As the morning sun climbed over the courtyard wall, Lin Wanqiu was squatting in the yard, turning over the rapeseed she had taken out of her spatial storage the night before, when a sweet, delicate voice called out from outside the gate. It was as sweet as honey, yet it made her pause in her actions—it was Lin Moli.

She straightened up, dusted off her hands, and sneered inwardly. Yesterday, when Old Lady Shen was gossiping at the village entrance, she had overheard that Lin Moli was coming from a neighboring village to "visit," and that she would bring her "good things." In the original owner's memories, Lin Moli was a distant cousin who often came to her house as a child to freeload, was sweet-talking and charming, but always liked to steal the original owner's things behind her back. Now, at this critical juncture, her visit was probably more than just a "visit."

"Sister Wanqiu! I'm here!" The door creaked open, and Lin Moli walked in carrying a cloth bag printed with red peonies. She wore a floral blouse, a style popular last year, and her hair was slicked back. Compared to Lin Wanqiu's patched, coarse cloth shirt, she looked like a pampered city lady. As soon as she entered, she looked around, her gaze sweeping over the bamboo basket in the corner of the yard and the kerosene lamp on the windowsill before finally settling on Lin Wanqiu. A warm smile spread across her face. "Sister Wanqiu, it's been so long! You look much better!"

Lin Wanqiu didn't reply, only glancing indifferently at the cloth bag in her hand—the bag looked bulging, yet it was light and flimsy, clearly not carrying anything heavy. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and looked at Lin Moli: "A rare guest indeed! Cousin, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"I heard that you, brother-in-law... sigh, I've been thinking about you and nephew Nian'an all this time!" Lin Moli said, her eyes reddening. She covered her eyes with a handkerchief, her voice choked with emotion. "My mother was sick a while ago, and I've been busy taking care of her. I haven't been able to come and see you. Please don't blame me!"

These words sounded so sincere that an uninformed person might be moved. But Lin Wanqiu knew that in the original owner's memories, after Shen Tingzhou's "sacrifice," Lin Moli only sent someone to convey her condolences, without even showing her face. Now she's putting on an act; she's probably after something else.

“Nian’an is still sleeping inside, cousin, please come in and sit down.” Lin Wanqiu stepped aside to let her in, but alarm bells were ringing in her mind. She deliberately hid the doll and food coupons left by Shen Tingzhou last night at the bottom of the wooden box, locked the flour and dried meat in the space into the cabinet, and even put away the eggs on the windowsill—she wanted to see what tricks Lin Moli was up to.

Lin Moli stepped into the room, her eyes immediately lighting up. The room wasn't large, but it was impeccably clean. The coarse cloth quilt on the kang (heated brick bed) was neatly folded, and a chipped porcelain bowl sat on the table, its rim speckled with flour—Lin Wanqiu hadn't wiped it clean when she made steamed buns for Nian'an last night. A thought struck her, but she continued to feign pitifulness: "Sister Wanqiu, look at how you live! You don't even have a decent bowl. I brought you some nice things this time."

As she spoke, she opened the cloth bag and took out two shriveled sweet potatoes and a small handful of roasted beans, placing them on the table with a pained expression on her face: "Please don't mind, this is the only food my family has left. I know you and your nephew Nian'an are having a hard time, so I specially brought it to you."

Lin Wanqiu almost burst out laughing when she saw the two wrinkled sweet potatoes. These sweet potatoes could be bought for three for a dime at the village market, and every household had roasted beans. How could Lin Moli call them "good stuff"? She picked up one of the sweet potatoes, weighed it in her hand, and deliberately said, "Oh dear, these sweet potatoes look really sweet. Cousin, you're so thoughtful. But you know, Nian'an hasn't had a good appetite lately and can't eat coarse grains, so I'll keep these for myself."

Upon hearing this, Lin Moli's smile froze. She had expected Lin Wanqiu to be extremely grateful, but instead, the other woman not only showed no appreciation but also hinted that she had fine grains at home? Suppressing her doubts, she leaned forward again, took Lin Wanqiu's hand, and spoke even more intimately: "Sister Wanqiu, I heard that Old Lady Shen caused you trouble the other day and even tried to steal your grain? You too, why didn't you tell me! Although I may not be very capable, I can still find a few sisters to put in a good word for you!"

Lin Wanqiu subtly withdrew her hand, fully aware that Lin Moli was trying to extract information about her conflict with Old Madam Shen, and perhaps even sow discord. She picked up the enamel mug on the table, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Lin Moli, saying slowly, "It's all small family matter, already resolved. But cousin, besides bringing sweet potatoes, is there anything else you need this time?"

Caught off guard, Lin Moli's face showed a hint of panic, which she quickly concealed. She took a sip of water, glanced at the wooden box by the kang (a heated brick bed), and said casually, "Sister Wanqiu, I heard from the villagers that you seem to be doing quite well lately? A few days ago, someone even saw you buying candy for Nian'an."

"They're here." Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly, but feigned surprise on the surface: "Really? Who spread such rumors! Where would I get money to buy candy? It was a thank-you gift from Aunt Wang next door when I helped her sew clothes a while ago. It was just one piece, and Nian'an couldn't bear to eat it, so it's been sitting for several days!"

She deliberately spoke flawlessly, and even steered the conversation toward Aunt Wang—Aunt Wang was known for her kind heart, and everyone in the village knew that she often helped Lin Wanqiu. Even if Lin Moli inquired, she couldn't find any fault with her.

But Lin Moli was clearly not so easily fooled. She put down the enamel mug, leaned closer to Lin Wanqiu, and lowered her voice even further: "Sister Wanqiu, don't lie to me. I also heard that you went to the back mountain to clear land in the middle of the night. Did you find something good? Some people also said that they saw a lot of good seeds in your basket. Do you... have some connections?"

The moment these words left her lips, alarm bells rang even louder in Lin Wanqiu's mind. How could Lin Moli know that she had gone to the back mountain to clear land? And how could she know about the seeds? Could it be that Old Lady Shen or Zhang Lan told her? Or... was someone secretly watching her? She immediately thought of Shen Tingzhou, but then she thought it was unlikely—if Shen Tingzhou wanted to expose her, he would have done it already, there was no need for him to go through Lin Moli.

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