Mrs. Gold's Secret
Night fell, and while everyone in Lily Evans's household was fast asleep, Mrs. Gold glanced at the soundly sleeping Belle, then quietly got up and slipped outside.
But the moment Mrs. Gold left the house, Belle opened her eyes, silently got out of bed, and followed her.
"Madam, every few days, Mrs. Gold sneaks out at night to the edge of the village," Belle whispered to Lily Evans as she led the way.
With Belle leading, Lily Evans and her companions walked all the way to the village outskirts, where they spotted a rundown thatched hut.
Mrs. Gold looked around nervously outside the hut, then pushed the door open and went in.
The trio hurried after her, hiding behind the hut to listen to what was happening inside.
Inside, Mrs. Gold pulled out a bundle of food from her bosom.
May Parker's eyes lit up with hunger. She snatched the food and began stuffing it into her mouth.
"Hey, my dear goddaughter, slow down, be careful not to choke," Mrs. Gold said, pouring May Parker a cup of water.
After wolfing down all the food Mrs. Gold brought, May Parker looked at her with teary eyes and said, "Godmother, if it weren't for you, I would've starved to death! My family doesn't want me anymore, only you care about me. From now on, I'll take care of you in your old age and honor you for the rest of my life!"
Mrs. Gold patted May Parker's arm and said, "Good child, your godmother is just a lonely widow—no son, no daughter, no kin. From now on, I’ll be counting on you. When I die, at least there’ll be someone to burn paper for me." (Note: Burning paper is a traditional funerary rite in China to honor the deceased.)
Outside the hut, Lily Evans’s gaze grew colder and colder. When did Mrs. Gold start getting mixed up with May Parker?
May Parker wiped her mouth and spat out angrily, "Godmother, that wretched Lily Evans bullied you again, didn’t she? That heartless little witch is a disaster! I’m like this all because of her!"
Mrs. Gold replied, "Exactly, that wretched Lily Evans bullies me all the time! She gives me so little money, just two taels of silver a month—what good is that? Might as well be for beggars!"
Most kitchen maids in ordinary households don’t even get one tael of silver a month. Lily Evans, thinking she had only a few servants and wanting to treat them well, gave everyone extra wages. The others were grateful, but Mrs. Gold took the money with a smile and flattered Lily Evans for her generosity, only to secretly hate her! Truly, gratitude for a handful of rice turns to resentment for a bushel—she raised a real ingrate!
Inside, May Parker’s voice was furious: "Godmother, didn’t you say you’d put arsenic in Lily Evans’s food and poison her whole family, then we’d run off with her silver? Why haven’t you done it yet? Are you getting soft on her? She treats you like a dog, but I’m the one who truly cares for you!"
Lily Evans broke out in a cold sweat, chills running from her feet to the top of her head. She’d thought Mrs. Gold was just greedy, selling off food for silver—a betrayal, but nothing fatal. Who would have guessed Mrs. Gold actually planned to poison the whole family? Thank goodness Belle was clever enough to discover it early. If Mrs. Gold really had put poison in the food, it would have been a disaster!
The three outside were furious at what they heard, but Lily Evans motioned for them to stay quiet and keep listening to Mrs. Gold and May Parker’s scheme.
Mrs. Gold said, "Good girl, I was about to poison them, but then I accidentally learned a way to get rich! Turns out that wretched Lily Evans makes her fortune selling her secret recipes! I plan to stay in her house a while longer and secretly learn her skills. Then you and I will never have to worry about food or money again!"
May Parker’s face lit up with joy. "Godmother, you really are clever! I was wrong to blame you. You must hurry and learn those secret recipes so we can sell them! Once we’ve mastered all of Lily Evans’s skills, we’ll poison her whole family! Hmph, Lily Evans, you ruined my reputation, so I want your whole family dead!"