"Mm, come out and eat!" Seeing that he did indeed have a book in his hand, Zhou Yun did not suspect much, nodded slightly, and let him go outside to eat.

Ling Zhenfei sat down to eat, but while eating, he secretly thought about whether he should move out and live on his own.

First of all, he was not getting any younger, and living with his widowed sister-in-law might give rise to gossip.

More importantly, cultivating in the space with his sister-in-law around was just too inconvenient!

Although these thoughts crossed his mind, Ling Zhenfei did not voice them. After all, he worried about leaving his sister-in-law alone in the village.

The head of the village, Wang Changhe, and his son, along with some idlers from the village, made Zhenfei concerned that they still had designs on his sister-in-law!

While the two were eating, they suddenly heard the creak of the large iron gate in the courtyard. Zhou Yun immediately looked outside alertly and called out loudly, "Who's there?"

It was understandable for Zhou Yun to be this cautious. After all, the countryside was not like the city; houses were more spread out, with open spaces around them. Although it couldn't be called thievery, stray cats and dogs could easily sneak in to steal food.

Zhou Yun called out and saw no response from outside. Worried that some animal had come in, she quickly got up to take a look.

When she looked out, she was a bit surprised and walked straight into the courtyard.

Ling Zhenfei, puzzled, followed her gaze and also looked out. Standing outside the courtyard was a thin, sorrowful-looking woman, which made him pause.

Of course, he recognized the woman. Her name was Zhang Qin, a distant cousin of his sister-in-law, very close to her. When Zhou Yun married his brother, Zhang Qin had been her bridesmaid.

Later, Zhang Qin married Zhao Shuang, a notorious gambler from a neighboring village. Zhou Yun had earnestly advised her against it, but Zhang Qin didn't listen, and the two families gradually drifted apart.

Seeing Zhang Qin's sudden visit now surprised both Zhou Yun and Ling Zhenfei.

Standing at the door for a while, Ling Zhenfei saw Zhang Qin's haggard face, her continual silent tears, and Zhou Yun's vain attempts to comfort her, with no success.

Seeing this, Ling Zhenfei walked out.

In the courtyard, Zhou Yun tried to comfort Zhang Qin and wipe her tears. Although she kept trying to ask, Zhang Qin remained too sad to explain her reason for coming.

"Sister Qin, you're here! You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come inside and sit!" Zhou Yun, still confused by Zhang Qin, saw Ling Zhenfei walk out and speak to her.

Zhou Yun was her cousin, so Zhang Qin could be more at ease. But seeing Ling Zhenfei as well, she felt she should compose herself.

Quickly wiping away her tears, Zhang Qin stammered, "No, it's nothing... I came to talk to my sister about something and will leave soon... Zhenfei, go ahead and eat, don't worry about me..."

Zhang Qin was three years older than Ling Zhenfei and very stubborn. Three years ago, she was determined to marry Zhao Shuang, against the wishes of all her friends and relatives.

Now, three years later, she had tasted all the bitterness.

Her husband, Zhao Shuang, never changed his gambling habits. He wasted his days gambling like a fiend, losing everything at home and piling up debts. With no way out, Zhang Qin thought of seeking help from her cousin, Zhou Yun.

Though Zhang Qin tried to make light of it, Ling Zhenfei knew she must be here for something important. He signaled to his sister-in-law to bring Zhang Qin inside to talk.

Zhou Yun also seemed to guess Zhang Qin's intent, sighed softly, and without more words, led Zhang Qin inside.

"Xiao Qin, you haven't eaten yet, right? I'll get you some food!"

Pulling Zhang Qin to the table, Zhou Yun felt heartache seeing her tear-streaked, haggard face and served her a bowl of food.

"Sister, I... don't want to live with that wretch anymore..." Zhang Qin's sad expression left her with no appetite. She spoke in a sorrowful tone.

"Sigh..." Zhou Yun sighed softly. Her mood turned complicated, unsure of what to say.

She knew Zhao Shuang's gambling nature well and had warned her cousin before the marriage. But Zhang Qin wouldn't listen.

Now they had been married and had children. If they were to divorce, it was a matter to be handled with utmost care. As an outsider, Zhou Yun didn't know what to say.

"Xiao Qin, tell me what's going on. I'll help you as best as I can."

Seeing Zhang Qin's heartbroken look, Zhou Yun couldn't stand it and asked.

"Sister, I..." Zhang Qin looked at Zhou Yun with reddened eyes, wanting to speak several times but hesitating.

"Xiao Qin, if you have something to say, go ahead. We're family. Whatever I can help with, I won't hesitate."

Seeing Zhang Qin's hesitance, Zhou Yun suspected something and asked, "Do you need to borrow money?"

"All the savings at home were taken by that wretch to gamble, and we're over ten million in debt. Debt collectors come every day. The child and I live in constant fear. I... I want..."

Zhang Qin had indeed come to borrow money from Zhou Yun.

This time, Zhao Shuang's reckless gambling had lost over half a million overnight, and the debt collectors detained him. They not only came every day to demand the money but also threatened to harm Zhao Shuang if Zhang Qin didn't pay up within three days.

Though disillusioned by her gambler husband, she couldn't abandon him. Even if she divorced him, she believed she had to fill the huge financial hole he had dug.

However, repaying over half a million as a single woman was impossibly difficult.

In those three days, Zhang Qin had almost gone gray from worry. She sought money everywhere, borrowing from all friends and relatives but still far from the needed amount.

The debt payment deadline loomed that afternoon, and with no options left, Zhang Qin sought help from her cousin Zhou Yun.

She had heard that Zhou Yun's brother-in-law had recently become wealthy from running a farm.

After listening to Zhang Qin's cries, Zhou Yun furrowed her elegant brows.

While Ling Zhenfei had entrusted her with managing the farm's finances and the farm was thriving, withdrawing tens of thousands was no issue. However, it was still her brother-in-law's money, and she hesitated to use it for personal reasons.

Glancing at Ling Zhenfei and seeing he was silent, Zhou Yun sighed gently and said to Zhang Qin, "Xiao Qin, these people dared to detain someone and threaten you, which amounts to kidnapping. Why didn't you call the police?"

"Call the police? Sigh..."

Hearing this, Zhang Qin bitterly smiled. "Those debt collectors said that if I called the police, they might temporarily release Zhao Shuang out of pressure, but they wouldn't give up on collecting the debt. They also threatened that any harm coming to my family would not be their responsibility..."

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