The cool moonlight poured down, illuminating the entire village as if a bright lamp had been lit.

At a glance, it seemed as if everyone in every corner had nowhere to hide.

The evening breeze carried a slight chill, and the leaves rustled softly.

Jiaojiao was playing games at home with some other children, their silvery laughter echoing in the yard.

Lin Ziyan leaned against the balcony, glanced downstairs, and slowly curled her lips into a smile.

Grandma sat in the yard chatting casually with Aunt Chen.

"It's so strange. That night after we ate seafood, Er Gouzi and I slept so soundly that I didn't even hear Fatty calling for us at the door." Aunt Chen leaned back in her rattan chair, her eyes crinkling as she looked at the children running around.

Now she feels it's better for the house to be lively; it's too quiet when it's all adults at home, and she feels uncomfortable.

"Grandma, I heard your wolfhound barked loudly that night, did you hear it?" Aunt Chen asked casually.

Atai shook his head, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

Of course she heard it, but she didn't get up and saw something she shouldn't have seen.

Ah Tai added in her heart, peeling peanuts from the bottom of the pan, the light in her eyes slowly dimming.

I didn't expect it to be so easy to hook Aunt Huang.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have been so easily lured out after hiding in the shadows for so long.

Grandma looked at the wall next door, a little puzzled in her heart.

"Aunt Huang has been acting strangely lately; I haven't seen her go out to chat for a long time."

It seems that Ah Yan rarely comes over after the banquet..." Aunt Chen suddenly stopped. There was a person standing at the door. Wasn't that her?

Aunt Huang was carrying a bamboo basket filled with chestnuts, and a sweet, sticky aroma wafted in the breeze.

"Luckily I didn't say anything bad about you. I was just thinking about you when you arrived," Aunt Chen said with a smile, then paused for a few seconds when she saw the chestnuts in her hand.

There are very few wild chestnuts this year. It's probably because the villagers know that the chestnuts from that particular tree are delicious, so many people go to pick them, and some even climb the tree directly to pick them.

Aunt Huang smiled, but in the dim light, the panic in her eyes was not visible.

“I went to town today and saw someone selling wild chestnuts, so I bought some so we could all try them together,” she said gently.

Aunt Chen loves chestnuts, especially wild chestnuts, which are fragrant, sweet, and powdery.

Grandma simply nodded, giving Aunt Huang a quick, discreet look.

Last time it was seafood, this time it's chestnuts. Looks like they've discovered the recipe for that box is fake.

She looked back and her eyelids twitched. Tiger hadn't come again.

Were they threatened?

"Why haven't I seen Tiger coming to my house to play lately?" Aunt Chen asked casually while peeling chestnuts.

Aunt Huang's hand trembled slightly, then she smiled and said, "He went to play with Big Fatty today and didn't come home until very late. Now he's so tired that he's fast asleep at home."

"I'm taking him to his grandma's house for a while tomorrow,"

After she said that, Aunt Chen didn't dare to ask any further questions.

Actually, she felt that Tiger had been going to his grandmother's house a bit too frequently lately...

Aunt Chen went to the county today and ran into Aunt Huang's sister-in-law, so she said something complimentary about her.

The other party looked confused and said that Tiger had come to his maternal grandmother's house once during the Chinese New Year and went home the same day. What do you mean he stayed at his maternal grandmother's house?

Aunt Chen looked up at Aunt Huang, secretly alarmed, but didn't show it on her face.

She just couldn't understand why it was worth lying about.

"Where's Ayan? Everyone, eat while the chestnuts are still warm." Aunt Huang looked around.

She still doesn't understand why Mr. Yang would directly pay the full amount after the shrimp paste incident.

They even claimed to have delivered the goods themselves, but Aunt Huang knew perfectly well that the goods had already sunk into the sea.

However, she could only keep this to herself and couldn't ask about it.

Aunt Huang secretly regretted that she should have taken more things last time when only her great-grandmother was at home.

"She's upstairs, saying she's busy with something." Ah Tai's tone was calm, but she was already certain that the person in front of her had been pushed to the limit and would make a move by tonight at the latest.

Aunt Huang peeled a few chestnuts and secretly threw them towards the wolfhound.

She stared at the dog, feeling extremely anxious.

After Lu Yunshen moved in, she rarely came to the Lin family, partly out of fear of Lu Yunshen, and partly because of the wolfhound.

That night, she sneaked into her grandmother's room. The dog barked fiercely, so she didn't dare to rummage around too much, for fear that her grandmother would wake up or that the neighbors would come knocking on the door.

"Aunt Huang, Xiao Hei doesn't eat chestnuts, he eats bones."

Lin Ziyan came out of the main room carrying a bowl filled with bones.

Aunt Huang, "..."

Her heart was pounding in her throat; her eyes widened, and she looked flustered.

Aunt Chen looked towards the wolfhound and saw a few chestnuts; a slight twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Grandma didn't say anything, ate two chestnuts, and then continued peeling peanuts.

The cold moonlight shone on Aunt Huang's face, making her look a bit paler.

"I accidentally dropped it on the ground, and I thought I couldn't waste it..." Aunt Huang's explanation sounded like a defense.

She knew, of course, that explaining it would only make things worse, but she had no choice but to do it.

Lin Ziyan smiled and said, "I guess Auntie really meant it."

She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Lin Ziyan had been standing in the main room for quite a while, and Aunt Huang hadn't noticed her at all. She was probably feeling guilty.

What is she feeling guilty about?

Lin Ziyan's gaze fell on the winnowing basket on the stone table, and the light in her eyes darkened.

She heard from Lu Yunshen's people that the last time Aunt Huang came into the house, she took a box and left, handing it to Wang Erniu.

In order not to alert the enemy, Lu Yunshen's men remained inactive and waited until now.

“That’s right, your Aunt Huang really cherishes food,” Aunt Chen chimed in from the side.

She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Back when there was famine, your mother, Aunt Huang, and I went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables. We were so desperate that we even ate tree bark..."

Aunt Chen kept reminiscing about the past.

Lin Ziyan nodded and slowly peeled a chestnut.

She never minded listening to these things, especially since they allowed her to understand Aunt Huang's character.

In those days, how easy was it to survive?

Lin Ziyan also vaguely heard that Aunt Huang originally had another daughter, but she didn't survive the famine.

"Speaking of which, where did you find the flour back then? I was so hungry at the time that I didn't have time to ask." Aunt Chen looked at Aunt Huang with a puzzled expression.

Aunt Huang's face turned deathly pale instantly; it was her first time trading with those people.

At the time, those people's request was very simple: just report the situation of the Lin family to them every day.

After the famine subsided and everyone barely managed to survive, those people suddenly disappeared.

The night Little Fatty died, they got in touch with her again...

"Can't remember?" Aunt Chen asked again.

Aunt Huang forced a smile but didn't say anything.

Looking back now, I realize that she became like this because of the pressures of life.

If her daughter hadn't starved to death, she probably wouldn't have risked doing such a thing.

"If you can't remember, then don't think about it. You look terrible, are you thinking about Tingting?"