Chapter 7

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Cao Yunxia stared blankly at the woman. “Impossible! Lan Yun’er is clearly trapped in the captain’s house. How could she possibly…”

“How is it impossible? Not only did I see Lan Yun’er, but Sister Chen and Wang Dagu also saw her. If you don’t believe me, ask them!” The woman replied.

Sister Chen quickly nodded. “Yes, we did see her. In fact, Lan Yun’er even greeted us today. She was all smiles and couldn’t have been more polite.”

Cao Yunxia frowned. “Greeted you? Are you joking? Lan Yun’er, with her arrogant attitude, looks down on everyone in this village. How could she possibly greet you?”

The surrounding villagers thought about Lan Yun’er’s usual demeanor and found Cao Yunxia’s words reasonable. Lan Yun’er was known for her haughty behavior, often ignoring the villagers. How could she have greeted anyone? Was Sister Chen joking?

Sister Chen gritted her teeth. “She really did greet us. I’m not lying!”

Wang Dagu quickly added, “Several of us saw it with our own eyes. Do you think we’re all lying? And what reason would we have to lie about something like this?”

Cao Yunxia glared at Wang Dagu, ready to argue, but someone suddenly screamed, “Ah, isn’t that Lan Yun’er? Look, she’s with Huo Jincheng. It seems like the person trapped in the captain’s house isn’t her!”

Everyone turned to look in the same direction. When they saw Lan Yun’er walking alongside Huo Jincheng, they collectively gasped.

Lan Yun’er wasn’t in the captain’s house? Then who was?

Zhou Mingyue, who had been waiting to drag Lan Yun’er out of the captain’s house, suddenly wore a dark expression when she saw her.

What was going on? Why was Lan Yun’er with Huo Jincheng? Shouldn’t she have been in the captain’s house? Where had things gone wrong?

While Zhou Mingyue was puzzled, Lan Yun’er and Huo Jincheng had already reached the courtyard.

Cao Yunxia looked at Lan Yun’er’s smiling face and was so angry she could hardly breathe. She had been convinced that Lan Yun’er had stolen from the captain’s house and had hoped to use the situation to drive her out. But now, reality was turning out to be completely different!

Lan Yun’er wore a gentle smile as she greeted her father-in-law, mother-in-law, second sister-in-law, and the couple from the third branch of the family. She then turned and greeted several villagers who were friendly with the Huo family.

Everyone was taken aback. Lan Yun’er, who had always been arrogant, was now greeting people?

Could it be that falling into the water had been a wake-up call for her, making her realize the importance of humility and kindness?

Even her mother-in-law, Yao Guizhi, was surprised. She glanced at Lan Yun’er and then turned to Captain Fan Tiezhu. “Captain, earlier you all claimed my daughter-in-law stole from your house. But now she’s standing right here. Isn’t it clear that she’s not the thief? I think everyone would like to know who the real thief is. Captain, why don’t you bring the thief out? I’d like to see who let my daughter-in-law take the blame!”

Fan Tiezhu frowned, his expression stern as he glanced at Yao Guizhi and nodded. “Indeed, the thief in my house should be brought out!”

He then instructed the Fan family members guarding the house to grab their sticks. If the thief tried to escape, they were to strike them. He himself picked up a wooden stick and strode quickly to the main house door, ready to open it.

Everyone widened their eyes, eager to see who had dared to steal from the captain.

Zhou Mingyue also stared intently at the door; her fingers clenched tightly. Her face grew darker, and for some reason, she began to feel uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.

Fan Tiezhu unlocked the padlock on the main house door, pushed it open, and shouted, “Bold thief! Get down and surrender!”

He had expected the thief to be fierce and defiant, trying to escape. But as soon as he looked up, he saw a woman lying unconscious on the ground.

The Fan family members rushed forward. When they got a clear look at the woman’s face, they exclaimed, “It’s Zhou Mingli! How could Zhou Mingli have been so bold?”

Zhou Mingli?

The crowd surged toward the main house upon hearing the name. Zhou Mingyue felt like the world was spinning.

Zhou Mingli? Wasn’t she supposed to inform Lan Yun’er? Why wasn’t Lan Yun’er in the captain’s house, and why had Zhou Mingli become the thief?

At that moment, Zhou Mingli regained consciousness. Seeing so many people surrounding her, and realizing she was lying in the Fan family’s main house, her face darkened as she quickly pieced things together.

Fan Tiezhu’s face was grim as he glared at her. “You’re awake? Explain yourself. Why are you in my house?”

Zhou Mingli had originally just intended to scout out the situation. But after discovering the house was empty, she had a greedy impulse. Since no one was around, why not steal something? She could then lure Lan Yun’er over to take the fall, killing two birds with one stone. But before she could steal anything valuable, she had fainted. She remembered feeling something prick her before losing consciousness but hadn’t seen what it was.

Now, waking up to this scene, Zhou Mingli bit her lip, trying to think of a way out. Spotting Lan Yun’er in the crowd, smiling smugly, Zhou Mingli found her particularly infuriating.

She furrowed her brows tightly before suddenly pointing at Lan Yun’er. “It was her! Lan Yun’er made me do it!”

Lan Yun’er?

The crowd turned to look at Lan Yun’er. What did this have to do with her?

Zhou Mingli sobbed as she continued, “Lan Yun’er said she wanted to steal from the captain’s house. She thought that if she stole from him, Huo Jincheng would despise her and divorce her. But she was too scared to do it herself, so she begged me for help.

“I didn’t want to at first because I knew stealing was wrong. But she got on her knees and even threatened me, saying that if I didn’t help her, she’d kill herself in front of me. I had no choice but to help.”

“I planned to steal something and give it to her, but then…”

She didn’t finish, breaking into sobs instead.

Zhou Mingli’s words were cunning, painting herself as a victim and pinning all the blame on Lan Yun’er.

Lan Yun’er raised an eyebrow. She had expected this. Zhou Mingli and Zhou Mingyue were both troublemakers who would do anything for Huo Jincheng.

Zhou Mingli’s parents were also in the crowd. Her mother, Qi Huifang, rushed forward to hug her daughter before glaring at Lan Yun’er. “Your sister-in-law is telling the truth! You truly are a scourge! You’ve ruined the Huo family and now want to ruin my daughter. How can someone as vile as you exist?”

Cao Yunxia, seeing an opportunity, shouted, “Heavens! What a calamity! Lan Yun’er’s presence is a curse upon this village.

“Huo Jincheng, I’m not trying to pressure you, but how can you possibly live with her? You should divorce her and drive her out of the Huo family and our village!”