Chapter 454: Dismissal

Ah Zhuang stared at the paper in his hands, his eyes lingering on the signature at the bottom. It was unmistakably his uncle's name. His mind buzzed, and he slumped onto a wooden stool, his body trembling slightly as the paper slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.

He couldn't believe it. His secret had been exposed.

Gu Zi spoke up, intending to recount the entire incident in front of the village chief. "My mother asked me to deliver some meat to Aunt Yang at the boiler room that morning. When I arrived, I saw Ah Zhuang adding something to the water. I was afraid that my word alone wouldn't be enough evidence, so I didn't confront him immediately.

"Instead, I tricked Ah Zhuang into drinking a ladle of it himself, which is why he had a stomach upset that day... I dumped the rest of the tainted water, but not before filling a bottle for testing.