Chapter 20
Madam Zhu was extremely agitated because of her daughter's poisoning. She no longer cared about her image. Her face turned ashen with anger, and her hand trembled as she pointed at Yu Wan.
Yu Wan was respectful and neither servile nor arrogant: "My lord, madam, I am innocent."
Madam Zhu stood up angrily and rushed to her.
"You still dare to claim you're innocent!" She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and changed the subject.
"Take out the antidote first. If A-Feng is safe and sound, I won't make things difficult for you. But if anything happens to her, I will make sure you pay with your life for my daughter's!"
Lord Zhu's expression was also unpleasant, but he maintained some composure. Seeing that his wife had lost her dignity, he advised her:
"Madam, please don't get angry yet. The case hasn't been investigated, so you must not make a judgment without evidence."
Madam Zhu broke down, crying and scolding him, "How can I not be anxious? That's the child I carried for ten months, my only precious child in this life. If anything happens to her, I won't live anymore! Waaah..."
Master Zhu sighed and quickly comforted his wife, "Didn't the doctor say that her life is not in danger for the time being? She will wake up as soon as the poison is cured."
Jin Yifei sized up the girl kneeling to the side. She looked calm and composed, without the slightest fear or panic, as if she hadn't been brought here to be interrogated, but rather as if it were just a meeting on New Year's Eve.
“Madam Yu, my aunt was a bit impulsive in her haste, and I hope you won’t take it to heart. She invited you here simply to understand the whole story. My cousin is currently unconscious, and the last thing she ate was indeed barbecue brought back from your restaurant. Just tell me everything you know, and my uncle, being upright and honest, will give you a fair judgment. Please get up and speak.”
Yu Wan gave a slight bow, without rising, "Thank you, Young Master Jin. Yesterday..."
She quickly recounted the events of the previous day, detailing how the officials had taken away the kebabs from the restaurant, without missing a single word.
I hadn't heard Madam Zhu crying, but after hearing her account of what happened, I felt that she must be hiding something.
"You silly girl, you're already at the county office and you're still being stubborn. Those skewers were made by you. You personally handed them to the officials, and when they returned, they were given to Ah Feng. No one else came into contact with them. The poison must have been in the barbecue!"
Lord Zhu wiped away his wife's tears while pondering the matter.
"Throughout history, many plants and animals have had mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining relationships. Perhaps the ingredients just happen to contain these two things that cannot be eaten together? Madam Yu, think it over carefully. If it was unintentional, as long as A-Feng wakes up safely, I can let it go. Now the doctor has taken A-Feng's pulse and only knows that she has been poisoned, but does not know what kind of poison it is. If you provide clues, perhaps the doctor can think of a way to save her."
In her previous life, Yu Wan started helping her parents wash and pick vegetables as soon as she learned to walk. When she was four or five years old, her parents were too busy to take care of her, so she could cook noodles for herself. When she was ten, her father fell seriously ill, and her mother accompanied him to the hospital. She was able to cook home-style dishes for the guests on her own.
She has been working with ingredients for over twenty years, with her parents teaching her by example and her own constant study of cooking techniques to supplement her theoretical knowledge. How could she possibly make such a basic mistake?
Therefore, the issue of food incompatibility is absolutely impossible.
"Lord Zhu, Madam Zhu, Yu Wan can guarantee with her life that the ingredients are absolutely safe and that I did not poison them."
Seeing her calm demeanor and sincere gaze, Lord Zhu was already somewhat convinced.
"Yes, you have no grudge against A-Feng, and A-Feng and Yi-Fei even patronize your business. How could you do something so foolish? It doesn't make sense!"
Madam Zhu, enraged, pounded his chest, crying and cursing, "You, surnamed Zhu, are you even human? Your daughter's life hangs in the balance, and you believed the suspect after she said just a few words. We have no concrete evidence to identify her as the murderer, and she has no proof to prove she isn't! I think you're just a muddle-headed official. You handle other people's affairs perfectly well, but when it comes to your own, you're utterly useless!"
Lord Zhu neither dodged nor flinched, letting her vent her anger while simultaneously offering words of advice.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. We don't know how A-Feng is doing yet. Don't make yourself sick from anger. I'm trying to think of a solution. What good would it do if you killed this little girl now? Detoxifying A-Feng is the top priority. Aren't we analyzing all the possibilities?"
Jin Yifei pondered for a long time, "Uncle, Aunt, Madam Yu is a kind-hearted person and would never do such a thing. Please, Uncle, investigate thoroughly and do not wrong an innocent person."
Yu Wan pondered for a moment and asked, "Did the official who picked up the skewers mention anyone he encountered on his way back?"
She thought it over and over. If the poison was in the food, the most likely scenario was that the clerk was on his way back, though other possibilities weren't out of the question. For example, the clerk might have come into contact with someone else before delivering it to Zhu Zhifeng, or Zhu Zhifeng might have eaten something else after finishing her food.
Jin Yifei sighed: "After my cousin was poisoned, the first thing I did was call him to give me a report. He said he hadn't opened the package after taking it from you, and that he hadn't seen anyone on the road, nor had he let anyone else touch it. He's been with my uncle for ten years and is extremely loyal to him; he shouldn't be lying. Could it be..."
