Zhang Lan stood at the gate of the courtyard, her eyes unconsciously glancing towards the kitchen. She smiled and said, "It's nothing serious, we're just running low on salt and wanted to borrow some from you."
Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly—Zhang Lan's family had just bought salt last week, how could it be gone so quickly? She must have smelled the aroma of eggs and wanted to find out. Lin Wanqiu said calmly, "Sister-in-law, unfortunately, we're also running low on salt. You'd better borrow some from someone else."
Zhang Lan's smile froze for a moment, then she said, "Never mind then. By the way, Wanqiu, I think I smelled eggs at your house just now. Where did you get those eggs?"
Lin Wanqiu had anticipated that she would ask this question, so she pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I went to the commune to sell tofu a few days ago and ran into an acquaintance. He had a lot of eggs at home, so he gave me a few."
A hint of suspicion flashed in Zhang Lan's eyes, and she pressed on, "What acquaintance is it? So generous, giving you eggs?"
"It's an old friend from my hometown. He works at the commune now. He raises a few chickens and has more eggs than he can eat, so he gave me a few." Lin Wanqiu made up a lie so naturally that there was no flaw in her story.
Zhang Lan was about to ask another question when Shen Nian'an came out of the kitchen with peeled eggs. Seeing Zhang Lan, he instinctively hid behind Lin Wanqiu. Zhang Lan's eyes lit up when she saw the eggs in Shen Nian'an's hand, and she smiled, saying, "Nian'an, you're eating eggs? These eggs look really good."
Shen Nian'an clutched the egg tightly in his hand, remaining silent. Lin Wanqiu shielded her son behind her and said to Zhang Lan, "Sister-in-law, if there's nothing else, I won't entertain you any longer. I still need to pack Nian'an's schoolbag and take him to school."
Seeing that she couldn't get any information and couldn't borrow any salt, Zhang Lan had no choice but to leave dejectedly. Watching Zhang Lan's departing figure, Lin Wanqiu felt a growing sense of unease—Zhang Lan must have smelled the eggs and would definitely tell Old Lady Shen when she got back. Old Lady Shen was selfish and greedy; knowing she had eggs, she would surely try to steal them. She had to prepare in advance and not let Old Lady Shen take the eggs.
Back in the kitchen, Shen Nian'an asked softly, "Mom, does Auntie want our eggs?"
"Never mind her," Lin Wanqiu patted her son's head. "We won't give our eggs to anyone. Nian'an, finish your eggs quickly, and I'll take you to school."
Shen Nian'an nodded and quickened his pace of eating the eggs. Lin Wanqiu watched her son, pondering—she needed to find a way to both protect the eggs and deter Old Lady Shen from causing further trouble. She suddenly remembered what Shen Tingzhou had said before: if they encountered problems they couldn't solve, they could ask Grandpa Wang for help. However, she didn't want to trouble Grandpa Wang unless absolutely necessary. She wanted to resolve this matter herself and let Old Lady Shen know that Lin Wanqiu wasn't someone to be trifled with.
After dropping Nian'an off at school, Lin Wanqiu returned home and carefully placed the remaining eggs into a ceramic jar, then hid the jar in a box under her bed. She then walked around the yard again, looking for anything she could use to keep Old Lady Shen away. Suddenly, she saw several mousetraps under the old elm tree in the corner of the yard—they were used to catch mice before, but had remained there ever since the mice had decreased. A thought struck Lin Wanqiu; an idea formed in her mind.
She took out the mousetrap, checked it carefully to make sure it worked. Then, she dug a small hole under the kitchen window, placed the mousetrap in it, and covered it with a thin layer of soil and dry grass, making it look no different from the surrounding ground. She knew that if Old Lady Shen wanted to steal the eggs, she would definitely climb in through the kitchen window, and this was the only way in.
After finishing all this, Lin Wanqiu went to the back hill to feed the chickens. Watching the free-range chickens leisurely pecking at their food in the shed, she secretly vowed in her heart: no matter what tricks Old Lady Shen played, she would not let Old Lady Shen take away the eggs. She would protect the fruits of her and Nian'an's labor and protect this family.
As the sun set, Lin Wanqiu went to the school to pick up Nian'an. On the way, Nian'an excitedly told her, "Mom, the teacher praised me today, saying I did well in arithmetic!"
"Really? Nian'an is so great!" Lin Wanqiu happily picked up her son and kissed him on the cheek. "Mom will make you egg pancakes tonight as a reward."
"That's great! Thank you, Mother!" Shen Nian'an happily hugged Lin Wanqiu's neck and kissed her on the cheek.
Back home, Lin Wanqiu started making egg pancakes. She took out some flour from her spatial storage, cracked in two eggs, added a little water, and stirred it into a batter. Then she brushed a layer of oil into a pan, poured in the batter, and fried it into golden-brown egg pancakes. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of egg pancakes.
Shen Nian'an sat beside Lin Wanqiu, watching her make egg pancakes, her mouth practically watering. After the egg pancakes were done, Lin Wanqiu served Nian'an a large piece and ate one herself. The egg pancakes were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, bursting with the aroma of eggs. Shen Nian'an ate with relish, finishing the large piece in no time.
That night, Lin Wanqiu lay in bed, feeling much more at ease as she thought about the preparations she had made during the day. She knew that Old Lady Shen would definitely come to steal the eggs, and she was prepared, just waiting for Old Lady Shen to take the bait. She had also decided that if Old Lady Shen really got caught, she would say it was for catching mice, leaving Old Lady Shen with no way to explain herself.
A gentle night breeze blew through the window, bringing with it the chirping of insects. Lin Wanqiu looked at Nian'an sleeping soundly beside her, a relieved smile on her face. She knew that the road ahead was long, and she would encounter many difficulties and challenges, but as long as she was with Nian'an, and as long as she had the support of her spatial ability, she was confident that she could overcome all difficulties and give Nian'an a happy and fulfilling life.
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