A Cup of Expired Medicine Killed a Family

Upon hearing the news, Jane collapsed, her legs giving way, while Haley turned pale.

She clutched the doctor's arm, pleading for a gastric lavage.

The doctor, seeing Jane on the floor in pain and Haley begging, quickly prescribed medication and instructed them to have gastric lavage.

But Jane, seemingly deaf to everything, clung to Jake, refusing to let go.

In agony, she turned her eyes to me as if blaming me for the thermometer incident.

Trembling, she pointed at me and growled, "It's you. You must be the one who was jealous of your brother and put the thermometer in his mouth. Give back my son. You sinful bastard, I'll beat you to death."

Hospital staff rushed to intervene.

The doctor quickly said, "Your whole family has this symptom. It must not be her intention."

Relatives covered Jane's mouth, asking her to have her gastric lavage done.

Yet, I could still hear her curses.

"How could I have given birth to such a bastard like you?"

"You killed your brother. You will not escape this."

Amid the chaos, Jake's life ended.

The elderly Haley, weak after gastric lavage, lay on a bench in the hospital corridor.

Jane held Jake's body, tears streaming down her face, but her eyes were fixed on me.

Only when they left the hospital did the relatives loosen their grip.

But in an instant, she lost control again, slapping my cheek.

"You evil bastard. Give me back my son."

She kicked and punched me, shouting, "If it weren't you, Jake would still..."

She choked on his name, unable to finish.

Haley also reacted, was supported by others, and spit at me.

"Bitch, our family only had this one grandson. I'll beat you to death."

They directed their fury at me.

But I didn't do anything. I didn't poison anyone, and I didn't play with the thermometer. Yet I was accused of being the one who killed Jake.

Jane paused as if recalling something and suddenly slumped to the floor.

"How will I explain this to his father? Our son Jake..." Her voice broke into tears.

I thought she needn't worry about that, as it was unclear if Hoyt was still alive.

As for this explanation, at least there was no rush now.

Hearing Hoyt's name, Haley exclaimed, "Oh no!" and urged, "Hurry home. He might have eaten too."

Jane sniffled and hurried into the car.

In the vehicle, Haley and Jane prayed.

But the reality was cruel.

Hoyt didn't eat that meal, but he still died.

His body was still warm.

The cause of his death was a bottle of medicine that had expired eight years.

In one day, the family lost two men.

When Haley saw Hoyt's body, she fainted.

Jane turned her anger on me.

Even though someone tried to stop her, I was still beaten all over.

But it didn't matter.

Some would never wake again.

Two of those who once tried to treat me as a commodity and squeezed every bit of value out of me were gone.

Relatives comforted Jane, filling the room with sighs and sobs.

Then someone asked, "What did Hoyt take to end up like this?"

I timidly replied, "Dad didn't eat anything today. He only drank Grandma's medicine."

Jane jolted, then slapped me before she could wipe her nose. "Was it the medicine in the cupboard?"

I covered my face and nodded while crying.

Jane realized the expired medicine was the real cause of Hoyt's death.

At this moment, she had already forgotten the circumstances of Jake's passing.

After all, she could have had another child after Jake, but now she was a widow.

In the countryside, widowhood meant a decline in status.

The relatives nearby didn't know what had happened and watched as my mother stopped crying, now asking.

When they learned the truth, they were shocked.

Haley had kept an expired medicine bottle, leading to her son's death.

The crowd sighed.

"Jane, don't be too upset. The family relies on you now. You must take good care of the funeral arrangements."

"Yes, Lena is still young, and the elderly are aging. You must support the family."

"Don't worry, I have connections to help you apply for low-income insurance."

Their words pressured her.

Finally, Jane couldn't take it anymore and asked everyone to leave, including me.

I welcomed this. I didn't want to stay and risk another beating.

After a night of tossing and turning, it was already dawn.

I sat against the wall, gazing at the rising sun, feeling a glimmer of hope.

When it was fully light, Haley woke up.

She entered the bedroom, weeping for Hoyt and Jake.

After a while, she seemed to remember something, gently slapped her forehead, and began searching.

Jane just sat on the bed, watching Haley's movements quietly.

When Haley found the land and property certificates, Jane understood her intentions.

Haley faced Jane's gaze without any fear.

"What are you looking at? You killed my son and grandson. What bad luck."

"I definitely can't leave these things to you. These must be in my name."

"I don't care who you will seduce in the future. But I cannot let our family's legacy fall into your hands."

Jane laughed bitterly but quickly regained her composure. "You're right, Mom."

She glanced at the leftovers I had left for Hoyt and said softly, "It's a waste not to eat. I'll heat it and ask you to come to eat later."

Unaware of the danger, Haley spat at Jane's departing back. "Bad luck."