She suppressed her doubts and showed displeasure on her face: "Cousin, what do you mean by that? I went to the back mountain to clear land in the middle of the night to plant more crops so we wouldn't go hungry. What good stuff could I possibly have? I bought those seeds from the commune's seed station; I saved up for several months! If you keep making wild guesses like this, I'll get upset!"

She deliberately spoke in a harsh and forceful tone, even bringing up the commune's seed station—in those days, you needed grain coupons to buy seeds, so even if Lin Moli investigated, she wouldn't find anything. Sure enough, when Lin Moli heard "commune seed station," a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, as if she believed her.

But before long, Lin Moli changed the subject, her gaze falling on the jade pendant around Lin Wanqiu's neck—the pendant was tied with a red string, hidden inside her collar, only a small part of it peeking out, gleaming warmly in the sunlight. She reached out to touch it, smiling as she said, "Sister Wanqiu, this jade pendant of yours is so beautiful. Is it the same one I saw before?"

Lin Wanqiu immediately took a step back, avoiding her hand, her face darkening: "This is an heirloom of mine, you can't just touch it. Cousin, if you have nothing else to do, you should go home early, I still need to make breakfast for Nian'an."

Rejected so directly, Lin Moli finally lost her composure. Her smile vanished, a flash of resentment crossing her eyes, which she quickly masked. She stood up, picked up the cloth bag from the table, and said, feigning grievance, "Sister Wanqiu, I was just asking casually, please don't be angry. I'll be going now, I'll come see you and your nephew Nian'an another day."

After saying that, she turned and left. As she reached the door, she glanced back at the wooden chest inside, her greed almost impossible to conceal. Lin Wanqiu watched her retreating figure and sneered inwardly—this Lin Moli was indeed up to no good. Not only did she want to find out about her family's wealth, but she also had her eye on her jade pendant. It seemed she would have to be more careful from now on.

As she was thinking, Nian'an's crying suddenly came from inside the house. Lin Wanqiu quickly ran into the house and saw Nian'an sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), rubbing her eyes and calling out, "Mommy, I want to find Daddy..."

Lin Wanqiu felt a pang of sadness, went over and picked him up, gently patting his back: "Nian'an, be good, Daddy will be back soon. Mommy will make you some steamed buns, okay?"

Nian'an nodded, nestled in Lin Wanqiu's arms, and rubbed his little head against her shoulder. Lin Wanqiu held him, her resolve only growing stronger—no matter if it was Old Madam Shen, Zhang Lan, or Lin Moli, anyone who tried to bully her and Nian'an, anyone who tried to take advantage of her space and jade pendant, wouldn't have it so easy!

She carried Nian'an to the table, a mocking smile playing on her lips as she looked at the two sweet potatoes and a handful of fried beans left by Lin Moli. She picked up the sweet potatoes and tossed them into the kitchen slop bucket—she dared not accept such a malicious "gift." As for Lin Moli, she had already figured out her background; next time she visited, she wouldn't be so accommodating.

Just then, a slight noise came from outside the courtyard wall. Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat. She carried Nian'an to the window and looked out through the crack—she saw a dark figure flicker outside the wall and quickly disappear. She recognized the figure; it was Shen Tingzhou.

What was he doing here? Had he been secretly watching her? And even seen Lin Moli come to the door? Lin Wanqiu was both surprised and suspicious, but she quickly calmed down. Whatever Shen Tingzhou's motives, at least he didn't seem to have any ill intentions and was still secretly protecting her and Nian'an.

She glanced down at Nian'an in her arms, then touched the jade pendant around her neck, and made up her mind. Since Lin Moli had already set her sights on her, she would definitely come again. Next time, she would have to give this "good cousin" a good "welcome" and let her know that Lin Wanqiu was not someone to be trifled with!

At the same time, she also needed to speed up the planting plan, plant the land on the back slope as soon as possible, and save more money. Only with food in hand and money in her pocket could she gain a foothold in this era, protect Nian'an, and help Shen Tingzhou when needed.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an in warmth and brightness. Lin Wanqiu held Nian'an in her arms, softly humming a lullaby, her mind already racing with plans for the next step—no matter how many difficulties lay ahead, she would ensure Nian'an's survival, and live a good life together!