Not long after Yu Lian went upstairs, the old woman from the old house arrived. Just as Uncle Chen had expected, she originally intended to go upstairs, but after seeing that her own light upstairs was off, she quietly retreated.

As He Lin cleaned the basement, he couldn't recall anything more about the villa. If his arrival had caused the changes, he might feel better. But if these things happened at the villa in the correct timeline and he couldn't remember anything, it reaffirmed how awful he had been to Yu Lian—he truly didn't care about the situation here at all. In his view, the mistakes arising from the overturned path weren't worth paying attention to; it was a betrayal of him, and of the child.

He was utterly devastated by reality, a loss he himself had caused. He had felt regret before, but now, experiencing it firsthand from Yu Lian's perspective, he felt a faint joy when he first met Yu Lian in the correct timeline. However, this joy was short-lived, shattered by his past ruthlessness and indifference.

The next morning, Yu Lian was awakened by the noise downstairs. To cooperate with the police in making the arrest, they had only done some simple tidying up the night before. Now, based on the traces found throughout the house, the police determined that it matched exactly what He Lin had told Uncle Chen the day before. Therefore, Uncle Chen looked at He Lin and felt that this young man from afar wasn't as honest as he seemed.

"We didn't see anyone, but the two women who help out at home should have seen them; one went home and the other is at the hospital. I'll lead the way, this way." Uncle Chen led the police officers away from the villa, leaving only three people inside. After preparing the meal, Grandma went upstairs herself to call for them.

He Lin looked at the food on the table; it was simple but nutritious enough. He knew very well that his family cared deeply for their unborn child. Yu Lian's eyes were red as she came downstairs, and He Lin noticed his mother-in-law was carrying something. As she left, he asked, "What is she carrying?"

Yu Lian was furious that her needles and thread and the fabric she had brought back had been stolen: "Tell me quickly, maybe I can help you get them back."

Yu Lian glanced up at the small bamboo pole in the distance. Seeing his disbelief, He Lin pulled out his trump card: "You won't lose anything by telling me. You can disbelieve me, but what if I can?"

People in dire straits always grasp at the last straw. Regardless of whether the piece of cloth was important or not, the fact that her emotions were affected shows that she cared.

"The clothes I make for others are made from their own fabric. If I could find the exact same ones, I wouldn't be so heartbroken..."

Without needing to say anything more, He Lin understood: "Okay, you can eat in peace. I'll go find it for you, quietly."

He even lowered his voice at the end. Yu Lian's attention was completely diverted from her sadness to watching the enigmatic little bamboo pole walk away without hesitation. She wanted to ask, even though he might not be able to give her the answer.

He Lin walked very fast. Not long after she left, her mother-in-law returned: "The meals are all served at fixed times and in fixed quantities. You have to finish eating within half an hour. There are also stewed tonics at the appointed time."

Yu Lian didn't dare say anything and obediently sat down to eat. While eating, she could smell the unpleasant medicinal aroma wafting from the kitchen, completely ruining her appetite. She forced herself to finish the food in front of her, thankfully the portions weren't large. After eating, she prepared to go upstairs to pack up and go home. Judging from the housekeeper's attitude towards her making clothes earlier, they clearly wouldn't allow it. If she found out that the dress wasn't hers but was made for someone else, and there were still a lot more to come, all the fabric and thread might be lost.

While the other person went out to buy groceries, Yu Lian walked to the door with bags of groceries, but unfortunately, she still ran into someone.

"What is this...?" Seeing that it was the new little bamboo pole, Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately noticed the fabric in his hand.

"You actually got it back, thank you!"

Yu Lian still couldn't believe it when she got it in her hand. She hadn't known this old man for long, but she knew he had a bad reputation. How did a new employee who had just started working at the He family manage to get it back?

"You found it?"

"Hmm, it's not dirty. You've hidden it well, but she should be going back in a couple of days."

Yu Lian didn't have much money on her, and for a moment she didn't know how else to express her gratitude besides verbally.

"You're welcome, I'll head back now."

Watching the people leave in a hurry, Yu Lian glanced at the cloth in her hand; it looked the same. Relieved, she left all the fabric and thread she had brought back from the cooperative at home. It was too hot on the road, and it took some time to wait for the bus. By the time she returned to the villa, it was past lunchtime.

"Where did you go?"

The main reason Yu Lian didn't dislike the two helpers was that they didn't interfere with her freedom of movement; in fact, they practically wanted her to be out all the time, as the villa belonged to just the two of them. But the woman in front of her now seemed to be strictly adhering to her own standards, and even more concerned about the child in her womb than the elders of the He family. Over the past few months, she had come to understand her standards—she could only rest and recuperate peacefully; no extra work was allowed, and she couldn't go out often. All she was supposed to do each day was eat well, maybe take a walk and read a book afterward; doing anything more was considered neglecting the child. She had been scolded many times for this, but each time it was always about the issue, not the person. Now, whenever Yu Lian saw this mother-in-law, her instinct was to avoid her and minimize their time together.

"Go home for a visit."

After saying that, she glanced at the time and said, "There will be a lot of people at this time. If you're going to take the bus, it means I didn't teach you a lesson enough."

"No, no! I walked, yes, I walked there!"

"Really? I remember I said last time that walking was strictly prohibited. How long does it take you to get to your parents' house from here? The He family has bad genes; what if even the slightest disturbance you make affects the child?"

In short, no matter what, Yu Lian couldn't escape being scolded. But she always ignored it, figuring she'd be leaving in a couple of days anyway, and that patience would solve everything. Halfway through the lecture, she drifted off into thought when a voice suddenly pulled her back to reality, also diverting the head housekeeper's attention.

"What right do you have to say that about her! She married into the He family, she wasn't sold to them!"

The two sentences were delivered with resounding force, leaving the person involved stunned. Yu Lian was dumbfounded for a moment, unable to understand why Xiao Zhugan would say such a thing. Instead, the older, matriarchal woman spoke first, questioning, "Do you even have the right to speak here? Uncle Chen! Get him out of here! No manners! Settle his wages today, and send him back to where he came from!"

The head housekeeper's tone wasn't exactly harsh, not as fierce as when she had scolded Yu Lian earlier, but her imposing manner left no room for argument. Uncle Chen didn't say anything, only wanting to take the person out to temporarily quell this little incident; in his view, it was normal for Xiao Jia to be young, impulsive, and hot-blooded. When she reached out to pull him, He Lin dodged, looking like he wasn't going to leave.

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