Mother-in-law Loves Picking Mushrooms

Helen Beck, my mother-in-law, was obsessed with picking mushrooms, but she never let me have even a bite.A mere five days after my miscarriage, she forced me to go out under the blazing sun to run errands.The moment I stepped out, she invited the pregnant mistress of my husband, Josh Aster, over for a meal.I thought to myself. “Go ahead, eat as much as you want. Who could possibly out-eat you two?”At 6:00 am, Helen stormed into my room. She threw the door open with a bang and yelled, “You’re still in bed? Didn’t I call you yesterday and tell you I’d be coming over to make chicken broth for my son?“My son works so hard at his job to provide for you. Do you think that’s easy? And here you are, sleeping in like a lazy freeloader!”Honestly, I only managed to catch these few lines out of her tirade.At this point, it had only been five days since my miscarriage. The miscarriage did not happen because there was something wrong with the baby. No, it happened because Josh got drun

“Dani, take out the trash!”Helen’s voice boomed through the apartment as if she was afraid that I might not hear her.I got out of bed and quietly cracked the door open just enough to peek outside.At the doorway, I saw Dani holding a trash bag in one hand and the thermos in the other.I knew she was delivering the thermos to that woman.I could not help but chuckle quietly. I gently closed the door.I wondered if that woman would end up paying the ultimate price for that “lovely” chicken broth. Maybe two lives would be lost because of one bowl of broth!At that moment, I felt fantastic.Suppressing the thrill I felt, I put on my usual sorrowful expression and stepped out of the room.“Helen, let me help you,” I said when I saw Helen preparing food in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Josh was sitting motionless on the couch and staring at his phone.Helen shot me a cold look. “Look at you. If you collapse, your mother will come yelling at me again.”Josh glanced at me from the corne

The reason for my outburst? I wanted to see Josh die in the ICU with my own eyes. It was such a shame that I missed it.And Helen? I did not get to witness her poisoned body give out either.As for Beth...One of the officers hesitated, as if reluctant to speak. However, it was his job. He had no choice.“Ms. Reed, please calm down. We need your cooperation to record a statement.”I sniffled and nodded.“Okay.”The officer asked, “Do you know a woman named Beth MacRae?”I frowned and feigned confusion. “No, I don’t. Who is she? What does she have to do with my husband’s poisoning?”The officer seemed to have pieced something together. He looked at me with a hint of pity.“She’s the one who called it in. She only had a small amount, but because she was pregnant, her reaction was severe. She lost the baby on the spot.”I froze for a moment. My eyes were growing distant and hollow.I muttered under my breath, “A woman? A baby? Drinking chicken broth at my house... I don’t know

“Sorry, we couldn’t save either of them. Their internal organs have completely failed. They were beyond saving.”Soon after the doctor said that, Josh’s body was wheeled out of the operating room. I rushed over like a mad woman. Then, I grabbed his corpse and shook him violently.“Josh, wake up! You can’t leave me! What am I supposed to do without you?” The emotions were too overwhelming. The pain in my stomach surged again, and I blacked out.When I woke up, Joanne was sitting by my bedside.“Ari, you’re awake?”I sat up in a panic. “Joanne, where’s Josh?”She sighed heavily. “The police finished the autopsy. Mom was poisoned by the mushrooms. She didn’t eat much, but her body couldn’t handle it at her age. As for Josh and Dani, I’ve arranged for the crematorium to pick up their bodies. Once Mom’s body is released, we’ll hold a joint funeral. For now, you just focus on resting. I’ll take care of everything.”Her words made me slump back on the bed. I stared blankly at the wal

Extra:Every time Helen brought mushrooms over, I would always research online to check if they were poisonous.One day, when strolling through the farmers’ market, I noticed a vendor selling an unusually large type of mushroom.I asked him what it was.He told me those were termite mushrooms. They were incredibly flavorful and considered a delicacy. When I asked him about the price, he said the highest quality ones could sell for up to 180 dollars per pound.He even told me the differences between real and fake termite mushrooms.When I got home that evening, I was late. Josh, who was drunk as usual, beat me up again.That was the moment the idea came to me.I had to give credit to Mrs. Rockett and the neighborhood women. During casual chats, I deliberately brought up termite mushrooms and talked about how nutritious and rare they were.People from here rarely saw them unless they were from places like Mistwood or its surrounding provinces. Naturally, word spread like wil