Chapter 88 Trouble Comes from the Mouth

"Who knows what methods you used? You are an ominous person. Those who wanted to marry you all ended up with broken heads. If you don't use witchcraft, why did these people suffer such a fate?"

The woman at the head of the group glared angrily at Qin Shi and said.

"Yes, Tiger's mother is right. You know why they ended up like this. If you're a decent human being, you'll spare our children. If you don't know what's good for you, then we mothers will have no choice but to fight you!"

"I'll fight for him! My son is my life! I had four daughters before I finally had a son. Anyone who harms my son is harming me!"

"My Yaozu is so well-behaved, he's my darling. If you try to rip out my heart, I'll bite off a piece of your flesh even if it kills me!"

The women were furious, and their eyes welled up with tears as they spoke of their sons.

"Everyone, calm down. I am destined to bring bad luck to my husbands. If any men want to marry me, they will naturally be cursed by me. I'll just stay away from them. What does it have to do with me that your children have mouth ulcers? It's not like your sons want to marry me. I don't bring bad luck to people who have nothing to do with me."

“I sell noodle fish here every day. No one who has eaten my noodle fish has gotten blisters in their mouth. If getting close to me would cause blisters in the mouth and bring bad luck, how many people would be unlucky? My business would have gone out of business long ago, and no one would come to buy noodle fish every day.”

"There must be a reason why your son has blisters on his lips. If you don't tell me the reason, how can I help you?"

Unfazed by the women's threats and intimidation, Qin calmly observed each mother.

She was also a mother who would risk her life for her child; she was all too familiar with those looks in their eyes, and she had no doubt about their sincerity.

Qin's calm and rational demeanor caused many women to frown.

"Can you really come up with a solution for us?"

Someone asked suspiciously.

Madam Qin nodded: "If it's related to me, I can figure out a way. If it's not related to me, then even if you eat me alive, there's nothing I can do."

The women looked at each other, their faces not looking too good, because they remembered that there was only one possibility that their sons were connected to Qin Shi.

When they thought of the children's catchy songs, they felt a little guilty in front of Qin.

But after thinking it over, and considering it was all for the child's sake, the leading woman looked at Qin and said, "The child is ignorant and learned some kind of catchy song from somewhere. He sang it all afternoon and then complained of a sore mouth by evening. That catchy song was about you..."

"They say children speak without thinking, and kids are only fooled because they're greedy. Can you think of a way to teach him a lesson when I get back, so he'll never talk nonsense again?"

The fat woman almost cried. Qin was open and honest, without arguing or mocking their poor parenting; she was just stating the facts. Thinking of her own good-for-nothing son, the fat woman wished she could go back and beat him up.

This is what it means to have trouble come from the mouth.

"Yes, my son also complained of a sore mouth after singing that catchy pop song..."

Once the fat woman spoke up, the other women joined in.

“I even scolded him yesterday when I heard him sing. He said a man gave him five coins to buy candied hawthorns, and he’d been craving them for a long time, but I hadn’t bought them for him, so he was tempted for a moment… I should have bought them for him, but he keeps complaining of toothaches, and the doctor said he has aphids and should eat less sugar…”

"My son insists on buying that bamboo dragonfly..."

"My son..."

The women took turns explaining why their sons had been bewitched.

Children aged seven or eight are easily deceived. If they want something but their parents refuse to buy it for them, they are easily swayed by the temptations of strangers.

In their eyes, earning five or ten coins just by singing a few catchy tunes was like a windfall.

Qin recalled the group of children who sang pop songs to her yesterday afternoon, and she knew then that they had been instigated.

Anyone who harms her will be affected by the curse.

The harsh words they uttered were also reflected back into their mouths, and the blisters in their mouths made them suffer pain and were a form of punishment.

Qin looked at the group of women and said, "Your children got blisters because they said bad things about me. Here's what we'll do: bring them over, have them apologize to me sincerely, and promise never to sing those silly pop songs again. They'll be fine in two or three days."

This is just punishment; it only causes pain to the children.

Those who wanted to marry her were even more wicked, yet none suffered great misfortune, and the children even less so.

She felt that even if these women didn't come to her, the blisters would heal in a few days.

They were simply too worried about their son and feared that she had done something wrong, so they couldn't help but come to her door demanding an explanation.

"Okay, I'll go and drag that brat over right now."

The fat woman nodded, turned around, and went home to get her child.

Other women followed suit.

The onlookers were amazed.

Qin Shi remained calm and composed. When customers came to buy noodles, she would sell them; when not, she would sit quietly and take out the pieces of cloth she had brought to embroider.

Qin Tianhai was copying books on the side. The father and daughter were surprisingly in sync, giving people a sense of comfort and ease despite living in the bustling city.

Soon, a child's loud wail broke the silence, and a chubby child was dragged in by a fat woman.

"Apologize to your aunt right now! You sang nonsense and you were greedy for food!"

The fat woman slapped her son without hesitation, making the child burst into tears.

"Waaaaah... Auntie, I'm sorry, I'll never sing those cheesy songs again... Waaaaah, Auntie, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again... Waaaaah, Mom... Ugh—"

The boy cried as he apologized and admitted his mistake. The blisters in his mouth burst, and the salty taste of blood made him spit them out.

The fat woman instantly tensed up: "Son, son..."

Despite vomiting blood and tears still glistening in his eyes, the boy smiled and said, "Mom, I don't hurt anymore. I'm really all better. Thank you for saving me, Mom. Aunt, I'm sorry. Thank you so much, Aunt."

The boy bowed solemnly to Madam Qin.

The fat woman breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed to have worked. Making the child cry made her appear sincere, and it was indeed effective.

"Eat lighter meals these days."

Madam Qin smiled gently and said that she did not blame the children.

The fat woman nodded repeatedly and apologized again: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I will definitely teach her a lesson!"

Qin said nothing more. The fat woman left with the child, and soon after she left, the sound of crying began to rise again.

Other women came over with their wailing children.

They met up on the way here and discussed it. The fat woman took the lead, and now that it worked, everyone followed suit, slapping the child mercilessly until he cried loudly.

"Do you know you were wrong? I told you to sing those random songs, that you wouldn't learn anything good!"

"You're the one who made me worry! Do you know how much I suffered while carrying you? You little brat, I might as well beat you to death..."

Slap, slap, slap, the sound of slaps rang out one after another.