They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 177 There's someone on the wall
Everyone pitched in, slaughtering chickens and ducks, frying, stir-frying, and cooking, and prepared a delicious meal.

Tomato stewed pork ribs and tomato and egg stew are still as popular as ever. Tonight, I specially made dry pot duck and poached chicken. I also bought some lamb, which is perfect for making radish soup.

Zeng Xiaoyan said she didn't care, but after all, it was blood ties. How could she not feel the slightest discomfort if she severed them like that?
When Zeng Xiaojuan first learned about this, she was so saddened that she cried for her.

During dinner tonight, everyone tactfully avoided mentioning this matter and only talked about happy things—especially about making money.

Making money is indeed the most joyful thing. As they talked, the atmosphere became lively, and everyone became excited, their eyes shining and their fighting spirit soaring.

Cutting ties with the past isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it allows you to embrace a better future.

Everyone was having so much fun that the party ended a little late. Qiao'er had already fallen asleep and was gently placed on the tatami mat in the small living room.

Xu Zhichun then said, "Qiao'er is sleeping so soundly. If we carry her back, she might wake up on the way. Why don't you sleep at my house tonight, Sister Xiaojuan? There are rooms available upstairs."

Zeng Xiaojuan looked at her sleeping little girl and felt a pang of tenderness in her heart. She couldn't bear to wake her and nodded and smiled at Xu Zhichun, "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Zhichun!"

Xu Zhichun smiled: "No trouble at all!"

Zeng Xiaoyan then said, "Then I won't go back either. I'll sleep with my second sister tonight."

Zeng Xiaojuan immediately replied, "That's right, it's been a long time since my sister and I slept together."

It's a good time to have a chat.

Liang Mingliang knew that his wife was feeling a little down. It would be good for the two sisters to have a private talk, and the second sister could comfort her, so he didn't insist that she go back.

After everyone had left, Xu Zhichun and the others quickly washed up and went back to their rooms to rest.

How could Zeng Xiaoyan and Zeng Xiaojuan, the sisters, fall asleep so easily? The two sisters chattered on and on, having endless things to say. Under the cover of darkness, all was quiet, gentle and relaxing. They said things they wouldn't normally say, their eyes reddening one moment and smiling the next, the more they talked, the more they wanted to say.

When they finally felt sleepy and wanted to sleep, the two sisters felt that they couldn't sleep peacefully without going downstairs to relieve themselves, so they went downstairs together.

Lai Sheng worked like a dog, utterly ruthless and cunning, finally carving out a bloody path from among his competitors and becoming Manager Fang's most trusted henchman. But his good fortune, built on his position, lasted less than a year before he was used as a scapegoat and driven away by Manager Fang.

Lai Sheng was so angry he felt like vomiting blood.

But he didn't blame Manager Fang; instead, he hated Xu Zhichun.

With Fang's instigation, Lai Sheng, wanting both revenge and to take advantage of the situation, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He secretly scouted the place during the day, intending to sneak into Xu Zhichun's house at night to steal things.

Putting everything else aside, if we could find out the tools and ingredients she uses to make ice jelly, and tell her former employer, we might be able to earn a little more money. Why not?
The Zeng family wouldn't allow him to stay in Qingshan County for too long; he had to act quickly and make a final profit before leaving.

Xu Zhichun's yard was too high; who has a ladder that long for everyday use? He could only connect two ladders together, prop them against the wall, climb up the wall, and then laboriously pull the ladders up, trying to lower them from the inside.

The wall was too high, so he didn't dare to jump directly down.

As Zeng Xiaoyan and her sister were leaving the house to go to the outhouse, Zeng Xiaoyan glanced up unintentionally, exclaimed "Eh!", tugged at her second sister's sleeve, and pointed to a spot on the wall: "There seems to be someone over there." Zeng Xiaojuan chuckled: "I think you're just sleepy and seeing things. How could there be someone on the wall? Go back and go to sleep soon."

Tomorrow she's going to the city to sell things, and she's also going up the mountain to pick lantern fruit.

Zeng Xiaoyan rubbed her eyes and blinked. "There really seems to be someone there."

"It's probably just a shadow—"

Zeng Xiaojuan's smile gradually froze, and her heart tightened: "Okay, it seems there really is someone."

"Right? I told you I wasn't mistaken! But how could there be someone there—"

The two sisters looked at each other, their faces changing drastically: "Thief! Thief! Thief!"

Lai Sheng, who was on the wall, shuddered violently and fell headfirst down with a terrible scream.
At the base of the wall, Xu Zhichun had the workers build a small vegetable garden, about half a meter high, to grow flowers, coriander, scallions, garlic sprouts, and other vegetables. Fortunately, the soil was soft, which provided some cushioning and reduced the height a bit. Although Lai Sheng fell down, he was definitely injured, but thankfully he only hurt his arm and sprained his ankle, without breaking his leg.

Xu Zhichun and Chunfen got up, and about twenty people, including Aunt Zhu'er and her husband, other villagers, and Liang Lizheng, arrived.

"Where did this petty thief come from, daring to steal from our village? He deserves to be beaten to death!"

"hateful!"

Everyone tacitly ignored the redness and swelling on Lai Sheng's ankle and didn't hear his painful cries. Before he could say anything, Xu Zhichun had his mouth gagged and tied up.

"Local official, we were lucky tonight. Luckily, Xiao Yan and Sister Xiao Juan were staying at my house and discovered this man when they got up in the middle of the night. Otherwise, he would definitely have stolen from our house, and Chunfen and I probably wouldn't even know. I'm going to hand him over to the authorities as a warning to others!"

She and Chunfen lived together; both were women, and there was no one else in the house. If Laisheng wasn't severely punished, others might try to get away with the same trick.

If he were not discovered, it wouldn't just be a matter of stealing; Xu Zhichun's reputation would also be ruined.

Looks like we need to get a dog for the family soon, and a really fierce one at that.

Liu Lizheng clearly understood this principle, and many villagers also thought of it, whispering among themselves and nodding in agreement.

Liu Lizheng nodded: "You're right. This kind of thing can't be tolerated. If they dare to steal from your house today, who knows if they won't target other houses in the future? This kind of thing should be taught a lesson without any mercy. Tomorrow morning I'll call a few people to go with you to report to the authorities."

"Thank you, Village Head. Also, perhaps because Chunfen and I live alone, we are inevitably looked down upon by some people with wicked intentions. I didn't expect some people to be so despicable and shameless, so I didn't make many preparations. Today I'm telling everyone here that starting tonight, I will set up something in my yard and along the walls every night. As for whether it will be thorns, mousetraps, or animal traps, that's hard to say. If anyone has any wicked intentions and gets hurt by carelessness, I will not be responsible."

"Not only will they not take responsibility, they will also show no mercy. They will definitely be handed over to the authorities. Don't say I'm ruthless then."

Liang Lizheng: "How can you blame yourself? If anyone else dares to steal, they are courting death. No one can be blamed for that."

(End of this chapter)