Zhang Xiaocao arrived at Shuiqing's courtyard early in the morning and knocked on the door.

Upon seeing Shuiqing, they hurriedly reported: "Sister-in-law Shuiqing, you must go quickly! Your field has been robbed!"

Shui Qing was stunned. Could thieves really be attracted to the fields?

What are you stealing?

Stealing soil?

Then it dawned on me that they had gone to steal potatoes.

She followed Zhang Xiaocao to the fields, where many villagers had already gathered.

"Good heavens! Someone even stole the seeds I planted! This is inhuman!" Aunt Li cursed angrily.

“Life is tough in our village, but no one has ever stolen grain from the fields. Could it be someone from another village?” Master Fan pondered before speaking.

Looking at the few mounds of land that had only been dug up, Old Man Xu shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. Our village is in a remote area, more than ten miles away from the nearest village. Who would go that far just to dig up this little bit of stuff?"

Fan Dazhu and his companions in the crowd felt a sudden unease.

I should have dug up more!

"It must have been done by someone from our village!" Old Wang declared definitively.

All eyes turned to Zhang the Bald in the crowd.

Zhang the Bald was enjoying the spectacle when he noticed everyone's eyes were on him. His eyes darted around in a panic, and he cried out, "Don't look at me! It wasn't me!"

Seeing that no one believed him, he swore, "If it were me, I would make sure I couldn't return to my roots, and that I wouldn't be buried in Shanshui Village after I die, would that be alright?!"

This was a very serious oath, and everyone immediately believed it and stopped looking at him.

Zhang the Bald Man came back to life, darting around and laughing, "Hey, ever since I picked chicken rice cakes indiscriminately last time, and the old village chief wanted to expel me from the village, I've been behaving myself. I don't touch anything related to grain!"

This isn't even during the lean season, when everyone in the village is helping me out.

Besides, is something I, Zhang the Bald, would do that is thankless and exhausting?

I deeply regretted the last time I worked so hard at making chicken cakes. Thinking about how I toiled away for days and got absolutely nothing in return, what was the point? How could I not regret it?!

Upon hearing this, everyone rolled their eyes.

This bald man didn't regret harming the village's interests; he regretted that he had worked hard for several days without any benefit!

However, what he said was true; he was notoriously lazy, otherwise he wouldn't be one of the poorest people in the village.

Without Zhang the Bald, the most likely candidate, it's hard to find someone else.

Everyone's eyes darted across each face.

Fan Qian and Fan Dazhu held their breath, afraid that their unusual behavior would be noticed.

"Everyone, it's probably not a human who stole it, but rather a field mouse or weasel that dug it up," a clear, gentle voice said.

Fan and the others were delighted.

Who is this person who actually said what they wanted to say!

The group looked toward the source of the sound, and upon seeing who it was, their joy was barely concealed.

What an idiot!

Shui Qing walked over, and when she saw the scene in the field, she frowned slightly, but quickly recovered.

Master Fan stepped forward angrily and said, "This was definitely not dug up by a field mouse or any other animal!"

Others echoed this sentiment.

Shui Qingqian smiled and explained, "These potatoes have already sprouted, and those that have been dug up can no longer be planted. Everyone in the village knows this, so no one will come to dig them up. They'll just be pests swarming around."

What Master Fan wants to say is that what others dig up doesn't necessarily mean they're planting it; it could also be for eating!

Before Master Fan could speak, Fan Qian hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, sister-in-law is right, these are pests, pests."

Shui Qing smiled, her gaze towards her brother-in-law meaningful, but her words were an expression of agreement: "Brother-in-law is right."

Those who dug it up now know that 'what's dug up can't be replanted,' so whether they planted it or ate it before, now they can only eat it.

A large number of potatoes have sprouted... Ha, don't blame her for being ruthless.