Chapter 66 Poisoned Mute

Chapter 66 Poisoned Mute

Li Hongguo stared down at the medicine packet. Beneath the sweat-soaked paper packet, there was a faint trace of grayish-yellow powder, and she could vaguely smell a strange odor.

"What is this?" She put her hands behind her back and took a step back.

Du Min handed it forward a little more, "Don't worry, it's not poison. It will only make people lose their voice and never be able to speak again."

Li Hongguo shook her head in strong resistance. She glanced at Du Min anxiously, trying to determine if he was joking.

"If you don't do it, and I do it instead, who knows who will end up in this medicine?" Du Min said calmly. He placed the medicine packet on the stove and asked casually, "It's almost the end of the month, Jinshu should be back tomorrow, right?"

Li Hongguo's face turned deathly pale instantly. "What do you want to do?"

Du Min glanced at her. "Wasn't I clear enough?"

Li Hongguo stared down at the medicine packet on the stove. She recalled last New Year's Eve when Du Min went berserk in the temple's meditation room, threatening to sharpen a knife and kill someone. After returning the next day, he never mentioned killing again. At the time, she thought he was just trying to threaten his father. Now it seemed that his murderous intent back then was probably real. This time, he bought the medicine directly, not just out of a momentary anger.

He's a madman, daring to harm the parents who raised him with such hardship. He's not human, he's worse than an animal. Li Hongguo realized that he really could do what he said and harm her child.

"Why should I take action? Just because I asked Meng Qing for hush money?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"Fool." Du Min sneered. "How would the villagers know about my financial dealings with the Meng family? It was you who told my stupid older brother, wasn't it?"

“No, we didn’t mean to say it. We know what’s important.” Li Hongguo shook her head frantically. “It was your father who told the news.”

Du Min cursed him again, calling him a fool. "He doesn't do things without a reason. If he didn't have anything to gain from you, would you know about my and Meng Qing's secrets? He always does despicable things, yet he cherishes his reputation. How could he personally do something to ruin his son's future? He's plotting against you, using you to expose this."

Li Hongguo staggered, then instantly understood. Her eavesdropping was part of Du Laoding's scheme, as were Du Ming and Qiaomei. No wonder Qiaomei insisted on sleeping with her that night. A chill ran down her spine, and thinking about it again filled her with fear. Her family had been used as scapegoats, the very birds Du Laoding used to stick their necks out, and now retribution was coming.

"Okay." Li Hongguo agreed with resentment. When Du Laoding plotted against her family, he did not care about her and her child's fate at all. It was her retribution for poisoning and making him mute. He deserved it.

"I knew I made the right choice coming to you." Du Min's eyes were filled with contempt as he reminded him, "You're a smart man, so think things through carefully and don't give yourself away."

Li Hongguo realized that if she were discovered to have poisoned her in-laws, she would be dead, and not only her two children, but also her own. She broke out in a cold sweat. If Du Min became an official, she would not only be unable to benefit from his influence, but she would also have to avoid him. Her and her children's lives would be in his hands.

“I was wrong to threaten you and Meng Qing, and I regret it. I’m doing this for you, so can you please leave my two children alone?” Li Hongguo pleaded.

“As long as you behave yourself, my nephew and niece will still be my nephew and niece,” Du Min promised. He gave her a warning look and reminded her, “Don’t try anything funny. If I can produce one packet of medicine, I can produce a second.”

After saying this, Du Min walked out of the kitchen.

"Du Min, you're really back? My father heard you were back and sent me to invite you to our house for dinner," said the village chief's eldest son, standing outside the courtyard.

"My sister-in-law is already cooking, so I won't go," Du Min refused.

"My family's meal is already on the table, just waiting for you. Hurry up and go." The village chief's eldest son pushed Du Min out. He looked back and deliberately said loudly, "How can you eat with your father's face in front of you? My father scolded your father severely yesterday. Now everyone in the village says he has a bad heart."

Du Min smiled sarcastically to himself. The village chief's face changed so quickly; he must be desperately trying to win him over now that Du Min had broken ties with his family. The people of Dujiawan were all the same: shallow-minded, greedy, shameless, and with an ugly way of doing things. Fortunately, they had one redeeming quality: a little sweetness or a bit of profit could make them work for him.

When Li Hongguo heard the voices disappear, her last bit of hope vanished. Du Min was a tribute student, and would become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He would also be the first official to emerge from Dujiawan, making him the face of the entire Dujiawan village and even the surrounding area. Even if she took this packet of mute medicine to the village chief's house to report him, he wouldn't be the one to suffer.

