Chapter 52 Status is not important
Gu Mansheng was unusually quiet in the woodshed.
She was waiting for Lu Huaiyuan.
She knew he would come. For whomever it was.
Sure enough, not long after, Lu Huaiyuan sneaked in.
He untied the rope and looked at her with concern: "Xiaoman, are you alright?"
Gu Mansheng's eyes reddened, and she choked out, "Huaiyuan, I thought you really didn't want me anymore!"
"Silly girl," Lu Huaiyuan pulled her into his arms, "How could I possibly not want you?"
Then, he changed the subject: "What exactly happened today? Did Liu Zhixia really injure Zhao Dongmei?"
The tears that were welling up in Gu Mansheng's eyes froze instantly.
She shoved him away abruptly, her eyes icy: "So, you came here for her."
"No!" Lu Huaiyuan coughed awkwardly. "I just want to find a way to get you out of here as soon as possible!"
“There’s no misunderstanding.” Gu Mansheng snorted coldly and decided to lay it all out: “I tricked Zhao Dongmei into coming up the mountain, and Wang Laizi knocked her unconscious.”
Lu Huaiyuan's face instantly darkened: "Why are you still entangled with Wang Laizi!"
Gu Mansheng's tears finally fell: "It's all because of you! Wang Laizi forced me to either give in to him or find him a woman! That bitch Zhao Dongmei is watching me every day, trying to kick me out of the brigade, so I had no choice but to strike first!"
"Huaiyuan, when are you finally going to marry me? I don't want to stay in the cowshed anymore, and I don't want to be harassed by Wang Laizi anymore!"
Lu Huaiyuan's heart sank, and he pulled her into his arms again, his mind filled with turmoil.
“My parents… they would rather kick me out of the house than let you in.”
Gu Mansheng nestled in his arms, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes, but her tone softened considerably: "Then... shall we proceed with the previous plan?"
"What plan?"
She raised her head, stared straight at him, and said, word by word, "You marry Liu Zhixia, make your parents happy, and tell them not to kick me out anymore. Then, with you backing me up, I can stay in the brigade."
She lowered her head, as if she had suffered a great injustice: "I've thought about it. Titles don't matter. As long as I can stay by your side, I'm willing to do anything."
"Really?" Lu Huaiyuan was overjoyed. "Xiaoman, I knew you were the most sensible!"
Then he deflated again: "But... that bitch Liu Zhixia is putting on airs now and refuses to marry me! And that soldier is back, she thinks she has a powerful backer again!"
"Does it matter whether she agrees or not?" Gu Mansheng scoffed. "The deed is done, she has no choice but to admit it."
"What if...she accuses me of indecent assault?"
Gu Mansheng took out a packet of medicine powder from her bosom and stuffed it into his hand.
"I got this from Wang Laizi. Put it in the water and make Liu Zhixia drink it. Who knows who will force whom then!"
She let out a series of giggles, her eyes filled with venom: "Then, I'll lead a group to catch them in the act! Right now, the whole village is up on the mountain fighting the fire. When they come down, we can watch a good show! Then, will Liu Zhixia still have the nerve to refuse to marry you?"
Lu Huaiyuan licked his dry lips, and the scales in his heart tipped completely.
He took the medicine packet and nodded vigorously: "Okay! Xiaoman, I know what to do! Wait for my good news!"
“Liu Zhixia is very calculating,” Gu Mansheng added, “She definitely won’t drink the water you give her. Have Xu Zhihong take it over!”
“Xiaoman,” Lu Huaiyuan looked at her, his eyes filled with infatuation, “you’re so smart!”
Lu Huaiyuan acted immediately, ran to the kitchen, poured two glasses of water, and put half a packet of medicine in one of them.
He had just come out with the water when he bumped into Xu Zhihong.
"Comrade Lu, what are you doing sneaking around like that?"
“Oh,” Lu Huaiyuan immediately put on a smile, “My dad asked me to take care of you. I made some sweet soup, you can drink it.”
He handed over the cup in his left hand: "This is for Liu Zhixia, I put extra sugar in it for her!"
Xu Zhihong looked at him suspiciously and took it.
"Wait!" Lu Huaiyuan called out to her again, "Don't tell her that I gave it to her, just consider it a good deed done anonymously!"
"Okay, I got it." Xu Zhihong gave him a meaningful look and carried the water into the house.
As soon as they entered the room, Xu Zhihong handed the water glass on the left to Liu Zhixia, and was about to feed Zhao Dongmei the other glass.
"Wait!" She suddenly called out to Liu Zhixia again, snatched the water from her hand, and shoved another cup into her hand.
"That Lu Huaiyuan is up to no good! He said he put extra sugar in this cup for you, and he was being sneaky, not letting me tell you. Why don't you drink the other one?"
Liu Zhixia laughed after hearing this, her eyes turning icy: "They probably added something bad. Don't drink it, pour it out!"
She took the two glasses of water and, without hesitation, poured them all outside the door.
Then, she turned around and went to the kitchen again, took two clean bowls, and poured the spiritual spring water from her space into them when Xu Zhihong wasn't paying attention, before carrying them into the house.
Lu Huaiyuan, who was eavesdropping outside the door, cursed inwardly but revealed a smug sneer.
He had long anticipated that Xu Zhihong would talk too much!
Therefore, he kept a backup plan.
He had already smeared the remaining half packet of powder on the two clean bowls in the kitchen!
The powder was a similar color to the bowl, and the light was dim, so Liu Zhixia had no way of noticing it!
Moreover, she must have thought that since she had drugged him, he wouldn't do anything again, so she let her guard down.
Now, the water in both of their bowls has been spiked!
But then I thought, Zhao Dongmei still has a high fever. What if she dies after drinking this medicine?
He was so angry that he cursed Xu Zhihong several more times. After waiting outside for a while, he suddenly rushed into the house!
He snatched the bowl that Xu Zhihong was about to feed Zhao Dongmei, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp!
"What are you doing!" Xu Zhihong was stunned.
"I told you to shut up, you big mouth!" Lu Huaiyuan cursed angrily. "You don't like my sweet soup? Then I won't give it to you, okay?"
After he finished cursing, he glanced at the empty bowl in Liu Zhixia's hand, a triumphant smile flashing in his eyes.
Anyway, things will get heated soon, so I'll just take some medicine and it'll be good to get things going!
He snatched Liu Zhixia's empty bowl and rushed to the kitchen to "destroy the evidence."
Liu Zhixia looked at Lu Huaiyuan's departing figure with disgust, feeling utterly exhausted.
After a day of turmoil, first a battle of wits and courage, then a near-death escape, her mental and physical strength were completely exhausted.
At this moment, as my tense nerves relaxed, a wave of fatigue washed over me, accompanied by bouts of dizziness.
“Xu Zhiqing,” she said, rubbing her forehead and swaying slightly, her voice heavy with weariness, “is there a place where I can lie down for a while? I feel like I’ve used up all my strength climbing out of the trap today, and my whole body feels weak.”
Xu Zhihong immediately handed her the key: "Then go to my room and lie down for a while."
Liu Zhixia was about to reach out when she saw that she was covered in mud, so she waved her hand and said, "Never mind, I'll go back and change into some clean clothes and take a shower before I come back."
“Okay,” Xu Zhihong nodded. “Then be careful. I’ll take care of Dongmei here, and her condition has stabilized, so you don’t need to worry.”
"good."
Liu Zhixia, using the flashlight given to her by Xu Zhihong, stumbled home through the muddy water.
Completely unaware that a shadow was following behind him.
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