Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Although Li Chengguan was somewhat shameless, she was also a bit cowardly. These two flaws combined made her like a clingy piece of malt candy.

Being clung to can be a bit annoying and can sometimes cause delays, but sometimes it actually has a sweet side.

Li Yan moved a stool and sat down, taking down the cloth bag hanging from his waist. Inside were still-warm baked egg pancakes, brushed with a thick sauce.

"Back then, you refused to cooperate, so Xiao Su investigated your entire day's route in order to clear your name."

"I saw you wandering around aimlessly for a while, so I took out my pocket and bought some egg pancakes from this place. I happened to be here today, so I brought you a couple!"

"Xiao Wu, whether you did it intentionally or unintentionally."

"You didn't ask for anything, but instead gave me spirit stones. Even if you intentionally bumped into Xiao Su, I'll take it as a kind gesture."

"If something happens to me one day, I can feel at ease knowing that you are in Changxiao Town before I die."

These words were spoken with great skill.

It was a deliberate act of open communication, casually revealing and then turning the page on Zhu Wuyao's "intentional actions," flattering her while simultaneously playing the victim, a mix of genuine sincerity and deceptive tactics.

So that if that day ever comes, it will make Zhu Wuyao more inclined to help all living beings.

Before Zhu Wuyao could reply, Li Chengguan brought up another matter:

"By the way, have they caught the person who stole your things?"

A few days ago, Li, the urban management officer, personally escorted Zhu Wuyao home.

Just to get familiar with the place.

Come in, have a seat, and let's make some friends.

But to everyone's surprise, once inside the house, it was bare and incredibly simple.

Li, the city management officer, was stunned. Tears welled up in his eyes as he assumed that this Miss Wu was reluctant to enjoy herself, yet she generously donated three thousand spirit stones.

Zhu Wuyao was also stunned.

Because her house was raided...

The furniture in the house nowadays was all bought by someone else.

Li, the city management officer, even made a special appearance to show the neighbors that he was Xiao Wu's friend!

When Li, the city management officer, asked about the thief, Zhu Wuyao paused in his eating of the egg pancake.

The thief...

"That's quite a lot."

Her outfit was too conspicuous.

When news of Su Xiao's theft reached the ears of the neighbors, some would inevitably guess it was them and know that no one was in the yard at the moment.

Rather than saying one person committed the theft, it's more accurate to say that her neighbors conspired to divide up her belongings.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan immediately said:

"You absolutely mustn't retaliate in private. I'll take you there right now to get your money back and make each family pay compensation!"

Zhu Wuyao shook his head.

She spent a few days in jail, and had already sold off her belongings to get money for her urgent needs.

Teacups, tables, chairs, writing brushes, ink, and so on were mostly replaced with firewood, plasters, winter clothes, and food rations.

If not covered by divine sense, it would be impossible to find.

Seeing that Miss Wu had no intention of pursuing the matter, Officer Li sat for a short while before taking his leave.

Before leaving, Miss Wu opened the courtyard gate.

Since returning, Zhu Wuyao has often opened the courtyard gate, but Mingzhu has never come to visit.

Simply because she was one of the thieves.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The mother at home has severely impaired eyesight and can no longer do embroidery; if this continues, she will go blind.

As if things weren't bad enough, my older brother injured his arm while lifting heavy objects, losing his livelihood. If he doesn't recover, he'll become disabled.

The family has run out of money to buy medicine.

The only way to get things done was for my mother to squint and hold a needle during the day.

But the stitches were crooked and uneven, no longer as exquisite as before. Mingzhu and her brother went out to sell them, but they couldn't sell them at all.

Nobody appreciates the embroidery made by a half-blind woman.

"You still have black handprints on this! What are you taking here like that? Do you think this place is a junkyard?!"

After being kicked out, her brother forced a smile and comforted Mingzhu, saying that her arm would be able to move again tomorrow, and she should first work as a waiter to carry some light items and see if anyone would want her.

So, Mingzhu said she was going out to play, but in reality she climbed over the courtyard wall.

They stole Zhu Wuyao's writing brush and ink.

Zhu Wuyao once taught Mingzhu how to write, and even taught her how to distinguish the quality of different types of writing brushes and ink, as well as how to care for them.

The next day, Mingzhu sent her brother away.

"Brother, I'll go by myself! I'm young, maybe someone else will be willing to buy it! You can wait for me outside."

In reality, what they were selling were Zhu Wuyao's calligraphy and paintings.

Both the older brother and the mother believed that the money for the medicine was earned honestly and through their own hard work.

"Ah Zhu is amazing!"

Until, by chance, they found the embroidery that Mingzhu couldn't bear to throw away.

That's when everything came out.

Regardless of how devastated a highly self-respecting mother must have been upon learning that her child had become a thief.

From that day on, she worked even harder to save money, preferring to go hungry rather than miss a single penny.

“Although our family is poor, we absolutely cannot steal. I will make more to sell, and once we have saved up the money, we must return it to Miss Wu and explain the situation to her!”

Li, the urban management officer, had seen similar situations far more often than Zhu Wuyao.

That's why she was afraid of Zhu Wuyao retaliating in private.

Here, no one can bear the anger of a monk.

They can't even afford to buy clothes for winter.

The theft cast a shadow over Mingzhu's home and added to the family's burden.

This incident also put psychological pressure on Zhu Wuyao.

Because she cannot simply shirk this "debt" from her position of authority.

Zhu Wuyao even tried to deliberately leave a money bag for Mingzhu and her mother to pick up, but who knew that it would be claimed by a shameless person.

So Zhu Wuyao snatched it back and beat the man up as well.

In order to help Mingzhu's family save enough money to repay her before winter, Zhu Wuyao even used "Endless Form" again.

It went around in a big circle.

They found a job for Mingzhu's brother.

"It'll be in the next few days, right?"

"If all else fails, just be upfront about it and don't let them pay it back."

"Looking at the neighbors, only this family has a conscience. The rest act like nothing happened, at most they'll mutter a few words out of embarrassment—'Oh dear, who knew Miss Wu would come back? If we had known, we're all honest people, how could we have done such a thing!'"

Zhu Wuyao is practicing calligraphy.

Hearing Lingbi's sarcastic imitation, he smiled and said:

“I don’t care about this kind of thing.”

"Humans are animals by nature, and pursuing etiquette and morality goes against our animalistic nature. Such actions that go against our instincts require a strong material foundation."

"If I had grown up in the same environment, I might not have been any more noble."

"I do wish Mingzhu's mother... wouldn't be so strong-willed..."

Zhu Wuyao sighed deeply, put down his pen, and suddenly said:

"Choosing to live here might have been a mistake."

A soft laugh came from outside the door, and someone responded to the question—

"If you can't bear it in your heart, then living anywhere is wrong."

Upon hearing this person's voice, Zhu Wuyao's expression turned solemn. She put down the brush in her hand and slowly straightened up.

Turn to the person who came.

Shen Anzhi.