Cuilan responded and turned to walk towards the main room. Zhang Lan, who was hiding outside the courtyard gate, heard this and her heart skipped a beat—she had clearly poured croton powder into that bottle of "plaster powder" yesterday. If Cuilan found new plaster powder, wouldn't no one use the bottle with the added ingredient? No, she had to find a way to get Lin Wanqiu to use that bottle of "plaster powder," otherwise all her efforts would be in vain.
While everyone was gathered around the stove, Zhang Lan sneaked into the yard, quickly walked to the stove, grabbed the bottle of cornstarch, and started pouring it into the soy milk basin. She poured it quickly and hurriedly, afraid of being discovered. Only after pouring about half a bottle did she hurriedly put it down and turn to run out of the yard. But she didn't notice that Lin Wanqiu was already standing at the kitchen door, having seen everything she did.
"Sister-in-law Zhang Lan, what are you doing?" Lin Wanqiu's voice suddenly rang out, startling Zhang Lan so much that she slipped and almost fell. She turned around and saw Lin Wanqiu standing with her arms crossed, looking at her coldly. Aunt Wang and several other women also turned around, their faces full of surprise.
Zhang Lan felt a pang of panic, but she forced herself to remain calm: "I...I just came to check on you making tofu and to add some gypsum powder for you, in case you're too busy." Lin Wanqiu sneered, walked to the basin of soy milk, stirred it with a wooden spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and handed it to Zhang Lan: "Oh? Then tell me, with so much gypsum powder, is the tofu still edible? Besides, what I have in this bottle isn't gypsum powder, it's cornstarch. If you don't believe me, try it?"
Zhang Lan's face turned deathly pale instantly. She realized she'd been tricked by Lin Wanqiu. She tried to run, but Aunt Wang had already blocked the gate: "Zhang Lan, how could you do such a despicable thing? Wanqiu kindly taught us how to make tofu, and you tried to harm her! Have you no conscience?"
Several women joined in the accusations, some saying Zhang Lan was jealous, others saying she was malicious. Zhang Lan was so distressed she was almost in tears, repeatedly protesting, "It wasn't me, Lin Wanqiu framed me! She clearly put the stuff in the bottle, it has nothing to do with me!"
Lin Wanqiu was too lazy to argue with her. She picked up the bottle of cornstarch and said to everyone, "Look, there are locust leaves at the bottom of this bottle. There are no locust trees in my yard, only under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village. And the mud stains on this bottle are also from the clay at the entrance of the village. I think everyone knows who secretly entered my yard and added something to the soy milk."
Upon inspection, everyone saw that, just as Lin Wanqiu had said, there were locust leaves at the bottom of the bottle and mud marks on the body. Considering Zhang Lan's usual behavior, they all understood what had happened. Seeing that no one believed her, Zhang Lan stamped her feet in frustration, but unable to find any evidence to refute her, she could only stand there, her face flushed red.
Just then, Old Mrs. Shen, leaning on her cane, walked over, cursing, "Lin Wanqiu! What are you doing bullying my Zhang Lan here again? Let me tell you, don't think you can act lawlessly just because you have the commune backing you up!" She had just reached the courtyard gate when she saw Zhang Lan standing in the middle, surrounded and being criticized by the crowd. She immediately understood what was going on, but still protected Zhang Lan, saying, "Why are you all surrounding my Zhang Lan? It's just a little something extra! What's the big deal? Wanqiu, can't you be a little more lenient with her?"
Lin Wanqiu looked at Old Lady Shen with disdain in her heart: "Mother, this is no small matter. Zhang Lan added something to my soy milk, trying to make the people who ate the tofu get diarrhea and ruin my business. If something really happens, not only will I be in trouble, but it might also affect the commune's canteen and school. Do you think Secretary Zhou will let her off then?"
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Shen's heart skipped a beat. Although she was mean and selfish, she knew the power of the commune. If the commune were truly implicated, not only Zhang Lan, but the entire Shen family could be affected. She glared at Zhang Lan, her tone instantly changing: "You brat! Are you crazy? Wanqiu kindly taught you how to make tofu, and you want to harm her? Do you want to drag the entire Shen family down with you?"
Seeing that Old Lady Shen not only didn't help her but also scolded her, Zhang Lan felt extremely wronged, and tears streamed down her face: "Mom, I didn't mean it, Lin Wanqiu framed me, I..." Before she could finish speaking, Old Lady Shen slapped her across the face: "You still dare to argue! Do you think I'm a fool? Everyone is watching, and you still want to deny it!"
Zhang Lan covered her face and cried even harder, but dared not argue any further. Old Mrs. Shen, looking at everyone, felt a little embarrassed and said to Lin Wanqiu with a forced smile, "Wanqiu, it's all my fault for not teaching Zhang Lan well. You're a magnanimous person, please don't take it to heart. I'll definitely give her a good talking to when we get home." With that, she pulled Zhang Lan towards home. Zhang Lan cried as they walked, her heart filled with regret—how could she have been so foolish to fall for Lin Wanqiu's trick? Now she'd lost everything and even been scolded by Old Mrs. Shen.
Lin Wanqiu watched their retreating figures and breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that after this incident, Zhang Lan would never dare to cause her trouble again, and Old Lady Shen would no longer target her as before. She turned around and smiled at everyone, saying, "I'm sorry for the trouble. Let's continue making tofu and not waste any more time."
Everyone nodded and gathered around the stove again. Aunt Wang looked at Lin Wanqiu with admiration in her eyes: "Wanqiu, you are really amazing. Not only did you see through Zhang Lan's trick, but you also made her suffer the consequences. I will learn from you from now on, make tofu properly, and never deal with those shady people again."
Lin Wanqiu smiled but didn't speak, only her hands moved even faster. She knew this was just the beginning, and many more difficulties awaited her in the future, but she was confident that as long as she worked hard, with the resources in her space and her own skills, she would definitely be able to lead Nian'an and the villagers to live well in this era and have a good life.
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