Chapter 79: Refusing to admit it? Doesn't matter

Gu Daye had always been angry at Gu Xixi.

Now seeing Gu Xixi come to the door on her own, he naturally put on airs, saying, "Your third uncle and aunt just came crying from my place this afternoon."

"They went to look for Lao Qian, but Lao Qian was missing and didn't say why."

"Now I want to hear what good deed you've done that has caused your cousin to be like this!"

The Gu Lao San and Gu Daye households had previously been fighting like cats and dogs, yet now they have actually reconciled.

Indeed, they are a den of snakes and rats, without any principles.

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "It's not me who did any good deed; you should ask Qingye what good deed she did."

"It forced the Village Chief to personally take her to the ancestral hall to keep watch, to be handed over to the Government Office tomorrow?"

Everyone in the courtyard was shocked.

Gu Daye slapped the table, unable to tell whether it was from anger or fright.

"You... what did you say?"

"Our Gu Clan has never been involved in lawsuits, never produced a criminal; Qingye is just a girl—what has she done that you want to hand her over to the Government Office!"

Gu Xixi spoke in a low tone, but those two words rang out like a hammer: "Poisoning."

Her gaze swept over the two dining tables; everyone else stared at her in shock, except for a young man sitting at the inner table whose eyes flickered as he turned his face away.

This person was Gu Daye's youngest son, named Gu Youqing, hot-tempered and impulsive, often getting into fights, a notorious troublemaker among the village youth.

Gu Xixi already had a plan in mind; she turned and called toward the back door, "Chen Fang, why aren't you coming in yet?"

Only then did everyone realize there was still someone behind, watching Mu Nan Zhao stride in.

Gu Daye was still frowning, muttering to himself, "I don't care what mistake Qingye made; you can deal with her privately however you like, but for the sake of the Gu Clan's reputation, don't send her to the authorities."

"You have plenty of face with Lao Qian; go beg him later and let this matter be dropped."

Gu Daye's household also had a grandchild studying at the village school; the child's mother immediately stood up, saying, "Mr. Chen, please take a seat."

Mu Nan Zhao said, "No need for formalities; I've come with Xixi to say a few words, deliver a gift, and then leave."

"A gift?"

Only then did everyone notice that Gu Xixi still held a bowl in her hand.

Gu Xixi smiled as she placed the bowl before Gu Daye, lifted the lid, and a fragrant meat aroma wafted out.

Villagers rarely got to eat meat; faced with the steaming, fragrant braised meat, Gu Daye couldn't help but glance at it a few more times.

"What are you doing?"

Gu Xixi said, "We cooked donkey meat at home today; I thought, as the eldest of our Gu Clan, you could use some nourishment, so I brought you a portion."

Gu Daye had never managed to save face in front of Gu Xixi before, but now he felt a glow on his face.

"All right, it seems you've grown up a bit and finally learned to respect your elders."

While picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, he asked, "Donkey meat? You mean that large beast, the donkey?"

Gu Xixi smiled and nodded, "Yes, Aunt Zhang simmered it over low heat for an hour; the meat is fragrant and tender—please try it."

Just as the meat on Gu Daye's chopsticks was about to reach his mouth,

Gu Youqing sprang to his feet, nearly overturning the table.

He grabbed Gu Daye's chopsticks.

Gu Daye watched the fragrant meat chunk fall to the ground, feeling heartbroken, and snapped, "What are you doing!"

Gu Youqing realized everyone was staring at him, including Gu Xixi.

He stammered guiltily, "Dad, it's nighttime; eating meat is hard to digest."

Earlier, when the village poisoned rats, he had personally seen wild cats sniff the dead rats and refuse to eat; hearing others say that poisoned creatures carry toxin in their meat,

Gu Xixi looked at Gu Youqing and said, "I heard from the black kid you fought with that you brag about having arsenic at home, which is expensive; you claim that if anyone angers you, you feed them arsenic?"

Gu Daye, hearing this for the first time, glared at his son reproachfully, "Why do you go around bragging about that?"

"I bought that with money to treat malignant sores; the remainder I keep for future use."

"I tell you, you'd better not have any designs on it!"

Farming families, if diligent, can eat their fill in a good year without problem.

But to actually earn hard cash is truly not easy.

For the stingy Gu Daye, not even a scrap of vegetable or a thread can be wasted, let alone that he only bears to spend his copper coins on a tiny bit of medicine.

Gu Xixi said, "Grandpa, why don't you check whether your family's arsenic is still around?"

Gu Daye hastily rose to go back inside to look for his arsenic.

But catching sight of his son's deathly pale face, he belatedly realized something and retreated back.

"Damn it!" Gu Daye shouted at Gu Youqing, pointing at Gu Xixi, "Why did she come to our house asking about arsenic? Is it you! What did you do!"

Gu Youqing dared not look at his father, still stubbornly saying, "What else could I have done? Gu Xixi hasn't caught the poisoner; she's just slandering me with baseless talk."

Gu Daye's expression shifted several times; he had already decided in his heart that his son had caused trouble.

But given the precedent of Gu Qingye earlier, if Gu Xixi's methods were to prove true, wouldn't Gu Youqing also have to be sent to face the authorities?

After his thoughts turned over and over, Gu Daye flatly denied, "We don't have any arsenic; I must have misremembered—I already used it all up before!"

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "Just now Grandpa himself said there was still arsenic at home; how did it change?"

"But it doesn't really matter."

She picked up the bowl of braised meat on the table and said, "I misspoke; this isn't donkey meat, just braised pork."

Having said that, Gu Xixi lifted the bowl and left leisurely with Mu Nan Zhao.

"Do these people even deserve to eat the meat she bought? Take it back and give Xiao Hua an extra meal."

The Gu Daye family stared at each other, and the eldest daughter-in-law asked, "Did the younger brother poison someone?"

Gu Daye glared fiercely, "Shut up!"

Originally no one dared to ask, but Gu Youqing proudly opened his mouth, "Everyone says she has talent, but in my view she's just a little girl; everyone has put her on too high a pedestal."

She didn't seize the manifested form, nor any evidence; today she slinks back in disgrace—she knows when to quit.

Gu Daye fumed for a moment before speaking, 'You… you, what have you done to provoke Gu Xixi?'

You… you even went to poison? If she deals with you the same way she dealt with Qingye, see how you'll end up!

Gu Youqing said nonchalantly, 'I merely laced his family's donkey with a bit of arsenic; I didn't kill anyone or commit arson—can the Government Office even arrest me?'

Gu Daye, however, felt uneasy in his heart.

He always felt something was off; she kicked up a fuss, then with no result just let it go so easily?

Early the next morning, Lao Qian led Gu Qingye and Zhou Gua Fu to the county seat.

Liu Shi chased after the donkey cart, wailing, while the Gu Daye family hid themselves, and no one dared to intervene any longer.

Unfortunately, Gu Daye did not manage to buy peace.

At noon, Lao Qian brought two constables over and immediately put a cangue on Gu Youqing.

The whole family instantly exploded in an uproar.

Gu Youqing still held his neck stiff and shouted, 'On what grounds do you lock me up!'

He looked at Lao Qian and suddenly realized, 'Oh, I see, Lao Qian, you're acting on Gu Xixi's words, settling private scores with public authority! At your age, you're acting as a lackey for a little girl!'