The next day.
The third day of the Lunar New Year.
Lu Ming was busy in the kitchen early in the morning, the clanging and banging suggesting he was preparing something special.
Su Wanran was woken up and came downstairs, rubbing her eyes. With a touch of morning grumpiness, she asked, "Lu Ming, why are you making so much noise early in the morning and not letting people sleep?"
She then saw Lu Ming approaching with a pot. He placed it on the dining table and opened it, revealing a verdant liquid.
"What... what is this?" Su Wanran asked nervously, "Lu Ming, you're not trying to make poison, are you?"
Lu Ming smiled, filling a bottle as he explained, "This isn't poison, it's a medicine for longevity. I'm going to give it to the Old Madam as a gift."
A gift?
Mentioning this, Su Wanran's expression turned grim.
If Lu Ming's suspicions were true, that Su Wanran and Jiang Mengxin were targeted due to the collusion of Su Ru and the Fan family, then the Old Madam was certainly involved.
The thought made Su Wanran quite unhappy.
She had no intention of visiting the Old Madam to pay her New Year's respects this year. Out of sight, out of mind.
Lu Ming finished filling a bottle with the green liquid and said, "Didn't the Old Madam ask me to exorcise her? The last time wasn't thorough enough, so I'll go and exorcise her again today!"
While the words were polite, they felt strangely off.
Su Wanran asked, "Lu Ming, tell me the truth, what exactly are you planning to do?"
Lu Ming put away the bottle and quoted an old saying, "The kind are bullied, the good are ridden!"
Su Wanran didn't understand.
Lu Ming explained, "We've always been too polite to the Old Madam. While she's an elder, it doesn't mean she can do whatever she pleases! We can tolerate minor issues, but can we tolerate her trying to take your life?"
Su Wanran was startled. Looking at the green liquid in Lu Ming's hand, she said, "You want to poison the Old Madam with this? That... that might not be a good idea, right?"
Lu Ming smiled.
Poisoning?
That seemed too crude. Besides, no matter how much she had wronged them, the Old Madam was still Su Wanran's grandmother. One couldn't just kill her.
Lu Ming said, "Don't worry, I won't harm her. I just want to give her a warning, to let her know we're not to be trifled with!"
With that said.
Lu Ming gathered his things and said, "Let's go, we'll head to the main family together."
At Lu Ming's insistence, Su Wanran, albeit very reluctantly, followed him to the main family to see the Old Madam and Su Ru.
At the same time.
In the Su family's main residence.
The Old Madam, Shen Dianlan, was sitting on the living room sofa, watching television and chuckling, "Did you hear? There was quite a commotion yesterday, Fan Xiang is dead."
Su Ru chuckled, "He deserved it. It would have been fine if he had just killed Jiang Mengxin and left. But he had to get greedy and planned to kill her after he had his way, which gave Lu Ming an opportunity. But it's good this way. With Fan Xiang dead, Lu Ming has definitely made an enemy of the Fan family. Soon, Fan Xiaoyun will be desperate to kill Lu Ming herself without me even having to urge her."
As they were chatting, the butler walked in and said, "Old Madam, Su Wanran and Lu Ming are here."
What?
Shen Dianlan shot up from her seat, a hint of panic in her expression.
Yesterday, she had feigned possession to lure them away, putting Jiang Mengxin and Su Wanran in danger. Now that Lu Ming and Su Wanran were here, they were surely here to demand an explanation.
What should she do?
Even though Shen Dianlan was the elder, she was flustered by her guilty conscience.
Su Ru, on the other hand, was much calmer. She unhurriedly took out an apple, peeled it, and said, "They have no proof that we colluded with the Fan family. No matter what they say, we deny it. We'll play dumb and see what they can do."
"Right, right, we'll play dumb!" Shen Dianlan sat back down and waved her hand, "Let them in."
A moment later, the two entered.
Shen Dianlan's heart was pounding, her gaze evasive, avoiding eye contact with them.
However...
Contrary to her expectations, neither of them appeared angry. In fact, they were all smiles.
They weren't here to demand answers?
Shen Dianlan tentatively asked, "Wanran, Lu Ming, what brings you here so early in the morning...?"
Lu Ming smiled faintly, "Old Madam, today is the third day of the Lunar New Year, and we've come specifically to wish you a Happy New Year! We should have come yesterday, but something came up, and we could only make it today. I hope you won't blame us."
Ugh...
Shen Dianlan's face was filled with embarrassment.
She turned to look at Su Ru, her eyes full of confusion, as if asking: They aren't here to demand explanations, but to pay New Year's respects? What are they up to?
Su Ru, having seen more of the world, had a strong heart.
She cut the peeled apple into slices, arranged them on a plate, and brought it to them, smiling, "Here, have some apple."
"Thank you." Lu Ming picked up a slice without hesitation and said as he ate, "Oh, right. I came yesterday to exorcise the Old Madam. While it was quite effective, there were still some lingering issues."
Huh?
What was he playing at?
Su Ru's brows furrowed. She knew very well that the exorcism was a pretense, a tactic to lure them away. Why was Lu Ming taking it so seriously?
No, something was wrong.
Su Ru tentatively asked, "What lingering issues?"
Lu Ming said, "Although the evil spirit possessing the Old Madam has been removed by me, her constitution is a 'Five Yin Body,' which is highly susceptible to attracting unclean things. If left unattended, I believe it won't be long before another spirit, perhaps even more potent than yesterday's, possesses the Old Madam!"
This was utter nonsense.
Everyone in the room knew Lu Ming was lying through his teeth, yet no one could refute him.
After all, the matter of exorcism was initially brought up by Su Ru herself.
Su Ru asked with a cold expression, "Then what do you plan to do?"
At this moment, Lu Ming took out the special green liquid he had prepared and stated with conviction, "This is a special potion I brewed all night. Drinking this will break the Old Madam's 'Five Yin Body,' making her like a normal person! Old Madam, please take the medicine."
Uh oh...
Shen Dianlan looked at the verdant potion, which resembled moldy rotten apples. Was it safe to drink?
She was sure that one sip would be fatal!
Shen Dianlan's facial features contorted into a grimace, her expression exceedingly awkward.
Su Ru snorted, "Lu Ming, the Old Madam's health is already poor, she can't just drink random things. Look at this potion you've concocted, it's so green. What if it makes the Old Madam ill?"
Lu Ming patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, this is a miraculous elixir. The Old Madam will have no problems after drinking it. What, you don't want the Old Madam to drink it? Do you still want her to be harassed by evil spirits?"
Su Ru clenched her fists.
After a moment of hesitation.
She said coldly, "If the Old Madam is to drink it, then you must take a sip first to prove there are no issues. Only then will the Old Madam drink it."
"What's so difficult about that?"
Lu Ming unscrewed the cap, took a large gulp, and even wiped his mouth afterward.
"It tastes amazing!"