Is this really a mute drug? Li Hongguo picked up the packet of medicine. She even had a doubt: could it be fake, a test by Du Min? She opened the packet, dipped her finger in it, and tasted it. It was bitter and fishy, ​​so she quickly spat it out.

As footsteps approached, Li Hongguo quickly hid the medicine packet on her person.

"What are you dawdling about? The rice hasn't even been cooked yet!" Mrs. Du asked with a dark face.

"The third brother just came back and asked me a few questions." Li Hongguo lowered her head.

"What did he ask you?" Mrs. Du frowned.

"He asked who had leaked his secrets..."

The mere mention of this incident infuriated Du's mother. She grabbed a fire poker and smacked Li Hongguo several times. "You spendthrift woman! I'll teach you to eavesdrop! You were the one who eavesdropped, weren't you? I'm not wronging you, am I? Not only did you eavesdrop, but you also have no sense of propriety when it comes to your mouth. And that wretched girl of yours, if she hadn't been shouting outside, who would have known about this?"

Li Hongguo didn't dodge. She stared at the old woman's face and thought to herself, "Go ahead and curse me. You don't have many good days left."

“If you keep staring at me, I’ll gouge your eyes out.” Mother Du felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze, so she threw down the fire poker and walked out.

"Give me the money. The third son wants to eat mutton. I'll go buy a few pounds of mutton this afternoon," Li Hongguo said.

Mother Du didn't say anything about it. She readily took out half a string of cash and said, "Buy a few more pounds, buy good meat, and buy some spices to remove the fishy smell, so it will taste better when stewed."

Li Hongguo agreed.

She cooked lunch absentmindedly, ate without tasting anything, cleaned up the pots and pans, and then took her basket to the ferry to wait for the boat.

At this moment, Du Min was sitting with a group of old men in the village. They had extorted 300 mu of land from him. Although the land was still nowhere in sight, they were already dreaming about building a village school and hiring a teacher. In the future, not only would the children in the village not have to leave home to study, but they could also enroll children from the two nearby villages.

Du Min listened in silence, without saying a word.

"Alright, alright, we'll talk about these things later." The village chief noticed Du Min's displeasure and stopped the old folks from continuing. He then asked, "Du Min, when do you plan to set off for Chang'an? It's better to be frugal on the road than frugal. The village will help you with some travel expenses. Make sure you have enough money and don't skimp on food and lodging when you get to Chang'an."

The others nodded in agreement; the stone was about to turn into gold, and they were all willing to contribute.

“There are seventeen households in the village. Excluding your family, the remaining sixteen households will each contribute three to five strings of cash, which will give you sixty or seventy strings of cash for your travel expenses.” Uncle Du was also present. He spoke up first, saying, “I am your uncle, so I should contribute more. I will contribute ten strings of cash.”

“Oh! He’s really the eldest uncle, he’s generous.” The village chief said. “I’m the oldest in the village. When I was alive, I saw someone from our lineage become an official. I’ll be proud of myself when I die. I’ll give twelve strings of cash. Don’t think I’m giving less than you, Uncle. If I don’t give enough, I’ll have no face to meet my ancestors after I die.”

"No, no, I should thank you on behalf of my nephew. Third brother..." Uncle Du called out, gesturing for Du Min to speak.

"Thank you for your kindness, Eighth Master and all my uncles and brothers. My heart, chilled by my father's coldness, has been warmed by you all. I should say I am somewhat fortunate to have you clansmen supporting me. If I succeed in the future, I will definitely repay the clan and the kindness of you all in giving me travel expenses today." Du Min knew what they wanted to hear, so he pretended to be surrounded by them. As they all showed joy on their faces, he continued, "But I'm sorry to disappoint you uncles and brothers. I've lost all motivation this year. My trip to Chang'an was fruitless, and I wasted over a hundred strings of cash on travel expenses. I don't plan to participate in the provincial examination next spring. I will lie low for another year, and if I recover my spirits next year, I will retake the provincial examination in the autumn."

A silence fell over the dinner table as everyone stared at him. Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, they exchanged bewildered glances.

"Well... Du Min, so many people fail the provincial examination. You've managed to pass it, so you must seize this opportunity. You never know what the result will be next year." The village chief was worried that he had only passed the provincial examination by luck this year, and if he missed this opportunity, it was uncertain whether he would be able to pass it again.

“If I can’t even pass the provincial examination next autumn, it will be a waste of time to take the provincial examination this year.” Du Min shook his head. “Eighth Master, I’ve made up my mind. Don’t try to persuade me anymore.”

