RoleplayNovel #558 - Poison in the food?
#558 - Poison in the food?
Tang Yin frowned, his mind quickly sorting through the information. Little Mei's story seemed completely different from the long-standing legends of Baifeng Manor. Perhaps it was just a story she'd seen in a picture book, or perhaps it was a product of her wild imagination. But in any case, these scattered pieces of information had nothing in common with the legends of Baifeng Manor.
However, as soon as this thought surfaced, he immediately became alert. Was such a judgment too hasty?
"Who told you this story?" Tang Yin tried to start with this question to understand more details.
Little Mei looked up, her clear eyes staring straight at him: "It really happened." Her tone was firm, without a hint of hesitation.
"Then, where did it happen?"
"A very far place." Little Mei's answer was still short.
"A very far place?" Tang Yin pressed.
"Walked from a very, very far place." The little girl's voice was light, as if telling a distant dream.
Tang Yin sighed in frustration. Obviously, he couldn't get any valuable information from this four-year-old girl. However, a bold idea suddenly flashed through his mind—if this story really happened in some distant mythical world, wouldn't it precisely reveal the unknown truth of the Baifeng Manor legend?
He shook his head violently, laughing at his own whimsy. A mythical world? This idea was too naive and ridiculous.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Yin forced himself to calm down. The most important thing now was to record this information, especially the description of the location, which might be useful in the future.
"Is that so, it must have been difficult?" he said gently, trying to soothe Little Mei's emotions.
"Hungry..." Little Mei suddenly rubbed her little tummy, her voice with a hint of coquetry.
"Yeah, me too, shall we go back?"
"Yeah."
Tang Yin turned around and saw Wang Lina's figure faintly standing in the depths of the thick fog, waving at them. In the swirling mist, her outline seemed particularly blurred.
Just then, Qian Jin's voice came from the cafeteria door: "...Dinner's ready."
He leaned against the door frame, his face pale and his eyes blank. This once high-spirited young man now seemed unusually haggard. The events of the past few days had obviously dealt a heavy blow to this proud man.
Tang Yin looked at him, a trace of sympathy rising in his heart. He could understand Qian Jin's feelings—his only friend, Hua Lu, had now turned into that terrible appearance. What was worse was that, although Qian Jin was outwardly concerned about saving face, everyone could see that he actually relied heavily on Zhao Gang, who was his age.
Speaking of which, Qian Jin had indeed offered many valuable suggestions. Unfortunately, his overly blunt way of expressing them always backfired. In this life-or-death banquet, communication was the most important thing. Even if he made the right suggestions, if he didn't get the support and recognition of other players, it would be in vain.
"I am grateful." Tang Yin nodded slightly, thanking Qian Jin. Although Qian Jin had this or that shortcoming, at least his human identity was beyond doubt. In this dangerous environment, it was best to maintain a good relationship with him.
Under the gloomy sky, the figures of several people slowly moved towards the cafeteria. The thick fog was like a huge net, shrouding all the secrets within.
Inside the dim cafeteria, a faint smell of oily smoke wafted in the air. The fog outside the window seemed even thicker, as if it wanted to swallow the entire building.
"Let's go." Tang Yin said softly, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings warily.
"Okay!" Little Mei responded cheerfully, skipping lightly, a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere.
Wang Lina quickly greeted them, the expression on her face had returned to calm, and she asked gently, "Are you hungry, Little Mei?"
Tang Yin looked at Wang Lina's calm demeanor, and felt a little relieved. He had already told her his analysis and speculations, hoping that this information could help the banquet develop in a favorable direction. Now the most important thing was to replenish their strength and prepare for what might happen next.
Just then, Madam Chen Xiang walked out of the kitchen. She was wearing a slightly faded navy blue cheongsam, holding a steaming pot in her hand, with an apologetic look on her face: "Sorry, there's only this simple meal."
Inside the pot was a pot of murky broth, with various chopped vegetables, scattered grains of rice, and some strangely colored tea-colored meat slices floating in the dark brown soup. A rich aroma seemed to be mixed with a faint fishy smell.
Wang Lina leaned closer to the pot, her eyes lit up: "There's pickled beast meat, is it cooked?"
