"Mother, let's go back!" Fang Mingming lowered her head in shame as she looked at everyone's gazes and whispered.
Looking at her son, Lu Cuilan said with exasperation, "Why should you go back? That grain was your share to begin with, it belongs to you. Why are you bowing your head? You were clearly taken advantage of, why are you still embarrassed? Are you stupid?"
Jiang Tangtang was holding Lu Chenyan's hand on their way home for lunch when they saw Lu Cuilan spitting as she spoke to a group of children.
She glanced down at her son, took his hand, and walked over. Suddenly, she whispered in her ear, "My son said you pushed him into the river yesterday. I didn't confront you about it, and you still dare to come to my house? Do you think I'm easygoing?"
Lu Cuilan stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Her face was pale, and she stammered, "You, you, you're talking nonsense, you're slandering me... I went to dig for wild vegetables yesterday at noon, I didn't go to the river at all."
Jiang Tangtang had only been testing Lu Cuilan based on her own guesses, but it turned out to be her.
"I didn't even tell you that my son was pushed into the water at noon. How do you know he fell into the water at noon?"
Lu Cuilan then realized that she had said the wrong thing in her haste. She said loudly, "I only said that we were going to pick wild vegetables at noon. I didn't say that your son fell into the water at noon."
She glared fiercely at Lu Chenyan and said, "You say I pushed you down, do you have any proof? You're such a young child and you're already lying all the time, be careful you don't lose your tongue."
Lu Chenyan was lying on a rock by the river, watching the little fish swimming around, completely absorbed in the sight. When he was suddenly pushed into the river, he was so frightened that he didn't notice who pushed him from behind.
But Lu Cuilan glared at him, and the breath she exhaled reminded him of the scent of the person who had pushed her.
"I remember your scent, it's the one you pushed me." The terror, helplessness, and fear he felt when he fell into the water washed over him again. He almost shouted these words with a sob in his voice.
"You, you, you're talking nonsense! What kind of smell could I possibly have on me?"
Lu Cuilan panicked and retreated while cursing, "Don't be so bad at such a young age. Just because you're afraid I'll come and take your family's grain, you listen to your mother and slander me."
“My son never lies.” Jiang Tangtang looked at her coldly and said, “I think you’re taking your anger out on my son because you hate that my husband and I didn’t help you save your son. You want to kill him.”
Lu Cuilan's secret was exposed by Jiang Tangtang's words, and she panicked, but she still tried to remain calm. "I didn't. You're just afraid that I'll take your family's grain. I won't take it."
After saying that, she pushed through the villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion and ran away in a panic.
"Did she really do it? She's the child's own aunt, how could she be so vicious?" A villager nearby asked incredulously, "Could there be a mistake?"
"How could there be a mistake? The child kissed her and said it. How could we wrong her?"
"I was saying that when I came back from digging for wild vegetables yesterday at noon, I saw her and called out. She looked like she had seen a ghost. It turns out she had done something wrong!"
Hearing the villagers' murmurs, Fang Mingming, holding back tears, chased after them and grabbed Lu Cuilan, asking, "Mother, did you really push Cousin Yan into the water?"
Lu Cuilan said angrily, "Don't listen to their nonsense! Your wicked cousin-in-law is just afraid that I will ask for grain, so she is deliberately slandering me!"
"You're talking nonsense. My cousin's wife is not like that at all. She's a very nice person. On the way, she took us to pick wild fruits to eat and even let me ride on her horse."
Lu Cuilan angrily shook off his hand and said, "Can't you be a little more dignified? You've been bought off with such a small favor?"
"Mother, please, if you've done it, please go and apologize to my cousin-in-law and cousin Yan, okay?"
Fang Mingming said, "If they want to punish you, your son is willing to take the blame for you. Please, please?"
Lu Cuilan refused to listen, believing that Jiang Tangtang had bewitched her son, making him wholeheartedly side with her.
Finally, she not only berated Fang Mingming but also cursed Jiang Tangtang, saying she had ruined her daughter and tried to steal her son, wishing her a terrible death, and so on...
Jiang Tangtang didn't deal with Lu Cuilan for the time being. After lunch, she continued to take her son and, together with Village Chief Song, measure the land in the valley and select a suitable homestead.
Jiang Tangtang already had a general idea of the overall plan for the valley.
After a busy day, Jiang Tangtang decided to treat herself.
Just as she was thinking about what delicious food Zhou Qiongniang should make, Lu Cuilan came running over crying, "Jiang Shi, what have you done to my Fang Mingming?"
"You're really funny. You pushed my son into the river, and he almost drowned. I haven't even settled accounts with you, but you're already causing me trouble."
"If it weren't for you, who would you be? If you hadn't harmed my Mingming to get revenge on me, why would he have disappeared?"
Lu Cuilan said fiercely, "Let me tell you, if anything happens to my Mingming, I'll never forgive you."
"If I wanted to harm him, I wouldn't have saved him." Lu Shiyan stood in front of Jiang Tangtang.
At this moment, Sun Dalang, who had been resting on the ground because he was unable to move easily after being bitten on the foot by a snake, said, "Aunt Fang, your son went into the mountains, didn't he? I saw him heading that way."
Upon hearing this, Lu Cuilan immediately scolded, "You saw my son go up the mountain, why didn't you help me stop him?"
Sun Dalang said irritably, "Aunt Fang, I was bitten on the foot by a snake and I can't move easily. How can I help you hold him back?"
Lu Cuilan argued unreasonably, "Your legs are weak and you're mute, couldn't you just call out to me? It's all your fault, I think you did it on purpose..."
A villager nearby couldn't stand it and said, "Lu Cuilan, instead of arguing with Sun Dalang, you should hurry up and go look for him in the mountains. Those mountains are huge. We heard wolves howling in there yesterday. Be careful your cub doesn't get carried away by wolves."
Upon hearing this, Lu Cuilan turned pale and became extremely anxious. "Sanlang, please go to the mountains and search for me quickly!"
Lu Shiyan didn't even glance at her, his voice as cold as ice, "I'm not going."
"How can you not go?" Lu Cuilan was extremely anxious and started rambling on, bringing up blood ties and family relationships.
Lu Shiyan ignored him, turned around, poured out the freshly boiled brown sugar water, handed it to Jiang Tangtang, and said gently, "It's already cooled down, drink it quickly, otherwise it will be too cold in a while."
Unlike the brown sugar water I made last night, today's brown sugar water has some medicinal herbs added, giving it a medicinal smell.
Jiang Tangtang wrinkled her nose in disgust, refusing to drink it.
He stared at Jiang Tangtang and patiently and gently persuaded her, "There are medicinal herbs inside. Drink it quickly. After you drink the medicine, I will boil another pot of medicinal soup for you to soak your feet in. Your stomach will not hurt anymore."
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