[System binding complete.]
Hearing the voice beside his ear, a transparent panel appeared before Chen Jie.
[Daily intelligence updated (Level 1)]
[1. Yesterday, you gambled with dice at Yu's Treasure House and obtained intelligence, "The dice at Yu's Treasure House are loaded with mercury, allowing the opponent to control the outcomes at will."]
[2. Yesterday, as you passed the back mountain, you obtained intelligence, "This morning, a rabbit died by crashing into a locust tree in Black Bear Gully."]
[3. Having seen Lai San yesterday, you obtained intelligence, "Young Master San Liu from Yu's Treasure House has taken a fancy to your wife and is conspiring with Ma Liu to trick you into the gambling house and win over Su Yunjin."]
[4. Today, you saw Su Yunrui and obtained intelligence, "Su Yunrui is very frightened of you. She had a nightmare last night of you beating her sister and yet dared not cry out."]
[5. Today, you met Su Yunjin and obtained intelligence, "Su Yunjin has resolved to die, having traded the hairpin left by her mother for a packet of arsenic and a catty of rice three days ago."]
Looking at the transparent panel before him, Chen Jie swallowed hard.
He looked up and saw Su Yunjin, who was watching him. To his surprise, her gaze started to flicker away, not daring to meet his.
Arsenic!
Chen Jie's mind flashed back to the last piece of intelligence about arsenic.
Wasn't it in this bowl of porridge?
Chen Jie slowly set down the bowl of porridge, then looked at Su Yunjin and said, "Wife, wife, I remember we couldn't even afford sorghum rice at home. Where did this rice come from?"
Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin's expression paused.
"I pawned my hairpin. You were right, we couldn't afford to eat, so what use was that broken hairpin..."
Su Yunjin lowered her head as she spoke, her face not clearly visible.
Chen Jie recalled that, in desperation from gambling losses, he had once eyed Su Yunjin's hairpin. But back then, Su Yunjin would rather take a beating than give it to Chen Jie because that hairpin was the only keepsake from her mother.
But now, she had pawned the hairpin for arsenic. How desperate must she have been to do this!
Chen Jie spoke again, "With that hairpin, you only got this bit of white rice? Didn't get anything else?"
Su Yunjin's expression froze, and she replied somewhat panic-stricken, "No, nothing else."
"Really? I seem to have heard that you also bought a packet of arsenic?"
"Wife, you didn't poison this porridge, did you?"
Boom!
Chen Jie's words exploded in Su Yunjin's mind. How did he know!
No, it couldn't be!
At that moment, Su Yunjin began to tremble slightly, a sign of extreme fear. Seeing Su Yunjin's reaction, Chen Jie confirmed that the porridge indeed must be poisoned!
Chen Jie thought to himself when he suddenly saw Su Yunjin lift her head, her eyes filled with despair.
Her plan had failed, so easily failed.
She was now completely cornered!
Yesterday, Chen Jie lost the family's last three mu of good land, the family's last hope. Then he even considered selling his sister into a brothel. That kind of place would ruin her sister's life forever.
She had married Chen Jiusi, a brute, and her life was already ruined, but she didn't want her sister's life to be destroyed too.
Her life was already like this, but her sister was still young and deserved a better future.
She couldn't let this scumbag ruin her sister's life.
But she couldn't beat this scumbag, nor escape his control. She couldn't just watch as Chen Jie destroyed her sister.
So, she thought of the arsenic she had bought, which was meant for herself, but now she had to kill this scumbag first.
But everything had been exposed, and her life would never be bright again.
She could imagine that what would come next was surely a cruel beating from Chen Jie, maybe even to death. As for Ruirui, she was afraid she would be sold to a brothel, becoming someone else's plaything, living like a dog.
No, no!
Suddenly, a deranged look appeared in Su Yunjin's eyes, and she snatched up the white rice porridge by Chen Jie and roared, "Ruirui, eat the porridge quickly!"
After saying that, she opened her mouth, intending to gulp down the porridge.
Since she couldn't poison this beast, she would poison herself; she had had enough of this life and didn't want to live anymore.
Maybe after she died, there would be no beatings, no curses.
Upon hearing Su Yunjin's words, Su Yunrui looked at Chen Jie with alarm and grabbed the spoon inside the clay pot.
Seeing this, Chen Jie bellowed, "Put it down, do not eat!"
Then, he knocked the bowl of porridge out of Su Yunjin's hands onto the ground, which greatly alarmed her. But at that moment, Chen Jie pounced towards Su Yunrui, who was about to bring a big spoonful of porridge to her mouth.
Chen Jie was shocked; if she ate it, she would be poisoned on the spot.
Su Yunjin, seeing the shattered bowl on the floor, went mad. You beat me when I'm alive, and now you won't even let me die, what do you want?
Then, seeing Chen Jie preventing Su Yunrui from eating the porridge, she didn't know where she got the strength but she charged at Chen Jie, wrapping her arms around his waist, shouting, "Ruirui, eat, eat quickly!"
As she said this, tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.
She absolutely couldn't watch her sister being sold into a brothel. If push came to shove, she would rather let her sister die!
Better to be dead, then they could be free from this filthy world, free from this devil.
"Ruirui, eat, eat quickly!"
Su Yunjin, crazed, clung to Chen Jie. In his panic, Chen Jie shouted at Daisy, "Do not eat, put down the spoon!"
"Chen Jiusi, what the hell do you want!"
By this time, Su Yunjin couldn't hold back anymore, and she howled at Chen Jie.
Caught by surprise, Chen Jie froze. Then Su Yunjin began wailing hysterically, "What do you want, what do you want us to do, I'm begging you, let us die, let us die!"
"Let us die! Wuuu..."
Su Yunjin collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and Chen Jie was also frozen, unsure how to respond.
Daisy, looking at her crying sister and then at her own spoon, threw it down with a wail and cried, "Wuuu, brother-in-law, Ruirui won't eat anymore, please don't beat my sister, please don't beat my sister, Ruirui will listen to you, Ruirui will listen to everything you say, wuuu..."
Suddenly, the room was filled with crying, and listening to the sobbing around him, a wave of pity rose in Chen Jie's heart.
Look what you've driven these sisters to.
"Sigh~"
Chen Jie sighed internally, knowing that since this situation had begun with his predecessor, and now that he had taken his place, it was up to him to resolve it. It was said that the person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.
Thinking so, Chen Jie looked down at Su Yunjin, who was limp on the ground, unable to cry properly, and saw that this lady, who should have been graceful and well-educated, had been tortured by his predecessor until she practically shed her skin.
The predecessor truly deserved to die!
With a thought in mind, Chen Jie sighed again, deciding to comfort this woman,
Not for any other reason, but for that faint feeling of pity in his heart...
He reached out to stroke her hair, and facing her puzzled gaze, he said:
"Stop crying!"