As the sun set, Li Cuihong returned home after a long day of labor, bringing her two children with her.

Dinner was prepared by Zhao Mother.

Zhao Xiaojun had gone to the ancestral hall to deliver food to Zhao Yongqiang.

Meanwhile, Li Cuihong lay alone on the bed, her anger growing the more she thought about it — she just couldn’t swallow this grievance.

Fuming, Li Cuihong sat up and bent down to put on her shoes. She accidentally kicked a bag under the bed.

Curious, she pulled it out and opened it.

Inside was quicklime — the very same Zhao Yongqiang had mentioned.

She hadn’t realized he’d already brought it home so quickly.

Just in time — she wanted to vent her anger, and this bag of lime would be put to good use.

..

Completely unaware, Qian Chunhua was busy sewing winter clothes for the three children.

She had inherited the original owner’s body — and her excellent tailoring skills — but it still took her a full day of practice to get the hang of it again.

It was getting late, and Qian Chunhua didn’t want to damage her eyesight by working under dim lamplight — in this era without glasses, she couldn’t afford that.

She blew out the oil lamp and lay on the warm kang bed with the three kids. After telling them a bedtime story, the four of them fell asleep.

..

Late at night, Li Cuihong quietly woke her children, Zhao Qingshui and Zhao Xiaojun.

The three of them carried the bag of lime and sneaked out the gate, heading straight for Qian Chunhua’s field.

..

The next morning, after sending the older two children off to school, Qian Chunhua remained at home, continuing to sew winter coats.

She had noticed how much colder it was while sending the kids out earlier.

She checked the thermometer from her space, and sure enough — it was already -2°C.

She needed to finish the clothes quickly.

Little Qingfeng was rolling around on the kang, shouting dramatically:

“I’ll beat you, evil spirit!”

He then started punching and kicking the blanket.

Qian Chunhua laughed. “Not going out to play with your friends today?”

Qingfeng shook his head. “No, there are bad guys out there. When I grow up and learn skills, I’ll go beat them!”

Such a serious look from such a small child made Chunhua chuckle.

She let him be and turned her attention back to her sewing.

Knock, knock, knock. Loud banging came from the door.

Qian Chunhua threw on her coat and opened the front door — a blast of cold wind hit her, and she wrapped her clothes tighter.

“Who is it?” she called.

“Sister Hua, it’s me!” came Sun Hongying’s voice from outside the courtyard.

Qian Chunhua blinked — Sister Hua?

When did that happen?

But she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

She quickly opened the gate.

Sun Hongying grabbed her hand, anxious.

“Come quickly — your field! It’s covered in lime!”

Qian Chunhua’s jaw dropped.

She hadn’t planned on farming again, but still — who would do something so cruel?

She instinctively looked toward her neighbor’s house.

“My father-in-law already went ahead. I came to get you,” said Sun Hongying. (Turns out the village chief had gone straight to the field after hearing the news.)

“Alright, I’ll bring Qingfeng with me.”

She dashed back into the house, dressed Qingfeng warmly, then went to the kitchen and pulled a few sticks of firewood from the stove to reduce the flame — just in case.

“This kang of yours is amazing,” said Sun Hongying enviously. “No wonder you never want to leave the house.”

She even reached out to touch the kang, marveling at its warmth.

..

Qian Chunhua and Sun Hongying arrived at the field with Qingfeng.

A crowd had already gathered. Village Chief Wang, hands behind his back, was inspecting the damage.

The field, which had already been harvested of cabbage, was now scattered with quicklime — powder, granules, and chunks everywhere.

The villagers shook their heads — this land was ruined, unusable for at least five years.

“Whoever did this is heartless — bullying a widow and orphans!”

“So vicious! We farmers depend on the land. This is cutting off someone’s livelihood!”

The field was filled with angry murmurs.

Qian Chunhua stood silently, observing the damage.

She strongly suspected Zhao Yongqiang’s family.

First they stole her cabbages, then tried to slander her with Qin Laizi.

After that scheme backfired and they got fined, now they were likely taking revenge overnight.

Truly, not the brightest bunch — if you’re going to retaliate, wait until things calm down.

Who does something like this in the middle of a scandal?

She was speechless.

Many villagers shared her suspicion.

Everyone believed Zhao Yongqiang’s family was behind this.

That family never seemed to change.

To farmers, the land was sacred. And damaging farmland was unforgivable.

This time, the villagers were unanimous in their anger.

Many were worried — what if every dispute from now on ended with someone destroying farmland?

The village was outraged.

Village Chief Wang was furious — this behavior could not be tolerated.

It must not set a precedent.

He paced the field with his hands behind his back, then called over Xu Tao, Granny Xu’s youngest son, a bright and capable thirty-year-old man.

He whispered instructions in Xu Tao’s ear. Xu Tao nodded and left quickly.

..

Clan Leader Zhao arrived.

One look at the lime-covered field turned his face ashen — the land was completely destroyed.

He and Village Chief Wang exchanged a look, then spoke in unison:

“Let’s go to Zhao Yongqiang’s house.”

A large group set off — this wasn’t a gossip crowd anymore, but a furious delegation seeking justice.

No one even looked at Qian Chunhua, the victim.

She rubbed her nose and silently followed the group.

..

At the Zhao household, Zhao Daqing and Zhao Mother were eating breakfast.

Li Cuihong and her two children were still fast asleep — last night’s mischief had left them exhausted.

Zhao Qingyun had gone to the private academy in the county, having taken some medicine the day before and feeling a little better.

The arrival of the angry crowd startled Zhao Daqing so much that he dropped his chopsticks.

“Village Chief, Second Uncle, what’s going on?” he asked nervously.

Surely nothing else has happened?

That disgraceful son is still locked in the ancestral hall — he couldn’t have snuck out and caused more trouble, could he?

Clan Leader Zhao didn’t answer.

Instead, he dragged out a long bench from the ancestral house and sat down heavily with Village Chief Wang.

This stunned Zhao Daqing.

He looked at Zhao Mother.

She subtly shook her head — she had no idea either.

She quickly cleaned up the half-eaten breakfast and stood silently with Zhao Daqing in the courtyard, anxiously waiting for an explanation.

“Go wake up the eldest and his family,” Clan Leader Zhao said angrily.

“The eldest? He’s still locked in the ancestral hall…” Zhao Daqing stammered.

“He’s already here.” Zhao Dashuang and two other villagers dragged Zhao Yongqiang into the courtyard.

Turns out, Clan Leader Zhao had ordered his retrieval on the way over.

Zhao Mother’s face darkened.

Clearly, this matter involved their family.

She rushed to the west wing and woke up Li Cuihong and her children.

Still drowsy, the three sat up groggily — until they heard that the village chief and clan leader had come personally.

In an instant, all sleep vanished.

The three of them jumped out of bed in a panic.