All the "Chaos" at Auntie Wang's House

"Oh, heavens! I can't go on! My gold ring!"

A piercing wail once again shattered the peace of the Su Family Compound.

Their neighbor Auntie Wang plopped down on her front steps, slapping her thighs and wailing to the heavens. Her husband was the military region's deputy chief of staff, putting their family on roughly equal footing with the Su Family, and the two families usually got along reasonably well.

"I only took it off to wash some clothes and put it on the windowsill, and it vanished in the blink of an eye! Old Zhang bought it for me with his very first month's allowance! That thief deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces! Such quick hands!"

Auntie Wang's voice carried far, and before long, several neighbors had gathered to watch.

Lin Wanyi was indoors looking at a picture book with Nuannuan. Hearing the commotion outside, she couldn't help frowning.

She came out of the small house, saw the state Auntie Wang was in, and went over to ask politely, "Sister Wang, what's wrong? What happened?"

The moment Auntie Wang saw Lin Wanyi, she wailed even harder, though barbs ran through her words.

"Sister Lin! You have to see justice done for me! When has anything like this ever happened in our compound? Things disappearing from inside our own homes in broad daylight! If a thief has gotten in, what will we do?"

As she spoke, she kept casting sidelong glances at the snow leopard dozing in the Su Family's courtyard.

"Tell me, with people coming and going through this compound, what thief would dare be so bold? But if it wasn't a person... some beasts just love shiny things. They carry them off and hide them in some nook or cranny, and then you'll never find them again..."

At those words, the neighbors' expressions shifted, and they all instinctively looked toward the Su Family's "Big Kitty."

Everyone in the compound knew the snow leopard had rendered meritorious service to the Su Family. But it was still a fierce beast, and although no one said anything, they had their private misgivings.

Lin Wanyi's expression darkened.

"Sister Wang, you can't make careless accusations. Our Big Kitty is very well-behaved. Big Kitty never wanders off, much less carries off other people's belongings."

"Oh, Sister Lin, I never said it was yours." Auntie Wang immediately put on an aggrieved expression. "But inside or outside this compound, what other beast could have the ability to take something off my windowsill without a sound?"

Her words all but pinned the accusation firmly on the Su Family.

Lin Wanyi's chest heaved with anger. Just as she was about to argue the matter out properly, a small hand gently tugged at the hem of her clothes.

She looked down and saw Nuannuan gazing up at her.

"Grandma," Nuannuan said quietly, "it wasn't Big Kitty."

Lin Wanyi stroked her head. "Grandma knows."

"I know where it is," Nuannuan added.

Lin Wanyi froze.

Nuannuan leaned close to her ear and spoke quickly, in a voice only the two of them could hear. "The sparrows on the roof saw it. They said the shiny thing is in the chicken coop in Grandma Wang's own yard. Under the third straw pad from the left."

Lin Wanyi's mind buzzed.

The chicken coop? Under the third straw pad?

That... that was far too specific!

A few days ago, she had only thought her granddaughter's affinity with animals was remarkable. But now, with this ability revealed before her in such a precise, unbelievable way, she felt a profound shock for the first time.

She looked into her granddaughter's wide, clear, innocent eyes. There was not the slightest trace of a lie in them.

A thought rose in her heart: she had to believe Nuannuan.

Lin Wanyi took a deep breath, suppressing the tumult inside her, and once again wore a polite but distant smile.

She turned to Auntie Wang, who was still wailing. Her voice was quiet, but it carried clearly to everyone present.

"Sister Wang, don't be so anxious. I'd say it most likely wasn't an outsider."

Auntie Wang immediately took offense. "Sister Lin, what do you mean by that? If it wasn't an outsider, are you saying someone in our own family stole it?"

"Don't be so quick to deny it," Lin Wanyi said unhurriedly. "Your little grandson Huzi is home today too, isn't he? Children are mischievous. It's quite common for them to take a liking to something shiny, take it to play with, and hide it away."

"Impossible! Our Huzi is very well-behaved!" Auntie Wang retorted without a second thought.

"Why not go back and look? Then you'll know, won't you?" Lin Wanyi's tone remained gentle, but her gaze sharpened. "Especially in corners you don't usually pay attention to, like... the chicken coop, the woodpile, places like that. Children like hiding things in those spots."

She deliberately placed a little extra emphasis on "chicken coop."

Under her gaze, Auntie Wang felt a little uneasy, but her words remained unyielding. "Our chicken coop is perfectly clean! What could be hidden there?"

The neighbors began trying to persuade her too.

"That's right, Auntie Wang. Go back and have a look. What if the child took it?"

"Madam Lin is right. Don't falsely accuse an innocent person... no, an innocent beast..."

With everyone chiming in, Auntie Wang had no graceful way out. Seeing how certain Lin Wanyi looked, she began to have doubts herself. She glared fiercely at the Su Family's courtyard, stamped her foot, and turned to go home.

"Fine, I'll look! If it's not there, I'll be back to settle this with you!"

Everyone craned their necks, waiting for the result.

Less than five minutes later.

First, a delighted shriek came from Auntie Wang's courtyard. Immediately afterward came a little boy's loud wail, followed by the sounds of Auntie Wang hitting and berating him in a fury.

"You little brat! I'll beat you to death! That'll teach you to make trouble! That'll teach you to take things!"

The outcome spoke for itself.

The watching neighbors exchanged glances, then looked at Lin Wanyi with admiration.

"Madam Lin, you really can predict things like a god!"

"Exactly! To think you even guessed that."

Lin Wanyi wore a gracious smile as she responded to their compliments, but inside, her thoughts were in turmoil.

She paid no attention to the praise, nor did she go to watch the "chaos" unfolding at Auntie Wang's house. She simply bent down and gathered Nuannuan tightly into her arms.

"Nuannuan, tell Grandma, how did you know?" she asked as she carried Nuannuan home, her voice trembling slightly without her even realizing it.

"The sparrows told me." Nuannuan nestled in her grandmother's warm embrace, her voice soft and sweet. "They said Little Chubby-that's Huzi's nickname-took the shiny thing, stuffed it into the nest where the hens lay eggs, and covered it with straw."

Lin Wanyi stopped in her tracks.

She stood at the entrance to her small house, looking at the exquisitely lovely granddaughter in her arms.

Sunlight fell across Nuannuan's face. Her eyes were as clear as spring water, reflecting Lin Wanyi's own figure.

At that moment, Lin Wanyi finally understood deeply what her husband and sons had said in the study.

Nuannuan's ability was no amusing child's trick.

It was a power that truly existed, one that defied ordinary understanding and was so strong it inspired awe.

Yet the one who possessed this power was an innocent, vulnerable child of only five.

Lin Wanyi held Nuannuan tighter, and for the first time, a heavy sense of responsibility rose within her.

This family had to become the strongest fortress, sheltering her from every storm that might come in the future.