bayedsolid Chapter 552: Mutual Destruction
Chapter 552: Mutual Destruction
"What exactly happened?" Tong Huaqiong asked Mrs. Hong, who had been at the scene.
After Liu Qingsong was carried home by the villagers, Tong Huaqiong noticed Gu Xiaoxue standing blankly on the riverbank, not far from her, with Xu Dabao and Gu Ruinian.
Yet, all three of them were surrounded by the angry Liu Family.
Mrs. Hong, holding Hua Er, was trembling with fear, and Tong Pandi patted her chest and whispered to Tong Huaqiong, "It’s terrifying. Aunt Hong and I just took Hua Er from home to the riverbank to get some fresh air, when we saw Xiaoxue handing water to Xu Dabao and Gu Ruinian, then suddenly Qingsong rushed out, grabbed the kettle, and gulped it down."
"Xiaoxue screamed, telling me and Aunt Hong to quickly get help, saying there was poison in the kettle..."
Tong Huaqiong thought for a moment and understood.
Gu Xiaoxue had agreed to marry Xu Dabao against her will, so she had long harbored a desperate mindset.
She poisoned the water, intending to kill Xu Dabao and Gu Ruinian first, then herself.
But Liu Qingsong saw through the plan and rushed out to drink the poisoned water himself.
Liu Qingsong... was truly the first man in Tong Huaqiong’s two lifetimes who sacrificed himself for love.
Thinking about her frustrated feelings towards Gu Xiaoxue, and the scallion oil cakes Gu Xiaoxue had given her, Tong Huaqiong felt a swell of sourness in her heart.
Gu Xiaoxue did understand rebellion, she was clearly resisting with her life.
"Xiaoxue," Tong Huaqiong called out to Gu Xiaoxue.
Gu Xiaoxue forced a smile that was more painful than crying.
Tong Huaqiong couldn’t find the words. What could she say?
Liu Qingsong had gulped down a kettle of poisoned water; whether he would survive was uncertain, and if Liu Qingsong died, Gu Xiaoxue wouldn’t live either.
Without a word, Tong Huaqiong walked up and slapped Gu Ruinian.
This was all that scoundrel’s fault.
As an elder, it was right to teach her nephew a lesson.
Xu Dabao tried to sneak away but was held down firmly by the Liu Family youths.
"No one can leave until we figure out what’s going on."
Soon, Liu Tieshan returned, bringing Gu Xiaoxue, Xu Dabao, and Gu Ruinian to the village’s meeting place.
Liu Tieshan’s eyes were red as he forced himself to handle the situation.
If his son died, Gu Xiaoxue, Gu Ruinian, and Xu Dabao would all have to pay for it with their lives.
With such a big incident in the village, no one could focus on lunch, packing the meeting hall full.
"It’s Gu Xiaoxue who wanted to kill, what’s it got to do with my Dabao. Dabao, come, let’s go home," Mrs. Yu said, rushing in to drag Xu Dabao away while glaring furiously at Gu Xiaoxue.
This daughter-in-law wasn’t needed.
She hadn’t even entered the door and already tried to kill her husband.
She was immediately going to break the engagement with the Gu family and force them to hand over five hundred taels.
Liu Tieshan said, "Xu Dabao can’t leave. This was originally an issue between your Gu family and Xu family but now my Qingsong has suffered this undeserved disaster."
Liu Tieshan resented his second son for being led by his emotions and drinking the poison himself so that Gu Xiaoxue wouldn’t bear the burden of murder.
Mrs. Yu shouted, "She, Gu Xiaoxue, wanted to poison my Dabao. If we report to the authorities, my Xu Dabao is the victim."
She paused and added, "I just want to ask what Gu Xiaoxue’s attempt to poison Dabao has to do with your Qingsong? Why did he rush over to take the poison kettle? Does he have some secret relationship with Gu Xiaoxue? Oh, Gu Xiaoxue, you haven’t even entered the door and you’re already entangled with another man."
Liu Tieshan was infuriated by these words.
