Chapter 40: What a Deep Mother-Daughter Bond  

“Big Brother Zhou, listen to me! I really didn’t… I really didn’t do it… It must be her! She couldn’t stand having another woman in your house, so she saw me as an eyesore and wanted to drive me away… She must have set me up!”  

Xu Chunxiang was still desperately trying to defend herself, shifting all the blame onto Jiang Rou.  

Zhou Chongshan frowned deeply as he listened, his expression darkening with growing anger and displeasure.  

On the other side—  

Jiang Rou couldn’t be bothered to waste words with someone like her. She directly shoved aside Aunt Xu, who tried to block her, and strode into the small kitchen inside the house.  

The Xu family’s kitchen was filthy and disorganized, an absolute mess.  

Jiang Rou frowned at the poor sanitary conditions.  

Food prepared in a place like this—how could the children eat it without falling ill?

“We are just poor commoners with nothing valuable at home… Today, we just happened to eat an egg and have white flour steamed buns for once, and you caught us… My daughter is an innocent and good girl. She never mistreated the children! You people are powerful and influential, but you must not falsely accuse good people like this…”  

Aunt Xu was fiercely protective of her daughter and did everything she could to explain on her behalf.  

She had a habit of hiding things.  

Eggs, flour, rice—she had long since stashed them away in the most concealed spots.  

She was certain that Jiang Rou would never be able to find them.  

That was why she spoke with such confidence.  

However—  

What Aunt Xu did not know was that Jiang Rou was not looking for valuable food.  

She was searching for evidence of their crimes!  

Jiang Rou swept her gaze across the small kitchen until her eyes landed on a worn-out bamboo sieve placed on the floor beside the stove.  

Inside the sieve were several potatoes.  

The moment Jiang Rou saw those potatoes, her brows furrowed tightly, and a wave of anger surged within her chest.  

Because all of those potatoes had—sprouted!  

They were sprouted potatoes!  

Jiang Rou had never expected Xu Chunxiang to be this vicious—to feed such young children sprouted potatoes.  

Once potatoes sprout, they turn green and produce a toxic substance—solanine.  

In severe cases, it could even be lethal!  

Zhou Xiaochuan had been eating these sprouted potatoes all this time—no wonder he had been vomiting and having severe diarrhea!  

Aunt Xu followed Jiang Rou’s gaze and finally noticed the sieve full of sprouted potatoes.  

Her heart dropped, realizing that things had taken a turn for the worse. In a panic, she rushed forward, trying to hide the potatoes.  

But Jiang Rou was even faster than her.

Jiang Rou, upon seeing those potatoes, took a big step forward.  

She immediately picked up the bamboo sieve and turned around to walk outside.  

At this moment.  

As Zhou Chongshan and Jiang Rou arrived in the village, Zhou Chongshan was still wearing his striking military uniform. The villagers living nearby had already gathered at Xu Chunxiang’s doorstep.  

In a small village like this, gossip spread faster than the wind.  

Rather than allowing Xu Chunxiang to twist the truth later, it was better to lay everything out in front of everyone from the start, making things clear and undeniable.  

Jiang Rou took the sprouted potatoes, walked into the courtyard, and then questioned Xu Chunxiang and Aunt Xu with a heavy tone as their expressions drastically changed.  

“Xu Chunxiang, you took the wages and the grain tickets. All you had to do was take care of the children. Is this how you care for them? Cooking sprouted potatoes for them to eat? Do you not know that sprouted potatoes are poisonous? They can kill people!”  

As she spoke, Jiang Rou overturned the sieve, dumping all the potatoes onto the ground for everyone to see.  

Indeed, they were all sprouted potatoes. Some were in such a severe state that they had turned completely green.  

In that moment.  

The villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion widened their eyes in shock, their mouths agape.  

They had already been envious that Xu Chunxiang had become the family tutor for Zhou Chongshan’s household. She barely had to do anything—just look after two children—and yet she received generous wages.  

A job like that was unheard of on this island.  

No one had expected that, in addition to her wages, Xu Chunxiang had also been receiving grain tickets.  

Upon hearing this, the villagers felt a surge of jealousy.  

Someone immediately chimed in.  

“Xu Chunxiang, how could you be so heartless? You even dared to feed sprouted potatoes to children? Are you trying to commit murder for money?”  

In an instant, the crowd was in an uproar, pointing fingers at Xu Chunxiang.  

Xu Chunxiang could not accept such accusations.  

She rushed forward anxiously, looking at Jiang Rou, then at Zhou Chongshan, and finally at everyone present, as she defended herself.  

