Even so, An Jing took the initiative to ask, "Auntie, how come you’re here? Aren’t you afraid of being seen by the villagers?"
Aunt Liu Hua gave an awkward smile before responding, "I had no choice, my family sent me to talk to you. An Jing, considering the kindness I’ve shown you in the past, please tell me how you made the black fungus non-poisonous, will you?"
"Of course," An Jing replied without any hesitation, "The method is very simple, just dry the black fungus and it will be non-poisonous."
Aunt Liu Hua was taken aback by An Jing’s straightforwardness, and after snapping back to reality, she burst out angrily, "An Jing! Do you have no conscience at all? Even if you don’t tell me the real antidote, there’s no need to play me with a fake one! Are you trying to poison my whole family to death?"
Clearly, Aunt Liu Hua didn’t believe a word An Jing said about the black fungus becoming non-poisonous simply by drying it.
In the eyes of Aunt Liu Hua, who hadn’t seen much of the world, a remedy for poison must be complicated, definitely not as simple as An Jing had suggested.
An Jingxin sneered inwardly.
She had honestly revealed the method of making black fungus non-poisonous out of gratitude for the two sets of old clothes the elderly woman had given her, considering it repayment for the kind gesture. But the old woman didn’t believe her at all.
Without waiting for An Jing to speak, Aunt Liu Hua continued indignantly, "I really wasted my kindness on you! Had I been kind to a dog, at least the dog would wag its tail at me. And you? Heartless as a wolf or a dog! It’s a good thing heaven has eyes, knowing that you’re merciless, it didn’t allow you to have children! You deserve it!"
With that, Aunt Liu Hua stormed off, sleeves flapping in her wake.
Originally, An Jing felt a sense of fondness for Aunt Liu Hua because of the favor she owed her, but that fondness disappeared without a trace amidst the aunt’s angry accusations.
Humans indeed become quite ugly once they show their true colors.
As for the favor owed for the two sets of old clothes, An Jing had repaid it by telling Aunt Liu Hua how to make the black fungus non-toxic. Whether she believed it or not, that was no longer An Jing’s concern.
Her gaze shifted to her husband, noticing him squinting his eyes, his gaze dangerously fixed on the direction where Aunt Liu Hua had left. An Jing smiled slightly and reached out to hold her husband’s hand.
Her husband immediately diverted his gaze to look at her, and the coldness in his eyes instantly vanished completely.
An Jing was very pleased with her husband’s change of demeanor and said with a smile, "It’s just a mad dog, not worth our attention."
"Hmm," Xiao Changyi nodded slightly and held An Jing’s hand back, their fingers interlocking.
An Jing, smiling, said, "Let’s go clear the land. We have yet to break ground on even one mu, so we need to work harder and at least clear one mu to plant something."
Now being the planting season, it was not possible to clear two mu of land anymore, so they had to make do with just one for the time being.
"Hmm," Xiao Changyi agreed, walking with An Jing toward the mountain.
Along the way, people saw the couple holding hands and deemed it improper, as they had never seen a husband and wife do so before. However, the Xiyun Kingdom had no laws explicitly forbidding spouses from holding hands in broad daylight, so despite the discomfort it caused, no discussions arose.
Moreover, not long ago, Xiao Changyi used to carry An Jing on his back every day, which was much more excessive than merely holding hands.
When Mrs. Xiao Chen arrived at the thatched cottage, she saw that Xiao Changyi and An Jing were not at home. Having made a wasted trip, she left in irritation, planning to come back in the evening.