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

Nothing is more important than her son's education.

If she were truly implicated, then her glory would be gone.

Grandma Lin's expression changed several times, but she stubbornly said, "You... you just lost some money at home, I came to ask about it, why are you dragging your uncle into this?"

"That's right, that's right," Wang Hehua quickly tried to smooth things over, her face beaming with a smile. "We're family, just asking, it's not that serious."

"Ask?"

Lin Qianqian raised her head, her voice trembling.

"Are you here to question me? You've brought half the village to block my door, calling me a 'thief' and a 'stealer'—if I don't produce evidence today, if I don't explain where the money came from, will you just pin this charge on me and condemn me to death?"

Her tears fell down in a patter.

"My reputation...you're trying to kill me!"

Her voice choked with emotion, her shoulders trembled slightly, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

The people at the gate saw this and their hearts softened immediately.

Isn't this just trying to gain sympathy? Isn't this just playing the victim?

Anyone can do that!

Lin Qianqian knew exactly what was going on, but the tears on her face were more real than the last – some grievances didn't need to be acted out; just thinking about them hurt.

"You Lin family members have gone too far!"

From the crowd, Uncle Zhang was the first to stand up, his voice booming like a bell: "It's already difficult enough for those two siblings to live separately, and you keep coming to make trouble every few days. Are you trying to drive them to their deaths? Don't you care about your reputation?"

"That's right!" Aunt Ding chimed in. "I always said Qianqian shouldn't do that kind of thing. She's such a good child, but you all forced her to cry."

"Who just said it was stolen? Come out and walk around for a bit?"

"Didn't Granny Li make such a vivid and detailed story? Where is she?"

The wind direction suddenly reversed completely.

Those who had just joined in the commotion shrank back, some quietly retreating, others pretending to look at the sky and the ground.

Old Lady Li had long since hidden behind a crowd, not daring to utter a sound.

Old Mrs. Lin's face turned ashen, her lips trembling as she tried to say something, but Wang Hehua tugged at her sleeve, forcing her to swallow her words back.

Lin Xiaohua was still unconvinced and was about to speak when Wang Hehua grabbed her arm, making her wince in pain, but she didn't dare to utter a sound.

Lin Qianqian wiped away her tears, her voice low, choked with sobs, yet filled with stubbornness:

"My brother and I were already struggling to survive. If we weren't desperate, who would eat poisonous potatoes? I only managed to get some money by chance after discovering how to remove the toxins."

She deliberately referred to "silver" as "copper coin".

If the truth about the fifteen taels of silver were revealed, would these bloodthirsty people let it go?

She had long understood that people's hearts are unpredictable.

"Look at my brother, he's so thin! He's nine years old! Nine years old! Does he look like one? And his clothes are patched so badly they can't be patched any more. Can't we buy some meat and make him some coarse cloth clothes?" Lin Qianqian's words struck a chord with the villagers who were watching the commotion at the door.

"These two children have suffered so much..." Aunt Ding stepped out from the crowd, her eyes red-rimmed. "They were so hungry they had to eat poisoned potatoes. What immense suffering they endured!"

She glanced back at the Lin family, her voice rising eight octaves:

"Even one of my neighbors couldn't stand it. Whenever they had something good to eat, they would bring it over to the kids. I have three boys too! We saved up for it all. But you guys—grandmother, aunt, and stepmother—not only didn't help, but when you saw the kids had something to eat, you got jealous and pounced on them to snatch it! And you even accused them of stealing your Lin family's money. Where's your shame?"

These words are harsh, but every single one makes sense.

Aunt Ding wasn't afraid of offending the Lin family.

Some people in the crowd began to nod, while others sighed.

"Aunt Ding is right. I've watched Qianqian grow up since she was a child. She has a kind heart! She washes clothes even in the coldest weather, and she always goes up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables. She's never idle."

"Old Mrs. Lin is something else. She didn't give us a single copper coin when the family divided the property, but now that others are eating meat, she accuses them of stealing?"

"How embarrassing..."

The comments came like a tidal wave, each one more offensive than the last.

Grandma Lin's face trembled repeatedly, Wang Hehua lowered her head as if she wanted to disappear into the ground, and Lin Xiaohua was so angry that her face turned green, but she was held tightly by Wang Hehua and couldn't utter a single word.

Aunt Ding walked up to Lin Qianqian, took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and said gently, "Child, don't cry. Auntie knows you're upset."

Lin Qianqian looked up at Aunt Ding through teary eyes, her lips moved, but her voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear:

"Auntie, thank you."

This thank you is genuine.

Aunt Ding patted her hand, then turned to the Lin family, her voice as hard as stone:

"From now on, Qianqian and Along will be looked after by me, Aunt Ding. Anyone who dares to bully them again will have to get past me first!"