Pretty and charming, dressed in the 90s, she's good at everything from making money to causing

Later, a study showed that one's own level of happiness is inversely proportional to the living standards of one's neighbors.

When everyone is poor, that's when a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.

But then suddenly one family becomes incredibly wealthy, and then...

Looking at her neighbor's expression, Aunt Zheng finally understood how Zhao Lijuan knew that her family had recently become wealthy.

The thought that every family might have been watching what groceries they bought and what meals they ate during this time made Aunt Zheng feel nauseous.

She glanced back at the empty house and thought to herself that it really should be sold.

She didn't explain further to her neighbors and was helped into a taxi by Zheng Miaoying and Lin Ting.

On the bus, Aunt Zheng leaned over and asked Lin Ting, "Ting'er, I'm thinking of buying a sewing machine to do some odd jobs for people. What do you think?"

Lin thought for a moment and nodded: "I think it's a good idea, especially since you live near the university now. There are very few people in our school who know how to sew. Some boys have to run three blocks to find a tailor just to sew a button."

Aunt Zheng's eyes lit up: "I'm relieved to hear that!"

She was quite worried because sewing machines aren't cheap. What if she misunderstood and this job didn't make money? That would be the end of her!

Aunt Zheng felt that Lin Ting was very good at doing business, and she would only feel at ease after asking her.

The taxi arrived at the courtyard quickly, followed by the truck.

Feng Yue had already wiped down the kang (heated brick bed) in the next room and swept the floor. Worried that the room would get damp if no one lived there for a long time, she also heated up the kang.

Grandma Li didn't object to the sudden addition of another guest—as long as it wasn't a young man, she didn't care how many people were living in the room.

However, when she caught sight of Aunt Zheng taking small steps with her cane, Grandma Li's eyes dimmed a little.

The old man didn't say anything, turned around and went back into the house, closing the door tightly.

With the help of able-bodied men moving things and Feng Yue tidying up, the small house was quickly tidied up, and everything was put in its proper place.

Aunt Zheng wanted to cook a meal for everyone, but her legs wouldn't allow it, and Zheng Miaoying snatched the spatula from her.

Lin Ting looked at her, and a face with three features appeared before her eyes.

"Yingzi, we're all family here, so don't cook!"

Lin Ting held Zheng Miaoying tightly, not letting her get even a step closer to the stove.

Feng Yue and Lin Ting were already familiar with each other, and seeing her like this, she knew that there must be something wrong with Zheng Miaoying's cooking skills.

Seeing Lin Ting's pleading look, Feng Yue took the spatula.

Lin Ting let out a long sigh of relief.

saved.

……

night.

Feng Yue sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), her fingers flying as she strung beads into beautiful patterns.

On the other side, Zheng Miaoying was helping her mother wind yarn. The mother and daughter were talking quietly, their conversation filled with longing for the future.

Outside the heated brick house, several burly, dark figures and a woman were hiding in the darkness, whispering about their conspiracy.

"Is anyone living here in this pitch black?"

“Someone’s here. I even came during the day today! Her family is poor and can’t afford to light a lamp… I told you, that girl is pretty, you’ll definitely get a good deal.”

"Whether it's a loss or not, we'll only know after we see it. Alright, you just wait here and don't go anywhere."

After the burly man finished speaking, he led several men directly into the Zheng family's house.

The burly man sensed something was wrong before even entering the room—because the door was locked with an iron lock, and the lock was on the outside.

He frowned and said to his henchman, who was skilled at lock picking, "Open it first."

Since we're already here, how can we not go in and take a look?

In less than ten seconds, the lock was opened.

The moment the lock was released, the door automatically slid back, eagerly inviting them inside.

The creaking of the door sounded eerily loud in the quiet corridor, and it seemed as if something might leap out of the dark house at any moment.

The leader kicked the locksmith closest to the door inside, telling him to take the fall.

"Big brother!"

The younger brother shone a flashlight around and exclaimed in surprise.

The burly man tensed up: "What's wrong?"

My younger brother dashed out as fast as he could, like he was being chased by a ghost.

He stared wide-eyed and said, "Nobody! No money! No food! There's only a kang (heated brick bed), and it's cold!"

The burly man remained silent for three seconds, then slapped him aside.

"Go in and search!"

The group went inside and searched the place.

The conclusion remains the same—

There was no one, no money, no food, only a cold kang (a heated brick bed).

"Brother, is that woman trying to fool us?"

The older brother squinted, looking very unhappy.

"Go, chop off one of her son's fingers."

The older brother said.

"Then I told her that if she didn't return the six thousand yuan to me within three days, I would give her a shovel and let her go to the Greater Khingan Mountains to dig up her son."

"Huh? Big brother, isn't it four thousand?"

"It's seven thousand now."

"Oh, okay, if I walk slowly, it'll be eight thousand then?"

In the corner, Zhao Lijuan nervously wrung her hands as she looked at the Zheng family's house, which remained dark for a long time.

The longer time passed, the more panicked she became.

She could understand why the lights weren't on inside, since what they were doing wasn't a good thing.

But why wasn't there even a cry or an argument?

This is not normal!

Zhao Lijuan swallowed hard and glanced at the two men beside her.

She thought for a moment and said, "Big brother, I need to go to the toilet..."

"Hold it in."

The burly man replied impatiently.

Another skinny guy suddenly put his hand on her shoulder: "Don't cause trouble, just stay put."

Zhao Lijuan felt as if the hand on her shoulder weighed a ton.

She was terrified.

She didn't just find out recently that her son liked playing cards.

But she hadn't paid much attention to the fact that her son always won—he was good at everything, even making money playing cards.

Until a few days ago, her son, who was good at everything, disappeared for three days. When he came back, he looked ten years older, and he was followed by four strong men.

He lost and is now in debt, owing eight thousand yuan.

Her family's 4,000 yuan savings were taken away that same day, along with her son.

The burly man said that if the money wasn't returned within three days, he would chop off one of his son's fingers.

Zhao Lijuan was both panicked and afraid, but she dared not tell the truth—she was afraid that her son's reputation would be ruined.

After thinking for a while, she finally remembered hearing about her third sister's family getting rich.

But she didn't receive the money, and today is the deadline, so...

She thought it wouldn't be bad for Zheng Miaoying to marry that older brother; loan sharks are all rich, so it would be a good match.

Just as Zhao Lijuan was panicking, a man swaggered over with a square gait.

Zhao Lijuan's eyes lit up, and she asked in a low voice, "Did you succeed?"

"Heh," the man chuckled coldly, "There's not a soul in there. Are you kidding me?"

"No, nobody's here?"

Zhao Lijuan's eyes widened, and her voice suddenly rose: "That's impossible! Where could they have run off to!"

A sharp cry echoed through the night.

Many families were awakened by the noise and offered their well-meaning greetings: "What are you yelling about in the middle of the night? Is your son dead?!"