“What? First place?”
“Almost full marks?”
Qin Guihua and Qin Pan exclaimed in unison. Their first reaction was that the Health Bureau had made a mistake—or that Qin Jiao was joking with them. The whole thing felt unreal.
Yes—unreal.
This could have happened to anyone… except their third child. Back then, just to avoid going to school, she could come up with every trick in the book—stomachaches, toothaches, headaches, even fake emergencies like fires at school or family accidents. Even when Grandma chased her to the classroom with a stick, she could slip away by pretending to need the toilet!
Qin Pan stood stunned.
Qin Guihua felt like she’d seen a ghost.
Noticing a head peeking over the courtyard wall, Qin Jiao lowered her voice. “Grandma, it’s not finalized yet. Don’t tell anyone.”
She had already warned Wang Lifen.
Qin Guihua knew how dangerous jealousy could be. “Alright, don’t worry.”
“By the way, New Year’s is coming soon. Our pumpkins turned out well this year—should I take some to Big Sister?”
Thinking of the meat Qin Ailan had saved up for them, Qin Guihua felt her cheeks had gotten rounder. “Sure. I’ll pack some potatoes and sweet potatoes too. Things in the city cost money.”
The peanut butter Liao Zhixian had brought from Haicheng last time was still unopened. Qin Jiao took it along. Though novel, it wasn’t essential for them.
As expected, such a rare item—one that required queuing even at friendship stores—was highly sought after on the black market. As soon as she took it out, a middle-aged woman bought it for eight yuan. Along with the herbs she had processed recently, she made a total of fourteen yuan and fifty cents that day.
After a moment’s hesitation, she spent eighty cents on two jin of butter biscuits, unable to resist eating two. The ingredients were rich, the biscuits crisp and fragrant. Thinking Grandma and her youngest sister had never tasted them, she went back and bought another two jin, carefully wrapping them in oil paper and hiding them in her basket.
With the New Year approaching, the streets were busier. As Qin Jiao passed the state-owned restaurant, she saw two people—one was Qin Ailan, wearing a patched military coat, and beside her stood a sturdy, honest-looking man.
“Big Sister, Brother-in-law.”
“Ah,” Liu Jiawei replied awkwardly. Though wearing only a thin work uniform, he gently brushed snow off Qin Ailan’s shoulders—both gentle and attentive.
“Are you cold? Let’s go inside,” Ailan said, her hands warm from inside her coat. Qin Jiao pushed them back. “I’m fine. I’m wearing plenty.”
The county steel factory housing consisted of five-story brick buildings—rare in the entire county. The Liu family were true factory workers; multiple family members lived on the same floor, sharing daily life except for sleeping. It seemed lively but often bred conflict.
Qin Jiao, used to rural courtyards, felt uncomfortable. As soon as she entered, she was surrounded and examined.
Though dressed in patched clothes, her bright eyes and tall figure made her stand out.
“Uncle, Aunt.”
Liu’s mother initially wanted to complain about poor relatives visiting, but seeing the biscuits and rural goods, she smiled politely. “Oh, the third son’s sister-in-law is here.”
That title now sounded unpleasant.
So she had guessed right—the Liu family was no good.
Only Liu’s father asked a few polite questions before disappearing.
Ailan quickly brought her into the room. “Ignore them. Change into this jacket.”
The room was small but neat and clean.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Your brother-in-law could’ve picked you up.”
Qin Jiao smiled, enjoying her sister’s concern.
“When will your training results come out?”
“After the New Year.”
“Alright, we’ll keep checking.”
Seeing her sister’s happiness, Qin Jiao felt both relieved and angry.
“Is your health better?”
“Yes. Staying busy helps. I’ve come to terms with things.”
Her complexion had improved.
But as Qin Jiao checked her pulse, something felt wrong.
“Has Brother-in-law been checked?”
“Yes… he’s fine,” Ailan replied awkwardly.
“Having children isn’t just the woman’s responsibility.”
Ailan blushed. “He’s fine.”
Qin Jiao grew serious. “Tell me the truth.”
After some hesitation, Ailan admitted they hadn’t been intimate for months due to his “busy work.”
Qin Jiao’s heart sank.
Then she noticed something strange—Ailan seemed healthy, yet her pulse still showed liver stagnation.
Unless… it was caused artificially.
Just then, Liu Jiawei knocked and entered with medicine.
“These are nourishing pills,” he said.
Qin Jiao smelled them—angelica, chuanxiong, rehmannia… but also ginseng.
On the surface, it looked beneficial.
But for her sister’s condition, excessive tonics were harmful.
Like overinflating a tire ready to burst.
There was an old saying: rhubarb saves lives without credit; ginseng kills without blame.
This wasn’t medicine.
This was harm.
She soon detected cinnamon and aconite—hot herbs completely unsuitable.
Stacked together, they became deadly.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
In her previous life, Ailan hadn’t taken the job. The money from selling it disappeared. Later, Liu Jiawei’s new partner worked at the same restaurant.
This wasn’t coincidence.
This was murder.
Qin Jiao suppressed her anger.
After Liu Jiawei left, she quietly replaced the pills with proper medicine.
“These are for Grandma,” she said calmly.
Ailan nodded.
After staying for a meal, Qin Jiao left—but instead of going home, she headed to Qin Youdi’s village.
“Qin Jiao?” Niu Dagang called.
“Brother-in-law.”
He warmly welcomed her.
Youdi was surprised. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Just came to see you.”
Not fooled, Youdi pressed her.
Once alone, Qin Jiao revealed everything.
Youdi exploded in anger. “That bastard!”
She immediately wanted to confront him.
Qin Jiao stopped her. “We need evidence.”
They needed to catch him in the act.
After discussion, Qin Jiao shared a plan.
Youdi’s expression slowly turned into a grin.
“Well, well… when did you get so clever?”
Qin Jiao smiled faintly.
“Now we just need the right person…”
“Got it!” Youdi clapped her thigh.
“The Zhu family at the village end!”
Qin Jiao’s eyes lit up.
The two sisters leaned together, whispering—
planning a show the Liu family would never forget.