Lin Zhixia was actually laughing—laughing so hard that tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

As soon as Old Madam Lin and her daughter-in-law left and the front door slammed shut behind them, the laughter she had been holding back erupted into loud peals.

“Hahaha!”

She laughed so hard that she could barely straighten her back.

Frightened, Xie Qingshu edged closer to her mother and whispered,

“Mom, what’s wrong with her? She hasn’t gone crazy, has she?”

“Seriously? It was only a few insults…”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Mother Xie scolded softly.

Then she turned toward Lin Zhixia, her eyes full of concern.

“Zhixia, are you alright?”

Wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, Lin Zhixia gradually calmed down and shook her head.

“I’m fine, Mom. Really.”

Mother Xie breathed a sigh of relief.

She was curious about what had happened, but since her daughter-in-law didn’t say anything, she didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask.

Xie Qingshu, however, had no such reservations.

After waiting for a while and seeing no sign that Lin Zhixia intended to explain, she awkwardly asked,

“Hey, what exactly are you laughing about?”

Instead of answering, Lin Zhixia smiled and reminded her,

“Qingshu, a bet is a bet.”

“You lost your wager with your brother yesterday. What should you be calling me?”

“Sister-in-law! Happy now?” Xie Qingshu replied irritably.

If she weren’t so curious, she would have stormed off long ago.

Since Xie Qingshu had just defended her, Lin Zhixia didn’t argue about her attitude.

“Don’t you think it was hilarious how terrified they were when I asked to borrow money from them?

Especially my aunt. She was running so fast that she tripped over the doorstep and fell flat on her face. She didn’t even dare stop—she scrambled up and kept running.”

As she spoke, Lin Zhixia couldn’t help laughing again.

Thinking of the scene, Xie Qingshu also burst out laughing.

Then suddenly—

Wait!

Xie Qingshu thought of something.

Her expression darkened instantly as she demanded,

“Lin Zhixia, why did you lie to us?”

“What did I lie about?” Lin Zhixia asked, bewildered.

“You still won’t admit it! You told us you were going to the countryside with us, but behind our backs you went to the Revolutionary Committee and tried to stay in the city!”

Lin Zhixia rolled her eyes.

“Xie Qingshu, use that smart brain of yours and think for a second.”

“Think about what? What’s there to think about?

Mom, I told you from the beginning she couldn’t be trusted. She never sincerely intended to go to the countryside with us. See? I was right!”

“You—”

After pondering for a moment, Mother Xie finally understood.

Immediately, she interrupted her daughter.

“Qingshu, stop talking nonsense.”

“Mom, even now you’re still defending her?” Xie Qingshu exclaimed in disbelief, nearly exploding with anger.

“Qingshu, Zhixia didn’t lie to us.”

“And you’re still speaking up for her!”

Mother Xie glanced at her daughter with obvious exasperation.

It had already been explained so clearly, yet she still didn’t understand.

If this weren’t her own daughter, she wouldn’t have bothered explaining further.

Sighing, she said,

“If Zhixia really didn’t want to go to the countryside, your father and I had already found connections that could have allowed her to stay in the city.

Why would she need to go to the Revolutionary Committee herself?”

The anger instantly vanished from Xie Qingshu’s face.

Even so, she still couldn’t quite trust Lin Zhixia.

“Who knows what’s going on in her head,” she muttered.

Mother Xie suddenly said,

“Zhixia, thank you.”

“You really didn’t have to do this.

The money and ration coupons you got back yesterday are enough for our family to live on for quite some time.

And once we’re in the countryside, we’ll earn work points in the fields and receive grain and some money at the end of the year.”

Xie Qingshu was completely confused.

“Mom, what are you talking about?

Why are we discussing going to the countryside again?

And why are you thanking her?”

Ignoring her foolish daughter, Mother Xie continued,

“Why don’t you return the things?

If they go around spreading rumors, it could damage your reputation.”

Lin Zhixia smiled.

“It’s alright, Mom.

Those things were originally the dowry my parents left for me.

Before, when our family didn’t need them, I simply let them keep them for me.

Now that all of our belongings have been confiscated and we don’t know how long we’ll be staying in the countryside, as a member of the Xie family, it’s only natural for me to take them back and contribute what little I can.

Whether we end up needing them or not, having more money and ration coupons on hand gives us peace of mind.

As for my reputation, that’s just something for outsiders to judge. I can’t worry about that anymore.”

Lin Zhixia wasn’t the type to quietly sacrifice for others without saying a word.

Even if Old Madam Lin hadn’t come looking for trouble today, she would have found a way to let the Xie family know what she had done.

“Zhixia, thank you. Truly.”

Mother Xie’s eyes reddened with emotion.

By now, Xie Qingshu had finally figured things out as well.

She looked at Lin Zhixia with a complicated expression.

The distrust she had felt toward her began to loosen.

Opening her mouth, she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Instead, she turned and headed into the kitchen.

A short while later, she came back carrying a bowl of pickled vegetables, steamed buns, and eggs.

“Breakfast,” she said, placing it in front of Lin Zhixia, unable to meet her eyes.

“Thank you, Qingshu,” Lin Zhixia said with a smile.

She quickly finished the meal.

After all, she had something important to do today.

That morning, she had discovered another remarkable ability of her space.

As long as an object was within a certain range and she knew its exact location, she didn’t even need to touch it directly.

She could simply store it inside her space with a thought.

Perfect for teaching the Lin family a lesson.

After breakfast, Lin Zhixia wasted no time and headed straight for the Steel Factory residential compound.

She arrived at just the right moment.

Liu Xiaolan had just locked the door and was preparing to leave.

The moment she saw Lin Zhixia, the smile on her face vanished.

“Zhixia, what are you doing here?”

Lin Zhixia had lived with Lin Jiang’s family for several years.

She knew exactly where everything in the house was located.

Silently, she repeated in her mind:

Store. Store. Store.

The rosewood wardrobe.

The radio.

The pouch containing money and ration coupons.

The basket of meat.

The stone jar filled with snacks.

The pots, bowls, and utensils.

The brand-new cotton quilts.

One by one, they vanished from the Lin household and appeared inside her space.

A trace of amusement flashed through her eyes.

But aloud, she lowered her voice and pleaded,

“Auntie, please lend me some money.

Not much—just two thousand yuan.

I promise I’ll pay you back once I have money.”

Oh right.

The pen holder where Lin Jiang secretly hid his private savings.

Store that too.

Liu Xiaolan was speechless.

Only two thousand yuan?

Their family had lived frugally for over ten years and still hadn’t managed to save that much.

Annoyed, she pulled Lin Zhixia outside the courtyard.

“Zhixia, I really don’t have any money.

You already took all the money yesterday. We don’t even have a single cent left now.

I’m worried about who I can borrow money from just to get by.”

“Auntie, we’re family. Can you really bear to watch me suffer in the countryside?”

Oh yes.

The pair of 765 leather shoes that Lin Zhihua had bought with several months’ wages.

Store them too.

Liu Xiaolan’s patience finally snapped.

“Enough.

Didn’t you sever ties with us yesterday? Have you forgotten?

I have things to do, so hurry up and go home.”

“Auntie, don’t leave yet…” Lin Zhixia called after her.

Just in time to store the last item—

The Plum Blossom brand wristwatch that Lin Hai had painstakingly saved up to buy.