After transmigrating into the body of a stepmother, I led the villains in a rebellion.

As soon as Lu Zijing finished speaking, Lu Junheng slapped him without hesitation.

"You jinx! Do you think there'll be a next time?"

Lu Zijing quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly admitted, "I misspoke."

The speed with which he admitted his mistake was astonishing.

This scene made everyone burst into laughter, and even Lin Shu's lips curled up slightly.

Is this what it feels like to be cared for?

To express her gratitude to the villagers, Lin Shu decided to bring out the milk tea she had made that morning to treat them.

These milk teas were originally intended to be sold in town, but this unexpected incident occurred.

When the villagers saw the milk tea that Lin Shu served, they all stared wide-eyed with curiosity.

Aunt Qi asked in surprise, "Lu family daughter-in-law, what's this new gadget?"

Lin Shu explained with a smile, "This is milk tea. I made everyone worry today, so I specially brought it out for everyone to try."

As she spoke, she also put a portion in a bamboo tube and handed it to Aunt Qi.

Aunt Qi hesitated for a moment before taking the milk tea, and said worriedly, "Lu family daughter-in-law, this is something you took to sell for money, how can you let us eat it?"

These words caused everyone present to stop what they were doing.

Yes, the Lu family's daughter-in-law relies on these milk teas to make a living. If they eat them, how will the Lu family survive in the future?

Seeing this, Lin Shu smiled gently, "Aunt Qi, what are you saying? Things can be made again, but everyone's kindness to us is priceless."

The other villagers laughed when they heard Lin Shu's words, and their affection for Lin Shu deepened even more.

Seeing this, Lu Junheng and Lu Zijin quickly stepped forward to help Lin Shu serve the milk tea to the villagers.

As the villagers savored the milk tea, a warm current spread from their tongues to their hearts, dispelling the chill and fatigue from their busy work.

They stared in shock at the milk tea in their hands, never imagining it could taste so delicious.

The village head couldn't help but exclaim, "Lu family daughter-in-law, your skills are truly superb! This milk tea is even better than the tea in the town's teahouse!"

Of all the people present, he was the only one who had ever been to the town's teahouse to enjoy tea.

Other villagers chimed in, "Yes, I've never tasted anything so delicious before."

"That's right, Lu's wife's cooking skills are absolutely superb. Not only is her milk tea delicious, but everything else is also very tasty," Aunt Qi always said with pride whenever she mentioned Lin Shu, as if she were talking about her own daughter.

After enjoying their milk tea and chatting with Lin Shu for a while, the villagers, seeing that it was getting late, bid him farewell and went their separate ways.

Even after the villagers left, Madam Ji was still worried and held Lin Shu's hand, asking him questions carefully.

To avoid worrying Ji Shi, Lin Shu offered a few words of comfort before turning the conversation to Lu Junheng's studies.

The mere mention of school made Lu Junheng become preoccupied.

Seeing this, Lin Shu glanced at him lightly, "Have you forgotten what we said before? With Zhao Xinyuan, that 'Lu Junheng,' covering for you, you'll be fine."

"Go pack your luggage first, I'll take you to Qingsong Academy tomorrow morning."

Lu Junheng nodded silently and replied, "I understand, Mother," before turning and walking towards his room.

Although he was filled with reluctance to leave his home, he had to suppress his reluctance when he thought of the heavy responsibilities he bore.

After learning about his "background" from Lu Junheng, Zhao Xinyuan's personality changed drastically, from being arrogant and domineering to becoming taciturn.

When he learned that Lin Shu had been taken away by the authorities for murder, a smug smile crept onto his lips.

That damn ugly woman finally got her comeuppance.

Seeing Zhao Xinyuan's rare smile, Ren Bilian leaned forward to ingratiate herself and asked, "Son, what's making you so happy?"

However, Zhao Xinyuan only glanced at her coldly, his eyes filled with disgust.

He knew all too well that it was this woman's indiscretion that had made him a laughingstock.

He hated his mother, who had brought him shame, but he needed her help now, so he had no choice but to endure it for the time being.

He secretly vowed that the first person he would abandon when he achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination would be this woman.

When Ren Bilian asked him, he simply replied, "It's nothing."

After responding in a cold tone, Zhao Xinyuan turned and walked to the window, his gaze piercing through the courtyard and settling on the direction of the Lu family's courtyard.

From the window, one can clearly see the Lu family's courtyard.

Ren Bilian sensed that he was unwilling to engage in deeper conversation and even seemed to be rejecting her. She was confused and didn't understand what she had done to offend him.

Thinking that he was her son, the one who would bring her happiness in the future, she suppressed her displeasure and said, "Son, have you heard? Lin Shu has been arrested for murder."

"This is karma. I was thinking that we would deal with her together after you became the top scholar in the imperial examination, but I didn't expect Qian Lifeng to beat me to it."

Ren Bilian continued speaking, but before she could finish, Zhao Xinyuan interrupted her.

"That's enough, get out, I want to read," Zhao Xinyuan snapped at him with disgust.

Ren Bilian was startled by the sudden rebuke, swallowed the words she was about to say, and her smile froze instantly.

She sighed helplessly, a hint of loneliness in her eyes, but she still obediently stood up and carefully left the room, afraid of angering him again.

The moment she closed the door, Ren Bilian leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to the floor.

Since her affair with Qian Lifeng was exposed, Zhao Xinyuan's attitude towards her has become increasingly cold.

Although Zhao Xinyuan thought she had concealed it well, how could she, as a mother, not understand her son's temperament?

Hearing the commotion behind him, Zhao Xinyuan stared at the Lu family's courtyard with a smug look in his eyes.

Lin Shu's arrest did remove an obstacle for him, but Lu Junheng's presence still made him feel uneasy.

"Hmph, Lu Junheng, so what if you're talented? You're still no match for me," Zhao Xinyuan said smugly.

Now, he has become a student of Qingsong Academy, while Lu Junheng can only set up a street stall outside the academy.

That's the difference between them, a world of difference.

He turned his gaze away from the direction of the Lu family's courtyard and focused his attention on the book in front of him.

He knew that only by becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination could he successfully escape from this place and get rid of this shameful identity.

The next morning, Lin Shu got up earlier than usual and carefully prepared a sumptuous breakfast for Lu Junheng.

A bowl of steaming millet porridge, a few golden and tempting crispy fried dough sticks, and several plates of delicate and delicious side dishes fill the whole corn cob with an enticing aroma, making it irresistible to devour the food.

As he was about to head to Qingsong Academy today, Lu Junheng tossed and turned all night, feeling both anticipation for the new life that was about to begin and a vague unease about the unknown challenges ahead.

He vaguely heard Lin Shu bustling around in the kitchen, and he couldn't stay in bed any longer, so he got up as well.

As I stepped out of the room, I saw Lin Shu setting out breakfast in the courtyard.

Lu Junheng looked at Lin Shu gratefully, "Mother, thank you."

Lin Shu looked up at him and said, "Why are you being so polite with your own mother and son? Come and eat."

At this moment, Lu Zijing also woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes, her tender little face still showing some lingering sleepiness.

“Brother, I’m going to take you to school with Mom today,” he said in his childish voice.