Lan Qingshuang was frail and thin, and even at eight months pregnant, her belly barely showed.

But it was still obvious she was expecting.

Old Lady Wang, flew into a rage. “You shameless whore! I thought you were just a barren hen! Turns out you’ve been planning to run away all along—that’s why you refused to bear a child for my eldest son, leaving him without an heir before he died!”

“You heartless bitch! I’ll kill you and that bastard in your belly to accompany my son in the grave!”

Old Lady Wang bared her claws like a demon, her face twisted with malice.

Lan Qingshuang was genuinely a little frightened and couldn’t help taking a step back.

In the Zhou family, the reason she hadn’t gotten pregnant wasn’t because she refused—it was because Zhou Dalang wasn’t a real man.

Zhou Dalang had slaved away for the Zhou family, worked to the bone until his body was ruined, leaving him impotent.

Though she had no respect for Zhou Dalang, she had never exposed his secret when Old Lady Wang cursed her for being barren.

First, to spare Zhou Dalang’s dignity. Second, because the reputation of infertility saved her a lot of trouble.

Otherwise, after Zhou Dalang’s death, given Zhou Erlang’s scheming nature, Old Lady Wang would have trapped her in the Zhou household as a breeding tool.

Seeing Old Lady Wang charge at her, Lan Qingshuang snapped, “Auntie Wang, murder is a capital offense! My worthless life means nothing, but you’d better think carefully!”

Old Lady Wang’s fear of death was common knowledge.

Sure enough, the mention of execution made her freeze.

Zhou Erlang’s narrow eyes fixed on Lan Qingshuang’s belly, burning with fury as if his property had been tainted by another man.

Leaning close to Old Lady Wang’s ear, he whispered, “Mom, that bitch was bought by our family. Her life and death are ours to decide.”

“Besides, this shameless whore has been fooling around outside, getting knocked up with a bastard. In the old days, she’d be drowned in a pig cage for that!”

“And she’s a thief too. Even if she dies, it’s what she deserves. No one can say a word against us—no need to be scared.”

Old Lady Wang’s eyes lit up. That’s right—the bitch was hers to do with as she pleased.

Zhou Erlang hadn’t bothered to lower his voice, and Lan Qingshuang heard every word, seething at his cruelty.

Ye Fuman, still in the womb, was so furious she threw tiny punches.

[Stinking toad! Ugly toad! Disgusting!]

Back in the Heavenly Pool, the toad spirits were the ugliest and the meanest—Ye Fuman hated toads the most.

Zhou Erlang looked just as vile as one.

[Huh? The money was stolen by the stinking toad! Why are they saying Mom took it?]

Fragmented images flashed through the little one’s mind—not her own memories, but appearing out of nowhere.

But she was just a baby, and even after a century of working as a little fish, she was still a child at heart. She didn’t overthink it—she just got angrier.

[Bad guy! Liar! May your mouth rot!]

Lan Qingshuang’s eyes sharpened as she glared at Old Lady Wang, who was lunging at her. “I didn’t take the money. Your precious son has it.”

Old Lady Wang hesitated.

Zhou Erlang’s face darkened. “You bitch! Don’t you dare slander me! You’re the one who stole the money to feed your bastard and your lover!”

“Mom, don’t listen to her nonsense. Let’s finish this.”

Ye Fuman raged.

[It was the stinking toad! He stole it and gambled it all away! Lost it to that bald guy!]

[Evil toad! Get eaten!]

Lan Qingshuang’s expression darkened. Zhou Erlang’s gambling habit was no secret in the Zhou family.

He frequented only a couple of gambling dens, and one of them was run by a bald man called Brother Liang.

“Whether it’s slander or not, we can report it to the police and let them investigate. We can even ask that Brother Liang if he won your money.”

“I’m sure a man of his stature wouldn’t be too cowardly to tell the truth.”

Old Lady Wang glanced at Zhou Erlang and caught a flicker of panic in his eyes. She understood immediately.

Over three hundred yuan—gone, squandered by this wastrel!

Behind her, Zhou Sanlang, Zhou Silang, the Zhou daughters-in-law, and even the Zhou family’s youngest sister all wore expressions of fury.

