After the family split up, my stepmother and scumbag father begged me to come home.

"Um... niece, we're out of salt at home, your grandma asked me to borrow some."

Wang Hehua wore a smile, but her eyes had already drifted towards the kitchen.

Lin Qianqian stood blocking the doorway, neither speaking nor making way. She just stared at her.

"No."

Not a single word more.

Wang Hehua's smile froze for a moment, then she quickly pressed closer: "Look at you, girl, why are you still holding a grudge! Your aunt wasn't home when the family divided the property. If she had, she would never have let you and your brother live separately!"

His forced smile was so fake it made Lin Qianqian's teeth ache.

She knew perfectly well—Wang Hehua didn't want to separate the family, not because she felt sorry for her and her brother, but because she couldn't bear to part with two laborers who didn't need money. When the original owner was at home, she did everything: washing clothes, cooking, feeding chickens, and gathering wild vegetables. Although Ah Long was young, he was also very good at cutting grass and chopping firewood.

Once the tasks were divided up, wouldn't they fall on Wang Hehua's own shoulders?

"Aunt, thank you for your kindness," Lin Qianqian said calmly. "Ah Long and I are doing quite well. I won't lend you the salt; I have other things to do, so I won't see you off."

They went straight to the point, leaving no room for maneuver.

Wang Hehua's eyes darted around, her body rooted to the spot, responding with "Let's go, let's go," but she didn't move an inch.

The basket was right at the entrance to the kitchen, covered with a bulging blue cloth.

On the cutting board, a large piece of meat was laid out brightly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, weighing at least two pounds.

Wang Hehua swallowed hard, her eyes practically bulging with hooks.

Lin Qianqian saw it clearly, but deliberately didn't let her see. She turned to the side so that she could see, revealing a corner of the basket on her back.

The more she looked, the more she felt there was something hidden under the cloth. Why cover a perfectly good basket with a cloth? And why weigh it down so tightly? What else could it be but a guilty conscience?

"Hurry up." Lin Qianqian took a step forward.

The more impatient her tone became, the more certain Wang Hehua was—this little slut was hiding something!

"Let's go, let's go, we're leaving now." Wang Hehua replied, but took a half step to the side, craning her neck and looking around desperately.

Lin Qianqian moved the basket further into the kitchen, then turned and blocked the doorway: "Auntie, is there anything else?"

Wang Hehua's eyes darted around, and she suddenly put on a smiling face: "Alright, alright, if you don't want to lend it, then don't. I'll go back and tell your grandma."

After saying that, she swayed her waist and walked out, glancing back at the courtyard gate.

Lin Qianqian watched her walk away, the smile on her face slowly fading.

She stood up, dusted off her hands, and thought: If Wang Hehua goes back and adds fuel to the fire, the old lady will probably be in trouble.

really.

Wang Hehua practically ran back to the Lin family compound. As soon as she entered, still breathless, she cried out, "Mother! Mother! Guess what I saw?"

Grandma Lin paused, "What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling like that!"

Wang Hehua rushed over and whispered something in the old lady's ear for a long time.

"Mom, I saw it clearly this time. There were a lot of things in that basket, and they even cut some meat. The meat weighed several pounds and was glistening with oil! She wouldn't let me see it and urged me to leave. There's definitely something fishy going on here."

She said much more than she saw.

"Most importantly, when I came in, she was frantically stuffing things under her basket, and she hid from me when she saw me. Her eyes were so furtive; she was definitely not from a respectable background!"

Lin Xiaohua, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, is there really that much meat? I think it might be hidden as silver."

"That piece of meat should cost at least twenty or thirty coins," Wang Hehua said, hands on her hips.