The sun was already setting in the west, and its afterglow bathed the mountain ridge, turning it a golden-red hue.

Recently, Su Qingzhi has been making excuses to go to Guanshigou, saying that she wants to visit Chen Xinghua and her two children, and also to bring some medicine and clothes.

But Su Qingzhi knew that Su Qingzhi had other plans in mind.

She was insightful and thorough in her work. Every time she came, she would secretly gather information and write it down in her notebook to take back with her.

I mentioned to Shen Cunpu yesterday that I would be coming to the village this afternoon, and asked Su Qingzhi to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

Sure enough, not long after, Su Qingzhi walked over from the village entrance.

Zhu Xiuqin and her son Li Hong had just entered the house.

"Mom, I'm so thirsty."

He started yelling as soon as he walked in.

Zhu Xiuqin quickly scooped a bowl of water from the bucket and handed it to her son Li Hong's lips.

"Hong'er, drink some water, don't choke."

Her tone was urgent, and her eyes were full of heartache.

Just as Li Hong was about to take the bowl, suddenly, with a "whoosh," a dark shadow came flying through the air and hit the rim of the bowl with perfect accuracy.

With a crisp "crack," the porcelain bowl fell to the ground.

Li Hong froze for two seconds, then suddenly opened his mouth wide and let out a sharp cry.

She then burst into tears.

Zhu Xiuqin was startled and quickly hugged her son, gently patting his back.

"Don't be afraid, don't cry, Mom is here."

While coaxing Li Hong, she glared fiercely towards the door.

I immediately noticed a young woman standing at the door.

It is Su Qingzhi.

Zhu Xiuqin opened her mouth as if to unleash a torrent of curses, but the words stuck in her throat and she swallowed them back.

She gritted her teeth, suppressing the anger in her heart.

What are you doing here?

Su Qingzhi ignored her hostility, her expression calm and her tone crisp and decisive.

"There's something wrong with that bucket of water; it's undrinkable, it's poisonous."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiuqin frowned sharply.

"Impossible! I fetched this water from the river before dawn; it was crystal clear. How could I be poisoned?"

Her tone was agitated, and her voice rose several decibels, as if Su Qingzhi were slandering her.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Shen Cunpu strode in, carrying a rat.

He casually picked up a rough porcelain bowl from the table next to him, scooped up a spoonful of water, walked to the corner of the wall, pried open the dead rat's mouth, and poured two mouthfuls into it.

At first, the rat's body twitched slightly.

Seeing this, Zhu Xiuqin sneered and pointed at the rat.

"See, nothing's wrong, is it? It even moved!"

But less than ten seconds after she finished speaking, something unexpected happened.

The rat's limbs suddenly twitched violently, its previously limp body arched up abruptly, and its four legs kicked wildly.

Shen Cunpu put it on the ground to see if it could crawl away.

But the mouse's four legs were completely unable to exert any force.

It rolled around on the ground, letting out pitiful "squeaks" from its throat.

The sound was sharp and piercing, making one's scalp tingle.

A few seconds later, the cries stopped abruptly.

Everyone held their breath and crowded closer to take a look.

The rat's eyes were wide open, dark red blood foam kept oozing from the corners of its mouth, its belly heaved violently a few times, and then it stopped moving completely.

Zhu Xiuqin's mind went blank for a moment, she covered her mouth with both hands and let out a shrill scream.

"ah!"

Su Qingzhi stared at the dead rat's corpse, her expression complex.

She didn't know what kind of poison it was. It was so potent, almost colorless and odorless, yet it could kill in seconds.

Then, thinking back to the mysterious powder that Fang Youming had tried to frame Shen Zhiyu for…

The powder was odorless and tasteless, but when it came into contact with the skin, it would cause high fever and convulsions. The symptoms were so bizarre that even barefoot doctors couldn't find the cause.

But now the poison in the water comes in another form.

A chill ran through her as she began to wonder about Fang Youming's background.

How could an ordinary villager like him possess such rare, possibly even illegal, poisons?

Where did these medicines come from?

Does he have someone backing him up?

"Su Qingzhi! Su Qingzhi! Save me! Please save me!"

Zhu Xiuqin suddenly knelt down with a thud, crawled a few steps, and grabbed Su Qingzhi's trouser leg tightly.

Her face was covered in tears, and she pleaded incoherently.

"I was wrong! I really didn't know the water was poisonous! You have to save me and my son! He's so young! He can't die!"

Su Qingzhi frowned, subconsciously took two steps back, her face full of indifference.

Li Hong sat on the ground, dumbfounded, his face streaked with tears, completely bewildered by what had happened.

He only saw his mother suddenly kneel down and cry out, Su Qingzhi with a serious expression, and the dead rat on the ground.

So he shouted even louder.

"Wow! Mom! I'm scared! I'm so scared!"

The cries grew louder and louder, sharp and piercing, making one's head ache.

Not long after, Su Qingzhi and Chen Xinghua's family from next door heard the noise and rushed over, crowding at the doorway to peek inside.

Su Qingzhi stood at the very front.

She only glanced at it a few times, but she already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

Chen Xinghua was completely confused and quickly asked.

"What happened? Why are you crying like that?"

Upon hearing Chen Xinghua's voice, Zhu Xiuqin immediately pictured her daughter Liu Yuelan's face.

She jumped up, rushed over, grabbed Chen Xinghua by the hair, and dragged her into the house without any mercy.

"Chen Xinghua! Look at your good daughter! What a terrible thing she's done! She tried to poison us, mother and son! How could you raise such a heartless daughter! Tell me!"

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