Chapter 146 And then?
These words made Lu Zheng stop in his tracks. Xia Wenwen was so pleased to see that he was finally looking at her properly that she almost burst out with pride.
Hmph, men are all the same, they can't hold back when they hear "their wives are hiding something"!
"Can't even handle this?" She lowered her eyes, concealing the smugness in them, but inwardly she sneered. "If you knew what Xia Qianqian was hiding later, you probably wouldn't even be able to stand up straight."
Just thinking about Lu Zheng's shocked expression when he learned about "Peach Blossom Spring" made her want to laugh—it would be best if it led to a divorce, then let's see how Xia Qianqian would pretend to be high and mighty in front of her!
"What is she hiding from me?" Lu Zheng's voice was as cold as ice. He didn't believe Xia Qianqian would lie to him, but Xia Wenwen's confident demeanor made his heart tighten. Could it be that she had discovered what happened in the ravine?
He squinted, his fingers unconsciously clenching, and the air pressure around him was frighteningly low.
Xia Wenwen felt uneasy under his gaze, but it only strengthened her conviction that the more Lu Zheng cared about Xia Qianqian, the angrier he would be when he learned the truth!
She bit her lip, deliberately drawing out her words: "What's the rush..."
To her surprise, Lu Zheng suddenly grabbed her by the neck and demanded, "What do you know?"
Xia Wenwen gasped for breath as she was being choked, her face turning a deep purplish-red, like a dying fish.
"Let...let go..." she managed to squeeze out the words through gritted teeth, her fingernails almost digging into Lu Zheng's flesh.
Lu Zheng let out a cold laugh and abruptly flung his hand away. Xia Wenwen collapsed to her knees like a pile of mud, clutching her neck and coughing violently, each breath a tearing pain.
"Can you talk now?" Lu Zheng looked down at her, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "My patience is running out."
He slowly raised his hand, as if he would snap her neck on the spot if she dared to say "no" again.
Xia Wenwen was so frightened that her whole body went limp. She clutched her burning neck and coughed desperately, "I...I'll talk! I'll talk now!"
She glanced up at Lu Zheng, seeing his still cold expression, and said urgently, "Didn't you ever suspect anything? The whole village is tightening their belts and starving, so why is Xia Qianqian always able to produce so much food? Eggs, rice, and cured meat..."
Lu Zheng's brows furrowed even more, and he swept his cold gaze over them, his tone carrying a warning: "Those were all bought by Qianqian with her own money."
He spoke with absolute certainty. When Xia Qianqian brought out the first batch of grain from Peach Blossom Spring, he had anticipated that people would gossip. The Lu family had already agreed on the same story: Xia Qianqian had stockpiled a large amount of goods before her marriage, and was simply taking them out to eat slowly.
Upon hearing Lu Zheng's words, Xia Wenwen's face immediately revealed a mocking "I knew it" expression.
Hmph, how could she possibly tell you such a shameful secret?
She sneered inwardly: Who knows, she probably only gave up that grain to win over the Lu family! Otherwise, given the Lu family's shrewdness, how could they let her enjoy the good life all by herself?
Thinking of this, the fear of being pinched earlier was completely washed away by jealousy.
Her voice was seductive: "Look at our family, we're almost starving! Where would she get so much money? Even if she did, food is more precious than gold these days, where would she buy it? Aren't you curious where all that stuff came from?!"
She stared intently at Lu Zheng, her eyes gleaming with a provocative light.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Zheng not only didn't suspect anything, but instead looked at it as if it were a joke, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, Qianqian, an adopted daughter kicked out of the Xia family, still provides for our Lu family. You are the Xia family's biological daughter, yet you live like this, starving. You're so useless!"
"You! What do you know! Xia Qianqian is hiding a secret!"
"A secret?" Lu Zheng took a step closer, his aura chilling. "Was it stolen? Robbed? Or did you just make it up?"
He sneered, "Instead of gossiping here, you should go home and think about how to keep your parents from starving to death."
Xia Wenwen was so angry she almost fainted. She never expected that Lu Zheng, who seemed like a quiet, reserved person, could be so sharp-tongued!
"You!" She trembled with rage, pointing at Lu Zheng's nose, her chest heaving violently. "I...I..."
A lump formed in her throat, and she couldn't speak for a long time. She had thought she could hit a nerve with Lu Zheng, but instead, she was left speechless!
"What's wrong with me?" Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with even more mockery. "Speak."
"I don't have her abilities!" Xia Wenwen retorted, stamping her foot and shouting, "I don't know magic! I can't conjure food out of thin air!"
She waited with bated breath for Lu Zheng's expression to change, and sure enough, she saw his face darken.
"What did you say?" Lu Zheng's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling aura.
Xia Wenwen felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze, yet a strange sense of smugness also welled up within her.
Scared now? Finally scared, aren't you!
But Lu Zheng's next reaction made her heart tighten. He didn't fly into a rage, nor did he question her; he simply clenched his fist slowly, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes swirling with a sinister glint that she couldn't understand.
Xia Wenwen suddenly felt something was wrong. A chill ran up her spine from the soles of her feet. Why did Lu Zheng look at her like he wanted to kill her?
"What...what do you want to do?" She instinctively took a step back, her voice trembling.
Lu Zheng didn't move, but stared intently at her, his eyes almost overflowing with murderous intent.
"It's her! It's Xia Qianqian!" Xia Wenwen's pupils constricted as she watched Lu Zheng's hand reach for her neck again, and she screamed, "She kept it from you! She's wronged you! You should go and settle the score with her—"
Lu Zheng looked at her like she was a clown: "Ha, Xia Wenwen, do you think I'd believe you? Aren't you tired of your divisive act?"
Xia Wenwen's heart sank to the bottom. She never expected that even after she had resorted to "sorcery", Lu Zheng still wouldn't believe her!
He trusted her so much? This made her feel an inexplicable jealousy.
"Why would I lie to you!" she roared. "Xia Qianqian has a Peach Blossom Spring! You can grow crops and vegetables there! She doesn't consider you one of her own, that's why she's been keeping it from you so desperately—!"
Lu Zheng's hand finally stopped.
The cold sweat that had broken out on Xia Wenwen's back slowly subsided. She gasped for breath, her voice filled with the urgency of someone who had just escaped a disaster.
"Think about it carefully! No matter how rich a person is, how can they possibly have a continuous supply of so many fresh vegetables and grains?"
Seeing that Lu Zheng's fingers slowly loosened their grip, a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes, and she quickly pressed her advantage: "I really didn't lie to you..."
Lu Zheng remained silent, his deep eyes like a frozen lake, revealing no emotion.
Seeing his expression, Xia Wenwen was certain that he believed her most of the time, and her tone became even more persuasive: "If you still don't believe me, then secretly observe her!"
She leaned closer and whispered, "Anyway, you're together day and night, so her little tricks will eventually come out!"
Just then, Lu Zheng raised his eyes and asked casually, "And then?"
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