The late summer sun was still scorching, making the ground steam. Lin Wanqiu had just finished harvesting a batch of small green vegetables in her spatial dimension when she heard Chen Nian'an's timid voice from the courtyard gate, tinged with a sob: "Grandma, I...I dare not..."
Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly wiped the mud off her hands and hurried out of the main room.
Old Mrs. Shen, leaning on a jujube wood cane, was blocking the courtyard gate. Her hands, as thin as withered tree bark, gripped Shen Nian'an's wrist tightly, her knuckles turning white. Nian'an, as thin as a bean sprout, stumbled as she was pulled, her eyes red-rimmed, her small lips pressed tightly together, tears welling up but she stubbornly held them back.
"Dare not? What's there to be afraid of!" Old Mrs. Shen's voice was shrill and sharp, audible even through two courtyard walls. "Those are your mother's hidden treasures! She's a widow, isn't she afraid of choking if she eats alone? You're the root of the Shen family, it's only right that you take some things!"
Lin Wanqiu's temper flared up instantly. She rushed over and pulled Nian'an behind her protectively, her eyes as cold as ice: "Mom, what are you doing? Nian'an is only four years old. Aren't you afraid of hurting him by pulling him like that?"
Old Mrs. Shen was startled by her sudden outburst of arrogance, but then she straightened her neck, put her hands on her hips, and said: "What does it have to do with you if I'm disciplining my grandson? Lin Wanqiu, let me tell you, don't think you can hoard some food for yourself! This Shen family courtyard, and the Shen family children, all have to listen to me!"
"The Shen family's kid?" Lin Wanqiu sneered, pointing to the red mark on Nian'an's arm where he had been gripped. "Is this how you raise your grandson? Instigating him to steal? Is this all the kind of person you are as a grandmother?"
Hearing the commotion, the neighbors all peered over their yard walls. Aunt Zhang peeked out and whispered, "Grandma, Wanqiu is only trying to help the child. Talk to her calmly, don't frighten her."
"Good my foot!" Old Mrs. Shen was completely unmoved, spitting as she spoke. "Lin Wanqiu is a jinx! Not content with killing my son, she now wants to starve my grandson! I heard she hides in her room eating the best food every day, not even letting Nian'an have a sip of porridge. Is that something a human being would do?"
That's pure fabrication. These past few days, Lin Wanqiu has been using her spatial ability to cook eggs and steam sweet potatoes for Nian'an every day, and Nian'an's complexion has become rosier than before. But Old Lady Shen either didn't see it, or she saw it but pretended not to, just looking for an excuse to steal things.
Nian'an hid behind Lin Wanqiu, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, and whispered in protest, "Grandma, no... Mom cooked me eggs and made me eat sweet potatoes..."
"You don't know anything!" Old Mrs. Shen glared at Nian'an, then turned to Lin Wanqiu and started yelling, "Stop pretending to be a good person! I saw it all, there are white steamed buns hidden in your room! They must have been bought with your secret stash of money! Today you have to take out the steamed buns and share them with me and your older brother's family, or I'll go to the brigade headquarters and report you for being selfish and abusing the elderly and children!"
Lin Wanqiu finally understood: Old Lady Shen was determined to take the things. If she gave in today, the old lady would only become more demanding and relentless.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, but her tone was even colder: "Mom, do you have any evidence that I hid steamed buns? If you saw them, point out where they were. If you didn't see them, don't talk nonsense and ruin my reputation."
"I...of course I saw it!" Old Mrs. Shen's eyes flickered for a moment, then she became firm again. "Yesterday I passed by your window and saw you eating steamed buns inside! They were all white, definitely made from good flour!"
"Oh?" Lin Wanqiu raised an eyebrow. "I was working in the fields all day yesterday and didn't get back until evening. When I got back, I cooked sweet potato porridge for Nian'an and didn't go into the main room at all. If you had passed by the window, how come you didn't see me cooking, but instead saw me eating steamed buns inside? Are you blind, or are you lying on purpose?"
Grandma Shen was speechless, her face turning bright red. She hadn't seen any steamed buns yesterday; she'd only heard from Zhang Lan that Lin Wanqiu's complexion had improved recently, implying she must be hiding something good, which was why she wanted to extort money from her.
The neighbors also sensed something was wrong and started gossiping: "Yeah, Wanqiu was in the fields all day yesterday. I went to work with her. How could she have had time to eat steamed buns at home?" "I think the old woman is just trying to steal things and is making up lies on purpose!"
Old Mrs. Shen, losing face and enraged, raised her cane to strike Lin Wanqiu: "You little bitch! How dare you talk back to me! I'll beat you to death today!"
Lin Wanqiu was prepared. She grabbed the cane and pushed it hard. Old Mrs. Shen was too old to withstand such a push. She staggered back a few steps and almost fell to the ground.
"You...you dare push me?" Old Mrs. Shen was both shocked and angry. She sat on the ground and wailed, "This is outrageous! My daughter-in-law pushed her mother-in-law! My son died young, and now this old woman has no one to take care of her. She's being bullied by her daughter-in-law! Everyone, come and see!"
This tactic of throwing a tantrum, which Old Madam Shen used on Shen Tingzhou's mother before, always worked. But now, facing Lin Wanqiu, it was completely ineffective.
Lin Wanqiu looked at her coldly, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Mom, don't play the victim here. If you really feel wronged, let's go to the brigade headquarters right now and let the secretary judge. Let's see if it's me, the daughter-in-law, who is unfilial, or you, the mother-in-law, who is deliberately causing trouble and instigating your grandson to steal."
When Old Mrs. Shen heard that she was going to the brigade headquarters, her crying immediately subsided. She had a guilty conscience; how could she dare go to the brigade headquarters? If the secretary found out she had instigated her grandson to steal, she would not only be scolded, but it might also damage the Shen family's reputation in the brigade.
She grumbled as she got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and glared fiercely at Lin Wanqiu: "You win! Lin Wanqiu, you just wait! I won't let this go!"
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