Chapter 11: Tian Zhaodi’s Unusual Behavior

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As the villagers dispersed, the uproar was replaced by hushed, rustling conversations, everyone gossiping about who in the village might have been injured by the poisonous weeds.

Tian Zhaodi mingled with the crowd, walking as if in a daze, her mind filled with everything she had just heard. Tong Chuxue had spoken with such certainty that Zhaodi could not help but believe her. Besides, even if Tong Chuxue had exaggerated the truth, how could she afford to take the chance?

With that thought, Tian Zhaodi quickened her pace toward home. Nothing else mattered now. She had to get back as soon as possible.

Faster. She had to go faster!

“Why are you rushing home as if you’re trying to be reborn? You’ve run into someone!” the woman she had bumped into shouted at her retreating back.

Tian Zhaodi acted as though she had not heard and continued on without looking back.

The people nearby found it strange. “What’s gotten into her today? Could she be the one who stole Xu Jinniang’s silver? She’s acting awfully guilty.”

Tian Zhaodi had no mind to care what anyone thought. The village had summoned everyone that day, and nearly the entire Tong family had gone out, leaving only Old Madam Tong and a few children at home.

The moment she entered, she hurriedly began searching for someone. “Mother, where’s Xiaofei?”

“What are you shouting for? Can’t you see I’m busy?” Old Madam Tong came out of the room, dragging Tong Zhifei by the hand. The boy’s face was pale, his head drooping, and his movements weak.

Tian Zhaodi’s heart ached at the sight. She quickly gathered her son into her arms and coaxed him gently. “My poor boy, what’s wrong?”

At that, Old Madam Tong grew furious. “You call yourself his mother, yet instead of staying home to look after your child, you have to rush out whenever there’s something happening. You can’t do the housework properly, and you can’t even take care of your own child!”

Tian Zhaodi stroked her son’s head. He had no fever. She asked again, “Mother, what happened to Xiaofei?”

“When you went out earlier, why didn’t you think about your own son? Now you remember to ask.” Old Madam Tong spoke sourly. “Xiaofei vomited whenever he ate anything today. I fed him an egg, and he threw up every bite. Now even a sip of water comes right back up. He can’t keep anything down.”

Seeing how deathly pale Tong Zhifei looked, Tian Zhaodi was filled with anguish. “Xiaofei, don’t be afraid. Mother will take you to see a doctor.”

Tong Zhifei was, after all, the Tong family’s only grandson, and Old Madam Tong cared deeply for him. While Tian Zhaodi had been away, she had already taken him to the village barefoot doctor, who had said it was nothing serious.

“That’s enough. Old Li examined him and said children’s stomachs are delicate and easily upset,” Old Madam Tong said.

But after hearing Tong Chuxue’s warning, Tian Zhaodi no longer dared believe the village doctor’s diagnosis. She also knew that since Old Madam Tong had already taken Xiaofei to be examined, she would never agree to let Zhaodi take him to the town for treatment without a great deal of persuasion.

For the moment, Tian Zhaodi did not know what else to do. She could only hold Tong Zhifei tightly and soothe him in a quiet voice.

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At noon, Tong Zhifei did not eat because of his condition. He managed only two sips of soup, but before long, he vomited those up as well.

By nightfall, Tian Zhaodi’s heart had twisted itself into a knot. First, she coaxed Tong Zhifei to sleep. Then she shut the door and pulled Tong Qingxiao close.

Outside, Zou Hongping noticed that the lights in the second branch’s room had already gone out and said in surprise, “The second branch is going to bed this early? That’s unusual.”

Inside the second branch’s room.

Tong Qingxiao had felt that Tian Zhaodi’s behavior was strange all day, and he could not help asking, “It isn’t even that late. Why are you getting ready to sleep already? Xiaofei’s autumn clothes haven’t even been started.”

Tian Zhaodi moved closer to him and said in a low voice, “Head of the household, I want to discuss something with you.”

“What is it?” Tong Qingxiao asked.

“I want to take Xiaofei back to my mother’s home for a visit.” Half her body leaned against Tong Qingxiao’s. In the darkness, her voice sounded especially clear. “The few girls in my family were already pregnant the last time I saw them. They must have given birth by now, and I want to go see them.”

Tong Qingxiao was not very approving. “They aren’t even your own sisters. Besides, even if they’ve had children, their husbands’ families will take care of them. What would you be going there for?”

What was more, a married woman who constantly ran back to her parents’ home was bound to become the subject of gossip.

The Tong family had never been well-off. A visit home would inevitably involve the exchange of gifts and favors, which meant spending money. Their own lives were already painfully hard. How could they spare anything to concern themselves with their cousins?

