She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and turned to walk into the kitchen. No matter what, she had to protect Nian'an and live her own life well. Whether it was Zhao Jianjun or Old Lady Shen, whoever dared to mess with her, she would fight them to the bitter end!
In the kitchen, Nian'an was sitting on a small stool, helping to peel garlic. Seeing Lin Wanqiu come in, he quickly held up the garlic in his hand: "Mom, look, I've finished peeling the garlic."
Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart and went over to pat her son's head: "An'an is such a good boy. I'll make you two poached eggs later." "Okay!" Nian'an clapped his hands happily, his little face full of smiles.
Suddenly, a series of light footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. This time, the footsteps were much lighter than when Zhao Jianjun had come, as if someone was deliberately making their footsteps quiet. Lin Wanqiu became alert and quietly walked to the courtyard gate, peeking out through the crack. She saw a man in a gray cloth jacket lurking on the courtyard wall, peering into the yard. It was none other than Old Lady Shen's second son, Shen Lao Er!
Shen Lao Er was a notorious idler who usually harassed the original owner of the body along with Shen Lao Tai. His arrival this time was sure to bring trouble. Lin Wanqiu deliberately coughed, startling Shen Lao Er, who turned to run away.
"Second Uncle Shen, since you're here, why don't you come in and sit for a while?" Lin Wanqiu pushed open the courtyard gate and looked at him with a half-smile.
Shen Lao Er froze on the spot, his hands fidgeting in his pockets, his eyes darting around. "I...I was just passing by, just passing by." He said this, but his eyes were fixed on the cured meat in the yard, his mouth practically watering.
Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly. This Second Uncle Shen must have been sent by Old Lady Shen or Zhang Lan to gather information. She deliberately moved closer to the cured meat, blocking his view: "Just passing by? This road isn't outside my yard. If you have nothing else to do, Second Uncle, you should hurry up and leave. I'm busy drying vegetables, don't delay my work."
Shen Lao Er was embarrassed when his thoughts were exposed, but he was still unwilling to give up: "Wanqiu, I heard that Jianjun from Secretary Zhao's family came to see you? Does he want to marry you?" As he spoke, he moved closer to the yard, wanting to see if there were any other good things.
Lin Wanqiu took a step back, blocking his way: "I don't need Second Uncle to worry about my affairs. But Second Uncle, you're always idling around. Aren't you afraid of being caught by the captain and judged?" She knew that Shen Lao Er was most afraid of the captain because he often slacked off and had been caught by the captain several times.
Sure enough, as soon as Shen Lao Er heard the word "captain," his face changed instantly, and he hurriedly said, "I have something to do, I'm leaving now!" After saying that, he ran off in a flash.
Watching Shen Lao Er's disheveled figure, Lin Wanqiu's anger flared up again—this Shen family was a bunch of ingrates! After the original owner married Shen Tingzhou, she helped them a lot, but not only were they ungrateful, they were also constantly scheming to take her things. This time, Zhao Jianjun's forced marriage was probably instigated by them!
The gate slammed shut, and Nian'an asked softly, "Mom, will they come back?"
Lin Wanqiu squatted down, touched her son's head, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "He will come, but Mommy is not afraid. Mommy will protect An'an." She knew in her heart that Zhao Jianjun would never let this go. He was rejected this time, and he would definitely use even more outrageous methods next time.
Just then, a commotion came from outside the courtyard gate, along with Zhao Jianjun's loud voice: "Lin Wanqiu! You come out here!"
Lin Wanqiu's heart sank—why is Zhao Jianjun back again? And with people? She walked to the courtyard gate and looked out through the crack. She saw two men wearing Dacron shirts following behind Zhao Jianjun. They were his cronies, who usually acted like tyrants in the team and no one dared to mess with them.
"Zhao Jianjun, what are you doing here again?" Lin Wanqiu opened the courtyard gate, her tone icy.
Zhao Jianjun stood with his hands on his hips, looking at her smugly: "Lin Wanqiu, I'm asking you one last time, are you going to marry me or not? If you agree, I won't hold what happened before against you; if you don't agree, I'll have my two brothers move all your things to the brigade headquarters and say that you're hoarding supplies and engaging in speculation!"
The two men behind him chimed in, "That's right! You'd better be smart and agree quickly, or you'll regret it!"
Nian'an was so frightened that she hid behind Lin Wanqiu, clutching her clothes tightly with her little hands, but she still mustered up her courage and said, "You are not allowed to bully my mother!"
Zhao Jianjun glanced at Nian An and said disdainfully, "What do you know, you little brat? If you dare to say another word, I'll send you to an orphanage!"
"You dare!" Lin Wanqiu's eyes flashed with anger. She took a step forward and blocked Nian An's path. "Zhao Jianjun, don't go too far! I'm warning you, if you dare to touch my family's things, or dare to make a move on An'an, I'll report you to the commune! I don't believe the commune leaders will ignore someone like you who bullies others!"
Zhao Jianjun was taken aback by Lin Wanqiu's tough stance. He paused for a moment, then sneered, "Sue me? Do you have any evidence? My two brothers can testify that you're hoarding supplies and engaging in speculation! In the end, not only will you be arrested and sent to a labor camp, but your belongings will also be confiscated, and your son will still have to go to an orphanage!"
The two men behind him nodded in agreement: "Yes! We can testify!"
Lin Wanqiu knew that Zhao Jianjun was deliberately picking a fight. Even if she hadn't hidden any supplies, he could fabricate evidence. But she couldn't back down. If she gave in this time, Zhao Jianjun would only bully her and Nian'an even more severely in the future.
She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Jianjun and his two cronies, her tone firm: "Zhao Jianjun, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have your father backing you up! Although I, Lin Wanqiu, am a widow, I am not a pushover! If you dare to touch my family's things, or dare to hurt An'an, I will fight you to the death!"
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