A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

When Chen Defu saw this scene, his face darkened.

He had been the village chief for twenty years and had seen countless trivial matters, but for a young man from his own clan to climb over the wall and be caught red-handed was a disgrace to the entire Chen family village. Especially since the thief was the village's only scholar.

"Jinzhu, this matter..." Chen Defu rubbed his hands, carefully choosing his words, "...couldn't we resolve this behind closed doors?"

Wang Jinzhu didn't rush to answer; she picked up her teacup and took a sip.

Chen Defu turned and glanced at Chen Shuyan again. The dignified scholar was squatting on the ground, his robe stained with wall dust, and a few tubes of lip rouge scattered beside him, looking no different from a petty thief.

"Shuyan, you are also a person with official rank. If this matter is reported to the authorities..." Chen Defu did not finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.

The scholar who stole was stripped of his academic honors.

Chen Shuyan squatted on the ground, head down, without saying a word.

Outside the wall, Liu Yiyi was also "invited" in by Wang Xiaobao and Chen Tianwei. Her face was deathly pale, she walked unsteadily, and she kept her hands protecting her stomach.

Only then did Wang Jinzhu speak.

"I have to give the village chief face." She put down her teacup, stood up, and said, "The official can choose not to report this."

Chen Shuyan's shoulders relaxed.

"But there's a condition."

Chen Shuyan froze again.

"Pay fifty taels."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Chen Shuyan stared wide-eyed, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat: "Fifty taels?!"

"Fifty taels." Wang Jinzhu held out one hand, fingers spread, and waved it in front of him. "Not a penny less."

Chen Shuyan jumped up, his face flushed red: "You're taking advantage of my misfortune! I didn't steal anything, I didn't take a single thing out, why are you asking for fifty taels?"

"Didn't manage to steal it?" Wang Jinzhu chuckled, glancing down at the cloth bag on the ground. "Did this bag grow out of thin air? Did those lipsticks and face creams just crawl in by themselves? You climbed over my wall, entered my yard, touched my goods, and then you tell me you didn't succeed in stealing it?"

She paused, then pointed at Liu Yiyi: "Don't think I don't know your wife stole Tianwei's dowry. If I report it to the authorities, do you think they won't find out?"

Liu Yiyi instinctively covered her waist, and Chen Shuyan turned and glared at her.

Chen Defu's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. He'd lived most of his life, and this was the first time he'd felt so comforted by someone mediating a dispute.

"Gold and pearls, fifty taels... isn't that a bit too much?"

"Uncle Village Chief, not much," Wang Jinzhu counted on her fingers. "The things that went missing from Tianwei's dowry were worth eight taels. The stuff in this bag today is worth over thirty taels."

"Besides, I'm not selling cheap goods from street vendors; I'm supplying an order to Young Master Liu of the prefectural city. If this batch of goods is too small and I can't deliver, how will I handle the penalty for breach of contract with Young Master Liu? Shuyan, you know what kind of business his household is in. If I offend people there, can my little workshop still operate? Will I be able to do long-term business with them in the future?"

Chen Shuyan's lips twitched. He was indeed aware of the Liu family's background; they were a prominent family in the prefectural city.

Wang Jinzhu clapped his hands: "So fifty taels is already a favor I'm giving out of respect for Uncle Village Chief."

After hearing this explanation, Chen Defu actually found it somewhat reasonable. Looking at Chen Shuyan again, he grew increasingly angry: "Shuyan! You're a scholar! How could you do such a thing?"

"I……"

"Pay up! Pay up and settle this quickly!" Chen Defu flung his sleeves. "If you keep being stubborn, I won't stop Jinzhu anymore. I'll just hand her over to the authorities. You'll lose your official rank and your reputation!"

Chen Shuyan's lips were pale, but he still stubbornly insisted, "Fifty taels is too much, I can't afford it—"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Tianfang, Tianfang, are you there?"

Old Mrs. Chen's voice came from the other end of the alley, and as soon as she turned the corner, she saw the scene in the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" Old Mrs. Chen's voice cracked.

