Zhou Lingling told Cai Xiaomei about her discovery.

After listening, Cai Xiaomei told Zhou Lingling not to tell anyone else.

Cai Xiaomei secretly observed that Zhang Cai'er not only took rice and flour, but also meat, vegetables, and seasonings such as oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar to the Zhang family.

After careful consideration, Cai Xiaomei announced her decision at the dinner table.

Food prices have risen too sharply, and it's difficult to buy food.

We need to plan how to use the rice and flour we have at home. We won't keep any more food in the kitchen.

All the grain in the house was kept in her room, and she would estimate the amount of food her family of six would eat each day and take the grain out.

Zhang Cai'er felt guilty and dared not refute.

Every morning, Cai Xiaomei would dig out the day's worth of food and hand it to Zhang Cai'er.

Cai Xiaomei's actions did not stop Zhang Cai'er; she kept a handful or two of grain from each meal.

Later it went too far, so half was deducted.

The whole family lived on thin porridge.

Unable to tolerate it any longer, Cai Xiaomei confronted Zhang Cai'er directly, revealing what she had done. She forbade Zhang Cai'er from entering the kitchen, and Cai Xiaomei and Zhou Lingling were to handle all the cooking at home.

Zhang Cai'er was dissatisfied and made a big fuss at home.

The Zhou family ignored Zhang Cai'er.

Zhou Dong was annoyed that Zhang Cai'er always cared about her family, so he gave her two choices.

First, ignore her family and live your own lives well. Second, get a divorce and let her go back to her parents' home.

The Zhou family does not support thieves who steal from their home.

Perhaps frightened by Zhou Dong's harsh words, Zhang Cai'er remained silent for several days before bringing home a fish.

She told the Zhou family that she had been obsessed lately.

Realizing her mistake, she used her own savings to buy a fish.

I made fish soup as an apology.

The Zhou family believed it and drank the fish soup.

I slept soundly through the night, only to wake up to find the sky had fallen.

The Zhou family home is now empty.

It was truly empty. The food was gone, the money was gone, the goods they had sold were gone, and even the Zhou family's winter coats and fur coats—anything of value—were gone.

Upon closer inspection, Zhang Cai'er was nowhere to be found.

Is there anything else you don't understand?

Yesterday, Zhang Cai'er cooked fish soup not to apologize to them, but to poison it so she could empty the Zhou family's house.

Zhou Dong was so angry that he went to the Zhang family to settle accounts.

Fearing for his son's safety, Zhou Zhong chased after him.

Cai Xiaomei couldn't take it and fainted.

Zhou Lingling and her younger brother Zhou Yan struggled to help Cai Xiaomei sit down in a chair.

Zhou Lingling asked Zhou Yan to watch over Cai Xiaomei while she went to fetch a doctor.

As they walked home with the doctor, Zhang Cai'er realized they had no money. She had even taken the two children's savings.

Zhou Lingling asked the doctor to go to her house first, and she ran to Wanxia Lane to find Cai Damei.

Cai Damei brought Zhou Lingling to the Zhou family home.

The doctor is giving Cai Xiaomei acupuncture.

"Auntie, waah~" When the elders arrived, Zhou Yan, who had been holding back, couldn't help but burst into tears.

At such a young age, he couldn't understand why his mother had emptied the house.

"Auntie's here, Grandma will be fine." Cai Damei comforted Zhou Yan, handed the basket to Zhou Lingling, and asked her to go to the kitchen to make something to eat.

Zhou Lingling took the basket and went into the kitchen.

Everything that could be taken from the kitchen was taken. The pot wasn't taken, but it was knocked with a hole in it.

Zhou Lingling looked at the hole, feeling both hatred and confusion.

What exactly did Zhang Cai'er do to the Zhou family that she would be so ruthless, leaving the Zhou family no way out?

After rummaging through the kitchen, I found a ceramic pot covered in dust.

After cleaning it thoroughly, a stove was built in the yard to cook porridge.

After the doctor's efforts to save her, Cai Xiaomei woke up.

"Big sister~" Cai Xiaomei's voice trembled, and tears kept flowing.

"Don't cry, don't get excited. Your body can't take any more stimulation," the doctor advised.

"Don't cry, your older sister is here for you. There's no hurdle you can't overcome," Cai Damei comforted Cai Xiaomei.

After calming Cai Xiaomei down, Zhou Yan was asked to stay with his grandmother.

Cai Damei followed the doctor to the pharmacy to get her medicine.

After returning with the medicine, Zhou Lingling carried a chipped bowl and fed Cai Xiaomei porridge.

Beside him, Zhou Yan carefully drank porridge from a chipped bowl.

"Auntie, the porridge on the table is for you." Zhou Lingling knew she had knocked on Cai Damei's door too early in Wanxia Lane, as Cai Damei hadn't eaten yet.

"No rush, let me brew your grandma's medicine first. Where's the medicine brewing pot at home?"

"I washed the medicine pot clean and put it on the windowsill to dry."

"Lingling is so capable. I'll go brew the medicine." Cai Damei went to brew the medicine.

After feeding Cai Xiaomei her medicine, Cai Damei picked up her bowl and drank her porridge.

He instructed Zhou Yan to stay home and look after his grandmother.

Cai Damei took Zhou Lingling to the market to buy pots, pans, ladles, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other daily necessities for the Zhou family.

Back home, Zhou Dong and Zhou Zhong silently ate their porridge.

Upon seeing that Cai Damei and Zhou Lingling were carrying many things, the two put down their bowls and went forward.

"Auntie, I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Zhou Dong felt guilty; it was all his fault.

"What trouble are you talking about, family? Did you find Cai'er at the Zhang family's house?"

"No." Zhou Dong and Zhou Zhong arrived at the Zhang family's house and knocked on the door. The person who opened the door was a stranger.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the Zhang family sold their house five days ago and moved to another city to develop their careers.

"Did you report it to the authorities?" Cai Damei asked.

Zhou Dong looked at his two children, who were busy at work.

Report it to the authorities; they have a criminal mother who robbed the whole family.

Zhou Lingling is 14 years old this year, which is the perfect age for marriage. We can't let Zhang Cai'er hold her back.

Cai Damei comforted Zhou Dong, saying, "You still have the house and the shop. If you work hard, you'll eventually earn it back."

*Thud*—Zhou Dong's hand fell to the ground. Fortunately, he had only millet and beans in his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Zhang Cai'er asked me where the shop's house deeds and land deeds are?" Zhou Dong's voice trembled.

Zhou Zhong put down what he was holding and rushed into the house.

Cai Damei and Zhou Dong followed them into the house.

Zhou Zhong's face turned pale, and his lips trembled as he looked at the box on the ground.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!