"Yes, the raw ones can't be eaten anymore." Madam Chen Xiang replied as she began to serve soup to everyone.
"...Wang Lina." Tang Yin lowered his voice, his expression solemn as he called out.
"What do we do?" His voice was almost inaudible.
"...Tang Yin, do you want to eat?" Wang Lina turned her head, her eyes questioning.
Tang Yin's heart tightened. Weren't they not supposed to eat the food here? This sudden change caught him off guard. He was silent for a moment, his eyes wandering between the thick soup and Wang Lina.
"...This time, let me hold on until the last moment." He finally said, his voice with a hint of determination.
"...Okay, thank you." Wang Lina said softly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
Tang Yin suddenly realized the awkwardness in his words—why say "this time"? Would there be a next time? He shook his head secretly, even if there really was a next time, he would never make such a dangerous choice. Avoiding death was always the first priority, this was the rule of survival he had always adhered to.
"I won't go outside, I'll just wait for you here." Tang Yin leaned against the wall, his eyes never leaving Wang Lina.
"Okay."
Madam Chen Xiang walked over with a bowl of soup, asking with concern, "Don't you want to eat a little?"
"Um, actually, I have food allergies." Tang Yin gave an apologetic smile, trying to hide his inner unease.
Granny Rong frowned beside him, her tone slightly reproachful: "...Young people shouldn't be picky eaters, it's not good for your health."
Hearing this, Tang Yin smiled wryly in his heart. Although food allergies were an excuse he had made up on the spot, if he really had allergic symptoms, wouldn't forcing him to eat be tantamount to murder? This reminded him that he seemed to have seen some news about allergen vaccine treatment recently, and he had to investigate it thoroughly after this incident.
He looked at the increasingly thick fog outside the window, and glanced at the empty corridor, it was obviously too dangerous to return to the dormitory alone. Although hunger had begun to torment his stomach, what was this discomfort compared to the unknown danger? It was safer to wait here.
Under the dim yellow light in the room, everyone's shadows were stretched very long, projecting strange shapes on the wall. Tang Yin leaned against the wall, silently watching all this, his mind churning.
The lights in the cafeteria flickered on and off, and Tang Yin suddenly realized that two figures were missing, and frowned slightly: "...Where are Qin Ming and Xiao Mei?"
Wang Lina was intently looking at the stew in front of her, and raised her head when she heard this: "They're still upstairs, probably..."
Madam Chen Xiang put the last bowl of soup on the table, and said gently, "Okay, eat it while it's hot."
Little Mei held up her empty bowl and shouted excitedly, "More!"
Watching this scene, Tang Yin stood up: "I'll go call them downstairs."
The wooden stairs made a slight creaking sound under his feet, and a faint musty smell filled the air. When he reached the corner platform, he suddenly stopped.
A rustling sound came from the depths of the second floor, like someone rummaging through something, mixed with a few suppressed chuckles. Tang Yin was stunned for a moment, and a thought flashed through his mind—in just a few minutes, had their relationship become so intimate?
If that was the case, it would be too insensitive of him to break in rashly. However, dinner was indeed very important, and it was not suitable for the two of them to be alone for too long in this situation. Thinking of this, Tang Yin deliberately coughed as he walked, and his footsteps were particularly heavy.
"Dinner's ready—oh, Qin Ming." He pretended to have stumbled upon them.
Qin Ming turned around abruptly, with a hint of panic on his face: "Ah, hello!"
Gao Mei stood aside with her head lowered, her cheeks flushed, without saying a word.
Tang Yin looked around, the room was in a mess, with various sundries scattered on the ground. He tentatively asked, "Are you looking for something, did you find it?"
"Um, Mom said the new apron was in the attic, we couldn't find it, so we came here to see." Qin Ming's speech was a little faster than usual.
"Is that so..." Tang Yin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Gao Mei suddenly raised her head, her voice a little trembling: "You, you saw it?"
"Huh?"
Qin Ming quickly interjected: "...Um, can you keep this a secret from everyone?"
Tang Yin raised his hands, looking innocent: "Um, to be honest, I really didn't see anything."
"Ah, ah, um." Gao Mei responded stammeringly.