He changed the subject, looking at Lord Zhu, "Could it be that there was poison hidden in the other food items on my cousin's table?"
Madam Zhu disagreed with his guess, "How could that be? Yesterday she kept clamoring for barbecue skewers, and when she couldn't get them, she kept making a fuss, so I sent a clerk to the restaurant. While she was waiting, I was worried that she would be hungry and uncomfortable, so I cooked her lotus seed soup. You wouldn't suspect that I was trying to harm my own daughter, would you?"
Jin Yifei quickly explained, "Auntie, we were just speculating on some possibilities, please don't take it to heart. But what exactly is the problem?"
The problem has reached a stalemate; it cannot be solved, and we cannot simply wait.
Yu Wan had a sudden inspiration and thought of a possibility, but before that, she needed to eliminate one possibility.
"Madam Zhu, I have a question for you, and you need to answer it honestly."
Madam Zhu looked at her in surprise, "What is it?"
Yu Wan then recounted her experience of encountering wolves on New Year's Eve, leaving the three speechless and their faces turning pale.
Jin Yifei was utterly shocked, a hint of guilt flashing across his face. "What? Is that really true?"
Lord Zhu was terrified after hearing this. "Luckily, you're a lucky girl, otherwise the consequences would have been unpredictable."
Yu Wan observed the reactions of the group. It seemed that they were all hearing about it for the first time and did not have any unusual reactions. She already had a guess in her mind.
However, she still needs Madam Zhu to give her a personal statement.
Madam Zhu wasn't stupid; she understood what she meant.
"You doubt me? How could that be?"
Lord Zhu also fully assured that his wife would not do such a thing, saying, "My wife is kind-hearted and would not do such a thing. Besides, she has no reason to make things difficult for a young girl like you. Madam Yu, you are overthinking it."
Yu Wan nodded: "I am now more inclined to believe that it has nothing to do with Madam, I just want to get confirmation. As for why I have this question, Madam, do you still remember what you said to me when I left that day?"
Lord Zhu looked bewildered and asked his wife, "What are you talking about? How come I don't know anything about this?"
Jin Yifei pursed his lips, his expression towards Yu Wan somewhat complicated.
Madam Zhu's eyes darted away, her expression awkward. "I...I...Madam Yu, I was just giving you some advice, I absolutely didn't mean anything else. What you just mentioned has absolutely nothing to do with me, I swear."
Lord Zhu was very curious, "So, Madam, what exactly did you say to Lady Yu?"
Yu Wan continued, “Madam, I understand why you suspect me. You think I would hold a grudge because of your few words of advice and try to harm your daughter? Madam can swear, and so can I. If I was responsible for this poisoning, I will accept whatever punishment I may receive, even if I am struck by lightning.”
Of the four people present, only Lord Zhu looked completely bewildered.
"Can anyone tell me what's going on? Madam? Yifei? Madam Yu?"
None of the three responded, and their expressions varied.
Not wanting to embarrass everyone, Yu Wan changed the subject, "Now I have a plan. If it succeeds, it can clear my name and also wake Miss Zhu up."
...
Half an hour later, Yu Wan was thrown into prison.
She sat on the straw mat in the prison cell and couldn't help but give a bitter laugh.
This time-travel journey has only lasted for less than two months, yet she has already had such a rich experience. She is even a little curious, wondering how far she will go.
There weren't many prisoners in the jail, less than ten, and each person had a private cell, leaving plenty of empty spaces.
Those people seemed to have gotten used to the environment here, lying on straw mats, huddled together and sleeping because they were cold.
Some people were talking in their sleep, shouting for chicken legs and roast duck, and then smacking their lips as they spoke.
Yu Wan was bored. At this time in the past, the restaurant would have already welcomed its first wave of customers. She wondered how the restaurant was doing now.
Without her, could He Suzhi manage? He also has to take care of his mother and younger brother.
If the store were to suddenly close, it would likely leave a bad impression on diners.
Forget it, I don't care anymore.
With nothing to do, she tore a thin stick from the edge of the straw mat and started drawing on the ground.
Jin Yifei came to see her carrying a food box and saw this scene.
"Madam Yu, I'm so sorry to have made you suffer. Please eat something to warm yourself up."
Yu Wan looked up and sized him up. This young man was handsome, tall and straight, and dashing. He was indeed a dragon among men. No wonder Madam Zhu was worried that he would be targeted by a young girl.
She casually tossed the thin skewer aside, dusted off her hands, and
Thank you.
The food box contained four side dishes, two meat and two vegetable, as well as steamed buns and mantou for the main course, and a bowl of minced meat porridge.
Yu Wan ate to her heart's content. She always ate the food she cooked herself, and occasionally tried other people's cooking, which gave her a different kind of enjoyment.
Jin Yifei watched her eat, recalling their previous meetings. This girl had left a very special impression on him; even after being imprisoned, she remained calm and composed, truly a remarkable woman.
My gaze inadvertently fell on the ground, where there seemed to be graffiti marks, but they were not written with ink and were not clearly visible.
"Madam Yu, are you painting?"
Yu Wan had finished a steamed bun and drunk half a bowl of porridge. "I guess so. If I can get out of here alive, that's one of my future goals."
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