Zheng Yutang was at a loss and could only follow behind her mother. The two walked around in a maze for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before stopping near an inn that looked quite prosperous.

The inn's signboard bore four gleaming characters—Fu Lai Inn. People came and went at the inn's entrance, shoulder to shoulder, suggesting business was doing fairly well.

The waiter attentively greeted the guests, and cheerful sounds of drinking games echoed through the lobby. Zheng Yutang looked at the noisy environment, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and asked sadly, "Mother... what are we doing here?"

Now that they are penniless, is the mother supposed to bring her here to live?

"Where is the money?" Madam Lin turned around and glared at Zheng Yutang, whose expression was one of complete confidence. Madam Lin did not answer immediately, but instead silently took a deep breath.

Lin straightened her worn-out clothes slightly, forced a not-so-beautiful smile, and then pulled Zheng Yutang inside.

"Shopkeeper!"

Lin raised his voice.

Behind the counter was a slightly overweight, bearded middle-aged man. Upon hearing the voice, the man hurriedly looked towards the door. When the overweight man recognized who it was, his expression first changed in surprise, then his face lit up with a delighted smile.

The man immediately strode out from behind the counter, bowed, and said, "Oh! Ma'am! What brings you here? What a rare guest! Please come in!"

This person was none other than Lin Shoucai, the younger brother of the Lin family.

[Uncle makes his appearance! Voldemort warning!]

[Fu Lai Inn? The Lin family really did have a backup plan! Did they invest all their secret stash of money here?]

The name Lin Shoucai... truly reflects the man's character.

Lin Shoucai smiled and led Lin Shi and Zheng Yutang upstairs. He would turn around curiously from time to time, and when his gaze swept over the mother and daughter's worn-out coarse clothes, his expression was extremely complicated.

Zheng Yutang and Lin Shi were in a terrible state. Zheng Yutang followed timidly behind Lin Shi. She was familiar with this uncle many years ago, but she hadn't seen him for many years, and now all she felt was endless estrangement.

As for Madam Lin, she still held her head high and looked very comfortable. Judging from her appearance, she didn't come here as a guest, but rather as if she were at home.

But Lin Shoucai's smile suddenly froze on his face. He sensed that something was wrong and made a sound. Lin looked at his younger brother and found that the surprise on Lin Shoucai's face had vanished instantly.

"Big sister? Yutang? What happened to you all? What's wrong with your outfits...?"

Lin's smile finally crumbled, and as she entered the house, her eyes welled up with tears.

“Shoucai, we! We’ve been kicked out! That old bastard Zheng Shangshu actually divorced me! And kicked Yutang out too! He made us, mother and daughter, leave with nothing, without giving us anything!”

Lin clung tightly to her brother's arm, as if grasping at the last straw.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shouchai was struck dumb, as if by lightning, and screamed, "What?!"

The color drained from his face in an instant, and his lips trembled. "No matter what, you were still his concubine. Even if he divorced you now, he wouldn't be so cruel and heartless! He didn't even give you anything?"

Lin Shoucai's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

"He divorced you and now he wants you and your niece to leave with nothing?! What right does he have?! Sister, you've given birth to children for the Zheng family all these years, even if we haven't done anything special, we've still put in the effort! That old scoundrel is truly going too far, worse than a beast!"

Lin Shoucai was so angry that his whole body trembled, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

He slammed his fist hard on the table, causing the cups, plates, and bowls on the table to jump dramatically in that instant.

"That old bastard Zheng is a real scoundrel! That hypocrite! I'm not finished with them!"

Lin Shouchai's eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast that had been thoroughly enraged, roaring as he was about to charge out.

"I'm going to smash up the gates of that Minister's mansion right now! I'm going to get an explanation for you and my niece!"

[Uncle is furious! He's about to cause trouble!]

[Ms. Lin: Little brother, don't be impulsive! I still have money (with you)!]

"Shoucai! You stop right there!"

Seeing that Zheng Shoucai was indeed about to go out, Lin was so frightened that she grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the house.

At this moment, Madam Lin lowered her voice and said, "Are you crazy?! That's the Minister's mansion. You, a commoner, are going to cause trouble there? Do you want to go to jail? Now that I've already been divorced, we'd better avoid trouble. You'd better calm down!"

She lowered her voice and looked around warily. Many people eating in the lobby were watching the two of them with great curiosity.

Lin Shoucai sighed deeply, staring at Zheng Yutang, whose face was streaked with tears, and her expressionless sister.

"Don't worry, big sister, with me here, the sky won't fall down!"

Madam Lin smiled sinisterly and said to her younger brother, "These past few years, have I been staying at the Minister's mansion for nothing? That old man and that wolf cub Zheng Yu have been guarding against me like I'm a thief! But even the most careful person can make a mistake! I've been worried about this day for a long time, so I've managed to transfer quite a bit of money away!"

Lin's eyes flashed with a fierce red light, and her voice was even lower than before.

He said to Zheng Yutang, "Three years ago, I secretly smuggled out all the silver and jewelry I could get my hands on and handed it all over to your Uncle Shoucai! He opened this inn! Look how thriving the Fulai Inn is! This inn is our last resort! It's also our capital to turn things around in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yutang's eyes widened in utter shock.

Looking at the bustling inn with its people coming and going, and then at her uncle Lin Shoucai, she felt a surge of joy.

[Lin Shoucai: It's all over, my secret stash of money is gone.]

[Lin: Surprised? Unexpected? Your inn actually belongs to me!]

Lin didn't notice the fleeting unease in her brother's eyes. Looking at the thriving inn, she felt as if she had found her anchor again.

"As long as our Fulai Inn is still operating, we still have a chance to turn things around! Yutang, stop crying! Wipe your tears! With your mother and your uncle, the three of us can run this inn well, and things might not be any worse than before! Once we've saved enough money..."

However, before Lin could finish speaking, Lin Shoucai stopped his sister, saying, "Elder sister, let's just focus on doing business. Don't say anything more now, or it won't be good if someone with ulterior motives hears us."

Lin nodded hurriedly and fell silent. Zheng Yutang looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar cold light in her mother's eyes, and then at her uncle's hesitant, timid, and bewildered expression. The little hope that had just risen in her heart was once again shrouded by great unease.