Chapter 134 - 58: You’re Happy That I’ve Become a Eunuch?
Qin Mei patted the back of Second Auntie’s hand, laying the praise on thick. "Second Auntie, you’re exaggerating. How could I possibly compare to you? You’re the real warm-hearted, living Bodhisattva. Your spirit of selflessness is something we should all learn from."
"Oh, you silly girl! You’re exaggerating." Flustered by Qin Mei’s torrent of compliments, Second Auntie’s old face burned with embarrassment.
"I’m not exaggerating at all. Every word comes from the bottom of my heart. Second Auntie, my admiration for you is like a surging river, endless and unceasing." Qin Mei’s sweet talk completely won Second Auntie over.
"Fourth Wife of Jing, the medicine is about to get cold. Drink it while it’s hot." Second Auntie reminded Qin Mei, feeling as if she’d float up to the heavens if she listened to any more praise.
Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. Staring at the steaming medicine, she had the distinct feeling of having shot herself in the foot. "My hands are dirty. I need to wash them first."
Qin Mei headed for the water vat, but Second Auntie grabbed her. "You’re in confinement after your miscarriage. You can’t touch cold water."
Qin Mei desperately wanted to be honest with Second Auntie, but she was afraid of interfering with Jie Jingchen’s plan, so she held back. "Second Auntie, it’s not that big of a deal."
"It is," Second Auntie urged patiently. "Fourth Wife of Jing, you’re still young. If you don’t take care of your body now, you’ll suffer the consequences when you get older."
"Then I’ll wash in our room," Qin Mei conceded. Picking up the medicinal bowl, she left the kitchen. Back in their room, Jie Jingchen was sitting by the window reading. The sight of him instantly reminded Qin Mei of the drug meant for breeding cattle, and of his towering fury. A wave of awkwardness washed over her.
’Seriously. If Jie Jingchen hadn’t mentioned it, I would have had no idea. Ignorance would have been bliss. Now I don’t even know how to face him.’
’Besides, I wasn’t the one who gave him the cattle-breeding drug. What do I have to feel guilty about?’
’The original owner of this body was a real piece of work. A drug for breeding cattle... that stuff must be insanely potent.’
’Well, the original owner got her just deserts. She kicked the bucket.’
"The medicine is ready. It’s your decision whether you drink it or not." Qin Mei didn’t press the issue. Before, when she hadn’t known that the original owner had drugged him, she would have forced him to drink it. Now that she knew, she was letting him choose for himself.
Qin Mei turned, picked up the thermos, and poured water into the washbasin. She washed her hands, dumped the water, then poured fresh hot water to wash her face.
Jie Jingchen set his book down and rose. He walked to the desk and stared at the bowl of medicine. After a few seconds of hesitation, he picked it up and downed it in one go.
Catching his movement out of the corner of her eye, Qin Mei felt the corners of her lips curve up slightly. She hung up her towel and carried the washbasin outside to dump the water.
"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jie Jingshan called out to Qin Mei from her room.
Instead of returning to her room to put the basin down, Qin Mei carried it with her to Jie Jingshan’s room. "What is it?"
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I don’t understand this problem," Jie Jingshan said.
Qin Mei glanced at the problem, sat down beside Jie Jingshan, and patiently explained it to her.
The door was open, and Qin Mei’s clear voice reached Jie Jingchen’s ears. He recognized the question; it was a high school problem. ’She actually knows this?’ The suspicion in Jie Jingchen’s heart flared up again.
He had confirmed her identity—she was definitely Qin Mei. But this version of Qin Mei was simply baffling.
Jie Jingshan was very bright; Qin Mei only had to explain it once for her to grasp it. She could even extrapolate to solve similar problems. Jie Jingshan was a bona fide academic ace.
If Jing Qi kept working this hard, with her help, he wouldn’t even need to go to school. Once the college entrance exams were reinstated, he could just go and take them.
Qin Mei completely forgot about Jie Jingchen. By the time she remembered him, an hour had passed.
"Crap." Qin Mei shot to her feet, scratching her head in frustration. ’How could I have forgotten about Jie Jingchen?’
"Fourth Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?" Jie Jingshan asked, looking up at her.
"You study on your own. Call me if you get stuck on anything else." Qin Mei grabbed the washbasin and practically flew out the door.
Qin Mei skidded to a halt. Instead of rushing in, she leaned against the doorframe and peeked inside first.
Jie Jingchen was sitting calmly by the window, reading. Qin Mei’s eyes flickered with suspicion. Tentatively, she called out, "Jie Jingchen."
