Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

"We can't just let this go!"

Mr. Liu slammed his hand on the table, making the enamel mug bounce.

The courtyard fell silent instantly. Everyone knew that real trouble was about to begin.

"Fifty yuan, not fifty cents! If they can steal from my house today, will they dare to steal from someone else's tomorrow? This must be reported to the police!"

As the last three words fell, the air seemed to freeze.

"Report to the police." In the production team of 1977, these four words carried immense weight, so much so that they were alarming.

Wang Xiulan's face turned deathly pale instantly: "Old Liu! No! The child knows he was wrong!"

"You know you're wrong?" Mr. Liu laughed angrily. "Do you think your money will come back on its own just because you know you're wrong? Let me tell you, this isn't over until you give me an explanation today!"

The murmurs in the courtyard grew louder and louder.

"This has really blown up."

"Fifty yuan? If it were me, I would have called the police too."

"Stealing money is no small matter."

As the words drifted into his ears, Lin Weidong stood in the center of the courtyard, his face growing paler and paler.

He finally started to get scared.

When he stole the money, he didn't think much about it. He just thought he was investing, and once the books sold and he made money, he could cover the losses without anyone knowing.

Who knew that the book wouldn't sell, the money would be lost, and the truth would come out.

Thinking about this, his legs felt weak.

"Father... Mother..." Her voice trembled.

But this time, no one could help him.

"Old Liu," Lin Jianguo finally spoke, his voice terribly hoarse, "Wei Dong was in the wrong. We'll pay for it."

"Compensate?" Mr. Liu sneered. "With what?"

One sentence silenced Lin Jianguo.

He knew his family simply couldn't afford fifty yuan. The money they'd saved over the years was almost all gone. What was left wasn't even enough for the bride price, let alone any compensation.

"If all else fails..." Wang Xiulan gritted her teeth, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the courtyard gate, as if still clinging to a last glimmer of hope.

But it was completely empty.

Lin Xiuhe is gone. She won't come back, and she certainly won't pay for their losses.

Thinking of this, a sense of despair arose in her heart for the first time. Before, no matter what happened, there was always someone to back her up. But now, that person was gone.

"Report it to the police."

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

Everyone turned around at the same time.

The person speaking was none other than Liu Chunyan.

The courtyard fell silent instantly, even Liu's father was taken aback.

"Swallow?"

"Father." Liu Chunyan looked at Lin Weidong, her eyes eerily calm. "Stealing money is no small matter. Since you've made a mistake, you should bear the consequences."

One sentence completely crushed Lin Weidong.

"Chunyan!" He looked up abruptly, his face full of disbelief. "You're going to take me to the police station too?"

"You brought this upon yourself," Liu Chunyan said softly.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was more painful than any scolding. Because there was no longer disappointment in it, only indifference—the indifference of completely giving up on someone.

Lin Weidong's face turned deathly pale. At this moment, he finally realized that something had truly been lost.

"Spring Swallow..."

"Stop talking," Liu Chunyan interrupted him.

Then he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Liu's father: "This is the annulment of the engagement."

boom!

The courtyard was in complete chaos.

Break off the engagement? She actually wants to break off the engagement?

"Chunyan!" Wang Xiulan screamed, "Are you crazy! The marriage is already arranged!"

"You can cancel the order if you've already made it." Liu Chunyan looked at her, and for the first time, she didn't back down. "Auntie, I want to marry someone I can live with, not someone who steals money."

Everyone was stunned by those words. Even Aunt Zhang forgot to speak. Because no one expected that Liu Chunyan would be the first to overturn the table.

"You can't back out!" Wang Xiulan's eyes reddened with anxiety. "Weidong will change in the future!"

"Will he change it?" Liu Chunyan smiled, but the smile was somewhat bitter. "Let's wait until he's changed it before we talk about it."

After saying that, she turned and left without looking back.

Mr. Liu glanced at his son, then at the Lin family, and finally said coldly, "Bring the money over before noon tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll go to the police station myself."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The courtyard fell silent again.

But this time, it was even more terrifying than before. Because everyone knew that the Lin family was finished—they couldn't come up with the money, and the wedding was off. And all of this was because Lin Weidong had stolen that fifty yuan.

The night wind blew through the courtyard, but no one spoke.

Only Lin Weidong stood there, like a lost and dejected puppet.

For the first time, I felt like the sky had fallen.

Meanwhile, in the warehouse...

Lin Xiuhe was doing her homework under the lamp. The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a soft, scratching sound.

She neither inquired about nor wanted to inquire about what had happened to the Lin family.

Because she knew very well that she would have to bear some consequences sooner or later.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the warehouse door.

"Who?" Lin Xiuhe looked up.

There was a moment of silence outside the door, then a familiar voice came from outside.

"it's me."

"Zhou Zhiyuan".