When they arrived at Lin Yuelan's house, which was on the verge of collapse, Liu Qi and Liu Jiayin were both dumbfounded.

Was this a house?

The house their servants lived in, hell, even their woodshed was better than this hut.

Except for a few beams that were made of wood, almost all of this house was built from withered grass, and even the door was made from withered grass.

Was this house... habitable?

Liu Jiayin stared at the house of her heroine in shock. She could not speak. A moment later, she pointed at the little thatched house and asked with a stutter, "Sister Yue... Sister Yue... Is this... your House?"

Lin Yuelan thought to herself. 'Technically, it is not. But I'm the one living in it now.' She nodded and replied, "Yes."

She did not seem to mind at all. There was not a hint of embarrassment on her face. She was very calm and at ease, even when she was faced with the shock of her two new friends.

As she said that, she turned around and carried the things down from the horse carriage. These things were all daily necessities, pots, and pans. They were all new.

Liu Jiayin was still young, so she would not beat around the bush in conversations. She cried out in surprise, "Sister Yue, isn't your house too shabby? Don't you have a better house?"

It was too late for Liu Qi to cover his sister's mouth. His round face was filled with embarrassment as he said, "Miss Lin, my sister doesn't know how to filter her words. Please don't take it to heart!"

Who would be so rude to say to the master that their house was too shabby? Well... his little sister would.

Lin Yuelan didn't mind at all.

After all, her shabby little cottage was only temporary.

She had 380 taels of silver from selling the tiger, three gold ingots, and 100 taels of silver from the soldiers as well as almost 200 taels of silver she confiscated from the local ruffians. She used around 100 taels of silver to buy daily necessities. She had enough left over to build a new house.

However, she wanted to build a house with a big courtyard. She didn't have enough funds yet. So Lin Yuelan planned to save first. Therefore, the hut was her house for now.

Lin Yuelan answered Liu Qi with a smile, "It's fine. What Jiayin said is the truth." She finally understood the temperament of Liu Jiayin. She looked unruly, willful, arrogant, and unreasonable, but in fact, she was just a simple, kind, and straightforward little girl without any schemes.

However, Liu Qi's personality was completely opposite to Liu Jiayin's.

His round and cute face, and those big round eyes of his, were very deceiving. He looked like a naive and inexperienced child. In fact, he was a tactful person who was always on guard.

Perhaps, children from rich families were always more scheming than ordinary people. Otherwise, their family assets would be stolen by others already.

Liu Qi was friends with Lin Yuelan because of his sister, Liu Jiayin. However, how could he not be guarded against someone whom he had met for the first time?

Once his sister befriended Lin Yuelan, she cried to come to Lin Family Village. Liu Qi definitely wouldn't let his sister go alone.He was afraid that Lin Yuelan would use his sister to build a relationship with the Liu family, and then gain great benefits from the Liu family.

Therefore, he drove the carriage, brought her sister, and personally sent Lin Yuelan home.

However, when he saw this little thatched cottage that was on the verge of collapse, he was truly stunned.

He would never have thought that a child who could go up the mountain to fight tigers would actually be so poor and live in this shabby house.

However, the thing that puzzled him the most was the size of the house. The house was so small. Could she and her parents fit in it?

Liu Qi looked around at the villagers. They seemed very apprehensive. They were surprised, suspicious, and fearful. Liu Qi was confused. 'What is going on with these villagers? They might be curious about the horse carriage, but that doesn't explain the fear in their eyes.'

Liu Qi looked around suspiciously at the villagers and asked curiously, "Miss Lin, can you and your family fit in such a small house?"

Lin Yuelan gave him an unexpected answer.

Lin Yuelan answered flatly, "I don't have any family. I'm the only one who lives in this house!"

How could that be?

Liu Qi and Liu Jiayin didn't expect that Lin Yuelan would live in this house alone.

Liu Qi asked again in surprise, "What about your parents?"

Lin Yuelan answered flatly, "They are gone!"

She didn't say they died because they were still alive. However, having parents who were so stupid and filial was no different than having them dead.

However, for Liu Qi and Liu Jiayin, it sounded like Lin Yuelan's parents were dead.

A pitiful and sympathetic expression immediately appeared on Liu Jiayin's face. She said to Lin Yuelan, "Sister Yue, I'm sorry for your loss!" Then, she said in a very loyal tone, "Sister Yue, from now on, I will be your good sister and good friend. My parents will be your parents! I will definitely make my parents treat you like their own daughter."

Liu Qi's face was full of black lines! His sister was really too innocent. Why would she go around finding stepchildren for their parents? Furthermore, this was technically their first time meeting Lin Yuelan. Could they even trust her?

Then again, it was rare for his little sister to find a friend who matched her temperament. Therefore, as her older brother, he didn't want to discourage her. He just needed to be on guard in the future.

Liu Qi immediately echoed, "Yes, Miss Lin, I'm sorry for your loss! Since your parents are gone, you have to live well alone. I believe that your parents also want you to live well too." He didn't mention anything about his parents being Lin Yuelan's parents.

He was being tactful.

However, the Liu siblings did not realize that the surrounding villagers' expressions immediately became strange after hearing their words. Some of them even glanced at Chen Xiaoqing, who was secretly crying in a distant corner.

Lin Yuelan did not explain further.

She just nodded.

Then, she held the pot in one hand and the bucket in the other as she walked home.

After Lin Yuelan entered the house, the villagers who were closer to the siblings immediately walked over and whispered to the siblings, "Young Master and Miss, I advise you to stay away from her."

As they spoke, they pointed in the direction of Lin Yuelan, "She is the famous Jinx of our village! Her parents are not dead, but they have severed their relationship with her!"

The Liu siblings were shocked once again!