Tong Huaqiong ordered Mrs. Yu to shut up: "Stop spewing nonsense. The situation isn’t clear yet, and you’re already throwing labels around. If you ask me, your Xu Dabao isn’t worth anything—he’s been acting high and mighty ever since he worked a few days at Zheng’s shop, and he’s done terrible things like stealing by force. Such a beast won’t be poisoned to death, he’ll be struck by lightning."
The moment Tong Huaqiong spoke, Mrs. Yu bit her tongue and dared not say a word.
The old Tong Dajiao was already formidable, fighting her way to others’ homes like a roll of snapping firecrackers. Now that Tong Huaqiong had money, a scholar son, and a village lord’s title, she was even more invincible in arguments.
Mrs. Yu kept quiet, and Mrs. Jia rushed in, pulling at Gu Ruinian and wailing, "Ruinian, are you alright? You didn’t drink that water, did you?"
"Gu Xiaoxue, you are truly vicious, that’s your own brother! What grudge, what hatred, do you have to poison him? I’ll beat you to death, you vicious creature," Mrs. Jia exclaimed, raising her hand to slap Gu Xiaoxue in the face.
Tong Huaqiong reached out and grabbed Mrs. Jia’s hand. With a lift and a pull, Mrs. Jia fell to the ground.
"You have no right to scold Xiaoxue. Do you know what your biggest mistake is? You gave birth to Gu Ruinian. It would have been better to give birth to a roasted pork. A piece of roasted pork is more useful than him, and you treat him like treasure. He’d be better off dead—less trouble, early reincarnation," Tong Huaqiong cursed.
Mrs. Jia trembled with anger, pointing at Tong Huaqiong, "You..."
Tong Huaqiong nearly twisted her hand apart, "I hate when people point at me, next time I’ll chop your finger off."
With Tong Huaqiong’s rapid-fire tongue lashing, the thoughts of all parties quickly calmed down.
The parties interested from the Gu, Xu, and Liu families all arrived.
Liu Tieshan looked at Gu Xiaoxue and asked, "Xiaoxue, if Qingsong survives, we won’t report to the authorities, but if he dies, I’ll definitely report it. I need to understand what happened now."
Typically, in the village, unless it’s a murder case, authorities aren’t involved.
The situation is usually handled by the village or the clan.
Therefore, as the village head, Liu Tieshan had to figure out what happened today.
Gu Xiaoxue knelt on the ground with a thud, saying, "I put the pesticide in the kettle, I wanted to poison Xu Dabao and my second brother. Uncle Liu, take me to the authorities."
Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Jia both glared with eyes wide, wishing they could tear Gu Xiaoxue apart.
Gu Xiaoxue looked up at Mrs. Jia and said, "Why should I be sacrificed for the trouble my second brother caused? From childhood to now, anything good in the family never thought of me, but when it comes to using someone, I’m pushed out. Mom always says I’m a burden, but I’ve washed, cooked, and worked since I was little. Every meal I eat isn’t free, on the contrary, my second brother hasn’t worked or done anything and always needs money for school and mischief. Comparing me and my second brother, who is really the burden?"
"I don’t want to marry Xu Dabao, he drinks, gambles, and is involved in all sorts of vices, not a good person. What decent family would use their sister as collateral? If I marry Xu Dabao, my life will be worse than death, so I might as well die now. Before I die, I’ll take them with me," Gu Xiaoxue cried as she spoke.
Many of the village women wept along with her.
"It’s a sin," Second Aunt Gu said.
"You’re marrying me wasn’t forced, you agreed to it," Xu Dabao said.
Gu Xiaoxue replied hatefully, "If I didn’t agree, would you leave me alone? The day after I returned home, you blocked me, saying even if I somehow repaid the five hundred taels, you wouldn’t let me go. So if you died, I wouldn’t have to marry you."
Gu Xiaoxue clenched her sleeves tightly.
Tong Huaqiong noticed Gu Xiaoxue’s sleeve movement and saw a bottle sticking out from it. She pointed at Gu Xiaoxue and said, "Village head, quickly, take the bottle from her sleeve."
Before Tong Huaqiong finished speaking, Gu Xiaoxue took out the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and was about to drink it.