Chapter 30: Vile Woman, How Dare You Use Poison

It seems one cannot even enjoy a meal in peace; it just never ends.

The matriarch, Old Woman Jiang, arrived with a menacing air, bringing her entire family along. "First, return the five taels of silver you swindled from Yuansheng, and then compensate us for our shop in the provincial capital. That shop earns thirty taels a year and would have continued to do so for decades, if not centuries. A thousand taels is a conservative estimate. I know you don't have that much cash on hand, so we’ll allow you to sign an IOU. You will pay us twenty taels a month until it’s settled."

This wasn't just greed; it was treating others like absolute fools. Pei Yuanxing stood up abruptly, his hands clenched into tight fists. "Have you all lost your minds?"

Qin Hanxiao and Pei Yuantang called out to stop him simultaneously. Qin Hanxiao stood up and patted his shoulder. "You go ahead and invite everyone inside to sit. We’re all family; let’s talk this over calmly." She then turned to Pei Jinghui. "A-Hui, come with me to the kitchen to pour a bowl of sugar water for Grandma and the others. We still have that honey I bought, right? Let them drink it to cool their tempers so we can sit down and talk properly."

Pei Yuanxing stared at Qin Hanxiao in disbelief, wondering if she had lost her mind as well. Pei Yuantang was the first to realize what was happening, knowing full well that this woman had devised another way to toy with them. "Do as your second sister-in-law says."

Mother Bai pulled her two grandchildren close and filled their bowls with extra food. "Go back to your room to eat." But the children refused to leave, standing on either side of their grandmother in a protective stance.

The people from the old family home were equally astonished. They had come prepared for a confrontation, never expecting Qin Hanxiao to offer them sugar water. If she wasn't crazy, what was she? Still, it was honey water—a rare treat. Why refuse?

Old Woman Jiang shared this sentiment. "Don't think a bowl of water will settle the debt. Every cent of the compensation must be paid."

Pei Yuantang cast a glance at his younger brother and spoke first. "You demand compensation the moment you open your mouths. At least give us a reason." The people from the old house had always known that Pei Yuantang was like a dog that doesn't bark but bites, so they were wary of him. Moreover, Old Woman Jiang had no intention of being reasonable; she only wanted the silver. "Stop spouting nonsense and pay up!"

Pei Yuantang gestured for them to come in and sit. "If the reason is valid, we aren't opposed to paying or signing an IOU." The crowd, feeling emboldened by their numbers, figured they wouldn't lose out—what were they afraid of from a cripple?

"Fine, we'll go in. You think I’m afraid of you?" Old Woman Jiang retorted. "Yuansheng, Yuanqin, you tell them."

Upon entering and seeing meat on the table, Old Woman Jiang spat on the floor and plopped down to eat. "You tell me you have no money to support me, yet you close your doors to feast on meat. A bunch of ungrateful wretches!" The children from the old house began to salivate at the sight of the meat, shouting for it as they lunged forward to grab handfuls. They even snatched the meat and vegetables from the two children's bowls, eating until their mouths were slick with grease, which dripped from their fingers onto their clothes.

Pei Yuanxing was too slow to stop them, and he frowned at the chaotic scene. It wasn't just a lack of upbringing; it was disgusting. Pei Yuansheng, who prided himself on being a man of letters and cared deeply about his reputation, couldn't bear the sight and turned his head away. Besides, he felt profoundly humiliated by having been deceived by a country woman and didn't want to utter a single word about it.

However, Pei Yuanqin, unable to contain himself, stepped forward to accuse Pei Yuantang. "Ever since you returned, my shop has faced one disaster after another. It must be some underhanded trick you're pulling behind the scenes. It’s not that I don’t have customers; my supply chain is broken, and the landlord has repossessed the shop. Tell me, who else would hate me enough to do this?"

Pei Yuantang curled his lips into a silent smile. "Why would I hate you?"

Pei Yuanqin was furious and blurted out, "Because you hate that I took your family's shop!"

Qin Hanxiao, just entering the room, heard this and cursed him as an idiot. He was truly both stupid and wicked. She exchanged a look with Pei Jinghui and invited the group to drink their sugar water.

As Old Woman Jiang took her bowl, she glared at Qin Hanxiao. "I suppose you have a shred of filial piety." She took a sip—it was indeed sweet and fragrant—and then downed the entire bowl in one go. Still unsatisfied, she demanded more, muttering, "It’s taken all these years to finally get a bowl of water in this house." She eyed Mother Bai and Pei Yuantang as she spoke, her face dark and her eyes narrow.

After finishing, she held out her hand to Qin Hanxiao. "The water is gone; hand over the money."

The children also begged for more sugar water, but Qin Hanxiao refused. "There’s none left; Grandma finished it."

At that moment, Old Woman Jiang’s expression suddenly shifted, and she clutched her stomach. "Ouch!" It felt as if something were churning inside her, roiling violently. The pain hit her instantly, causing sweat to bead on her forehead and drench her back. Furthermore, an urgent need to use the latrine overcame her. She instinctively looked at Qin Hanxiao. "Did you poison us?"

Qin Hanxiao nodded calmly. "Yes. You’d better go back now; it’ll be too late if you don't. If you soil your pants on the road, the whole village will laugh at you."

Just then, the others began to react, clutching their stomachs and groaning in pain.

"Qin Hanxiao, you poisonous woman! What did you put in the water?"

"Just a bit of laxative. Who told you to be so full of malice? I'm just clearing out your intestines." Qin Hanxiao signaled Pei Yuanxing. "Are you going to let them soil our home, or are you going to drive them out?"

Pei Yuanxing snapped his mouth shut, grabbed a wooden staff, and began to chase them out. "Get out, get out! Don't dirty my house!"

The people from the old house were driven out while cursing, but none dared to linger, fearing they wouldn't make it home in time. With them gone, the meal was ruined, and the family eventually ate their meal with only pickles.

As he ate, Pei Yuanxing grumbled, "What a waste of the meat." It had been prepared specifically for him, and he hadn't even had a few bites. Seeing his disappointment, Qin Hanxiao said, "Tomorrow, you can come with me to the city to buy more meat, and you can have a proper feast."

But Pei Yuanxing pouted, unable to cheer up. "Just save the money. A meal without meat won't kill me." It would be soon enough to eat well once his mother and second brother were healthy again. "It’s all their fault. Giving them diarrhea is letting them off too easily; they deserve to have their insides rot away."

Everyone turned to look at Qin Hanxiao, but no one said she was wrong. Only Pei Yuantang asked, "Where did you get the medicine?"

"It’s one of the ingredients from your own prescription. I picked it all out and gave it to them. I'll have to get more tomorrow." Qin Hanxiao raised an eyebrow at him. "I promised Brother Jiangsheng and the others a meal. Let’s prepare the ingredients tomorrow and host them the day after. Tell me how many tables I need to prepare so I can buy enough."

Pei Yuantang suddenly felt a chill in his teeth, and the food in his mouth lost its flavor. If he ever offended her, he wouldn't even know when he’d been poisoned, or perhaps even how he’d died.