After returning to the capital to farm, the abandoned concubine made a comeback.

Lin Qin's heart skipped a beat; it seemed she couldn't hide it any longer.

She took a deep breath, just as she was about to explain, when suddenly a familiar figure appeared at the village entrance—it was Zhu Ling!

Why is he here?

Lin Qin stood there, stunned, momentarily forgetting to respond to Granny Zhang's sarcastic remarks.

Zhu Ling dismounted and walked a few steps to Lin Qin. He glanced at the large and small bags she was carrying on her shoulders and frowned slightly: "What are you doing here?"

Before Lin Qin could answer, Granny Zhang interrupted, "Your Highness, you've finally arrived! This Lady Lin has brought so much stuff from who-knows-where, saying she wants to repair the thatched hut, but..." Granny Zhang deliberately dragged out her words, looking troubled, "...Isn't this against the rules? The feng shui of this farm..."

"Feng shui?" Zhu Ling raised an eyebrow and glanced coldly at Granny Zhang. "How come I don't know anything about feng shui in this farm?"

Grandma Zhang trembled in fear at Zhu Ling's imposing manner and dared not utter another word.

The other villagers also fell silent, lowering their heads and not daring to look at Zhu Ling.

Seeing this, Lin Qin quickly explained, "Your Highness, these are materials I bought to repair the thatched hut. The hut has been in disrepair for years, the roof leaks, and it's truly uninhabitable..."

Zhu Ling nodded and instructed the guards behind him, "Move the things inside."

The guards immediately stepped forward, took the things from Lin Qin's shoulders, and walked towards the thatched hut.

Seeing this, Granny Zhang panicked and quickly stopped the guard: "Your Highness, this is unacceptable! This..."

"What, is there something else, Granny Zhang?" Zhu Ling asked coldly, her eyes fixed sharply on Granny Zhang.

Granny Zhang was too frightened to speak by Zhu Ling's gaze and could only watch helplessly as the guards carried the things into the thatched hut.

Lin Qin glanced gratefully at Zhu Ling and followed the guards into the thatched hut.

However, when Lin Qin entered the thatched hut and saw the scene inside, she was dumbfounded.

The dilapidated thatched hut has now been cleaned up, the roof has been repaired, and even the bed has been replaced with a new one.

Lin Qin looked at Zhu Ling in surprise: "This..."

Zhu Ling smiled faintly: "I simply had some preparations made in advance."

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Qin's heart. She knew that Zhu Ling must have been worried about her, which was why he had the thatched hut repaired in advance.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Lin Qin said sincerely.

Zhu Ling looked at Lin Qin, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes: "No need for thanks."

At this moment, Granny Zhang led a group of villagers in, and they were dumbfounded when they saw the brand-new thatched hut.

"This...this..." Granny Zhang pointed at the thatched hut and stammered, "How is this possible?"

Lin Qin looked at Granny Zhang, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Granny Zhang, look, the thatched hut has been repaired, and the feng shui hasn't been ruined either, has it?"

Grandma Zhang's face turned pale and then red, but she couldn't speak.

Other villagers also started talking about it, some envying Lin Qin, and others being jealous of her.

Zhu Ling looked at the villagers and said coldly, "I hope that everyone can live in harmony in the future and that similar things will not happen again."

After saying that, Zhu Ling turned and left the thatched hut.

Lin Qin watched Zhu Ling's retreating figure, her heart filled with gratitude.

However, before Lin Qin could even feel happy, she heard Granny Zhang's voice behind her: "Mrs. Lin, do you think this will all be over?"

Lin Qin rubbed her throbbing temples and forced a smile: "Grandma Zhang, you see, the house is repaired, and it won't affect anyone. We'll see each other all the time anyway, so why make things unpleasant?"

Granny Zhang snorted and said sarcastically, "Who wants to see you all the time! What right do you, a divorced woman, have to live here? You're ruining the feng shui of our village!"

Li Ergou chimed in, adding fuel to the fire: "Exactly! I think she's a jinx, always causing trouble! Maybe the prince is cursed by her!"

Other villagers joined in the whispering and pointing.

Lin Qin felt like a monkey being watched, both embarrassed and angry.

"You..." Lin Qin was about to retort when Granny Zhang interrupted her: "Don't think that just because the Prince speaks up for you, you can act arrogantly here! Our village's affairs are none of an outsider's business!"

Lin Qin took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in her heart.

Trying to reason with these people is like casting pearls before swine!

She was about to turn and leave, out of sight, out of mind, when she heard a deep voice say, "What are you doing?"

Lin Qin looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was a man from the village named Wang Laoshi.

Wang Laoshi was usually quiet and rarely participated in village affairs. Everyone thought he was a taciturn person and was in cahoots with Granny Zhang.

