Fu Wenwen raised an eyebrow and followed Lin An's pointed direction. She indeed saw a man furtively peeking into the courtyard. He looked as though he had already scouted the area, knowing that the narrow alley would be deserted. He propped himself up against the wall between the houses, brazenly ogling the courtyard.
Fu Wenwen sneered and subtly activated her powers. A vine emerged from beneath the man's feet, slithering into his trousers like a snake.
The man suddenly felt a cold sensation inside his trousers, startling him to the ground with a scream. He thought he had been bitten by a snake.
"Ah! A snake! I've been bitten by a snake! Help me!" the man cried in terror. The surrounding neighbors immediately responded and rushed over.
Seeing the man in the narrow alley, they quickly dragged him out.
"Qu Qing, what's wrong, kid? Where are you hurt?" Aunt Ma asked, looking at Qu Qing who was writhing on the ground.
"There was a snake, it bit me! Save me! Save me," Qu Qing exclaimed, frantically patting himself.
"Where would a snake come from in the city? Are you still half asleep?" the others laughed. "You've been patting yourself for ages, and there's nothing on you! Where's the snake? Open your eyes and look."
Qu Qing searched for a long time but found no trace of a snake. Instead, a withered vine fell from his trousers.
"Is this the snake you were talking about? Hahaha..." everyone burst into laughter. Qu Qing, embarrassed by their teasing, became a little indignant. "What's so funny?"
Fu Wenwen walked out of her house and looked at Qu Qing, asking with a light smile, "Hello, may I ask why you were peeping into my yard?"
As soon as Fu Wenwen spoke, the onlookers fell silent, staring at her in surprise. "No way?"
Qu Qing stiffened, then pointed at Fu Wenwen and angrily retorted, "When did I ever peep into your yard? Don't talk nonsense!"
"Yes! Little Fu, could there be a mistake? This is your Aunt Qu's youngest son. He wouldn't..." Aunt Ma said to Fu Wenwen, not entirely believing her.
Fu Wenwen pointed to the second floor of her house. "I was standing on the second floor just now and saw him propping himself up against the walls between our houses, peeking into my yard."
Fu Wenwen's words made everyone glance towards the narrow alley. That spot perfectly overlooked the courtyard.
The crowd frowned and looked at Qu Qing.
Qu Qing's face paled. "What nonsense are you spouting, woman! Who was peeping at you? I was just looking for something there. I dropped something."
"This dark alley is usually deserted, isn't it? How could you have lost something there at such close range?" Fu Wenwen pointed at the narrow alley, which was barely wide enough for one person. It was a space few people would normally frequent.
Qu Qing's flustered defense made the crowd suspect something was amiss, and their gazes towards him became questioning.
"If my son says he didn't, he didn't. Little Fu, don't just make things up!" Aunt Qu arrived, rushing to protect her son.
"Aunt Qu, I just wanted to ask. After all, I saw him looking into my house. My house was burgled last time, and now he's peeping into my house again today. It's hard not to be suspicious," Fu Wenwen said. Her words silenced Aunt Ma and other neighbors who had been about to intercede.
After all, they hadn't encountered a thief in years, and Fu Wenwen's house was broken into the day after she moved in. This was indeed concerning.
No one wanted a restless neighbor, who knew when they might become a victim themselves.
"Quick, tell her what you were doing here!" Aunt Qu urged, pulling her son and demanding an explanation.
Qu Qing stammered, glancing at Fu Wenwen. "Someone gave me a dollar to see if anyone was home at your place..."
"I didn't intend to steal anything!" Qu Qing gritted out.
The expressions of the onlookers changed as they looked at Qu Qing. For a single dollar, he'd do such a thing?
"Auntie Qu, I really can't understand this..." Fu Wenwen looked at Qu Qing as if he were an idiot, which made Aunt Qu extremely uncomfortable.
"A dollar, it's embarrassing just to say it!" the neighbors shook their heads and walked away.
They couldn't bear to watch. For a mere dollar, he had gone to the outer wall of their new neighbor to spy. How could Qu Qing be such a spineless person?
Aunt Qu's face changed drastically. She slapped her son heavily. "What nonsense are you talking? How could you do something like this for a dollar..."
"Ouch! Mom! You're hurting me!" Qu Qing yelled. "Didn't you say that money is money, and you shouldn't pass it up? A dollar is not a small amount! You can buy a lot of things with it!"
"What did that person look like?" Fu Wenwen asked Qu Qing. "If you answer honestly, I'll consider letting you off."
Aunt Qu quickly patted her son, urging him to answer properly. "Hurry up, answer well!"
"How would I know? Anyway, he was tall and looked very fierce. I didn't dare to look at his face," Qu Qing replied sullenly. "He just wanted me to see when you were home and when you weren't, and then report back to him."
"Did you agree to meet him somewhere?" Fu Wenwen asked immediately.
"In the dark alley next door! He told me to watch for a day and then report back when your husband got home." Qu Qing replied.
"You were the one who tipped them off last time, weren't you?" Fu Wenwen recalled Aunt Qu's unusual expression that morning and suspected she had done this once before, otherwise she wouldn't have been so practiced.
Qu Qing stammered, glancing at Aunt Qu, and nodded.
It was the first time he had benefited, which was why he was willing to do it a second time.
Aunt Qu looked at Fu Wenwen apologetically, begging her to spare her son.
"Aunt Qu, you can beat your son at home! I'll let it slide this time for your sake. If there's a next time, I'll report you to the police," Fu Wenwen said calmly, glancing at Aunt Qu.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Upon hearing Fu Wenwen's words, Aunt Qu quickly pulled her son away, not daring to look back, for fear that Fu Wenwen would change her mind.
Fu Wenwen watched their retreating figures and turned back indifferently, walking into her house.
Her powers spread out, following the dark alley Qu Qing had mentioned. There was no one around, but she found many footprints on the ground, both large and small. It seemed two people had been there.
This was indeed the place Qu Qing had described.
Fu Wenwen's eyes turned cold. She conjured a small blade of grass, leaving a trace of her power within it. Just waiting for that person to appear, and she would know who they were!
After making her arrangements, Fu Wenwen was about to take Lin An to the black market to buy groceries. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Xiao Liuzi's voice from the door.
"Heroine!"
Fu Wenwen went to open the door. Xiao Liuzi entered with vegetables. "Heroine, where have you been the last couple of days? I came to bring you vegetables, but you weren't here?"
"I went back to Yong'an Town for a visit!" Fu Wenwen said with a smile. "Do you bring vegetables every day?"