Xu Xinxin poked her head out from under the blanket, tilting it slightly.

She had a round, baby-fat face and a bob haircut, making her look especially adorable. Despite her pale complexion, she was the kind of child that people instinctively liked.

“Grandma, after I finish drinking this, I won’t have to take it again, right?”

“Yes, yes,” Yang Fengxia replied, her heart leaping with joy. She sat on the bed, ready to feed Xu Xinxin the medicine.

Xu Xinxin wrinkled her nose at the bitter smell of the concoction but, thinking about getting better quickly so her mother wouldn’t worry, took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Bang!

A figure appeared out of nowhere and slapped the bowl out of Yang Fengxia’s hands. The bowl hit the ground, spilling its bitter contents all over.

Yang Fengxia froze, and when she saw who had done it, her anger flared. “Mrs. Dong! What do you think you’re doing? How did you even get into my house?!”

Mrs. Dong, satisfied with her deed, clapped her hands and planted them on her hips. “How did I get in? Your door wasn’t locked, so I walked right in.”

“You… you… you wretched woman! We’ve never had any serious grudges, and yet you wasted my granddaughter’s medicine!”

Yang Fengxia looked at the spilled medicine, her heart twisting in pain.

She had made up her mind and was so close to succeeding, only for Mrs. Dong to ruin it at the last moment.

“Hey, you’ve got the wrong person this time,” Mrs. Dong retorted, lifting her double chin confidently. “I didn’t come here to mess with you for no reason. Your daughter-in-law asked me to do this.”

Daughter-in-law?!

Yang Fengxia’s pupils contracted, and her eyelids twitched.

Her daughter-in-law should still be working overtime at school. Why would she suddenly involve Mrs. Dong? And for this?

“Xinxin!”

Before Yang Fengxia could make sense of it all, He Yiquan rushed into the house. Upon seeing her daughter unharmed, she immediately scooped her up and distanced herself from her mother-in-law.

“Ah, Xiao He, you’re back just in time! Tell your mother-in-law yourself—weren’t you the one who asked me to come and knock over this bowl of medicine?”

Mrs. Dong’s face lit up with the glee of someone enjoying a spectacle.

Though she didn’t fully understand He Yiquan’s intentions, it was enough for her to know that there was tension between the young woman and her monstrous mother-in-law.

She had often heard Yang Fengxia boast about how considerate her daughter-in-law was. But now, it seemed, the reality was quite different.

“Yes, it was me.”

He Yiquan looked at the spilled medicine, her heart still pounding wildly.

Everything had played out exactly as Gu Xicao had said it would!

She couldn’t bear to imagine what would have happened if Gu Xicao hadn’t seen the public telephone by the roadside and suggested she call the neighbor, Mrs. Dong.

Mrs. Dong, who disliked Yang Fengxia and could be persuaded with 500 yuan to stir up trouble, had agreed immediately.

“Mother-in-law, what medicine were you giving Xinxin?!”

When He Yiquan asked this, her voice was trembling. “The earlier medicine was already finished, and I told you not to give her any more. So where did this come from?”

Yang Fengxia’s face turned ashen, but she still tried to argue. “I did it for Xinxin’s own good! I went through a lot to get this medicine. How dare you question me? Do you think I’d harm Xinxin?”

“You’re absolutely right,” Gu Xicao interjected as she crouched down to pick up the bowl. “You added pesticide to this. If you’re not trying to kill your granddaughter, then what are you trying to do?”

“What?! Pesticide?!”

Mrs. Dong’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

She had assumed this was just an ordinary family squabble. Who could have guessed it would escalate into something this shocking?

“What nonsense are you spouting? I’m Xinxin’s grandmother—why would I harm her?”

Yang Fengxia’s expression flickered with panic. Seeing Gu Xicao holding the bowl, her heart sank, and she lunged forward to snatch it away.

But Gu Xicao stepped back. “Oh? If you didn’t do anything wrong, why are you so scared? Ms. He, call the police. They’ll figure out whether the medicine has been tampered with.”

“Alright, I’ll call right away.”

The moment He Yiquan saw Yang Fengxia trying to grab the bowl, she knew Gu Xicao must be telling the truth again.

Suppressing her fury, she forced herself to stay calm, picked up her daughter, and headed for the door to report the incident.

“No! Don’t call the police!”

Yang Fengxia panicked and rushed to grab He Yiquan’s arm. “Daughter-in-law, I did this for your own good!”

“For my own good?!” He Yiquan was so furious she almost laughed. “You’re trying to harm Xinxin, and you call that for my good? You’re insane! Xinxin is my daughter with Ah Zong!”

“Exactly,” Gu Xicao said coldly, her gaze sharp as she looked at Yang Fengxia. “And because Xinxin is your daughter, your mother-in-law wants to kill her. She thinks you won’t have another child as long as you have a daughter. If she gets rid of your daughter, you’ll want to have a second, maybe even a third child.”

Mrs. Dong was dumbfounded.

She looked at Yang Fengxia in disbelief, her skin crawling. “No way… Yang Fengxia, you’re truly despicable! That’s your biological granddaughter!”

“So what?!” Yang Fengxia snarled, her face twisted with rage. She glared at Xu Xinxin hatefully. “She only has herself to blame for being born a girl!”

