft-hearted as your mother used to be. You must go to their door and ask for it back, understand?"

Shen Nian'an nodded as if she understood, "I understand, Mother."

Looking at her son's innocent smiling face, Lin Wanqiu secretly vowed in her heart: no matter what difficulties she encounters in the future, she will protect An'an, let him live a good life, and never let others bully him again.

But she hadn't expected that this trip to demand grain, while winning against Zhang Lan, would completely enrage Old Madam Shen. Old Madam Shen felt that Lin Wanqiu was becoming increasingly disobedient and even dared to talk back to her, so she was determined to teach her a lesson and let her know who was in charge of the Shen family. An even bigger storm was quietly brewing.