Tian Zhaodi pressed closer to Tong Qingxiao. “I know what things are like at home. I’m only going to visit this time, and I’ll go with my mother, so there won’t be any need for gifts or favors. The sisters and I grew up playing together, but after we married, we hardly ever had a chance to meet. If I set out early in the morning, I can make the journey there and back in a single day.”

Her mother’s home was not in Qingshan Village. Though she claimed she could go and return in one day, in reality, the journey would take her from dawn until nightfall.

Tong Qingxiao frowned, clear displeasure in his voice. “Xiaofei isn’t well, and you still want to take him back to your mother’s home. If you truly want to go, then go alone. Xiaofei stays here.”

Tian Zhaodi grew anxious. Returning to her mother’s home was merely an excuse. When she had coaxed Xiaofei to sleep earlier, she had seen several scratches on his lower leg, apparently caused by grass. And after vomiting all day, she could not possibly disregard her child’s life.

“Head of the household, Old Li in the village said Xiaofei is fine, but look at him. He still couldn’t eat at noon or tonight. I actually want to take him to a doctor in our village for another examination,” Tian Zhaodi said.

As Xiaofei’s father, Tong Qingxiao naturally cared for his son as well. “Xiaofei’s condition is already improving. He can’t eat, but he drank a few sips of water tonight and didn’t vomit afterward. Perhaps he’ll recover in a few days. If you drag him around for an entire day now, you could make him ill even if nothing is seriously wrong.”

Tian Zhaodi could not listen to a word of it. She had already made up her mind to take Xiaofei away.

“I don’t care. Even if you refuse, I’m taking Xiaofei with me!”

Her resolute tone angered Tong Qingxiao. “Have you lost your mind in the middle of the night? Go to sleep!”

Tian Zhaodi stiffened her neck and answered just as firmly, “I’m taking Xiaofei away tomorrow!”

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“Go ahead and try!” Tong Qingxiao roared. He struck the bedpost, and the loud noise startled Xiaofei awake.

The child had been weak from going hungry all day. Woken without cause, he felt terribly wronged and began to wail.

The disturbance roused not only the people in the second branch’s room, but the entire Tong family.

Old Madam Tong was the first to arrive. The moment she entered, she began cursing. “Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour? What are you making such a racket for?” Then she took Xiaofei into her arms. “My precious grandson, don’t cry. Grandma will sleep with you tonight.”

Tong Qingxiao explained, “Mother, I wasn’t the one making the noise. I don’t know what’s gotten into Zhaodi, but she insists on taking Xiaofei back to her mother’s home.”

Tian Zhaodi gritted her teeth. “Mother, I’m worried about Xiaofei’s health. I want to take him back to our village and have our doctor examine him.”

Although she was doing it for Tong Zhifei’s sake, in Old Madam Tong’s eyes, Tian Zhaodi was simply putting her mother’s family before the Tong family. She would never agree.

“Old Li has already examined Xiaofei. If you’re truly worried, wait until tomorrow and see how he is. If his condition worsens, then we’ll talk.”

But Tian Zhaodi was unwilling to wait even a moment. She pleaded, “Mother, just for one day. Please let me go home for one day!”

A glint flashed through Zou Hongping’s eyes. She spoke slowly and calmly. “Sister-in-law, the doctor already said that children’s stomachs are delicate, and occasional trouble is normal. Mother is right. We should wait and see. If something really is wrong with Xiaofei, we can send him straight to the town clinic. The doctors there are certainly better than the village doctor.”

Old Madam Tong nodded repeatedly. “Your eldest sister-in-law is right. If there’s a problem, we’ll send him to the town clinic.”

Tian Zhaodi lowered her head and looked at her sickly son. In a murmur, she said, “I’m only afraid that by then, it will already be too late…”

“What did you just say, sister-in-law? What do you mean, too late?” Zou Hongping walked over to Tian Zhaodi and asked with concern, “Xiaofei’s complexion clearly looks a little better tonight. Why are you so determined to drag the child around? Or is there some reason you haven’t told us?”

Though the members of the Tong family were all farmers, they possessed at least a basic ability to judge a situation. And Tian Zhaodi’s behavior that night had been so abnormal that they were beginning to understand something was wrong.

“What exactly is going on?” Old Madam Tong’s tone turned stern.

By then, Tian Zhaodi knew she could no longer hide it. Clutching the hem of her clothes, she raised her eyes beneath Old Madam Tong’s scrutinizing gaze and forced the words out with difficulty.

“Xiaofei has been poisoned.”

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