Chapter 122 - 55: An Adultery-Catching Fiasco
Mrs. Xie held Jie Jingshan’s trembling body close. Her excitement gave way to worry, and she couldn’t stop herself from shaking.
"Nghh." Jie Jingshan bit down hard on a rolling pin, a suppressed groan of pain seeping through her gritted teeth.
"Jing Qi, hang in there! Mom, pinch the spot right under her nose," Qin Mei directed, worried Jie Jingshan would pass out from the pain.
"Xiao Mei, why is it so painful?" The intensity of Jing Qi’s pain was far beyond what Mrs. Xie had imagined. While feeling pain was a good sign, she worried that this level of agony was too much for Jing Qi to bear. After all, she was only fourteen.
Qin Mei didn’t answer, her focus entirely on inserting the needles.
Half an hour later, Qin Mei removed the last of the silver needles. She let out a heavy sigh and raised a hand to wipe the beads of sweat from her forehead.
Jie Jingshan collapsed limply in Mrs. Xie’s arms, her breathing faint and shallow.
Mrs. Xie held Jie Jingshan, seeing how faint Jing Qi’s signs of life were. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was at death’s door. A look of shock crossed her face, her eyes filled with worry as she cried out urgently, "Jing Qi!"
"Mom, don’t worry. Jing Qi is fine. Just let her lie down. She’ll be all right after she gets some sleep," Qin Mei said. She took the rolling pin from Jing Qi’s mouth, and her gaze flickered as she saw the deep teeth marks indented in the wood.
’This girl can really take the pain.’
Qin Mei left the room. Still uneasy, Mrs. Xie sat by the bedside to watch over Jie Jingshan.
"Are you okay?" Jie Jingchen had been waiting outside. His deep gaze was locked intently on Qin Mei.
Qin Mei looked up at him, her brow furrowed. She seemed to want to say something but held her tongue.
"What is it?" Jie Jingchen asked.
Qin Mei shook her head. Waving the rolling pin in her hand, she said nonchalantly, "It’s nothing."
’Her husband hadn’t come home all night. It would be perfectly normal for a wife to ask where he’d been. But they weren’t a normal couple. Besides, Qin Mei wasn’t even sure if he’d come home at all last night.’
"Qin Mei." Jie Jingchen clearly didn’t believe her.
"Have you taken your medicine?" Qin Mei changed the subject. When Jie Jingchen remained silent, she added, "If you want your body to heal, you have to rely on the medicine."
"I have." The corners of Jie Jingchen’s lips curved into a slight smile.
"Good." Qin Mei handed the rolling pin to Jie Jingchen. "Take this to the kitchen. I’m going back to my room to get some more sleep."
’Jie Jingshan was in pain, but she was exhausted, especially since she was on her period.’
Jie Jingchen stared at the teeth marks on the rolling pin. His gaze tightened, and a hint of worry creased his brow. "Will the treatments always be this painful?"
Qin Mei stopped in her tracks. With her back still to Jie Jingchen, she replied, "This time it was her thighs. Next time, it’ll be her calves. Jie Jingchen, you should be grateful she can feel pain. If she couldn’t feel a thing, there would be nothing I could do for her legs."
Jie Jingchen fell silent. ’Qin Mei is right,’ he thought. ’If she had no sensation at all, that would be truly hopeless.’
"Thank you." The words came from the bottom of Jie Jingchen’s heart.
Qin Mei turned to face him, crossing her arms as she fixed her gaze on him. "Jie Jingchen, I’m a very pragmatic person. I’d prefer something more substantial than a simple thank you."
"I don’t have any money." Jie Jingchen was lying. He had money, and he was willing to give it to her, but he didn’t dare.
’If he gave her money, she would take it. And as he watched her savings grow, he was filled with a sense of foreboding. He felt like she was saving up to leave him. Once she had enough, she would be gone. The insecurity, the fear of losing her, was incredibly frustrating.’
"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!" Qin Mei nearly choked on her own spit. ’Jie Jingchen says he has no money? Who does he think he’s fooling?’
’Jie Jingjue acts like a typical rich playboy, so she’d believe it if he said he was broke. But Jie Jingchen? She would never believe he was out of money.’
’His family was well-off, so he never had to worry about providing for them. He wouldn’t have had many expenses in the military, and he was even set up with a job after being discharged. So where did all the money go?’
’If Jie Jingchen really hadn’t saved any money, there was only one explanation: he was keeping a mistress in a fancy love nest. Or maybe more than one.’
"Jie Jingchen, have you forgotten? I’m not treating Jing Qi’s legs for free. You have to pay my fee," Qin Mei reminded him.
"I’ll owe you," Jie Jingchen said, not intending to default on the debt.
Qin Mei gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to kill him. To her, it felt very much like Jie Jingchen was trying to get out of paying.
’There was no turning back now; she hated leaving things half-finished. Besides the money her mother-in-law and father-in-law had given her, Jing Qi herself had only paid one thousand.’
’And in this day and age, a thousand was no small amount.’
Jie Jingchen had really gotten on her nerves. Her good mood ruined, she shot him a vicious glare before spinning on her heel and storming back to her room.
「Three days later」
Her period had ended. On a dark and windy night, taking advantage of Jie Jingchen being called away, a fully disguised Qin Mei slipped out of the house.
When Jie Jingjue returned late that night, he saw Qin Mei sneaking out. His immediate thought was that she was slipping away for a secret rendezvous with her lover.
Jie Jingjue considered getting Jie Jingchen to come with him and catch her in the act, but then he remembered his brother’s blind trust in Qin Mei. He decided against it and started tailing her quietly himself. ’First, find out who this lover is,’ he thought. ’Then I can figure out what to do next.’