CHAPTER 55: 55: GENTLE, COLD LAUGHTER (PART 1) _1

Dong Huiying stared at the man for a long while, her face filled with amazement, while the man’s body stiffened slightly.

She looked at him, and he looked back at her, his face still expressionless, but a light pink color gradually crept up his neck.

Was he blushing?

Dong Huiying was even more surprised.

Their gazes locked until at last... Haoming’s face felt increasingly hot, burning hot. He held a chubby, snow-white rabbit and seemed somewhat at a loss.

Dong Huiying suddenly couldn’t help but chuckle.

This man and rabbit duo, the larger one, dignified and upright yet somewhat wooden, and the smaller one, a white fluff looking slightly foolish, together created an extreme contrast that was adorably striking?

......

While Dong Huiying looked on curiously at this man and rabbit, little did she know that not far away, a woman with a bruised face was limping around on a hillock. Following her was a timid young boy; these two were none other than Zhu Xingfang and her young husband from the Liang family.

As it happened, just as Dong Huiying and Liang Haoming went into the mountains to gather herbs, Zhu Xingfang also had her eye on the treasures of the mountain. The main reason was... she was broke!

In a scheme to swindle the Liang family, she had given Liu Xiu a considerable bribe, sinking a lot of her own silver into the ploy and leaving herself cleaned out. Now injured and unpopular in the village, she had no silver to buy herbs with; fortunately, her young husband suggested they gather wild herbs, and since he knew some medicinal plants, Zhu Xingfang was tempted.

But after searching the mountains for half the day, they found nothing, much to Zhu Xingfang’s annoyance.

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she straightened up and rubbed her aching back. Just then, she caught sight of the two figures in the distance.

The Liang Family Brothers were remarkable in stature, recognizable from a distance, and Dong Huiying, with her uncommonly short and dark figure, was also easy to identify.

Zhu Xingfang’s eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, the timid boy, clutching a small plant, approached Zhu Xingfang. "Wife..." he said, eyes downcast, adopting a submissive demeanor, but his eyes gleamed with a near-mad glint.

He clenched the plant in his hand; it was a poisonous herb, but looked no different from common medicinal plants, with a very unique toxicity.

The boy had accidentally learned about it. During a famine in his childhood, the villagers were so desperate they even considered eating dirt. They resorted to eating wild plants and tree bark, leading to one person mistakenly consuming this poisonous herb. The first few months, the person showed no signs of illness, but then one day, he collapsed and was found dead, his body already cold.

Initially, everyone thought it was some strange disease, but after a few more people died from the same mistake, panic spread until an experienced "Doctor" identified the issue, revealing the fatal problem was the poisonous herb.

The boy glanced at Zhu Xingfang, thinking if he could get her to ingest the poison, even if she died, no one would suspect him.

"Wife..." the boy called to Zhu Xingfang again, pondering how to trick her into eating the herb. But just then, Zhu Xingfang waved her hand dismissively, "Get lost."

She shoved the boy, causing him to stagger, then scolded him fiercely, "Go back home."

The boy stood there, stunned.

"Aren’t you going to scram?"

Taking a deep breath, the boy acted docile, "Yes, wife, I will go..." He didn’t ask why; Zhu Xingfang was wildly unpredictable, and she wouldn’t explain even if he asked.

But... holding the poisonous plant, he thought it was a pity. However, if not today, there was always tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, the day after...

His eyes suddenly narrowed.

Perhaps...

With his back to Zhu Xingfang, he walked back the way he came, his eyes filled with a chilly, brooding light.

He had always looked after her meals. She was too stupid to tell the difference between vegetables and weeds; there would be plenty of chances if he wanted to strike.

A cold smile curled up on his lips...