Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 190: The Incident of That Year

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: The Incident of That Year

The young woman watched Gu Qingli eating gracefully. Did women outside refer to their husbands as ’their men’? How vulgar.

She collected herself and said, "Regarding today’s incident, I heard about it from Nanny Ah Li when I returned. I know my husband was the one at fault first, so it’s only right that he was punished. My intention is, if Madam requires anything, I am willing to offer it in exchange for my husband. What does Madam think?"

Gu Qingli took a bite of rice, then looked up at her and said with a detached air, "Aren’t you afraid my demands will be excessive? And aren’t you worried you won’t be able to meet them at all?"

The young woman was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "I believe Madam will not make things difficult for me."

"TSK!"

Gu Qingli found it amusing. With such a venomous mother-in-law and husband, could this young woman truly be so naive? Believing her? Who was she kidding?

Gu Qingli didn’t care if the woman was pretending or not. Since someone was practically begging to be used, she wouldn’t stand on ceremony. Most importantly, she disliked being disturbed while eating.

She said, "Alright then. Go and dig up all the medicinal herbs and flowers in this courtyard and bring them to me."

The young woman could hardly believe her ears. She stared at Gu Qingli. "Madam, you only want those... those weeds, as the clan members see them?"

Gu Qingli nodded. Those things, worthless in their eyes, were treasures in hers.

The young woman left the courtyard in a daze, still not quite believing that Madam only wanted those seemingly useless flowers and medicinal herbs. These things were found everywhere on the mountain behind the village. As she walked and thought, she felt a growing unease and decided to turn back.

Wuqing, standing at the door, saw her return and quickly asked, "Madam, is there anything else?"

Hearing herself addressed as ’Madam,’ the young woman knew she couldn’t just accept the title. She mustn’t put on airs as a ’Madam’ in front of these people.

The young woman hurriedly curtsied to Wuqing and asked nervously, "Miss, does your mistress really only want those things?"

Wuqing asked, "Does Madam think there’s something amiss?"

The young woman waved her hands repeatedly. "I was just asking. Those things can be found all over the mountain behind the village, so..."

"Oh?" Wuqing raised her eyebrows. This young woman is quite interesting. Her eyes twinkled as she continued, "If Madam feels this is an unfair trade, you can dig up more and bring them back. If there are any rare medicinal materials from the Icefield, Madam can also bring them. I will then speak to my Young Miss about treating your husband better."

"Oh, thank you, Miss! Thank you!" The young woman exclaimed and quickly departed after hearing this.

Wuqing immediately went inside to tell Gu Qingli what had happened.

Gu Qingli chuckled. So, there really are such simple people in the world. It wasn’t an act just now; she genuinely is that naive. How on earth has she survived with that mother-son duo until today?

"What a simpleton! However, Wuqing, you handled that beautifully!"

Wuqing smiled shyly. She knew her Young Miss liked these things and definitely wanted to seize the chance to get more. Their priority was to protect the Young Miss’s safety; otherwise, they would have gone to the mountain to dig the herbs themselves—as much as was needed.

After Gu Qingli finished her lunch, she had Wuqing bring the captive woman over. After Wuqing wheeled her in, she inspected the wheelchair, while Wuyou took the woman’s pulse.

"Young Miss, there really is poison on this wheelchair." After inspecting it, Wuqing found some powder on the side of the wheelchair and placed it on the table.

Gu Qingli didn’t look at the powder. It surely wasn’t anything good. She directly stored it in her Space.

Just then, Wuyou finished checking the pulse and said, "Young Miss, her legs are genuinely paralyzed."

Gu Qingli nodded. "Release her acupoints. Let Wuyou question her about whatever she wants to know."

"Yes." Wuqing immediately released Xue Mei’s acupoints.

Wuyou moved a stool to sit in front of Xue Mei. She took out a long silver needle from her bag, smiled wickedly at the woman, and said, "I’m not in the mood to play hide-and-seek with you. Tell me everything about what happened back then, and you might suffer less. Otherwise... my silver needle doesn’t have eyes."

Xue Mei remained unmoved after Wuyou finished speaking, her eyes glaring at Wuyou with hatred.

Wuyou shook her head. "Don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t I who wronged you. Look at your relationships; even your son is more popular than you. At least his wife is trying to find a way to get him back. As for you... TSK, TSK... even if we killed you, I doubt anyone would even come to see your body."

Xue Mei’s expression finally changed. She looked at the silver needle, at Wuyou’s wicked smile, and thought about how no one had come looking for her after all this time. Her heart sank to the depths. Only then did she clearly realize she wasn’t as important to others as she had imagined. They probably wished she would die sooner.

Her gaze turned bleak. Looking at Wuyou, she asked, "Can you spare my life?"

Wuyou casually tossed the silver needle in her hand. "Perhaps. It depends on whether what you say is valuable enough to trade for your life."

Does she really think I’m that easy to fool? If I truly were from this place and had been abducted by this woman, I wouldn’t just refuse to let her go—I’d kill her with my own hands. She made me an orphan. If I hadn’t met my Young Miss, I would have perished long ago in the Mute Gate, that ruthless, sunless place that devours people whole.

Xue Mei said helplessly, "Alright, I’ll talk. This matter has been weighing on my heart, giving me sleepless nights. I’ve always been afraid that your parents would return someday, and I would lose the power I hold."

"Enough nonsense. Get to the point," Wuyou said impatiently.

Who has the patience to listen to her irrelevant ramblings? I’m not her shoulder to cry on.

Xue Mei gave a bitter smile. Indeed, even a mighty tiger, once fallen, can be bullied by mere dogs. To think that after being influential for half her life, she would fall into the hands of this young girl. This is karmic retribution, truly unfailing.

Xue Mei closed her eyes and then continued, "My name is Xue Mei. Back then, Xue Xin and I were as close as sisters... Later, she was chosen as the Saintess, and I became her attendant. In those days, I witnessed the supreme glory and power that came with being the Saintess of the Snow Maiden Clan. My heart began to change, and I started fantasizing that one day, I too could achieve such a status...

"This continued until Xue Xin married and had a child—a daughter. In the Snow Maiden Clan, if the Saintess’s first child is a girl, she has priority in inheriting the position of Saintess.

At that time, I thought, if this child were gone, what would happen to Xue Xin and her husband?

"So, I arranged for someone to poison the child. However, that person, seeing you were so small, couldn’t bear to do it. Instead, he took the child and fled the Snow Maiden Clan.

"When I found out, I pursued him. I fought with that person, but unexpectedly, he injured my leg and still managed to escape.

"After Xue Xin and her husband learned their daughter was missing, they were overwhelmed with grief. I seized the opportunity to tell her that someone had stolen the child, and that I had been injured while chasing after them."