CHAPTER 697: CHAPTER 690: POISONOUS SEEDS

Around five o’clock, Mr. Yun and a few others who work also returned home. By this time, the children had already finished a plate of wisteria pancakes, and Sisi was mixing a second batch.

Mr. Yun, smelling the fragrant pancakes, was tempted and washed his hands before digging in. His appetite was quite good, and in a few bites, he had eaten two pieces. Just as he was about to eat a third, Sisi stopped him, telling him to take a break. It’s better for the elderly to eat less fried food. This Old Man Yun has never had much self-control when it comes to eating; he can’t stop once he encounters something delicious, and only she can manage him.

Mr. Yun reluctantly withdrew his hand, watching others eat the pancakes with longing eyes, occasionally casting little side glances at Sisi, who paid no mind and continued making pancakes unperturbed.

Kang Mianhua ate two pancakes and then took the spatula from Sisi. Sisi was indeed feeling tired in the hand, so she didn’t hesitate to pass the spatula to Kang Mianhua and used the chopsticks that Du Du had eaten with to pick up a pancake and eat. After making so many, she hadn’t taken a bite herself!

"There are lots of purple wisteria flowers in our school. When they bloom next spring, I want to collect a bunch for Aunt Sisi to make pancakes every day," Huahua said, her little mouth greasy.

The adults laughed; no matter how delicious something is, eating it every day won’t make it taste good!

"Aunt, can these seeds be made into pancakes? There are lots of them at school," Mao Dou suddenly asked.

Sisi didn’t understand, "What seeds?"

Mao Dou pointed at the wisteria pancake and said, "The seeds from these flowers. There are lots at school."

Sisi then understood that Mao Dou was talking about the seeds of the purple wisteria. The purple wisteria blooms in the spring and produces pods resembling flat beans in the summer, containing brown seeds that should still be hanging on the vine at this time of year.

No wonder Mao Dou would ask such a question.

Sisi’s face suddenly tightened, and she said sternly, "They are not edible; these seeds are poisonous. Eating them can cause stomach pain and, if things go wrong, can even be fatal, so none of you should eat these seeds, understand?"

Sisi spoke seriously, and the children obediently nodded.

Zhang Jie was somewhat incredulous, "Sisi, you’re joking, right? The flowers can be eaten, so why can’t the seeds? I’ve never heard of wisteria seeds being poisonous, and when I was little, I ate them too, and nothing happened."

Kang Mianhua and Shangguan also said it was the first they had heard of it. Kang Mianhua even said she ate them when she was little and was fine.

"That must be because you didn’t eat much, or maybe you’re sturdier than a cow, so you didn’t have any trouble," Sisi’s words elicited a couple of white eyes.

Sisi knew they hadn’t heard of it. Actually, many of the beautiful flowers in parks are hidden killers, like oleanders, daffodils, rhododendrons, dieffenbachia, and wisteria seeds, and their toxicity is quite severe, with some even being potentially fatal.

The most easily overlooked among these are the wisteria seeds. Because of the plant’s ease of survival and its beautiful fragrance, many parks and schools love to plant them, making purple wisteria very common and widely visible.

In her previous life, she often saw stories online about many children accidentally ingesting wisteria seeds and getting poisoned. A few incidents happen each year, some severe enough to result in death.

Mr. Yun chimed in, "Ah Nan is right. The seeds of wisteria are indeed poisonous. A child eating two seeds can become very serious."

With Mr. Yun’s word, everyone believed it and marveled at the new knowledge they gained.

Mao Dou and Huahua exchanged a troubled look, as if something was weighing on their minds. Everyone watched the two little ones hesitating, finding their expressions amusing.

Finally, Mao Dou seemed to have made up his mind and asked, "But I’ve seen Tang Junfeng eat them several times, and he’s fine!"

Huahua added, "He even ate them today! He ate quite a few."

The name Tang Junfeng sounded familiar, though she couldn’t quite place it for a moment. Zhang Jie reminded from the side, "That’s the Tang family’s great-grandson who was forced to drink urine by Haiyang and the others a few years back. He’s in the same class as Mao Dou and Huahua now."

Sisi then remembered; it was that timid little boy from the Tang family. But what was this about him eating seeds?

"Jin Yujie made him eat them, saying they were delicious, but Tang Junfeng said they didn’t taste good and refused to eat them again. But Jin Yujie threatened to beat him up if he didn’t eat, so Tang Junfeng was scared and ate them." Huahua was quick-tongued, explaining the situation in a few sentences.

"Did Tang Junfeng eat a lot before?" Sisi asked.

"Not much; he only ate one before, sometimes just half. He would hold it in his mouth and spit it out. But today Jin Yujie watched him finish it, so Tang Junfeng didn’t spit it out and ate it all." Mao Dou said.

"How many did he eat?" Mr. Yun couldn’t help but ask.

"Probably three or four!" estimated Mao Dou.

"No, it was five. I counted," Huahua disagreed.

Sisi finally realized the seriousness of the situation. Wisteria seeds are indeed toxic, and for Tang Junfeng to have eaten so many, it’s a wonder he hasn’t had any issues yet!

Moreover, the effects of wisteria seeds are not immediate and can vary in time depending on the individual. Some people may react in one or two hours, while for others, it might take a few hours. Judging by Tang Junfeng’s constitution, he should have some tolerance, but the timing is hard to predict.

"Grandpa Yun, should we notify the Tang family?" Sisi asked.

Mr. Yun also found it difficult to handle. Although there were disputes among the adults, the children were innocent. If something were to happen to the child, it would be really uncomfortable.

"Ah Nan, maybe you should call them and let them know. We just need to show our concern," Mr. Yun said.

Sisi organized her words and called the Tang family. It was Liu Ping who answered. Tang Anzhi, being Mr. Tang’s favored grandson, was allowed to live in the courtyard, a matter of great pride for Liu Ping.

Another grandson of the Tang family, Tang Junfeng, also lived in the courtyard, benefitting from his son’s presence, as Old Mrs. Tang particularly doted on this great-grandson and couldn’t bear to be apart from him.

The Tang family was having dinner, and Sisi didn’t know who answered the phone, but she simply asked for Tang Junfeng’s mother.

Tang Junfeng’s mother, Fang Airu, came from an ordinary family and was a college classmate of Tang Anzhe. Both were government clerks, and they were considered a low-key couple in the Tang family.

Fang Airu didn’t quite understand what was going on when she took the phone. She was slightly anxious because her maiden family was ordinary and she never had much standing in the Tang family, so she generally avoided having friends or family call the house, preferring them to call her at work during the day.

"Is this Tang Junfeng’s mom? I’m He Sisi. I called to tell you that your son, Tang Junfeng, ate five wisteria seeds at school today. My child saw it happen. Those seeds are poisonous. You should probably take your son to the hospital."

Sisi hung up after speaking, leaving Fang Airu bewildered. She knew who He Sisi was; the old lady at home still cursed her.

But what did she mean by what she said? What wisteria seeds?