Chen Defu spoke briefly and concisely.

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She staggered a couple of steps, grabbed Wang Jinzhu's sleeve, and was about to bend to her knees: "Jinzhu, you can't report this to the authorities! If you do—"

Old Man Chen had somehow followed them over, rushed up, grabbed Old Woman Chen's arm, and forcefully pulled her up.

"What are you doing!" Old Chen's voice was hoarse, veins throbbing on his forehead. "Who are you kneeling before? She's your granddaughter-in-law!"

"I beg Jinzhu, please don't report this to the authorities, or he'll lose his official position!"

"If it's gone, it's gone!" Old Man Chen roared, pulling Old Woman Chen behind him.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Chen Shuyan swallowed hard, finally managing to chew up the last bit of dignity and swallow it down.

"Sister-in-law...could you make it less?"

These words were squeezed out of his throat, barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz.

This was the first time he had called Wang Jinzhu "sister-in-law".

Wang Jinzhu glanced at him.

"Fifty taels."

"Sister-in-law—"

"Fifty taels," Wang Jinzhu repeated. "You have three days."

She turned to Chen Defu: "Uncle Village Chief, please be my witness. Chen Shuyan and Liu Yiyi must pay fifty taels of silver in compensation within three days. If they fail to do so, I will take this bag of goods to the county government to report the case."

Chen Defu remained silent for a few moments, then nodded.

"Okay. I'll be your witness."

Chen Shuyan closed his eyes.

Fifty taels—Wang Jinzhu had calculated it all out, settling on a sum they could just afford to lose.

He had over forty taels of silver, and Liu Yiyi had over ten taels, but would Liu Yiyi be willing to give them all to him?

He glanced at Liu Yiyi.

Liu Yiyi didn't look at him. She covered her stomach with both hands, huddled against the wall, and didn't say a word.

"Three days," Wang Jinzhu's voice came from behind, unhurried. "Once the appointed time has passed, I'll leave the village."

Chen Shuyan nodded in agreement and walked towards the gate. When he passed by Liu Yiyi, he did not stop or offer her a hand.

Liu Yiyi followed behind, her steps unsteady.

At the courtyard gate, Old Mrs. Chen wanted to say something, but Old Mr. Chen grabbed her arm tightly and dragged her away.

Wang Xiaobao watched them walk away, then turned to Wang Jinzhu: "Little sister, can he really produce it?"

"If he can't pay, he can borrow." Wang Jinzhu picked up the bag of lipsticks from the ground and put them back on the shelf one by one. "If he can't borrow, he can sell his belongings. If he can't sell his belongings, he can go to his father-in-law. In short, it has nothing to do with me."

Chen Tianfang, standing to the side, suddenly said, "His wife is pregnant."

Wang Jinzhu didn't stop what she was doing: "His wife is pregnant, and the child isn't mine, so why should I care!"

Chen Tianfang remained silent.

Chen Defu walked out with his hands behind his back, stopped at the door, and glanced back at Wang Jinzhu.

"Golden Pearl."

"Uncle?"

Chen Defu opened his mouth, but in the end only said, "It's good that you know what's going on."

Seeing that everyone had left, Old Mrs. Chen was about to go back to the second house when Old Mr. Chen pulled her aside and said, "Keep your money safe. It's not time for you to take out your retirement savings yet."

"If he can't gather enough books and inkstones, am I not going to make up the difference? Does Wang Jinzhu seem like the kind of person who would let him off the hook?"

Seeing that his wife was unyielding, Old Chen had no choice but to resort to his paternal authority to threaten her, "If you dare to give it to me, I'll divorce you! I mean what I say!"

"If you don't want to give it, then don't give it! Why are you saying that!" Old Man Chen's appearance frightened Old Woman Chen. She muttered softly, making sure Old Man Chen could hear her.

"Sigh!" Watching his wife's departing figure, Old Man Chen plucked a lock of hair in distress.