Listening to the diners' discussions, Tao Lengshuang's heart sank further. The situation was truly dire.
The current rulers were only concerned with their own pleasure, completely disregarding the well-being of those below them. This led to rampant corruption, increased taxes, and soaring grain prices.
This had no impact on those in power, but for ordinary people like her, who lacked money and resources, it had a significant effect.
Furthermore, she doubted she could stockpile much in the way of supplies.
From what the diners said, hoarding supplies would lead to arrest.
She needed to find a way to stockpile as much as possible.
After finishing her meal, Tao Lengshuang, holding Xiao Feng's hand, went to the grain shop to buy what she needed.
As she passed the bookstore, she paused, but ultimately decided against going in to look for books on law.
It wasn't convenient with a child, and law books couldn't be understood in a short time.
The mother and son found a reasonably priced grain shop in a more remote area and bought about ten catties of coarse rice and flour, along with necessary seasonings.
Afterward, they bought other daily necessities.
In total, it cost a little over two taels of silver.
Carrying large bags, the mother and son, hand in hand, arrived at the agreed-upon meeting spot and saw Aunt Shen Er and her son already waiting.
"Oh, you bought so much?" Aunt Shen Er and her son helped load the items onto the ox cart.
The four then boarded the ox cart and headed back to the village.
Aunt Shen Er inadvertently noticed Tao Lengshuang's injured finger and asked what had happened.
Tao Lengshuang simply said she had accidentally scraped it, not mentioning that Xiao Feng had almost been abducted.
Aunt Shen Er didn't pry further. She had her son drive the ox cart to Tao Lengshuang's doorstep and then took her own husband home.
As the three reached their doorstep, some familiar villagers arrived.
"Aunt Shen Er, how can you be so close to Tao Lengshuang's family?"
The middle-aged woman glanced around and whispered, "Don't you know the village chief wants us to isolate their family? I heard it was yesterday's incident that angered the village chief."
Aunt Shen Er's brow twitched. She feigned surprise and asked, "What happened? Didn't we hear that the village chief and the others were suffering from severe itching?"
"Ah, you know, the Mo family saved my grandson, that's why I'm being nice to her family."
The middle-aged woman also knew this and reminded her, "I don't know what happened, but after the village chief gave everyone in the village some medicine mixed with water, the itching stopped."
"The village chief has been domineering in our village for years, he can't tolerate someone like Tao Lengshuang. He explicitly ordered her isolation, saying he wouldn't rest until she was driven out of the village.
Oh, right, the Tao family has moved into Tao Lengshuang's old dilapidated house, and you can hear Yu Shi and the others cursing Tao Lengshuang from far away."
Aunt Shen Er expressed her thanks repeatedly.
After seeing the villager off, she and Uncle Shen returned home, planning to sneak over to Tao Lengshuang's that evening.
...
Meanwhile.
Mo Lingxi, having learned from Xiao Feng that he had almost been abducted, confronted Tao Lengshuang.
"I warned you."
He fiercely pinched Tao Lengshuang's face, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "I don't care what trouble you get into, but if anything happens to Xiao Feng, I'll take your life."
Tao Lengshuang's face hurt from the pinch. She forcefully pushed him away and angrily retorted, "Are you sick?"
"On what grounds do you assume I'm the cause of the trouble? Xiao Feng and I have always stayed in the village. As for you, you know very well what you've done."
Mo Lingxi's gaze was fierce. "I'll say it one last time: stay away from Xiao Feng from now on."
Tao Lengshuang was so angry she laughed. She quickly took out a packet of poison. "Xiao Feng is my son too."
"And if you continue like this, I'll poison you in minutes, do you believe me?"
Mo Lingxi couldn't be sure if she really had poison, but considering the events with the villagers, she likely possessed some defensive powder.
"Stay away from Xiao Feng. He doesn't need a mother like you."
"How ridiculous. What Xiao Feng doesn't need is a father like you, who brings him endless trouble!"
Seeing Mo Lingxi's eyes flash with killing intent, Tao Lengshuang took two steps back, looking as if she would sprinkle poison at any moment. "Don't forget, you still need me to completely detoxify you."
Mo Lingxi sneered. "I have the prescription."
"Having the prescription doesn't mean you can be completely detoxified."
Tao Lengshuang's words gave Mo Lingxi a bad premonition. "What do you mean by that?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"What do I mean? Do you think drinking medicine alone will detoxify you? Without my special acupuncture technique, it's impossible for you to be detoxified."
"You're really something!"
Tao Lengshuang slightly raised her head, hands on her hips, and snorted. "That's right. I'm not stupid, how could I not keep a trump card?"
Originally, she had intended to help Mo Lingxi detoxify, but not with his current attitude.
Mo Lingxi's fists clenched, making cracking sounds. He grew increasingly annoyed with her. "I hope you don't use these schemes on anything else, otherwise..."
Tao Lengshuang understood the unspoken threat. She rolled her eyes. "I call this being smart, not scheming."
"Also, please stop treating me like a spy. If it weren't for what you've done, would I be acting like this?"
Mo Lingxi still harbored suspicions about her. He would investigate Tao Lengshuang's true intentions and identity to see what tricks she was playing.
"Detoxify me," he said, lying down on the kang.
Tao Lengshuang really wanted to stab him to death with a silver needle. "Just because you ask me to detoxify you, does that mean I have to?"
"I'm in a bad mood right now and don't want to detoxify you."
Mo Lingxi, needing her help, gritted his teeth. "What do you want to make your mood better?"
Seeing his demeanor, Tao Lengshuang felt instantly pleased and said with a smile, "That depends on how you behave."
"If I'm in a good mood, I'll help you detoxify. If I'm in a bad mood, I can't."
Mo Lingxi's handsome face darkened, and his gaze towards her was unfriendly. "Tell me your conditions."
His dark guards might not know that kind of acupuncture technique.
Furthermore, if the acupuncture went wrong, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Tao Lengshuang initially wanted to say she hadn't thought of anything, but then she remembered her need for books on law. In this era, buying books was a significant expense.
"I need a complete set of books on law. If you can get them for me, I'll perform the acupuncture for you today."
Mo Lingxi suspected her motives for wanting law books but didn't expose it. "I'll get them for you tonight."
"Then I'll perform the acupuncture for you tonight."
Tao Lengshuang went to the kitchen to prepare a slimming meal, thinking of selling such meals in town another day.
Before the chaos of war truly arrived, she wanted to earn more money and stockpile more supplies, just in case.
...
As dusk settled, Aunt Shen Er arrived stealthily.
"Mo family!"
Aunt Shen Er pulled Tao Lengshuang aside and whispered about the village chief isolating their family, asking her to think of a solution.
If they were truly isolated by the villagers, it would bring many consequences.
Tao Lengshuang's eyes darkened when she heard that the village chief had given the villagers a medicine that cured their itching.