Qin Huairu returned to the house and looked at the table.
Most of the food was already gone—eaten by her mother-in-law and Bang Geng.
Her heart, already heavy from the lost money, felt even more exhausted.
Still, she quickly sat down and grabbed a cornbread bun.
She was starving.
If she didn't eat now, with her mother-in-law and son's appetites, they truly might finish everything. And even if she hadn't eaten, Jia Zhangshi would never allow her to cook more.
Worse still, Sha Zhu had recently claimed there were issues at the factory cafeteria and had stopped bringing lunchboxes home.
It had been days since she received any extra food.
No matter how preoccupied she was with the missing fifteen hundred yuan, she didn't dare skip a meal.
Hunger was cruel.
She hurriedly finished the leftovers.
As Jia Zhangshi prepared to get up, Qin Huairu began clearing the table and asked casually,
"Mom, did any outsiders come into the courtyard today? Or did anyone come to our house?"
Jia Zhangshi frowned. "Why are you asking that all of a sudden? It was just me and your two useless girls at home. No one came."
Normally, Qin Huairu would argue when her daughters were insulted.
Today, she had no energy for that.
"Nothing. Just asking," she replied lightly.
Afraid her emotions might slip, she carried the dishes outside to wash.
As she scrubbed absentmindedly, her thoughts raced again.
After calming down somewhat, a realization struck her:
If neither her mother-in-law nor her son took the money, then the house must have been robbed.
The thief must have been skilled—able to steal silently under Jia Zhangshi's nose, even deliberately leaving several hundred yuan behind to show off.
It sounded absurd.
Yet it seemed like the only explanation.
No one in the courtyard had that kind of ability.
Her first instinct was to find First Uncle Yi Zhonghai and tell him everything—ask him to help recover the money.
But as she stood, she hesitated.
If she went now, both Yi Zhonghai and his wife would be home. While First Aunt wasn't known for gossiping, Qin Huairu couldn't risk the news spreading.
If people learned she had hidden fifteen hundred yuan…
Her mother-in-law would explode.
The neighbors would look at her differently.
They might even demand repayment of past help.
Even if she never recovered the money, she absolutely couldn't let others know she had it.
As long as her reputation as a struggling widow remained intact, she could slowly "earn back" what she'd lost through sympathy over the years.
After thinking it through, she decided to wait until nightfall and secretly speak with Yi Zhonghai alone.
If he could quietly help retrieve the money, that would be best.
If not…
She would play the victim and try to get a few hundred from him to ease the loss.
Just as she was planning how to appeal pitifully to Yi Zhonghai later—
A piercing wail erupted from the front courtyard.
She faintly heard Third Aunt crying, "Which heartless bastard stole our money?!"
Then panicked shouting: "Old Yan! What's wrong? Someone help!"
The commotion instantly shook the entire courtyard.
Jia Zhangshi rushed out.
Yi Zhonghai and his wife hurried out.
Qin Huairu followed, her face full of alarm.
In the front courtyard, Third Uncle Yan was being revived by Yi Zhonghai pressing his philtrum. Slowly, he regained consciousness.
The reason for his collapse soon became clear:
His house had been robbed.
All their money was gone.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Qin Huairu's mind went blank.
If Third Uncle's family was robbed too—
Then this wasn't just about her.
A thief capable of silently stealing from both households wouldn't stop at two.
What if the entire courtyard had been targeted?
What if Yi Zhonghai's money was gone?
What if Sha Zhu's was gone?
If they were all robbed—
How would she rely on them in the future?
The thought shattered her composure.
Without thinking, she shouted toward Yi Zhonghai, who was still questioning Third Uncle:
"First Uncle, stop asking! I just discovered my money was stolen too—I was about to tell you! Now that Third Uncle's house was robbed, our courtyard must have a skilled thief! You should hurry and check your own home!"
Her words stunned everyone.
"What? A thief?"
"There's a thief in the courtyard?"
"My money— I need to check!"
"Go home! Everyone check!"
Even Liu Haizhong and others, who had just arrived, froze for a split second before racing back.
In moments, the front courtyard emptied.
Only Third Uncle and Third Aunt remained—along with Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi.
Jia Zhangshi slowly turned, eyes sharp.
"Qin Huairu… where did you get money?"
The vicious tone made Qin Huairu's stomach twist.
She immediately regretted blurting it out.
Thankfully, she hadn't mentioned the amount.
Thinking quickly, she forced calm.
"Mom, don't ask now. I'll explain tonight. You'd better go check your own savings first."
Now that she knew others were robbed too, a new suspicion surfaced—
What if Jia Zhangshi's "retirement money" had also been stolen?