Over three hundred yuan—gone, squandered by Zhou Erlang alone! And he even dragged them all this way for nothing. How infuriating!

Old Lady Wang was furious at her son’s incompetence, but now wasn’t the time to let Lan Qingshuang get her way, nor to let the brothers turn against each other.

She immediately redirected the conflict back at Lan Qingshuang.

“You bitch! Don’t think you can drive a wedge between us—I won’t fall for your tricks!”

“Hand over the money, get rid of that bastard in your belly, and come back with me. If you do, I might let this slide. Otherwise, I’ll skin you alive myself!”

Zhou Erlang instantly caught his mother’s meaning and smirked, his expression smug and vicious.

“Mom, this whore’s just stalling. Don’t let her fool you.”

“She’s always been a loose woman—who knows how many men she’s got waiting for her? If they show up, we’ll be in trouble.”

Old Lady Wang’s eyes hardened. “Grab her. Take her away first.”

The Zhou family had come for Lan Qingshuang. Whether Zhou Erlang had gambled away the money or not, they had to squeeze compensation out of her—otherwise, this trip would’ve been for nothing.

They tacitly agreed with Old Lady Wang and lunged at Lan Qingshuang.

Lan Qingshuang gasped and turned to flee into the kitchen.

Ye Fuman wailed in panic. [We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die again! Baby’s mad!]

Lan Qingshuang wanted to cry too but forced herself to stay calm, stroking her belly to soothe her unborn child.

“Be good, little one. Don’t be scared. Mama will protect you, even if it kills me.”

The moment she opened the kitchen door, thick smoke billowed out.

The damp firewood burned slowly, but as the door swung open, a rush of air surged in.

After a wave of choking smoke, flames roared to life, shooting upward.

Lan Qingshuang instinctively stumbled back in fear—but then she remembered the Zhou family behind her.

Gritting her teeth, she plunged straight into the fire.

She found the water vat, tore off her outer robe, soaked it, and wrapped it around her head and face.

Then she crouched in a sturdy corner, hidden in the smoke.

The Zhou family, blinded by the thick haze, saw Lan Qingshuang run inside but lost track of her.

Unprepared, they choked on the smoke, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

“Mom… should we still go in?”

“The fire’s too big—we’ll die if we go in!”

They all wavered, wanting to retreat.

Zhou Erlang, unwilling to give up, narrowed his eyes. “There might be a back door! Mom, what if that bitch escapes through it?”

Old Lady Wang immediately ordered Zhou Sanlang and Zhou Silang to block the rear exit.

When the brothers reached the back, they saw no one. After shouting and confirming Lan Qingshuang was still inside, they hesitated.

Old Lady Wang wanted her daughters-in-law to go in and drag Lan Qingshuang out, but none of them were stupid enough to risk their lives.

Zhao Mianhua, Zhou Erlang’s cunning wife, spoke up slyly, “Mom, that bitch values her life too much. If she can’t stand the smoke, she’ll come out on her own. No need for us to go in.”

Secretly, Zhao Mianhua hoped Lan Qingshuang would die in there. She wasn’t blind—that seductress had always flirted with her husband.

At night, when her useless man was in bed with her, he’d even moaned Lan Qingshuang’s name in the heat of passion.

She hated that shameless whore.

Sun Xing, Zhou Sanlang’s wife, feigned concern. “Mom, if we wait too long, people might come. Maybe we should just let it go.”

“Eldest Sister-in-law already said she didn’t take the money.”

Her gaze flicked meaningfully toward Zhou Erlang.

Zhou Erlang’s face darkened.

Zhao Mianhua stepped in front of him, glaring at Sun Xing.

“What the hell are you implying, Third Sister-in-law?”

“Since when is Lan Qingshuang our ‘Eldest Sister-in-law’? That slut—you’d take her word over ours?”

“If you dare accuse my man, don’t blame me for not caring about family ties!”

Sun Xing just smiled sweetly. “Oh, Second Sister-in-law, don’t be mad. I didn’t say anything.”

“If you don’t want to call her ‘Eldest Sister-in-law,’ then don’t. No big deal.”

“As for the money—who knows where it is? But Eldest Sister-in-law is right. We could report it to the police. With such a large sum missing, they’d definitely help track it down. It couldn’t have just vanished into thin air.”