Chapter 32: Pretty Mushrooms Are Poisonous

When Song Jiaojiao slowly woke up, she almost went insane. She clutched the quilt tightly.

“How could this happen? How could this happen?!”

It wasn’t just because the man had left her behind at the manor, but because Song Jiaojiao realized something was wrong with her body.

She tried to get out of bed, but found that she couldn’t even stand. She collapsed right where she was.

“Ahhhh!!!”

Song Jiaojiao nearly went crazy. She thought that scumbag of a man had drugged her. If only she’d known… she never should’ve gone to see the Song family!

Compared to Song Jiaojiao’s breakdown, Jiang Wan and the others were still on the road. Because of what had happened before, Song Jiuli held a grudge against Shen Qian, and the two had started living in open hostility, clashing at every turn.

For instance, when she saw Shen Qian picking some pretty, bright red mushrooms, Song Jiuli immediately went over to snatch them.

“I saw them first!”

Shen Qian was so angry she could vomit blood. The madam had said the silver was lost and couldn’t be found, and even though no one truly believed her, they had no choice but to go along with it.

Now, their rations were nearly gone. They had no other option but to forage. Shen Qian had to rely on herself.

“They’re wild mushrooms. If you can pick them, why can’t I?”

Song Jiuli was deliberately stirring up trouble. She still remembered how Shen Qian had almost gotten her killed before.

Shen Qian’s eyes darted around and she quickly understood what was going on. She lowered her voice and explained:

“Li’er, are you still mad at me? I really didn’t do it on purpose before. I was just too scared.”

As she spoke, her hands moved quickly, plucking mushrooms as fast as she could, afraid that Song Jiuli would steal them.

Not far away, Jiang Wan couldn’t help shaking her head. It was truly a miracle Shen Qian had survived this long.

Mushrooms weren’t something you could judge by appearance. The prettier they looked, the more dangerous they likely were.

This time, Song Jiuli wasn’t about to fall for Shen Qian’s tricks again. She stood with hands on her hips, fuming.

“I won’t believe another word out of your mouth, Shen Qian. From now on, we’re enemies!”

With that, she also rushed to grab the mushrooms in front of her. Anything Shen Qian laid claim to—she’d take it without remorse.

It was around noon, and the officers used the break to rest. Seeing the women hadn’t broken into a real fight, they simply turned a blind eye.

Yesterday’s wolf attack had left everyone drained. Even traveling today felt sluggish. The officers couldn’t muster any energy either.

Worse, since the wolf bite hadn’t been properly treated in time, Song Chen’s wound had already festered. Madam Song was beside herself, nearly fainting from distress.

Eldest Madam Song was washing a pot and coldly watched Second Madam cry. When her own son Yuan’er had been half-dead before, they were all just as indifferent.

Now it was karma.

Song Jiuchi gathered a large bundle of firewood and clumsily started a fire, while Song Jiuyuan slowly turned the sweet potatoes in the coals.

For the sake of survival, everyone was suddenly much more proactive. When Song Jiuli finally returned with a bunch of mushrooms, Jiang Wan had already placed the ones she picked into the pot.

“Big Sis-in-law, I picked even more mushrooms—snatched from Shen Qian!”

She beamed with satisfaction, thrilled at the thought of Shen Qian being enraged.

Jiang Wan: …

“Go wash the mushrooms thoroughly.”

Jiang Wan clearly noticed that when she said this, both Song Jiuyuan and Ren Bang glanced at her simultaneously.

So she wasn’t the only one who knew the truth, but no one warned Shen Qian and her group.

When Song Jiuli went to wash the mushrooms, Shen Qian assumed they must be edible, so she pulled along Concubine Duan to wash theirs too and boiled them all.

Second Madam Song finally gave her a kinder expression. “Once it’s done, let Chen’er have the first sip.”

Right now, Song Chen was in a terrible state, nearly unconscious. His father was carrying him on his back while they traveled.

Out of love for her husband and son, Second Madam gave them the first bowl of the soup, then served Old Madam next.

By the time it got to Shen Qian, there wasn’t much left—just half a bowl, and all of it was broth residue, not a single mushroom piece in sight.

But she was far too hungry to care. She hurriedly scooped it into her mouth.

Meanwhile, when Song Jiuli returned with the washed mushrooms, Jiang Wan had already finished cooking the mushroom soup.

“Drink up.”

Eldest Madam’s voice was gentle. Song Jiuli glanced at the scant mushrooms in the pot and quickly said:

“Big Sis-in-law, let’s add more mushrooms.”

“This is enough.”

Jiang Wan didn’t explain further. Song Jiuli looked puzzled and was about to say more when she met Song Jiuyuan’s warning gaze.

She misunderstood, thinking her big brother was simply defending his wife, so she shut her mouth. It seemed he really did care for Jiang Wan.

Before, she’d thought Jiang Wan didn’t deserve her brother. Now, she felt it was her brother who didn’t deserve Jiang Wan. Turns out, he had good taste after all.

“Stop those ridiculous thoughts in your head.”

Song Jiuyuan gave his sister a speechless glance, his fingers resting on his legs. He was practically half a cripple now.

There was no room in his heart for anything else. If Jiang Wan was willing to take care of his family, he was deeply grateful. Nothing beyond that.

“Oh.”

Song Jiuli answered softly and continued drinking her soup. Jiang Wan, meanwhile, didn’t notice any of this. Even as she sipped her soup, her gaze remained on Shen Qian’s group.

When she saw them eating those flashy mushrooms, the corners of her lips lifted.

Some people didn’t even need her to take action. Karma would handle it just fine. Watching it unfold was quite satisfying.

After lunch, they continued their journey. Soon, Ren Bang spotted a village in the distance and decided to go in.

He wanted to find a doctor in the village. One of the officers had also been bitten by a wolf. Although he’d used the medicine Jiang Wan gave him, the wound was severe, and he wouldn’t rest easy until a doctor examined it.

But before they could even reach the village, Song Chen suddenly turned pale and gagged, “Ugh—”

“What’s wrong?!”

Second Madam rushed to check on him, only to see Song Chen foaming at the mouth and vomiting mushrooms.

“Mom—ugh!”

He threw up all over his father, Song Lao’er. The stench was unbearable, and everyone nearby immediately scattered, afraid to get close.

“Mom, I want to throw up too.”

Little Song Yang, who was being carried by the third son, also had a pale face. As soon as he finished speaking, he vomited all over his carrier too.

The half-digested mushrooms smelled unbelievably foul.

Then, one after another, the rest of the group began vomiting as well. Even the officers couldn’t help but frown at the sight.

Shen Qian was in the best condition—after all, she hadn’t actually eaten any mushrooms, just some of the broth. But even just smelling the scent made her vomit as well.

Jiang Wan glanced over, amusement flashing in her eyes, though she quickly stepped far away from them. The smell was truly overwhelming.

“What’s going on with them?” Song Jiuli asked in confusion, holding the mushrooms in her hand like they were burning hot. She already had her suspicions but didn’t want to admit them.

Then, Concubine Duan gave her an answer. After throwing up, she wiped her lips and supported Second Madam as she said:

“Madam, the mushrooms must’ve been poisonous.”

After all, that was the only thing they ate today. There was nothing else it could be.