TSWPF -Chapter 180 Poisoning

After breakfast, the old man and Dahe were ready to set off back to the capital.

Li Qingling and the others personally escorted them to Fuman Restaurant to meet up with Zhao Yichen.

“Good morning! Have you eaten breakfast?” Zhao Yichen was about to start his meal and, seeing Li Qingling and the others, stood up to greet them.

The old man smiled and replied that they had already eaten.

“Then please wait a moment; I’ll be ready to leave as soon as I finish breakfast,” Zhao Yichen said, sitting back down and quickly eating his meal.

Liu Zhimou glanced at Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan. “What are you two still doing here? Aren’t you supposed to go to school? Hmm?” If they delayed any longer, they’d be late.

Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan exchanged a glance and, helplessly, gave a small nod. They spoke a few words with the old man and Dahe, then slung their schoolbags over their shoulders and hurried off.

“Zhimou, aren’t you supposed to follow Master Tong to see the county magistrate?” Li Qingling asked, noticing that Liu Zhimou wasn’t leaving.

Liu Zhimou nodded. “No rush. We’ll go after seeing grandfather off.”

Since he said it wasn’t urgent, she let it be.

Just as Li Qingling was about to sit down, the shopkeeper came running over.

“Miss Qingling… oh, I mean, Madam Liu…” The shopkeeper caught himself, glancing at Zhao Yichen, who paused in his breakfast. He sighed internally and continued, “Madam Liu, do you still have the Fortune Eggs?”

Li Qingling turned to the shopkeeper and smiled. “You can just call me Miss Qingling.” She was still a little unused to being called “Madam Liu.” “Shopkeeper, have the Fortune Eggs already sold out?”

The Fortune Eggs were actually preserved eggs, but she had given them a fancier name.

The hens at her farm laid two or three hundred eggs every day, more than enough to make omelets. She worried the eggs would go bad, so she tried preserving them into Fortune Eggs.

Unexpectedly, once introduced, they were immediately popular, and the prepared batches could barely meet demand.

But curing them takes twenty days, so even if someone asked for them now, she couldn’t provide them yet.

The shopkeeper nodded with a strained face. They had sold out last night. Customers still wanted some but couldn’t get any. He had planned to look for Li Qingling today, but now that she was here, he saved himself the effort.

In his eyes, Li Qingling was like a walking money tree. Every time she launched a new product, it was guaranteed to be a hit. He felt he must treat this “money tree” well, so no one else could take it.

“That can’t be helped. The Fortune Eggs aren’t ready yet. Customers will just have to wait a few days,” Li Qingling shrugged helplessly. She wanted to ship them quickly, but the curing time wasn’t sufficient—taking them out early would affect the taste.

To protect her reputation, she had no choice but to decline.

The shopkeeper slumped his shoulders and asked repeatedly if the eggs would be ready in a few days.

Li Qingling could only nod.

“Well, good things are worth waiting for.”

“Madam Liu is right,” the shopkeeper said with a bright smile, chatting a little with Li Qingling before returning to work.

Zhao Yichen’s gaze darkened slightly. He finished his breakfast in a few bites, wiped his mouth, and stood. “We can go now.”

Hearing this, the shopkeeper had the waiters pack some local specialties onto the carriage for Zhao Yichen to take back to the capital.

For safety, the old man and Dahe rode in the same carriage as Zhao Yichen. Li Qingling felt reluctant as she waved them off. “Safe travels. Write back once you reach the capital.”

The old man nodded and reminded them of a few things before closing the carriage curtain.

“Brother Liu, Miss Qingling, farewell.”

“Take care…” Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou said in unison.

Zhao Yichen smiled and told the coachman, “Let’s go.”

Only when the carriage disappeared from view did Li Qingling turn her attention to Liu Zhimou. “Zhimou, go handle your errands. We’ll stroll around, buy a few things, and then head home.”

Liu Zhimou knew he couldn’t delay any longer. He nodded, reminded them to be careful, and, seeing Li Qingling agree, set off to the Tong residence.

Li Qingling exhaled softly and looked at the shopkeeper. “Shopkeeper, we’re leaving first. Come over to my house for a meal when you have time.”

“Alright, take care.”

Li Qingling took Li Qingning and Liu Zhirou shopping, buying a huge assortment of goods—food, daily necessities, everything. They couldn’t carry more, and happily returned home.

