Chapter 63: Instant Retribution

Mo Junyan walked to the table, lowered his eyes to look at the unfinished painting on it, and could not help but sigh softly: "It seems you've forgotten everything completely!"

Chi Nan Yi had just returned home and, before even entering the main gate, noticed a furtive figure loitering at the entrance of the Chi Family home.

That silhouette looked somewhat familiar.

Looking closely, was this not Ruan Qin's second brother, Ruan Jing?

What was he doing here?

Chi Nan Yi did not make a sound, entering the space to observe carefully.

Before long, Ruan Jing walked along the small path toward the village entrance.

"Second! Second!" Zhao Huilan's voice came faintly.

Ruan Jing quickened his pace and walked over.

"Mother."

"How is it? Is that little wretch Chi Nan Yi at home?"

"I crouched outside for quite a while and didn't see her. She's probably gone out." Ruan Jing said with some hesitation: "Mother, do we really have to do this? If it succeeds, fine, but if it doesn't... I'm afraid we'd end up in prison."

"Oh, you stupid thing! What are you afraid of? Even if that ungrateful wolf Ruan Qin has cut ties with us now, when it comes down to it, she's still your sister. Could she really stand by and watch you get dragged away? Just listen to Mother. You need to cook the raw rice into cooked rice with that little wretch Chi Nan Yi, and she'll have to marry whether she wants to or not! Otherwise, a woman who's been ruined—who would she marry? Who would want her?" Zhao Huilan patted Ruan Jing's shoulder: "Once you've gotten it done, the reward the Chi Family received—those several dozen taels of silver and a hundred jin of rations and all that cloth—will all be ours. Then Mother will use that cloth to make new clothes! Make a set for you too! No, two sets!"

Hearing this, Ruan Jing nodded: "Alright."

"Ah, it's a hardship on you, having to marry that little wretch Chi Nan Yi." Zhao Huilan said rather indignantly: "Never mind, as long as you listen to Mother, after you marry her, Mother will naturally look at girls from other families for you. I won't let you be stuck with that little wretch for the rest of your life."

Ruan Jing did not say anything in response, but the moment he thought of Chi Nan Yi's pretty face, his heart felt as if scratched by a kitten. In all the surrounding villages, he feared there was no one who could compare to her in beauty.

"Mother, what should I do?"

"In a bit, while it's dark, sprinkle this packet of powder into the water vat in their courtyard. This is a full-strength sleeping draught. Mother specially bought it from the cattle seller. They say even an ox would sleep for a whole day and night after eating one packet of this."

Ruan Jing took the packet of powder and gripped it in his palm.

"Second, remember—after it's done, insist firmly that she seduced you first. Then not only those rewards, but everything else in the Chi Family will become our family's too. They say the Chi Family is about to start building a new house. Later, just have that little wretch go back and ask for things. If she refuses, Mother has plenty of ways to wear her down."

Chi Nan Yi heard their conversation perfectly clearly.

A toad wanting to eat swan meat—not even looking at what they themselves were, daring to set such filthy sights on her.

She had swallowed a bellyful of anger at Prince Li's place, and had nowhere to vent it! And these two had delivered themselves right to her door.

"Since you have no decency, don't blame me for being ruthless." Chi Nan Yi thought for a moment, then took out a handful of medicinal powder and tossed it out.

The powder was extremely fine, drifting in the air and very difficult to detect.

Zhao Huilan and her son were busy scheming, and noticed nothing amiss at all.

By the time they felt their stomachs acting up, it was already too late.

"Ow! Ow! My stomach!" Zhao Huilan was the first to cry out.

Just then, several villagers returned to the village entrance and, hearing the cries, stopped one after another.

"Well, if it isn't the Ruan Family. Your daughter has already cut ties with you—how do you still have the face to come here?"

"Exactly. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were from this village! You come to the Chi Family more often than you go home."

Right now they all wanted to come work for the Chi Family and had received Chi Nan Yi's favors, so naturally they all spoke on the Chi Family's side.

Zhao Huilan was just about to retort when, with a strain, an earth-shattering sound rang out from behind her.

In an instant the stench was overwhelming, and everyone present froze.

Only after catching that nauseating whiff did they cover their noses and run far away, shouting loudly: "Zhao Huilan, have you no shame? If you need to fart, go home and do it, or go back to your own village for all we care. Coming all the way to our village to fart—trying to stink us to death?"

"Oh my mother! Anyone who didn't know better would think someone's latrine exploded."

"You..."

"Brrrrrap..."

Every word she spoke was followed by an earth-shattering fart.

Besides her, there was Ruan Jing too.

The mother and son were like accompaniment to each other.

More and more people gathered at the village entrance. Zhao Huilan and her son tried to leave, only to find that the moment they moved, the farts came even more frequently and loudly.

For a while they could only stand at the village entrance, greeting every passerby with the sound of farts.

It was not until nearly dark that the farting gradually ceased.

The mother and son supported each other as they left.

That very day, the matter had already spread through all the surrounding villages.

The Ruan Family could be said to have become truly famous.

Hearing the villagers' gossip, Chi Nan Yi was thoroughly satisfied.

For them to scheme against her and the Chi Family—this was instant retribution!

Only... after such a thing happening, she wondered whether her sister-in-law would feel embarrassed.

Ruan Qin naturally felt embarrassed, but since ties had already been severed, she no longer cared.

Moreover, she knew full well that her mother and second brother coming to Yuping Village was definitely not for anything good.

Either they wanted to squeeze something out of her, or they wanted to scheme against the Chi Family.

Now that they had encountered these things, they surely wouldn't come again—which was actually a good thing.

The next day, Chi Nan Yi went to town to deliver pills to Bai cao tang.

Shopkeeper Li saw her as if seeing the God of Wealth, smiling as he came to greet her: "Has the young lady come to deliver pills?"

"Indeed." Chi Nan Yi said with a smile: "Seeing Shopkeeper Li's radiant face, I gather the pills have been selling well."

"Well? It's far better than well—it couldn't be any better! In just a few days' time, the pills you brought last time have already sold out. Now several pharmacy shopkeepers from Qingjun County have also sent people to inquire. They want to sell this kind of pill in Qingjun County as well. I wonder if Miss Chi would be willing?"

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi nodded gladly.

Having business come to her door was naturally a good thing.

Before long, several pharmacy shop managers from Qingjun County arrived at White Grass Hall.

Ever since they learned that highly effective wind-cold pills were available here, they had been waiting nearby, and upon receiving Manager Li's news, came over immediately.

"You must be Miss Chi. I am Zhou Heshan, the manager of White Medicine Pharmacy in Qingjun County."

"I am Ji Boxuan, the manager of Miracle Hand Hall."

"Liu Jilin, manager of Hand Stone Hall."

"Greetings, three managers. I am Chi Nan Yi."

"Miss Chi, Manager Li says you developed these wind-cold pills. Not only are they effective, the price is cheap as well."

Chi Nan Yi nodded: "Each pill costs fifty wen. An ordinary case of wind-cold can be cured with a single pill, and even the most severe cases will require no more than three."

Hearing her say this, the several exchanged glances, unable to contain their delight.