Lin Wanqiu had just stuffed the wooden box into the hidden compartment under the bed, her fingertips still covered in sawdust, when a loud banging came from outside the courtyard gate, mixed with Old Lady Shen's hoarse voice, making the windowpanes tremble: "Lin Wanqiu! You coward! Open the door right now! If you don't open the door, I'll smash it down!"
Chen Nian'an was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing with the toy train that Lin Wanqiu had made from corncobs. Hearing this sound, his little body stiffened, and the corncob in his hand fell to the kang with a "thud." His eyes looked timidly at Lin Wanqiu: "Mom...it's Grandma..."
Lin Wanqiu touched her son's cold little hand, hiding him behind her back, a cold glint in her eyes. She knew from Zhang Lan's complaint that Old Lady Shen wouldn't let it go, but she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly; it seemed she was determined to rob her. She walked to the door, deliberately slowing her pace, and asked through the door, "Mother, what's wrong now? Didn't we agree not to cause me any trouble?"
"Agreed my ass!" Old Mrs. Shen slammed her cane on the door. "You little whore, you're full of lies! Who knows how much money you've hidden away? Open the door and hand over the money right now, or I'll call the whole village to judge and let everyone see how you, this unfaithful woman, are secretly making money behind the backs of the Shen family!"
Several neighbors had already gathered outside the courtyard gate, some peeking in and others whispering among themselves. Aunt Wang stood at the back of the crowd, stamping her feet anxiously. She wanted to go forward and say a few words of advice, but she was afraid of incurring Old Mrs. Shen's wrath.
Lin Wanqiu knew perfectly well that Old Mrs. Shen was trying to force her to give in by throwing a tantrum. If she opened the door, who knew what kind of chaos would ensue? She took a deep breath and deliberately raised her voice so that the neighbors outside could hear her: "Mother, you're wrong about that. I earn my money by selling vegetables; I haven't stolen or robbed anyone. How is that immoral? If you want money, just tell me properly, and I can even buy you some food. But if you come knocking on the door and banging on it to steal money, people will think there are robbers in our Shen family!"
These words sparked even louder discussions outside the door. Someone whispered, "Old Mrs. Shen is going too far. It's not easy for Wanqiu, a woman raising a child alone, and she wants to take away the little money she earns." Others said, "That's right. Wanqiu has been so good to Nian'an lately. The child has gained a lot of weight, unlike before when he was as skinny as a monkey."
Hearing the neighbors' gossip, Old Mrs. Shen lost face and began to smash the door with her cane even more fiercely: "What do you know! This is a family matter of the Shen family, what business is it of yours to interfere? Lin Wanqiu, if you don't open the door, I'll really smash it!" With that, she raised her cane and smashed it hard against the door. With a loud "bang," a small dent appeared on the door.
Lin Wanqiu frowned. This old lady Shen was really going too far! She walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up Shen Nian'an, and let him rest on her shoulder. Then she took out a neatly folded piece of paper from the drawer. It was a leaflet of the "Public Security Administration Regulations" that she had specially obtained from the police station a few days ago when she went to the commune to handle some business. The clauses on "trespassing" and "robbing others of their property" were circled in red.
She walked to the door again, opened it a crack, held up the leaflet, and looked coldly at Old Lady Shen: "Mother, if you dare to bang on the door again, I'll go to the commune to call the police. It's clearly written here that trespassing and robbing others are illegal acts. When the police come, they will not only confiscate the stolen goods, but also detain you! If you're not afraid of being arrested, then go ahead and bang on it!"
Old Mrs. Shen's hand, holding her cane, froze in mid-air, her eyes fixed on the leaflet in Lin Wanqiu's hand. Although she was illiterate, she understood the words "police" and "detention," and a chill ran down her spine. She had lived most of her life without ever dealing with the police, let alone being detained. But she was unwilling to give up so easily; the money Lin Wanqiu held was too tempting for her.
Standing behind Old Mrs. Shen, Zhang Lan noticed her hesitation and quickly leaned close to her ear, whispering, "Mom, don't listen to her trying to scare you! She's a widow, how could she dare to call the police? Besides, the police don't have time to deal with family matters like this. You should break down the door and go in, find the money, and then it'll be too late for her to do anything about it!"
Encouraged by Zhang Lan, Old Lady Shen grew bolder again. She threw down her cane and tried to rush into the house, shouting, "Let's see if you dare! I'm going to find all the money today!"
Lin Wanqiu was prepared; she quickly closed the door and braced herself against it. Old Mrs. Shen slammed into the door, crying out in pain, and became even more enraged: "Lin Wanqiu! You little whore! I'll fight you to the death!"
Just then, Aunt Wang finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward to pull Old Mrs. Shen aside: "Old Mrs. Shen, please stop making a scene! It's not easy for Wanqiu to raise a child alone. If you keep making a scene, it won't do anyone any good! Besides, Wanqiu has leaflets in her hand. If she really calls the police, you'll be in trouble!"
Other neighbors also chimed in, saying, "Yes, Grandma Shen, that's enough. Don't make things worse." "Wanqiu is also a pitiful person. Please don't make things difficult for her."
Surrounded by people trying to persuade her, Old Mrs. Shen's anger subsided somewhat, but she was still unwilling to give up. She pointed at the door and cursed, "Lin Wanqiu! You just wait! I'll let it go today, but I'll come back tomorrow. If you don't hand over the money, I'll come and cause trouble every day!"
Lin Wanqiu said through the door, "Mother, I'm telling you this one last time: the money I earn is for raising An'an, and I won't give you a single penny. If you dare to cause trouble again, I'll really call the police, and don't blame me for not showing any consideration for our mother-in-law relationship!"
Seeing that her neighbors weren't on her side, and fearing that Lin Wanqiu might actually call the police, Old Mrs. Shen glared fiercely at the door, picked up her cane, and walked away cursing. Zhang Lan quickly followed behind, spitting at the door before leaving: "Pah! Just you wait!"
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