CHAPTER 416: CHAPTER 409: EATING POISONED CRABS

"Then Uncle Gao, what evidence do you have to prove that the death of our family’s crabs has nothing to do with you? After all, when the crabs died just now, you were the only one in this field, and before Donghua and I went to the pond, those crabs were still lively and jumping around. How come they just died when you, Uncle Gao, arrived?" Sisi couldn’t help stepping forward to ask.

"Ah?"

Gao Yuzhu was somewhat stunned, what did Tian Sisi mean? Please forgive him; he had just been beaten up by Zhu Aiqing and his brain hadn’t caught up yet.

Tian Donghua said unhappily, "My sister means that since you claim that the death of our crabs has nothing to do with you, then please present your evidence. If you can’t produce any evidence, it definitely means you poisoned our crabs to death."

Now Gao Yuzhu understood and blurted out without thinking, "What evidence? How would I know how your family’s crabs died? Just because a few of your crabs died, you ask me for evidence; if someone in your Tian Family dies later, would you also come looking for evidence from me!"

"Smack"

A crisp sound rang out as Tian Manjin struck Gao Yuzhu with a shoulder pole, followed by an outcry as if ghosts were wailing and wolves were howling.

Gao Yuzhu wanted to curse some more, but Tian Manjin lifted the shoulder pole again, and he quickly swallowed his words in fright, scared of being hit once more.

Tian Manjin understood Sisi’s implication too and said sternly, "If you can’t produce evidence, it just shows that our family’s crabs were poisoned to death by you, Gao Yuzhu."

You, Gao Yuzhu, keep insisting on talking about evidence in every matter, right? Then let’s talk about evidence; just bring out the proof that you didn’t poison the crabs and we’ll talk. Although this method is a bit crafty, against someone as despicable as Gao Yuzhu, we have to be even more despicable than he is.

"How dare you poison our crabs, I’ll beat you to death!"

Tian Manjin swung the shoulder pole again, and Gao Yuzhu, already terrified out of his wits, blurted out incoherently, "I’ll provide the evidence, I’ll provide the evidence."

Although he said he would produce evidence, where would Gao Yuzhu get it? Others might not know, but he was very clear; how could he possibly produce it.

Seeing this, Sisi whispered something into Tian Donghua’s ear. Donghua’s eyes shone brighter and brighter, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

After speaking, Sisi ran back home. Because there were many people around, no one noticed her leaving. Tian Donghua then walked up to Gao Yuzhu and said, "I do have a good way to prove that these crabs weren’t poisoned by your pesticide."

Gao Yuzhu’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked, "What way?"

"Simple. In a while, I’ll boil a few of them, and if you dare to eat them, then it proves these crabs weren’t poisoned by you. But if you dare not eat, it means your conscience is guilty, and my family’s crabs were definitely poisoned by you."

The surrounding villagers nodded upon hearing these words, thinking that Tian Donghua made sense.

"That’s right, just like that! Gao Yuzhu, if you have no guilt in your heart, eat these dead crabs!"

"If you don’t dare to eat, then you have a guilty conscience; it must have been you who poisoned them."

...

In fact, the villagers around could already see the truth, and they were just finding different ways to make fun of Gao Yuzhu. He was merely fooling himself by turning a deaf ear.

Panting, Sisi came back with a small kerosene stove and a pot. She had bought this little kerosene stove before because it looked interesting, and it had never been put to use, but today it could finally serve a purpose.

Everyone watched Sisi cook the crabs as if watching an exciting show. Donghua scooped up seven or eight dead crabs from the field, which had only been put into the water a little over a month ago and had grown to the size of a wristwatch. They had barely any flesh. Worried that Gao Yuzhu would use the lack of meat as an excuse not to eat, Sisi deliberately poured out nearly half a pot of oil.

Donghua washed the dead crabs in the ditch beside them while Sisi lit the kerosene stove to heat up the oil, smilingly beckoning to Gao Yuzhu, "Uncle Gao, I’ll fry these crabs until they’re crispy and fragrant, guaranteeing they’ll be delicious."

One by one, the crabs were placed into the oil, and after a short while, the smell of oil mixed with the scent of crabs wafted through the air. It was nearing noon, and everyone was getting hungry; smelling this aroma, they couldn’t help but swallow. They thought the Tian Family was really generous to fry just a few crabs with so much oil, which was quite a bargain for Gao Yuzhu.

Even Gao Yuzhu’s mouth watered at the scent. His own family’s meals were always light on oil and meat, and now, smelling this fragrance, he wished Sisi would fry a few more crabs. The previous worry about being poisoned to death by the pesticides was shoved aside by the enticing aroma.

"Hey, fry a few more, don’t let me go hungry!" Gao Yuzhu said deliberately and boisterously, eliciting laughter from the villagers.

"Today is the day you get to savor meat, Gao Yuzhu; you should indeed eat a few more," teased someone.

But Sisi dared not fry too many. She knew dead crabs were poisonous. Eating a few might at worst result in vomiting and diarrhea—it wouldn’t be a big deal. However, eating too many could be fatal, and she had no intention of killing Gao Yuzhu.

Sisi handed the fried, bright red crabs to Gao Yuzhu and said, "Uncle Gao, you should eat slowly. If these crabs are indeed poisonous, eating less will give us time to get you to the hospital."

"What poison? I didn’t apply any pesticides; how could they be poisonous?"

At first, Gao Yuzhu was a bit concerned about being poisoned, but then he reasoned that the pesticides had only been applied briefly and were probably only on the surface of the crabs. A rinse with water would have surely washed it off, and besides, frying them in oil for so long would have killed any remaining poison. He was an educated man; he knew high temperatures killed germs. With that thought, Gao Yuzhu felt completely at ease.

Taking the crabs, Gao Yuzhu gobbled them down voraciously. Sisi had fried them so that they were crispy and crunchy, and Gao Yuzhu found them irresistibly delicious, not leaving a single crumb behind. The onlooking villagers also swallowed their saliva, some wanting to go back to eat but also wanting to see how things would unfold, not willing to leave just yet, so they continued to watch while bearing their hunger.

After finishing seven or eight crabs, Gao Yuzhu felt completely refreshed. Damn, fried food really is delicious!

"Anymore? Give me a few more."

Gao Yuzhu couldn’t help but ask for more crabs, but no one paid any attention to him; they were all focused on his reactions.

Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the villagers, Gao Yuzhu humphed and was about to head back with his medicine box when Donghua extended his hand to stop him.

"What’s the meaning of this? You won’t even let people leave now? Is the Tian Family running a Police Station?" Gao Yuzhu said indignantly.

But just as he finished speaking, his face twitched, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His face turned pale, and he doubled over, letting out a loud cry.

"Ow! Ow! It hurts so bad!"

Gao Yuzhu cried out in agony, and upon seeing his state, the villagers started to ridicule.

"So the crabs from Man Yin’s house were indeed poisoned to death by Gao Yuzhu, that’s despicable!"

"This is karma; the heavens are always fair."

"Is Gao Yuzhu going to be poisoned to death? Look at how much pain he’s in!"

"No, he won’t die; it’s only a few small crabs at most. He might have diarrhea."

...