Chapter 35 Liu Cuihua’s Poisonous Plan

Wang Xiaoming had no choice but to help her down the mountain. Coincidentally, Lu Jian Guo arrived with a group of people. Seeing Wang Xiaoming supporting Li Xiuyin, Lu Jian Guo’s jealousy flared up. He snatched Li Xiuyin from Wang Xiaoming’s hands and headed down the mountain. Wang Xiaoming was left bewildered, feeling like he had done a good deed and been punished for it. Li Xiuyin was also pulled off balance, almost falling again. She cried out in pain, “Ouch!” Lu Jian Guo then eased his grip slightly, but his tone was still tinged with annoyance, “What were you doing all day? You’re still on the mountain late at night, and you’re with this Wang Xiaoming!” Li Xiuyin was both angry and anxious.

She couldn’t tell everyone that she was following Lin Yuexi, so she could only endure the pain in her foot and reply, “Don’t talk nonsense. Wang Xiaoming was just being kind. I accidentally twisted my ankle.” Lu Jian Guo snorted coldly but didn’t say anything more. He just quickened his pace down the mountain. The young men behind him looked at each other, sensing the awkward and subtle atmosphere.

Back at home, Li Xiuyin collapsed onto a chair, rubbing her swollen ankle. She was filled with dejection. Not only had she not discovered anything all day, but she had also made herself look like a mess. She was hungry, tired, and injured, and on top of that, Lu Jian Guo might misunderstand her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, but she had nowhere to vent her frustration.

On the other side, Lin Yuexi returned home, comforted her two children, and then went to the kitchen to start cooking. She first used a pressure cooker in her space to cook rice and then stewed a pot of pork bone and kelp soup. Then, she took two half-pound fish from the river in her space, came out, and started to heat the oil in a pan. When the oil was seven parts hot, she gently placed the fish in the pan.

As soon as the fish hit the oil, it splattered everywhere, making a “sizzling” sound. Lin Yuexi quickly used a spatula to press down on the fish slightly so that it could heat evenly. After one side was golden brown, she carefully flipped it over and continued to fry the other side. When both sides were golden brown and crispy, she took them out and placed them on a plate. Next, she left a little oil in the pan, added scallions, ginger, and garlic, and sautéed them until fragrant, the aroma instantly filling the air.

Then she added a suitable amount of water, brought it to a boil over high heat, added the fried fish, poured in a little soy sauce and cooking wine to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor, added a little sugar to bring out the sweetness, covered the pot, and simmered over low heat. As it simmered, the broth gradually thickened, and the fish absorbed the deliciousness of the broth. After about ten minutes, she opened the lid, turned up the heat, and reduced the sauce, allowing the sauce to coat the fish.

A delicious boiled fish was ready. Lin Yuexi served the boiled fish, the pork bone and kelp soup, and the rice. She called the children to come and eat. Watching the children eat happily, she forgot about the day’s exhaustion.

After dinner, Lin Yuexi boiled some water for the children to wash their faces and feet, and then she put them to bed. In the 1970s, there was no electricity, no television, no mobile phones, and no entertainment. This was a good thing for the children. They fell asleep quickly, and early to bed and early to rise was good for their health! Seeing her two children asleep, Lin Yuexi went to her space and harvested a batch of crops.

 She collected dozens of pounds of wild Gastrodia elata and two ginseng roots. She planned to go back to the mountain the next day. If she found Gastrodia elata, she would dig it up. If not, she would take some out of her space and sell it. Of course, she could also go to the black market and sell some of the grain, rice, oil, and noodles she had stored. That way, she could earn enough money to buy a courtyard house in the county.

That night, the old house was in an uproar. After Li Xiuyin came back, Lu Jian Guo had been sitting there with a sullen face, his mind filled with suspicion and anger. Seeing his expression, Li Xiuyin finally couldn’t hold back and exploded, “What’s wrong with you? I suffered so much on the mountain, and you come back and give me the cold shoulder. You even embarrassed me in front of everyone.” Lu Jian Guo also raised his voice, “What’s wrong with me? You were on the mountain late at night with Wang Xiaoming.

 What am I supposed to think?” Their arguing attracted Liu Cuifang. She hurried over to persuade them, “Okay, okay, stop arguing. There’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. Now is not the time to be arguing.” Li Xiuyin complained tearfully, “Mom, I really suffered today. I wanted to help the family figure out what’s going on with Lin Yuexi, but she tricked me around the mountain. I twisted my ankle and almost couldn’t come back. Now, he’s still suspicious of me.” Liu Cuifang sighed, “This is indeed strange. That Lin Yuexi girl’s behavior on the mountain was too strange. But Xiuyin, your method of following her probably won’t work. We need to come up with another plan.”

 Lu Jian Guo calmed down a little after hearing his mother’s words, “Mom, what do you think we should do?” After thinking for a moment, Liu Cuifang said, “How about this, you go out and spread some rumors, saying that you saw a man enter Lin Yuexi’s house at night. When enough people believe it, we’ll find a man to go into her room during the day, and then we’ll bring people to catch her in the act at night.

Then, she won’t be able to avoid giving up the house, and she won’t be able to keep San’er’s allowance.” After hearing this, Lu Jian Guo and Li Xiuyin stopped arguing. They both agreed that this was a good idea. Not only would it ruin Lin Yuexi’s reputation, but they could also move back into the three big tiled houses and take Lu Cheng’s allowance, just like before. It was clear that Liu Cuifang’s poisonous plan was a two-for-one deal. She wanted to expose Lin Yuexi’s true colors in one fell swoop. Of course, this plan had to be kept secret from Old Man Lu, that old fool.

While Lu Jian Guo and Li Xiuyin were plotting this malicious plan, Lin Yuexi was sleeping soundly in her small house, completely unaware that a conspiracy against her was brewing.

But even if they had any poisonous schemes, it wouldn’t affect Lin Yuexi. The next morning, Lin Yuexi got up early as usual, prepared breakfast for the children, and then took them to play in the yard for a while. Then, she carried her backpack and prepared to go up the mountain. The two children dutifully reminded her to be careful. Lin Yuexi smiled, touched their heads, and turned to set off on her way up the mountain.

On the mountain, Lin Yuexi skillfully searched for traces of Gastrodia elata. She paid attention to the surroundings while carefully digging. That day, she actually dug up another twenty pounds of wild Gastrodia elata and a wild Ganoderma lucidum. Lin Yuexi jumped for joy. It was truly heaven helping her! Lin Yuexi carefully collected the wild Ganoderma lucidum and Gastrodia elata she had dug up, put them in her backpack, and her heart was filled with joy.

The next day, Lin Yuexi carried her backpack, got on Old Man Xia’s oxcart, and went to town. Then she transferred to a public bus to go to the county. This time, when Lin Yuexi arrived at “Bencao Yiyuntang,” the old Chinese doctor in the hall already recognized her. He pointed to a side door and told her to go in by herself. After Lin Yuexi went in, Master Bai, who was busy, saw her coming and quickly stopped what he was doing to come over and say, “Little comrade, you’re here again…” Lin Yuexi nodded and pulled out the cloth bag containing the Gastrodia elata from her backpack.