Recently, Lin Ning noticed many people coming to her place, pointing at her and whispering. Among them were several middle-aged and elderly women, who even looked at her with sympathetic expressions.

What was going on?

The answer soon became clear. Liu Fen told her, “Boss, there’s a rumor going around… that you’re a barren woman.”

“What?”

Lin Ning was baffled. How could such a rumor start? She knew her own body well- her menstrual cycles were perfectly normal. Moreover, in her previous life, the original Lin Ning had even been pregnant. She was definitely not barren.

“Who’s saying that?”

Liu Fen looked at her sympathetically and said, “They say it’s coming from someone near your family home.”

The moment Lin Ning heard this, she understood-it was the Lin family’s doing. After all, aside from those closest to her, who else could spread such a baseless claim?

It seemed she needed to speed up her revenge against the Lin family.

Returning to her house, Lin Ning secured the door. Since starting the construction of her new home, she had torn down all the old buildings, leaving only one room in the southeast corner where she stayed. It was convenient for keeping an eye on things at night.

Locking the door, Lin Ning opened her exchange system. “Exchange 10 milliliters of ether.”

A description of ether appeared: 10 milliliters of ether for 100 yuan.

Lin Ning took out ten large notes and placed them on the table. A flash of white light later, the bills disappeared, and a small plastic bottle containing 10 milliliters of ether appeared on the table.

She pocketed the bottle and left the courtyard, heading toward the Lin family’s house.

At this hour, everyone in the Lin family was at work. Lin Ning checked her surroundings to make sure no one was around, then unlocked the door with her key and entered.

Standing in the living room, her eyes immediately fell on father Lin’s tobacco pipe, sitting quietly on the square table.

Father Lin was a heavy smoker. During the day, he smoked homemade cigarettes, but at night when he had to stand guard, he would take his tobacco pipe and smoke non-stop. Today was an even-numbered day, which meant it was his turn for night duty.

Lin Ning picked up the pipe, opened its brass bowl, and saw that it was empty except for some yellow stains.

She took out the small plastic bottle, aligned the nozzle with the pipe bowl, and squeezed hard. With a soft hiss, the ether seeped into the pipe. From the outside, there was no visible trace.

She carefully resealed the bowl, placed the pipe back where she found it, locked the door, and left.

That 10 milliliters of ether would be enough to knock Father Lin unconscious once he inhaled it. Lin Ning couldn’t wait to see what would happen.

She leisurely returned home, only to find unexpected visitors waiting for her.

A crowd of people stood outside, pointing and whispering. Among them was a familiar face-Li the Matchmaker, the very woman who had once introduced her to Feng Tianqi.

When Li saw Lin Ning, she greeted her with a wide smile. “Lin Ning, you’re back! I have some good news for you!”

“What good news?”

Li moved closer and lowered her voice.

“We’ve all heard about your… situation. But don’t worry, you’re not the only woman who can’t have children.”

Lin Ning’s voice turned cold. “Who said I can’t have children?”

“Oh my, your own family said so. How could that be false? Everyone knows about it now. You’re a…”

Li trailed off, sensing the sharpness in Lin Ning’s gaze. She forced a laugh and quickly changed the subject. “Let’s not mention that word. Lin Ning, don’t worry about finding a husband. As long as I, Li the Matchmaker, am here, I guarantee I can find you a good match!”

Before Lin Ning could respond, another group of people arrived. Leading the group was an old woman, followed by a man in his thirties and several dirty, disheveled children.

The old woman scrutinized Lin Ning and said disdainfully, “She’s so skinny and weak.

No wonder she can’t have children.”

The man, pretending to be sincere, smiled at Lin Ning. His eyes, however, glinted with greed and calculation. “Mother, don’t say that. Lin Ning has her good points.”

Lin Ning’s voice was icy. “Who are you people? What are you doing here?”

Li smiled and said, “Lin Ning, this is the good news I was talking about. This is Dong Dachui and his family. His wife passed away, leaving behind five sons. The Dong family said they don’t mind that you can’t have children and are willing to marry you. Isn’t that wonderful? You’ll have five sons all at once without having to give birth! Just raise them well, and they’ll take care of you in your old age.”

Dong Dachui greedily eyed Lin Ning’s large courtyard. “Lin Ning, I’m strong and hardworking. Once we’re married, I’ll oversee the construction of your house.

You won’t have to work so hard.”

His mother added critically, “If it weren’t for your house, we’d never consider a barren woman like you as a daughter-in-law.”

Their tone made it sound like they were doing her a favor.

Lin Ning sneered. These people thought they could take advantage of her wealth and property while making her serve them? They wanted to strip her of everything and leave her with nothing.

“I’m not marrying anyone. Get lost!”

Dong Dachui stepped closer, reaching out to grab her hand. “Lin Ning, don’t be shy. I’m willing to spend my life with you.”

“Go to hell! You’re willing, but I’m not!”

Lin Ning kicked Dong Dachui away. “Get out of here!”

Anger flickered in Dong Dachui’s eyes. If it weren’t for her wealth, he wouldn’t have considered marrying her. A barren woman was useless-no better than a widow.

“Lin Ning, don’t be so ungrateful!”

“You’re the ungrateful one! Get out!”

Lin Ning grabbed a piece of wood and swung it at him. “I’ll beat you to death!”

Smack!

The stick struck Dong Dachui squarely on the back, nearly making him cough up blood. Lin Ning then turned her fury on Li the Matchmaker, hitting her leg.

“And you! Meddling in my affairs? Get lost too!”

Li shrieked, “My leg! My leg is broken!”

Even Dong Dachui’s mother wasn’t spared.

Lin Ning grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground. The old woman rolled around, wailing.

The five children wailed in terror, and the scene descended into chaos.

Lin Ning’s ferocity stunned them. They had assumed she was a timid young woman who could be easily manipulated. They hadn’t expected her to fight back so fiercely.

Dong Dachui’s mother, hoping to extort money, pretended to be gravely injured and demanded compensation.

Lin Ning grabbed Dong Dachui and slapped him hard across the face, drawing blood.

Her voice was cold and threatening. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll report you to the police for harassment and have you thrown in jail!”

The mention of the police scared the Dong family. Recently, a man in the nearby county had been publicly executed for harassment.

The memory of the gunshot was still fresh in their minds.

Dong Dachui’s mother scrambled to her feet. “No police! We’re leaving! We’ll leave right now!”

Li the Matchmaker also fled, limping away.

But she wasn’t done yet. Furious at being humiliated, she decided to spread even worse rumors about Lin Ning.

Thanks to Li’s efforts, every matchmaker in the county now knew that Lin Ning was a violent, barren woman who had even attacked a matchmaker. No one dared propose a match for her anymore.

Meanwhile, Lin Ning’s reputation as a fierce and unyielding woman spread far and wide. For the time being, no one dared bother her again.