"Third brother, shall I have your father come and apologize to you?" Uncle Du said tentatively.

Du Min looked disappointed. He stood up and asked, "Uncle, do you think I'm angry with my father? Or do you believe what my father said and think that my dropping out of school last year was a lie? You don't think I'm going to make a scene like last year, do you?"

“No…” Uncle Du pressed him back down to sit. “Your father was indeed wrong, and he should apologize to you.”

"Everyone here was born of a father and mother, you have fathers, and you are fathers yourself. If you put yourself in my shoes, you would understand. If your father threatened to ruin your reputation and your future, wouldn't you want to die? Think about it, would you threaten your own son's future? Would you use your clan to suppress your son like my father did? No, right? But he didn't hesitate to ruin me to suppress me. I'm only nineteen years old, but I will never forget what happened at the ferry yesterday. I was abandoned by everyone, condemned by all, with no one behind me, no one to protect me. Those who should have protected me kicked me when I was down." Du Min's face was desolate. "Does anyone remember my father's expression at that time? He was like a demon, picking up a stone and throwing it at me as I was trapped at the bottom of the well, asking as he threw it: 'Will you obey? Will you admit to the crimes I fabricated for you?'"

"The fact that I can still sit here and breathe is because I have no shame, because I'm clinging to life, because I have no backbone. If I had any backbone, I should have jumped into the river and drowned yesterday." Du Min shed two tears, not wanting anyone to see, and immediately got up and left.

Uncle Du immediately got up and chased after him. When he reached the outside of the courtyard, he grabbed Du Min but didn't know how to comfort him.

“Uncle, if only you were my father, I would not have suffered such a great humiliation, and I would not have given up three hundred acres of land for nothing in order to quell the incident.” Du Min grabbed his uncle’s hand, and he lowered his head and choked up: “Uncle, yesterday my father framed me and beat me, and only you stood up to rebuke him and protect me. I will always remember your kindness.”

“Poor thing! My poor nephew…” Uncle Du wiped his eyes. “Your father has ruined you. You were the most successful one in your grandfather’s branch of the family, but he made you a laughingstock. I used to hate him and didn’t care about him, but this time I’ve learned my lesson. I can’t ignore him anymore. Don’t worry, as long as I live, I will protect you.”

Du Min nodded. Seeing the village chief come out, he said, "Uncle, I'm tired and want to go back and rest. You can continue drinking."

“Why should I drink? I can’t drink anymore. This is all your blood.” Uncle Du completely sided with Du Min. “You go first, I’ll talk to them.”

Du Min then let go of his hand and left.

"Dayun, what did Du Min say?" The village chief asked as he approached Du Min after he left.

"No need to persuade him anymore, and don't bother him any further. Let him calm down; this ordeal is going to be tough for him." Uncle Du wiped his eyes. "Eighth Uncle, what went wrong with our ancestors that produced such a wicked seed as Du Laoding? If it weren't for him, by next summer at the latest, our village would have welcomed a messenger bringing good news. In the surrounding area, only our Du family would have produced a scholar—how prestigious that would be! With an official from the village, three generations of our descendants would have someone to rely on; our sons wouldn't have to worry about finding wives, and our daughters wouldn't have to worry about marrying off their children. Sigh..."

"Stop talking." The village chief was more and more heartbroken as he listened. "The cooked duck just got away, that damned Du Laoding."

“Speaking of which, you, as the village chief, also bear responsibility, and so do I. I failed to discipline my brothers for my father, and you failed to discipline your clansmen for your ancestors,” said Uncle Du.

The village chief couldn't refute it. "From today onwards, I'll keep an eye on Du Laoding. He won't be able to cause any more trouble for Du Min."

“It’s not just him, but everyone else in the village too. Let’s not even mention what happened yesterday. Du Min lost so much face in front of the whole village. How will he ever have the face to come back again?” Uncle Du was genuinely concerned for Du Min. “And don’t bring up the 300 mu again. Look at what happened this afternoon. In front of my nephew, everyone was talking about the land he gave up. They’re trying to make enemies again.”

The village chief suddenly realized that if Du Min failed the imperial examination, the three hundred mu of land would be nothing but empty words; if Du Min became an official, the three hundred mu of land would be a slap in the face.

"I have to discipline the villagers," the village chief said. "Don't worry, from today onwards, Du Min is the golden egg of Dujiawan, and I will take the lead in supporting him."

Uncle Du nodded in satisfaction, "I'm going back too. I'm feeling really upset, I need to go and give Old Ding Du a piece of my mind."

