Unfortunately, the Xu family had no idea that Xu Lin had inherited the divine physician skills she'd learned while completing missions across the Planes in this lifetime.
Such petty tricks couldn't harm Xu Lin, but she simply didn't want to drink it just to satisfy them.
So the bowl of chicken soup appeared before Old Mrs. Xu once again. Watching the old woman's nearly twisted face, she smiled with particular delight.
Go on, drink it. Let's see if the old hag can actually swallow it knowing full well there's medicine in the soup.
"Thank you, thank you, Linlin." Old Mrs. Xu ground her teeth in gratitude, thinking to herself, Fine, I just won't drink it. I'll watch this little wretch drink first.
As long as they got her down, wasting a few bowls of chicken soup didn't matter.
With that thought, Old Mrs. Xu's mood calmed considerably.
"Linlin, you can't refuse this bowl again. If you keep passing it up, there won't be any good meat left." Mother Xu placed another bowl of chicken soup before her, urging her to drink.
She even stirred the pot with her ladle a few times, signaling Xu Lin to look—there really wasn't much good meat left.
No lie there!
"Oh, is that so?" Xu Lin smiled with mischief. She could neutralize the sleeping drug, but these people didn't know that.
And even if they ladled it into bowls, would they dare to drink it?
Since they didn't dare, why not let a few more bowls slip through her hands and show what a filial, respectful person she was?
Xu Lin cheerfully placed the bowl in front of Father Xu, indicating she was a dutiful child—good things naturally went to the head of the household.
Father Xu was so moved he nearly vomited blood, yet he couldn't openly refuse, lest Xu Lin catch on.
He could only grit his teeth and signal Mother Xu to continue. Fine, they'd just put the drug in every bowl of soup.
As long as they got her down, it would all be worth it.
Mother Xu, wincing at the waste, ladled out bowl after bowl of chicken soup until every bowl in front of the family was laced with the sleeping drug.
Meanwhile, Xu Kun and Xu Nuan, who knew nothing, had already started eating.
Xu Lin, however, cheerfully picked at her braised pork ribs, showing no intention whatsoever of touching the chicken soup. The three of them broke out in a cold sweat from anxiety.
If this little wretch caught on, would they get off easy?
Xu Kun and Xu Nuan had only taken a few bites of chicken and a couple sips of soup before their heads began to swim and their vision darkened.
Their eyelids drooped uncontrollably, and within five seconds, both had successfully knocked themselves out.
Panicking that Xu Lin might notice something, the three quickly scrambled for excuses.
"They—they're just tired from playing at school. Ha, look how exhausted they are—fell asleep the moment their heads hit the table." Father Xu said.
"Right, right, right. They're just worn out. Oh dear, who knows what they've been up to. At their age, they should be reading more books." Mother Xu chimed in.
Old Mrs. Xu nodded vigorously. Her son and daughter-in-law were absolutely right. She added,
"Right, right, right. It's just exhaustion from studying. Studying tires the brain, and when the brain is overused, it's easy to become dull."
Listen. Just listen to this family—who exactly did they think they were fooling?
Xu Lin rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, continuing to eat.
She needed to cultivate her Special Ability and regulate her body—this was exactly when she needed proper nutrition. With good food on the table, she wasn't about to be polite.
Under the eager, watchful gazes of the three Xus, Xu Lin polished off five bowls of white rice, cleaning out all the ribs and vegetables.
Only when the chicken soup remained did she ask in a languid tone, "You're not drinking this soup?"
"Drink it, drink it! If you like it, have some more." Old Mrs. Xu put on a mask of grandmotherly kindness. "Our Linlin is too skinny. She needs the nourishment."
That's what her mouth said, but her heart was cursing: Glutton! Glutton! She ate five bowls of rice and finished everything we cooked!
Didn't even leave a single rib for us. She must be a starving ghost reincarnated.
At the thought of a starving ghost, Old Mrs. Xu's face paled a few shades more. Could she really be a starving ghost reborn?
Or possessed by one, which was why no matter how much she ate, it was never enough?
If so, could the three of them possibly be a match for a starving ghost?
Old Mrs. Xu felt the Talisman in her pocket and found it less reassuring than before. She immediately leaned in to whisper something in Father Xu's ear.
She thought her voice was barely audible, but she didn't know that Xu Lin, with her sharp ears and keen eyes, heard every word clearly.
Father Xu paid no attention to what his old mother said. His gaze was fixed on Xu Lin's movements, and when he saw her start drinking the chicken soup, he felt reassured.
As long as she went down, there was nothing to fear.
But soon, the three of them were dumbfounded. Wait—what was going on here?
Why had she finished an entire bowl of chicken soup and was still sitting there perfectly fine?
When they saw Xu Lin take away all the bowls of soup from in front of them, the three were even more shocked.
Holy crap. Holy crap. No way. No way. She's still eating!
If this girl kept living in their house, would she eat them out of house and home?
No wait—once they broke her arms and legs, how much food they gave this little wretch would be entirely up to them.
Right. That was the way to think.
The three exchanged glances, waiting in silence for Xu Lin to pass out.
But they waited and waited, hoped and prayed. The entire pot of chicken soup was gone, and Xu Lin was still as energetic as ever.
If the drug didn't work, then why were the other two still lying in the other room?
If it did work, then why was this one in front of them so full of energy?
Could it be…!
All three of them were stunned. Father Xu pointed at Xu Lin with a trembling hand and demanded, "You, you, you—you knew all along, didn't you?"
"That's right, I knew all along." Xu Lin set down her bowl, elegantly wiping the grease from the corner of her mouth, her peach-blossom eyes half-lidded.
That look—Father Xu and the other two knew it all too well. It was the expression Xu Lin wore right before she made her move. It was over, over!
With a yelp, the three of them turned to run, but how could their speed possibly compare to Xu Lin's?
Having eaten and drunk her fill, she needed to get some exercise—otherwise, she might put on a belly.
Xu Lin took all three of them down, pinning them to the floor of the main hall and giving them a thorough beating.
After she was done, Xu Lin sat down in a chair and looked down at them from above. "If you had the guts to swap children, then you'd better be prepared to face the consequences."
Her blunt words wiped away the last shred of hope in their hearts, and their minds trembled like sieves.
"You, you—" Father Xu wanted to deny it, but meeting Xu Lin's cold, eerie gaze, he knew full well that no amount of excuses would do any good.
In the end, Father Xu could only slowly sit up and, in a nearly pleading tone, said, "Linlin, I'm sorry. We didn't want to swap the children either. As parents, who doesn't love their own child? It's just… it's just…"
Father Xu's eyes reddened as he began his performance.
Old Mrs. Xu, being his mother through and through, rolled her eyes once and understood her son's plan, immediately chiming in.
Old Mrs. Xu said with reddened eyes, "Linlin, don't blame your father and mother. They had no choice. It's just… sigh, it's just…"
Just what? Old Mrs. Xu didn't say, nor did she know how to say it. She needed to hear how her good son would spin it before she could chime in.
Mother Xu, her head aching and empty, still hadn't reacted, wiping her tears as she secretly seethed, cursing the old hag for being useless. She couldn't even buy the right medicine—why hadn't that little wench collapsed after eating so much?
It seemed that now, it was all up to her.