“No! I didn’t do that! Big Brother Zhou, you have to believe me! I really didn’t feed the children sprouted potatoes!”

Jiang Rou pressed on coldly: “If you didn’t do it, then why were these sprouted potatoes found in your kitchen?”  

“T-Those… those are seed potatoes! My family is planning to plant potatoes in the field, so we kept them as seedlings. I absolutely did not feed them to the children!”  

Even at this point, Xu Chunxiang was still making excuses, refusing to admit what she had done.  

Jiang Rou, however, was in no rush. She remained calm and continued confronting her.  

“Xu Chunxiang, Xiao Chuan suffered from food poisoning last night. He was vomiting and had diarrhea so badly that he almost lost his life. He is still lying in the infirmary. He personally said that you gave him potatoes for lunch yesterday.  

“Zhou Xiaochuan is six years old. Do you think he can’t tell what he ate?”  

Now, the testimony and the physical evidence were both conclusive.  

Even if Xu Chunxiang wanted to argue, she had no excuse left.  

Panic completely overtook her. She covered her face with her pale hands, darting her eyes around frantically while glaring at Jiang Rou with bitter resentment.  

She showed not the slightest remorse. Instead, she believed that Jiang Rou was the one who had caused all of this.  

At the same time.  

Following Zhou Chongshan’s orders, Song Yan had already brought the village chief and the party secretary over.  

These two men were figures of authority, respected and influential within the village.  

“Look, everyone! The village chief is here! The party secretary is here too!”  

“Party Secretary, this Xu girl is heartless! She actually fed sprouted potatoes to Regiment Commander Zhou’s child. She was trying to kill him!”  

“How could a young woman be so vicious? Regiment Commander Zhou has personally come to demand an explanation…”  

Amidst the clamor of voices.  

Jiang Rou and Zhou Chongshan didn’t even need to say much—outraged villagers had already spoken up on their behalf.

As soon as Jiang Rou saw Song Yan and the party secretary, she immediately understood that this was Zhou Chongshan’s arrangement. She turned to glance at the man.  

Zhou Chongshan’s tall and imposing figure stood amidst the crowd, as steady as a pillar in a storm.  

Xu Chunxiang, upon seeing even the party secretary arrive, became even more panicked. Her already trembling heart fell into complete chaos.  

Zhou Xiaochuan had been taken to the infirmary…  

The sprouted potatoes were lying at her feet…  

This was considered “poisoning with intent to kill”—a crime serious enough to be reported to the police station…  

No!  

She couldn’t go!  

In her desperation, Xu Chunxiang wracked her brain for a way out. Suddenly, she shouted loudly.  

“Mom, was it you?! You were the one who cooked yesterday’s lunch! It must have been your poor eyesight—you didn’t notice that the potatoes had sprouted!”  

As she yelled, she pinched Aunt Xu’s arm hard.  

Jiang Rou immediately understood Xu Chunxiang’s intentions.  

How touching—such deep mother-daughter affection.  

Xu Chunxiang was actually pushing the blame for her own mistake onto Aunt Xu.  

At first, Aunt Xu was caught off guard, but after seeing Xu Chunxiang frantically winking at her, she finally understood.  

“…Yes, yes, it was me! I was the one who cooked lunch for Regiment Commander Zhou’s child yesterday! It wasn’t our Chun’er, it was this old woman! My eyesight is poor—I didn’t notice that the potatoes had sprouted. I’m the one who harmed Regiment Commander Zhou’s child… Regiment Commander Zhou, Party Secretary, if you must arrest someone, arrest me! Please don’t take our Chun’er!”  

Aunt Xu was flustered and panicked, but in order to protect Xu Chunxiang, she took all the blame upon herself.  

Jiang Rou frowned deeply at this.  

Now that there was a scapegoat, the most Xu Chunxiang would be accused of was negligence—there wouldn’t be any real consequences for her.  

Was she really going to get away with this?  

Jiang Rou thought of Zhou Xiaochuan’s pale face last night, how he had nearly lost his life.  

She couldn’t accept this outcome.  

Her hands, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly into fists.

His eyes were filled with naked anger.

At this moment, the dry yet gentle palm of the man beside her lightly enclosed Jiang Rou’s tightly clenched fist.

She heard Zhou Zhongshan’s deep and calm voice.

“Don’t be angry just yet. This matter won’t end like this.”

Jiang Rou turned her head slightly and saw Zhou Zhongshan’s firm profile and the scar on his forehead.

This scene…

For some reason, it unknowingly calmed the restlessness in her heart.

Just then, another person appeared in the crowd…