"He deserves to be scolded; he wouldn't be wronged even if he were beaten to death," the village chief said bitterly.

*

When Du Min returned home, he ran into Du Ming. Upon seeing him, Du Ming instinctively turned and ran away.

"Why are you running?" Du Min asked.

Du Ming didn't reply, but shouted, "Dad, the third brother is back."

Old Du lay in bed, unable to get up. He was truly ill this time, ill from anger. All his scheming had come to nothing, and the village had even gained 300 acres of land for nothing. He couldn't stop thinking about it, unable to eat or sleep. In just one night, he looked as if he had aged ten years.

"Third brother, come in." Old Du called out, craning his neck.

Upon hearing this, Du Min turned and walked into the west wing, asking, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"You came back alone? Didn't your second son and his wife come back?" Old Ding asked.

"No."

"Go and break the lock on the south room, and see if the written receipt you made is hidden there," Old Ding urged him.

"Aren't you going to shut up yet?" Du Min chuckled. "Are you stupid? My second sister-in-law lives in the Meng family's house all year round. Would she leave something so important in a thief's den? Only a fool would wait for you to search it."

Old Du was speechless; if he were in his shoes, he wouldn't have left the things there either.

“You shouldn’t have shared any profits with her, you should have listened to me…” Old Ding Du muttered.

Du Min stared at him, finding it strange how he could remain unaffected after each argument, showing no remorse or regret, and always having the energy to instigate and stir up trouble.

"Daming, where's your father?" Uncle Du arrived.

Du Min completely gave up on talking to his father. He turned around and walked out, asking his uncle to leave: "Uncle, don't say anything more. If you make a scene, the villagers will laugh at you. Let me have a few days of peace."

Uncle Du had no choice but to leave.

Du Min brought out a stool and sat quietly outside the west wing, watching the sun slowly set.

Du's mother, Du Ming, and Qiao Mei dared not linger in front of him. All three of them avoided going out, but if they went out, they would be laughed at by the villagers. So they could only wander around in front of their house.

At the beginning of the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Li Hongguo returned with a basket of mutton. She walked into the courtyard and met Du Min's eyes. He blinked without any emotion, then his gaze moved down and landed on Qiaomei.

Li Hongguo gripped Qiaomei's hand tightly, and she lowered her head and hurried into the kitchen.

"Don't go near your third uncle, and don't eat anything he gives you," she whispered to Qiaomei as soon as she entered the house.

Qiaomei nodded, "Mother, I'm so scared. Sister Huihui said that my third uncle is not going to Chang'an to become an official. Is it because of us?"

Li Hongguo's expression changed. She covered Qiaomei's mouth and after a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, "Help me start the fire."

As the sunset came out, the aroma of mutton wafted from the kitchen. Old Du, lying in bed, smelled the aroma and his stomach rumbled with hunger. He breathed a sigh of relief; finally, he had an appetite. Knowing that hunger could be remedied and that he could eat, he could stand up again.

The mutton was stewed for a full hour and a half until it was so tender that it could be swallowed without chewing. Li Hongguo first ladled out two bowls, with more soup than meat.

"Go and call your father and grandmother back. Are you planning to stay away forever? How long are you going to wander around outside?" Li Hongguo dismissed Qiaomei.

Just as Qiaomei left, Du Min came in and happened to catch Li Hongguo putting medicine into the bowl. She was so frightened when she caught a glimpse of him that she almost threw the two bowls of mutton into the swill bucket. When she realized it was him, she burst into tears, still in shock.

"Is that all the guts you have? You only dare to bully your own kind." Du Min felt a surge of satisfaction. Who dared to threaten him? Was he made of clay?

Li Hongguo didn't dare to answer. Under his gaze, she wiped away her tears, picked up her chopsticks and stirred the medicine powder into the murky mutton soup. Then she opened a paper packet, pinched out two pinches of strong-smelling Sichuan peppercorn powder and sprinkled it on.

Du Min smiled and said, "You are indeed clever."

"Madman! Madman!" Li Hongguo cried out in her heart. Du Min was a madman, more frightening than a demon.

"Amin, why are you in the kitchen? Come out quickly, the kitchen is full of fumes," Du's mother said ingratiatingly.

Du Min ignored him and walked out.

Du's mother looked embarrassed.

"Mother, why don't you have dinner with Father in the west wing tonight? Otherwise, if he shows up, it will make the third son lose his appetite," Li Hongguo said, revealing the words she had been pondering all the way.

