"Brother, look how late it is. Fushui Village is quite a large place. If we go in, will we be able to get back today?" The younger brother noticed that the sun was about to set and had some concerns.

Once this man started, the others couldn't hold back any longer. Fushui Village was a long and arduous journey, requiring them to cross two mountains from Pingnan City to get there. The brothers were already exhausted. "That's right," one of them said, "we were thinking of reporting back to Manager Hu tonight!"

"Brothers, if you're planning to go back, you'd better hurry. There are bears in these mountains at night. A few months ago, one even killed several people who came into the mountains to gather firewood!"

Sun Miao'er spoke vividly, as if it were the truth, and she already had a plan in mind.

The appearance of the bear completely fooled the group. No matter how strong the man was, he couldn't withstand the bear, which weighed several hundred pounds. The thinner one shrank his neck, gasped, and hurriedly advised, "Brother, let's go back today. You're so strong, the rest of us will just become the bear's meal!"

"Brother, here's what we've done. My family has lived in this village for generations. Give me this portrait, and I'll ask around for you. Come back later tomorrow, and maybe we'll get some information!" Seeing the burly man in a dilemma, Sun Miao'er went along with it.

If we get our hands on this portrait, we'll have leverage over Sun Yuanhu.

Several thin men chimed in, "That's right, brother. We're all new to this place, and who knows how long we'll have to go through all this trouble. Besides, it's only ten taels of silver. Manager Hu is a big and wealthy man, so there's no rush. Why don't we ask this girl to inquire about it?"

The burly man nodded thoughtfully. Seeing this, Sun Miao'er said, "Brother, look, I can help you out. The peddler just happened to be here today, and my little brother is really craving some candied hawthorns. What do you think, brother?"

"Alright! Get this done, and you'll get a reward tomorrow!"

The burly man handed the portrait to Sun Miao'er, tossed her two copper coins, and then led his men back home.

"Okay, thank you, brother! May you have a long and peaceful life!"

Sun Miao'er waved the two copper coins in her hand. Wasn't this Jin Shi just walking right into her trap?

"Come on, Xiaoman, let me go buy you some candied hawthorns!"

Instead of her usual joy at hearing about the candied hawthorns, Xiaoman became sullen and asked, "Sister, is the person in this portrait my father? Are they going to take him away?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. However, Second Uncle's gambling is an unforgivable crime. Although I won't hand him over, he should be taught a lesson! We can't let him gamble away our entire family's wealth!"

"Yes! Sister is right. If Father does something wrong, he should accept the punishment!"

Xiaoman is very clear-headed and can distinguish right from wrong. In fact, it's because "father" and "mother" are just two names in his heart, without any other meaning.

The village women scrambled for the goods, some gloating over their success, others cursing as they left empty-handed. The peddler was packing up his gear when Sun Miao'er pulled a candied hawthorn skewer from the bottom of his basket. "Two copper coins! I'll take this candied hawthorn skewer and this sugar figurine!"

Sun Miao'er was generous; before leaving, the peddler even gave her a bird whistle, which Xiaoman hung on her person.

As the summer solstice approached, the days grew longer and the nights shorter. As usual, Jin went out to play with leaves and didn't return home until almost dark. When she entered the house, Sun Miao'er was sitting by her bedside. Before she could even utter a curse, she was startled by the portrait spread out on the bed and swallowed it back.

"You! Where did you come from?"

Jin took two steps back instinctively, pointing at the portrait in disbelief.

Sun Miao'er rolled up the portrait and patted it lightly twice in her palm. "Where did this come from? Doesn't your aunt know? It's only right to pay back debts. It's perfectly normal for people to come to collect debts when your second uncle gambles."

"You, you give me this portrait right now!"

Jin was anxious and took a few steps forward, trying to snatch the portrait.

Sun Miao'er deftly dodged to the side and carefully tucked the portrait into her bosom. Now, no matter how much Jin tried to snatch it, she wouldn't be able to touch the portrait at all. "Why should I give it to you? Auntie, they have an appointment with me tomorrow and want me to deliver a message."

"You little hussy, this isn't just my Sun family's property. Get this straight, you're the one with the surname Sun. If Yuan Hu were to die, what would you get? Aren't you afraid those murderous bastards would seize your house and your land?"

Jin was so anxious that she jumped up and down, thinking that the girl was holding a grudge from the past and wanted to take revenge on her.

“Auntie makes it sound so easy. The Sun family’s fields and houses have not belonged to our eldest son’s family since the moment my father passed away. If they are forcibly taking them now, they should be taking the land belonging to Auntie.”

It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet. Now that she's in our hands, how can we let the Jin family off easily?

"You've taken it! I'll see where you, you slut, will live then. You probably won't even be able to sleep in the pigsty at night!" Madam Jin pressed on, hoping that Sun Miao'er would give in and hand over the portrait.

But things are different now. She is no longer the weak woman who could be manipulated at will. The Sun Miao'er before her now demands a fair return for every exchange she makes.

“It doesn’t matter where I sleep, Auntie. I think our few mud houses and a few acres of land are probably not worth much money. Even if we give them away, no one would want them.”

Sun Miao'er deliberately kept everyone in suspense, "I also heard from those people that..."

Jin pressed, "What did you say?!"

“I heard them say that the second son of the Sun family is bragging about how beautiful his wife is. She was one of the most beautiful women in the village back then. I think so too. My aunt is still outstanding in terms of appearance in the village.”

Jin slammed her hand on the table in exasperation, her palm going numb from the impact. She grimaced and cursed, "Useless thing! Do you expect a woman to pay off your debts?!"

"I can't be sure about that. They've arranged a place with me tomorrow afternoon, so I'll go and let them know. Anyway, the Sun family's life is definitely not going to work out."

Sun Miao'er stretched lazily and yawned slowly, seemingly having endless patience to wear down Jin Shi.

The thought of possibly being sold into a brothel sent a chill down Jin's spine. "Tell me! What do you want?"

“That’s easy. I just want to make a deal with you, Aunt. If you agree, I’ll try to negotiate with them and we can keep your land and house. It all depends on your attitude.”

Jin was wary; at this point, compromise was the only option. "What kind of deal?"