Chapter 32: Poisoned

Lu Qiniang remained silent for a long time.

There seemed to be a touch of bitterness mixed within her smile.

She said, “Doctor Hu said I was poisoned. Originally, there was no hope of saving me; even he couldn’t do anything about it.”

But her luck was simply extraordinary.

For some unknown reason, at the critical moment, Doctor Hu had an inspiration. He thought of a method: treating a dead horse as though it were alive.

The result was that she survived.

But the money was gone, and in return, she had gained a body full of fat.

“You see, my luck isn’t that bad. People always say I bring misfortune to others, but it seems like I’m quite good to myself.”

“Who poisoned you?” Xiao Yan didn’t respond to her jesting and directly asked the most critical question.

Xiao Yan’s thin lips were tightly pressed, and his voice was filled with suppressed anger.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you think about it afterward?” Xiao Yan said, “At the very least, there must be some clues, right?”

“I didn’t think too much about it.” Lu Qiniang felt that Xiao Yan’s current demeanor was somewhat aggressive, making her too afraid to meet his gaze.

Sure enough, he was the general who routed barbarians.

The official hat on his head could be absent, but his imposing presence remained.

Just as Xiao Yan was about to say something else, he heard her speak, “Thinking about it is useless. A small arm can’t twist a big thigh.”

Even if she found out who was behind it, what could she do?

Could she take revenge?

“…If it weren’t for the three girls, when I first heard that Brother Heyao was gone, I might have truly gone to my death, to fight for nothing, because I wouldn’t want to live anymore.”

“But now I have the three girls. If I die, what will happen to them?”

“Xiao Yan, I really almost died.”

“When I thought I was done for, I didn’t have the time to hate. All I could think about was, without me, what would happen to my three girls? No one would be there to take care of them. You don’t know; that’s the heart of a mother.”

Even though she wasn’t their biological mother.

“Later, when I managed to pull through, all I could think about was the money I had lost and how to earn it back—but it’s so difficult!” Lu Qiniang didn’t know how many times she sighed.

“Did you just keep this to yourself, burying it deep inside?” Xiao Yan asked again.

“It’s not just me; I think Daya has guessed something.” Lu Qiniang spoke of her daughter with a face full of tenderness. “You don’t know, that child, Daya, is too smart. And unlike me, I can’t keep anything to myself; I’ll say whatever comes to mind, but she doesn’t. She keeps everything inside.”

Such a temperament was truly worrisome.

“I’m really afraid she’ll suffer in the future. As the old saying goes, ‘The child who cries gets the milk.’ That saying is so true. Look at my three daughters, always thinking in their hearts, trying to be fair to each one, but the human heart isn’t a scale—how can you make it perfectly balanced?”

Lu Qiniang then gave a very convincing example.

“You see, these past few days, I’ve been worrying about not having enough money for the New Year. But what worries me the most is still the new clothes that Erya wants. My mind is full of thoughts about her new clothes…”

But when she really thought about it, was this right?

Did Daya and Sanya not need them?

They hadn’t mentioned it, so she had overlooked it.

This was something Lu Qiniang reflected on herself.

“This matter, I could think of it, so I tried to balance things as best as I could, buying each girl the same red headband. But what if I hadn’t thought of it? Wouldn’t Daya and Sanya have been at a disadvantage?”

“I’ve told Daya many times that she should tell me what she wants. But every time, that girl just smiles and says she doesn’t want anything, and she won’t compare herself to her sisters, to put my mind at ease. How can I be at ease? I’ve been worrying myself to death.”

“As for the poisoning, she knows a bit about it. When I thought I was done for, I told her to take good care of her two sisters, and I reminded her not to pursue this matter any further.”

“I couldn’t just die without leaving anything for the children. I couldn’t leave them only hatred. What kind of life would they have? If I die, I’m dead—what’s the point of revenge? Can I come back to life? All I wish for is that the three of them can live a decent life.”

“As for Erya’s temper, you know it. How could I dare reveal even a bit of it to her? But she might have suspected something. Every time she asks, I just change the subject. This is something I must not tell her.”

“The past is the past, and it’s been so long now. What’s done is done, and we still have to live on, don’t we?”

Xiao Yan nodded. “You’re right.”