Wang Laoshi walked up to Lin Qin, blocking Zhang Apo's aggressive gaze, and slowly said, "Lin Niangzi has been here for some time now. She works hard every day from dawn till dusk, more diligent than anyone else, and she hasn't bothered anyone. Now that she's repaired the house, it's for her own comfort. How does that mean she's ruining the feng shui?"

Granny Zhang was taken aback when Wang Laoshi spoke up for Lin Qin. She paused for a moment, then shrieked, "Wang Laoshi, what do you mean? Are you going to side with outsiders too?"

Wang Laoshi replied calmly, "I'm just stating the facts. Lin Niangzi is a woman, and life isn't easy for her. How can you treat her like this? Can you live with yourselves?"

Wang Laoshi's words made the other villagers waver, and the discussions gradually subsided.

Seeing that she had lost the support of others, Granny Zhang angrily pointed at Lin Qin and Wang Laoshi and said, "You...you just wait!" After saying that, she stormed off.

Seeing this, Li Ergou also slunk off and followed.

Lin Qin looked at Wang Laoshi's retreating figure, her heart filled with gratitude.

She never expected that in this unfamiliar village, someone would be willing to stand up for her.

"Brother Wang..." Lin Qin was about to express her gratitude when Wang Laoshi turned and left, leaving only one sentence floating in the air:

"Go to rest early."

Wang Laoshi's words were like a pebble, creating ripples on a calm lake.

The villagers, who had been hesitant, began to whisper among themselves, and their gazes toward Lin Qin became more sympathetic and understanding.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Qin struck while the iron was hot, saying loudly, "Fellow villagers, although I, Lin Qin, have been divorced, I do not want to just drift along! This thatched hut is dilapidated; it's not only unpleasant to live in, but also a disgrace to look at! I'm repairing it not only to make myself more comfortable, but also to make our farm look cleaner and more beautiful, so that everyone can feel more at ease, right?"

She paused, then pulled a drawing from her bosom and unfolded it to show everyone: "This is my renovation plan. Look, I plan to plant some flowers and grass in front of the house, and build a grape trellis so that we can all enjoy the shade there in the summer..."

Some villagers were drawn to Lin Qin's plan and nodded in approval.

One young woman even exclaimed excitedly, "This is wonderful! If we can really grow grapes, my kids will have grapes to eat in the future!"

Seeing the situation reverse, Granny Zhang became anxious and shouted, jumping up and down, "Don't listen to her nonsense! Where would a divorced woman get the money to repair the house? I think the money came from dubious sources; she might have done something shameful!"

Grandma Zhang's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the enthusiasm that had just been ignited.

The villagers started gossiping again, their gazes towards Lin Qin filled with suspicion once more.

Lin Qin sneered, calmly pulled out a stack of papers from her bosom, and waved them in front of everyone: "Grandma Zhang, you're wronging me! This money is earned through honest business, you can see for yourself!"

Grandma Zhang squinted, craning her neck to see what Lin Qin was holding, only to see Lin Qin suddenly put the paper away, looking at her with a half-smile: "Want to see? You'll have to wait for me..."

Lin Qin paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite, before slowly continuing, "I'll explain everything to you all after I've repaired this hut!" After saying that, she nodded gratefully to Wang Laoshi, then turned and went into the hut, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

Grandma Zhang was so angry her face turned green, but there was nothing she could do.

She couldn't very well barge into the hut and steal Lin Qin's things, could she?

Besides, the prince had just left, and she didn't want to get herself into trouble.

Lin Qin entered the thatched hut, bolted the door, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

She took out the receipt for her transaction with Manager Sun, checked it carefully, and only put it away cautiously after confirming that it was correct.

This is the foundation of her livelihood, and she cannot afford any mishaps.

Looking at the dilapidated thatched hut, Lin Qin couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Although the prince had people repair the roof in advance, the rest of the building was still dilapidated.

Repairing all of these will cost a considerable sum.

Lin Qin calculated the amount of money she had and the cost of materials needed to repair the thatched hut, and couldn't help but feel worried.

This money doesn't seem to be enough!

She walked to the window and looked at the golden rice fields outside, feeling a little more at ease.

In a few more days, the rice will be ready for harvest.

Once the grain is sold, we should be able to raise enough money to repair the thatched hut.

only……

The deadline set by the system is approaching. Will she really be able to save up ten taels of silver within the time limit?

Also, what if the prince suddenly appears and ruins everything?

As Lin Qin was thinking, she suddenly heard a commotion outside the door.

She walked to the door and looked out through the crack. She saw Granny Zhang leading a group of villagers, walking menacingly toward the thatched hut.

Granny Zhang held a hoe in her hand, glaring fiercely at the thatched hut, cursing, "You wretched woman, let's see how long you can hide!"

Lin Qin's heart tightened, and she quickly tightened the latch even more securely.

She knew that a fierce battle was inevitable.

With a loud "bang!", the door of the thatched hut was kicked open...

Lin Qin gripped the kitchen knife tightly...