Before she could say another word, He Yiquan lost control and slapped her across the face.

“You’re out of your mind! I’ll sue you! I’ll send you to prison! And I’ll divorce your son!”

Hearing this, Yang Fengxia completely lost it. She charged at He Yiquan, ready to attack.

Gu Xicao was startled and moved to intervene, but someone beside her reacted faster, tackling Yang Fengxia to the ground.

Crack!

In that moment, it seemed as if something had broken.

After a moment of silence in the room, a blood-curdling scream erupted.

Gu Xicao and He Yiquan stared in a daze at Yang Fengxia, who was pinned beneath Mrs. Dong. Mrs. Dong, panting heavily, rested one hand on her hip and snapped at them, “What are you looking at? Call the police already! I’m about to keel over from exhaustion!”

“Oh, oh, oh!”

He Yiquan finally came to her senses.

Half an hour later, the police arrived. Upon hearing it was a poisoning case, they immediately arrested Yang Fengxia. He Yiquan’s husband, Xu Chuanzong, rushed over and tried to intervene.

He grabbed He Yiquan by the arm. “Ah Quan, this is just a family matter. Why do you have to blow it out of proportion?”

Although He Yiquan had declared earlier in front of Yang Fengxia that she wanted a divorce, it had been said in anger. When she saw her husband return, she felt a surge of grievance and fear. However, she hadn’t expected his first words to be these.

He Yiquan pulled her daughter closer, taking a step back. She stared at Xu Chuanzong in disbelief. “Do you even understand what you’re saying? Your mother tried to poison Xinxin!”

Xu Chuanzong looked at his wife’s accusatory gaze, then at his daughter’s pale face. Guilt flashed in his eyes, but he still muttered, “But in the end, isn’t Xinxin fine? Mom just made a mistake in the moment. She’s old and—”

Slap!

The sharp sting on Xu Chuanzong’s face spread to his brain before he even registered what had happened.

He clutched his cheek, staring at He Yiquan in shock and disbelief.

He Yiquan, normally gentle and kind, had never uttered a harsh word, let alone raised a hand against anyone. Yet just now, she had slapped him.

“Go die with your mother, you bastard!”

Her eyes were red, her hands clenched tightly, and her voice trembled. “I’m filing for divorce and leaving you with nothing!”

“Ah Quan!” Xu Chuanzong tried to approach her, but the police stepped in to block him.

A female officer, ignoring the red mark on Xu Chuanzong’s face, turned to He Yiquan. “Ms. He, is he harassing you?”

“Yes, he’s trying to pressure me into dropping the charges and covering for Yang Fengxia!”

He Yiquan sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Mr. Xu, we now suspect that you’re involved in Yang Fengxia’s poisoning case. Please come with us,” the female officer said flatly, handcuffing him without hesitation.

Xu Chuanzong looked at He Yiquan, hurt and bewildered. “Ah Quan, how can you be so heartless?”

The police car drove off with him inside, and Gu Xicao accompanied He Yiquan to give her statement. By the time they finished, it was already late at night.

Xu Xinxin had fallen asleep. He Yiquan, pale-faced, was trembling as she got out of the car.

Worried, Gu Xicao took her straight home.

“Alright, I’ll leave now. But, Ms. He, I think you should consider moving. It’ll be safer,” Gu Xicao suggested, concerned.

He Yiquan sniffled and gave a determined smile. “Thank you for the reminder. I’ve already contacted my family—they’ll be here tomorrow morning to help us move.”

“That’s good.” Gu Xicao let out a breath of relief, thankful that He Yiquan had family to support her. Otherwise, she would surely face trouble once Xu Chuanzong was released.

“Thank you, really. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened to Xinxin…”

Thinking about how close her daughter had come to drinking that bowl of medicine, He Yiquan shuddered with fear.

“What happened earlier was my fault. I misunderstood you.”

Gu Xicao shook her head. “There’s no need to apologize, Ms. He. From my perspective, you did the right thing. It’s important to avoid speaking about superstitions around children.”

She smiled. “Besides, not all fortune-tellers are as accurate as I am.”

Looking at her cheerful smile, He Yiquan felt a warmth in her heart.

She had been a teacher for several years, always diligent and responsible. Yet her thoroughness often annoyed parents, who accused her of meddling.

But this young girl truly understood her intentions.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Sis, you’re finally back!”

When Gu Xicao returned home, she quietly opened the door, careful not to wake Lin Yuan. To her surprise, he was still awake, hunched over a book at the table. Hearing her, he jumped up immediately.

“Shhh, keep it down. Everyone’s asleep,” Gu Xicao said, raising a finger to her lips.

Lin Yuan sheepishly nodded and tiptoed over. “Sis, how’s Teacher He? Is her daughter okay?”

“They’re fine, everything’s resolved,” Gu Xicao said, patting his head. “Why are you still up? Just to wait for the news?”

“Not just that. I was worried about you too,” Lin Yuan said, pouting. “It’s so late, and it’s not safe for you to come back alone. You should’ve taken me with you. I’m a man; I can protect you!”

He flexed his arm, showing off the muscle he had worked hard to develop. “See? My muscles!”

“Muscles, my foot. Go to bed already—you have school tomorrow,” Gu Xicao said, amused yet touched. She ruffled his hair and urged him to sleep.