Upon returning, Zeng Tietou ran up, sweating heavily. “Master, you’re finally back. Something happened.”

He had gone on several trips but now finally saw Li Qingling return, feeling reassured.

Li Qingling halted when she saw Zeng Tietou’s serious expression. Calmly, she asked, “What happened?”

Zeng Tietou, a level-headed man, wouldn’t look so panicked if nothing serious had occurred.

Catching his breath, he said, “There’s trouble at the fish pond. I don’t know why, but all the fish are dead.”

Li Qingling’s expression darkened. She turned on her heel and headed outside, asking Zeng Tietou along the way to explain exactly what happened.

Zeng Tietou wiped the sweat from his face, reporting everything he knew as he followed her.

Li Qingling pursed her lips silently, but quickened her pace toward the pond.

When she reached it, the usual night watchman approached, eyes red. “Master, I…” His voice trembled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t guard the pond properly.”

Li Qingling glanced at him, then at the pond. The white, lifeless fish hurt her eyes.

She inhaled deeply, her voice heavy. “When did you notice this? During last night’s rounds, was anything unusual?”

The watchman lowered his head, choking on his words. “We did our rounds twice as usual. Nothing seemed wrong, so we went back to sleep. This morning, all the fish were floating dead.” He slapped himself in frustration. “Master, I’m sorry I failed to guard the pond.”

Li Qingling clasped her hands behind her back, staring at the pond silently. After a long pause, she said, “Now is not the time for apologies. First, gather people to remove the dead fish. Drain the pond completely and refill it with water.”

She couldn’t let these dead fish ruin her pond.

The watchman sighed and ran to summon help.

Zeng Tietou looked at Li Qingling’s dark expression, considering for a moment. “Master, could someone have poisoned the pond?” He thought it was a strong possibility—otherwise, why would all the healthy fish suddenly die?

Li Qingling suddenly turned to him, her sharp gaze startling him. Sheepishly, he said, “I… I was just guessing.”

“Perhaps your guess is correct,” Li Qingling said, calling out loudly to the watchman to fetch some pond water. She wanted to have it tested.

Zeng Tietou exhaled softly, thinking how frightening her gaze had been.

Hearing her instructions, he hurried to assist.

He brought a bucket of water and asked Li Qingling what to do next.

She took the bucket. “Oversee them as they handle the pond. Also, check if any suspicious people have been around recently.”

Immediately, her thoughts went to the old Li family. Since she had just cut ties with them, this incident seemed suspect.

Zeng Tietou nodded heavily. “I’ll keep an eye on it, Master. Don’t worry.”

This pond represented a lot of effort; if he could find out who was so malicious, they wouldn’t escape unpunished.

Li Qingling thought for a moment and quietly instructed Zeng Tietou to watch the old Li family closely, to see if they behaved strangely in the coming days.

Zeng Tietou’s eyes flickered. He understood the context and nodded. “Understood, Master. I’ll watch carefully.”

With the instructions clear, Li Qingling took the bucket and rode to the town to find a doctor for testing.

The best doctor in town was Doctor Xu, so she went straight to him.

“Miss Qingling, long time no see,” the medicine boy said, recognizing her at once and greeting her with a smile.

Li Qingling asked, “Indeed it’s been a while. Is Doctor Xu here?”

“Yes, yes. Are you ill?” The boy studied her. She looked healthy, so he was puzzled, especially seeing her carry a bucket of water.

“No, I need Doctor Xu’s help,” she said, entering the pharmacy. She saw Doctor Xu finishing a prescription for a patient and walked over. “Doctor Xu, could you help me test this water for poison?”

Doctor Xu was momentarily surprised, glanced at her, and nodded. “Sure. But the result won’t be instant; it will take at least half an hour.”

“Alright, thank you, Doctor Xu.”

Handing the bucket to the medicine boy, Li Qingling sat on a chair to the side.

She rested her chin on her hand, frowning as she thought about the people she had offended recently—besides the old Li family, there was Tong Wanrong.

Could this have been her doing this?

It was possible.

But for now, everything had to wait for the test results.

If the pond fish had truly been poisoned, she would start investigating immediately.

Half an hour later, Doctor Xu came out. In the past, she would have risen immediately, but now she waited, anxious.

“Doctor Xu, how is it?” She clasped her hands, her heart tightening, fearing the answer might confirm her suspicions.