Shen Qingwan spoke of hardships, but in reality, apart from Hunter Zhang’s family, her family was the best off in the village.

How could the villagers not be envious?

“Qingwan, your family is here!”

Someone shouted from outside the courtyard.

Shen Qingwan instinctively looked toward the entrance, as did everyone else.

Soon, they saw her birth mother, Jiang Shi, entering with her son and daughter.

The moment she saw Shen Qingwan, she started cursing.

“You wretched girl! It’s been so long, and you never once thought to come home to check on me and your father. We raised you for nothing!”

Jiang Shi completely ignored the other women in the courtyard and glared at Shen Qingwan with a sharp and bitter expression.

She had originally been angry that her daughter hadn’t sent anything home in so long, but when her eyes landed on the wild animals near Shen Qingwan’s feet, her eyes lit up.

“Oh my! Where did all this wild animals come from? Qingju, Dachun, go and take it. Your big sister must have prepared it to show her filial respect to her mother!”

As she spoke, Jiang Shi ordered her two children to take Shen Qingwan’s catch.

But Shen Qingwan’s gaze turned cold as she swept her eyes over them.

“Big Sister, Mother missed you, so we came to see you,” Shen Qingju said, though she clearly disliked her elder sister. “You’re living so well now, but you never come home to check on us. The harvest was bad this year, and our family is running out of food. Grandpa and Grandma sent Mother to ask for some grain. If we don’t bring any back, they’ll definitely get angry.”

Shen Qingwan glanced at Shen Qingju, who was dressed better than she was.

She really didn’t see how they were struggling.

Besides, she had already been more than kind by not demanding back the pension money from her late husband, Lu Wenzhao.

And now, these leeches had the audacity to come knocking on her door?

“What does your lack of food have to do with me? Mother, you sold me for a tael of silver. Do you really expect me to keep supporting you forever?”

“Shen Qingwan, is that how you speak to your mother? You should feel honored that we even want your things! Your parents raised you, and you think you can cut ties with your family just because you’re married?”

Shen Dachun, though still young, had bullied Shen Qingwan many times in the past.

Naturally, he never took her seriously.

As he charged at her, finger pointing accusingly, Shen Qingwan raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

“Slap!”

“You disrespectful brat! Have you never heard that an elder sister is like a mother? Who taught you to behave so rudely toward me?”

Her slap was not light, and Shen Dachun’s face swelled on one side.

Both Shen Qingju and Jiang Shi were shocked.

When they regained their senses, Jiang Shi lunged at Shen Qingwan.

“You shameless wretch! How dare you hit my son?” Jiang Shi cursed in the foulest language possible.

Shen Qingwan couldn’t understand how the original owner of this body had been born into such a family.

She grabbed Jiang Shi’s wrist mid-swing and flung her aside.

Jiang Shi stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

“You unfilial daughter! You’ve turned against the heavens! How dare you hit your own mother!”

Shen Qingwan met their eyes and enunciated each word clearly. “You’ve come at the right time. I was just about to head to Shenjia Village to see you, Mother. When my husband died in battle, the court awarded me eight taels of silver as a pension. I entrusted that money to you for safekeeping. When do you plan to return it? Embezzling the pension of a fallen soldier is a serious crime. If you don’t want to rot in prison, you’d better hand it over.”

“What silver? I’ve never seen any silver! Stop talking nonsense!” Jiang Shi’s eyes darted around nervously.

She didn’t know exactly what crime her daughter was talking about, but the money had indeed been in her hands—though it was long spent.

“When I gave you the silver, the village head of Shenjia Village was present. Did you think that denying it would make the issue go away?” Shen Qingwan’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Jiang Shi’s heart skipped a beat.

She had come today to take some things but hadn’t expected her eldest daughter to demand the money back.

Shen Qingwan had always been obedient, always bringing anything good home to her family.

But now, after just half a month apart, she seemed like a completely different person.

“That silver was your filial gift to me. How could you ask for it back? Forget it. I only came to see how you were doing. Since you seem fine, we’ll take our leave.”

Jiang Shi turned to leave, knowing she wouldn’t gain anything by staying longer.

“Mother, Big Sister even has a mule cart now! That should belong to our family!”

Shen Dachun tugged at Jiang Shi’s sleeve, his eyes filled with greed as he stared at the cart in the yard.

Shen Qingju also looked at it longingly.

Jiang Shi knew that pressing the issue further wouldn’t work today, so she dragged the two children away.

“We’ll go back for now. Later, I’ll have your father come deal with her!”

Shen Qingwan had always feared her father because he actually beat her.

Jiang Shi assumed that if her husband came, Shen Qingwan would cave.

But she didn’t know that Shen Qingwan was no longer the same person—and her plan was doomed to fail.

“Qingwan, your mother doesn’t seem like someone who will give up so easily. Didn’t you see the way your siblings looked at that mule cart? They’re definitely eyeing your belongings. Don’t be foolish—now that life is finally getting better, you must protect what’s yours,” Auntie Wang advised sincerely.

Shen Qingwan nodded. “I understand, Auntie. I won’t send anything back to my maiden family anymore. I’ll focus on raising the children.”

“That’s the spirit! If you ever need help, just call for us. We’re neighbors, after all. As long as you don’t give in to them, let’s see if they dare to steal from you!”

Aunt Zhang chimed in as well, and Shen Qingwan genuinely felt their kindness.

She nodded gratefully. In the end, Auntie Wang and Aunt Zhang even helped her process the wild animals she had hunted that day.

Shen Qingwan wanted to give them some venison, but they adamantly refused. After much insistence, they finally accepted some meaty bones.

That evening, Shen Qingwan was planning to dry some meat for storage when the village head returned, urgently summoning everyone to gather.

After settling the children, she joined the villagers.

The village head stood on a large rock at the entrance, his expression grim as he addressed them.

“The famine refugees we mentioned before? The matter has become urgent. We thought we could hold out a little longer, but there’s chaos in Jizhou. The refugees have turned into violent mobs, looting and killing indiscriminately.

Several towns have already been burned and pillaged. The authorities are overwhelmed and unable to stop them. I went to Ping’an County today to gather information, and I’ve learned that these mobs are headed toward Youzhou.

The towns bordering Jizhou have already been destroyed. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late. Villages nearby have already begun evacuating. We’ll set out at dawn the day after tomorrow. If there’s anything you need to prepare, do it tomorrow. The morning after that, we leave—together, as a village.”