Chapter 17: Lifting a Stone Only to Drop It on One’s Own Foot 

No wonder this couple suddenly invited her over so enthusiastically—they had this idea in mind all along.

Jiang Jiuyue sneered. If they were trying to sell her and her daughters, then they would soon see what it meant to lift a stone only to drop it on their own foot.

Unaware that their conversation had been overheard by Jiang Jiuyue, the Jiang couple enthusiastically began preparing lunch.

The freshly slaughtered chicken wasn’t ready yet, so they made a simple meal with scrambled eggs and a few vegetable dishes. But for a farming family, this was considered a good meal.

At the dining table, there were only Jiang Shengrong and his wife, Jiang Erlang, Jiang Sanlang, and the only girl in the Jiang family, Jiang Lili.

Jiang Jiuyue looked around and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Where’s Dalang? Why isn’t he here for lunch?”

Jiang Shengrong smiled and explained, “Dalang is getting married. He went to his fiancée’s house today to help with some work, so he won’t be having lunch at home.”

Jiang Jiuyue nodded and didn’t ask further. She helped herself and her daughters to some food and began eating.

After finishing the meal, with nothing much to do, Jiang Jiuyue took her daughters to Fang Ling’s house to chat and pass the time.

Seeing Jiang Jiuyue arrive, Fang Ling was delighted and even took out some snacks that she had been saving for herself, offering them to Jiang Jiuyue’s three daughters.

While the children played with Fang Ling’s son and daughter, Jiang Jiuyue chatted with Fang Ling about the situation in the village.

She was particularly interested in finding out about the Jiang family’s land and whether anyone in the village was looking to buy it.

“How’s your family’s land? Is it the same as before? Is anyone looking to buy?” she asked.

Fang Ling replied, “Your brother and your eldest nephew are still looking after the land. As for buying land, there is indeed someone interested, but that family is hard to deal with. The villagers don’t want to sell to them, so the deal hasn’t gone through yet.”

Hearing this, Jiang Jiuyue’s interest was piqued, and she immediately pressed, “Tell me more about that family.”

“This family moved here only a couple of years ago. I’ll tell you, the mother-in-law in that house is a real tough one. She got into a fight with the village’s most difficult woman, Huang, not long after she arrived. Ever since, Huang avoids her whenever she sees her.”

Jiang Jiuyue remembered Huang, who had been a kind of village queen bee. If even she avoided that woman, then it seemed like the new family’s matriarch was indeed a tough one.

Such a person could be the ideal buyer Jiang Jiuyue was looking for. If the Jiang family tried to take back the land, this woman might just tear them apart.

Fang Ling’s gossip drifted further off track, and Jiang Jiuyue was happy to listen to the village’s tidbits. She followed along with Fang Ling’s train of thought, chatting happily throughout the afternoon.

By the time it was near dinner, Jiang Jiuyue stood up, took her daughters, and said her goodbyes, heading back to the Jiang household to enjoy the chicken soup.

When she returned to the Jiang family, the chicken soup had already been served. However, no one had touched it since Jiang Jiuyue wasn’t back yet.

When they saw her return, Zheng Caixia eagerly welcomed them to the table to enjoy the hot soup.

As soon as Jiang Jiuyue sat down, Zheng Caixia personally served her and her daughters bowls of soup with generous portions of meat, urging them, “Jiuyue, drink up while it’s hot!”

Jiang Jiuyue picked up her bowl, but then put it down again. “There’s plenty of soup, no need to rush. You all should have some too!”

Zheng Caixia paused, then shook her head with a smile, “The soup isn’t much, so you should drink first. They don’t crave it as much, they’re used to it.”

Jiang Jiuyue raised an eyebrow and glanced at the youngest, Jiang Sanlang. He was swallowing and staring hungrily at the pot of soup. With a smile, she beckoned him over.

“Sanlang, come here, your aunt will give you some chicken soup.”

Jiang Sanlang’s eyes lit up, and he immediately started to go over, but Zheng Caixia stopped him.

“You greedy little thing! Do you not get enough to eat at home? Why are you so eager to take your aunt’s chicken soup?”

Zheng Caixia pressed Jiang Sanlang down on the bench, and the tempting aroma of the chicken soup made him unable to hold back.

“Why can’t I eat? They’re all eating, so why can’t I…”

Before he could finish, Zheng Caixia quickly covered his mouth.

Seeing Jiang Jiuyue’s expression darken, Jiang Shengrong immediately gave his son a scolding slap. “Stop talking nonsense! That’s your little aunt and your cousins! Who’s calling anyone a ‘money-losing item’? If you keep picking up bad habits from the outside, I’ll beat you to death!”

Zheng Caixia hastily added with a smile, “Jiuyue, the child doesn’t know better. He’s just imitating people outside, don’t take it to heart!”

Jiang Jiuyue smiled faintly. “No need to take offense, but sister-in-law, don’t stop Sanlang. He’s just a little kid, how much can he eat? Just let him have one bowl.”

Zheng Caixia hesitated, but Jiang Sanlang broke free from her hold and dashed to Jiang Jiuyue’s side, reaching for the bowl.

As Jiang Shengrong and Zheng Caixia tried to stop him, Jiang Jiuyue directly handed the bowl to Jiang Sanlang.

“Sanlang, here, drink up. Your aunt said to give it to you, so go ahead and drink.”

Jiang Sanlang happily took the bowl and drank it in large gulps, savoring the soup.

As he drank, Jiang Jiuyue observed the expressions of Jiang Shengrong and his wife.

Clearly, after Jiang Sanlang drank the soup, they seemed quite nervous, as if they were afraid that something would go wrong.

Jiang Jiuyue sneered inwardly. It seemed that there was something wrong with this chicken soup.

However, since Jiang Shengrong and his wife were watching their son drink it without intervening, it wasn’t likely to be poison.

Jiang Jiuyue speculated that they had probably added something like a sleeping drug to make her and her daughters fall into a deep sleep, allowing them to secretly sell them later.

Since they had this plan in mind, Jiang Jiuyue decided to play along and give them a “big gift” tonight.

After repeated insistence from Zheng Caixia, Jiang Jiuyue also drank a bowl of the chicken soup and ate a good portion of the chicken.

By the time they finished, nearly all the chicken soup had been consumed by Jiang Jiuyue and her daughters. Seeing them finish, Jiang Shengrong and his wife finally showed some relief.

Just after dinner, Jiang Sanlang started complaining that he was sleepy, and Zheng Caixia carried him back to his room.

Jiang Jiuyue took a look at their room, pretended not to know anything, and took her daughters back to their own room.

Once back in the room, Jiang Jiuyue immediately used her abilities to purify her daughters, ensuring that they wouldn’t suffer any ill effects from the poisonous concoction that the malicious couple might have slipped in.

As night fully fell and the village quieted down, with most people already fast asleep, Jiang Jiuyue quietly opened the door and silently entered the room where Jiang Erlang and Jiang Sanlang were sleeping. She carried the sleeping Jiang Sanlang away.

Jiang Erlang, being a careless one, was sound asleep despite not having had the chicken soup. He didn’t notice his younger brother being taken away.

Jiang Jiuyue carried Jiang Sanlang into her own room, instructed Jiang Bao to remove his outer clothing, and get him into a new set of clothes.

Jiang Bao was puzzled. “But why does Sanlang, a boy, need to wear my clothes? And he’s already asleep, why bother changing him?”