"Zhang Lan said that Lin Wanqiu bullied her mother-in-law and even pushed her."
"Really? Lin Wanqiu usually seems quite honest, how could she bully her mother-in-law?"
"Who knows? You can't judge a book by its cover. Maybe she's an ingrate."
The whispers reached Lin Wanqiu's ears, and her face paled, but she remained calm. She knew that the more flustered she became, the easier it would be for Old Madam Shen and Zhang Lan to manipulate her.
She took a deep breath, picked up Shen Nian'an, walked up to Old Mrs. Shen, and said coldly, "Old Mrs. Shen, stop pretending here. You rushed over to grab my things first and pushed me. I was only defending myself and accidentally pushed you down. All the neighbors saw it. If you don't believe me, you can ask them."
As she spoke, she looked at the neighbors at the gate of the courtyard: "Uncles and aunts, you all saw what happened just now. It was Old Lady Shen who started it. If I hadn't pushed her, Nian'an and I might have been pushed down by her. Tell me, does this count as self-defense?"
The neighbors looked at each other; they had indeed seen Grandma Shen rush over to grab the things and Zhang Lan push people from behind. But since Grandma Shen was an elder, they didn't say much.
At this moment, Aunt Wang, who lived next door, stepped forward. She usually had a good relationship with Lin Wanqiu and couldn't stand seeing Old Lady Shen bullying her like this. She said, "Old Lady Shen, we all saw what happened just now. It was indeed you who rushed over first. It's not easy for Wanqiu to raise a child alone. Please don't make things difficult for her anymore."
With Aunt Wang taking the lead, the other neighbors chimed in: "Yes, Grandma Shen, Wanqiu has had a tough life, so please stop making a fuss."
"Didn't you already take the compensation money back then? Why are you asking Wanqiu for it again?"
Seeing that her neighbors weren't on her side, Old Mrs. Shen's crying gradually subsided, but she still refused to get up, muttering as she sat on the ground, "I don't care, she pushed me, so she has to pay for my medical expenses!"
Lin Wanqiu sneered: "I can pay your medical expenses, but I have to take you to the brigade headquarters first so the captain can check if your back injury is real or fake. If it's real, I'll pay for the medical expenses; if it's fake, you have to apologize to me and Nian'an, and you also have to return Tingzhou's compensation!"
Upon hearing that she had to go to the brigade headquarters and return the compensation money, Old Lady Shen immediately got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and glared fiercely at Lin Wanqiu: "You're ruthless! I'll let you off the hook today, but you'll regret it later!"
After saying that, he pulled Zhang Lan, who still wanted to say something, and slunk away.
Watching their retreating figures, Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief, her arm, which had been holding Shen Nian'an, began to ache. Shen Nian'an peeked out from her embrace, touched her face with her little hand, and whispered, "Mommy, don't cry."
Lin Wanqiu then realized that she had started crying again without her noticing. She wiped away her tears and smiled, "Mommy didn't cry, Mommy is happy. Nian Nian, weren't you scared just now?"
Shen Nian'an shook her head, resting her little head against her chest: "With Mommy here, Nian'an isn't afraid. Mommy is amazing."
Those four words again filled Lin Wanqiu's heart with warmth once more. She carried the child into the house, took out the remaining white flour pancakes, broke off a large piece, and handed it to Shen Nian'an: "Nian'an, be good, eat more. After you finish eating, Mommy will take you to see the space. There are lots of fun things inside."
Shen Nian'an took the cake and ate it in small bites, his eyes full of anticipation. Lin Wanqiu looked at the child's smiling face and secretly vowed that no matter how great the difficulties, she would protect Nian'an and ensure that he could grow up healthy and happy in this difficult era.
After lunch, Lin Wanqiu coaxed Chen Nian to take a nap, then went into her spatial dimension. The space was the same as always; the warehouse was filled with various supplies, and the off-season vegetables growing on the land were lush and green, looking vibrant. Looking at the thriving vegetables, she planned that once they matured, besides eating them herself, she could secretly take them to the black market to sell and earn some money to improve her life.
Just then, Lin Wanqiu suddenly heard Shen Nian'an crying from the outer room. She quickly exited the space and ran out. She saw Shen Nian'an sitting on the bed, her little hands covering her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"What happened to Niannian?" Lin Wanqiu rushed over, picked up the child, and lifted up his pants to see that there was a scrape on his knee with blood seeping out.
"Mom, it hurts..." Shen Nian'an pouted pitifully, tears falling even more fiercely.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mommy will bandage it for you and it won't hurt anymore." Lin Wanqiu comforted the child, and thinking of the medical kit in her space, she felt reassured. Holding Chen Nian'an, she went back into the space, took out iodine, cotton swabs and gauze, carefully cleaned the child's wound, and then bandaged it with gauze.
"Okay, Niannian, look, it doesn't hurt anymore now." Lin Wanqiu helped the child put on his pants and patted his head.
Shen Nian'an reached out his little hand and touched his bandaged knee. Sure enough, it didn't hurt as much. He looked at Lin Wanqiu and gave her a sweet smile: "Mom is amazing."
Looking at the child's smiling face, Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart.
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