Jiang Xuerui felt a chill run down her spine when she saw Yu's smiling face; goosebumps rose all over her body... Had the sun risen in the west?
But since she was still Shen Zhuo's sister-in-law, Jiang Xuerui treated her with courtesy.
“The Zhao family in the county has work to do, and Shen Zhuo went there early this morning… Did you need him for something, sister-in-law?” He sat down with Madam Yu.
Madam Yu sighed earnestly, "Alas, this second son is also like that, running off to the county every few days, leaving his husband alone at home. It must be hard for you to have a son. If you feel scared or bored in the future, just come and find your sister-in-law."
Upon hearing her say this, two phrases suddenly flashed through Jiang Xuerui's mind: "Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft."
A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken has ulterior motives.
"Sister-in-law, just tell me straight, what is it?" He coughed awkwardly, putting aside his two disrespectful remarks.
Seeing that he didn't intend to just go through the motions, Madam Yu stopped pretending.
"I heard you work for the Huo family? Is that true?" She looked around and asked in a low voice.
Jiang Xuerui's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Madam Yu. "Yes, that's true... Why is Sister-in-law asking this?"
Yu was secretly delighted, but on the surface she pretended to be worried.
“That Huo lad is quite capable,” she said, plotting how to get more information out of him. “It’s also a stroke of luck that he’s doing this. So many people in the village toil in the fields, but the Huo family has managed to find a way to make money…”
Jiang Xuerui was completely confused. "What my sister-in-law says is true."
After receiving his response, Madam Yu glanced around twice before finally getting to the point, "Sigh, these days, making money is the most important thing. Since you're working for the Huo family's son, do your job well. When you have children in the future, it will ease the burden on the second son..."
When the topic of children came up, Jiang Xuerui's cheeks flushed slightly. He also wanted to have a child with Shen Zhuo, so that he could have a child to keep him company when he wasn't around... A little cub that looks like Shen Zhuo would definitely be adorable.
Jiang Xuerui twisted her fingers, lowered her eyes, and remained silent, blushing.
Madam Yu continued, “You and your second son are still young, you have plenty of opportunities… unlike your eldest sister-in-law and your eldest brother, who are clumsy and know nothing but farming. It will be difficult for them to raise their children, not to mention that their eldest son will have to go to school later…”
"Poverty-stricken couples face endless sorrows," Yu said, squeezing out two tears.
Jiang Xuerui was soft-hearted. Seeing that Yu was heartbroken, she put aside all the past and quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. The eldest son is still young. He will always find a way."
Seeing that the time was ripe, Madam Yu revealed her true thoughts, "My sister-in-law has come up with a way to make money these days, and I'd like to ask you about it."
“Sister-in-law, please say so,” Jiang Xuerui said.
Madam Yu glanced around and lowered her voice, "When you usually help out with the Huo family boys, have you ever seen how they process the medicinal herbs?"
Jiang Xuerui asked in confusion, "Why is sister-in-law asking this?"
Madam Yu sighed in exasperation, "How can you be so dense? There are so many medicinal herbs in the village. If you had just learned the technique, you could have started your own business... We're all from the same village, why does all the money go to that Huo boy?!"
Having finally understood Yu's intentions, Jiang Xuerui felt a sudden chill in her heart, and all pity for Yu vanished without a trace. "I advise you, sister-in-law, not to even consider this idea. The Huo family spends one or two strings of cash a day to purchase medicinal herbs. Do you think this business is easy to do? Besides, I have no idea how the Huo family processes medicinal herbs."
He knew that Yu's sudden show of concern for him couldn't be anything good.
They've actually set their sights on the Huo family's business.
Jiang Xuerui grew angrier the more she thought about it, and directly ordered Yu to leave, "I've already told my sister-in-law what to do, and I don't have time to keep you company. Please go back."
Madam Yu was stunned... This Rui-ge'er was usually so easy for her to mold and manipulate, just like a steamed bun.
Now you dare to disobey her!
"You dare to give me attitude? Fine!" Madam Yu jumped up from the stool, pointed at Jiang Xuerui, her eyebrows furrowed, "I only discussed this matter with you because you're the husband of the second son... I was just asking you a couple of questions, and you really think you're someone special!"
