Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Intoxicatingly Aromatic Chili Sauce

Su Tang spoke with stern righteousness, maintaining a business-like demeanor.

Hu Jianjun wanted to use public opinion to control the situation, so she would leave him with nothing to say.

Hu Lili had burned her things, so Su Tang was well within her rights to make her own demands.

But Hu Jianjun had ill intentions, and Su Tang wasn’t going to put up with his bad behavior.

’Didn’t he want to handle this officially?’

’Then they could just investigate it openly and properly. There was no need for him to come looking for her here.’

When Hu Jianjun heard this, he immediately panicked.

“Sister Su, Sister Su, I’m begging you…”

“I’m not the one you should be begging.”

Su Tang felt Hu Jianjun’s hand grab her pant leg, and she quickly stepped back.

Her attitude was firm, so Hu Jianjun sullenly let go.

Seeing the look on Su Tang’s face, he knew that no amount of pleading would work.

He slowly stood up. Droplets of blood from his forehead fell to the ground, mixing with the dirt and looking particularly jarring.

“Sister Su, are you really not going to let our Lili go?”

Hu Jianjun’s voice carried a trace of resentment.

Su Tang looked at him, her gaze firm. “Hu Lili did something wrong, and she should bear the consequences. This is for her own good, and it’s also for the good of everyone else.”

“She’s an adult. Doesn’t she know what she should and shouldn’t do?”

Besides, Su Tang felt that Hu Lili wasn’t the type to just let things go.

Even if she forgave Hu Lili, Hu Lili wouldn’t change.

Su Tang had no desire to be a saint, letting Hu Lili off the hook only to invite trouble for herself.

Hu Jianjun said no more. He just shot Su Tang a fierce glare, then turned and left.

His retreating figure looked somewhat pathetic. The enamel mug was still on the stone table, its unknown contents emitting a strange smell.

Seeing that the show was over, the crowd of onlookers also began to disperse.

Zhang Cui took a deep breath and patted Su Tang’s shoulder, worried the whole ordeal would weigh on her.

“Sister, don’t be scared. Hu Lili is the one who did wrong, not us.”

Aunt Wang also chimed in, afraid Su Tang would overthink things.

“Zhang Cui, Aunt Wang, I won’t be guilt-tripped. What Hu Jianjun is doing is only harming his sister.”

Su Tang gathered the dandelions and plantains from the ground and said this with a smile.

The more Hu Jianjun did, the more guilty everyone would think Hu Lili was.

Originally, this matter would have just resulted in some monetary compensation and a bit of time in detention.

But with Hu Jianjun making such a scene, the outcome was now uncertain.

Aunt Wang looked at Su Tang’s clear-headed expression, smiled, and nodded. “Zhang Cui, I don’t think we need to say any more. Xiao Su knows what she’s doing.”

“This sister of mine is very strong-willed. Alright, I’m heading back then.”

Zhang Cui waved and turned to leave.

The matter with Hu Lili was settled for now, just awaiting the final result.

Early the next morning, Su Tang slung a bamboo basket over her back and went to the back mountain with Lu Xiao to gather Fogwater Vine.

Lu Xiao was worried she wouldn’t be safe alone and insisted on going with her.

He even said that if something happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to face her parents.

The path on the back mountain was not easy to walk, especially on the shaded slope, which was covered in moss and stones. One could easily slip with a moment of carelessness.

“Be careful.”

Lu Xiao reached out and steadied Su Tang, who had nearly slipped.

Su Tang’s hand rested on Lu Xiao’s arm, and she could feel the muscles under his clothes suddenly tense like a drawn bowstring.

But Lu Xiao’s face was as cold as ever, leaving Su Tang unable to read his thoughts.

The two of them searched the shaded slope for a long time before finally seeing a large patch of Fogwater Vine.

Su Tang excitedly squatted down and began to carefully pick the vines. When she had a free moment, she asked, “Lu Xiao, do you think Hu Lili will be treated leniently?”

Lu Xiao thought for a moment. “Probably. This incident was mainly property damage, with no personal injury.”

“But the specific handling will still depend on the final verdict.”

Su Tang nodded. “You’re right. That’s not something I should be worrying about.”

’It’s just that from now on, she and Hu Lili could no longer coexist peacefully.’

’After this, once Hu Lili is released, she’ll probably hate my guts.’

After they finished gathering the Fogwater Vine, it was already noon by the time they returned to the family courtyard.

When Zhang Cui saw them return, she hurried over to help.

“Sister Su, you’re finally back! Someone from the provincial capital was just looking for you. They said Lu Xiao contacted them, and they were here to deliver medicinal herbs.”

Su Tang looked at Lu Xiao in pleasant surprise. “You found someone that quickly?”

The things she needed were not easy to find, which was why Su Tang had said that money was no object.

These medicinal pouches weren’t just for trading with everyone; Su Tang needed to use them herself.

’Of course, the more, the better.’

Lu Xiao gave a light cough, pressing a fist to his lips and looking away.

“I made the call last night. I figured it was better to get the herbs early so as not to delay your business.”

His tone was somewhat stiff, which, for some reason, felt like a poor attempt at concealment.

Su Tang had no time to tease Lu Xiao right now.

She hurried to meet the person from the provincial capital. They had brought a lot of medicinal herbs. Although the price was a bit higher than the market rate, the quality was excellent.

With the herbs secured, the huge weight on Su Tang’s mind was finally lifted.

After making some medicinal pouches with Zhang Cui, Su Tang told everyone that she would no longer be trading the pouches for other goods.

Although the pouches were good, they were a lot of effort to make and could easily be exploited by others.

Su Tang didn’t want to take those risks.

When everyone heard Su Tang wasn’t going to make any more pouches for them, they started to raise a clamor.

So Su Tang told them the recipe for the pouches, explaining that the basic herbs weren’t hard to find.

’It was just that her own special ingredients were the most crucial ones.’

Without these herbs, the effectiveness of the pouches would be greatly reduced.

After she placated the neighborhood women, they finally left.

Seeing Su Tang give away the recipe, Zhang Cui called her a fool.

“Those people won’t appreciate your kindness.”

Hearing Zhang Cui’s words, Su Tang produced a jar as if by magic.

“Have a taste.”

Inside the jar was a bottle of chili sauce. The moment the lid was opened, the fragrant aroma of chili peppers rushed out.

There was also something green soaking inside, though it was unclear what it was.

Zhang Cui took the chopsticks Su Tang offered and picked up a bit of the chili sauce.

“So spicy! It really hits the spot! I haven’t had such authentic chili sauce in ages.”

After just one bite, Zhang Cui was already looking for water.

Su Tang quickly poured her a glass. It was her first time making it, so she had little experience and was worried she’d made it too spicy.

“I have to say, even though it’s spicy, it’s delicious. What kind of chili is this?”

Zhang Cui fanned her mouth with her hand as she spoke, but she couldn’t resist taking another bite.

This chili sauce was unlike any she had ever tasted. It was satisfyingly spicy, and most importantly, one bite could make you eat three bowls of rice.

“It’s just the most common kind of chili pepper, but I added a few Chinese medicinal herbs.”

“First, I steep the medicinal herbs in water, then I use that infused water to fry the sauce. That way, no matter how spicy the chili is, it won’t hurt your stomach.”

’It’s so spicy this time, probably because I was too generous with the ingredients.’

’But then again, chili sauce is supposed to be spicy. If it’s not, it just doesn’t have the right kick.’

Now, seeing Zhang Cui’s reaction, Su Tang felt that her homemade chili sauce was a great success.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep