Chapter 42: Poisoned

In the Lai household at this time…

“Old Feng, how is Lai Pilin?” The village chief, as the leader of the village, had to maintain a certain level of civility towards Lai Pilin, despite her dislike for her. She couldn’t afford to be too obvious and risk being caught with evidence.

So, when she saw Lai Pilin’s complexion improving early in the morning, she had called for a doctor to examine her. However, if Lai Pilin recovered, how Miss Chen handled it was no longer her concern. After all, she had done her duty.

The middle-aged woman named Old Feng had checked Lai Pilin’s pulse several times before, wearing a skeptical expression. Then, after checking again, she hesitated before speaking, “Her internal injuries have improved a lot, but, this is what I find strange, there is a poison in her body.”

The village chief was surprised to hear this, her attention caught by the word “poison.” Could it be the poison administered by Miss Chen’s guard last night?

“What kind of poison?”

Old Feng stood up at the question, paced around the room for a few circles, then suddenly stopped, as if she had a clue. She slapped her forehead excitedly, “Snake venom, it must be snake venom. And it’s been there for over ten years.”

After speaking, she sighed, “Ah, she might have thought nothing of it when she was bitten by a snake and didn’t treat the wound. She didn’t expect this poison, which didn’t immediately manifest, to lurk for so long and now erupt with such force.”

Glancing at the village chief, she continued, “Chief, she won’t last long, start preparing for the aftermath.” Then she left, carrying her box.

The village chief felt complicated. Was it true that evildoers eventually faced their reckoning? For a moment, she felt a chill down her spine and hurriedly left.

—

After tidying up the dishes and utensils, Chen Xin said to Fang Ziyu, who was thinking about embroidering clothes, “Xiao Yu’er, I plan to take some chickens and ducks to distribute to the villagers. You stay obediently in the house, okay?”

“Okay.” Fang Ziyu, who was just about to say he wanted to go too, heard the last sentence and relaxed, nodding slightly in agreement. He also wanted to help Xin with everything instead of leaving her to do everything alone.

And Chen Xin didn’t want to tire him out either, following her around. It was quite a chore to visit the whole village.

Seeing his appearance, she knew what he was thinking. She walked over and kissed the corner of his lips, saying, “I’ll go, and when I come back, I’ll water the vegetables with you.”

“Okay! Hurry back.” Fang Ziyu was happy at this moment, nodding and kissing Chen Xin’s cheek.

Chen Xin smiled, touched his head, and went out to the courtyard to catch chickens. If she had known, she wouldn’t have let the chickens out of the coop yesterday.

After a while of busyness, Chen Xin carried several chickens and ducks tied with ropes out of the house.

First, Chen Xin came to the closest house to hers, the one where she exchanged rice last time. The stone walls blocked the curious gazes of passersby, and Chen Xin knocked on the door.

“Bang bang–”

A male voice came from inside, “Who’s there?”

As soon as the door opened and saw Chen Xin, along with the noise of chickens and ducks, the man was stunned, “Miss Chen? Is something wrong?”

“Do you prefer chicken or duck in your house?” Chen Xin asked calmly, despite the noise and smell of the chickens and ducks, but her expression didn’t match her calm demeanor.

“Uh…duck, I guess.” Although he didn’t understand what Chen Xin meant, he answered.

Duck it is. Chen Xin picked a duck and handed it to him, “This is a token of gratitude for helping my fiance the other day. Just a small token of our appreciation.”

“Xiao Xiu, who is it?” Seeing her husband standing at the door without inviting the person in, Mrs. Lin, who was pounding away and preparing to use the farming tools later, asked.

“This…” Mr. Lin hesitated to take it over casually. It was not just vegetables, but a duck, something they only ate during the New Year!

Just as his wife’s voice sounded, thinking of letting her make the decision, he shouted loudly, “Wife, it’s Miss Chen.”

As soon as the words fell, footsteps were heard immediately. Mrs. Lin saw that it was indeed Chen Xin, with a strange “outfit,” and asked, “Miss Chen, is there something wrong?”

Chen Xin handed the duck to her and said, “Thank you for helping my fiance the other day. This is a little token of our gratitude. I hope you’ll accept it.”

Mrs. Lin quickly waved her hand and said, “No, no, this is too precious, and I didn’t help much, just said a few words.”

“Take it, my hands are sore.”

Seeing Chen Xin’s determined expression, she stretched out her hand for a long time before saying, “Okay.”

Taking the duck from Chen Xin’s hand, she said apologetically with a smile.

“Then Miss Chen, this is…” Seeing the chickens and ducks in Chen Xin’s hands, after the “duck delivery incident” just now, Mrs. Lin understood that Chen Xin would continue to deliver them and kindly offered, “Miss Chen, shall I take you there? I’m more familiar with them and can help you knock on the door.”