Peaceful Farm Life

Chapter 2465: Chapter 2466: Return to Tianyun (32)

Taoming Ye is already twenty years old. Throughout these twenty years, Taoming Ye’s health has never been good. She would occasionally add a bit of poison to the medicine Taoming Ye took, making his health increasingly poor, but not to the point of taking his life.

Seeing Taoming Ye in poor health, living like a useless person every day, in sharp contrast with her healthy son, made her extremely happy.

Originally, she intended to put the poison in Taoming Ye’s meals, but given the number of people in the kitchen and her lack of trust in those there, she thought she might get away with it once, but repeated times would surely be discovered. If Tao Chengyin found out, considering their spousal ties, he might only divorce her. Without those sentiments, it could be far worse—she might be handed over to the government for punishment.

It so happened that, in an attempt to earn a good reputation as a kind mother, she took on the task of preparing Taoming Ye’s medicine. Plus, she trusted her maidservant, so she had the maidservant assist her in this by preparing and delivering the medicine, and periodically adding some of the poison to it.

This had been going on for nearly twenty years.

Just as she planned to use a heavier dose of poison to make Taoming Ye suffer more and be bedridden, an unexpected change occurred: Taoming Ye refused to drink the medicine?!

Everything had been fine before. Since that wretched girl entered the house, things became this way. It had to be that wretched girl’s doing!

She must be suspicious of her.

Without a doubt!

If it wasn’t inconvenient to kill that wretched girl now, she would’ve already poisoned her to death.

But it’s a special period now. That wretched girl just got married; if something happened, her grandmother would surely not let it go. She’d demand an investigation from the government, and upon investigating, they’d realize that the wretched girl didn’t actually marry her son. Once reported, and if the Emperor learned of it, everyone in the Tao Mansion might be doomed. She didn’t want to bring harm upon herself.

”Besides, she’s only suspicious, with no real evidence, so there’s nothing to fear!” Mrs. Cao reassured herself angrily.

If that wretched girl truly had hard evidence and was willing to show it to Tao Chengyin, she would’ve already done so. The fact she hasn’t means she has no evidence, so what is there to fear?

Thinking this way, Mrs. Cao felt reassured.

...

Su Xing didn’t know what Mrs. Cao was thinking. She was just starting to prepare for the return visit to her parental home.

Here, it’s also three days after marriage for the bride’s return.

Not only does the husband accompany his wife back, but they must prepare substantial gifts for the return visit. The larger the gift, the more it demonstrates the husband’s family’s value of the wife.

Su Xing originally thought it sufficient to just maintain appearances. She didn’t really mind the appearance, but her grandmother might lose face if she returned empty-handed, feeling that Su Xing wasn’t appreciated by her husband’s family or lived well there.

Yet, Taoming Ye insisted on adding many items to the return gifts, not allowing Su Xing to object.

This both amused and warmed Su Xing.

”It’s not like you have a lot of money. If you exhaust your resources like this, what will we do when we have nothing to eat?” Su Xing sat at the table, holding her face with both hands, smiling as she teased Taoming Ye, who was ordering the young servant to add items to the return gifts.

Taoming Ye slightly turned his head, looking at her tenderly, and responded gently, ”When my mother was alive, she gave me a few shops. They are in a busy district and earn quite a bit of rent each year. However, because of my poor health, although the title deeds are with me, the collection of rent and other matters have always been handled by my stepmother.”

Su Xing didn’t respond immediately, waiting until the maidservant and the young servant left. Only when she and Taoming Ye were alone did she snort, ”She handles it for you? I wonder how much money she’s taken from you.”