Lin Wanqiu's heart jumped into her throat. She gripped Shen Nian'an's hand tightly and whispered in his ear, "Nian'an, don't speak. Let's wait until they leave before we move."

Shen Nian'an also recognized Zhao Jianjun's voice, and was so frightened that she shrank into Lin Wanqiu's arms and whispered, "Mom, I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid, your mother is here." Lin Wanqiu gently patted the child's back, her eyes fixed on Zhao Jianjun and his group.

Zhao Jianjun and his group stopped under the old locust tree. One of his followers looked around and said, "Brother Jianjun, it's already dark. Lin Wanqiu must be home. Why don't we just go to her house and find her?"

Zhao Jianjun shook his head and hiccuped. "No way. Last time I went to her house, she tricked me. This time I have to think of a way to make her behave." He squinted and looked around. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he stared at a haystack not far away. "Hey, look, there seems to be something behind that haystack?"

Lin Wanqiu's heart clenched instantly. She thought to herself, "Oh no, have we been discovered?" She quickly pushed Shen Nian'an deeper into the haystack, while she gripped the earthenware jar tightly in her hand, thinking to herself, "If Zhao Jianjun really comes over, I'll smash him with the jar and stun him first."

Zhao Jianjun staggered towards the haystack, followed by his two henchmen. As they drew closer, Lin Wanqiu could even smell the alcohol on him. Just then, a dog barked in the distance, followed by the voice of a militia patrol: "What time is it? Still wandering around outside? Get home!"

Upon hearing the militiaman's voice, Zhao Jianjun immediately sobered up. He cursed, "Damn it, what bad luck!" Then he turned to his two henchmen and said, "Let's go, let's retreat first, we'll settle the score with her next time!" After saying that, he hurriedly left with his two henchmen.

Lin Wanqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, her hands sweating as she held Shen Nian'an. Once Zhao Jianjun and his group were out of sight, she pulled Shen Nian'an out from behind the haystack and hurried home.

Back home, Lin Wanqiu locked the door and closed the windows tightly before collapsing into a chair, panting heavily. Shen Nian'an walked to her side, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Mom, is Uncle Zhao a bad person? Why is he looking for you?"

Lin Wanqiu patted the child's head and said with a smile, "He's a bad person, but Mom isn't afraid of him. If he causes us trouble again, Mom has ways to deal with him." But in her heart, she was thinking—Zhao Jianjun didn't find her this time, so he definitely wouldn't let it go. He might go even further next time. She had to think of a way to completely resolve this problem.

She got up and went to the kitchen, poured the brown sugar she got from Grandma Li into a bowl, took an egg from her spatial storage, cracked it into the bowl, stirred it with chopsticks, then poured some water into the pot. Once the water boiled, she poured in the brown sugar and egg mixture, stirred it, and soon a fragrant bowl of brown sugar and egg was ready.

"Nian'an, come and eat your brown sugar eggs." Lin Wanqiu placed the bowl on the table.

Shen Nian'an ran over, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the brown sugar and eggs in the bowl. She picked up a spoon and began to eat in small bites, saying, "Mom, it's so delicious, you should eat some too."

Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "Mom doesn't want to eat, you eat. Go to bed early after you finish eating." Watching her child eat so happily, she secretly vowed in her heart that no matter how difficult things got, she would protect Nian'an and let him grow up healthy and happy.

Just then, a slight noise came from outside the courtyard gate. Lin Wanqiu's heart tightened. Had Zhao Jianjun returned? She quickly grabbed the wood-chopping knife beside her, went to the gate, and peeked through the crack. She saw a dark figure linger outside the gate for a moment before disappearing. Lin Wanqiu frowned. Who was that figure? Was it Zhao Jianjun's henchman, or someone else?

She thought to herself that she would have to be more careful when going out at night from now on. Zhao Jianjun was already watching her, and if she didn't find a way to deal with it soon, something bad would happen sooner or later. She returned to the table and saw that Shen Nian'an had finished eating her brown sugar and egg and was playing with her spoon. She smiled and said, "Nian'an, let's go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

Shen Nian'an nodded, took Lin Wanqiu's hand, and walked into the house. Lin Wanqiu lay on the bed, unable to sleep, her mind preoccupied with Zhao Jianjun. She knew Zhao Jianjun wouldn't let it go so easily; next time he might directly try to steal the tofu, or even harm her and Nian'an. She had to find a way to protect herself and Nian'an while continuing to make tofu and earn money. After all, only with money could she and Nian'an survive in this era.

As she pondered, an idea suddenly struck her—Zhao Jianjun wanted tofu, right? She'd set a trap for him, making him lose more than he gained. A smile crept across her lips; she already had a plan in mind, just waiting to put it into action tomorrow.