Yu cursed and swore, her words growing increasingly vulgar, until she finally cursed Shen Zhuo, Shen Dingshan, and the two deceased elders of the Shen family one by one...
Jiang Xuerui, unable to bear it any longer, slammed the basket she was about to put away onto the ground. "Sister-in-law! Don't push your luck! I don't want things to get too ugly between us. Before I get my broom to chase you away, you'd better get out of here!"
The bamboo sieve was filled with loose soybeans, which were intended to be soaked and ground into tofu, but now they have scattered all over the floor.
Just as she was getting into the middle of her rant, Yu was startled by the sudden roar and froze... What's wrong with this Baozi today? He actually dared to talk back.
She quickly realized what was happening and was about to continue her tirade.
"Get out!" Jiang Xuerui said, her face grim as she pointed to the door, her voice filled with extreme anger.
Yu stammered for a long time, but didn't say a word.
"Fine! You little slut, just you wait, you'll be crying someday!" she said harshly, walking away while cursing.
On the way out, I slipped on a pile of soybeans and fell flat on my back.
...
In the afternoon, while the Huo family was busy, Jiang Xuerui sent Madam Yu away and hastily wrote a prescription for floral water before heading to the Huo family.
After thinking it over, he decided to repeat what Mrs. Yu had said to him that morning to Mr. and Mrs. Huo.
“She is still my and Shen Zhuo’s sister-in-law. I know she will never let this go. You must be careful.” Finally, he took out the recipe for floral water and gave it to Gu Fengyan. “Last time you left in a hurry, I asked my uncle and wrote down this recipe.”
Gu Fengyan took it and said, "I know about your sister-in-law's matter. Thank you for reminding me, Rui-ge'er, and for this prescription."
When he and Huo Duan rejected the Yu and Zhao families during the last recruitment, the two of them were humiliated and naturally wanted to cause trouble... Gu Fengyan was not surprised by the Yu family's little scheme.
Moreover, he and Huo Duan usually process medicinal herbs behind closed doors, not to mention Mr. Liang... Within Heqing Village, besides them, there is probably no one else who can run this business.
Gu Fengyan was relieved, but she still went to the kitchen to tell Huo Duan about it.
The two of them were busy processing medicinal herbs at the moment.
The firewood crackled and burned in the stove. After listening, Huo Duan smiled and said, "Let's wait and see what she's going to do. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Young Master Gu, there's no need to worry."
Gu Fengyan didn't take it to heart at all and agreed... He was quite curious about what kind of tricks Madam Yu would come up with to cause trouble.
It was June, and the weather was scorching hot. Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan got up early that day and were washing their faces.
After a few days, the medicinal herbs purchased from the two villages had filled the small courtyard to the point that there was almost no room to walk. They had to take advantage of the still cool weather to pack up the herbs and send them to the county to sell.
It's about time to check on how business is at Tung Fook Restaurant.
Gu Fengyan washed his face and went to the kitchen to prepare a simple meal for Huo Duan.
There was some rice left over from yesterday afternoon, so he went to the backyard and picked some greens, making a simple vegetable and egg fried rice. Thinking it was too dry, he remembered he'd harvested a batch of honeysuckle yesterday, which was perfect for making tea. He put it in a bamboo water bottle, making it convenient to drink on the go.
He called Huo Duan to dinner, then went to the main room to grab a handful of honeysuckle and scooped water from the pool to wash it.
Huo Duan squeezed next to him to wash his hands, and also helped wash the honeysuckle.
The flowers are yellow and white, and as its name suggests, each small flower has a delicate fragrance.
"Okay, Mr. Huo, go eat first. I'll make the honeysuckle." After washing up, Gu Fengyan told Huo Duan to go eat, and then boiled a pot of water to make the honeysuckle, which he then took to the table.
Huo Duan poured a cup and was about to drink when he noticed that Gu Fengyan's arms and palms were covered in a large red patch, densely covered with rashes.
"What happened to Young Master Gu's hand?" he asked, putting down his cup.
I clearly remember my arms were fair and smooth before I went to bed last night, how come they developed a rash overnight?
"Huh?" Gu Fengyan looked down and realized that his arms were covered with dense, needle-like red rashes...almost no part of his skin was unscathed.
