Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

"He killed my mother!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Cheng Yuntao's eyes widened instantly. She still had the cold shrimp in her mouth and forgot to swallow it for a moment.

Shen Shulan's breathing became rapid, his chest heaving slightly, and his clenched fists turned white, as if he was trying hard to suppress the emotions surging like a tide in his heart.

A faint red appeared in her starry eyes, and tears were swirling stubbornly in her eye sockets.

She tilted her head back, trying to hold back her tears, but her tightly bitten lower lip and slightly trembling jaw revealed her inner fragility.

The breeze that came in through the gap gently brushed her clothes, but it could not blow away the sadness and resentment that permeated her body.

"It had only been two days since I returned to the mansion when my mother began to grow weak. At first, I thought she was just ill and would be fine with prompt medical treatment."

"But many doctors and physicians came and went, but none of them could find the cause of her illness. I could only watch helplessly as my mother became more and more haggard day by day."

Shen Shulan looked dejected. Whenever she recalled her mother's pale face, she felt a pain in her heart.

The feeling of seeing your loved ones in pain and being unable to do anything is really frustrating.

"My father never doted on my mother to begin with. He only elevated her position because she gave birth to a son. Now that there's no cure, he's too lazy to even bother. He's simply ordered the closure of the villa where my mother is staying, intending to leave her to die inside!"

"What's even more ridiculous is that he doesn't allow me to serve my mother personally, saying that I might pass on my illness to her. He ordered me to stay away from her. I can only sneak in to take a look at her every night when it's dark."

"Aniang's health deteriorated day by day, and she finally became emaciated... I suddenly realized that this was no accidental illness, but more like some kind of special poison."

The cold shrimp was smooth and refreshing, and rolled down her throat by itself. Cheng Yuntao finally found a gap and spoke subconsciously.

"Then...is there a way to find the antidote in time?"

Cheng Yuntao closed her eyes in annoyance as soon as she finished speaking. Shen Shulan had already told her the news of her mother's death, but she actually asked such a stupid question.

If there really was an antidote, how could it have ended up in such a tragic way?

"We've found the antidote."

Cheng Yuntao blinked and raised her head in surprise.

"It's too late."

In just two sentences, all hope was extinguished.

"When I realized that my mother might have been poisoned, I immediately identified the person who did it. I'm afraid there's no one else who could do such a cruel thing except my second brother Shen Linfeng."

"But I didn't expect him to be so bold and presumptuous that he would actually attack right inside the mansion! And he was so shameless as to implicate an innocent woman!"

"I know this is his way of warning me. He knows I'm not as quiet as I appear to be, so he wants to intimidate me and make me stay away and not try to investigate anything related to him."

"I was lucky enough to save my life, but Shen Linfeng then changed his target and used my mother's life to teach me a lesson."

Shen Shulan raised the bowl and drank the remaining cold shrimp in it, as if this could barely extinguish her inner anxiety at the moment.

"When I found him, he acted as if he had anticipated this and pretended to be a friendly and respectful brother. He was truly hypocritical!"

"I don't have direct evidence to prove he was involved in my mother's poisoning. I can only humbly beg him to help save my mother."

"He first offered me some false comfort, then recommended a doctor to me, and finally told me a story before I left."

"Do you know what story he told?"

When he heard the crucial point, Cheng Yuntao couldn't help but straighten his back a little. He sat upright and looked at Shen Shulan with a nervous expression.

"what story?"

Shen Shulan stretched out her hand and moved closer to the fire, as if this could dispel the chill in her heart.

"He told me that his father's zoo was very interesting, with both ferocious tigers and weak and kind deer."

"In a zoo, whether a tiger eats a deer depends entirely on its mood. If a deer is foolish enough to go near a tiger, it's perfectly normal for its throat to be bitten."

"A smart deer should know how to find a secluded patch of grass to graze on, and hide when a tiger comes."

Cheng Yuntao bit her lip. The direction of this story was too obvious.

"I was anxious to go back and save my mother, so I didn't say much to him and left in a hurry with the doctor."

"The doctor he recommended prescribed some medicine for my mother, and after she took it, her health condition did improve a lot."

"Just when I thought this matter could be undone, my mother suddenly died in the middle of the night. When I saw her, her whole body was stiff."

Cheng Yuntao didn't know what to say at this moment, so she could only silently reach out and stroke the back of Shen Shulan's hand.

A smile played on Shen Shulan's lips, with a hint of bitterness and self-mockery. The laughter escaped from her throat, softly, like a lingering bell swaying in the night wind, as if she wanted to pour out all the sadness in her heart into this laughter.

And the eye sockets became redder and redder in the laughter, just like autumn water dyed by the sunset glow. Tears gathered in the corners of the eyes, and finally slid down the cheeks with the trembling laughter.

Tears and smiles intertwined on her face, her shoulders trembled slightly, and finally she dropped her head in a somewhat collapsed manner.

Cheng Yuntao didn't care about anything else, and hurried forward to embrace Shen Shulan in her arms: "Sister Shen, if you are sad, just cry, don't hold it in, I am here with you."

After sobbing softly, Shen Shulan was silent for a moment, then quickly adjusted his state and sat up straight: "Thank you, Yuntao."

Cheng Yuntao took Shen Shulan's arm and sat down. The two of them snuggled together shoulder to shoulder, feeling warmer.

Shen Shulan did not resist her approach, but curled up his fingers unconsciously.

"For the past few days, I have been thinking, am I really going to be like Shen Linfeng said, living in seclusion in a corner and living a miserable life?"

"No! I won't let him have his wish!"

"Isn't the position of city lord what Shen Linfeng is expending all his energy on? He thinks that by killing his eldest brother and bullying his other brothers, he is the most suitable heir and can sit firmly in that position."

"I used to be unenthusiastic about competing for the city lord position, but now, whether for myself or my mother, I have to pull myself together and fight for it!"

"Yun Tao, do you think I'm dreaming?"