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

After changing his clothes, Tiger, carrying three eggs, crouched down and ran towards Lin Yulong's house.

From a distance, I could see the familiar figures of the Lin family, heading towards Sister Qianqian's house.

Ding Xiaohu's heart skipped a beat, and his pupils shrank—the scene was quite something. Old Mrs. Lin was leading the way, supported by Wang Hehua, with Lin Xiaohua and her daughter Ding Yuxiang following behind, all talking and pointing in this direction.

"not good."

He made a quick decision, turned into the back alley, and climbed over the wall.

In the courtyard, Lin Qianqian was tying straw ropes to the meat. The meat was top-quality pork belly, cut into large square pieces, glistening with oil as it was arranged on the cutting board. The side dishes were also ready, just waiting to be cooked.

Lin Yulong was squatting at the kitchen door adding fuel to the fire when his ears suddenly perked up: "Sister, there's movement on the back wall."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure darted to the foot of the kitchen window.

"Sis, someone's jumping over the wall—"

Lin Qianqian grabbed a wooden stick and was about to swing it when the man hurriedly called out, "Sister Qianqian, it's me!"

"Tiger?" Lin Qianqian stopped using the stick. "Can't you use the main gate? You scared me."

"It's too late!" Ding Xiaohu gasped for breath, pointing behind him. "Your grandma and her group are coming this way, and your stepmother is with them too. I saw it with my own eyes! I came to warn them first—"

"I know." Lin Qianqian put the wooden stick on the stove, her tone as indifferent as if she were just saying that the weather was nice today.

Tiger was stunned: "Huh? You knew?"

"My aunt has come twice already." Lin Qianqian lifted the pot lid and glanced at it, speaking slowly and deliberately. "The first time she squatted by the wall, the second time she borrowed salt. No normal person would come up with such a reason. Granny Li was on the same oxcart as me today, and I offended her again. It would be strange if she didn't come to stir things up."

"Then, what do we do now?" Tiger stamped his feet anxiously.

Lin Qianqian's lips curled up slightly: "Whatever."

"Huh?" Lin Yulong and Ding Xiaohu exclaimed in unison, completely bewildered.

Footsteps could already be heard outside the courtyard gate.

Then—a heart-wrenching wail erupted.

"Everyone, come quick! This damned wretch eats my Lin family's food, lives in my Lin family's house, and even steals my Lin family's money! I can't live like this anymore—"

This time, Old Mrs. Lin changed her tactics. Instead of rushing in to grab it, she started playing the victim at the door.

As soon as he shouted, the gates of all the neighboring houses creaked open.

Those hoeing the fields put down their hoes, and those feeding the chickens scattered the grains in their hands, gathering in twos and threes over here. The countryside may lack much else, but their enthusiasm for watching a spectacle is unmatched in the surrounding area.

Uncle Zhang from next door, mingling in the crowd, spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for those around him to hear: "Really? That Qianqian girl doesn't look like it..."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart!" someone chimed in.

"She came back in the same oxcart as me today," Granny Li said, pretending to lower her voice, but it could be heard halfway down the street. "She was carrying all sorts of bags and packages, all bundled up tightly. I was wondering at the time—we didn't have a single copper coin when we divided the family property, where did this money come from?"

Crickets started chirping in the crowd.

"That's true, it hasn't been that long since the family separated..."

"I think that girl is quite nice, don't wrong her."

"Aunt Li saw it all, how could it be fake?"

Lin Qianqian leaned against the kitchen door, listening to the discussions outside surging in like a tide.

She's not in a hurry.

Lin Yulong was so anxious that his face turned pale. He tried to rush towards the door, but Lin Qianqian grabbed him.

"What's the rush?" she whispered. "Let them make a scene. The bigger the scene, the better."

At the courtyard gate, seeing that her sister didn't show herself, Lin Xiaohua raised her voice eight octaves higher: "Lin Qianqian! You come out here! Don't hide in the house pretending to be dead! Give back the money you stole from my house!"

Wang Hehua chimed in, "Qianqian, your grandma is just worried about you and doesn't want to make a big deal out of it. Just return the money and things, and we'll be family, no need for formalities—"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qianqian finally stepped out.

She walked slowly, almost leisurely, as if strolling in her own backyard. It was precisely this unhurried demeanor that subtly quieted the noisy crowd at the entrance.

"My aunt came to my house to squat against the wall and borrow salt, all to find out what was going on so she could extort money from me." Lin Qianqian stood inside the threshold, her voice not loud, but every word was clear.

"When...when did I extort money from you?" Wang Hehua's face turned bright red.

"First, they sent people to investigate, then they came to my door to play the victim, then they falsely accused me of stealing money and ruining my reputation, and finally they generously said 'Forgive me'—the whole scheme worked." Lin Qianqian clapped her hands slowly, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the quiet air. "What a brilliant plan."

Grandma Lin's face changed, but she quickly put on a tearful expression again: "You heartless wretch! You even stole your uncle's tuition money! That's your uncle's future!"

"Grandma," Lin Qianqian interrupted her, her tone as calm as still water, "You said I stole money from home, then let's report it to the authorities."

Everyone was stunned when those words were spoken.

Logically, shouldn't someone who stole money be afraid of going to the authorities? Why did she willingly walk into their trap?

Grandma Lin opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.