"Mm," he responded. His tone was so normal that Qin Mei couldn’t detect anything wrong.
Qin Mei straightened up, smoothed her clothes, and stepped over the threshold. She put the washbasin on its stand and sat on the edge of the bed. Planting her hands on the mattress, she swung her feet back and forth out of boredom.
"Jie Jingchen, it’s been an hour. The medicine’s effects should be kicking in," Qin Mei reminded him pointedly.
"Herbal medicine takes a while to work," Jie Jingchen replied, perfectly composed.
Qin Mei’s mouth twitched. ’Western medicine is fast, herbal medicine is slow. Such clear logic.’
"You haven’t had any... abnormal reactions after drinking it?" Qin Mei asked delicately.
Without looking up from his book, Jie Jingchen replied, "Haven’t felt a thing."
’That can’t be right,’ Qin Mei muttered, her brow furrowed. She stroked her chin and tilted her head back to gaze at the roof beams, deep in thought. ’I prepared the medicine myself, and the dosage was correct. This shouldn’t be the outcome. Where did I go wrong?’
Jie Jingchen was lying. His apparent composure was the result of a desperate effort to suppress the medicine’s effects. At first, it had been agony. But with Qin Mei in Jing Shan’s room, his pride wouldn’t allow him to call out to her. He was also sulking. She knew exactly what the medicine did, had watched him drink it with her own eyes, and then had promptly cast him aside and forgotten him entirely.
Her disregard for him infuriated him.
Qin Mei was very confident in her medical skills. The problem wasn’t her; it was him.
"Jie Jingchen, don’t lie to me. Answer truthfully—are you really not feeling anything?"
"Nothing," Jie Jingchen replied without a moment’s hesitation.
"Still nothing?" Qin Mei muttered, her gaze scrutinizing him. Jie Jingchen sat with his legs crossed, looking completely relaxed and at ease, his expression placid. She couldn’t tell if it was a deliberate act or not; she had no proof to judge whether he was telling the truth.
Qin Mei raised a hand and snapped her fingers with a flourish. "Jie Jingchen, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news," Jie Jingchen said offhandedly.
"Have you ever heard of a ’paired arrangement’?" Qin Mei asked.
Jie Jingchen’s face darkened instantly. He couldn’t keep up the facade any longer. A layer of frost seemed to coat his amber eyes as he ground out a low, "I have not," from between clenched teeth.
’As if I’d believe that.’ His reaction made it obvious he knew exactly what she meant. Qin Mei didn’t call his bluff. Clearing her throat, she began to explain in a deadpan, academic tone. "A ’paired arrangement’ is basically when two people partner up to eat together. Ahem. Specifically, it refers to when ancient eunuchs and palace maids would form a ’marriage.’ They were confined to the palace, unable to lead normal family lives, so this... distorted social phenomenon arose out of loneliness and boredom. Get it?"
The sound of grinding teeth filled the silence. Jie Jingchen’s expression was terrifying, his icy, sharp glare sharp enough to slice through the air and dice her into a thousand pieces. ’Damn her. Damn her to hell.’
’The old Qin Mei was just annoying. All he’d wanted was to get away from her. But the Qin Mei in front of him now... he didn’t want to avoid her. He wanted to strangle her.’
"Sigh. Jie Jingchen, you have to accept reality. But don’t you worry," Qin Mei said, patting her chest in a gesture of assurance. "As they say, ’a husband and wife for a day are bound by a hundred days of grace.’ I won’t look down on you or abandon you over this."
Jie Jingchen stared at her, his gaze piercing. He was so furious he actually let out a short, sharp laugh. "You could have just said I’ve become a eunuch. Why bother beating around the bush?"
Qin Mei scratched her head. "I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle hearing it so directly."
"And you’re happy about it? That I’ve become a eunuch?" Jie Jingchen glared at her, his eyes a furious, bloodshot red.
"Well, I am enjoying your misfortune a little—" Qin Mei blurted out. Realizing her slip, her survival instincts kicked into overdrive. "No! I mean, why would I be happy? We’re husband and wife! We’re a single unit, you know? We rise and fall together. Since your body has been... harmed, and I can’t just leave you, I have to be ready to share in your trials and tribulations."
Jie Jingchen had to hand it to her. That mouth of hers was something else.
He knew his own body best. Jie Jingchen hadn’t been fooled. Just because she said he was a eunuch, did that make it true? ’If I were really a eunuch, then how would I explain... this?’
Jie Jingchen took a deep breath, trying to quell the twin fires of his rage and desire. He raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose and asked, "And the good news?"