"What is this?" he exclaimed in surprise, suddenly feeling a sharp, itchy pain shooting up his arm.
Huo Duan realized the seriousness of the situation, grabbed his arm, and frowned as she examined him closely. "You don't know when it grew?"
Gu Fengyan tried to scratch it, but Huo Duan slapped his hand away. He endured the pain and shook his head in confusion, "I was fine when I washed my face this morning."
"Don't scratch him." Huo Duan felt extremely sorry for him and gently rubbed him with his hand, as if it were just scratching an itch through a boot. He frowned, his tone serious, "Is Young Master Gu allergic to something? What was the last thing he came into contact with?"
Seeing how worried he was, Gu Fengyan immediately felt much better. "No, I'm perfectly healthy and have never been allergic to anything. As for the last thing I touched..."
He thought about it carefully, "I just washed the honeysuckle when I was making tea. I can't be allergic to honeysuckle, can I... Mr. Huo washed it too, but you're fine."
After saying that, he suddenly looked at Huo Duan's hand and was shocked... Although Huo Duan's arm was not as obviously covered by rashes as his, it was still covered with patches of red rashes.
Huo Duan also discovered it.
The two of them immediately realized what was happening, picked up the pot of honeysuckle tea, and lifted it to take a look.
This isn't honeysuckle at all.
Gu Fengyan's face turned pale instantly, and he looked at the cup that Huo Duan had almost drunk, his back covered in cold sweat.
"What's wrong, Young Master Gu?" Huo Duan was not as familiar with herbs as Gu Fengyan and couldn't figure it out.
Gu Fengyan emptied the pot completely, and Huo Duan's cup was also pushed over, the pale water inside dripping down the table onto the floor.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Gu Fengyan felt a sense of relief, as if he had narrowly escaped death. "This isn't honeysuckle, it's heartbreak grass!"
Gelsemium elegans and honeysuckle look extremely similar; if you're not careful, you can't tell them apart.
Honeysuckle has heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, while Gelsemium elegans is highly poisonous and can be fatal if ingested!
If Huo Duan had drunk the water infused with the poisonous plant, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Someone did it on purpose, Gu Fengyan felt a chill run down her spine.
A note from the author:
It won't grow long and thick anymore, I can't do it, damn it!
Chapter Thirty-One
The cup tipped over on the table and was about to roll off, but Huo Duan quickly grabbed it and steadyed it.
"Heartbreak grass?" He poked at the residue poured out of the pot with his chopsticks. "How did such a poisonous thing get mixed in?"
Although Huo Duan was not as knowledgeable about herbs as Gu Fengyan, he recognized honeysuckle... He used his chopsticks to part the tangled clumps soaked in water, and sure enough, among the yellow and white honeysuckle flowers, there was another very similar flower.
It's almost impossible to notice unless you're very careful.
Gu Fengyan's arm was unbearably sore and itchy. He rubbed it and said, "Heartbreak Grass is a highly poisonous substance. Even simple contact will cause red rashes to appear on the skin over time, causing unbearable pain and itching... If this stuff is mixed with honeysuckle and sold to pharmacies, and someone dies, our business will be ruined."
As he spoke, Gu Fengyan hurriedly went to the main room to fetch the bag of honeysuckle and brought it to the courtyard, where he immediately collapsed to the ground. “If the business is ruined, so be it. But if someone really dies, we’ll both be finished here, Mr. Huo.”
The two of them no longer cared about the pain and itching on their skin. They noticed that half of the honeysuckle in the large bag was actually mixed with Gelsemium elegans flowers.
Gu Fengyan gasped, "This amount is enough to poison ten elephants. What a huge sum! It's amazing he could find so much."
Huo Duan looked at the cup of heartbreak herb tea that he had almost swallowed, and couldn't help but feel a wave of fear.
"Young Master Gu, let's keep this quiet for now. We'll ask Aunt and Rui later to find out who sent these things." He quickly calmed down, thought for a moment, and realized who was trying to harm them.
Gu Fengyan naturally knew who did it.
However, this person was not among the villagers they recruited. Huo Xiuling and Ruige'er were always careful, so how could they have allowed such a poisonous creature to sneak in so easily?