Chapter 1962: Almost Died at the Hands of a Concubine

Chapter 1962: Almost Died at the Hands of a Concubine

Jiang Fengshou seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Liao's family runs a grain shop. While their family background isn't as prestigious as the Gan family's, it's still quite respectable."

Shu Yu nodded, appearing deep in thought.

Suddenly, Jiang Fengshou chuckled, "The Gan family is quite peaceful. I heard that Master Gan hasn't taken any concubines yet."

Shu Yu raised an eyebrow, "No concubines?" In a household of this size, that was relatively uncommon.

Jiang Fengshou knew what Shu Yu wanted to know. After all, Gan Rui had been visiting frequently, even more often than Shu Yu. He had also used his son as an excuse to see her several times.

In Jiang Fengshou's opinion, Gan Rui was quite a decent person.

"Gan Rui is seventeen years old this year. According to tradition, he should have been assigned a concubine to serve him at home. However, he declined. I heard it was because he almost died at the hands of a concubine."

Shu Yu was taken aback, "By his father's concubine?"

Jiang Fengshou shook his head, "No, it was the eldest son of the Gan family."

When the eldest son of the Gan family came of age, his mother was still alive, and in a family like the Gans, it was customary to arrange concubines for the young men. The eldest son of the Gan family had taken two concubines before marrying Liao Shi.

One year after Liao Shi arrived, she gave birth to a son. A year later, Gan's mother passed away, and the responsibility of managing the household fell onto the young Liao Shi's shoulders.

During this transition period, Liao Shi was naturally busy and preoccupied, especially since she had to take care of her one-year-old son. She had no extra time or energy to devote to her husband.

As a result, the concubine of Gan's eldest son saw this as an opportunity. She thought that she might be able to serve the eldest son well, and perhaps even give birth to another child.

However, even though Gan's eldest son wasn't particularly filial, he couldn't possibly engage with a woman so soon after his mother's passing. Moreover, he was a kind-hearted person, and upon seeing the concubine's indiscretion, he was not only disgusted but also furious. He not only rejected her advances but also restricted her actions.

For the concubine, this was akin to being banished to the cold palace. She felt resentful, and under the mockery and ridicule of the other concubines, she took a deviant path. She believed that Gan's eldest son had changed after marrying Liao Shi, and he rarely interacted with the concubines anymore, only occasionally visiting when Liao Shi was pregnant.

After Liao Shi gave birth to her son, Gan's eldest son hardly even glanced at the concubines.

This made her resentful, and she secretly acquired some Croton seeds, which she slipped into the food intended for Liao Shi's son when no one was watching.

Croton seeds weren't necessarily lethal, but for a child just over a year old, even a small mistake could be fatal. Especially if the child experienced vomiting and diarrhea, it could easily damage their gastrointestinal system.

At that time, Gan Rui was only eight years old, and he adored children, especially his soft and tender nephew. When his older brother and sister-in-law were too busy, he would come to play with his nephew.

At first, the nephew was reluctant to eat solid food, but Gan Rui would coax him to eat. They often shared a bowl, with Gan Rui taking a bite and then feeding a bite to his nephew.

That day, Gan Rui came as usual to feed his nephew, but he didn't expect that the nanny had just fed the child milk before he arrived, and the child wasn't hungry. When Gan Rui tried to feed him, the child pushed the food away and giggled.

In the end, Gan Rui hadn't fed him a single bite; he had eaten all of it himself.