Chapter 167 A Plan to Turn the Tide
Liu Zhixia walked back with the empty bottle, keenly noticing the sinister gaze behind her.
She smiled slightly. Sure enough, this old woman from the Yang family was no pushover either.
She walked home at a leisurely pace, with Grandma Yang following furtively behind her.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Zhang Xiuying gave Liu Zhixia a look, and Liu Zhixia understood immediately.
Zhang Xiuying deliberately raised her voice: "So, what do you think of the pickled vegetables, Sister Zhou?"
Liu Zhixia replied loudly, "It's great! The whole village is praising it! They even said they want us to bring it out and treat everyone to it during the New Year!"
"That's good! I'll send some to the next brigade too!"
"Mother, are there enough to go around for so many people?"
"How could it not be enough? That jar is huge! It'll definitely be enough for everyone!"
"Then we'd better hide it well, so Dad and my older brother don't see it. What if those two gluttons sneak a bite beforehand?"
"Don't worry, it's safest to keep it in your room; they won't dare go in."
"That's true. But Mother, the lock on my room seems to be broken. I'll have to ask my older brother to fix it another day."
"Then we'd better hurry up and fix it! You have a lot of treasures stored in your house!"
...
The mother and daughter sang in unison, deliberately speaking in a way that could be heard by those outside the wall.
Grandma Yang, who was hiding in the shadows, listened with her eyes shining and a greedy smile curled up at the corner of her mouth.
Liu Zhixia entered the room and lowered her voice: "Mother, are we acting too deliberately? Will she believe us?"
Zhang Xiuying scoffed, "Don't worry. That old hag has been greedy her whole life. She was dishonest when she was young. She stole your grandmother's things and had her hand broken, but she still hasn't learned her lesson. As long as there's something to gain, her brain is like mush."
Liu Zhixia's eyes darkened: "Back then, none of the families were doing well. If she had really stolen it, the whole family would have starved to death. It's just that one hand was too easy for her. If she wants to steal from us this time, then let her learn a lesson."
"Absolutely. Her daughter-in-law gave them laxatives, which was perfect for letting their whole family have a taste and a good laxative experience! This is what you call reaping what you sow!"
The mother and daughter smiled at each other, packed their things, and left with their two children.
The villagers are simple and honest, and they generally don't lock their gates during the day.
No sooner had the Liu family left than Grandma Yang slipped in.
At this moment, all she could think about was that jar of "very expensive" pickled vegetables, fearing that she would lose her chance once Liu Zhixia fixed the door lock.
Grandma Yang skillfully made her way into Liu Zhixia's room and headed straight for the large jar.
Grandma Yang pushed open the door and looked at the room full of brand-new furniture; her eyes turned red with envy.
"You brat! You worthless life, do you even deserve to live in such a nice house? If only I could move all of it to my grandson's wedding!"
She scanned the area greedily, her gaze finally settling on the conspicuous jar of pickled vegetables.
Just as she was about to hug him, a rumor from the village suddenly flashed through her mind: Shen Yi had left Liu Zhixia a large sum of money!
Grandma Yang had an idea and immediately changed direction, starting to rummage through drawers and cabinets.
However, after searching for a long time, apart from a few old clothes, they didn't find a single coin.
She was sweating profusely with anxiety: "Where did that brat hide her money? Could it be in Zhang Xiuying's room?"
Just as I was about to sneak out to take a look, I suddenly heard the sound of a door being pushed open in the yard.
Grandma Yang was startled and quickly retreated back into the room, crawling under the bed.
"Mom! We're back!" It was Liu Xuejun's voice. "School let out early today, so Xiao Xu and I came to work ahead of time! Huh? Mom and sister aren't here?"
Xu Zhihong's voice came through: "Could she be taking a nap? I'll go check on Xia Jie in her room."
Grandma Yang, who was under the bed, was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe and her whole body was stiff.
Liu Xuejun laughed and said, "Impossible, they must be busy at this time. The child isn't here either, probably out. Let's sit in the yard for a while and wait."
"Sure! I'll prepare my lessons too."
The two actually sat down in the courtyard, took out their books, and began preparing their lessons.
Grandma Yang peered through the crack in the door at the two "door gods" and cursed them and their ancestors for eight generations in her heart.
How was she supposed to carry such a big jar out?
As dusk approached and Liu Zhixia and the others could return at any moment, Grandma Yang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, sweating profusely.
Just as I feared, the courtyard gate was pushed open again.
"Fourth brother? Comrade Xu? Why are you sitting in the yard?" Zhang Xiuying's surprised voice came from inside.
Xu Zhihong looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "Oh dear, it's already this late! Are we still going to work today?"
Liu Zhixia laughed heartily: "Let's do it! Of course we'll do it! Everyone come to the kitchen and make the next batch of sauces!"
The group chatted and laughed as they squeezed into the kitchen, closing the doors and windows behind them.
The courtyard was deserted in an instant.
In the kitchen, Zhang Xiuying explained the whole story, and Xu Zhihong's eyes curved into crescent moons with laughter.
"Oh dear, didn't we scare the thief by sitting in the yard just now?"
Liu Xuejun slapped his forehead: "I knew it! How could you not be home at this hour!"
The group pretended to be busy in the kitchen, but their ears were perked up. Sure enough, after a while, they heard the sound of jars being moved around coming from the yard.
That old woman is incredibly audacious! She dared to steal in broad daylight, right under the noses of four people!
The pickle jar was already heavy, and when it was full of vegetables, it became even heavier. Grandma Yang, an old woman, actually managed to move it step by step to the front door.
This is probably the power of greed.
Fortunately, I had informed the Liu family father and son in advance that they hadn't returned yet, so I didn't have to worry about running into them.
As for how Grandma Yang managed to bring the jar home without being discovered, that's up to fate.
Judging that it was about time, the group came out of the kitchen.
Just then, Liu Shouren and Liu Xiangyang returned with their child.
Liu Shouren's face darkened: "That old bastard really stole it?"
Xu Zhihong covered her mouth and laughed: "Uncle, we heard it all clearly in the kitchen, it was quite a commotion!"
Liu Xiangyang spat: "One poisoned, the other stole, what a bunch of scoundrels! But... there's a laxative in there, what if they get sick and blame us?"
Liu Zhixia winked slyly: "So, we need to confirm this first. We can't let her try to extort money from us. If something's lost, can we not make a scene?"
A moment later, Liu Zhixia and Zhang Xiuying ran to the village entrance, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Thief! A thief has broken into our house!"
That shout woke up all the villagers who were about to have dinner.
"What's going on? A thief broke into our village?"
Liu Zhixia said anxiously, "My family's big pickle jar is gone!"
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
These days, a jar of pickled vegetables is quite a fortune, enough to feed a family for several months!
"Could it have been placed in the wrong place?"
Liu Zhixia shook her head violently, stamping her feet anxiously: "Impossible! I've kept it in the house all this time. It was specially saved to be served to the whole village during the New Year. I treasure it! Everyone had a taste today. How could I have misremembered?"
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