"Could it be that you are in leisure and health?" Tang Yin suddenly showed a teasing smile.
"What do you mean!?" Gao Mei's face instantly turned red.
Tang Yin chuckled dryly: "Ah haha, just kidding, how could you do that kind of thing at this time."
"You, you're not, wrong." Qin Ming's speech began to stutter.
"That's for sure!" Gao Mei glared at Tang Yin angrily.
Looking at the two people's obviously unnatural reactions, Tang Yin secretly shook his head—is this really okay?
"Okay, let's go eat?" He turned to lead the way.
Just then, a piercing crash came from downstairs, echoing throughout the building with a "clang" sound.
"What's wrong!?" Gao Mei exclaimed.
Tang Yin and Qin Ming almost looked at each other at the same time, and the two rushed to the stairs in unison. The scene downstairs stunned everyone.
Qian Jin stood in the center of the cafeteria, his shoulders trembling, his face as pale as paper. At his feet, a large porcelain bowl was shattered, and the thick stew was flowing on the ground, with steam still rising. The broken porcelain pieces reflected Qian Jin's twisted face, as if he had seen something incredible.
The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and everyone's eyes were focused on the shattered tableware and the spilled stew, no one dared to break the eerie silence first.
Tang Yin's eyes moved back and forth between Chen Xiang and the broken bowl. Was this really just because he didn't like the taste? Instinct told him that things were not that simple. The expression on Qian Jin's face had already explained everything—it was fear from the bottom of his heart.
"...W-why are you suddenly so agitated?" Wang Lina's voice trembled slightly. Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, the tense atmosphere in the air had made her uneasy.
Qian Jin's lips were slightly pale, and his voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth: "—Aconite."
Granny Rong frowned, confused: "What do you mean..."
"Aconite! This is aconite! There's aconite in the stew!" Qian Jin suddenly burst out a roar, his voice echoing in the empty cafeteria.
In an instant, everyone's faces changed.
"—Little Mei! Did you eat it!?" Wang Lina turned to the girl next to her abruptly, her voice full of anxiety.
Little Mei was startled by this sudden question, and answered timidly: "Mei...not yet..."
"Is there anyone else who hasn't eaten yet!?" Wang Lina looked around, her voice with undisguised panic.
Tang Yin forced himself to calm down: "W-wait! What's going on...are you sure?"
Qian Jin squatted down, pointing to the scattered vegetable leaves on the ground with trembling fingers: "Look at these half-cooked leaves! They are shiny, the back is not white, and the head is very sharp! The taste is also very different! It's definitely not mugwort or Erlun grass!"
Granny Rong leaned closer to take a look, her face instantly turned pale: "Re-really, this is aconite..."
Qin Ming turned to his mother, his voice with disbelief: "...Did you put wild vegetables, Mom?"
"Yes." Chen Xiang's answer was short and flat, as if she was talking about the weather today.
"Too, too dangerous! If you misread, everyone will be poisoned—" Qin Ming's words were interrupted by Qian Jin before he could finish.
"—Th-this—this woman, wants to kill us—" Qian Jin's voice was full of horror and anger.
Gao Mei tried to ease the tense atmosphere: "Wa-wait! It's just a misunderstanding, right!? Don't say such nasty things..." But her voice became smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared completely into the suffocating silence.
Chen Xiang still stood there, her eyes staring straight at Qian Jin like knives. The corners of her mouth were hung with a faint smile, but her eyes were as cold as ice. This contrast made everyone present feel terrified.
"Yes."
This simple syllable was like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's hearts. This was not just responding to a specific question, but more like a confirmation of something.
Qian Jin took a step back subconsciously, the anger on his face completely replaced by fear. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his legs trembled slightly.
"—Hehe, he..." Chen Xiang suddenly chuckled.
"Mom...?" Qin Ming's voice was full of unease.
"Hehehe, hehehe ah ha ah ha ha ha ha!"
Chen Xiang's laughter escalated from a soft chuckle to a maniacal roar, the piercing sound echoing through the cafeteria. The laughter contained an indescribable madness and distortion, sending chills down the spine. Her once gentle face was completely twisted, her eyes gleaming with a terrifying light.