Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 481 - 481 482 Didnt Mean to Harm You_1

Chapter 481: Chapter 482 Didn’t Mean to Harm You_1 Chapter 481: Chapter 482 Didn’t Mean to Harm You_1 “What’s the matter? Do you need something from me?” Muniang’s expression was calm, as if she was unaware of Qingmei’s malicious intentions.

Qingmei approached cautiously, “I was petty last time, I shouldn’t have been so hard on Qi’er, causing you trouble. But the tea was something I took the effort to make just for you. I was too petty to let her have it. Muniang, you’ve been unhappy these days, and I’ve caused you more trouble. Are you angry with me?”

Muniang forced a smile, “What’s this, really? Qi’er is rough and tumble; she won’t take such trifles to heart. Besides, you did it for my sake, why would I be upset?”

Qingmei felt a twinge of guilt, but still said, “I went out of my way to brew you another pot today. The doctor has said, adding this tonic to the tea when brewing doesn’t just maintain the flavor, it’s also good for your health. Please, Muniang, give it a try.”

As she spoke, Qingmei placed the tray she was holding in front of Muniang and carefully poured a cup for her. Her heart was racing with nerves; this time there absolutely couldn’t be any mistakes. Last time she failed, and Lu Ziquan had given her a severe reprimand. If it didn’t work out this time, it would be the end.

Muniang took it in hand, but her heart turned cold, and she didn’t drink. Her smile also wavered, “You’ve grown up a lot in these last two years. When I saw you two years ago you were still an undeveloped little girl. Your mother beat you every day, making you timid and reluctant to interact with anyone. Now that you can talk to me so freely, it’s quite a change.”

Qingmei’s face shifted as she recalled her past, brought up by Muniang—a time when she was at her lowest, when she felt like her life was as worthless as a weed. She often thought she was going to die but somehow survived, much to her own surprise. She never liked to look back at the past because she couldn’t stand the torment of those unbearable memories; she wished they could all be buried in the ground forever.

“Why bring that up all of a sudden, Muniang? A girl grows up quickly, and now that I can be a bit more cheerful, it’s all thanks to your good fortune,” Qingmei replied with a smile.

“Is it? In these past two years, even though I wasn’t always by your side, I provided you with the best conditions. I treated both you and Tianniu like my own sisters. She’s clever and doesn’t like constraints, so I gave her the opportunity to show her ambitions. You’re more reserved and don’t like such things, so I arranged a reliable marriage for you, hoping you could have a settled life. But whichever path you took, I always wanted the best for you.”

Listening to this, Qingmei felt a strange tightness in the corners of her eyes. Muniang had done a lot for her; without Muniang, she would’ve died countless times over these past two years or been sold off cheaply by Mrs. Liang to some old man to be his wife, enduring a life full of hardship. She had always felt that Muniang favored Tianniu, but now listening to her, it didn’t seem like there was any favoritism.

And besides, these days she often visited Mei Garden and saw Tianniu bustling about, doing work that was neither glorious nor appreciated, the kind that involved both the bottom of the ladder and ingratitude. She couldn’t accept doing that.

Muniang tapped her fingers lightly against the rim of the cup and slowly said, “Qingmei, was I wrong in my thinking? Is that why you’ve gone down such a different path and ended up where you are today? Do you blame me?”

Qingmei hurriedly replied, “No, it’s not that. Everything now is a result of my own faults. Every day I regret it. If I’d accepted the marriage to Gao Zhuang and not provoked Lu Ziquan, I wouldn’t be in such a desperate state.”

Muniang’s lips curled slightly, “It’s good that you’ve come to understand this. But you chose your path, and I can’t always help you. If you blame me, there’s nothing I can do.”

Qingmei hung her head, biting her lip without knowing what to say. Muniang’s earlier words made her blushed. She was not indifferent; she had given her the same care as Tianniu, but she stubbornly chose the wrong path. She blamed Muniang, but had Muniang not always wanted to give her the best? What right did she have to blame her?

Muniang quietly waited for Qingmei to speak. Perhaps she couldn’t bring herself to be too harsh, after all, they had been like sisters for the past two years. Her actions today were driven by a feeling of inferiority. All she hoped was that Qingmei would see reason and stop, because she couldn’t bear to destroy her.

But what she heard was Qingmei looking up and saying, “Mu, the tea will not taste good once it’s cold. You should drink it while it’s hot.”

If her decision to take on this medicine pack was initially out of dissatisfaction with Muniang, now it was out of sheer selfishness. Qingmei knew of Muniang’s kindness, but as Muniang said, even after marrying Lu Ziquan, Muniang could not help her much. Moreover, she was about to go to Qinghua City, leaving her alone here. Without status and power, she feared her life would be filled with suffering, which she did not want.

As long as Qiao Muniang lost one child, her future would be secured. Children could be born again, but her entire life hinged on this moment.

Qingmei bit her lip and finally steeled her heart.

A cold mocking smile emerged on Muniang’s lips, and the teacup she held casually slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor and splashing water everywhere.

Qingmei was startled, “Did you slip? I’ll have someone clean this up right away.”

But she heard Muniang’s chilly voice rise, “After cleaning up, do you expect to continue trying to feed me this tea? Wang Qingmei, I gave you so many chances, yet not once did you think to turn back.”

Qingmei turned pale with fright, stammering, “Mu, what do you mean? I… I don’t understand.”

“What do I mean? You still don’t understand what I’m talking about? I treated you like my own sister, yet you dare to poison my tea with safflower to harm my child. Wang Qingmei, I’m astonished by your audacity! How did I never see before that you are such a cruel and heartless creature?!” Muniang rebuked fiercely.

Qingmei’s heart skipped a beat, not knowing how or when Muniang had found out. Now, suddenly facing this unexpected situation, Qingmei was completely paralyzed with fear.

“No, no, no, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Mu has been so kind to me, how could I…” Qingmei quickly protested as if she had truly been wronged.

“Is that so? Then what is the safflower doing in this tea!” Muniang glared fiercely, her eyes like icy daggers fixed on Qingmei, causing her to tremble in fear.

“It’s not like that, I didn’t know Mu was pregnant. I only heard the physician say that safflower could invigorate the blood and dissolve bruises, and that it also counted as a tonic; that’s why I added it to the tea!” Qingmei defended herself.