Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

The pot of pork stew with cabbage that was served at noon had been completely devoured, not even a drop of broth was left. Su Wanqing searched the corner of the stove and soon found some leaves still remaining in the earthenware pot next to the stove.

She didn't need to observe carefully; the insight in her mind had already given her the answer: wolfsbane.

"Secretary Liu, the problem lies here." Su Wanqing pointed to the earthenware jar. "This isn't ordinary wild vegetables; it's wolfsbane, also known as 'heartbreak grass,' which is highly poisonous. That family must have eaten this."

"Wolfsbane?" Liu Shuqing exclaimed in surprise. "There is this plant on the shady slope of the back mountain. It looks a lot like lamb's quarters, but everyone knows it's poisonous! How could Er Mazi's mother be so confused? She even mistook this one?"

The surrounding neighbors were so frightened that they all backed away.

Qiaocui lowered her head and sneered inwardly. Of course, Er Mazi's mother was confused. For the past ten years or so, she had been busy running around and taking care of everything. Her mother had long forgotten the difference between lamb's quarters and wolfsbane.

The old woman saw lamb's quarters while cooking lunch, no wonder she put it in the pot!

"I remember now! A few days ago, I think I saw Qiaocui picking wild vegetables on the shady slope... she was picking these kinds of leaves! I even asked her about it, and she said she would dry them and use them to burn as firewood to repel mosquitoes!"

"Damn, I can't believe the whole family ate this stuff today? No wonder they're all dead!"

Whoosh! All eyes were instantly fixed on Qiaocui.

Qiaocui trembled violently. "I'm innocent, Secretary Liu! I did pick them, but I heard that these leaves produce a lot of smoke and can repel mosquitoes, so I picked them and threw them by the woodpile! I really didn't know my mother-in-law would mistake them for lamb's quarters and cook them in the rice... If I had seen them, would I have let her put them in the pot?! I almost ate them myself! The worst part is, I have four children. A mother can't harm her children too, can she?"

These four unfilial sons usually boss her around and, influenced by their family, treat her like a servant. Of course, she has to teach these four unfilial sons a lesson!

Of course she knew that whenever there was meat to eat, she would never be allowed to sit at the table. The old lady was biased, giving the most food to herself and her husband, followed by their eldest son who did nothing and was treated like a young master, and then Er Mazi.

As for the smaller ones, they only got a taste, so the four children definitely wouldn't die.

Su Wanqing didn't speak, but she understood that this was probably an accident carefully planned by Qiaocui.

She deliberately picked the poisonous wolfsbane and pretended to place it by the stove, waiting for her chance. She knew her mother-in-law would likely mistake it for lamb's quarters and take it away. As for herself, she used her long-standing exclusion from the family's "meat-eating circle" to perfectly avoid this deadly lunch.

There is no direct evidence of poisoning; it was all a coincidence and a misunderstanding. Even if someone suspects it, it would be difficult to convict her.

In the months since Su Wanqing arrived, the most she's heard is people praising Er Mazi's wife for being capable and virtuous. They say that if she's disobedient, she can just be beaten or starved. She used to think that Er Mazi's wife would probably be exploited and humiliated for the rest of her life, but she never expected that Qiaocui would dare to pull such a big stunt and directly poison the whole family.

She could only say that doing so was illegal, criminal, wrong, and immoral, but if it happened to her own family... well, then she would have to poison them all into paralysis and then deal with them one by one.

Qiaocui secretly watched Liu Shuqing. She had been waiting for this opportunity for a whole year! Finally, Liu Shuqing was promoted to Party Secretary Liu. She knew that after Liu Shuqing was promoted, he would definitely make a big deal out of a small deal and a small deal out of a big deal. Otherwise, he himself would be in big trouble.

Liu Shuqing had obviously thought of this as well, but he wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or something Qiaocui had orchestrated. In any case, he clearly didn't want the situation to escalate.

"Dr. Su, look... this doesn't seem to have any direct connection to Qiaocui, does it? How about we treat this as an accidental 'ingestion of poisonous herbs'?"

Su Wanqing understood. Liu Shuqing didn't want the situation to escalate, otherwise he would definitely lose his newly appointed position. If everyone else died, there would be no way to save him. If Qiaocui was also implicated, what would happen to the four children and Er Mazi?

So she stood up, dusted off her hands, and said, "Secretary Liu, it seems to be a mass poisoning incident caused by the accidental ingestion of poisonous plants. Whether it was due to accidental harvesting or some other reason, you can decide what to do. If you need a medical diagnosis, I can provide it."

She's not a forensic doctor, so she can't determine the nature of this matter.

But in this day and age, without fingerprint identification, surveillance, or precise analysis of toxic residues, what can we do? We can only accept it.

Secretary Liu was also worried. If they investigated, they wouldn't find anything, and he would probably be criticized as the secretary. It was still unknown whether Qiao Cui did it or not, so why drag him into it?

Liu Shuqing sighed. "Alright, Dr. Su, thank you for your hard work today. Go back to the clinic and look after the patients. Sigh, we'll have to report it as an accident. You guys," he gestured to the strong men beside him, "go and carry the bodies back, and help Qiaocui with the funeral arrangements. As for you, Qiaocui—"

Liu Shuqing's tone was complex:

"Your actions constitute 'improper storage of dangerous plants,' which carries secondary responsibility. You should be liable for compensation, but for now... take care of the survivors first, and look after Er Mazi and the children. We'll discuss the rest after I've reported and dealt with the matter."

Everyone's dead, and Er Mazi is dying too. What else can we do? This is because Er Mazi's family committed too many sins in the past, driving Qiaocui to this point. Now it's a case of...just reaping what they sowed.

He can only try to downplay the issue now.

Upon hearing this, Qiaocui's tense body relaxed almost imperceptibly.

She subconsciously looked up, meeting Su Wanqing's calm, all-knowing eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. Dr. Su knew… she guessed everything! But she didn't say anything…

Su Wanqing turned to leave.

"Dr. Su, thank you." Qiao Cui didn't know what she should thank Dr. Su for, but she knew that if Su Wanqing had said a few more doubtful things or insisted on investigating, her situation would not be as easy as it is now.

Su Wanqing stopped in her tracks, turned around, walked to Qiaocui's side, patted Qiaocui, and said, "Er Mazi will either be mentally disabled or paralyzed in the future. You still have four children to raise. You'll have to work hard."

Qiaocui suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with strength, not sadness. "Dr. Su, I'm not tired! I will definitely take good care of Er Mazi and the children. As long as I have food to eat, they will never go hungry! I'll go to the clinic right now to pick them up and take them home!"

She's full of energy now. Whether Er Mazi is bedridden or mentally impaired, she'll still be in charge from now on.