Lin Wanqiu's fingertips caressed the warm, smooth jade pendant on her chest, the cool touch spreading along her fingertips, yet she couldn't suppress the laughter surging within her. The retreating figures of Old Madam Shen and Lin Moli were still flashing before her eyes, especially Lin Moli's humiliated expression, like she'd swallowed a thorny hedgehog, which almost made her burst out laughing.

"Mom, what are you laughing at?" Shen Nian'an leaned closer, holding up a flashcard, his little head tilted into a question mark, his dark grape-like eyes full of curiosity. He had clearly heard his mother's conversation with Grandma Shen and Aunt Jasmine on the kang (a heated brick bed). Although he didn't fully understand the intricacies of the conversation, he knew that his mother had won. Seeing the smile that his mother couldn't hide, he grinned along with her.

Lin Wanqiu bent down and lifted her son onto her lap, gently wiping away the rice grains left on the corner of his mouth with her fingertips. "Mother is smiling. Our Nian'an won't have to be afraid of bad people causing trouble anymore." She lowered her head and kissed the top of her son's soft hair, but she wasn't at ease. Old Mrs. Shen was greedy by nature, and Lin Moli was cunning. These two had suffered a loss today, and they would never let it go. She had to think of a way to make them give up the idea of ​​causing trouble once and for all.

Just as she was pondering this, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, along with Lin Moli's deliberately softened voice: "Sister Wanqiu, I forgot to tell you, my mother pickled some vegetables yesterday and asked me to bring some over to you. They're delicious with porridge."

Lin Wanqiu raised an eyebrow—this Lin Moli was truly persistent; she had just been rebuffed and left less than half an hour ago, and she was already showing up again under a different pretext. She put Nian'an on the kang (a heated brick bed) and whispered, "Nian'an, be good, stay inside and don't come out. I'm going to meet your Aunt Moli."

She got up and went to the outer room, deliberately slowing her pace. Even through the door, she could hear Lin Moli greeting the neighbors passing by the gate, saying things like, "Wanqiu, you're having a hard time," and "I'm here to help out," portraying herself as a kind-hearted cousin. Lin Wanqiu sneered, opened the door, and put on a perfectly timed apologetic expression: "Moli, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I was a bit harsh because of what Mother said. Please don't take it to heart."

Seeing that her attitude had softened, Lin Moli's eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately forced a wronged yet generous smile: "What are you saying, Sister Wanqiu? I know you're feeling wronged, how could I blame you? Look, this is some pickled radish my mother made, it's crisp and crunchy. You and Nian'an can eat it with your porridge, and you'll have an extra half bowl of rice." She handed over the cloth bag in her hand like a treasure, but her eyes unconsciously glanced into the house, as if searching for something.

Lin Wanqiu took the cloth bag and stepped aside to let her into the house: "Come in and sit down. I just boiled some water and poured you a bowl." As she led Lin Moli towards the main room, she secretly touched the jade pendant on her chest—the recording crystal had been adjusted when she entered the space and was now quietly inside her clothes. If Lin Moli dared to let something slip, the evidence could be recorded.

As soon as the two sat down on the bench, Lin Moli couldn't wait to speak, her voice kept very low but just enough for Nian'an in the inner room to vaguely hear: "Sister Wanqiu, when I left just now, I heard Grandma Shen telling Uncle Shen that she was going to the commune to find the cadres to reason with you, saying that you embezzled the pension money and were not filial to the elderly. If this gets out, how bad will it be for your and Nian'an's reputation?"

Lin Wanqiu paused, holding her water glass, and deliberately feigned a panicked expression: "Ah? Mother, are you really going to the commune? What are we going to do? I really didn't take that money!"

Seeing her panic, Lin Moli's eyes flashed with a hint of smugness, but her tone was even more "concerned": "Sister Wanqiu, I know you're in a difficult situation, but Old Lady Shen is an elder after all. If you go head-to-head with her, you'll be the one who suffers. I have an idea. Why don't you apologize to Old Lady Shen first and say that the compensation money has been used for Nian'an's medical treatment for the time being, and you can pay it back when things get better in the future? That way, Old Lady Shen might not pursue the matter."

"But I really didn't receive any compensation!" Lin Wanqiu's eyes reddened with anxiety, and her voice trembled with tears. "Besides, where would I get the money to treat Nian'an's illness? A couple of days ago, Nian'an had a cough, and I had to go up the mountain to dig up some herbs and boil them in water to make her better." As she spoke, she deliberately touched the inside of her clothes, as if she were hiding something.

This little action did not escape Lin Moli's notice, and she immediately asked, "Sister Wanqiu, what are you hiding in your arms? Is it... is it the money from selling things?"

Lin Wanqiu quickly pulled her clothes tighter and stammered, "No...nothing, it's just a few eggs I saved up, I wanted to give Nian'an some to help her recover."

"Eggs?" Lin Moli's eyes widened, her tone full of disbelief. "Sister Wanqiu, don't lie to me. A few days ago, I heard from the villagers that you secretly ran to town at night, you must have gone to sell things from your space! I also heard that you have a lot of white steamed buns, cured meat, and fabric in your space. If you take some out and share them with the Shen family, Old Lady Shen will definitely stop bothering you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat—Lin Moli actually knew about the space! Suppressing her shock, she deliberately feigned a terrified expression: "Moli, you…how do you know about the space? This is a family secret passed down through generations; it can't be known by outsiders!"

Upon hearing her admit it, Lin Moli immediately became excited, her voice rising several decibels: "I knew you had a spatial ability! Sister Wanqiu, if you take some things out of your spatial ability, not only will Grandma Shen not cause you any trouble, but I can also speak well of you to the Shen family. Think about it, if you want to establish yourself in the village in the future, you'll still need the Shen family's help, won't you?"

Lin Wanqiu bit her lip, as if making a difficult decision. After a long while, she said in a low voice, "But...but the things in the space were passed down from my ancestors. I can't just give them away. Besides, I only gave Nian'an some food to fill her stomach. I don't have any cured meat or cloth."

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