Chapter 418: Chapter 418 No Harvest
"That flower seller, did you collaborate with her before? Also, have you ever known me in the past?"
"No, most of the vendors doing business in this town are itinerant merchants. Moreover, it’s rare for those fixed vendors to remember them, so this person didn’t leave an impression on me."
"What about your sister-in-law? Can you ask her to come in for a moment? I have some questions I’d like to ask her. Maybe the elder can’t recall, but perhaps the sister-in-law might be able to remember?"
"Don’t worry, Gui Zhi, Gui Zhi."
As he spoke, Mayor Liu stood up and called out loudly several times. Soon, the mayor’s wife hurried in from outside.
"What’s the matter, is there a problem with mother right now?"
"No need to panic. After the Divine Doctor’s diagnosis, the medicine has now been prescribed. Rest assured, our mother will be fine. In a few days, she should be back to her old self."
"It’s incredible! Otherwise, let me tell you, Liu, these Divine Doctors always hide in the countryside, in places where no one discovers them. This time we’ve finally been saved."
"Alright, as for the words of thanks, there’s no need to say them here. I’ve already said enough just now. Right now, help me recall something. That is to say, half a year ago, you did take my mother to the fair at the east end of town, right?"
"The fair at the east end of town? Oh, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I might have really forgotten about it. Yes, indeed, I did take the old lady there. She was bored at home by herself, so she just came along with me. What’s wrong, is there a problem?"
"Now, I want you to recall carefully. What did you two experience at the fair? Most importantly, what did you eat or drink? Or what did you come into contact with? Think hard."
"Eat or drink? At the fair, we’re not children—how could we just eat stuff haphazardly? Plus, we wouldn’t drink water either. Besides, it was only a little over half an hour. How could we possibly get thirsty? So, we didn’t eat or drink anything—I can assure you of that."
Liu Zheng, hearing this, gently shook his head. He had hoped to find some clues here, but it now seemed not as straightforward as he had thought.
"Sister-in-law, you mean to say that you truly didn’t eat or drink anything, and there wasn’t any particular contact?"
"Just walking around and looking at the fair, and then buying some stuff we needed to take home. Other than that, we didn’t do anything."
"So, apart from visiting the fair, you didn’t go anywhere else? And during those days, did the old lady eat something you didn’t? Even just at the door?"
"No, I have a vivid memory of that because the old lady doesn’t like to snack by nature. Everything else was just proper meals at mealtime. She’s pretty regular in her life, so none of that happened. We mostly ate together with everyone else."
This really left Liu Zheng feeling somewhat at a loss. He had thought he might obtain some clues from her, but now it seemed that was simply not the case.
"Alright then, sister-in-law, if there’s nothing else, perhaps I’m just overthinking it. No worries, then. You can go back to your tasks. I’ll keep pondering this."
Liu Zheng was curious. Could it really be that he was going down the wrong investigative path? But, that shouldn’t be the case. Normally, poisons wouldn’t just naturally enter the human body. So, what could the method for poisoning be?
"Alright, get back to your chores, wasteful woman. To think you can’t even recall one thing."
Mayor Liu was somewhat disgruntled. He had hoped his wife could recall something, which would have made the situation clearer and put an end to their wild speculations.
In fact, the mayor’s wife had already reached the door at that moment, but upon hearing Mayor Liu’s complaint, she stopped and turned back once again.
"Liuliu, let me ask you, in these past years, what have you done for this family? You always talk about being filial, but when it comes to your mother’s concerns, indeed, you care deeply. Yet, isn’t it mostly me who’s been taking care of her? Just because I’ve forgotten a detail, am I now a sinner for all ages?"
"Alright, sister-in-law, Mayor Liu didn’t mean it that way. He’s just frustrated that you couldn’t remember, which is indeed very important to us. We need to find the true source of the problem to solve it completely."
Liu Zheng saw that the couple was on the verge of a big argument, and as an onlooker, he couldn’t just stand there and gawk.
He had to understand what was really going on, so he had no choice but to stand up and act as a mediator.
"Hey, you old woman, now I say two words to you, and you’re displeased? We’re in front of the Divine Doctor, what’s this, not giving me any face, is it?"
"Alright, alright, Mayor Liu, don’t be anxious. It’s just your sister-in-law voicing a minor complaint, right? And she does take good care of the elderly and the home—it truly is hard work. Although your job is also demanding, I think you should communicate and understand each other better."
"Look at how well the Divine Doctor speaks. Look at you, out of that mouth, never anything good comes out."
At this point, Mayor Liu’s wife turned to leave. After all, with an outsider present, she couldn’t keep making a scene. However, just as she reached the door again, she stopped in her tracks once more.
Seeing this, Liu Zheng felt nervous. Was she coming back for another round of quarreling? The issue they were investigating wasn’t even clear yet, and here they were, caught up in their bickering. Honestly, he found it quite amusing.
"Divine Doctor, I’ve just suddenly thought of something."
"Oh? You’ve thought of something? What is it, sister-in-law? Is it about something that happened during the fair that day?"
"You’ve been asking me if we ate or drank anything at the fair, or if we touched anything. I truly don’t remember any of that, and if I did, the two of us wouldn’t have eaten or drunk anything at the fair. But suddenly, I do remember one thing."
