si-mexico Chapter 190 Poisonous Herbs
Chapter 190 Poisonous Herbs
Seeing that he would have to wait a while, Meng Fuqing handed the mule cart to the pawnshop clerk, saying that it belonged to Yan He and his group. Upon hearing this, the clerk's expression was somewhat complicated.
"Young lady, are you going to pawn the things in this carriage too?"
Meng Fuqing kindly replied, "No, it's meant to be taken along with it."
The man breathed a sigh of relief.
"May I ask if you are a local from Jing'an Prefecture?"
The waiter replied, "Of course, my family has been from Jing'an Prefecture for three generations."
Meng Fuqing continued, "I overheard someone talking about Young Master Qin Su at the teahouse before. The person was very mysterious, and I didn't hear everything. I've been thinking about it ever since. I wonder if you could clear things up for me?"
The pawnshop clerk looked surprised. Seeing the crowds on the street, he quickly led Meng Fuqing to stand by the wall. "Miss, you can't talk about this so casually, you see..."
Meng Fuqing took out a handful of copper coins from his purse and handed them to the shop assistant, saying, "Just consider this a story with a beginning and an end. Don't worry, I won't make anything up."
The waiter looked around, took the copper coin with his hands, and whispered, "I've heard that this young master Qin is as handsome as Pan An, incredibly talented, and a master of martial arts. He's also a womanizer who can flirt with anyone without getting attached. Such a perfect person has a rather shady past, and the things he does... are infuriating to both heaven and man."
Qin Su's birth mother was not a lady from a prestigious family, but a chivalrous woman who roamed the martial arts world.
A young nobleman, while traveling, encounters a chivalrous woman and falls in love with her at first sight. He then stays by her side, working together to fight evil and help the weak. Along the way, the woman is gradually moved by the young man's sincerity, and the two are framed by villains and forced to taste the forbidden fruit.
The young master promised to marry the chivalrous woman openly and honorably, but upon returning home, he was confined and disciplined by his family. He was also placed in an arranged marriage with someone of equal social standing, meaning the chivalrous woman could only become his concubine.
After learning about this, the chivalrous woman resolutely broke off her relationship with the young master. Unexpectedly, after a night of passion, the two had a child, who was Qin Su.
Years passed, and Qin Su's mother passed away. When Lord Qin learned that he had a biological child who had been living away from home, he wanted Qin Su to be recognized by his ancestors. The father and son were in the ancestral hall when something happened. The Qin family ancestral hall caught fire, and Lord Qin almost perished in the flames. Qin Su's whereabouts were unknown.
Meng Fuqing: ...
Burning down the ancestral hall was indeed something Qin Su was capable of doing.
"After this incident, everyone assumed that it was because Young Master Qin's mother harbored resentment towards Lord Qi, and that Young Master Qin, influenced by what he saw and heard, was seeking revenge on his biological father. But afterwards, Lord Qin only said it was an accident and remained silent about his son, showing his deep love for his child..."
Meng Fuqing interrupted his remark, "May I ask if Young Master Qin's mother's surname is Qi?"
The waiter nodded, "Not bad, not bad."
After hearing this, Meng Fuqing understood why Qin Su in Meng Linlang's dream was called Qi Su. This person was rebellious by nature, capable of burning down his father's ancestral hall, so it was reasonable for him to be plotting a rebellion.
After hearing the gossip, Meng Fuqing turned to go back to the pawnshop, but saw Yan He and the other two sitting on the stone steps with gloomy expressions.
She went over to take a look and found that the items hadn't all been pawned yet.
"So... they were kicked out?"
"What do you mean by being kicked out?" Yan He said angrily, "It's clearly because we couldn't reach an agreement on the business!"
Huang Daji nodded, "Boss, these pawnshop managers are really too shrewd."
Niu Er couldn't help but ask, "Miss Yan, this is the second pawnshop we've been to. Are there any other pawnshops in Jing'an Prefecture where we can pawn our things?"
"Do you think Jing'an Prefecture is Qingping County? I just asked around, there are plenty of pawnshops. Let's go to the next one! We'll be done at the next one."
Yan He waved his hand, and the three of them went off to cause trouble at the next house.
Meng Fuqing drove the mule cart with them. As noon approached, she handed the cart over to the pawnshop clerk, found a nearby wonton stall, ate a bowl of wontons, and then brought some food over to Yan He and the other two.
Sure enough, when she returned to the pawnshop, the three of them looked relaxed, and the box containing the money was carried back to the carriage.
She handed the sesame cakes and roasted mutton to the three of them, saying, "Eat these and then go back to the village."
While the three of them were eating, Meng Fuqing stared blankly at the wide street in front of him for a while.
If Xie Jin had something important to say, he would have left a note; the fact that he didn't means nothing happened. Most importantly, she didn't know where this person lived.
After filling their stomachs, the four of them drove away from Jing'an Prefecture.
When the four returned to Hanhua Village, it was already dusk. As they walked through the village, they suddenly noticed a spacious thatched shed in an open area some distance from the village. As they approached, they could see that it was full of livestock.
Seeing this, Huang Daji laughed and said, "Our village is really quick! I only heard the village chief mention it yesterday, and the livestock shed is already up today!"
Niu Er chimed in, "The village has changed so much, what's a little shack?"
Back home, Meng Fuqing took the account book from Yan He and quickly flipped through it, finding that every entry was recorded in great detail. Without looking closely, she called over Meng Ali and Meng Ranran, asking them to count out one-tenth of the total and give it to Yan He.
Meanwhile, Cui Miao'er spent most of the day digging for wild vegetables.
Jing'an Prefecture is warm, and wild vegetables come out early. By February, you can see the tender new leaves sprouting on the ground by parting the withered grass.
When she went to wash the wild vegetables, she passed by Dr. Zheng's door and heard Meng Ranran talking to Dr. Zheng.
Meng Ranran asked Doctor Zheng if any of the herbs she had picked were poisonous, and Doctor Zheng actually pointed out one.
"These are the tender leaves of aconite. The whole plant is poisonous, especially the roots. It's a good thing you asked me, otherwise it could have really killed you!"
With a sudden thought, Cui Miao'er turned and walked into Doctor Zheng's courtyard.
She smiled and said, "Dr. Zheng, I just passed by the door and heard you say something about something poisonous. There are some wild vegetables in the south that I've never even seen before. It would be bad if I picked the wrong one. Could you show me what the poisonous one looks like so I can avoid it?"
Dr. Zheng didn't suspect anything. He pointed to the poisonous weeds on the ground and said, "This is it. Actually, you don't need to remember it. Just dig up the wild vegetables you recognize. Don't touch the ones you don't recognize."
“Yes, Dr. Zheng is right.” Cui Miao’er said, her eyes fixed on the poisonous weeds. She stretched out her hand as she said, “They’re not easy to identify…”
When Dr. Zheng saw her reach out to touch it, he immediately stopped her, "Hey, don't touch it, it'll be bad if you get the herb juice on your hands."
He then urged Meng Ranran, "Go wash your hands quickly!"
Cui Miao'er had no choice but to withdraw her hand and leave dejectedly.
She memorized the poisonous plant called aconite, but after digging for wild vegetables all afternoon, she couldn't find another one.
As the sun was about to set, she had no choice but to pick up her bamboo basket, straighten up, and head home.
Just as she turned around, she suddenly noticed a patch of green in the weeds on the slope beside her. Her gaze immediately froze, and after watching for a while, she slowly walked towards the patch of green.