When the waiting villagers in the courtyard learned that Li Cuihong had not yet gotten out of bed, they became even more convinced of their suspicions—the sun was already high in the sky, and she was still sleeping?

She must have been out last night doing something shady.

As it turned out, the villagers’ casual gossip actually hit upon the truth.

Back at the courtyard, Zhao Yongqiang was returned under escort.

From the villagers’ murmured discussions, he quickly understood why he’d been brought back—and his face instantly turned pale, his legs trembling.

He knew perfectly well—it was he who had personally brought the quicklime home.

What he hadn’t expected was for Li Cuihong, that foolish woman, to be this stupid.

She actually dared to go through with it…?

Zhao Yongqiang had planned to use the lime to ruin Qian Chunhua’s field, but he would never have chosen to do it last night—after their public dispute in the afternoon, it would’ve been far too obvious.

Who’s that dumb?

He was practically fuming with rage over Li Cuihong’s idiocy.

When Li Cuihong finally emerged into the courtyard, all eyes turned to her—full of suspicion and disdain.

Overwhelmed with guilt, her legs buckled.

She nearly collapsed to the ground.

Zhao Xiaojun quickly stepped forward to steady her. “Mom, is your head still dizzy?”

Then she turned to the crowd and explained, “My mom was sick last night. She had a fever. That’s why she got up late today.”

Her childish voice sounded so innocent and sincere that the simple-hearted villagers immediately felt a pang of guilt for their assumptions.

And given Li Cuihong’s flushed cheeks—looking indeed feverish—it seemed plausible.

So it wasn’t her? Then who had done it?

The villagers looked around at each other in confusion.

Zhao Yongqiang, meanwhile, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This daughter’s not bad—smart and quick on her feet.

With everyone present, Village Chief Wang frowned as he turned his suspicious gaze on the Zhao family.

He had heard Zhao Xiaojun’s explanation as well. Had he really been wrong to suspect them?

Regardless, he wasn’t someone who would wrongly accuse without evidence. He needed proof.

“Zhao Yongqiang, Li Cuihong—last night, someone poured quicklime over Qian Chunhua’s field. Do you know anything about it?” asked the village chief.

Both Zhao Yongqiang and Li Cuihong shook their heads furiously, denying everything.

“Village Chief, I’ve been in the ancestral hall since yesterday. Clan Elder Zhao can vouch for me,” Zhao Yongqiang said, all respectful and humble.

Zhao Clan Elder nodded.

The ancestral hall had been locked at midnight, and Zhao Yongqiang had still been inside then.

There was no way he could’ve slipped out to do anything shady.

That much he could guarantee.

Village Chief Wang turned to Li Cuihong. “And you?”

Li Cuihong’s legs buckled again, but Zhao Xiaojun caught her and reminded her sweetly, “Mom, the village chief is asking you a question.”

Qian Chunhua watched this scene unfold and shook her head slightly.

Li Cuihong has a weaker mind than her daughter. That Zhao Xiaojun girl… she really shouldn’t be underestimated.

Qian Chunhua was once again impressed by the child’s composure.

Prompted by her daughter, Li Cuihong calmed herself and quickly denied, “Village Chief, I was sick last night, running a fever. I have no idea who put quicklime in Chunhua’s field.”

“Mind if we search your house?”

“Go ahead.”

Li Cuihong answered promptly.

She wasn’t foolish enough to leave any evidence behind.

After dumping the lime last night, she had thrown the sack used to carry it into a cesspit near the village entrance.

Even the clothes and shoes she wore had been soaked in water upon returning, ready to be washed first thing in the morning.

No matter what she said, Village Chief Wang ordered a search of the west wing.

Xu Jiang and Xu He eagerly raised their hands.

With the chief’s approval, the two dashed inside.

Qian Chunhua trusted those two.

If even they couldn’t find anything, it only proved that Li Cuihong knew how to destroy evidence.

From the earlier conversation and Li Cuihong’s reaction, Qian Chunhua was already sure: they were the ones who did it.

She didn’t care that she wouldn’t be using that field to grow crops anyway—one’s own choice not to plant was very different from having the land sabotaged by others.

Land was a farmer’s lifeblood.

From the original host’s memory, Qian Chunhua knew that damaging farmland was severely punished under the Great Min Code.

In severe cases, the penalty could be death.

But how could she obtain solid evidence?

Maybe trace the source of the lime?

If someone could go to the county and ask around at the lime sellers, and a worker could identify Zhao Yongqiang or Li Cuihong as the buyer—that would be enough.

Ah, she realized.

That must be what the village chief had asked Xu Tao to investigate earlier.

Xu Tao still hadn’t returned.

That meant he was probably still on the way back.

The county wasn’t far from Huanghualing, but a round trip would still take about an hour.

Now understanding the village chief’s plan, Qian Chunhua relaxed.

She watched the Zhao couple act innocent with cold amusement.

Keep pretending.

The harder you play the part now, the harder the fall when the truth is revealed.

After listening to the couple’s denials, Village Chief Wang looked to Zhao Daqing and his wife.

Zhao Daqing said nothing at first.

But from the gossip, he already knew what had happened.

Last night, when Li Cuihong and her family left, the sound of the courtyard gate woke them.

Elderly folks were light sleepers, after all.

He hadn’t known where they were going then, but now it was obvious—they had gone out to commit mischief.

Disappointed, Zhao Daqing shook his head and said to the village chief, “It was cold last night. My wife and I got under the covers as soon as it got dark. We didn’t go out and don’t know what happened.”

Though thoroughly disappointed in his eldest son’s family, he still chose to protect them.

Zhao Mother looked at her husband, sighed quietly, and lowered her head.

She had lost faith in everyone in this household.

Seeing the elders cover for them, Zhao Yongqiang and Li Cuihong regained some confidence.

They stood straighter, thinking: As long as we deny it, this matter will soon blow over.

Village Chief Wang turned back to the couple. “Are you aware of the punishment for damaging farmland?”

Zhao Yongqiang straightened and nodded confidently. “Yes, of course! That’s a capital crime—we’d never dare!”

Village Chief Wang nodded slowly. “Good. As long as you understand. We farmers… the last thing we should forget is our roots. To destroy farmland is to destroy our foundation.”

Zhao Yongqiang chuckled obsequiously. “Don’t worry, Chief. We’ve been farmers for generations. We would never forget where we came from.”

Clan Elder Zhao nodded with relief. “As long as it’s not someone from the Zhao family… if it were, we couldn’t keep them.”

“Make way! Make way!” Xu Tao’s voice rang out at the gate.

He entered the courtyard, dragging behind him a lime-seller from the county.

The moment the man appeared, Zhao Yongqiang’s smile froze on his face.

How could I have forgotten this part…?

Instantly, he collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud.