CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: INVITE THE ENEMY INTO THE TRAP

EDITOR: ATLAS STUDIOS

In the afternoon, Long Yue returned home.

When she got back, she had already eaten a bowl of noodles outside, her stomach was full, but there was still some food left for her at home. There was no other choice; this family now depended entirely on her for survival.

Mrs. Wang was still pleading with her to send her eldest son to school, so she could only put on a smile.

"The plan for the year lies in spring; next spring, I’ll send him to school."

After Long Yue spoke, she saw an anxious and disappointed look on Mrs. Wang’s face. She added, speechless, "Did you forget? There’s only one school in our Qingtian County, and Mr. Xu was recently injured by Qian Yi. He’s still recuperating at home. How can he have time to teach?"

"Oh..."

Only then did Mrs. Wang remember, and she felt a little embarrassed thinking she almost misunderstood Long Yue earlier. Luckily, the harsh words hadn’t slipped out, so it wasn’t a big issue.

"By the way, I see that Xiangxiang and A Xue are about done with threading. They can come learn embroidery from me tomorrow. Let’s start with plain embroidery!"

Hearing that they could learn embroidery, Li Xiangxiang and Li Qingxue’s eyes lit up, and they happily said, "Thank you, Third Sister-in-law/Aunt!"

Later, Long Yue went to check on the medicinal herbs in the field.

She mainly checked if the soil was well turned and if the weeds at the edges were cleared. She also had her eldest and second brothers catch some earthworms and put them into the field.

Li Qinghai stared at the plump earthworms and suddenly said, "Actually, if you wash them and cook them, you can eat them!"

Standing next to him, Long Yue felt a tickle in her throat, almost ready to vomit. She held it back sternly, saying, "These things are beneficial to the field, so don’t mess around!"

After saying that, she went back inside. Upon returning to her room, she threw up violently, not stopping until her stomach was empty.

"Pang Shuangyue! I will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold for the suffering I endured!"

Long Yue remembered those years she spent wandering, with no place to call home until a kind elderly lady took her in, for which she felt immense gratitude, forming a mother-daughter bond.

But that dear younger sister of hers couldn’t tolerate her as an elder sister, and as soon as she saw her living slightly better, she made trouble for them, almost causing the old lady’s death!

To save the old lady, Long Yue was forced to eat an entire plate of earthworms under Pang Shuangyue’s pressure. She vomited for three whole days and nights, even bringing up bile, and had a high fever for seven days, nearly losing her life!

Since then, her health deteriorated progressively. When a plague swept across most of the Dazhou Dynasty, she died a miserable death in her helpless state!

The suffering in her past life was all thanks to her ’good sister’!

"Heh!"

She chuckled lightly, slowly raising her head to look at her pale face in the copper mirror, caused by incessant vomiting.

This small face was delicate yet not seductive, pretty yet not immature. Her skin was fair as snow, smooth and moist like jade, with subtly slanted brows, and a pair of bright, expressive eyes...

This was undoubtedly a face of rare beauty. Her looks were unparalleled, even the prince and the imperial grandson in Capital City were tempted by it...

"Not becoming a femme fatale to ruin the country with such looks is just a waste..."

She laughed softly, then looked out the window. In the distance, a familiar yet repulsive figure was approaching the Li family!

You finally came!

She sneered, taking out a box of freshly bought rouge from the drawer, covering up her pale complexion with a light touch, then slowly walked out.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

Sister-in-law Mrs. Wang was airing clothes in the yard, and hearing the sound, went to open the door, then froze.

A well-dressed young lady stood at the door, her lips curled with a modest smile, eyes slightly raised, exuding an unapproachable aura.

"You... you are..."

Mrs. Wang was intimidated by her haughty demeanor, her voice trembling a bit. She quickly glanced towards the house, implying someone should come deal with this big shot.

"Is this the Li family?"

Zhou Zhiqin tried to appear gentle. Honestly, these country bumpkins were beneath her notice, but she was here to lure Long Yue into a trap, so she had to be somewhat polite.

"Yes, this is the Li family. May I ask who you are..."

"Oh, I’m here to see my cousin. Is my cousin at home?"

"Cousin? Which cousin..."

Mrs. Wang asked in bewilderment, only to be interrupted by Long Yue approaching from behind, "Why are you here? Ha, the weasel paying respect to the chicken, up to no good, right?"

Long Yue’s face was full of anger, but from her rosy complexion, it was clear she was faring well in the Li family.

Envy briefly flickered in Zhou Zhiqin’s heart, but her smile widened, "Cousin, you’ve misunderstood me. We’re family. It was my fault as your younger sister before. When I returned home, my father scolded me harshly! Now, I’m here specifically to apologize to my sister!"

"Oh, really? Well, it takes a lot of sincerity to apologize this late; I’ve almost forgotten the incident!"

Zhou Zhiqin’s smile twitched slightly, then she chuckled, "Sister, what are you saying? Those days, I was worried you held a grudge and didn’t dare to come over. I thought I’d wait until you calmed down before apologizing!

Oh sister, we’re sisters, just a few quarrels, why take it to heart? I’ve come personally to invite you to a meal, first to apologize, and second, we haven’t seen each other in years; it’s time for a get-together!"

Long Yue looked at her seemingly harmless demeanor, smiling quietly, "What you say makes sense, but I fear I’m too destitute to host you."

"What does that matter? What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours. Just come along with me!"

"Well... okay then!"

"That’s great. Please, sister!"

"Um... should I change clothes first?"

"Your outfit looks great already, no need to change!"

After all, going to be a laughingstock, it wouldn’t matter how you dress!

Zhou Zhiqin thought maliciously, unaware that Long Yue was fully aware of everything.

This scene had played out in her previous life. Because in this life, she went shopping at the Embroiderers’ Pavilion with Li Qingmu, this encounter with Zhou Zhiqin came earlier.

In her past life, Zhou Zhiqin had suddenly shown up, talking about how she missed her elder sister and invited her out for a meal to catch up.

But that turned out to be a trap; the food was drugged. When the drugs took effect, a rogue came in to take advantage of her, right when her ex-fiancé Pei Jinheng walked in.

Seeing her disheveled and flushed, mingling with a scruffy man, he angrily dumped a jar of liquor on her, calling her shameless.

In her past life, she still harbored some affection for Pei Jinheng, so upon seeing him, the drug’s effects vanished, and she was engulfed in tearful agony!

From that night onward, she became soulless, living in a daze, continually falling into the traps her sister meticulously set for her...