Du's mother was overjoyed; the news had leaked from her and the old man's mouths, and she was too ashamed to face Du Min.

Li Hongguo personally handed over a bowl of mutton, saying, "The bowl is hot; I'll help you carry this bowl over."

Du Min stood in the courtyard, quietly watching as two bowls of mutton were sent into the west wing.

"Third brother, bring me a burning branch to light the oil lamp," Li Hongguo called from inside the house.

"I'll do it, I'll do it," Du Ming interjected, not daring to trouble the third brother.

Du Ming escorted a cluster of flames into the west wing, and Du Min followed him, stopping at the doorway.

It was dark outside but bright inside, so Mr. and Mrs. Du did not notice the figure at the door.

"Dad, have a sip of soup and see if you have an appetite tonight?" Li Hongguo handed over the bowl with trembling hands.

For a long time, Du's mother didn't drink a drop of water. She first picked up the bowl and took two sips of the scalding hot mutton soup. Du Min watched as she swallowed the oily soup, and he clenched his hands tightly.

"Why does it taste a little bitter? Is the mutton you bought today bad? It has a strong gamey smell." Du's mother was unhappy.

“The stall owner slaughtered the sheep in the morning, and it started to smell a bit in the afternoon, especially since it’s still quite hot.” ​​Li Hongguo broke out in a cold sweat. She explained, “To remove the smell, I added an extra spoonful of Sichuan peppercorn powder, but I guess it was too much and made it a bit bitter.”

Old Ding hadn't eaten for three meals, and his mouth tasted bitter. He couldn't taste the bitterness in the soup, but said, "It has the flavor of Sichuan peppercorns. This flavor is quite good; it has stimulated my appetite."

Li Hongguo gave a dry laugh, "Eat more if you have an appetite. I stewed a lot tonight, so you can get more if you finish it."

Du's mother picked up a piece of mutton and ate it. The mutton was stewed until it was very tender, and she swallowed it without chewing it much.

Li Hongguo watched the elderly couple eat bite after bite, and the fear in his heart gradually turned into pleasure.

"Let's also take some meat back inside to eat," Du Ming said, pulling Li Hongguo along.

“You don’t need to stay here. Go and have dinner with the third son,” said Du’s mother.

Outside the door, Du Min walked away silently.

Li Hongguo and Du Ming went out one after the other. When she saw Du Min, she sent Du Ming to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks.

"Third brother, after you become an official, you won't silence me, will you?" Li Hongguo asked in a low voice. "If you ever become distrustful of me, just send me a packet of mute medicine. I'll know what to do."

Du Min didn't speak; he went into the main hall and sat down to wait for his meal.

Li Hongguo stared at his back, unable to figure out what he meant.

Du Ming brought Du Min a large bowl of mutton, while he took his wife and daughter back to his own room to eat.

Li Hongguo got angry at his cowardly appearance. "He didn't do anything to you, why are you hiding?"

"I'm just scared. The third brother is really terrifying today. I have a feeling he's plotting something big. Last New Year's Eve, when Dad just went to Dr. Xu to complain, he went crazy and wanted to kill his father. This time he's so calm. Something's not right." Du Ming felt uneasy.

Li Hongguo remained silent.

Du Min sat alone in the main hall eating. He ate a whole bowl of mutton, then went back to the back hall and took out the paper, brush, and ink left by Jinshu to practice calligraphy. He practiced all night long.

*

Early the next morning.

Li Hongguo was awakened by the knocking on the door. She stared at the door for a while and asked, "Who is it?"

The knocking grew louder and louder.

Du Ming got out of bed to open the door, and asked impatiently, "What happened so early in the morning?"

Du's mother grabbed her by the neck, and she opened her mouth to speak, but her face turned red and she couldn't make a sound.

"Is your throat blocked? What did you eat?" Du Ming came to his senses. "Open your mouth so I can see."

Du Min came out, his voice hoarse, and asked, "What's all this commotion so early in the morning? Cough cough cough!"

"Your voice is hoarse too? Did eating mutton cause internal heat?" Du Ming relaxed.

Seeing this, Du's mother calmed down.

A meal of mutton left three people speechless; Du Min, Du's mother, and Du Laoding didn't leave their homes for three days.

Three days later, Du Min's voice recovered, but Du's parents could only make a weak "hehe" sound. Du Ming went to the city's pharmacy to get some medicine to reduce internal heat, but it didn't work for them, and they became mute from then on.

Some villagers suspected that Du Min was responsible, but no one dared to say it. They could only agree that their ancestors in the underworld couldn't stand it anymore and came up to strangle the two men.