Yesterday’s matters are like yesterday’s death; today’s matters are like today’s life.

He should face reality now.

But he still asked, “In your heart, can you really let go?”

“If they tried to harm me, I wouldn’t be happy about it. But what can I do? I just don’t have the ability. If my late husband Zhang Heyao were still around, and passed the imperial exam and became a top scholar, I’d wear my phoenix crown and bridal veil, and you’d see, I’d go back to settle the score with them!”

After saying this, Lu Qiniang seemed a bit embarrassed. “You see, it’s not even dark yet, and I’m already daydreaming again. We’re just ordinary folks—if we can fight, we fight; if we can’t, we kneel. No shame in that, right?”

“Mm.”

Xiao Yan thought to himself that when he was young and full of ambition, he would never lower himself to listen to a woman’s lengthy discourse.

But now, he found that Lu Qiniang was the “teacher” in the saying “Among three people, there is always one who can teach me.”

The simplest words contained the deepest truths.

“Ah, I wonder if Daya has managed to talk some sense into Erya. When Erya gets stubborn, she really gives me a headache.” Lu Qiniang spoke with lingering unease.

“Mother, aren’t you supposed to be dividing the mutton? Hurry up, it’s almost dark!” Erya called from outside, no longer mentioning the new clothes.

Lu Qiniang’s face brightened, and she softly said to Xiao Yan, “She’s been convinced. Alright, you rest; I’ll go divide the mutton.”

Xiao Yan opened the window and watched as the mother and daughters busied themselves outside.

Erya might have had some lingering resentment in her heart. Watching Lu Qiniang swiftly slice the mutton, she couldn’t help but mutter, “If they wanted to send New Year’s goods, they should’ve done it earlier. Look at this timing—it’s clear they weren’t sincere about giving it.”

“You see, I give you meat to eat, and still can’t shut your mouth,” Lu Qiniang replied.

“Can’t shut it, can’t shut it. I want new clothes, I want meat, but I still have to remember the grudge. I really can’t stand that Madam Wei!” Erya stomped her foot in frustration.

Sanya shoved a piece of pine nut candy into her mouth. “You have to eat candy too. Second sister, you can keep cursing with your sweet mouth.”

“Did you give some to Mother?” Erya asked, breaking into a smile.

“Mother can’t eat it; I’m on medication and need to avoid certain foods,” Lu Qiniang replied.

“Avoid certain foods? Isn’t that for things that can cause a reaction? Oh dear, Mother, does that mean you can’t have any of this mutton today?”

“Mm, it’s fine; Mother’s not craving it.”

She couldn’t eat the mutton, as Hu Shenyi had specifically warned her against it.

At this moment, Daya suddenly spoke, “The reason she sent the mutton today is because she knows we’re having a hard time this New Year. She sends it on the last day to make us feel even more grateful for her kindness. She doesn’t give us money, just occasionally sends something. As long as her conscience is clear, she doesn’t fear us stirring up trouble.”

Xiao Yan couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Daya was indeed clever and understood human nature well.

“I knew that old woman Wei had too many schemes, ugh, ugh, ugh,” Erya cursed. “Big sister, have you prepared the dumpling filling yet?”

“Not yet, I’ll do it in a bit.”

There had been too much to do today. It felt like from the moment she opened her eyes, there hadn’t been a moment to catch her breath.

“Then you can make the meat-filled dumplings for Mother, and we’ll have the cabbage ones. Anyway, we can eat the mutton, but Mother can’t.”

“No need…” Lu Qiniang quickly replied.

But Daya had already nodded. “Alright.”

“Mother, don’t worry about it, just hurry and divide the mutton. We still need to send it out quickly! Be careful with your hands!” Erya said briskly.

The snowflakes had started drifting down again, though no one knew exactly when.

Outside, mischievous children, eager to play, had already started setting off firecrackers, and the sharp cracks of the explosions occasionally drifted into the courtyard.

The four women gathered together in lively conversation, dividing the mutton. The warmth seemed to push the cold outside the humble courtyard.

Xiao Yan glanced once more at the “Spring Colors Fill the Garden” sign posted on the bed’s headboard, and a gentle, subtle smile appeared on his lips.

In the midst of the firecracker sounds, a year passed. The spring breeze brought warmth to the rice wine.

The new year was almost here.