Wei Er came out of the house with flushed cheeks, clearly having been drinking.

He let out a burp before swaying as he sat down in the wicker chair.

The room contained only a few low rattan chairs and a wooden table, with no other furniture.

The walls were pitch black; if you didn't know better, you'd think you'd entered a kitchen that had been blackened by smoke.

"Wei Er, bring out the IOU from the Lin family. Ayan is here to repay the money."

Uncle Chen sat in the rattan chair, carefully avoiding falling, as the chair was missing a leg.

The Wei family was destitute, living hand to mouth and not even willing to repair a chair.

"What?" Wei Er hiccuped again, his eyes gradually clearing.

A miser is most averse to money and can be on high alert at any time.

"Give me the IOU and pay me back!" Li Zhaodi repeated excitedly, holding her rice bowl.

Wei Er squinted his eyes, which were red from the smell of alcohol, and remained motionless.

He suddenly regrets causing a scene at the ancestral hall; he's only hurting himself.

If he goes back on his word, the money will be gone, and it will feel like a piece of his heart being torn apart.

Once he accepted the money, all his previous calculations were in vain.

Wei Er turned around, glared at his son, and then sauntered into the inner room to get the IOU.

Wei Sheng was bewildered by his father's gaze, touched the tip of his nose, and leaned against the wall.

Ever since I was beaten by Lin Ziyan last time, I'm terrified whenever I see her.

If I really married her, wouldn't I get beaten up every day?

Upon realizing this, Wei Sheng immediately abandoned the idea of ​​marrying Lin Ziyan.

A rustling sound came from the inner room.

Lin Ziyan heard the sound of tiles being removed, and her lips twitched. Had they hidden the IOU on the roof?

After a while, Wei Er came out of the house.

"Ah Yan, if it's difficult, we can postpone repayment..." Wei Er said feigning concern, but his eyes gleamed with cunning.

"It's not difficult. Thank you for lending my dad the money back then." Lin Ziyan took the IOU, and only after confirming that it was correct did she take the money out of her pocket.

It was first handed over to Uncle Chen for inspection before he passed it on to Wei Er.

Li Zhaodi stared at the large wad of cash, swallowing hard, her eyes gleaming.

Wei Er counted it three times before stopping.

He squinted, his gaze towards Lin Ziyan burning even more intensely than before.

In just half a month, they were able to earn so much money. Marrying her would be like bringing a treasure trove into the world.

Aunt Chen walked up to Lin Ziyan, blocking Wei Er's view.

Uncle Chen glanced at Wei Er, snorted coldly, and left with his hands behind his back.

Lin Ziyan took the IOU and left Wei Er's house with Uncle Chen, her steps light.

"Dad, let me count quickly." Li Zhaodi put down her bowl and stepped forward eagerly.

Wei Sheng felt like disappearing on the spot because of his father's gaze.

"You idiot, you've just let a perfectly good gold nugget fly away." Wei Er picked up his slipper and threw it at his son.

Li Zhaodi reacted quickly and blocked the stinky shoe, which hit her right in the face.

She was in so much pain she almost fainted. How much force did they use?

"What goldfish or gold nuggets? I'm not marrying them," Wei Sheng said, shrinking back and forcing a smile.

His eyes darted around, and he dared not tell his family that Lin Ziyan had kicked him so badly that he couldn't get up.

Wei Er glanced at them, then clutched his chest in anger and strode into the inner room.

He had heard the fortune teller say that Lin Ziyan was destined to be a golden phoenix, and whoever married her would be bringing home a treasure trove.

Otherwise, how could he be so heartless as to lend out such a huge sum of money?

Today's events have further solidified Wei Er's belief in the fortune teller's words; he can only try to find a solution when the opportunity arises later.

…

Back home,

Grandma Lin was cutting paper in the yard while waiting.

Seeing her return, he asked eagerly, "Did you get the IOU?"

Lin Ziyan took out the IOU from her pocket and handed it to her grandmother.

She glanced into the room and saw her second sister telling a story to her third sister, Jiaojiao.

"call out!"

Grandma lit a match and burned the IOU to ashes.

The firelight shone on Atai's wrinkled face, making his serious expression clearly visible.

"Ayan, go to school. Grandma will take care of things at home." Grandma Lin choked up, her eyes moist.

She gripped Lin Ziyan's hand tightly, her whole body trembling.

The granddaughter was admitted to university with the highest score in the city, but had to drop out of school due to a sudden change in her family situation.

Every time she thinks about it, she feels like she has a fishbone stuck in her throat.

“Grandma, I’m learning even though I don’t go to school.”

"Now I'd rather restart the shrimp farm..."

Lin Ziyan squeezed her hand back and simply told her grandmother about her thoughts and plans.

For some reason, she always felt that her great-grandmother could understand.

So she carefully and meticulously explained it to her grandmother.

"The ultimate goal of my aquaculture studies is practical application. I promise you, if I can't raise shrimp, I'll go back to school immediately."

Looking at her granddaughter's shining eyes, Grandma Lin nodded in agreement.

She knew her granddaughter was different now, otherwise she wouldn't have come up with so many strange things.

She had never even heard of hand-whipped lemon tea or edible ice cubes before.

Moreover, Ah Yan hadn't been to the kitchen many times before, and she would even burn the rice when cooking.

Now, Ah Yan can cook all kinds of delicious food.

"Auntie supports you."

Lin Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief, hugged the old woman's arm, and rested her head on her shoulder.

Her grandmother's support brought her peace of mind and warmth.

The next day, at noon.

Lin Ziyan had just finished tying up her stall items when the chubby girl came over for a visit.

When she saw the chubby girl, an idea popped into her head.

Last night, when Aunt Chen was chatting with her, she mentioned the fat girl's situation.

She just happens to need a helper right now…

"Fatty, wanna come set up a stall with me?" Lin Ziyan sincerely invited.

The chubby girl's eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously, "Okay, I happen to be free."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!