Dusk, like a coarse cloth soaked in ink, slowly enveloped the Hongqi Production Brigade. Lin Wanqiu had just placed the last bowl of wild vegetable porridge on the table when she heard a muffled thud outside the courtyard gate, followed by Zhao Jianjun's furious curses: "Which blind fool dares to block your grandpa's way?"

Nian'an's chopsticks trembled, and the porridge bowl made a soft clatter on the table. Lin Wanqiu put down the bowl and patted her son's head—ever since Zhao Jianjun and his men came to force her to marry him at noon and were driven away, this brat had been making a ruckus. First, he let his family's chickens fly into the yard to peck at the vegetables, then he deliberately splashed dirty water at the door, and now he dares to come to the door and cause trouble.

"An'an, eat your food properly, Mom will go check on things." Lin Wanqiu pressed her son back onto the stool, grabbed the wood-chopping knife behind the door—not that she really wanted to fight, but she was afraid that Zhao Jianjun might bring people, and she wanted to have a weapon to keep things under control.

As soon as the door bolt was pulled open, Zhao Jianjun was seen squatting on the ground clutching his knee. His two cronies were also there, one groaning with his arms crossed and the other rubbing his ankle on tiptoe. In front of them was a bicycle with its handlebars bent out of shape.

"Lin Wanqiu! Why is there a stone at the entrance of your yard? Are you trying to trip me up?!" Zhao Jianjun looked up and saw her, his eyes red as if he wanted to eat someone, and pointed at a half-sized blue stone by the threshold and cursed.

Lin Wanqiu glanced at the rock—it wasn't there in the morning, how did it appear by evening? She was puzzled, but she didn't mince words: "Comrade Zhao, you should speak with conscience. This rock is outside my yard, it's not like it grew legs and ran to your feet. You're the one who wasn't watching where you were going, what does it have to do with me?"

"You still dare to be stubborn!" Zhao Jianjun struggled to stand up, but as soon as he exerted force, his knees hurt so much that he grimaced. "I think you're doing this on purpose! If you don't pay for my bicycle today and kowtow to me to apologize, I'll tell the commune about you hiding cured meat!"

The tall, thin man behind him chimed in, "That's right! Jianjun's bicycle was bought from the county town through a friend, it was very expensive! And what about Jianjun's knees? If they get scars, can you afford to pay for them?"

Lin Wanqiu almost laughed out of anger—this Zhao Jianjun really knew how to turn the tables. Just as she was about to retort, she heard Aunt Wang's voice from the alley entrance: "Oh, what's going on? Why is Comrade Zhao squatting on the ground?"

Aunt Wang walked over with her vegetable basket. Seeing the crooked bicycle and Zhao Jianjun's disheveled appearance, she covered her mouth and laughed: "I say, Comrade Zhao, your cycling skills are not very good. You can fall even on a flat road. If it rains, you'll fall into a mud pit."

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors all peeked out to see what was going on. Zhao Jianjun, always concerned about his image, was visibly embarrassed by the crowd. His face turned as red as a pig's liver: "What are you all looking at! Haven't you ever seen someone fall off a bike before?!"

"I've seen it before, but I've never seen someone fall and then blame someone else." Someone said this, which drew a burst of chuckles.

Zhao Jianjun was trembling with anger. He pointed at Lin Wanqiu and said, "You just wait! This isn't over!" After saying that, he ignored the pain, told his two cronies to help him up his bicycle, and limped away.

Watching their retreating figures, Lin Wanqiu's doubts deepened—the stone had arrived too coincidentally, and the injuries Zhao Jianjun and the other two sustained didn't seem like simple falls; they looked like they'd been beaten up. Could someone have been secretly helping them?

"Mom, have they left?" Nian'an's timid voice came from inside the house.

Lin Wanqiu snapped out of her reverie, put the wood-chopping knife back in its place, and went into the house. "Let's go, An'an, eat quickly, the porridge is getting cold." She sat down and picked up her chopsticks, but had no appetite. Her mind kept replaying what had just happened—who could have helped? The team leader? Aunt Wang? Or…that man?

That night, after Nian'an fell asleep, Lin Wanqiu quietly got up, intending to go to the back mountain to check on the vegetables she had planted during the day. Since activating her space, she had found a secluded spot on the back mountain and planted some vegetables with seeds from her space. This would both provide Nian'an with nutrients and prevent anyone from discovering the secret of her space.

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she heard a suppressed cry of pain coming from the alley entrance. Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat, and she tiptoed over, hiding behind an old locust tree to peek out—she saw Zhao Jianjun and his two cronies being blocked in the alley by a man in a black Zhongshan suit. The man had his back to her, and his figure was tall and straight.

"Who are you? How dare you interfere in my business!" Zhao Jianjun shouted, his voice trembling with fear, but he dared not take a step forward.

The man didn't speak, but simply took a step forward. Zhao Jianjun and the other two seemed startled and retreated hastily. Suddenly, the man raised his hand and made some kind of movement, causing Zhao Jianjun to cry out "Ouch!" and fall to the ground, clutching his stomach and rolling around in pain.

"Brother Jianjun!" Two of his cronies wanted to step forward to help, but were frightened by a look from the man and stood still.

"If you dare to cause trouble for Lin Wanqiu and Shen Nian'an again, it won't be as simple as a stomachache." The man's voice was hoarse and deep, carrying an undeniable authority. "Get out."

Zhao Jianjun and his two cronies, as if granted a pardon, fled in a panic.

The man stood there in silence for a moment, then turned and walked towards the back of the mountain.

Lin Wanqiu hid behind a tree, her heart pounding—this man really was Shen Tingzhou! She hesitated for a moment, then quietly followed him. The man walked quickly but steadily, his steps as light as a cat's. Lin Wanqiu followed behind, not daring to get too close, only able to watch his departing figure by the moonlight.

Back home, Lin Wanqiu lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She recalled that after Zhao Jianjun caused trouble at her door earlier that day, neither Old Lady Shen nor Zhang Lan had come to cause any trouble. Could it be that Shen Tingzhou had secretly warned them?

The next morning, Lin Wanqiu had just dropped Nian'an off at Aunt Wang's house next door to help look after her when she heard a knock at the gate. She opened the door and saw it was the team leader.

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